Japan: week 3

Already the last part of my Japan trip : c ahhh it passed by so quickly!
 On our third week, we went to Kobe to celebrate the New Year and then returned to Tokyo. If you go to Kobe, you've gotta try the beef! Kobe beef is unlike anything else, it's UBER delicioussssss, the juices gush out and melt delightfully in your mouth! *sorry vegans & vegetarians, you didn't read anything* 

Kobe is one of the first cities to open up to the West hence the architecture is very westernized. Because it was New Year's day, a lot of the places were closed and the city felt a bit empty. We decided to go to the port because it was famous and as soon as I saw the wheel from afar, I shotgunned it! WE HAD TO RIDE THE WHEEL!   

 

I'll let you guys in on a secret: ever since my teenybopper manga-loving teenage years, I've always wanted to one day ride a ferris wheel in Japan with my boyfriend :-P The boyfriend part didn't happen but the wheel part happened and I'm satisfied! YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY DREAM 99.9% COME TRUE!

 

The port is so clean and nice : - ] There are shops and restaurants around and also a 3(?) floor arcade with purikura machines. You can bet that me and Lily went for another round  >:D!

 

We got a special transparent cabin and it was so pretty : ) They should build a ferris wheel in Montreal's old port!

 

The sole reason I wanted to go to Kobe is THE BEEF! At first, Lily was hesitant because she's not a meat lover (unlike me!) but I convinced her that we should try since we're in Japan and it's New Year's day! SHE DID NOT REGRET! SOOOOO GOOOODDDD TTOTT!!!!! The plate we shared was 5800 yen and I don't even think it's the best cuts because someone at our hostel told us that she got 4 mini pieces for 6000 yen. Still, it was sooooo yummy TT___TT!!!! 

 

Happy to attack! 

People told us that the cattle die a peaceful death and they get pampered all their life (hence the softness of their meat because they undergo little to no stress). Apparently, they drink alcohol and get massaged :D Interesting... ONOMNOMNOM!

The restaurant had a beautiful view of the port :D AHHH now this is what I call spoiling ourselves!

 

This is Takeshita-dori in Harajuku, one of the busiest and famous shopping streets in Harajuku. Most clothes are very cutesy, Lily and I weren't too impressed... It was crowded with high school kids because of crazy flying sparkling sales (yep that's how they call em)!

 

Lily getting overly hyped up by fukubukuros. These are mystery bags filled items that are usually worth double than the price they're being sold. I got a bag for 1000 yen and Lily got one for 2000 yen. Both our bags contained a Disney mug which was totally random (I guess they put it inside to make it heavier) and Lily even got a duck shaped soap dispenser HAHAHA! We both got mascara, cotton pads, nail polish remover (it works really well so I'm happy :D) and a beauty drink. The surprise aspect made it way funner than the actual content! 

 

Crazy crowds in one of the shops (Liz Lisa). There were even men trying to grab the goodies that the saleslady was throwing O_O. Such dedicated boyfriends (I hope they are boyfriends otherwise it'd be creepy haha)!

 

Newly opened Toyu Plaza, the entrance is so cool :-D

 

FOOD FOOD FOOD! I find that the pasta I ate in Japan was better than the pasta I had in Venice ~___~

 

We went inside the Tokyo Tower during the first part of our trip but we didn't get to take any pictures outside with the tower. So we went back and snapped some quick pictures! I shall spare you guys from all the camwhore-ness haha!

 

We stayed at a really cute Japanese style hostel called Toco in Iriya on the Hibiya (grey) line. It's very close to Ueno and Akihabara so the location is quite good. The staff is very friendly too =]

 

ODAIBA, WHY DYU TEMPT US WITH SO MANY MALLS???!!! Yep so Uniqlo had a mega sale on their awesome stretchy heat tech legging pants but me and Lily decided to be good girls and not buy any = MAJOR REGRET TT____TT! 

 

AHHHH SUSHI CONVEYOR! So much fun! I really liked this conveyor belt sushi place way more than the other one because we could order via Ipad (no awkward body language needed) and our food would be delivered via these mini Shinkansens!

 

GAK! So much fun to see the food get delivered on these mini trains :D 

 

You cannot go to Japan and not pig out on sushi!

 

OMG I was so amused with this and wished they had an adult version! I would totally go inside :-D! 

 

One particular girl (not the one in this picture) was having THE TIME OF HER LIFE! She was rolling and running and rolling some more in her plastic ball. It was hilarious seeing her fall and flip over, she was so jolly too : 3 KAWAII!

 

Sipping on some Starbucks in Shibuya, there were a lot of gaijins in this Starbucks. I enjoyed eavesdropping on other people's conversations!

We couldn't leave Tokyo without visiting a cat cafe. Our previous attempt to find a cat cafe in Harajuku only brought us into a really sketchy building. We actually found this cat cafe while biking around our hostel. We biked to Ueno (it's only a station away) so I don't know the exact address of this cat cafe : C 

 

The cats just minded their own business and totally ignored me : I I guess they don't like pandas... They are probably sick of entertaining humans!

 

SO ADORABLE!

 

The kittens were super energetic! 

 

It was reallyyy cold in our hostel, because it's Japanese style, they didn't have central heating (there was heating in the rooms) so the common areas were freeeezing >___<!

 

Our friend Nobu bringing us inside a doll shop in Akihabara. It was FILLED with doll parts from panties to eyeballs! I think I would've loved it as a kid (move over barbie, you're not high-tech enough) but now I kinda find it a bit creepy. And I kept wondering how the shop owner keeps tab on his inventory O_O!

 

We ended our trip with some all-you-can-drink karaoke! It was sooooo much fun!!!!!! I regret not doing this more often but I'm really glad I got to karaoke in Tokyo! 

 

KANPAIIIIIIIIII!!!! MAY 2013 BRING EVEN GREATER ADVENTURES! 

I'm really glad that we got to meet so many helpful, friendly and nice people during this short 3 week trip to Japan. Without all these new friends, I'm sure our trip wouldn't have been as memorable! I highly recommend that while travelling, you make friends with the people at your hostel (be it locals or foreigners). It's interesting to learn about their culture too! It was truly a nice experience and it opened my perspective on a lot of things. 

I'm so grateful that I was able to go to Japan, I hope that people who wish to go also pursue their dreams. It's completely worth it!

Japan: week 2

Continuing from my Japan: week 1 post, here is week 2! During our second week in Japan, Lily and I stayed 5 nights in Kyoto before leaving for Nara and Osaka. Kyoto was beautiful and I'm really glad that we stayed there for a longer period. It's a beautiful city surrounded by plenty of cultural richness and nature! I feel as if we did not even have time to explore the first layer of the city before we had to leave =[ but that just means we'll have to come back!

 

Because Kyoto is a fairly medium-sized city, Lily and I rented bikes from our hostel and biked to Nishiki food market. There is an underground bike parking and it was very high-tech : > Bikes were stacked onto racks which moved so you wouldn't bump a whole row of bikes down like dominoes! Very efficient!

We got there relatively early and all the shops were only starting to open. Lily and I had hoped to eat our breakfast here but while browsing the shops, we tasted many different types of snacks that by the end of our browsing, we weren't hungry anymore haha! This market intersects shopping streets (Teramachi, Kawaramachi) and once again we got lured into shopping! >____<

Japan surely is full of kawaiiiii-ness! Lily really wanted to buy these bunnies but we had decided that for our first trip, we'll shop carefully and that next time we come back, we'll buy EVERYTHING jaja!

Since we couldn't get the cute bunny, we got cute donuts instead! These were 300+ yen but they were huge and ADORABLE! ^o^ Yep, I'm totally a person who "wastes" money on cute food! I imagined the cute animals squeeaaall while I bit down into them BWUAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Infront of the famous minamiza kabuki theatre! Lily and I agreed that we would've liked to watch a performance but we'd probably not get a single thing and just end up sad LOL!

Tsukubai which is used to rinse mouth and hands in order to purify yourself at temples. Even though it was really cold, Lily rinsed her hands most of the time whereas I would just look at her and shudder >_> I'm a bad tourist!

One of the saddest thing: Lily and I did NOT see any geishas in Gion at all : C -CRIES-!!!! Apparently they are to be spotted around 4-6pm and many tourists reported seeing them easily. BLEH, I guess we were unlucky! We even tried to hunt for them but somehow ended up in a sketchy area with lotsa bars and guys smoking while running *it's counter-productive* HAHA!

In Gion at twilight : - )

Being a good tourist, we had to see the Kinkaku-ji, or the Golden Pavillion. Lily and I bought many luck charms for our friends and family. She spent over 5000 yen on charms!

 

We had a really fun Christmas party at our hostel where we met plenty of nice people! We hung out with Avery for the rest of our stay in Kyoto : D It's so nice to make new friends! On that particular day, we went to Arashiyama and the Bamboo Grove.

 

 

Super nice picture taken by Lily. The monkeys walked around freely and didn't really care about the people around them. They were also quite aggressive with each other and would just chase after one another and beat each other up : P

 

Feeding the monkeys was so fun! The big monkey didn't give the small monkey any of the apples or peanuts I fed him. When the small monkey reached for the food, the big monkey would take it and eat it : C But don't worry guys, I fend off the bigger monkey and fed the small monkey too!

 

The view from the top of Arashiyama was beautiful! 

 

Even the hike to the top was gorgeous and so peaceful, I could do this daily!

 

Tall as heck bamboos everywhere! Such a peaceful place to take a stroll, it was hugeeee too! 

 

We wanted to go to the Antique Market which was held every 26th of the month but unfortunately by the time we got there, most shops were closing. Only food stands were open so we decided to eat our supper there:

 

Lol I don't look pleased X-P In fact, I was trying to get some of the raw egg off the top of my okonomiyaki. It was yummy but cold : C I wanted something warm haha~

 

In Kyoto, we rented kimonos at a shop which I forgot the name >___<;; But in Kyoto, there are plenty of rental shops. Our whole set including kimono, jacket, accessories and hair ended up costing 4500 yen for a whole day! A splendid deal if you ask me! 

 

This was my kimono, I really liked the contrasting obi :-D It was so tight and I have a small bladder, so going to the washroom was quite a hassle >___< BUT I MANAGED TO COME OUT CLEAN BWUAHAHAHA >: D *beams proudly*

 

The following day, we ate at a really adorable cafe near our hostel. The entire menu was in Japanese so we took the only thing we could read: omurice haha! Before eating and before saying itadakimasu, we must ofcourse take a picture!

 

Went to the Fushimi Inari-taisha, it was gorgeous! Thousands of torii gates lining up to create a maze of red in a beautiful forest. The torii gates lead up to a mountain top where you can see another gorgeous view of Kyoto! It was quite an exercise climbing up the mountain but so worth it! I definitely recommend all you tourists to go climb to the top to catch the sunset and come down at night! Something which we didn't do but I imagine it would've been UBER COOL!

 

 

Our room was so cozy and we didn't want to leave the next day :-C Ahhh, Kyoto we'll be coming back for youuu!!!!

 

It was super cold, rainy and gloomy the day we arrived in Nara, the mood wasn't too good but after seeing the cute deer, we felt much happier! They just roam around the city, walking onto roads. We saw a poor deer limping on a road : C

 

Who wants a cracker??? 

 

Nara was really pretty too, it was much smaller than the other places but it felt cozy. We spent the rest of the day eating gummies from Daiso and some more desserts XP

 

Already the following day, we left for Osaka. Obligatory tourist picture at the Glico running man flashing neon sign!

 

At first, Lily and I wanted to go to a host club (darn you mangas and animes for making it sound less sketchy ) but once we saw these types of hosts outside trying to lure vulnerable girls into their clubs, we didn't feel like it anymore. LOOK AT THEIR HAIRRRRR >: O Not attractive at alll!!!

 

Instead, we went for some takoyaki! Takoyaki > hosts any day baby!

 

It was much mushier than the ones in Montreal so I wasn't used to the texture but the flavor was very rich :D YUMMY!

 

Gosh, Lily and I abusing purikura some more :P I think we have a total of 8-9 sets from our 3 weeks in Japan...

 

So other than eating, Osaka is famous for its shopping. Oh gosh, our wallets and suitcases cannot handle anymore >___>! I got a watch in Osaka because I kept asking Lily for the time so I felt bad. 

 

Traditional Japanese dessert set from one of the fancy mall complexes. Presentation is key people! 

 

OKONOMIYAKI AND YAKISOBA! MY FAVORITES >__________<!!!! UGH! I was craving okonomiyaki after I came back so me and my housemate attempted to make some. They were good but I miss yakisoba with my okonomiyaki TT___TT

 

AHHH THE BEST DONUTS MY TASTEBUDS HAVE EVER HAD THE JOY OF TASTING! Ichigo donuts from Hara's donuts TT____TT I had 3, I would've had more if we weren't gonna drink afterwards for New Year's Eve celebrations... ah the regret!

We spent our New Year's Eve in Osaka and went to Sumiyoshi-taisha shrine, they have a really famous bridge called the Soribashi. I just googled it now and it looks so nice TT__TT We should've returned there during the day when it wasn't as crowded! It was so crowded that we couldn't even enjoy it but at least we were happy to be together in Japan for the new year : ]