Osaka, Japan

Assalamualaikum w.b.t. for this entry i would like to throwback our trip to Osaka, Japan last year (dah hampir dua tahun kot, jd bnyk yg dah lupa so i akn tulis mana yg igt je la ea hee). 

So let’s explore!

17 Feb 2017 

We arrived at Kansai International Airport around 7am. Then we bought Osaka amazing pass and JR Kansai area pass at the airport (utk tourists i recommend beli pass nie sbb jimat dan juga mudah utk pay the entrance fee nnt). From Kansai airport station we took train to Kyoto station and dropped our luggage here (ada tempat simpan luggage kt sini mcm locker gitu). 

Then we took train to Inari station and went to Fushimi Inari Shrine (famous with orange pillars) and locals people here believe that Fushimi Inari is a holy place and the most important of several thousands of shrines dedicated to Inari, the Shinto god of rice. This place was flooded with so many people so be extra caution especially if you travel with kids. 

After spent few hours there, we went back to Kyoto station, took our luggage and checked-in into our house in Nijo (stop at Nijo Station). 

Fushimi Inari Shrine

18 Feb 2017

Early in the morning after had a breakfast around 7.30am, we took a train to Kyoto station and change train to Shiga station (kat sini kawasan tinggi  jd cuasa sgt sejuk around 5 Celsius  tambah pula masih musim winter perhhh nak kelurkan tgn dri poket baju pon tak sanggup...tak sanggup.. 😣). Then we took a shuttle bus to Biwako Valley (i want to build a snowman ☃☃☃ haha). After bought tickets, we rode The Ropeway (like a cable car but much bigger and it can accommodate up to 120 people). The 360-degree glass cabin of ropeway provides stunning views of snow (klu bukan musim winter akn nampak Lake Biwa) along the 1.8km ride to the the top. 

Ropeway (picture taken from google)

The activities we did here are taking pictures thousand times, (well of course first experience with snow kan walaupon tangan dh membeku haha) snow slide, build a snowman (like finally my dream came true 😍), throw the snow to each others (another dream came true haha 😜) and waited for snow to fall on our head (and another dream came true hee, tp skjp je rasa sbb nak balik dah baru snow turun). We spent almost 5 hours here and i think it is worth it! 

View from top of Biwako Valley

Snow slide (look at those two excited faces)

Next destination is Kobe. We took train to Sannomiya station and walked to Kobe Mosque and ate dinner at Arab restaurant nearby. 

In front of Kobe Mosque

Then we walked again to Kobe Harborland. It is a shopping and entertainment district that offers a large selection of shops, restaurant, cafes and other amusements, which, together with the romantic evening atmosphere, have made it a popular spot for couples and tourists.

Spotted one couple tried being romantic at Kobe Harborland 😌

19 Feb 2017 

The first destination on our third day was Arashiyama Bamboo Grove (nie antara tempat paling terkenal dan wajib dtg klu ke Kyoto). It was very beautiful and it is one of Kyoto's top sights, and walking amid these soaring stalks of bamboo is like being in another world.  

Arashiyama Bamboo

Then we went to Togetsukyo Bridge by walking. The bridge is a 155 meter long built across the Katsura River and it been a landmark in Western Kyoto's Arashiyama district. 

Togetsukyo Bride (picture taken from google)

After enjoyed the nice view here with matcha (green tea) ice-cream in our hand, we went to Nishiki Market for some souvenirs.  

20 Feb 2017

Before checked-out from the house, we took a short tour to the 

Nijo Castle. Its castle buildings are arguably the best surviving examples of castle architecture of Japan's feudal era, and the castle was designated a UNESCO world heritage site in 1994. Nijo Castle can be divided into three areas: The Honmaru (main circle of defense), The Ninomaru (secondary circle of defense) and some gardens that encircle the Honmaru and Ninomaru. The entire castle grounds and the Honmaru are surrounded by stone walls and moats. 

Stone Wall

Japanese castle architure

Beautiful Garden (behind us is tree closed by some kind of grass to prevent it died during winter)

My sister and her map

Behind those trees is Ninomaru Palace. It served as the residence and office of the shogun (Japan's supreme military leader) during his visits to Kyoto. This palace consists of multiple separate buildings that are connected with each other by corridors with so called nightingale floors, as they squeak when stepped upon as a security measure against intruders (bila kita pijak lantai tu mmg dia bunyi mcm burung chirp chrip chrip gitu, bijak betul rekaannya sampai skrg rasa amazing betul istana nie). 

Our house at Kyoto
(rumah tiga tingkat, tapi tangga dia tu MasyaAllah kecik dan agak curam, klu baru bgn tido ni bahaya 😨)

Then we moved to Osaka by train and checked-in our house there. Our house in Osaka (3 tinggat jugak) That evening we went to Dotonbori for shopping and hunting for street foods. We ate dinner at one of the halal restaurant here and guess what, a bowl of ramyeon cost me around Rm37 😭 (cost mkn kat sini mmg mahal, pastikan anda yg nk dtg Osaka bwk wang yg secukupnya ya!) King Crab Restaurant Glico Man 21 Feb 2017 Last day to look around in Osaka and we went to Umeda Sky Building. This building is a spectacular high rise building in the Kita district of Osaka. It is also known as the "New Umeda City". The 173-meter-tall building consists of two towers that are connected with each other by the "Floating Garden Observatory" on the 39th floor. The observatory offers great views of the city through its windows and from its open-air deck. Elevator to open-are deck observatory The view of Osaka City from Umeda Sky Building

Next is Tempozan Ferris Wheel. Tempozan Ferris Wheel soars 112.5 meters into the air and has a diameter of 100 meters, making it one of the world's largest Ferris wheels. 

Tempozan Ferris Wheel 

Inside Tempozan Ferris Wheel

From ferris wheel you can walk to Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan as it is just nearby (tapi kami tk masuk pon dlm nie just tgk dari luar sbb under construction rasanya ke sbb mmg tk nk masuk lupa dah haha).  

Kaiyukan's feature attraction is a massive tank that holds 5.400 tons of water and a whale shark. It is one of the world's largest tanks. In total, the aquarium displays a wide variety of marine life spread over 15 different tanks over 11,000 tons of water. 

Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan (picture taken from google)

Last place in Osaka was Santa Maria Cruise Ship. It is a sailing ship in Osaka that people can ride on and view the beautiful scenery of Osaka bay. The ship is modeled after the ship on which Columbus journeyed to the American Continent. 

Santa Maria Cruise Ship (picture taken from google)

With Santa Maria's captain-Santana

I think that's all the places that we have been to in Kyoto and Osaka. Last words, Osaka-Japan is a very nice place to travel and explore. You can learn their culture just by watching and above all, you will never see a piece of trash in Osaka (which i very salute! 👏). I hope you can get benefits from this entry.

Thanks Osaka for the memories 💖