kyoto – boketto with ro

Project Tag: kyoto

Busan, South Korea – 2023 – Day 81-83

05/05/23

Kyoto – Osaka, Japan – Seoul – Busan, South Korea

After 81 days together, Bev & Ro finally parted ways.

Bev & Eric went off to a samurai class in the morning. After that, they had an extra day where they were spending the night experiencing a traditional Ryokan north of Arashiyama before departing from Tokyo back home to Toronto.

What should’ve been a super chill morning was met with a cancelled flight on my end due to weather. Frantically trying to figure out options & trying to navigate airline websites with success eventually. Luckily Jeju Air did refund the one they cancelled so that was a plus as weather was the issue for the cancellation.

After confirming my new flight booking, I made my way to Kyoto station and rebooked my shinkansen ticket to Kansai airport for an earlier time. The station was jam packed with tourists. I think timing wise, we were only effected by “Golden Week” crowd surge by locals only one of the days but not a huge experience with just tourists during our time in Japan.

I grabbed my final ekiben for my last shinkansen ride to Kansai Airport (1.5hr) Sagagyu Yakiniku to Suteki Ju ¥1320.

My days journey should’ve been rather simple flying straight into Busan & hopping on one train to the hotel. Instead, I flew into Incheon Airport in Seoul (2hr10min) via Air Seoul. Then took the AREX to Seoul Station (1hr15min) ₩9500 (9.74CAD) to catch the KTX train (2F) to get to Busan station (2hr24min) $98.16CAD.

The KTX trains sell out quick so you should book in advanced or miss out on tickets which I ended up doing. I could’ve been on the 932PM train but because I was hoping to buy at the station & checked again, the next available train was for 1028PM. The perks of purchasing from the station is a cheaper fare but never guaranteed.

At least it gave me time to eat – I went to Lotteria and ordered the bulgogi burger combo ₩10200. I was able to get a T-Money card (you will need cash to top up) ₩3000 for the card and I added ₩10000.

By the time I got out of Busan Station, I still had one more leg of travel – a bus (1hr 5min) to the hotel. The whole journey the moment I left Japan was covered in heavy rain and 15°C weather. I made it into the hotel at 215AM where I was greeted my friend Jenn who joined me for the South Korea leg of the trip. We stayed at the Fairfield by Marriott Busan.

I knew this travel day was going to be a journey and a half but I also knew I needed to exchange money to travel through. I exchange my Japanese Yen for Korean Won at the airport and immediately was down $45CAD in the horrible exchange rate. So if possible, exchange money anywhere but the airport.

For South Korea though, finding banks that take foreign cards is difficult. Citibank and maybe Woori are the only ones that take foreign cards to take out cash from an ATM. They are also far and wide and not the easiest to access.

05/06/23

Busan, South Korea

We had a late start (230PM) since we got in super late and Jenn still had to work. We ate breakfast at the hotel (included). The wind was also incredibly strong making the rain travel angular so it was the perfect time to do laundry.

When we decided to finally leave the hotel to start our day, we hopped on the bus for a good 45mins to get to Haedong Yonggungsa Temple 해동용궁사. A large temple right on the eastern coast. It was lovely to see but would’ve been a nicer experience if it wasn’t raining.

There were food stalls lining the entrance so of course we had to grab something to eat. We had fishcake skewers (Eomuk-guk or Odeng-guk) ₩2000 from Mattteulan handmade fish cake store. After you finish the skewer, you can pour some dashi broth into your cup. We also got Hotteok (sweet fried pancake) honey & seed ₩2000 & one with cheese ₩3000 from Bong-Ja Korean pancake.

Started to walk back up towards the buses and saw Skyline Luge. It had stopped raining so we decided to luge since there was absolutely no line up. We did 4 rides each ₩33000. Our butts were slightly wet but the courses were empty for us to fly down.

We got on the bus and went to Shinsegae Centum City Mall 신세계백화점 센텀시티점 (the largest department store according to Guinness). They close at 830PM so we had just over an hour to walk through.

When the mall closed, we continued walking past the mall towards the river (which had Hong Kong vibes) and to Busan Cinema Centre – largest cantilever roof. Stunning architecture by Coop Himmelb(l)au also features a large LED saturated outdoor roof.

We hopped on the train back to Haeundae station. We ate at Haeundae Traditional Market street 부산 해운대전통시장 at Deliciously Spicy fire Oden (near the end of the market street closer to the famous Hotteok stand). We shared set 1 – 4 fish cake, 7 tteokbokki + blood sausage ₩13500 & ramen ₩4000.

05/07/23

Busan, South Korea

Another wet day in Busan. We walked the boardwalk of Haeundae beach as well as the coastal walk to see The Princess Hwangok Mermaid & the Lighthouse.

We returned to the hotel to grab our things to move to another hotel in the Songdo Beach area. We stayed at the Fairfield by Marriott Busan Songdo Beach.

After dropping off our luggage, we went to Gamcheon Culture Village. The wind decided to pick up at this point with the rain. We explored the main strip and made our way down into the smaller alleys. It was so gloomy outside but the vibrant colours of the houses still stood out.

We hopped back on the bus to check out Bosu-dong (book street) 보수동 책방골목 문화관. It is a smaller area where there are multiple stores clustered together where it has floor to ceiling stacks of books.

Walked down to Bupyeong Kkangtong Market 부평깡통시장 aka Tin Can Market. After all the walking, transiting and moving hotels, our first meal of the day Bibim dangmyeon 부산 비빔당면 – served as a bowl of boiled & cooled-down glass noodles topped with thinly sliced flat fish cakes, pickled radish, and boiled chives ₩5000. We also got grilled squid ₩10000 & some amazing Hotteok ₩13500 at Uncle Hotteok. I also bought some candied Mango & Ginger ₩5000Ea.

Walked down to Biff Square Market – BIFF광장. So many food stalls with handprints of famous people on the street. We ended up eating at one of the stalls. I got freshly made Gimbap ₩6000.

After eating, we wandered a bit more before making our way to Yongdusan Park 용두산공원 – mountain park with Busan Tower. I stayed down below to watch the live performances happening while Jenn went up Busan Tower ₩12000.

After about 45 mins I was wondering if she had already come down and I missed her. Turns out she was on a QR code scavenger hunt. She made some new friends up in Busan Tower – Elane & Nhung from Melbourne, Australia. They came down to find the last 2 codes. They got little prizes but Jenn talked to the guy & scored us all pencils. Elane & Nhung walked us to our bus stop & that was the end of the night.

Hiroshima – Osaka – Kyoto, Japan – 2023 – Day 76-80

04/30/23

Miyajima-guchi, Hiroshima, Japan

Bev & Eric weren’t feeling the best in the morning so solo day to Miyajima Island for me. Luckily the rain from the previous day was nowhere in sight and the day eventually was sunny and between 15-21°C.

About an hour from Hiroshima Station to the island. With the JR Pass, the ferry is included. The ferry is about 10mins. You also show your JR Pass or pay via IC card when you arrive to the island.

When you start to walk into the main area, you will see wild deer roaming around the island. There are many stalls, stands and restaurants all around. Hiroshima is known for oysters, conger eel & momiji manju (buckwheat rice cakes shaped like Japanese maple leaf with filling – it is the local specialty of the island of Itsukushima).

My first bite of the day was Grilled oysters (2) with yuzu miso glaze ¥400. I grabbed Momiji Manju from Miyatoyo-honten. I had an apple & a red bean with yuzu (my fave) ¥120 each.

Walked further in and ended up on Omotesando Arcade with more food and souvenir stalls. I grabbed a red bean and a Blueberry momiji manju ¥110 each from Tsuda-seifudo. I also grabbed a cool cucumber on a stick ¥300 which is very refreshing. Eat it near the stall and you can return/dispose of the skewer back to them.

Went to the 5 story Pagoda – built in 1407. Was going to go into the Itsukushima Shrine as it’s a UNESCO world heritage site but that line never ended.

Went to check out the Itsukushima Jinja Torii Gate aka the Floating Gate. At low tide, you can walk out on the bay as it drains out. It wasn’t fully low tide so you couldn’t walk right up to the gate but enough to get a reasonable photo nearby. You have the option to rent kayaks to go up to it though.

The next plan of attack was to take the Ropeway up to Mt Misen but I didn’t feel like doing it as it was a long line up and ¥1100 one way up. I opted to walk the trail up.

Before starting my hike up, I explored Daisho-in Temple. It’s at the base of Mt Misen and It’s extensive including many halls, statues & religious objects. There are even little Buddha’s with knitted caps.

I took the Daisho-in Course to get up to the top of Mt Misen. It is a 90min hike up. It was a little tough but mainly stairs. Sweating and panting real hard, made it to the top. You get a 360 view of the surroundings but the trees block the Itsukushima Torii gate. There is a platform on the Daisho-in Course that has a great view of the gate before actually getting to the top. I ended up taking the Momijidani Park Course down. This trail is apparently the shortest. I flew down.

No matter what way you decide to get up to Mt Misen (even Ropeway) you still have to hike up a bit so be prepared with good footwear.

Back down and the sun was still out so I went back to get better shots of Itsukushima Torii gate and the shrine. Since the bay was low tide, I walked up to the Itsukushima shrine and got some nice shots without actually going in.

Famished from the hike, I had lunch at Ruuju. I ordered the Kaki udon set – oyster with udon & conger eel on rice ¥1650.

I walked around a bit more before heading back to the city.

I guess hiking up and down a mountain on an island wasn’t enough in a day so I climbed a slightly smaller one in the city. I climbed up to Futabasan (Mt Futaba). You end up walking through Hiroshima Toshogu Shrine which just keeps going up but also features torii gates. Caught the beginning of the sunset over the city but left time to get down with some light.

Final stop was to McDonald’s to see what’s new on their menu. I got the Gohan Chicken tatsuta yuzu flavoured radish combo + 5 mcnuggets ¥810. I went into this building where there was a McDonald’s on the 11th floor across from Hiroshima Station but there is food on all floors. There’s a nice city view but I came down from the temple too late to catch it there.

05/01/23

Hiroshima – Osaka, Japan

Roughly 2 hours to get into Osaka from Hiroshima via Shinkansen.

Stored our bags in a coin locker at JR Namba and off we went.

First stop Namba Yasaka Jinja. Giant Shisa lion head at a temple. From there, we walked to Shinsekai – the old school shopping street that brings you back in time with views of Tsutenkaku Tower. We found a ¥100 drink machine and I got a melon soda. I bought Hokkaido melon bread ¥160 from Yamazaki Sun Royal.

After exploring Shinsekai area for a bit, we made our way up to the Umeda area for lunch. The Osaka Metro line is no joke – there are so many lines it goes up to W in the alphabet. Umeda station and area are incredibly intricate and even our GPS was malfunctioning. We were there but not there. Turns out the building we wanted to go into – Links Umeda is also called Yodabashi Umeda. Yodabashi is the store with overwhelming qualities but has everything you ever need in store such as camera gear, bags, toilets, tv etc.

We went to the 8th floor to have lunch at Shirokujichu おひつごはん四六時中 – donburi & ochazuke (dashi broth or soup poured onto your rice when you are half way done eating to make the meal 2-in-1). I got the Shiroku Ohitsugohan + cold Soba noodles ¥1880.

After lunch, my friend Kayo joined for the rest of the day. I met her in 2012 on my first trip to Japan with my friends Georgina & Shela. Since then, Kayo came to Toronto to visit in 2014, I visited again in 2017 and now again we got to meet up.

We made our way to Tenjinbashisuji Shotengai – the longest covered indoor shopping arcade street. We walked a bit more and it started to drizzle. Got back down to JR Namba and picked up our things to check in to our Airbnb.

As we were walking to the Airbnb, the rain started to come down.

The evenings event was Teamlab Botanical Garden at Nagai Park. After checking in, Eric & Bev tapped out from Teamlab as they were exhausted from the day.

Kayo & myself still went. It turned out to be a great time and the rain stopped the moment we left the Airbnb. We reserved the 7-8PM slot for the Teamlab Botanical Gardens ¥1600. Unlike Tokyo’s Teamlab exhibit, this is a nighttime open air museum that comes to life when the sun goes down. Nagai Botanical Gardens and it’s flora meld with the art installations and depending on the season, the interaction between nature and art changes. We ended up walking around for over 2 hours.

We made our way to Tennoji Station and had a Yakitori dinner at Gosakudon Tennoji-koenmae 海鮮居酒屋吾作どん天王寺公園前店. We ordered skewers of chicken neck, chicken skin, tsukune (chicken meatball), Tamago roll, & a slightly seared bonito bashing.

05/02/23

Osaka, Japan

Breakfast at Osaru Coffee. I got the salad & toast combo ¥700 + matcha latte ¥650.

It was our shopping day in Osaka. We walked over to Amerikamura アメリカ村 for Takoyaki at Kogaryu. We ordered the scallion & yuzu flavoured soy sauce ¥600.

We visited the Railway Forgotten Market 鉄道忘れ物市 (ground floor in building 9). This store has items that people have left behind on the JR that end up being put up for sale for cheap. Tons of towels, umbrellas, hats, chargers, headphones, mobile battery packs, fans, curling iron, jewellery, beauty products, glasses, wallets, toys and surprisingly really good to almost brand new condition clothing & shoes.

We ended up on Shinsaibashisuji Shotengai (covered shopping street). We spent a good chunk in Parco – a department store with many stores within the building attached to other malls such as Daimaru. Got some stuff at Hands. Bev & Eric got some bags from Anello & shoes from Spingle.

We briskly walked through Dotonbori as it was the beginning of Golden Week celebrations and the area was really busy. A quick glimpse of the Glico Man sign and found ourselves at Katsudon Hozenji-Yokocho 喝鈍法善寺横町店 for a very late lunch. I got the Katsu curry bowl & beer ¥1300.

Walked down to Sennichimae Doguyasuji Shopping Street 千日前道具屋筋商店街. This is the shopping street where all the cooking aficionados go for proper cookware, knives & the rest of the kitchen needs. Specifically for Bev & Eric, they were looking for knives. They ended up buying 2 knives from Sakai Ichimonji Mitsuhide. Using the same techniques and methods used in manufacturing Japanese swords, it’s been used to create impressive knives of all sorts.

All shopped out, we returned to the Airbnb to rest.

For dinner, we went to this lovely Soba shop called 重蔵. I ordered the natto omelette ¥450 & shrimp tempura soba ¥1000. The owners were really sweet & there was a customer who spoke a bit of English who helped Bev & Eric ordered their meal.

05/03/23

Osaka – Kyoto, Japan

It was a 13 minute shinkansen ride from Osaka to Kyoto.

Perfect weather with a high of 23°C

We dropped off our stuff off at our Airbnb and back on the JR train we went to get over to Arashiyama. I have been to Arashiyama before and there are many places that are over run with tourists. This time around, I tried to make an itinerary with alternatives to the main tourist attractions.

Our top priority was to get a table at Otsuka Steak. A fond memory from my last visit in 2017 and it did not disappoint. They changed locations and now have a new and improved space to better accommodate the masses. They put out a sheet at 9AM and you write your name and how many people. At 11AM when they open, if they call your name and you aren’t there, you lose your spot. First come, first serve and they are only open until 230PM.

We put our names down and luckily we were 5th on the list. We walked around for a bit and grabbed a little snack of red bean/anko mochi ¥200 and custard pancake balls ¥600.

I got the 150g Chuck Flap steak ¥3960. It is lightly seared and kept rare on the inside. Served with 4 dipping options, a salad and rice, it was the perfect amount and you know you need to soak up the juices.

After that meal, we officially started out day. We walked to Saga Toriimoto St – a street with preserved homes turned into shops and galleries dating back to the Meiji period.

From there, we went to Otagi Nenbutsu-ji Temple 愛宕念仏寺 – ¥300. This temple features 1200 stone sculptures of Rakan, the Buddha’s disciples, all with different facial expressions and poses. Left with nature, moss and plants have grown around them.

Walked back down to Adashino Nenbutsuji Temple あだし野念仏寺 – ¥500. It has 8000 statues tightly placed together to remember the souls who died without relatives. The hidden bonus at this temple is Bamboo forest stairs at the back of the temple. As beautiful yet emptier than the infamous Arashiyama Bamboo grove that is 300 meters long and usually has hoards of tourists.

We hopped on the train back towards our Airbnb to check in but stopped off a train stop earlier to grab some dessert. We passed by Marché Noguchi and grabbed organic fruit & veggie smoothies. I got the Beet Apple & lemon ¥250.

We grabbed ice cream at Premarché Gelateria プレマルシェ・ジェラテリア. I got the ninja food (black rice, pine nut, black sesame, black currant & bamboo charcoal) & ume sorbet (plum) ¥700.

Checked into our Airbnb and it’s beautiful. It is called the Kinse Inn. It’s a 250 year old building that was once a ageya (Edo period brothel) where Geisha entertained at dinner parties then converted into a ryokan and reopened as a cafe/bar and Airbnb in 2012.

We finished the night big with conveyor belt sushi at Sushiro – Gojo Shichihommatsu スシロー五条七本松店. We ordered a good variety of things including desserts. Yellow plates were ¥120, red were ¥180 & black plates were ¥360. Usually you could just pull any plate off the conveyor belt but since it was a busy dinner rush, it was easier to order on the tablet and it signalled you when your food approached. We had to look for the pink stand to grab our food. It ended up costing us ¥7570 for 3 people including 2 alcoholic drinks.

05/04/23

Kyoto, Japan

From our Airbnb, we walked under an hour to Kiyomizu-dera ¥400 making stops along the way. We finally made it there around 1120AM & it was jam packed. Luckily it’s been the only day of this trip that it was overwhelmingly crowded. Golden week is definitely in full effect in Kyoto.

The weather also was the hottest we’ve had in Japan reaching 24-25°C – hot heat but not humid.

Walked the Higashiyama District – the old cobblestone streets of Ichinenzaka, Ninenzaka & Sannenzaka. All very crowded. Along the way I grabbed a matcha craft cola from Ito Kyumon ¥490 & a Hojicha ice cream from Macchado ¥550.

Had lunch at Masaichi 一念坂まさ壱. Kyoto style grilled fish set course – 2 kind grilled fish, buckwheat soba noodles, seasonal cooked rice, simmered local dish + 2 side dishes ¥2500.

Viewed Hokan-ji Pagoda & breezed through Yasaka Shrine. Walked towards the river, briskly walked through old gion & into the heavily crowded Nishiki Market. We braved the crowd for about 2 streets then gave up from there.

Bev & Eric split off to head home to get ready for their fancy dinner at Kikunoi Roan. I wandered a bit, walked a bit of Pontocho area & got miso dango skewer at Ohagi no Tanbaya ¥150.

Trying to get through the crowds, made my way over to the ever popular but also hidden Tsukemen restaurant – Wajoryomen Sugari 和醸良麺すがり. Did I stand in line for 90mins?; yes I did. The entrance is through a tiny door. If you aren’t lining up outside, you are lining up in a hallway where you pay & make your order via a machine. From there, you hang out in the courtyard until there is a seat for you at the table. The place can only seat about 10-12. I got the Tsukemen w/pork +egg ¥1050.

There was a ticketing printing error happening which started conversations with the guy in front of me. I made a new friend named Adrian who also happens to be from Scarborough / Toronto. He’s a chef who was in Japan for part work, part leisure.

Itinerary – Oceania & Asia – 2023

#RoverlyFriendshipTour #rjsouthk

98 days, 8 countries, 38 cities, 25 flights, 4 car rentals & endless amounts of buses/trains rides.

This trip was called the RoverlyFriendshipTour as we indeed met friends along the way in every country minus New Zealand.

My last big trip was Sept-Oct 2019. I am so grateful I was able to do it because no one knew what the following 2.5 years would encompass due to the pandemic. This trip had been in the works for such a long time.

This is the most ambitious and longest trip I have planned extensively. My friend Beverly, who is a teacher, had said to me a few years back “Hey Ro, I don’t know where I’m going but you are coming with me on a big trip one day”. Finally in 2023 it was time.

I had asked Beverly where she wanted to go as this was her once-in-a-lifetime trip and she started naming places – Australia, New Zealand & Japan were top contenders. I normally wouldn’t try to put expensive countries together but for this trip, we sure did. Luckily, with my friend Winnie, who I went to Europe with back in 2019, we had made an extensive alternate itinerary for a potential 3-month Australia & New Zealand trip if we just so happened to catch a flight deal (which we did not hence we went to Europe instead). I used this 3-month itinerary as my starting point.

The only section I didn’t plan was Philippines and Bali, Indonesia.

With semi-budget in mind and comfort as a top priority as well as compromise, this trip was planned and booked. I started working on this itinerary as early as March 2022 with it coming to fruition as of October 2022 when we booked our main one-way flight to Auckland. Lots of trial and errors but hey, we did it.

If you didn’t already know, when I travel, I don’t go away for a laid-back vacation but rather to absorb and experience as much as I can in a reasonable timeframe. This one, was a whirlwind.

To begin with, the countries we went to: (Layover in LA, USA & Nadi, Fiji) New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia, Taiwan, Japan & I added on South Korea (my friend Jenn joined for this leg) for myself with a stopover in Vancouver before heading back to Toronto. 81 days for Beverly and 98 days for myself.

I have previously been to New Zealand, Australia & Japan (parts of it) so I wanted to make sure Bev & her partner Eric (who joined for Japan) were able to experience the quintessential things the first timers should experience but also expansive to the things I wanted to see and do that I have been intrigued with and never accomplished in my past travels.

We booked and paid for majority of the trip before we left for the trip. This definitely made it less stressful to not be planning and booking things during our trip. Especially being such an intricate trip with so many countries, it had to be planned ahead of time. Biggest pet peeve is wasting time while travelling trying to figure out what to do during the trip.

Tours

Majority of the tours booked were through Klook. A Hong Kong based online booking platform connecting travellers to local operators. The perks of using Klook is there are usually discount codes floating around so you can purchase your booking cheaper than booking directly sometimes. You also accrue credits for future bookings.

We also used Viator for many of our Tours in Oceania. If you can find the tour companies on your own, you might actually find a better deal directly.

This is a long section but here is info I gathered for each country I went to. I hope this helps your planning!

The itinerary will be below all of this. Good luck.

New Zealand – NZD – NZD$

Visa – Download the NZeTa app and apply for your NZ Visa – cheaper via the app as opposed to applying online. – 17NZD + 35NZD tourism levy

-Credit card over cash but cash is still accepted

-Tipping is not common – Tour guides – 5% or $5 if you do decide to

-Need to go up to the register to pay for meals

-They are all about being more sustainable/eco/green although their garbage system isn’t as advanced in public – we saw general waste or glass bottles but not compost nor paper products.

-Roundabouts > stop signs

-Uber is available

-Aurora Australis – Best spots

– Words with wh would be pronounced as f/ph sounds

-Besides downtown Auckland, there weren’t many places where we saw high rises. Basements aren’t a thing there. Insulation doesn’t really exist either as the weather fluctuates a lot but you also don’t want to trap the heat in as the sun is no joke.

-Homes don’t really have “yards” as space is more utilized with homes being built closer together and one in front of the other type of deal.

Driving – Left side of the road.

-Outlets – Type I plugs have three flat pins, with two angled to form an inverted ‘v’ at the top and one running straight down underneath

Australia – AUD – AU$

-Download Australian Eta App – apply for your Visa – 20AUD

-Opal Card – Sydney Transit – but you can also pay with credit card. Perks of Opal card is discount for seniors and it will tell you your transit history. The final total gets adjusted every few weeks.

-Credit Card over cash but cash is still accepted at majority of places.

-Credit card use in Sydney – If you are eating out on a weekend or a public holiday – there is an additional charge. There are also extra surcharges when using credit card.

-Tipping is not common

-Need to go up to the register to pay for meal

-You can scuba dive however it is called a Discovery Dive

-Driving – Left side of the road. you can go 5-10KM over speed limit but that’s about it. If driving on the highways, there are cameras that will calculate your average speed from point A & B so be careful and don’t speed!

-Roundabouts > stop signs

-Uber is available

-Aurora Australis – Best spots

– Insulation doesn’t really exist (double brick build with no insulation + metal roofs – great advantage to have solar panels) as the weather fluctuates a lot but you also don’t want to trap the heat in as the sun is no joke. You also won’t find basements here.

-Perth was a dry heat but no humidity.

-Hobart was cooler than I thought it would be but ranged from 8-25C.

-Sydney came in hot with humidity and high rises in the city.

-Outlets – Type I plugs have three flat pins, with two angled to form an inverted ‘v’ at the top and one running straight down underneath

Singapore – SGD – S$

–SGArrivalCard – free and can apply online 72 hours before arriving to Singapore.

-EZ Card – Metro card – max a day for rides is 2-3SGD – top up at convenience stores but only with CASH

-No Uber in Singapore – Download Grab or Gojek

-Credit card over cash (BUT cash for smaller food stalls/local vendors especially hawker stalls)

-Tipping is not common as (10% service charge + 7% GST is automatically included)

-Cheers! – Yum Seng!

-Outlets – Type G has three rectangular pins in a triangular pattern

Philippines – PHP – ₱

-Cash over card – credit card can be used in certain places but the infrastructure isn’t the best for it.

-Tipping – If you do decide to, between 50-100 pesos; high end – 200 pesos. If you are tipping a specific service provider, tip directly. 10% to Taxi drivers, restaurants (check if SC appears; if it does service charge is added), tour guides.

-Cheers! – Mabuhay!

-2 Prong outlets

Indonesia – IDR

-Visa – On arrival – $35USD

Use this QR code for faster customs

-Download Grab and/or Gojek – scooter rides will be cheaper and faster to get around if you are in a rush.

-Cash over card in smaller areas (local vendors/food stalls); in more touristy areas card is better.

-If bringing cash to do currency exchange with, USD & AUD will get you the best exchange rate. Trying to exchange smaller bills like $1-5, they will charge you a lower rate.

-Stay away from Semenyak as it’s over run by foreigners. Canggu (Chang-goo) is still the “hidden” spot and great surf spot. Ubud (oo-bood) is more central in the island and where yoga enthusiasts can retreat to.

-Outlets – Type C & Type F – 2 round pin prongs

-Use bottle water to drink and wash your teeth with as

Taiwan – TWD – NT$

-Easy Card – you can order online via Klook for Airport pick-up – you can add TWD on it as well, TWD400 for a week is a good start to gauge – must pick up before 11PM!

-Easy Card – Can also purchase card from any convenience stores but top up only with CASH. If you re using it strictly for transportation, 500TWD goes a long way. You can use your Easy Card to purchase things as well

-Uber is available

-You can also purchase via Klook a Train ticket from TPE Airport to Taipei Main Station for a discounted price – you can purchase one way or round trip – You will receive a purple plastic chip as your token to tap for the train – Must pick up before 11PM

-Bring cash – especially for many of the food establishments or LINE Pay or wechat

-Cash is still pretty necessary especially buying smaller items at stalls/ shops.

-Easy to withdraw money from ATM’s – we found we didn’t get charged foreign exchange fees. Take out money from local banks rather than international banks like the companies you have back home for a cheaper rate.

-Tipping is not common. Tour Guides – 10%.

-Cheers! 乾杯! (kan poe/pe!) 呼乾啦! (ho͘ ta là!)

-3 prong outlets

-Mix of squat and western toilets

-toilet paper goes into bins not the toilet

-Cars drive on the Right side of the road

-There are mosquitoes

Japan – JPN – Yen – ¥

-2 prong outlets

-Travel – Customs – When flight attendants are handing out papers on the plane, grab it. Ours were waving them very nonchalantly and then when we arrived, we had to go find them and fill it out on paper. There are QR codes but you might need to download the app. I had registered online before arriving however the website wouldn’t load at the airport.

-Haneda Airport is closer to the city than Narita. From the airport you can take the JR train into the city which is the cheaper option.

-You need your Passport on you if you are using the JR Pass OR at least a photocopy / digital copy including your visitor visa stamp

-Keeping your Passport on you while in Japan is great for Tourist discounts. Spending $50CAD or over for tax free.

-When purchasing items, it will show you the price before tax but also in brackets price with tax included.

-There are tons of smoking rooms/areas as people still smoke cigarettes.

-Garbages are hard to find – should not eat and walk around.

-It is rainy season in June & September – try to avoid these times to visit

-No mosquitoes

-Hello – Haisai はいさい (Okinawan); Konnichiwa (こんにちは) (Normal Japanese)

-Cheers! – 乾杯 Kanpai

-¥2000 isn’t taken in many machines outside of Okinawa

-Japan Travel by Navitime – Use the app to figure out train times although I found Google Maps to work better overall for navigation.

-JR Pass – If you are planning on purchasing a JR Pass, you should purchase before leaving your home country – maximum 3 months prior to your trip. It can only be purchased by non-Japanese citizens. You can purchase 7, 14 or 21 day passes. it takes a bit a time to get the passes delivered and must be activated within the 3 months. You can calculate the fares per trip and figure it out if the JR Pass is worth it for your travels. There are 2 versions of the JR Pass – Ordinary & Green Class Premium. Purchasing in Toronto, for pick-up or delivery – JTB & Kintetsu. I found Klook to the be the cheapest option. *As of October 2023 the price of the JR Pass will increase 77%*.

-Reserving JR Shinkansen seats – individual/group. You can reserve one of your tickets at the desk where you got it activated. Otherwise, you can goto the Shinkansen ticket machines and reserve seats there if you want to reserve. You will need to know your passport number every time you reserve a ticket. At the machine, press english then bottom left will say JR Pass Rail. Then it will ask how many ppl you are travelling with. Click how many – this saves you time from individually trying to book the same train if booking for multiple people. Just make sure you know your departure location and arrival location – it will try to auto fill. Choose a timeframe and search. Many options will appear. Choose your timeframe then you can choose the car type and even see the seat map if you are reserving. You can book in advanced as well.

-To use the JR lines/Shinkansen, you will need to insert your JR Pass into the gate. If you have reserved a seat, when you go through, put both your ticket and JR pass in together. The ticket for the ride will disappear after the ride is complete. REMEMBER TO GRAB YOUR JR PASS after going through the gate.

-If you do decide to take the shinkansen bullet trains, those are the only trains you can technically eat on. make sure to leave some time to explore the station and grab an ekiben (meals that you can take onto the train to eat and they are usually made to highlight local regional ingredients.

-There are plenty of luggage lockers at the train stations to store your luggage for the day or a few hours. Comes in S, M & L sizes.

-Suica / Pasmo Card – Can be used for transportation but also used to pay for other things – luggage lockers, convenience stores – top up with CASH only

-Public Transit – If you are buying individual tickets, look at the big map above the ticket machines and wherever the stop is that you want, there will be a number with it and that is the cost to get there

-Each station in Tokyo will have a letter and number indicated the stop. the number under it when you are on the train if you see 2,4,6 is the amount of time it will take to get to it. A plus is that the trains announce each stop in Japanese and English and sometimes Mandarin.

-Drive on the left side of car and road

-Can flush toilet paper

South Korea – KRW – WON – ₩

-Credit card can be used in majority of places however cash is key for markets and smaller food establishments as well as topping up your metro card

-Google Maps doesn’t really work in Korea – You will need to use/download Naver Maps

-Uber doesn’t really exist in Korea however you can download Kakao T.

-Cars drive on the right side

-Outlets are the 2 round prong

-Korea’s transportation system is good and offer fee Wi-Fi. The Metro system is the fastest and most affordable way to get around Seoul. Subway fares start at W1350/ride and rates go up after the first 9.97KM. You are allowed up to 4 transfer to another subway line or a bus for free within 30 minutes.

-T-Money card – W2500 and can add W1000, W5000 or W10,000 – can be used for trains & buses but also used for taxis across Korea. – If you don’t want to keep your T-Money card, you can get refunded for your card at Incheon International Airport when you leave the country. Top up at convenience stores/Metro stations but only with CASH

-Tipping is not common

-Cheers! – 건배 [乾杯] (geonbae)

Congrats, you’ve made it all the way to the itinerary. If you thought that info above was a lot then hold on to your seats as I’ve been told my actual itinerary is very overwhelming to look at.

What I packed – Photographer – Japan – 2017

Check out my Amazon page for gear that I personally use and products similar to those I pack on my travels (many of which are listed below).

As a photographer, my priorities for travelling always have been photography first. This time around, unlike my Peru – Machu Picchu trek, my walzflex 120mm film camera made an appearance once again.

For 14 days of travel through Japan, I decided against a rolling hard case luggage. I have since replaced my Kata Camera bag with a new bag from PRVKE as my personal camera bag and my trusty Yellow North Face Basecamp Duffel as my main luggage, My philosophy when travelling is purchase only as much as you can carry back.

This is how I roll when travelling these days (North Face Basecamp Duffel + camera backpack)

Japan Packing List

14 days

Wearing onto Plane

1 pair of tights (Underarmour are my choice of preference)

1 tank+sports bra

1 hoodie

1 sneakers

1 pair of socks

1 pair of underwear

PRVKE 21 (personal bag – camera bag)

1 Nikon D750

1 28mm lense

1 50mm lense

3 Nikon batteries

1 Nikon charger

1 GoPro

3 GoPro batteries

1 GoPro charger

GoPro rotating glove

1 Walzflex (film camera)

4 rolls of 120mm film

1 Mogics – power bar

USB cables (external USB 3.0 & MicroUSB)

WD pocket external – 2TB

Card reader

Macbook Book Air

Mac Charger

Astrolapin

Memory cards

eyedrops

umbrella

Passport

YEN

Wallet

42L North Face Basecamp Duffel (my carry-on bag)

1 Toothbrush

2 pairs of Contacts

1 Solution – Clear Care

1 Shampoo

1 Conditioner

1 Body wash

1 lotion

1 tweezers

1 nail clippers

7-10 days of underwear

7-10 socks

1 sports bra

2 bra

2 pants (Uniqlo Easy Pants)

4 tanks

2 shirt

1 flannel

1 rain jacket (Packable Uniqlo)

1 Matador packable backpack

Kyoto – Osaka, Japan 2017 – Day 12

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We took a cab to Kyoto station to meet Cassie at Kyoto Station. Such a large station with multiple JR offices to book tickets but we eventually found Cassie. We got there in time to reserve seats for the shinkansen bullet train to Osaka. It literally took 14 minutes for us to get to Osaka from Kyoto. Local JR would take about 30-60 minutes – so insane. It was so fast that the ekiben that I purchased I had to inhale and almost didn’t finish in time to get off the train. We arrived in Osaka rather early to meet our Airbnb host at 1130AM so we put our bags in the lockers and went shopping at Tokyu Hands. Turns out our 20 minute limit turned into an hour. I purchased about 114,000y but what sucks is that at the tax free counter, i only got 633y back because my purchased items didn’t qualify for a tax exemption. By this point of seeing Osaka, everyone had talked ourselves out from leaving for Nagoya the following day to leave a little bit more time in Osaka.

We left Tokyu Hands and walked through Shinsaibashi street to America-mura where we would meet our Airbnb host Yuta and be staying. Cute apartment in a nice building with a coffee shop at the bottom. Yuta let us check in early and leave our stuff but the apartment still needed cleaning. He recommended a place to eat in Shinsaibashi called Daruma (1-6-4 Dotonbori, Chuo-ku, Osaka). Daruma is a kakushikatsu which basically means everything is fried. There was also a train the food would come on after ordering on the ipad/computer and a person would come around and place it on the heated plate for us. There is a sauce we can use to dip our skewers in but only dip once.

If you haven’t joined and booked with Airbnb yet, follow the link and get credits for your first booking. www.airbnb.ca/c/ruu

I had to meet my friend Kayo at a Namba station but my maps brought me to the JR Namba line instead of the local trains so Kayo met me on a corner while my friends were in Loft. Loft is a design store and a dangerous store in terms of wanting to purchase everything there. After Loft, we went to the Daiso store which is also filled with things we don’t need but fun to look at.

When we came out of the Daiso store, Kayo pulled out these little brown bags from her bag – she got us gifts! We opened it up to reveal that she gave us personalized (she personalized it herself) key chains with our names on it from her workplace – Business Leather Factory. So sweet of her! We told her we wanted to see her store so she took us to the Namba station branch of the store as she works at Umeda Station location. Cassie bought a wallet and Mike & Manwai purchased passport cases and Kayo was so sweet to give us 5% friends & family discount + tax free savings. I would’ve bought a new wallet but I am very particular about the things I want from a wallet. On our way to the store, we were eyeing Mister Donut and she stepped out and bought a box for us – she is way too sweet!

We walked from there through Shinsaibashi street to the Glico man sign and we went a little further down the river to find so benches to enjoy the donuts. Along the way, we also stopped and grabbed ourselves Croissant Taiyaki – croiyaki? 1000y for 5. There was azuki red bean, custard and sweet potato filling – the sweet potato was delicious! We hung out on under the bridge and on ate then walked back to our area of America-mura – it is very hip and so many colourful characters especially in clothing style. Very much American influence on clothing style but more so the 90’s wears and hip hop influence. Since they were cleaning the apartment when we dropped off our bags, we went back to the apartment to hang for a bit and saw the sunset from the balcony. There was a giant bowling pin just outside our building and we decided to go bowling at Shinsaibashi Sun Bowl 心斎橋サンボウル. It was 950y/pp for shoe rental and 1 game. Kayo put our names in kanji and off we went. My first bowl was a strike! Kayo was pretty precise in her bowling. In the end, Manwai, Kayo and myself were part of the strike club while Cassie and Mike were in the spare club. We even bowled with the bowling pin costumes at one point. I won!

After bowling, we returned to Shinsaibashi to see the Glico Man sign at night then went to Aburiya Dotonborimidosuji あぶりや道頓堀御堂筋店 for Yakiniku – all you can eat 4380y with option for all you can drink for 980y. We ate so well in the 2 hour time limit plus we all get 1 dessert included. We of course treated Kayo. It was such a good night. We did stop and get takoyaki beside the large Don Quijote near the Glico man sign while we waited for our reservation for Aburiya.

Thank you Kayo for the personalized key fobs!

Kyoto, Japan 2017 – Day 11

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Woke up early to meet the gang at a train station to head to Arashiyama for the day. Cassie had been recommended this coffee place called %Arabica Kyoto % アラビカ京都嵐山 (Japan, 〒616-8385 Kyōto-fu, Kyōto-shi, Ukyō-ku, Sagatenryūji Susukinobabachō, 右京区嵯峨天龍寺芒ノ馬場町3ｰ47) (Opens at 8AM). It was started by Kenneth Shoji and he bought a coffee farm in Hawaii and started a green bean trading company and became the sole-exporter of a Japanese roasting machine and became the distributor of one of the best espresso machines in the world. He then partnered up with a latte art champion, Junichi Yamaguchi and talented architect Masaki Kato to open % Arabica. I don’t drink coffee but aesthetically, I approved. My friends did line up and get coffee and they said it was really good. The actual Arashiyama location is really tiny and doesn’t really have seating inside (there is a booth you can rent per 30 minutes) but there are benches outside and you can sit by the river.

Once everyone had their morning coffee, we walked over to the Bamboo Forest. Along the way we kept seeing these vintage cars taking over the streets and whizzing by us as we darted to the bamboo forest. Apparently it was the annual Rally Nippon where classic cars are showcased on a 700-mile route or something similar to it as they took over the streets of Arashiyama and there was media coverage. They drove through the bamboo forest while we were there and to be honest, it ruined it for me. I have never been to this bamboo forest and yes it is more dense the further you go in but its also only 100m long. With such a small area but these vintage cars coming though, the exhaust from these cars smother you and at one point I started to cough and almost gag. The photos I’ve seen of the bamboo forest make it appear much larger than it is and we found it very difficult even though we went somewhat early to have a clear shot.

Selfie Inception at Arashiyama Bamboo Forest

At this point, Karen & Chi decided they wanted to go into the villa garden while the rest of us (Cassie, Mike, Manwai & myself) opted to skip the garden and the temple to head to the Iwatayama Monkey Park. On our way to the park, we passed the small train station that had the kimono forest and took some photos. It is literally poles with real kimono fabrics in them that create a tunnel like the bamboo one but I think it would’ve been nicer to see at night as they do get illuminated. Back on our ways to Iwatayama Park – the park is 550y and it is a uphill climb to even get there. Be prepared. It is about 20 minutes uphill and yes there are benches along the way to rest. Once you arrive to the top, there are just monkeys everywhere. Take your photos but don’t get too close and I guess don’t look them in the eye as the signs keep telling us. There is a room you can enter and pay 100y for a bag of fruits you can then feed the monkeys . Yes you are in the cage while they are hanging from the wired windows of the human cage feeding them. There are park rangers around that the monkeys seem to respond to so everything is safe. We even saw a mother monkey who just gave birth 2 days earlier with her baby holding so tight to its mother. We spent a good while here and another perk – the view of the city was beautiful.

We hiked back down (another route back down but it does reconnect to the trail we started at the beginning) and walked back into town to meet Karen & Chi for lunch. Karen had chose a place called Otsuka STEAK おおつか (Japan, 〒616-8376 Kyōto-fu, Kyōto-shi, Ukyō-ku, Sagatenryūji Setogawachō, ２０−１０). We arrived into this dead end of a suburban street to find a covered car park just filled with people and stools and a stand with a waiting list. We immediately put our name down and took a seat. A minute later, it started to pour. We commenced our sitting and waiting for a good hour and half playing would you rather and looking at the menu deciding what we wanted. This place is very popular and closes at 2PM or whenever they sell out.

When we finally got in, There are 3 large tables that are lowered where your feet hang in a lower area and of course seating at the bar. Each table can hold about 6 people. I ordered the 4A Waygu Beef (4200y) and it was delicious but didn’t compare to the hida steak we had a few days before. Still butter though.

Since it was raining, we went to see the owls (680y) and we got to pet them. Unlike the other location in Tokyo, we were unable to carry them. They were cute but I felt bad because they sleep during the day and one owl in particular in my photos looked incredibly sad. You pet them using only the bad of your hand and only on their head and backs. There was one that got nippy but hey, i would too if I have random people touching me.

We took the JR to Kyoto station and that is where our night ended. Kyoto station is so large in size and the main area reminded us of Eatons Centre in Toronto but on a different scale. We were looking at the dessert floor in CUBE for so long with its free samples and we all got enticed to purchase snacks and gifts. So good but so deadly. We ended up in Aeon mall and shopped some more. It got late and by 9PM we were looking for somewhere to have dinner. We ended up eating at the station – Sushi no Musasahi (Japan, 〒600-8214 Kyōto-fu, Kyōto-shi, Shimogyō-ku, Higashishiokoji Takakuracho, 8−3 京都駅八条口構内アスティロード) – (JR Kyoto 8-jo south entrance) conveyor belt sushi – 146y a plate – I ate 11 plates – 1550y – the conveyor belt sushi in Shimokitazawa was still better and you could also order off a iPad. No Musashi would just make certain things and when we asked about unary they said eventually it will make it onto the belt (but they never made more of the unagi). We tried the melon shake at McDonalds – worst thing I consumed this whole trip – don’t do it. We got turned around in the station and ended up walking in the rain the same route we took when we arrived in Kyoto hoping to catch the bus home but we couldn’t figure out where the bus stop was so we hopped in a cab to take us the rest of the way.

Kyoto, Japan 2017 – Day 10

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We started off our morning rather early getting ourselves to Fushimi Inari for 745AM. Fushimi Inari is free admission and is open 24/7 technically (restaurants on top of the mountain have set times). Just a reminder that this shrine is built on a mountain so wear proper shoes to climb those stairs especially if you are planning on going the entire route. The sun was out and strong already at this point but Fushimi Inari was still rather empty. We met with Chi, Cassie & Karen here before ascending. Yes Fushimi Inari is where Memoirs of a Geisha were filmed but the main tori gates in which that magical scene was filmed is actually only a small portion of this massive temple and it only lasts about 100m and there are 2 of them (for entrance and one for exit). I guess since I’ve been there before, these tunnels didn’t phase me but everyone and I mean everyone took their time here waiting for the tunnel of tori gates to be empty and just orange in hopes there would be a gleam of light cutting through. I waited patiently as my crew took their photos before continuing our ascend.

At one point, there is a fork in the road where if you turn left, you are exiting and it is a path that leads you back to the main area or if you go right, you will be rewarded with your first view overlooking the city below us. If you continue going up, you will move onto your second view (this is slightly nicer as there is 1 tori gate and also there are benches to rest while looking at the view. Depending on time of day, there will be open restaurants and refreshments available). At this point, by the time I reached this lookout point, I was waiting diligently for Mike & ManWai who I thought were right behind me but about 30 minutes later, Karen, Chi & Cassie made it up the stairs. Luckily I waited so long because I would’ve continued my hike of the entire trail (another 40 minutes or so) and when they finally made it to that lookout point, they said they were going to see the last lookout point before heading turning back and heading back down.

They needed a moment so I decided to head up to the last lookout point #7 (the stairs to the left). It is a cluster of shrines covered in mini wooden tori gates and fox statues but once you make it to the back of this cluster, there is an open trail that takes you to where I guess a giant sign use to be and you have a the clearest of views of Kyoto’s skyline. The walk back down was quite refreshing as you still see shrines along the way but you are on the outer fringe of the temple and see a bit of the neighbourhood surrounding the temple. We met back up at the giant Tori gate then made our way through the food stalls – the pork skewers (500y) were the best. As we continued to walk back to the train station, the group stopped off and got tofu ice cream with unique flavours like ramune or yuzu (lemon).

We took the train to Gion-Shijo Station where I grabbed a Cremia ice cream cone (500y). Glenn had talked about this ice cream and how good it was. It was very creamy and delicious and the cone was great as well. We then made our way back to the surface and walked over to Nishiki Market which unlike the other fish markets, was a narrow covered street that continued a few blocks but more of a mix of places with ready to eat food as oppose to a fresh fish market with all the product sitting out and then cut up right in front of you to eat fresh. We all ended up in a store called Sugi that served no added sugar – liquid honey and fruit drink. They had samples and thats what pulled us in the first place but all of them tasted so delicious we all left with something. I grabbed myself a small packet of yuzu drink (540y). 5 cups water to 1 tube. We walked around the market for a bit before splitting off and walking the Gion district before our late lunch in the area with Mike’s Uncle and Aunt.

We met up with Mike’s uncle Cyrius and aunt Chizuka for lunch at a restaurant that was hidden in a small alley which led us to Gion Hanasaki 祇園京料理花咲 (Japan, 〒605-0074 Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto, Higashiyama Ward, 祇園町南側５７０−１７) which is located in an old traditional Kyoto home. It was absolutely an amazing meal to have experienced. Our hostesses brought us up to a private room where they served us a few courses that were elegantly displayed and before each meal, they would stop and tell us what the meal was made of. They used the freshest of ingredients and each piece was perfectly in place and just some many wonderful flavours non which overpowered the other so you can enjoy every bit of it. We even ate sushi that looked like it was actual fish but it was all actually vegetables that were placed perfectly to look like fish. We tried but auntie Chizuka paid the bill for lunch.

After lunch, we walked a bit of the Gion district before making our way down to the riverside where we strolled along the river. We even saw a capybara in the water and saw a man throwing bread in the air where falcons were swooping in to eat. After waling by the river for a bit, we saw a restaurant/cafe where the giant windows just opened wo the river and we decided to investigate what establishment this was. It is called Efish エフィッシュ (Japan, 〒600-8029 Kyōto-fu, Kyōto-shi, Shimogyō-ku, Nishihashizumechō, 京都府京都市下京区木屋町通五条下ル西橋詰町798-1) and we decides to have a seat by the open window overlooking the river for coffee and snacks. I got the blood orange smoothie. They also have a small section where you can purchase housewife and also their they had seating areas with large comfy couches.

After the snacks, we called it a night with Mike’s uncle and aunt and went back to our Airbnb to relax a bit before venturing out for some fast food dinner. We walked around looking at what options were still open and nearby and settled on this one fast food place called Nakau なか卯河原町五条店 (Japan, 〒600-8020 Kyōto-fu, Kyōto-shi, Shimogyō-ku, Mikagedōmaechō, 河原町通五条上ル御影堂前町843清水ビル1F) where you use a machine to order. I ordered the Beef bowl combo (690y) and you get a ticket that you present to the person who gets your order ready. There was also a bunch of vending machines outside that were 100y and a few surprise for 80y. I picked a orange juice for 100y and let Manwai pick a 80y and it turned out to the be the same drink but in can form.

In a hidden alley, lies a townhouse style hideout

Takayama – Kyoto, Japan 2017 – Day 9

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Off to Kyoto via JR Rail today but first breakfast (included in our fee). We went to our breakfast – Japanese style breakfast which was served buffet style. Very tasty and of course local ingredients for the most part. It was also day 2 of the festival however we were heading out to Kyoto that morning – luckily for us, it looked like it was a little cloudy and might rain the second day. Karen & Chi had left earlier than us (since we couldn’t get seats in the earlier train) so Glenn, John, Manwai, Mike and myself took a train leaving an hour and half later. It stopped in Nagoya before transferring to Kyoto where John and Glenn went towards Yokohama and eventually back up to Tokyo while we went to Kyoto.

We stayed at an Airbnb near Kiyomizu Station and since it was an absolutely gorgeous day of 20C+, we decided to walk 30 minutes from Kyoto station to our place. The Airbnb host had given me photo step by step instructions on how to get into the building however in his original photo, the circles 1 mailbox but we didn’t find the key in there but luckily I noticed that the mailbox beside it was also his and the keys were in there. This airbnb looked bigger in the Airbnb photos but realistically, it was a studio apartment and was a tight fit but we managed.

We put down our things and walked over to through the Higashiyama Ward to realized we hadn’t eaten yet (it was 2PM) so we stopped off for some cold soba noodles at Kisanjina 胡麻豆腐と和カフェきさんじな before making our way to Hokan-ji Pagoda. I had read that Hokan-ji Pagoda was a rarity in that we could actually climb it but that it closed at a certain time so we rushed through the Higashiyama Ward area really quickly to get there but alas, my information was wrong and there was no indication we could actually access it as everything was blocked off from entering.

We continued walking alongside Kōdai-ji temple and stopped for some matcha ice cream from Gion Tsujiri. I got the matcha green tea drink with matcha ice cream (520y) to top off. We continued north and ventured through one smaller temple before making it to Maruyama Park which then connects to Yasaka Shrine. The view of the city looking out from the mains gates of the Yasaka Shrine is one of my favourites from my last trip and unfortunately it was too crowded and cloudy to serve it justice to my 2012 shots that captured that old Kyoto feel.

According to the KitKat Chocolatory website, the Kyoto Daimaru location exists so we made it there in good time and almost got lost in this food heaven of the Daimaru to find out it doesn’t exist (we asked a lady and she crossed her arms signalling an X). We then walked back to the main area by Yasaka Shrine to have dinner with Karen & Chi as Cassie was getting in later that evening. Along the way back, from the Gion – old Kyoto district street, a pile of people with lanterns paraded through the streets as they were I guess doing a procession to Yasaka Shrine.

Karen had chosen this on restaurant called Izuju (Japan, 〒605-0073 Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto, Higashiyama Ward, 祇園町北側２９２) which was known for their traditional Kyoto style sushi. This consisted of no soy sauce, no wasabi and all the ingredients were cooked – it felt similar to eating korean rolls. Fun fact – Karen doesn’t eat raw fish so this the only time she could fully enjoy sushi. We ordered as a group for sharing and it all came out on this massive plate. Deluxe hako sushi (omelette, shrimp, sea bream, tori gai & roasted fish), awafu roll, saba sushi & sasamaki. We tried to venture through Yasaka Shrine and Maruyama Park as Karen & Chi hadn’t checked it out yet but then the rain started to pour and we were not quite ready for the rain. We hid under a shelter watching people who were sitting in the park eating (little stalls had these well lit areas with small tables and seating areas to eat) try to finish their food quickly and find shelter with their beers in hand while the staff quickly covered and took the furniture to covered areas. There was a giant group of men who were drinking who had a giant tarp that they quickly turned into a shelter for themselves and continued their festivities. We on the other hand, took a cab back ho and called it a night with one more episode of terrace House (only 4 episodes were released in our timeframe in Japan but 4 more than what was released back home).

If you haven’t joined and booked with Airbnb yet, follow the link and get credits for your first booking. www.airbnb.ca/c/ruu

Itinerary – Japan – 2017

0406-2017 Japan

This was my second time travelling to Japan. My previous visit was short but sweet staying in Osaka with a day trip to Nara & Kyoto for less than a week. Japan is definitely one of those countries that can and need to be explore multiple times. I travelled to Japan with Mike, Manwai, Cassie, Glenn, John, Karen & Chi with guest appearances along the way. The flight deals were too good to miss out on especially during Hanami (cherry blossom festival). We found our deal on www.nextdeparture.ca for $730CAD roundtrip to Tokyo (1 stopover in Chicago each way). Originally, it was just myself plus Mike & Manwai that booked together. As the next few weeks past and a few meals Mike & Manwai had with friends, our group became 8. During the trip, I mainly travelled with Mike & Manwai. Total of 14 days.

We booked many of our accommodations with Airbnb. If you haven’t joined and booked with Airbnb yet, follow the link and get credits for your first booking. www.airbnb.ca/c/ruu

Included in this Itinerary, I have included some helpful information to know in advance before you go.

–www.hyperdia.com – This is awesome for figuring out your bus and JR routes but you need to know what stations you are leaving from and arriving to.

-Google Maps works well too. If Google Maps does not load/poor connection, enter the directions into the internet browser.

$$$

-100y = $1USD roughly.

-The Japanese use cash over credit for majority of their day to day living and it isn’t unusual to break a 10,000y bill on something small.

-The 2000y bill is actually quite rare in Japan as its been phased out and was started in Okinawa for unknown reasons. When exchanging money outside of Japan, you may receive 2000y bills which a few Japanese collect HOWEVER, not all the machines take 2000y bills.

-For many Japanese, they may or may not accept it at their work establishments but some will keep as a keepsake similar to Canada’s old $2 bill that is now replaced with the toonie.

-You can pay for some meals in coins alone as the largest valued coin is 500y which is roughly $5USD.

-For 14 days, I took out just over $100CAD a day. $1502.45CAD – 123000Yen

Book in Advanced

–Studio Ghibli Museum tickets can only be purchased 1 month in advanced and sells out quickly. The 10th at 10AM Japan time of every month. Much cheaper to purchase from site than through a tour group (service charges are killer). The actual ticket is only 1000y

-JR Pass must be purchased outside out Japan. Maximum 90 days before your trip. JTB Canada is where I purchased mine. For 14 days of travel, my JR Pass was $539CAD

–Sumo Wrestling Tournaments are held 6 times a year. If you have the chance to go see it, tickets will go on sale a month in advanced so be aware they are highly sought after and sell out fast. Another option if you are going during non tournament months is to go visit a Sumo Wrestling Beya (practice) at multiple locations and watch their early morning practice.

–Robot Restaurant – a month in advanced.

–MariCar – Must have International Drivers License (goto CAA – $25CAD (bring your own photo or take one there) + Countries driver’s license to participate in this activity.

WIFI Router & Sim Card

-WIFI Routers are great if you have a large group – You can rent at the airport or various locations. Highly recommend renting or bringing a portable battery pack to keep router and phone charged.

-Sim cards – unlocked phones – You can pick up a visit sim card at Yodobashi or BIC Camera/BICQLO(might be cheaper than Yodobashi). If you can find the B-mobile Visitor Sim – 5GB for 21 days (Y2,970-3,480).

-I highly recommend bringing a portable battery pack to keep your phone charge especially if you are using your phone for directions.

Transportation

-JR Pass holders need to go through the manned gate to get through at each station.

-You need to make reservations on certain trains but if you don’t, there are a few carts where it is first come first serve or you can sit but if the person with the reserved seats shows up, you give them the seats. The reserved seats also swivel to have 2 facing one another if preferred.

-With the JR Pass, if you miss you train, you can easily get the next one without any penalty fees.

-If you plan on reserving seats for trains for peak times, go earlier to reserve them.

-If taking the bullet train from Tokyo to Osaka/Kyoto etc – request mountainside view to see Mt Fuji!

-Make sure to purchase ekibens before your ride (bullet train specific meals that differ per region and have have seasonal regional speciality foods – all cold)

-Eating is not permitted on trains besides Shinkansen

-JR Pass does not cover all train lines – only JR lines (minus Nozomi/Mizuho/Hayabusa (Shinkansen)) and a Suica or a Pasmo card (similar to Octopus card of Hong Kong or Toronto’s Presto) are indeed very useful and refillable

–Pasmo & Suica cards can also be used to pay for other things such as drink machines and whatnot.

-Pasmo can be used in Tokyo, Osaka & Kyoto (from my experience)

-There are women’s only carts depending on time of day

-Trains end around midnight-1AM. There are taxi queues.

-The Japanese are large in numbers but when walking, they don’t necessarily have a sense of urgency and the pace to my standard is slow

-The Japanese do stay in shape by the amount of stairs they need to climb each day while commuting. The train stations are floors upon floors with limited elevators and some floors have escalators while many are just stairs upon stairs.

-You stand on the left side and pass on the right on the escalators. (Although in Osaka, they did opposite)

-Walking is the same – Walk on the left side

Weather (From what I experience this April trip)

-It is normal for Japanese people to stay covered up even it is hot outside as they care about their skin getting dark (similar to Hong Kong) They are more conservative in terms of covering cleavage but will wear short shorts. I wore a tank top because it was hot but got looks.

-April – light jacket/trench coats (Japanese fashion trend) and umbrellas are key.

-Tokyo is humid. April – average temp – high of 20, low of 6 – chances of showers high but muggy.

-Kanazawa – chilly and windy but otherwise warm during the day, can see breathe in the evening

-Takayama – Hot during the day – really hot as in we got slightly burnt but once the sun goes down, cold and chilly.

-Kyoto – Hot! (average 21-26C during the day) but cools down at night.

-Osaka – Just right! Not too hot, not too cold; bearable to walk around in a t-shirt majority of the day.

Misc.

-Carry your passport around for many places you go shopping you can get tax free!

-Outlets are the Western 2 prong style instead of the american 3 prong

-There are a lot of people but they tend to move slower than the average if compared to Toronto foot traffic.

-You don’t tip in Japan – the only time you tip are in fancy high end restaurants or when you see fit.

-There are designated areas for people to smoke but the smoke still billows the streets and still litters the streets

-Smoking is not allowed while you are walking

-Smoking is allowed in certain food establishments

-There are rarely any garbage cans on the streets of Japan – 1 reason – you mainly goto establishments to eat or eat at home. 2 – in the past, terrorist attacks with packages left in garbage bins now detour garbage bins

-non combustibles and combustible garbage separation

-some wear masks but others don’t and when they sneeze or cough, they just let it out so be aware of that. Coming for Canada, where its customary to sneer into your elbow or cover your mouth, this might put you off a bit like it did me.

-Sailor moon make up by Beaute Creer – You can pick this up at Its Demo stores.

-In some cities like Takayama at night, they have flashing red lights outside of an establishment to signal that they are still open as other stores or restaurants close early.

Now onto my actual Itinerary. My itinerary got very extensive and ambitious with things and places I wanted to see and goto. Everyone else built their own itineraries but we made sure at certain aspects, we would all meet up in a different city for certain events such as the Takayama festival in Takayama and Temple running in Kyoto. In the span of 2 weeks, my goal was to make it through all these cities (Tokyo, Yokohama, Enoshima, Kawasaki, Kanazawa, Takayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Nagoya) but of course not all goes to according to plans and we cut out some areas to explore other areas more. This was the itinerary that actually happened. There will always be another time to visit Japan once again to get more accomplished and more land covered.

Some places and things I originally had on my itinerary for the surrounding area but wasn’t able to accomplish were the following:

-Baseball – much different than Western Baseball – Hanshin Tigers VS anybody – the atmosphere is completely something to take in

Enoshima/Fujisawa/Yokohama/Kawasaki

-Enoshima – fujisawa – cute city – view of Mt Fuji in painting

-Ramen museum (yokohama)
-Cup Noodle Museum (yokohama)

-Chinatown (yokohama)

-Kawasaki Warehouse – arcade games

Tokyo

-Tokyu Plaza – escalator & rooftop

-Akihabara Gachapon Kaikan – Tōkyō, Chiyoda, Sotokanda 3-15-5 Gee Store Akiba – 11AM-7PM

Nagoya

-Nagoya Dome – Purchase tickets – ticket booth near gate 1 – 10AM-5th inning

-Osu – The Harajuku of Nagoya

-enmusu – Onigiri style w/shrimp tempura – Senju – Nagoya-Famous

-Temmusu (めいぶつ天むす千寿) – 4-10-82 Osu, Naka-ku, Nagoya-city – 830AM-6PM

-Miso Tonkatsu – Misokatsu Yabaton – Yabacho Restaurant (みそかつ矢場とん矢場町本店) – 3-6-18 Osu, Naka-ku, Nagoya-city – 11AM-9PM

-Hitsumabushi (Grilled Eel on Rice) – Atsuta Horaiken – Main Restaurant (あつた蓬莱軒本店) – 1130AM-2PM; 430-830PM

-Ashikaga Flower Park – Wisteria

Kyoto, Japan 2012 – Day 12

10/05/12

We met with Kayo at 10AM at Kyobashi station for a day trip to Kyoto.

From Kyobashi station, we took the Keihan train line (about 30 minutes) to Inari station where our main destination started – Fushimi Inari shrine. This was also Kayo’s first time to Fushimi Inari too so we didn’t really know what to expect. Kayo was a trooper for walking in wedges. We didn’t know before coming that Fushimi Inari is actually a temple built on a mountain. This temple made a huge appearance in the movie Memoirs of a Geisha with the orange tori gates. The main tori gates that appear in the film aren’t too long and are actually 2 paths that end before opening up into another set of gates that take you up the mountain. I decided to wear pants that day and although it was hot, it was a good decision – my eyebrow, chest and feet got attacked by bugs. When you finally make it to the top of the mountain, the sight is gorgeous as you can see the skyline of Kyoto from above before heading back down. Kyoto is also known for it’s mochi unfortunately we didn’t buy any however we did sample the triangle mochi dessert. Kayo also treated us to taiyaki (waffles made in fish shapes filled with red bean or other fillings) as well as takoyaki (squid balls).

After that long journey through Fushimi Inari, we journeyed on by train to Gion-Shinjo station to venture Yasaka Jinja Shrine, another temple with multiple temples inside. But first, we had ramen for lunch at a small local ramen shop. We all order the standard and added gyoza dumplings. The broth was a little different from what I’ve had – more soy sauce-y/ salty but nonetheless it tasted really good. The noodles were perfect but I feel like the best I’ve ever had still is hands down Daikokuya in Little Tokyo in LA. Our walk to the ramen place was really nice because the area had old buildings mixed with new but still so quaint.

We walked over to Yasaka-Jinja Shrine towards Maruyama Park. It was a cute park with a large settlement of ravens. Made our way to Sorin-ji temple and wanted to go see the big head temple but it was closed. We walked over to Chion-In temple but by the time we reached it, the temple was closed. NOTE: temples close early in Kyoto (5PM or slightly earlier).

Since temples were closing, we walked back to the station walked through an old street with old houses which had been turned into restaurants. We took the train back to Kyobashi and decided to have dinner in the area. The restaurant we went to for dinner we ordered from a machine that was all in Japanese. This restaurant required us to goto the second floor and order through the machine with no pictures which would in return give you a ticket stub after you paid. Luckily we had Kayo with us to read and translate for us. We treated Kayo to pizza, Shela and Georgie opted for curry rice and I got the omurice (rice in an omelet) with ketchup.

We got back to the hostel and Kyohei handed each of us 1 free drink ticket – it was Friday already. It was international party drinking night. Georgie grabbed herself a Peachtree and orange, Shela grabbed the plum wine and I grabbed the cassis and orange. Sebastian who was making drinks for us, volunteers at the hostel lives about a 5 minute bike ride away. He is originally from Portland, OR but has since been living in Japan for 8 years – He even has a Japanese drivers license. He was telling us his apartment costs roughly $900CAD. As we introduced ourselves to Sebastian, we met another guy named Daniel who is from Alberta who is part aboriginal. He’s been in Japan for about a week and a half so far and leaves tomorrow for Tokyo. His birthday was at the end of September so he celebrated in Roppungi in Tokyo as he turned 28. We also met a few Germans, Brits and also a group of people from Thailand – 2 girls named Patch and Pam and a group of 6 guys who were all medical students who only get 10 days off from school.

Did you know that you are never suppose to pour your own drink in Japan. If someone sees that your cup is empty, you are to pour for them and vice versa. Also, if you give someone your business card, you are to put it into your dress shirt pocket and not into your wallet (which you sit on) because you are sitting on their business.