places to visit in mishima

*back dated entry*

i am not sure if many people have heard of a place call mishima but if i say mount fuji then i am sure everyone will know....... so i was hoping that we can go somewhere nearby to see mount fuji since we never get to see it for our previous trips.... when i was searching how to go to mount fuji, i realised it is actually quite difficult since mount fuji is more of a "resort" & hiking place... so i decided to stop somewhere nearby to view mount fuji from afar & i chose mishima... honestly there isnt much to do in mishima so we will only be staying there for 1 night.... below are the top 3 attractions in mishima

1. mishima taisha shrine

mishima taisha shrine, photo taken from here...

the main attraction is mishima is definitely mishima taisha shrine... japan is really a very holy place, everywhere is filled with shrines or temples.... since there isnt much to see in mishima then i guess we should just pop by a shrine to see see

2. rakujuen park

rakujuen park, photo taken from here...

honestly i am abit confused with this park... i was searching on the website that this place is actually somewhat like an amusement park but some sites say it's just a park with nice scenery... so i shall go & check it out myself what exactly it is

3. genbe river

genbe river, photo taken from here....

this is supposedly a famous river along or inside rakujuen park & the origin of the river came from mount fuji melted snow!!! since we cant go up to mount fuji, i guess it will be nice to see the melted snow from there =)

i read from websites that you can actually see mount fuji from most places in mishima & i chose a hotel which state that you can get a clear view of fuji, hopefully that's true =)

places to visit in kobe

*back dated entry*

today is to share about kobe attraction & i am sure the first thing that comes to most people mind is kobe beef!!! personally i am not a beef person cause i need my meat to be well done before i can consume & i prefer dryer meat patty so i may not be able to appreciate those "melt in your mouth" beef.... BUT i certainly dont mind trying kobe beef cause i love japanese cuisine =) so i shall share a nice place to eat kobe beef at a reasonable price....

1. sannomiya 
so i was reading my travel bible & i came across this famous kobe beef restaurant, ishida , which has like 2 outlets in sannomiya... from the pictures in my travel bible the lunch set meal looks really yummy... they serve different grades of wagyu beef & i think the cheapest set start from about 3000yen... of cause it's still expensive for lunch but if it's for wagyu beef then i think is worth to try.... there are also some shopping places in that area so you can have an early lunch at ishida before doing some shopping...

2. shin-kobe area

so there are actually 2 kobe stations, first is the kobe station which is like THE kobe station which you can access via JR & local trains but there is also a shin-kobe station for shinkansen...i will first talk about shin-kobe area & there are 2 main attractions over there... first is shin-kobe ropeway

shin-kobe ropeway, photo taken from here....

night view from ropeway, photo taken from here....

nunobiki waterfall, photo taken from here....

ropeway mean cable car & the view is really nice up in the hill especially the night view... however, the cable car only operate at night during summer so i wont get to see the night view during winter =( along the walk down the hill, you get to see this nunobiko waterfall... looks pretty nice... & the website say 15-20min climb so i think it will be okay for me to walk down from the top cable car station =)

kitano-cho, picture taken from here....

another attraction is kitano-cho, it's an area whereby most foreigners stayed last time so you can visit those unique houses.... since each house require admission fee so cheapo me will probably just walk around the area & not enter...

3. kobe harbourland

kobe harbourland, photo taken from here....

so this place is at the kobe station & is pretty much just shopping & amusement park area.... since the place is at the port so you can also take some sea view pictures....

4. mount rokko

view from mount rokko, photo taken from here....

so this place also has cable car just like shin-kobe ropeway to go up the mountain... so the main aim is to have a bird eye view of kobe.... & of cause it's like the middle station before you head to the next place = arima onsen....

5. arima onsen

arima street, photo taken from here....

hot spring, photo taken from here....

this is a famous onsen in kobe & i really want to go cause there are some nice souvenir & food shops in arima area... there are several ways to reach arima & one of them is to take ropeway from mount rokko.... my sister tried to go arima like a week ago (cause she went to osaka) but fail cause it was too complicated & especially so in winter cause alot of roads were closed... so i will probably have to forgo this place & visit it again next time =(

i think unless you want to do a lot of shopping at kobe harbourland or i think kobe can be a day trip... my main goal will be to eat kobe beef & try to shin-kobe ropeway.... shopping doesnt appeal that much to me since i can do that while i am in tokyo *wriggle brows* =)

places to visit in nara

*back dated entry*

the first impression that most people have about nara is the deers!!!

lovely deers, photo taken from here....

arent the deers lovely!?!?!??! so cute!!! so of cause my aim to visit nara is to see these cuties!!! based on the information i found online, nara is quite a small place but it would make a lovely day trip...

1. todaiji temple

todaiji, photo taken from here....

apparently it's an important temple in japan so i guess it worth a visit

2. nara park

nara park, photo taken from here....

deer feeding... photo taken from here...

to me, this is the most important place in nara because my travel bible said that this place has the most number of deers!!!! so this is a MUST visit place for me & probably i will try to feed the deers with their favourite deer biscuit =)

there are other places to visit in nara but i would say the most important thing to do is to take photo with the deers!!! i heard that they are roaming around everywhere!!! cant wait to see them myself =)

places to visit in kyoto

*back dated entry*

today i am going to start sharing some of places that i planned in my travel itinerary & the first place is kyoto! i have heard so much about kyoto from my friends & all of them said it to be such a pretty place!!! cant wait to see it for myself!!! all the information are obtained from my travel "bible" & japan guide website.....

as i was searching for kyoto attractions, i found most of them are scattered in different part of the city so it will be impossible to visit all of them within my travel plans so i have to strategise & go to those that i really want to see.... another thing is that JR doesnt have extensive network in kyoto so main mode of transport will be buses & local trains.... the most popular thing is to get kyoto 1 day bus pass for 500yen which entitled you to unlimited bus ride & i recommend taking raku bus.... although they only have 3 bus services, all of them get you to different famous kyoto attractions.... enough said, lets go to different attractions....

1. kyoto station area
there are quite a number of things over there & of cause the main attraction just outside kyoto train station will be kyoto tower.... i am very sure every big city in japan has some sort of tower & its main purpose is for people to have a bird's eye view of the city....

kyoto tower, photo taken from here

of cause there are shopping centers nearby the station such as bic camera & yododashi kyoto... i feel these 2 are like BIGGEST store in japan, you will always find them at those major stations.... they mainly sell electronics but also cosmetics, toys & food.... tourists also can get tax rebate from them BUT you need to hit the minimum spending which will be 10,000yen (before tax) in general....

2. nijo castle

nijo caste, photo taken from here.....

Honmaru, photo taken from here.....

nijo castle is a famous attraction in kyoto & based on the map, i think it's a pretty big place... the picture of honmaru is so lovely!!! i read in my travel bible that there are some shopping streets nearby so you can get some food & souvenirs from there...

3. Kiyomizudera (清水寺)

Kiyomizudera during spring, photo taken from here

Kiyomizudera during night illumination, photo taken from here

shopping streets on the way to kiyomizudera, photo taken from here....

one of the most important temple in japan & it's a MUST to visit... the temple is located in higashiyama area & along the walk towards the temple, there are old shop houses around which sell many souvenirs.... you can see from the picture that kiyomizudera look so PRETTY during night illumination!!! but too bad i will be going during winter so there wont be night illumination =( 

4.Ginkakuji (银阁寺)

silver pavilion, photo taken from here.....

ginkakuji or more commonly known as silver pavilion, it's located somewhere near kiyomizudera so you can plan a day trip to both places... although the name suggest the temple is silver colour, it's actually not so.... i was abit disappointed when i find out this information but nonetheless i think it's still a pretty nice place to visit....

5. Kinkakuji (金阁寺)

gold pavilion, photo taken from here....

kinkakuji or golden pavilion is really covered with GOLD leaf!!! you can see from the picture how shinny it looks!!! amazing!!! my friends told me this temple is really pretty so hopefully i have time to visit this place....

6. arashiyama

togetsukyo bridge during autumn, photo taken from here....

bamboo forest, photo taken from here....

 this is the place for the famous bamboo forest.... i saw from my friends pictures about this place & it just look so nice!!! Togetsukyo Bridge is another famous attraction there.... you can also take the  Saga scenic train to tour the area but sadly the train doesnt operate during winter =(

7. fushimi inari

torii gates, photo taken from here....

it's the shrine with thousand gates, another lovely attraction in kyoto.... you can find fushimi inari taisha there which is a famous shrine in japan

so basically are my personally selection of the famous attractions in kyoto, of cause there are much more places to that but if you have limited time, i think these are some of the MUST see places in kyoto =)

what kind of train passes to buy in japan

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i am currently planning for my japan trip so i am like digging online for what kind of train passes i should buy for my transportation in japan... there are like so many types of passes & i am like so lost, seriously dont know what to choose.... but after some research & consideration, i came up with afew top choices in which i think they are most worthwhile to get & use them while you are in japan....

1. JR rail pass
i am sure everyone who want to go to japan would have heard of this pass... there are also regional JR passes which are categorise based on the location in japan.... this website gives you quite useful information about what & how to use the JR pass... i would call it the general JR pass whereby you can use it to travel to all parts of japan... you can buy your JR passes online over here.... the site also show you the kinds of regional pass..... i think it is convenient since you dont have to go down to JTB to get your passes but i am abit skeptical & worried that the site might not be trustworthy so i still gotten mine from JTB

ok, back to JR pass.... personally i think this pass is VERY USEFUL if you are traveling to different parts of japan since 1 trip on shinkansen can easily cost 5000 yen.... BUT you may want to do some calculation prior to purchasing JR pass to check if it's really worthwhile to get it... hyperdia is like your best friend site, it tells you the train timing, track number as well as fare prices....

let me share some background on the use of JR pass..... there are 2 kind of passes, ordinary or green car but both passes allow you to do seat reservation, meaning you can chop your seats on the train just like selecting one on flight....green car is like business class & the seats are bigger...but that's probably all to it & the price difference is like about 1.3x more compared to ordinary pass... personally i think it's not necessary to get that since the ordinary car is comfortable enough for your journey....for each train there will be 1 or 2 cabins for green car passengers, maybe 60% for reserved cabins & remaining for non-reserved cabins.... non-reserved cabins mean that is free sitting, so if you happen to board a very pack train, there will be chances that you have to stand.....

ticket price

if you check out hyperdia, you will notice there are 2 prices for 1 ticket, the fare & seat fee the difference (reference above)... so on the shinkansen or limited express, you can do seat reservation without extra cost using your JR pass... but if you decide to buy individual train ticket then you can skip the seat fee thing by taking the non-reserved seats....

 
2. tokyo metro/subway tickets
this kind of tickets are only useful if you are traveling WITHIN tokyo.... there are only 2 types of tickets, either metro or subway (also include metro) tickets which are operated by different companies....

tokyo metro map

if you are going to tokyo for the first time & saw the metro map above, you will definitely be confused... the original (enlarged) map can be found here..... so based on my knowledge, there are 3 main train lines in tokyo: metro, subway & JR (probably some other small lines but those are not so important for travelers)... personally i feel you dont need a JR pass to travel within tokyo cause the metro network is pretty extensive & some of the places, it's actually more convenient to reach by metro than JR.....

there are 2 types of tickets that you can buy, metro or subway ticket.....metro means you can only take metro line while subway ticket allow you to take BOTH subway & metro trains....last time, the subway line (operated by TOEI) doesnt have discounted tickets but now they cooperate with tokyo metro.... so there are several day passes, 1, 2 or 3 days & you can buy multiple passes for your trip... personally i take almost exclusively metro trains, the TOEI or subway line is more limited so if you only need 2 days pass then probably just getting metro 2day pass is more worthwhile than subway 2day ticket.....

3. kansai pass
for my this japan trip, i will be going to osaka,kyoto,nara & kobe, which all fall in the kansai area so i will need a kansai pass.... of cause i can just get the general JR pass (which also cover kansai area) but i think it will be more expensive than buying a separate pass.... & actually this area pass caused me the most problem cause i dont know which 1 to get & whether should i even get 1.... because i was reading my travel bible (is actually travel guide but the information is so useful & important that i call it a "bible") that the passes are only worthwhile if you traveling to multiple locations which make sense cause a trip on local train cost about 230yen... so you have to calculate roughly before deciding if you want to buy kansai pass.... BUT the good thing is that kansai pass you can buy it in japan, unlike JR pass which must be purchased outside of japan.... now, let me elaborate on the individual kansai passes

kansai pass:
it is under JR regional pass(JR-west line) & they have 1 to 4 days passes, the good thing about this pass is that they include unlimited rides on the kansai airport HARUKA express (only non-reserved seats)... this is good because a ride from kyoto to airport on HARUKA express will cost 1880yen... so if you decided to go to rinku premium outlet (5min train ride away from kansai airport) then this pass will serve you well =) BUT you can only buy this pass once for your trip... so let say you staying 5 days in kansai area, you can buy one 4day pass but 1 of the day you have to buy individual train tickets.....

kansai wide area pass:
this also operate under JR-west line but like the name suggest, it cover a wider area compared to the normal kansai pass... so you can take sanyo shinkansen & more limited express lines.... but this is only useful IF you traveling to those area... since my focus isnt those area so this pass isnt for me....

kansai thru pass:
this pass is different from previous 2 kansai pass in which it's NOT operated by JR meaning you CANT take JR trains nor HARUKA express.... BUT you can take local trains & buses.... so if you did your research then you will notice that JR doesnt have very extensive network within kansai area.... JR or shinkansen will get you from place to place, like from kyoto to osaka but within each city, there are very limited or even no JR trains.... so this pass will come in handy especially in kyoto since its main mode of transport is local buses & you can get discounts at many attraction spot when you present the pass...

in the end it boils down to how you plan your itinerary before deciding which pass is suitable for you.... there might be other train passes around but i never research on them before so i cant give my opinion... hopefully these information will be useful to you guys =)

FNS 2014

was surfing on facebook when i came across a post by my friend about FNS 2014... FNS music festival or FNS歌謡祭 is an annual event held in japan.. it took place yesterday & you can see from the site that there are a large number of guests.... my personal favourites are KinKi Kids & akb48.... it has been like really long time since i last watched KinKi Kids performance & i still hoping that i can catch their concert when i go japan this year.... below are 2 of the popular performances (in my opinion).. you can see all the different groups under johnny's... pretty impressive i would say... enjoy =)

officially married!!!

YES!!! i am officially married!!!! it was really busy the passed few weeks that i had no time to update my blog till now... so i will be doing some back-dated entries over the next few days....

so my actual day was on 29th Nov so i have been married for 4days... haha... dont really feel any changes to my life YET other than having a ring on my finger, staying at a different place & having new family members.... i was definitely excited about my wedding but me & husband felt that we are happier that this whole event is over rather than "enjoying" the event... of cause we did enjoy that day, it was fun but we felt that due to all those customary stuff & some irritating comments which our relatives made, has somehow gave us a hard time to settle the preparation stuff... i believed we are not the only "victims" of such things but i do hope that other couples out there can avoid such unhappy experiences.... if possible try to ignore those unnecessary things like customary or relatives comments... if you have parents like mine who are pretty traditional & yet dont know much about the customs & only listen to EVERYTHING that others say... then good luck to you.... you will face the same problems as me, having a hard time trying to psycho them NOT to do/get ALOT of stuff.... probably elaborate on that in another post but for now.... let me enjoy my marriage leaves & relax awhile more before heading back to work =)