places to visit in nagano

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i wasnt really planning to go to nagano since i wasnt sure what are there but since we getting the JR pass then i thought may as well explore different parts of japan... so we decided to travel upwards to go to nagano..... at first i thought nagano will be an exciting place but after some searches, i think it's more of a transit point for most people especially for those who are going to ski since it's the entry point to the alps... so below are some of the nearby attractions that i found...

1. zenkoji

zenkoji, photo taken from here....

zenkoji is one of the most important temple in japan... i considered staying in a ryokan next to the temple but it's not near to the train station so i forget about that idea..... you need to take a train from JR nagano station to the temple but the ride isnt cover under JR pass... probably is a good place to visit but for me, it will depend if i have time to spare...

2. karuizawa

karuizawa map, photo taken from here....

kyu karuizawa, photo taken from here...

Shiraito Waterfall, photo taken from here....

usui pass observation platform, photo taken from here....

since we will reach nagano around late morning & we dont have alot of time to spare so i decided to visit somewhere near the area = karuizawa.... as you can see from the picture, it seem to be a nice place, i want to visit the usui observation place, the scenery look so awesome!!!! & there is Karuizawa Prince Shopping Plaza on the other side of the station so can take a look before heading back to nagano for dinner....

3. matsumoto

matsumotojo, photo taken from here....

i have always heard about matsumoto castle & it is supposed to be one of the most beautiful castle in japan so of cause we have to take a look.... but do take note that the castle is closed from 29th Dec to 3rd Jan every year.... i only intend to check out the castle so it will be a morning trip to matsumoto for me.... for other people, they will probably travel to the alps

4. Yamanouchi

Jigokudani Monkey Park, photo taken from here....

i am pretty sure that a lot of people have seen photo or heard about this place whereby monkey will take a bath in the onsen & the place is a t yamanouchi- jigokudani monkey park.... i am not a fan of monkey but i think it will be interesting to see them in onsen... however, this place is like super ulu & hard to go... so i wont go there for this trip, but if you happen to be driving then i think it's an interesting place to visit

5. obuse

obuse town area, photo taken from here....

obuse is a small town but the surrounding is so pretty & the place is famous for its chestnut.... really love to try them, however this place is also pretty hard to access so i had to forgo this place =(

6. bessho onsen

bessho onsen area, photo taken from here....

bessho onsen area map, photo taken from here....

since i would like to try out onsen during winter & hubby never been to one before so i decided to try one near nagano... there are other onsens around but it's harder to access than bessho onsen so have to give them a miss.... so you need to take the local train from JR ueda station to reach bessho onsen station... the area is a pretty small town so everywhere can be access by walking....  there are small local public bath around or can try the bath complex at aisome no yu...

there are actually other attractions within nagano like the kids ninja village & olympic facilities, but they are all not accessible via JR so i will give them a miss due to the limited time we have there =)

places to visit in nagoya

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i intended nagoya to be just a pitch stop for me to go to takayama so i only planned top 3 attractions there for a day trip kind of thing....

1. nagoya castle

nagoya castle, photo taken from here....

yup, another castle in japan... it's currently undergoing some reconstruction so some part of the castle may not be open to the public

2. sakae area

sakae area, photo taken from here....

nagoya tv tower, photo taken from here....

i heard sakae is like the main shopping area in nagoya so there are quite a number of shopping centers in that area... & as usual there will be an observatory tower... my lab mate told he enjoyed walking around the sakae area so i guess it should be a pretty exciting place

3. osu kannon temple

osu kannon temple, photo taken from here....

osu shopping arcade, photo taken from here....

osu kannon is a popular temple in nagoya so i intend to drop by & take a look if i have time... then like most temples in japan, there will be a shopping arcade nearby... i feel normally they sell more local products so items will be cheaper than what you see in shopping centers.....

for nagoya they have 5 types of day transport pass, information can be found here.... you have to visit more than 1 location in order for the pass to be worthwhile since 1 way trip normally cost 200yen... of cause nagoya has much more things that what i listed, you can see what attractions they have & plan your trip =)

places to visit in tokyo

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actually the highlight for my honeymoon trip is to buy my fukubukuro (lucky bag)... for those who have not heard of this term, it's ok, not too many people know about it unless you are hardcore japanese shoppers.... i first heard of this term many years ago & thought it only refer to specific brands or items but nope, it apply to everything... so every year on the first week of jan, the whole of japan will sell fukubukuro & personally for me i aim clothes fukubukuro!!! if you just do a google search, you will know that many popular japanese brands sell very good items in their fukubukuro... in general, there will be about 5 items in a bag & cost about 10,800yen BUT it will DEFINITELY contain a winter coat!!! like excuse me!?!??! that's like super cheap ok!!! based on the exchange rate now, the bag cost about SGD$120 & you have about 5 items, that's like $24/item... it's even cheaper than what i can find on taobao.com!!! so how can i not get it!!!!! BUT of cause tokyo isnt just about shopping, there are still some sightseeing places.....

1. harajuku

JR harajuku station, photo taken from here....

takeshita street, photo taken from here....

 harajuku is my FAVOURITE shopping place in tokyo!!! the B1.5F at laforet is like my heaven!!! they have all the popular loli brands there & when i was there for the first time in year 2009, i was like in HEAVEN!!! if you think that harajuku is for people with "weird dressing" then you are WRONG!!! of cause i dont deny that there are more people with bold dressing in harajuku but you can find lovely clothes there too!!! takeshita street is another of my favourite shopping place in harajuku.... so many nice shops there!!! & for those who are interested in getting fukubukuro, harajuku is one of the few place that start their new year sales on 1st jan!!!! so go & SNATCH!!!! the meiji shrine is also at harajuku area so for those who are not interested in shopping can always go & take a look at the beautiful shrine

2. shinjuku

shinjuku shopping area, photo taken from here....

another huge shopping area in tokyo... i would say this is more for general public.... of cause you can always go ginza but i find the things there are too expensive so shinjuku brands are more affordable... most of their new year sale starts on 2nd jan except for shinjuku mylord... do strategise your time & plan where you want to get your lucky bags...

3. shibuya

shibuya, photo taken from here....

what more do i need to say.... shibuya is the most well known shopping place in tokyo.... you can see the famous super pack road there too.... & most important of all, 109 is there!!!! 109 is another amazing shopping centers which i would say consists of the most popular brands in japan... their new year sale starts on 2nd jan & it's close on 1st jan

4. akihabara

akihabara, photo taken from here....

most people think akihabara is just for those who are into anime & otaku but you are wrong, they sell very good & cheap electronic stuff there too.... but the bad thing is japan use 2 pin plug which isnt suitable for SG.. but for the cheap price, i think it's worth to compromise....

5. disneyland & disney SEA

disneyland, photo taken from here....

if i am not wrong, disney SEA is only found in tokyo & the famous duffy is from there!!! the 2 theme parks are situated in the same area but it's impossible to finish the 2 parks on the same day cause the queue is always insane... japanese really love to queue....

6. tsukiji fish market

tsukiji fish market, photo taken from here...

tsukiji fish market is famous for 2 things, the fresh seafood & tuna auction... everyday they allow a certain number of visitors to view the tuna auction, you can see the information here... i went for the auction during my previous japan trip & it was disappointing for us cause the whole thing lasted like less than 15min & you only get to see a small selection of fish... so i think it's not worth to queue up like since 3+am there.... but for those who are curious, it's still interesting to try once...

7. imperial palace

imperial palace, photo taken from here....

tokyo train station, photo taken from here....

this is the imperial palace for the current japan emperor, since i didnt go for my previous trips, i shall go visit it this time... it's near to tokyo train station & my lab mate said it looks so nice that i have to see it this time...

8. tokyo tower

tokyo tower, photo taken from here....

despite being not as popular now, tokyo tower is definitely an iconic place in tokyo... i never been up there myself but i took photo nearby before....

9. tokyo skytree

tokyo skytree, photo taken from here....

tokyo skytree has definitely stole the limelight from tokyo tower ever since 2012.... i have not been there myself, only took photo from asakusa area.... not really that interested in it cause i am afraid of height so ask me going all the way up will probably kill me.... nonetheless, still a nice attraction for many people

10. sensoji

sensoji, photo taken from here....

i would say this is the most popular temple in tokyo & pretty iconic too... it's situated in asakusa area... i think i read somewhere before that many people visit it because it grant their wishes so kiasu me will always go there & pray & buy the amulet =p

so above are my top 10 attractions in tokyo, of cause there are much more than that to see in tokyo.... but if you are really pressed for time, you can consider these places for your top priority =)

places to visit in osaka

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i heard from my friends that osaka is very similar to tokyo, it's a very industrialised place so there isnt much of sightseeing but more of shopping & food... my sister just came back from there & she seem to like it alot... my lab mate even told me that she preferred shopping in osaka than tokyo!!! i was really shock!!! i am really surprised that there can be better places to shop thank in tokyo!?!??! i shall really see it for myself.... one important is that similar to kobe, there are 2 major stations in osaka: the shin-osaka station which shinkansen stops & osaka station for the normal JR & local lines.... i would say there arent much things in shin-osaka area, most of the exciting things are at osaka area....so let me share what attractions i found online....

1. namba

namba, photo taken from here...

dotonbori, photo taken from here....

shinsaibashi shopping arcade, photo taken from here....

map of namba, photo taken from here...

the first impression that i have of osaka is the glico running guy neon sign board & i never knew that is actually the shopping district, i thought it's more of a clarke quay kind of thing... so apparently namba is like THE shopping place & the famous dotonbori is there... my lab mate said she LOVES the shopping there, means i MUST go there see see... my sister told me the shopping area there is HUGE, shinsaibashi shopping arcade is also situated there... i dont know exactly how HUGE the place is, but i would definitely love to shop there =p not to forget to try out famous okonomiya & takayaki from there

2.osaka castle

osaka castle, photo taken from here....

another common things that you will find in japan is castles, there seem to be castles in all the popular cities... i guess that make them important since emperors stayed there before.... they all look so pretty in pictures & always surrounded by pretty parks so i think it will be nice to take a stroll in the area if you have time

3. shinseikai

shinseikai area, photo taken from here....

tsutenkaku tower, photo taken from here....

 i believed this is another shopping district in osaka but the famous attraction there is the tsutenkaku tower which appeared in many tv & movies.... towers are always so popular in japan, really know how to earn tourists $ wor....


4. umeda area

umeda area map, photo taken from here.......

another shopping area... now i am starting to believe that osaka is very similar to tokyo, everywhere is shopping districts!!!! anyway just fyi, umeda is actually at the same place as JR osaka station... so you can always stop by for a walk or a meal when you reached osaka via JR


5. tennoji

tennoji area map, photo taken from here....

abeno harukas, photo taken from here....

similar to shinseikai there is also an observatory tower at abeno harukas call harukas 300 cause the building is 300m high!!!! sometimes i wonder why japan want to build such a high skyscraper when it always experience earthquake, arent they worry???

6. Tenmangu Shrine 

tenmangu shrine, photo taken from here....

shopping area near tenmangu shrine, photo taken from here....

i think this is one of the most important shrine in osaka & it held the famous tenjin matsuri in july... i guess it would be pretty impressive but sadly i wont get to see anything during winter =( & there is always some sort of shopping district beside important shrines/temples so you can always get some food & souvenirs after praying =)

7. instant ramen museum
my lab mate went there & she seem to enjoy it since you get to DIY your own instant noodle... japan really has a lot of interesting things & DIY instant noodle is really cool... i might consider going there depending on my schedule since it seem abit troublesome to go there.... english site here...

8. mitsui outlet park osaka tsurumi

mitsui outlet park map, photo taken from here...

train direction to mitsui outlet, photo taken from here....

similar to US, japan also has its own outlet malls & there are 2 of them in osaka.... the first 1 is mitsui outlet park osaka tsurumi.... if you have been to outlet malls before then you will know how amazing they can be!!! the items are so much cheaper than what you can find outside!!! of cause you may not find the latest designs there but hey, it's cheap so dont complain.... but like all outlet malls, this mitsui outlet seem abit difficult to go....

9. rinku outlet

rinku outlet, photo taken from here....

last but not least is rinku outlet, this 1 is situated near kansai airport so i bet there will be alot of tourists who will do their last minute shopping over there.... direction can be found here... i read on the website that foreign tourists can get a coupon book from the information counters which entitle them to extra discounts!!!! attractive isnt it!??!?! but again have to depend on my schedule & hubby mood since he doesnt like to go shopping =(

so yup, above are the attractions i found for osaka... i know majority is shopping area but that's what i found, so it's really another shopping paradies especially with 2 outlet malls!!!!!

places to visit in mishima

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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

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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* =)