Bowie's Osaka & Kyoto Itinerary 2016 #2

Alright, this will be last post for my April Japan trip (aisk..now already November!). Frankly speaking, at first i didn't plan to blog about my trip so i just simply take picture when i feel free or Instagram-worthy. Stayed at Japan for 2 weeks, i really tiring work like a blogger to capture every moment, i decided to enjoy my holiday "peacefully" LOL!

This post is all about OSAKA & KYOTO. 

If you are planning go to Japan next year for sakura season, please book your air ticket and HOTEL right now!!! 

I thought it is still earlier if i book hotel on early of January, but i was totally wrong!!! Elsewhere from Kyoto, it was MUCH easier to get room availability, even in April. I should felt luckily that i was able to book Tokyo and Osaka hotel, but it left few choices for my Osaka stay only and come along with unreasonable rate. April is seriously crazy in Kyoto though, I struggled to get availability for my 3D2N stay. However ALL hotels are fully booked, the only hotel room i can get is cost RM2800/night while its off-peak rate is RM700. *crazy!* So i tried AirBnB, this is my first time and impressed with the quality (hmm... price offering is still considered "mid-range" during sakura season). 

The differentiate of hotel and AirBnB is you can easily reach hotel by public transport but not AirBnB since most of them located at residential area. Also, AirBnB don't provide luggage courier service as i need to delivery my XL size luggage from Tokyo to Osaka. It is very depends on your budget of course, if room rate is not much different, i will choose hotel. 

Here's my accommodation of whole April trip :

[Tokyo]

APA Hotel Higashi-Shinjuku-Kabukicho - MYR324 / room

Citadines Central Shinjuku - MYR1400 / room for 3D2N

[Hakone] 

Sengokuhara Onsen Hotel Green Plaza - 26000yen / room

[Kyoto] 

AirBnB (103, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture 604-8475) - MYR2380 / room for 3D2N

[Osaka]

Chisun Inn Osaka Hommachi - MYR2286 / room for 6D5N

Alright, that's all my room rate during sakura Japan trip. As you see that my AirBnB is so damn expensive but i got no choice because that is the only one left in the area i want to stay, another is quite far like stay at Arashiyama. Get ready to hit by this high rate if you plan to visit during sakura season, my friend told me that he couldn't find the reasonable hotel rate for his sakura trip next year and 80% hotels are fully booked. So far, Citadines Central Shinjuku is the best hotel i stayed over my trip. The room is spacious, good service and excellent location! Perhaps you thought MYR700 per night is too expensive? Nooooo~~ i was just too lucky to booked APA Hotel when i saw flash deal at expedia.com. I am not recommend Chisun Inn Osaka to you because their location is 25 mins walking distance from the most happening Shinsaibashi - Dotonbori arcade and15 mins walking distance from subway, i was so tired when i carried a lot of things after shopping. 

You can check out my April Japan Itinerary and related post here :

Bowie's Tokyo Itinerary 2016 #1

Bowie's Hanami x Sakura

How to make Kimono rental booking in Japan

#ootd @ Japan

If you love shopping and onsen, Tokyo definitely is the paradise; Kyoto is the ZEN city with temples and shrines, their business hours is until 6.30pm only OMG! There are some happening places in Osaka such as Shinsaibashi and Namba with 24 hours restaurant, but the city spans over a big area, there are more tourist attractions in the city. Plan a relaxed itinerary where you can relax and watch life go by.

Kyoto 

Going from Tokyo and stay at Kyoto for 3D2N, only brought hand-carry bag and delivery big luggages to Osaka hotel. 

#Arashiyama 嵐山

How to go : By Japan Railways (JR)

This is the fastest access from Kyoto Station to Arashiyama.

Kyoto station (JR Sagano Line) -> Saga Arashiyama station (15 mins, 240 yen) -> central of Arashiyama (5-10 min walk)

This is my second visit this beautiful place, i love the nature and scenery here. Arashiyama is a pleasant, touristy district in the western outskirts of Kyoto, this Togetsukyo Bridge渡月橋 is Arashiyama's well known landmark. This time, i am unable to visit temples (Tenryuji Temple) because all temples open until 5pm, i was late, too busy strolling around the cherry blossom area LOL! 

Arashiyama becomes most busy around early April when the cherry blossom peak season.

#Arashiyama bamboo groves.

#Nishiki Market

Opening hours : 9am to 6pm

CLOSED on Wednesday or Sunday (varies by store)

How i go : The Nishiki Market street runs parallel to Shijo Avenue, less than five minutes walking distance from Shijo Station.

Kyoto Station (Karasuma Subway Line) -> Shijo Station (4 minutes, 210 yen)

Nishiki Market (錦市場, Nishiki Ichiba) is a narrow, five block long shopping street lined by more than one hundred shops and restaurants. Known as "Kyoto's Kitchen", this market features in all things food related, like fresh seafood, produce, knives and cookware, and is a great place to find seasonal foods and Kyoto specialties, such as Japanese sweets, pickles, dried seafood and sushi.

My favourite!!!! 

#Kiyomizu-dera 清水寺

I blogged about kimono rental before, so check here ya! 

Osaka

#Pokemon Center Osaka

Address: Japan, 〒530-8202 Osaka Prefecture, Osaka, Kita Ward, Umeda, ３−１−１ 大丸梅田店 Daimaru Umeda.

Pokemon Center Osaka is located on the 13th floor of Daimaru Umeda department store, next to Osaka Station.

I am big fan of Pokemon, watched all episodes since its first release. This destination is in my must-go list. =P

 OMGGGGGG!!!! cuteness overload!!!!! pika pika~~~ 

#Shinsaibashi  #Dotonbori

It is one of the principal and most popular tourist destinations in Osaka. Shinsaibashi is for shopping; Dotonbori is for dining. Beware! you might shop till drop here! 

One of my favourite dining, Yakiniku (Japanese style BBQ). Feel so good when you eating yakiniku in cold weather! 

There are many restaurant serves Fugu (河豚) the pufferfish. But i can tell you, the taste is not good! 

Ichiran Ramen, i must eat this at least twice when i travel to Japan. The price is much much more cheaper than Hong Kong, you can have it in within MYR30. (if our currency not drop like shot)

MUST TRY!!!!! This is my super love!!! Le Croissant Shop Shinsaibashi

Address : 2-7-25 Shinsaibashisuji, Chuo-ku, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture

Must-Eat item : croissant, karashi mentaiko

Website : http://www.le-cro.com/index.html

I found this shop when i travelled with my friends since 4 years ago, busy shopping at Shinsaibashi and suddenly stumbled upon smelling something really good, follow the smell and we saw a line leading to this little shop. It is located at a alley in mid of Shinsaibashi, if not wrong, it is nearer to Adidas shop. This is the best croissant i ever had, the glazed croissants were amazing especially since it was cold outside. It's crispy, so delicious! some more 40 yens for a croissant is unbelievable!!! Well, this shop is not allow you to eat at there. Once you purchase, you have to go and enjoy your croissant at somewhere else but not in front of their shop. 

#Kuromon Ichiba Market

Fresh sashimi as my breakfast, the price is higher than Tsukiji fish market Tokyo, but it is the place to enjoy cheaper sashimi in Osaka.

#Universal Studio Japan

Operation hour : 9:30am - 7:30pm

How to go : a five minute walk from Universal City Station on the JR Yumesaki Line (also referred to as JR Sakurajima Line). 

From Osaka Station, there are several direct trains per hour (15 minutes, 180 yen), many connections that require an easy transfer at Nishikujo Station.

*Alert : please online purchase USJ ticket before go Japan! I reached there at 9.30am and i saw super long queue at every counter! If you don't like to queue up, you have to buy express ticket which is top up minimum from 3600yen on normal ticket (7400yen), depends on how many game attractions you would love to go. FYI, i stuck into loooooong queue at Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey for 2 hours! But it is unforgettable and must-go experience because this is 4K3D show which uses state-of-the-art 4K technology and is now in 3D for the first time in the world. 

Kobe

#Steakland Kobe

Address: Japan, 〒650-0021 Hyogo Prefecture, Kobe, Chuo Ward, Kitanagasadori, 1−8−2, 宮追ビル

How to go : Osaka (Hankyu or JR train) -> Kobe's Sannomiya station. 

The restaurant is right across from the "Hankyu Sannomiya" train station on the north side.

Eating Kobe beef in the town of Kobe should definitely be in everyone's bucket list. Since Kobe is only 25 min away(by train) from Osaka, of course i must go there for the kobe beef dinner! But Kobe is a town, where should i looking for it? You can't escape from tripping over restaurant menus advertising Kobe Beef every 50 metres at downtown Kobe (known as Sannomiya). I saw a lot of Steakland Kobe's food review, so i think it can't go wrong huh. 

No worries, Steakland Kobe provided English menu. 

Seafood combo for my mother because she don't eat beef, cost 2400yen which not enough to feed you. 

The beef is priced depending on the different range and quality of beef. Four of us were choose set meal, which comes together with a bowl of warm Japanese rice, some side dishes and a choice of chilled orange juice or hot coffee. 

I requested medium rare for my Kobe beef, but it is slightly overcooked. Apart of that, the taste is good. It is 1000yen different on each range, so my sister ordered the cheapest one (4480yen) while her boyfriend ordered the medium range (5480yen) and mine is 6480yen. We would like to try what is the different, hmm.... the weird thing is i found that my sister's Kobe beef is more tender. LOL! Anyway, the price is still affordable and not burn a huge hole in your pocket. 

Nara

#Nara Park 奈良公園

How to go : Nara Park is a five minute walk from Kintetsu Nara Station or a about a 20 minute walk from JR Nara Station.

"First scent of love" (Hatsukoi no kaori), the luxury Japanese pink strawberry. 

The park is home to hundreds of freely roaming deer. Nara's deer are tame, but they can be aggressive if a pack of deer cracker in your hand, they think you will feed them.

I've always loved animals more than i loved humans, i like to observe them and i feel i can communicate with them. 

If you don't feed them, they will chasing you or might kick you, so beware of it! 

A seasonal dessert for Spring - Daifuku with an entire strawberry inside. 

This is so so so nice!!!!! 

Finally, i blogged all about my sakura Japan trip! May be it is messy but it took quite some time to blog and edit pictures, hope you all will like it. I will put more effort on my next travel blog especially the content arrangement. One more month to go until the end of this year, let's plan a trip with your loved one!