Er, seriously, I can have a specific long blogpost just by talking about toilet bowl in Japan alone. So, I better stop now. AND, it is a toilet bowl in Public Toilet! Not hotel or expensive restaurant. My depression towards shitty stuff has become more critical after I visit more and more other countries. Now I feel frustrated every time I push a door of Malaysia's public toilet. Wet, gross, shoe prints and tissue all over the places view waiting for me. And we think we had it all, the Cyberjaya and carrying iPad, or iPhone.
This supposed to be a summary post, and why I already blabbering half page just about toilet? Damn.
So, we were back to Osaka after 3 days short trip in Tokyo. It's definitely not enough for Tokyo, if you ask me. Planning to make another visit to Tokyo soon, maybe during transit to somewhere. A 2 or 3 days transit to make up what I missed during this trip :(
Back to Osaka and staying in Hommachi area, with a walking distance (less than 5 minutes) to Shinsaibashi and Nagahoribashi - A home to many of Osaka's stylish fashion boutique and many many fooooods. Close enough to Dotonburi too, when I say close enough, it means walk. They describe Dotonburi as a single street running alongside the Dotonburi Canal, but I say it's a canal of shopping madness and varieties with bright lights and piercing voice of Japanese sales girls greeting and welcoming you into their shop with high note somewhere around F note, over 3 octaves above Middle C. It's greater than Mariah Carey, if you know what I mean.
There is Daimaru shopping mall in between and if you walk straight up, further further up (1 hour I think?) you will end up with another mother of all motherfucker shopping malls - Takashimaya, Namba. Here in Namba you can find popular bars, restaurants, nightclubs & arcades. I don't know, I never been up to all over Osaka or Shibuya 109 in Tokyo. So I don't know which is the boss of all these m*fcker shopping malls in Japan. I guess they are all equally big? hey, I saw Hankyu malls in Japan too. Remember Hankyu Jaya?? Hahaha.
It's hello Kitty House. 3 floors to be exact.
I'll brag about shopping activities in Osaka on part 2.
We supposed to visit Nara, but apparently we don't have enough time for that. But here we are - 50 minutes train ride from Osaka - Kobe City.
Map of Kobe
Kobe's Street performer.
Intriguing sculpture along Kobe's streets
Entrance of Chinatown, Kobe
Visit Kitano Cho: is a historical district in Kobe, Japan, which contains a number of foreign residences from the late meiji and early Taisho eras of Japanese history. Source: Wikipedia.
ah, whatever.
Im bad at history or anything historical . I just purchased a pair of shoes at this historical place so that I can remember. So, there, I created my own
The spirit of getting around and about was kinda low. We were clueless where to go since we did not do any research about Kobe. It's more like.. buy that train ticket and let's go! So I just made a stop by at whatever pink, to refresh my clueless and gloomy spirits.
So we went back to Osaka for little dinner and
MORE TAKOYAKI!!! Wait, did I say "More"? yeah. We had Takoyaki the day before this too! Hehehe. I never thought I ever eat pure, original Takoballs again since Taiwan. Takoballs Takoballs Takoballs.. I HEART YOU!
Back to Osaka and unwind. It's bigger bed and room, this time.
Above is the definition of big room & bed in Japan. Which is, you are able to move around both of your legs in that room at the same time.
Next Day;
See the Hira Shuriken sign?
Kyoto: A city of thousand castles, shrines, temples and geisha. Too bad I didnt manage to bump into real geisha on the streets :(
Except with dummy one :(((((
and I think they invented Nihon Kamasutra in Kyoto.
I met the cutie in Kyoto :)
So I got my hands on this shiny sticky candy apple at the entrance of Yasaka Shrine. I don't bother to take pictures and get to know what is this shrine is all about because I was totally distracted by the sweetness & busy licking this candy apple.
Get to meet them Japanican teenager couples wearing Kimono.
More castle visit.
Mostly all the castles are situated at the peak of the hill, with thousands stairs to climb. It was the 9th day of our journey in Japan, I used the most of my both legs to do the walking this time of the year. So on the 9th day stay in Japan.. I was unable to do the climbing anymore. I only made to the gate, main gate and that's it. All the big and grand castles situated in every corner of Kyoto. East, north, west .. and we are only been in the Eastern part of Kyoto, and walked up a bit to the central. We didn't get to walk in Gion nor Kinkakuji temple (Golden Pavillion) which is situated at Northern Kyoto, the temple which is covered with gold :( I definitely will be here again someday.. to make up to all the things that I missed. And maybe, get myself into one of the Geisha's costume, complete with white painted face :)
This street in Higashiyama displayed the best preserved historical, old Kyoto. Finally I was able to feel, experience traditional old Kyoto where wooden shops and buildings lined up along this street, invoke a feeling of old capital city. They even removed the telephone poles and repaved the streets as to keep the traditional feel of the district.
Seriously, I had to google again to distinct the difference between Castle, Shrine and Temple in Kyoto, because to me, it looks just the same - big, tall roofed, wooden gate and old.
I bought some candies and snacks here in Kyoto for the girls back in my office. They didn't know how lucky they are to feed on something that came from this part of Japan..
As I strolled the streets of Kyoto, my boyfriend told me about the history of World War II. Apparently he's so into Japan history and post Hiroshima/Nagasaki atomic bombing since since it's a big thing between American and Japan?
Kyoto was spared from air raids during World War II, dropped from the list of target cities for the atomic bomb due to the historic value, priceless architecture and structure that it hold across the land. That's how priceless Kyoto is. That's how historical and culture saved the land. Unlike us, we tear down the oldest Pudu Jail just because the location is more appropriate for more shopping malls and hotels. I know what is Jail to Temples and Castle. That's is why Malaysian just willing to tear down their every historical monuments and structures just to replace it into RM15 per hour parking lot. Malaysian willing to tear down their old super grandmother wooden house and replace it into golf field and more shopping malls.
That's the sad truth.
at the end of the day, we were back to lively city of Osaka.
Next day, left Osaka at 5pm, with a dream wish that I will be here again, and again.
Last meal in Osaka, Japan.
End of Summary post.
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