#linhinjapan
It is 8.25am and I have checked in got my plane ticket and waiting patiently at the Gold Coast International Airport. Ecstatic to be travelling on my first trip with my friends to the land of all things extraordinary.. Japan!! Two week holiday in Japan, the first week to explore Tokyo and the second Osaka.
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| Gold Coast Airport |
Harajuku is "arguably the heart of the city's vibrant youth fashion scene, and is the best place for the latest urban brands" (Time Out Tokyo, p62). We visited Takeshita Dori one of Harajuju's iconic thoroughfare. This narrow pedestrian lane of small clothes shops and crepe stands is teen heaven. We visited this location on Monday so I was quite disappointed as we didn't see the Japanese girl's dressed up. As previous tourists have mentioned it is better to visit this area on the weekend.
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| Shibuya Crossing, taken at train station |
Shibuya is also another "bright, brash center of Tokyo's teen culture". I wanted to find the famous Hachiko dog statue, however was just too overwhelmed by all the people and shops so was unfortunate on this occasion. This was were I discovered the awesome sales of Forever 21!! As I come from Australia and we do not have this retail clothing store I wanted to check it out. I have now found my favourite new store!! The clothing quality is comparable to Forever New but at a cheaper price. It is definitely not the same style as Top Shop with its over ridiculously overpriced, strange items. I made three purchases from the store before we ventured to the other shops around the area.
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| Forever 21 purchases in Shibuya |
After some shopping we walked along the Yamanote JR line to Meiji Shrine. From the entrance of the Shrine (image below) we walked about 15 minutes to actually arrive to the main praying hall.
Purity is a major feature of Shinto. As you pass through the shrine's distinctive torii (gate) below, worshipers often ritually wash their hands and mouth with water from a stone basin before offering their prayers at the main hall.
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| Entrance to Meiji Shrine with my Tomodachi |
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| Stone basin for washing - left hand, right hand, wash mouth, then left hand again |
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| Meiji Shrine's main praying hall |
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| Prada, Hugo Boss, Jimmy Choo, Coach, Marc Jacobs, Tommy Hilfiger |
It was getting dark and half of the group split because one of our friends was feeling sick. I really wanted to check out Omotesando Hills in Aoyama which was Tokyo's second biggest fashion district, where you will find the amazing architectural stores stocking international mega-brands. This area is best after dark when the glass panels of its facade emit their chameleon-like ambient glow.
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| Mt Fuji |
So to get to Mt Fuji it took around 2 hours costing an additional return train ticket for 2300 Yen. We arrived at around 10.00am and headed straight to the look out via the
Mt Tenjo ropeway. The photo I took above of Mt Fuji was taken while on the train. A tip for travelling to Mt Fuji, you should definitely go early as possible because as the sun rises the clouds also appear and the summit becomes covered up by the clouds.
The Fuji Five Lake (Fujigoko) region lies at the base of Mt Fuji. The five lakes: Kawaguchiko, Saiko, Yamanakako, Shojiko and Motosuko. Among the lakes, Lake Kawaguchiko is the easiest to access and offers the most things to see and do. From the train station you can catch the tourist bus (directly outside the train station) for around 230 Yen to Lake Kawaguchiko. At this destination you can choose to go take the
Mt Tenjo ropeway to a look out point where you will have the best view of Mt Fuji; or you can ride the ferry and take the lake view of the area.
Tokyo Imperial Palace is another destination to check out. The palace was the main residence of the emperor of Japan. It is a huge garden area located in Chiyoda district which is about 10 minute walk from Tokyo station.
The images below were taken in the garden, there were only a few Sakura flowers that blossomed in the garden. This year was much cooler so the flowers were blooming quite later than usual. We were definitely fortunate to see such an amazing tree!! I think this garden was the best location to view the Sakura flowers as there were hardly any in Japan during this season.
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| Sakura Tree at the Imperial Garden in Tokyo |
The second week arrived and we left Tokyo. First day in Osaka we took the Shinkansen to Hiroshima. One of my main destinations was
Miyajima Island. To get to the island you would need to travel from Osaka to Hiroshima by Shinkansen, then JR train from Hiroshima to Miyajima, and finally JR ferry to cross the ocean.
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| O-torii gate in Miyajima |
On the same day we went back to Hiroshima to visit the Hiroshima Castle and Atomic-dome bomb.
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| Atomic-dome bomb |
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| Hiroshima Castle |
Fushimi-inari was my favourite place to visit in Kyoto! This Shrine was directly one step away from the JR station which made it convenient to find. The location was also were Memoirs of a Geisha was shot. There was no entrance cost so double brownie points. The 1000 gates take around 4 hours to climb as it ventures through the forest. 4 hours was not something we could spare so we did not take that option.
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| Fushimi-Inari Tashi Shrine |
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| Start of the 1000 gates |
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| Arashiyama Bamboo Forest |
This was another beautiful location to visit in Kyoto. It was easy to find, just had to follow the many tourists from the train station. There is a small temple/garden near the bamboo. There is an entrance fee, the temple was not worth visiting. The best feature was the pond (photo taken above). There was a lot of reconstruction happening when we went.
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| Sanjusangen-do Temple |
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Sanjusangen-do temple is located in eastern suburbs of Kyoto. It is most famous for the 1001 golden statues. You are not permitted to take photos inside the temple however it is still worth the walk from the train line and entry fee. The temple is quite small and there is not much scenery around the outside.
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| Umeda Sky Building |
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| Umeda - Floating sky garden |
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| Night view from Umeda |
There are so many of these look out towers around Japan, this was my first one. Umeda Sky Building is a definite destination located in Osaka. Best to go at night as you will be able to see the beautiful city at its best. The cost was 2300 Yen per person. I was amazed from the very start. Observing the architecture of the building from the outside and below was already breath-taking. The building was very detailed. Even the numbers on the elevator was designed as a silhouette of the Umeda Building. Small details made the experience more worthwhile.
From Osaka you can also catch the JR Train to Nara. It takes approximately 40 minutes, depending on which train you catch, as there is the local train or the rapid one which only stops at a few stations. Best places to visit in Nara is the Todai-ji Temple and Nara Park. They are located in the same area. If you get off at the Nara station via JR line you will be able to find the tourist information outside. They will provide you with a map and guide on where the main destinations to visit are.
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| Todai-ji Temple |
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| World's largest bronze buddha statue |
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| Nara Park |
The dears at Nara are different to those in Miyajima. Here you have the opportunity to feed them special cookies for 150 Yen. They also bow to you when you approach them. Must beware when patting or standing close to the dears. I saw first hand a tourist who had her map eaten from her jacket pocket. She didn't even realise until someone told her!! Sneaky little devils.
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| Osaka - Dotonbori |
Osaka shopping districts would have to be Dotonbori - Shinshi-bashi. They are long shopping malls with amazing food as well! Definitely a place to check out.
In my next post we will visit some of Japan's must try food!!
Until next time xoxo Liny.Po0
