Pasyal Japan Day 3: Off to Kyoto

Day 1 Part 1

Day 1 Part 2

Day 2

Day 3: July 6, 2016

Today's my mom's 3rd death anniversary. I'll just see you next month, mudra. Pramis.

Going back.

We checked out from Hotel Mystays in Tokyo and travelled to Kyoto via Shinkansen (Bullet train). From the Kyoto station, we took a bus going to Hotel Mystays in Shijo-Nishinotoin. Checkin then rest for a while before going out.

First stop was at Nijo Castle. Buzzer beater because we were the last batch to be sold tickets to. Nakaka-haggard kasi panay ang reminder over the speakers that the main gate will be closing by 6PM. So mabilisang lakad lang inside the palace and ikot ikot sa garden. They have a vast garden. Gets ko na kung bakit 5PM pa lang, nagreremind na sila about closing time. Sa lawak kasi ng garden, malayo talaga lalakarin mo bago ka makabalik sa main gate hehehe. 

From the palace, we went to Nishiki market. Since it was already past 6PM when we arrived, most of the shops were starting to close. Yung tipong while walking, saktong sinasarado na rin ng shop owners ang main doors nila hahaha. Anyway, tingin tingin lang naman balak namin. My friend tried the takoyakowith ice cream. Masarap naman daw. 

From Nishiki market, our next target was Pontocho. This is a place where restaurants open up/extend their dining area facing the Kamo River. We got off a bus stop but it was near a shrine naman, whose name I can't remember right now. We just checked out this shrine for a few minutes. From this area, we saw a river and establishments that look like restaurants so that must be the Pontocho hehe.

From the shrine, we went back to the hotel. Pagod at gutom na. We just had dinner at a restaurant near our place. Medyo nakakatanga kasi you have to order "online" at their computer. No English translation. Nagamit ko pagka software developer ko years ago dahil hinulaan ko lang ang mga buttons based sa placement nila sa screen hehehe. Tumama naman hula ko at nakakain kami ng masarap na dinner hahaha.

End of day 3.

Pictures!

Bullet train. My wish is for my beloved Philippines to also have this type of transport. Tapos una, ung papuntang Baguio please hehehe. Or pwede rin kahit until La Union if terrain is a problem.

This is the entrance to the Nijo Castle taken from the inside na. Ang luwang ng grounds!

This was taken on the left side of the castle, medyo malayo na sa entrance. This was the most decent shot I had pala. Walang panahong maghintay na mawala ang tao since it was already close to closing time. Gaano ka-close? Mga less than an hour, ganon.

Part of their garden. They have beautiful and well-maintained parks. Inggit ako.

Panoramic view of one part of the castle. Again, this so far from the entrance na. The whole area is really huge. And so green :).

Nishiki Food Market. So clean and dry! Halos sarado na lahat.

Shrine near Pontocho.

Lanterns and more lanterns!

Panoramic view of the place where the bells are. The vertical post looking things are actually ropes. People pull those ropes to ring the bell, then say their prayers. 

These are wishes or prayers written in paper this time. 

My dinner which we successfully ordered and paid "online"! :)

To be continued.

Pasyal Japan Day 2: More of Tokyo

Day 1 Part 1
Day 1 Part 2

Day 2: July 5, 2016

This day was dedicated for exploring Shibuya area, Diver City and Ueno Zoo.

Shibuya muna. We went there via train, as always. I love Japan's transport system. Very efficient. 

Picture taking with Hachiko, May pila para lang makapagpa-picture with Hachiko. Who is Hachiko? Here.

Afterwhich, we crossed all pedestrians at the Shibuya crossing. That crossing is indeed very busy! That's one best place to people watch. Malilito ka na sa dami talaga ng tumatawid hehehe. We stayed there for about 30 minutes. Tawid lang kami ng tawid. At picture picture. 

We checked out the Disney store. So many beautiful things for kids! Pero syempre mahal hahaha. Plus, yung totoo kasi, hindi ko talaga kilala lahat ng Disney characters. Walang TV sa bundok at di ko sila nakilala nung bata ako. By the time I heard about them, parang I was too old na to become too attached to these characters. Kaya rin pala wala sa itinerary namin ang Tokyo Disneyland and/or Disney Sea. Saka na lang if may kids na ako hehehe.

We also planned to have breakfast at Hello Kitty Cafe but the Shibuya branch has already closed huhu. The very helpful concierge in one of the malls told us that there is one in Diver City so we decided to just go there. Diver City is like BGC. It's a newly developed area. Ganda! There's a wide open space that's leveled maybe with the 2nd floor of the buildings. You can stroll that area and is also the gateway to some of the buildings. Below it? The usual busy street. Aliw. May Statue of Liberty rin sa area.

When we got to Hello Kitty in Diver City Mall, nagulat kami sa sobrang liit nung space. No space to eat. Basta bibili ka lang ng maliliit na bread (not sure what it's called) na may design ng Hello Kitty. We ordered na lang ice cream with the hello kitty bread. Green tea flavor syempre para masulit hahaha. So yun lang ang ipinunta namin don. Hahaha!

From Hello Kitty, we passed by Calbee+. It sells potato chips in different flavors. Since nabitin kami sa Hello Kitty, at tinawag kasi ako nung potato chips with Royce chocolate, sige na pinagbigyan na namin si Calbee+ hehehe. We shared a seat with a stranger. She also wanted to taste my order so she offered to swap 1 of her fries with one of my chips. Go! Syempre gusto ko rin. Imagine tasting 3 flavors in just 1 seating. I told her to get some more pero nahiya ata at pinanindigang isa lang ang kailangan nyang matikman hehehe.

Syempre breakfast pa lang yung sa Hello Kitty. We had lunch at the food court. I ordered ramen at one of the restaurants. I forgot the name. Mahaba kasi pila so pumila na rin ako. Masarap naman. Ang daming serving so sulit ang bayad.

From Diver City, we went straight to Ueno Park. Since late na kami nagstart that day and since medyo ine-enjoy namin ang stay in each place na pinupuntahan namin, di na namin naabutan ung ticketing office ng zoo. Di tuloy namin nakita ang panda :(. Pero di bale na. Naglibot na lang kami sa park. We were able to check out Toshogu Shrine since ito na lang ata ang bukas pa at the time we were there. In looking at some sites now, parang mas exciting pala don during cherry blossoms. Next time. The park's is really huge. Di na namin na-cover lahat since kulang sa oras. I guess at least one day should be spent here if you want to explore the whole park since there are still a lot of temples and museums inside. 

I love their parks. Full of trees, well-maintained and so wide and spacious. Ang sarap maglakad-lakad.

After Ueno Park, we dropped by Starbucks to grab some snacks and to rest a little. Nagsusumigaw na sa sakit ang mga paa namin at this point. We went home after for a much needed rest.

Pictures!

The sidewalk has a lane for bikers.

Picture taking with Hachiko

Panoramic shot of the Shibuya crossing

Disney Store

Panoramic shot of Diver City. Below this wide open space are the roads. 

Statue of Liberty in Tokyo

Look at the details of the signage. So creative.

Ito talaga yung dinayo namin sa Diver City eh. Tapos ito ang aabutan namin...

We ended up buying this. Desert muna...

Then lunch hahaha. This is the only time I ate ramen. Ang dami nung serving. Sobrang nakakabusog.

In one of the entrances to Ueno Park. Close na ang zoo :p

Toshogu Shrine. Daming tao. Di man lang ako nakatyempo to get a shot without people.

Omizuya (Water Purification Building). Those are used to wash your hands and rinse your mouth. There is an instruction about proper washing and rinsing.

Wishes are written in these small blocks of wood.

Stone pillars

Pagoda

To be continued...

Day 3

Pasyal Japan Day 1 Part 2: Tokyo Tower and Tokyo Skytree

Day 1 Part 1

Day 1: July 4, 2016

After settling down in our hotel room, we rested for 2 hours before we headed out again. Mga pagod sa kakahanap ng train lines and platforms so kailangan talaga mag-recharge hehehe.

For this trip, we didn't have a solid itinerary. We just planned our next day's activities the night before. For the directions, we just used Google maps. The hotel has free wi-fi so mega hanap muna then screenshot so that the next day, we just show it to the staff for them to point us to the right direction. Nabuhay kami sa ganon ganon lang. And I appreciate the Japanese because they have all been helpful even if we have language barrier. 

First stop was Tokyo Tower. From what I remember, maliwanag pa nung naglalakad kami para hanapin 'to eh. Nahanap naman namin after many stops to ask for directions. Picture picture sa labas then pasok na sa loob to buy tickets and go up the main observatory, which is 150 meters high. Charge is Y900 per adult. They have different rates for adults and children. They also have a special observatory but more expensive and since we were trying to cut cost, the main observatory was enough for us. 

What is Tokyo Tower? It is a communications and observation tower. You can check here and here if you want to learn more.

What can be done at the observatory? Get a 360 degree view of Tokyo, enjoy the milky way illumination while walking around the observatory, and take lots of pictures. They also have shops and restaurants in another floor, which you can go to if inabutan kayo ng gutom.

Next stop was the Tokyo Skytree. We got there via trains rin lang. We paid Y2,060 per adult for the admission fee. Again, they have different rates per age bracket. We just bought the tickets at the time we visited the tower. I'm not sure if you can buy tickets in advance. Pwede siguro. But the lines were not long din when we were there so it wasn't a hassle even though we did not purchase the tickets in advance. Maybe it's because of the time na rin. We were there almost 9PM na. Almost closing time at 10 PM. 

What is Tokyo Skytree? It's also a communications and observation tower. It's also the tallest towere in the world as of March 2011. You can check here and here to learn more. 

While at the observatory again, one can see a 360 degree view of Tokyo. Ang masasasabi ko lang ay ang taba ng utak ng mga urban planners ng Tokyo or entire Japan siguro. Napaka-ayos ng zoning/sectioning ng areas which can be seen from way above the ground. Ang ayos-ayos tignan ng infrastructures even at night. Hay, wish kong mangyari din yan sa Pilipinas kong mahal. Libre ang mangarap hehehe.

After Tokyo Skytree, we had dinner at Torikizoku, a Yakitori restaurant. I can't remember the exact location but I think it's near Ueno zoo. Marami namang ibang branches pa. Everything for Y280. Dahil sa gutom namin, ayun, naka-7 orders kami including rice and drinks. At ayun, inabot din kami ng Y2,718. For two lang yan ha hehehe. Lamon pa.

Dahil sobrang pagod na pagod at antok na antok na kami, we took a cab going home. It was already past 12MN and we paid Y730 for the fare. Not sure pero parang fixed rate sya since parang hindi naman umaandar yung metro. Anyway, it's ok. Pagod na talaga kami eh. 

And so, we survived Day 1! Hay, wala pa akong nakikitang hindi ko gusto at this time. And I always hear about their toilets (pasintabi sa mga kumakain) with shower and/or bidet. Syempre yan ang una kong ni-try as soon as I had the chance. Gusto ko rin ng ganon sa CR ko! Hehehe.

Day 1 summary:

5:25 AM: Departure at NAIA Terminal 3
10:40 AM: Touchdown Japan!
Around 11:15 AM: Out of Japan Customs
11:15-12 PM: claim JR Pass, reserve car seat in JR line, ask for directions
12:23 PM: bound for Tokyo via Narita Express
Around 1:45 PM: Touchdown Inaricho (train station nearest our hotel), lunch at Mc Donald's
3 PM: Checkin at Hotel MyStays (around 10 minutes walk from Inaricho, shorter if with no luggage hehe)
3-5PM: Rest and refresh
5PM-12AM: Gala and late dinner

Pictures!

Tokyo Tower at around 6:30 PM in Japan, 5:30 PM in PH.

View from the top. I love the parks amidst the urban jungle.

Obligatory pic :p

Thinking of you...char! :p. Balik tayo dito, hon :)

We are this high from the ground!

Wow abs! Hahaha!

Night shot taken at the base of the tower.

Night shot taken a few meters away from the tower's entrance.

View from the top of  Tokyo Skytree. We were trying to beat the closing time, hence no pictures from outside. The Tokyo Tower can be seen from the Skytree. See upper right of picture.

Another shot from the observatory of Tokyo Skytree.

Taking a peek at what's below...Tokyo Skytree.

Yakitori dinner! Ubos na ang soup, at wala pa ang kanin! Hehehe.

To be continued.

Day 2

Pasyal Japan Day 1 - Part 1: Train Adventures

Day 1: July 4, 2016

Hello Japan!

We were able to land in Japan without any problems. Thank God for that. We left Manila at 5:30 AM and went out of Japan Customs at around 11 AM, and reached our hotel's area at around 2PM. Basta medyo matagal din kasi ang byahe from Narita to Tokyo station.

First order after passing through Japan Customs was to exchange our Japan Rail (JR) pass voucher at the JR office. We ordered this online a week before our trip. My friend received the voucher in Pinas 2 or 3 days after ordering. Bilis. We got this because our itinerary includes Kyoto and Osaka so this is more cost effective. We can use this pass in any JR line, which based from experience in Tokyo, most of the places we went to has a JR line passing through it or at least passing through a connecting line where we can transfer to reach our destination. Cheaper this way because train rides are really not that cheap here. Well, everything's generally expensive talaga hehehe.

We also got the Suica card, parang beep card ng Pinas. Very convenient. Kaso sobrang na-shock ako sa unang gamit ko since kalahati agad ng ni-load ko ang nakaltas when we rode the train from Tokyo station to Inaricho station, the station nearest our hotel. I initially loaded Y1,000 at Y500 na lang natira after we got out of the train. Laking gulat ko lang hahaha.

Di naman kami naligaw sa trains kahit ganon ka-complicated hehehe. The staff are helpful everytime we ask them. At sa dami ng platforms nila especially on areas where different train lines intersect, kabisado talaga nila what line and what platform dapat sumakay based on destination. Winner talaga.

Funny story. I was in line while waiting for my friend who was at the Information desk at that time. A mother came to me, stared at me for maybe 5 seconds (as in yung tipong palapit ng palapit yung mukha nya, and then said:

Stranger: Are you Chinese?

Me: Oh sorry, no.

Hahaha! Kulang lang ho ako sa tulog kaya mas singkit than my normal singkit ang mata ko hehehe. Mukhang ligaw or lito rin sila sa mga kaganapan sa airport hihihi.

Anyway, we still had to search where our hotel was. It was hot and we were hungry so we went to where else but McDonald's hehehe. Not inteded but it was the nearest food chain that we saw hehehe. It was just across the street where we got off. 

We stayed at Hotel Mystays Inaricho. Very convenient because it's near a train station. Maybe 5 minutes walk. Check in was very quick. We were lucky because we have Wifi even in our room hehehe. From what I read kasi, some hotels don't have.

Anyway, we took a 2-hour rest and then went out late afternoon to check out the Tokyo Tower and the Sky Tree.

Pictures!

Hello, Narita!

Hello, Japan!

Japan Rail Pass and Suica

What train line?! What platform? What exit? Hilong talilong pero smile lang para sa photo ops :)

To be continued.

Day 1 Part 2