DAY 1 OF JAPAN TRIP- VENTURING KYOTO~

So the trip starts with KYOTO!

When we arrived at the KANSAI airport, we had to take the JR railway train to Kyoto. Everything was so cute ~ literally omg.

The train arrival sounds were cute, people were cute, vending machines were cute, I am cute (No la joking) HAHAHA

So the trip took us around ~45 mins and we got to sleep on the train ^^

After leaving our bags in the hotel lobby because it wasn’t time to check in (check in is at 3 pm!), we went out to start our exploration for the day!

I told my friends that the first thing I would do when I go to JAPAN would be to try the NISSIN cup noodles.

Okay sounds ridiculous but I really love Nissin because the noodles are extraordinary! *cheers*

If you disagree with me, too bad. HAHA.

Okay so we went into a 7-11 convenience store and got ourselves cup noodles

THEY REALLY HAVE MANY SIZES HERE HAHA! The mini sized cup noodle is really cute HAHA! Probably for kids or for those who wants something small!

They also had TOMYUM cup noodles hahaha !
I got the KING SIZED one (of course!) and the verdict was yum!

The noodles were delicious, they were chewy and the soup was delicious! However, it is COMPARABLE to Singapore’s NISSIN so I would give Singapore a pat on the back for that,

well, they DID get the noodles from Japan, right? haha!

We went on to try the HARAJUKU eggs! So the Harajuku eggs is actually a Japanese version of soft boiled eggs with a slightly runny egg yolk inside the egg. It can be served cold or warm~

OMG, THE EGGS WERE SO DELICIOUS THAT I BOUGHT ANOTHER ONE! LEGIT.
Honestly, i don’t even have to rate the food here! I’ll give it a 5 Thumbs up! HAHA !

If you tried Singapore’s Harajuku eggs and loved it, do try the ones here too!
The ones in Japan are more flavourful with a strong taste that explodes in your mouth without leaving any sticky feeling that hard boiled egg yolks normally give and would get stuck in between your teeth yucks ><!

Oh they also serve fried food in 7-11! HEHE !

Then off we go to Kyoto Bus Interchange ~

If you guys are in Kyoto, please do remember to buy the one-day city bus pass here!

There’s a vending machine for it everywhere and the Japanese are really considerate to place English speaking guides around to guide us because it was really crowded there!

So off we go to our first stop… THE GOLDEN TEMPLE! (KINAKU-JI)

the ride was super long ZOMG. I had a lot of sightseeing but it was really far away , took us about 45mins to one hour ??

When we finally reached out station, we were thrilled! There were a lot of MATCHA stores around the entrance but sadly bf and I don’t like matcha.
This is something we both really agree on haha and so matcha doesn’t appeal to us!

Still, matcha fans can get some matcha ice cream or souvenirs made out of matcha !!

The temple was really big and while walking bf wanted to ring the bell for blessings and so we did it together!

It was 200 Yen but at the end, we receive a postcard as a souvenir so it isn’t that bad after all HEHE!

There was an admission fee to enter the temple, and tickets were actually made out of amulets which were pretty cool.

It was a 15-20 min walk around the golden plated temple and as we walk along the area we saw people tossing coins and was curious what was it for.

In the end, we found out that those people were trying to get the coin into the bowl placed in front of the statues because they believed that good luck/blessings/wishes would be granted to those who manage to toss it into the bowl.

Many failed but kept trying (including BF and me haha). There were many statues around ^^

At the end of the route, there were souvenirs stores selling amulet (even cute ones omg!) that you can purchase!
Be it for good health, luck, studies, wealth, love, marriage… You name it, they have it! ^^

There was a shrine at the end so we prayed for our families to be safe and healthy.

So the steps to pray in a Japanese Shrine are as follow:

1) Pass through the torii gate. All shrines have a torii gate, even if they do not have a main sanctuary housing the spirit of a deity. …

2) Purify your hands and mouth at the “te Mizu ya” water pavilion…

3) At the altar, bow twice, clap your hands twice and then bow once to pray.

It is important to respect the Japanese culture so do remember to not do anything impolite there ^^

Also, the Japanese believe in drawing lots. It is a little different from how the Chinese do it because lots are drawn from a little machine/box(like lucky draw haha)

They believe that if you get good lots, bring it back with you but if you get a bad/average lot, hang it by the liners ~

So moving onto our next stop, we went to Omuro Ninnaji

We bought drinks from the vending machine on the way and it was really nice ~
The weather is also very nice haha ~ 17 degrees with the sun blasting ~

The bus from Kinaku Ji took us to Omuro Ninnaji which was a smaller temple but we decided to take a look since it is on the way.

Honestly, there are a lot of shrines and temples in Kyoto so everywhere you go you’ll be like “ HEY THATS A SHRINE/TEMPLE!” HAHA

We took the train from the Omuro Ninnaji to our next station, “ARASHI YAMA”

The train is really cute omg haha it reminds me of those cartoon train haha just look at it!

Anyway, Arashi Yama is a place where you guys really have to go because there are a lot of attractions there! Remember to also not go late because the shops close at 6 pm!

WHAT TO DO IN ARASHI YAMA ?

1. Rent Kimonos

ME IN KIMONO!

Bf in his kimono!!

Please do !!! So that you can take pictures here with the wonderful sightings !!!

Before coming to this place, do make a comparison on the various stores that rents out kimonos!

There are some stores that give out special discounts at various timings or on special events!

BF and I got our kimonos from “Studio Kokoro”! The staff was friendly and nice!

We were given choices and there were different styles you could choose from!
For me, I let them decide whatever they wanna do for me and they chose a pink kimono for me! it was a doll up session ^^

Also, they styled my hair! A Japanese pouch as an accessory was also given! ^^

That was also the place where I made my first attempt to speak to the lady who was styling my hair!
To my surprise, she was just a year older than me!
She also told me that Kyoto was famous for Yube (Tofu) and delicious food was just across the street!

After everything was ready, they would give you around 2.5-3 hours to walk around in your kimono for you to take pictures! ^^

I was a little conscious when we walked out because if we did this in Singapore we would probably be judged and stared at but it is perfectly normal in Japan! Yay!

I love Japan *Nods*

2. Visit Arashiyama Owl Cafe

Bf literally squealed when he saw that cafe even though i squealed louder HAHAHA

So the owls were there and we can walk through the forest petting the owls staying as long as want !

The owls were really cute, although I really pity them because they have a chain to prevent them from flying away T_T

Some seemed happy, some were tamed, some seemed really scared though. 😦
Some looked really shocked as if I was a hunter @.@

All in all, it was a nice experience mingling with the owls! And oh they have names! Some would respond when you call out to them!!!

Ps, There is a cat cafe beside it too if you love cats! ^^

3. EAT the food there !!

Omg the YUBE is a must try delicacy !!! It’s actually fried tofu dipped in IDK what sauce but it’s so delicious because there are delicious fillings in it (cheese etc)

The seaweed senbei is also a must try! Although many reviews were raving about how good the senbei is in Nishiki market, I find the senbei here delicious too!
Please do try the BEEF DON here too!!!!

For only 400 YEN, we were served beef with rice with a flavorful sauce that was exceptionally delicious!
I EVEN ATE THE FATS FOR GOODNESS SAKE! THATS HOW DELICIOUS IT WAS OMG !!
ME AND BF COULDN’T TAKE IT AND WENT FOR A SECOND ROUND HAHAHA ! 2 bowls of rice each !!

Free ocha (Japanese green tea) was served!
If you cannot take beef, the udon is super delicious too! ^^

TAKE MY MONEY AND MORE BEEF PLS !!!

4. Picnic by the river ~

the breeze is really cool, with an evenly spread out area that is not populated with human, you can enjoy a nice scenic view with the person beside you/alone (if you are a solo travel)

5. Visit Bamboo Groves

A unique place filled with bamboos! Hey, don’t laugh! It is really a nice cooling place HAHAHA especially for nice pictures because the bamboos are stacked together nicely HAHA
On the way, there are also food stalls that sell TAKOYAKI and RAMEN so prepare your money people HAHAHA

5. Get souvenirs

PLEASE get the nuts from there omg it is so delicious and is even more valid if it comes from a person like me who doesn’t like nuts to begin with!
Kyoto has MAMEMASA nuts which refer to mixed nuts yummy! It is so flavorful and delicious! How would I know before buying it? From the samples la of course!
The stall owners were very generous with the samples and mind you, it is not expensive at all!!! with the price ranging from 300-500 YEN depending on how many grams you get?
And before that, I haven’t even counted the ones i ate HAHA!

Amulets are everywhere and you can get some to bless your family and friends although some may be overpriced! Of course, you would have to believe in it! It can also be used as an accessory!

It was really late afterward so we decided to end our day here by going back to our hotel to rest ~ Long way back though but really worth it!
I love how everything is so quiet after 6 pm and we can hear peaceful music being played (NOT HALLUCINATING GUYS HAHA !)

So whats for supper ?

Bf wanted to try 7-11 ready to eat meals so we kinda tried to control ourselves to not grab everything HAHAHA but all of them really looked delicious !!

So we bought

1. Tuna and egg sushi
2. Curry Rice
3. Cold Noodles
4. Harajuku Eggs (YES AGAIN OMG)
5. Vegetables (Salad)
6. Drinks

BF literally screamed “MOMO TRY THIS” while I mixed my noodles
Okay I am not exaggerating here BUT the standard of a 7-11 CURRY RICE IN JAPAN = THE STANDARD OF COCO ICHIBAN (OR EVEN BETTER!!!!)

OH MY GOD. I have never tasted such tender meat and I’m not exaggerating you guys must try it okay!!!! but sorry no pics coz bf ate the whole thing before i could take any! *facepalms*

The Tuna and egg sushi tasted so homely that I really wonder is it really from a convenience store because I’ll gladly pay for this at a premium sushi shop!!! *GASP*

I never liked tuna because of its smelly fishy smell but this one was delicious… WITH CORN OMG !!!

The eggs, needless to say, was great!

The cold noodles were delicious even though there was wasabi in it !! :O Reminds me of Taiwan’s Sesame cold noodles (麻酱面) without sesame & it was delicious !

The salad was fresh ~ I wonder why Singapore 7-11 doesn’t serve salad 😦 Healthy living ought to be promoted even in convenience store ~
With that, we conclude our first day in KYOTO to be an eye opener *Claps*