Kyoto 京都, Japan Trip (Day 6)

1st January 2015, Thursday

Lucky bags from BIC Camera

Yawn....Happy New Year, Everyone!! It's the first day of 2015 and today we need to travel down to Kyoto, our next destination. Woke up at 8 am and we just missed our reserved train to Kyoto, so we just took our time and packed our luggage and then checked out from the hotel. Then we made our way to Tokyo station. But on the transfer station, we went to BIC Camera checking out their lucky bags...hehehee...It was camera and video-cam bags, and the items were random, depending on your luck. We got 1 camera bag for $30,000 plus yen and we got a Nikon D3320 DSLR camera. We also bought a lucky bag from Adidas, which consisted of a jacket, a track pants, a scarf, a polo shirt and some more. Then we went upstairs to look for NDS console set as it was cheaper there. My friend went down to buy another camera lucky bag as we were thinking of selling the camera sets when we were back in Singapore.Anyway, we got ourselves stuck there shopping for hours before we left to the train station...hohohoho.....

Once we reached Tokyo station, we went to the JR office to make seats reservation for our next train to Kyoto, which was at 2.33 pm. Then i bought a unagi bento to eat on the train, $2310 yen..not very cheap. Then we boarded the train with all our stuffs...so many bags to carry. I just ate the bento as the train moved, we passed by Nagoya too, some towns we passed were snowing heavily and some towns we passed were having bright sunlight with no snow. We also passed by Mount Fuji, it was having snow on top of the volcano. We reached Kyoto station around 5 plus, and it was snowing in the train station (as it was open ceiling). And we went to check out the streets, there were snow everywhere and ice too. So we decided to go check in to hotel first before going for dinner, then we transferred to another JR line to go to Otsu station (2 stations away from Kyoto). It was really cold and the wind was blowing very strong. There were many posters on snow crabs, made you feel like going to eat. We were really jumping in the cold, luckily the hotel lift is connected to the JR station. But when we were going to exit from the station, there was no staffs there to show them our JR passes. We were so puzzled and my friend went to the other side to ask the staffs in the office. I got hear my friend's voice over the speakers too..hehehe...Then she came back and pressed onto the intercom machine there. We thought we can just pass through the gate, but when i tried to pass through, the gate door blocked me. Then my friend pressed on the intercom machine at the side and told the stuff that we had our JR passes and showed our passes over the camera. Then we took the lift up to level 2 to the hotel lobby.

Hotel Bed

Tracks covered with snow

Kyoto Tower

Then we checked in to our hotel and the staffs can't speak much English well but we still can understand them. The room was much bigger here and the toilet and bathtub was also much nicer. And we got a nice view outside the room, all covered with snow...heheee....Then i went to the toilet and accidentally locked the toilet door from outside. Hahaha...the toilet can't be opened now...so we called to get the staff the door. A young lady came up to our room and then she tried to open the door and was also puzzled why the door got locked. Then she suddenly ran off after telling us that she will be back later. Later another guy staff (who helped us to do our check in) came and helped us unlock the door. Then he also told us how to lock and unlock the door, after the drama, we rested for a while before heading back to Kyoto station for dinner. Before going to take the train, we went to the reception to ask for the breakfast meal for tomorrow and we also enquired on the places to eat during the next few days as it was new year period. The staff took us all the places are closed the next few days. So we booked breakfast meals for tomorrow, my friend asked the staff whether there was warm food in the breakfast buffet. The staff doesn't get it, so my friend asked her whether there was noodle, rice or eggs. She managed to tell us that there was eggs included, cos she can't speak English well but we can see her trying very hard to communicate with her. Somehow we did find her very cute....hahaa...Anyway she kept saying sorry to us when we left the hotel for dinner. We took the JR train back to Kyoto station and it was still very cold outside. So we tried to find food in the station, the station was quite big and there were a lot of restaurants. We went up 10th level in Istean, this level was a ramen street. There were a lot of ramen restaurants in the level. So we walked 1 round to see which ramen restaurant to try.

Fried Rice...Must Try!!

Ramen

Fish Cutlet

We went to a ramen restaurant and bought the items using the vouchers machine. Then we queued for table. We ordered a ramen with pork, a fried rice and a fish cutlet. When we sat down, we noticed there was a basket of raw eggs on the table. Then my friend was saying the raw egg to beat in the ramen and i also saw other people beat the raw egg into their ramen. The fried rice was super nice and i also liked the fish cutlet. The ramen soup was abit thick but the bacon was very tender. My friend even smuggled 2 eggs back to the hotel...hohoho...After the nice dinner, we went back to the hotel. We exited on the other side to take a walk around the surroundings. There were some workers pushing the snow away from the walkways in front of the station. Then we started to play with the snow and even made a small snowman. We also saw a small blue car with a block of snow on top of the car...hohohoho....After that, we went back to the hotel and my friend went and asked for coffee. After that, i went and 'onsen' inside the bathroom...lol...the hot water was very shiok, after that i felt super hot and looked red after the bath...hohoho...Had to open the window to let the cold wind in to cool down. The snow was also snowing heavily and the wind was still blowing strong. Worry about tomorrow that we cannot go out due to heavy snow.

Hotel Stayed:
Hotel Tetora Otsu

Nikko Edomura 日光江戸村, Japan Trip (Day 3)

29th December 2014, Monday

Today, we are going to a Japanese cultural theme park in Nikko called Nikko Edomura (Edo Wonderland). We are going there to see samurais and ninja during Edo period....hohoho....We got up around 6 plus and left the hotel to take the train to Nikko. We had to take the metro to Tokyo station and take a train down to Nikko and our JR pass are activated today (so our train rides on any JR lines are free).....We went to the JR office in Tokyo station and booked seats reservation for our ride today. We also booked the same time trains for tomorrow (as we are going back to Nikko again), the staff looked at us puzzled when we asked him to book the same route for us tomorrow. We had to do a transfer train at Utsunomiya station and take the Nikko line. Finding the train platform is also very challenging there, because first you need to know what type of trains you are taking and then go into the gate, only then you can see your train platform number (they don't print it on the train tickets). Another way, is just ask the train staff...they will tell you which platform is your train going to arrive. Most of the long distance trains are by shinkansen, so we were following the direction to get to shinkansen ticket gate and on our way to the gate, we bought a box of brum cakes and a cold bento to eat on the train. The bento that were selling at the station to eat on the train are basically all cold....and they are not cheap too....lol...And after buying the food, we went in to the gate and before entering, we checked with the train staff on whether we were on the right place and which platform we need to go up....It was still early when we went in, we bought a chocolate drink from the vending machine and it was hot...somehow the bottle was warm when it was dispensed out...amazing....

Mount and Striaght Baumkuchen Cakes

Cold Bento

Then we went up to our platform and waited for our train to arrive. When the train arrived, the train cleaning team went in and do cleaning and even turned the seats around for the opposite direction. We noticed some teams had completed cleaning but were waiting for the rest of the teams in other cars to complete. And after some time, the whole team stood outside of each car and bowed to the passengers and greeted before letting the passengers to aboard (very got process). And so, we boarded the train, we were so impressed with the train (we got the green class pass). The seats were very spacious and the train clean too and we got very big leg space too. We were wowing when we boarded...like mountain turtles...hahaha...but it was really very enjoyable...After the train left Tokyo, we started to eat the food we bought for breakfast...and enjoyed looking at the views from the window....It was about 45 mins to reach Utsunomiya station and after we alighted the station, we had to walk down the station and enter to another gate for Nikko line. As both are under the same train company, we can use our JR pass to take the Nikko line. Our train was always at the platform waiting, it was set to leave at 10.10 am. There are 6 stations, including Nikko station and the whole journey will take about 45 mins too. We got on the train, which was like a metro train and sat on the seats to wait for the train to leave. There were many people on board too, and the heater was super powerful...basically we were so hotz inside with our jackets on. We had to tahan until we reached Nikko station. All the people alighted at Nikko station, so the station was kind of packed when we alighted and we had to show our JR pass to get out of the ticket gates.

Nikko, World Heritage site

Mountains with Snow

We were trying to find the bus stop where the free shuttle to Edo Wonderland was. Almost waited at the wrong bus stop, there was a sign with Edo Wonderland picture at the bus stop and there was 3 bus timings for it. We had missed the first bus time and so we had to wait until 11.20 am for the next bus. There were snow mountains surrounding Nikko and the clouds were floating around the mountains, it was very cold today too. There were pigeons sleeping on the tree branches too...There was even a stone outside the station with Nikko crystal water flowing for passers-by to drink...very refreshing and clean...heheee....There were many people taking the public places to go the shrines, there were only 3 groups (including us) going to Edo Wonderland. So we were just jumping around while waiting for the shuttle bus to come. Finally the bus came and we boarded. It was about half an hour ride to the theme park, and we went to get our tickets when we arrived. There was a long road to walk before we were greeted by some villagers from Edo period at the village entrance. And there were old old houses used during the Edo period, the first house we saw was a taxi-service house. There were also samurais standing around in the village, there was a shrine called O-Edo Tenmangu Shrine. There were also shows performing at certain times and games to play. The village was big too and everything displayed were during Edo period.

Comedy Stage Play

Ninja Show

Hell Temple

There was a play going on when we reached the main square, and of course the dialog was in Japanese. But because there was a lot of expressions and actions from the actors and actresses, we can roughly guess what was happening. It was kind of a comedy with some fighting actions and they ended by singing a song with all the good guys and bad guys. After the play, we went to the theater nearby and went for a ninja action play, which last about 15 mins. This play was more on ninja and samurai fighting, without almost no dialog but they had good effects and lighting (Photographs and videos are not allowed). And while you are queuing, the ninja will pass you a transparent paper but they didn't tell you what is it for. Until when the narrator inside the theater explained, actually the paper is for you to wrap your rubbish and then to throw onto the stage before you leave...hahahaa....After the show, we came out and took a photo with 2 ninjas....After that, we went to a Hell Temple beside it....kekeke...My friend kept on scaring me by making scary sounds...Inside the temple, there was hell king and some other scary stuffs, pretty much like the Chinese Hell too. Behind was a father and son, i think the son also got scared by my friend...hahaha....After we came out from the Hell Temple, we went into an archery game house...W bought a voucher to play archery. It costs $600 yen for 5 arrows..and the bow was made of wood and it was those ancient type. We each took turns to try to shoot..hahaa..all missed, can't get 1 arrow to hit and we got a postcard as a consolation prize.

Sweet Corn

BBQ Skewers

Pinwheel Darts Game

After playing, we went out to the streets and saw a house with heavy smoke coming out. So i went over to have a peek, it was selling bbq skewers and there was a long queue of people buying. I went to queue to buy too..hehhee...while my friend went further down the streets to look for her corn (she saw got people eating corns).  The BBQ skewers each costs $500 yen, we got 1 chicken and 1 pork. It was yummy, and the corn was sweet too. While we were queuing, we saw a group of kids chasing a 'thief' around the village and there was a samurai telling the kids how to catch the thief. The kids were all having so much fun chasing and eventually, they caught the thief successfully. After buying the skewers, we stood outside a house (where you can cook your own rice crackers) and ate our bbq skewers. After that, we went to other houses to see what do they have. We went into a game house where we played pinwheel darts and gun shooting games. Each costs $600 yen. There was a Japanese couple playing before us and the guy was trying very hard to get a hit on the dart board. He had bought 2 times to play and finally he did hit once in the board after some time. The staff even tried showed them how to shoot, and we were super impressed with her when she threw the dart lightly and it really hit on the board!! It seems like to her, it was so easy. Then we gave it a try, it wasn't that easy. Cos the darts were very light (wasn't much weight) and there were no feathers to support it. Of course, we didn't hit it on the board....hahaaa...but at least it did touched the board and fell...Then later the couple went over to play the gun shooting and the lady was expert on this. She hit a few times while her boyfriend didn't hit once, so the guy went to buy the vouchers to try to hit it (seems like they were having challenge). Hohoho....they were having so much fun and we also had fun looking at them. We too tried out luck in the shooting game, we didn't even hit once...so lousy....hahahaha

Cooked Rice Cracker

Nice View with Clear Water

After the fun, we went to the house to cook rice crackers. It was interesting, we used charcoal to cook it. It costs $150 yen for one rice crackers. We put the sweet sauce onto the cracker once it had turned golden brown. The staff gave us an english instructions on how to cook the rice crackers but the 2 staffs were also helping everyone to check whether the crackers were ok to put the sauce over.  It took us about 5 to 10 mins to have the rice crackers to be done. After cooking the crackers, we went walk exploring the rest of the village. We went into a house where there were statues exhibit on the Edo Period history. After that, we went outside taking stroll and saw fishes swimming along the side drains....Then we went inside an empty to take a peek too, we had to take our shoes and it was very cold. After that, we walked back to the main street and there was a parade which was about to end. So we only got to see the ending and after the parade, we noticed people were starting to leave the village. Then we went back to the bbq house to buy the skewers again and we got the rice balls too. After eating, we also started to make our way back to the entrance. When we reached near the guard house, i saw a samurai sitting there from far. My friend was walking ahead of me and she walked quite near to the guard house. And ahhhh....the samurai jumped at her and gave her a fright...hahahaa...so funny...We both had a great laugh on it....Later we went back to take a photo with the samurai. The samurai even gave his best pose for us...kekeke

Foot Onsen

Late Dinner

 Then we went off and bought a super big pork bao on the way out too. We went to the bus stop and waited for the public bus, since the last free shuttle bus to JR Nikko station had already left. We had to take the public bus and go up to Kinugawa-onsen Station. And from there, we had to take train (with a transfer at Shimo-Maichi station) to Tobu-Nikko station, where we can walk back to JR station. As we had missed the train and had to wait for the next available train, we went walk around nearby Kinugawa-onsen station. There was even a foot onsen outside the station for people to relax their feet. We walked to the shops to pass time, and after that, we went to take the train back to JR Nikko station, where we had to take the Nikko line back to Utsunomiya station and take the JR line back to Tokyo station. By the time we reached Tokyo, it was about 9 pm. But we still took the JR Yamanote line to Shinjuku station. It was a very long route, cos this line was stopping many stations. We were quite tired when we reached Shinjuku, so we decided to just eat dinner and then go back to the hotel. Went in a bento restaurant to eat dinner but my friend wasn't having much appetite, so i ate my bento and then we took the train back to our hotel to rest. Notice there was a carriage for women only during peak hours time..hohohoho....

Hotel Stayed:
APA Hotel - Hanzomon Hirakawacho

Europe 2nd Trip - St. Moritz & Chur, Switzerland (Day 12)

5th Nov 2013, Tuesday, Sunny

Hot Chocolate

Today we are heading out to Chur, another town along the bernina express route. We got up at around 6 am and got our luggage packed. I had to stuff 2 packs of creme brulee and a box of grapes which we had bought from the super market yesterday. After with the packing, we went down to have our brekfast. The breakfast was quite sadz for the piece of $15 swiss franc, there wasn't much food, just breads, crossiants, ham, cereals and orange juices. The croissants was not as nice as the one we had in Tirano hotel but the ham was still good. And we had hot chocolate too, and we got a nice view in front of us too....which really brighten our day (already long forgotten about work....hahahaaa). After the breakfast, mi and my friend went to the playroom, there were some arcade machines and vending machines. There was even a TV room and an exercise room for yoga. Then we went back to out room to pick up our luggage and left the hotel, we made our way to the same train station again. This time, we were catching the train to go to St. Moritz for a half a day walk.

St. Moritz

When we reached St. Moritz station, we went to put our luggage in the deposit lockers. There wasn't many people around and it was windy too. So we slowly walked towards St. Moritz Lake, the sun was shinning brightly too. And it really feels good taking a stroll down the lake in the morning, and behind was snow mountains and there were ducks and swans too. The sky was blue and a lot of clouds floating in the sky (really is 蓝天白云). After a while, i just sat on one of the benches and started eating the grapes (so heavy...carrying them around....). Then my friends came and joined me after they were done with their photo-takings. We even went and fed the ducks and some black birds...hahahaha....the ducks chased us for the food when we stopped feeding them...we ran off when they kept trying to come near us.....it was so fun....After the walk there, we walked towards to the town area. We walked towards the post office and my friends managed to get themselves data cards just before the office closed for lunch. We spent some time outside the office cos they were getting their data up. After they were done with the data, we made our way down to explore other places. We went to the restroom there, it was lighted with blue light..which was kind of weird...hahaha...Then we walked to take more photos of St. Moritz Lake. After that, we walked to see their shops but most of the shops were not even opened. As there was nothing much to walk around St. Moritz, we decided to head down to Chur, where we will be staying for the night.

Roasted Chestnuts Stall in Chur

It was around 3 or 4 plus when we reached Chur....i saw a triangular bread which costs around $3 swiss franc at the station, so i got 1 (intention to share it but my friend wanted it to eat the whole....hohoho...). Luckily, i saw roasted chestnuts stall just outside the station and it was selling 200g for around $6.90 swiss franc. So we decided to buy a bag (if not, mi and the other friend won't have anything to eat in the hotel...hahahaaa....). The roasted chestnuts really smells nice and they were big too (like the ones in italy), hope it tastes good. And so, we walked our way to the hotel. The hotel we were staying was called Comfort Hotel Post. The hotel lobby was quite small and the lift wasn't big too. We went up to our room after getting the key. The room quite big, there were 2 single beds placed side by side and 1 single bed placed in another corner. After checking the room, we started to have some snacks first before venturing out. The roasted chestnuts were really nice, it was sweet and it doesn't has the burnt taste and it wasn't too dried too. And after the snacks, we went out to walk around the town. We wanted to go to a recommended restaurant for dinner but it wasn't opened for the day when we got there. Then, we went shopping around, there was a sausage stall which was having a sausage icon on top of the stall. Hahahaa...both my friends thought it was a banana.....anyway, we can't resist the yummy smell of the sausage (even with the fact it costs $6.90 swiss franc) and i was also getting hungry. We ended up buying 1 to share, luckily it was still quite a long piece, that we were able to share among us. Tried their mustard sauce too, it wasn't choky and spicy, it tasted kind of sweet. 

Daily Catch of The Day (Cod Fish)

We continued our shopping walk, and other some time, we decided to have dinner. We walked back to the 1st restaurant area and went to the restaurant which was opposite it. It was a restaurant in a hotel, called Hotel Stern. The restaurant name was called Veltliner Weinstube. It looked high class too, and it was definitely a fine dinning place. Hahahaa..there was 1 guy who kept looking in our direction cos he was sitting in this direction and my friend felt uncomfortable about it...luckily, he was already on his desserts, which meant he will be going off soon. We ordered 4 dishes, cod fish (daily catch), rositi, maluns and a dessert. And we got a free appetizer, which was a type of fish placed on top of black beans. Hahahaa...so funny, we thought it was the daily catch dish, which costs $36 swiss francs and the portion was only 1 mouth size. The food was good, the rositi was crispy too and the cod fish..wooo...nice (the skin was crispy and the meat QQ too)!! We spent $98.30 for this meal, happy meal for us. After the splendid dinner, we made our way back to the hotel. Hahahaa....i realised the heater for hot water wasn't working when i was taking the shower (everything was good about this hotel, except no hot water!..-_-"). I came out and just told one of my friends about it cos i knew she baths with warm water too. The other friend who went in after mi was screaming from inside the toilet that why there wasn't hot water? Hahahaa....so funny....and i always thought she baths with cold water as like a polar bear....kekeke...and so like that, we ended our day. 

Hotel Stayed:

Comfort Hotel Post

Places Visited:

St. Moritz

Chur