Japan Trip Day #11 Osaka : Umeda & Dotonbori

Japan Trip

Day #11 02/06/14 Monday

My eleventh day on Japan trip! I didn't have much time left in Osaka. The next day, I should leave Osaka for Seoul, and I had planned days in Osaka would be my chill relax time.

I woke up late because there were no sounds in the corridor at all. People are not allowed to use the alarm on the phone. So that they provide alarm in some kind of radio and I had to wear earphones to hear my alarm. I didn't like that so I decided to wake up late instead :p. 

The corridor was always dark and silent, creating a private and formal ambience. There were only the humming sounds from air conditioner. I felt lonely. It was my first accommodation with private room. Sometimes it was nice, but sometimes I felt lonely. :(

Luckily Manuel and Dominic (friends I met at JAM Hostel Kyoto) messaged me that they would arrive in Osaka that night! So we arranged a meeting for dinner in Dotonbori.

Japan Trip Day #10 Osaka : Dotobori

Japan Trip

Day #10 01/06/14 Sunday

I felt a bit melancholic because that day was my last day in Nara. I had to leave Nara for Osaka. Before I left Hide's house, I finally tried the okonomiyaki cooked by Hide's Mum. おいしい ! It was a simple but tasty one! I was wondering if I can buy the flour and cooked it by myself at home. I heard that Osaka was famous for its okonomiyaki too! I couldn't wait to do culinary in Osaka! :))

So Hide's Mum dropped us at the nearest station to take train to Osaka. I was so touched with Hide's family kindness. They were so caring and funny, made me think about my family a lot :( . I hope I will meet them again to show gratitude in Japanese! :)

It took 1 hr 20 min from Nara to Osaka. I stopped at Namba station, because my hotel was located in Namba area. The hotel name was 'First Cabin Midosuji Namba', I booked it via booking.com.  It was quite a new experience for me. I got my own 'cabin', like a capsule hotel but bigger one. Its concept is all room designed with theme like in a plane so people can feel that they are staying as a first class passenger on plane. I got slippers, and changing clothes everyday (nightwear). The most notable one was the public bathroom! It was like a sento or public bath in Japan. So everybody should get naked together while washing ourself. What an experience!

Beside that, they provide superb facilities. Clean and new furniture, full set of bathroom and skin care amenities, washing machine (coin operated), library, vending machine.

The location was perfect too! It was in the downtown area and near the iconic Dotonbori area, and located right next to the station. I paid 7120 JPY for 2 nights, more expensive that the other guesthouse, but it was all good. 

First Cabin Midosuji Namba inside the Namba Building.

Japan Trip Day #9 Nara

Japan Trip

Day #9 31/05/14 Saturday

I and Hide went to Nara Park / Nara Koen ( Koen is Park in Japanese). The park is famous for its hundreds of deer, and that became Nara's icon, it is believed as a messengers of the gods in Shinto. The unique thing was everybody can play with the deers freely, mostly play run and feed, because the deer will continuously ask for some foods you bring. 

This is how to get to Nara Park :

Look at those friendly eyes ♥ .

 

How to get to Nara Park (www.japan-guide.com)

I thought that the deers will have long and big antlers,in fact they didn't. The kind of deer looked similar with the deers in Kebun Raya Bogor (Bogor Botanical Garden). I was not that surprised about the animal, but the fact that I could touch them freely was a nice thing!

Japan Trip Day #8 Kyoto & Nara

Japan Trip

Day #8 30/05/14 Friday

This day was my last day in Kyoto, and it was a super happy and lucky day!! 

First of all, I managed to find and did the maiko henshin (maiko cosplay) at Yumekoubou studio in Gion (http://www.yumekoubou.info/english/). I saw the other Yumekobou studio on the way to Kiyomizudera temple before, and it was full booked for the next 3 days. So, I was really glad that I could do the cosplay that day without reservation. 

All the experience was priceless! The staffs were so helpful and very nice. The studio was neat and complete. Beside becoming pretty with the costume, it gave me a new knowledge about the techniques of wearing full set kimono and the accessories of maiko. 

I took the walking plan in which I could take a walk outside the studio with the costume. During the walk, one crew helped me to take pictures as many as I want with my own camera. We took a walk to a photogenic old district near the studio. There were some people wearing the costumes. Looked like I was a fake maiko with the biggest eyes and tan skin! hahahaha.

A full set of Maiko costume ;) . 

Ready for strolling around Gion with the costume.

Japan Trip Day #7 Kyoto : Arashiyama, Gion

Japan Trip

Day #7 29/05/14 Thursday

One of Kyoto's must visit place is Bamboo Grove Arashiyama. It's one of the most photogenic object, along with red torii at Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine. But for me -like every place on earth- no picture can describe the astonishing feeling standing in the middle of bamboo grove. The greenest green in harmony with the brown soil and the whisper sounds of the leaves. I felt divine. Definitely one of must visits in Kyoto!

Kyoto's must visit place: Arashiyama Bamboo Grove.

Japan Trip Day #6 Kyoto

Japan Trip

Day #6 28/05/14 Wednesday

I arrived way too early in Kyoto, about 7 in the morning. The tourist information center had not opened yet, so I just went directly to my hostel.

I stayed for 3 days 2 Nights at JAM Hostel Kyoto. The price was 2000 JPY/night for a bunk bed in a 6 people room. I had made a booking through my fave website booking.com before. 

The best part from JAM Hostel was its location. It's perfect! Located in Gion (the most popular area in Kyoto!), beside the river with lovely waterfront area. The room itself was so spacious! The facilities were also complete, only the bathroom was only two, so I had to queue to take a shower. It has private toilet inside every room. So, don't worry about the toilet hassle in the morning ;)

JAM Hostel also has a very nice bar on the ground floor. It has nice ambience there, and not so expensive. I could say the bar is their lobby too. I put my rucksack in the lobby, and took a walk until my check in time (3 PM). 

Jam Hostel's front facade.

Japan Trip Day #5 Tokyo : Ooedo Onsen Monogatari, Odaiba

Japan Trip

Day #5 27/05/14 Tuesday

I had spent 5 days in Tokyo, and finally it was time for me to move to other city, Kyoto. I felt sad, because I loved Tokyo already, especially the people I have met. I booked a business class seat (7,850 JPY) for a night bus ticket to Kyoto via Willer Express website . I chose the bus that has toilet and baggage room. In fact, I didn't use the toilet at all, because all I did was sleep all the time until I arrived at Kyoto station. Next time, I'm gonna book the cheaper seat!

Willer Express night bus' business class seat.

One last thing I wanted to try before going to Kyoto was having Onsen experience. I kept my baggage at K's House and then I went to Odaiba area, a little bit far from Tokyo city center. I took about 45-60 min train ride and walked to reach 'Oedo Onsen Monogatari' , a natural onsen (hot spring) theme park. There were 14 varieties of baths, including indoor baths. The entrance and facilities cost 2,640 JPY. Every visitors must wear casual yukata(s), which has beautiful patterns. Actually I wanted so bad to buy them, but unfortunately they were not for sale :( . 

The front of Oedo Onsen Monogatari.

Japan Trip Day #4 Tokyo : Tsukiji - Ueno

Japan Trip

Day #4 26/05/14 Monday

What is the first thing on your mind, if someone ask you about Japanese food? I bet most people will answer : Sushi ! 

I thought, eating sushi is a must when I was in Japan. So, I googled some places, and found the must visit place called 'Tsukiji Fish Market'. It said that there are a lot of sushi restaurants, using the super fresh ingredients, and definitely is a must try.

I was informed, there are 2 famous sushi places named 'Dai' and 'Daiwa' , and the queue  for both were crazy! Most people went to Tsukiji Fish Market really early, seriously like 4 or 5 AM @_@. They take a taxi, because the earliest train is 5.30AM. Usually people watch the Tuna auction first, and then go to the sushi place. 

Me? It's a big NO for me waking up that early.

Okay, I'm not a morning person, and I chose to prepare myself for the queueing thing. I left Kuramae station at 7AM, stopped at Tsukijishijo station (Oedo Line E18). The fish market is right next to the station exit. The fish market is closer with Tsukijishijo station than Tsukiji station (Hibiya Line H10).

Before entering Tsukiji Fish Market.

Map of Tsukiji Fish Market.

It was the cleanest fish market I've ever visited!

Serba- Serbi : Gerombolan Si Jerawat

Pernah tiba- tiba mengalami jerawat membandel? Membandel yang benar- benar maksudnya susaaaah banget hilang. Pas dipikir uda mendingan, eh tau- tau muncul lagi bertubi-tubi.

Nah, ini yang terjadi sama saya tiba- tiba dari sekitar 7 bulan yang lalu. Muka saya yang sebelumnya mulus-mulus saja tiba- tiba kedatangan tamu tidak diinginkan, Gerombolan Si Jerawat! dari yang jerawat besar sampe kecil- kecil buanyaak. eughh!! selama 7 bulan ini saya jadi ga PD ketemu orang- orang, depresi, pokoknya jadi makin jerawatan gara- gara stress mikirin jerawat. nah loh!

Akhirnya, dengan beragam komentar yang membuat saya terpuruk, saya jadi terpicu untuk mencari tahu serba- serbi munculnya si bandel ini. Pertanyaan- pertanyaan 'Ko muka lu jadi jerawatan?', 'ko muka lu makin ancur-ancuran?', 'astaga!! kenapa muka lu?' udah jadi santapan sehari- hari deh kalo ketemu orang. Meskipun saya tau kalau lagi jerawatan itu ga boleh pake yang namanya kosmetik atau BB cream dan sejenisnya, karena komentar- komentar di sekeliling yang buat ga PD, saya jadi tetep masih pakai alas bedak. Alhasil, bukannya membaik, yang ada makin parah. arghh!! buah simalakama ~_~

Saya sudah mencoba berbagai macam pengobatan yang ada di pasaran. Mencoba 'menetralkan' kulit dengan hanya memakai rangkaian produk Immortelle dari L'Occitane, minum jamu Darsi, sampai obat minum dan oles antibiotik Clindamycin. Tapi Si Jerawat tetep aja nempel terus sama saya. Huaa! hampir putus asa rasanya, sampai malas lihat cermin.

Berhubung ini jerawat sepertinya bukan cuma dari radang di permukaan kulit aja, jadi saya mulai merunut satu- satu kemungkinan penyebab jerawat saya : 

Japan Trip Day #3 Tokyo : Shibuya - Shinjuku

Japan Trip

Day #3 25/05/14 Sunday

I  woke up a bit early, because I had made a schedule to meet Kosuke at 10 AM. I first met Kosuke in Luang Prabang, Laos. I was on my Mekong trip and Kosuke was on his round the world trip at that time. After that, we had a chance to meet again in Jakarta during his visit to Indonesia. I was so eager to hear his stories about his trip, and fortunately he was in Tokyo too during my visit. 

So, we made an appointment at Hachiko statue in Shibuya that morning. It's a good meeting point, since it's easy to find, not very large area, so wouldn't be very difficult to catch each other. 

Shibuya Map (http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3007.html )

Japan Trip Day #2 Tokyo : Akihabara - Ginza - Roppongi

Japan Trip

Day #2 24/05/14 Saturday

Actually I had planned to visit Studio Ghibli museum on this Japan trip. I really looove Studio Ghibli! Do you know Totoro , Spirited Away, and Howl's Moving Castle? They are some of Studio Ghibli's masterpieces. My favorites! <3 Oh, and I really am a big fan of the genius composer Joe Hisaishi who made almost all their soundtracks.

If you ever watched Studio Ghibli's movie, please let me know what's your fave movie/ character! and if you haven't, please watch them! I highly recommend it :D

ANDDDD unfortunately, it was closed for periodic maintenace during my visit :( :( . So if you want to visit the museum, better look for the schedule on their website first ( http://www.ghibli-museum.jp/en/info/ ). For your information, the museum close every Tuesday, and the ticket price for adult (19+) is 1000Yen. You can buy the ticket @ Lawson, they are almost everywhere in Japan.

Japan Trip Day #1 Tokyo : Asakusa

Japan Trip

Day #1 23/05/14 Friday

There was something strange with my feeling while planning for my Japan-Korea trip. I didn't know exactly why, was it because of the tight deadline at my office or because I hadn't done solo traveling again for a long time (the last one was Toraja Trip in August 2012. Whao! 2 years! Time flies x_x )

For a staff like me, I think there's no such thing as the right time to ask the boss for a 3 weeks leave and go on a holiday. I had waited for it for many years and months, and mostly right after I thought I had finished my duties/works on schedule, my boss was in a good mood, and everything felt right, suddenly everything fell into a chaos. 

So, if you think that you are in the same condition as I was, you really have to make your own right time, just 'book the ticket and go'. Don't think too much about the constraints. You already have plan, you have done your best to finish your work. Everybody needs holiday! Just ask for the blessings from The Universe, and everything will fall into place. There won't be a day with no work left, no matter how hard you work. Just focus on the good thing, the happiness that you will feel during your trip. 

Trust me, the power of will really works :) .

South Korean Visa Free / Bebas Visa Korea Selatan

I just finished my Japan and Korea Trip last week. It was 21 days. 12 days in Japan, and 10 days in South Korea. I'm gonna write a long story about this trip later after I finished compiling my travel pictures.

First of all, the most important information that I want to share is how to get the South Korean visa free for Indonesian passport. You know that for Indonesian passport holder it is not easy to go to some places, because of the visa restriction. We have to apply for the visa to enter South Korea and Japan. Applying visa means we have to go to the embassy, provide bank account statement, recommendation letter from company (that I will go back to Indonesia without seeking for any job in the destination country), etc. Not very convenient, and collecting all the requirements is really taking time, that some people just gave up applying that.

But! if you're on transit (or stop over) and have some eligible visas that haven't expired yet to some of the listed countries, you don't need visa to enter South Korea! How nice is it?

Why blogging?

I got an insight today. 

Stefani, one of my best friend, asked me to send my Japan trip itinerary that I've just finished last week. So, after I sent her parts of my trip journal, She asked me about why don't I try writing a travel blog? Since I have stories about my travel experience, and I like to write travel journals. Why don't I share them to public? I only have one answer in my mind. I'm just lack of motivation to write things. 

Then, She told me a story about her visit to Phuket, Thailand. She used a tour agent that is recommended by a blog, and the tour agent said about how thankful they are to that blogger, because it brings them a lot of customer. 

And that's an insight for me. 

It's really a good thing! I've never think about that actually. That my blog can help many people. Not just the traveler, but also the local business environment !

So, thank you so much my dear friend, Stefani. Thank you for reminding me a very good point to motivate me! Thank you for saying "I think you should start to create one". :)

I'm starting now, and I hope my blog can inform well and help many people.

Enjoy!

Dania

Welcome to Lunania New World!

Hi! Welcome to my blog! :) 

 Actually, I have some blogs before this, just to post some random things, and then i always forget to update the blog. Bad thing, Since so many interesting things in my life that i want to share with you all! 

 Soo, here is my new blog. Why Lunania? because Luna means moon, and since I'm a cancerian, I'm a moonchild. That's truly represent myself. Moon is kind of my lucky thing.

I'm very new with this writing world. I guess I'm pretty much a newbie, so I really need your help as my reader. Please comment anything that could improve me as a writer. Anything! I hope i can be a good informer and could share anything that brings you goodness with this blog. 

Happy reading! ;) 
Dania