Holiday di Jepun

Japan is like unplanned holiday for me. There's ABC trip looming and I have to get ready and increase my stamina. But when my friend asked if I could join her on a holiday to Osaka, things started to happen... eventhough initially I thought I won't do it. Japan wasn't in my holiday plan in the near future... I've been thinking of Korea, Turkey, Australia or New Zealand. But then, why not. Hubby pun bagi green light. Alang2 ada kawan nak pergi. She didn't mind if I ajak hubby but hubby ada few meetings to attend to. He went to KK the next day after my flight. So this is considered as my 1st holiday alone, abroad, without hubby. Locally ada jugak holiday with alumni members tapi setakat 2d1n tak lah terasa sangat kan. Hubby pun not around masa weekend tu. My Japan holiday is 7d6n, covering Kyoto, Kobe and Osaka.

I've been busy with cycling, hiking for ABC preparation and training so macam tak fikir sangat pasal Japan. Two weekends before flight baru book hotel. The weekend before flight baru dapat duduk rumah betul2 and spend 1 day studying the attractions to go to and how to move around in Japan. At the same time I have to prepare for my training 3 days and habis jer training terus kena ke airport malam tu. Alhamdulillah dipermudahkan urusan.

Sampai Kansai airport terus cari pocket wifi so we can be connected to the Internet all the time. We paid 5400¥ for 7 days, unlimited data. Jumpa Malaysians masa jalan2 tu ada borak2 and they said they got theirs for RM13 per day ambil kat Malaysia, sebab ada promo. I thought ours pun dah berbaloi2 sgt coz berkongsi with my friend so bahagi 2 lah kos. Dalam RM105 sorang. Lepas tu urusan tiket dan pass2 yang boleh bagi diskaun while we use the subways and busses. Confusing jugak pass ada macam2. Mula2 plan nak ke Nara so amik 4-days Kansai JR pass. Lepas tu Osaka pun tak habis jalan. So ended up should have bought 3 days pass jer. Helpful utk travel dari Kyoto ke Kobe, then ke Osaka. Then bought ICOCA card 3600¥ utk ke Kyoto dari airport, with special price of the train ticket value. Otherwise lagi mahal dan IC card tu boleh topup and guna at bus or subway station kalau tak nak amik 1-day pass. Masa di Kyoto takder apa2 tourist pass. Ada 1-day subway (600¥) or bus (500¥) or both (1200¥) pass jer. Untuk memudahkan naik turun bas dan subway ke lokasi2 menarik. Tapi harga tiket subway 210¥ and bas 230¥ in most area. Kalau nak pergi ke destinasi tu tak sampai dgn value 1-day pass, baik beli satu-satu.

Cultural show at Gion Corner

We use IC card jer mula2. Dari Kyoto Station ke hotel guna subway. Lepas rehat2 pergi ke Gion naik bas and then balik. So 1 subway, 2 bas. Tak perlu day pass. Malam tu tengok cultural show 2500¥ then cari halal restaurant Gion Naritaya.  Next day pergi Arashiyama area. Pass tak cover. Naik train ke Kyoto station (210¥), then beli return ticket JR line ke Arashiyama 480¥. Should allocate more time here tapi sbb we wanted to visit Fushimi Inari shrinwe petang, so tak dapat naik boat ride sbb ride tu 2-hours. Sempat sewa basikal (1000¥) pusing2 Bamboo Grove sampai ke bridge, pulangkan basikal then naik Scenic train 620¥. Sampai tu we all cari tiket back to Arashiyama sebab dah amik return. In the end x perlu pun turun. Tambah duit jer so ada 2 tiket train. Masa sampai Kyoto station, bagi 2-2 tu ker org yg jaga kaunter. We went to Nishiki market, ingatkan area pasar dan makanan jer... rupanya ada banyak lagi barang2 lain kat sini. Tengok2 sikit jer sbb tak sempat kalau tengok semua. Balik rehat solat then we walked to Fushimi Inari shrine. Almost half an hour walk jugak. Balik tu we took the train. Dah gelap to walk back. Malam tu mendobi sebab ada coin operated washing machine. 300¥ cuci, 300¥ keringkan.

Arashiyama 

Nijo castle, Kinkakuji, Fushimi Inari shrine amd Kyoto Imperial palace 

Next day baru amik 1-day pass. Ingatkan banyak guna train and dah plan juga lokasi, tapi bila ada change of plan and lokasi kedai makan pulak jauh menapak, plan dah lari. Baik amik day pass utk both bus and train, tak pening kepala. Kat sini hotel2 semua check out awal. Ada yang check out kul 10, ada yang kul 11. We decided to keep our luggage kat locker in Kyoto station. Ada mcm2 size locker. We took the 700¥ per day and share.

Osaka Castle Museum 

We went to Kinkakuji (worth going), then Kyoto Imperial palace (not worth going sbb blockade jauh sangat, ambil gambar pun nampak jauh jer), then instead of going to Nijo castle sbb dah macam byk castle we went to Higashiyama area. Mula2 cari makan. Jauh menapak nak jumpa halal restaurant, then naik bas cari Higashiyama Preserved Street. Actually tempat ni sebelah2 dengan Gion. Tapi sebab time constraint, tak sempat jalan2 sangat area sini. Pergi targeted location jer. Lepas tu pergi Nijo castle. Dalam Internet tulis buka sampai 5pm tapi we all sampai kul 4 dah tutup dah. Ambil gambar dari luar jer. Then back to Kyoto station, singgah solat di Kyoto tower and ambil2 gambar at the impressive station before heading to Kobe.

Kobe Mosque 

Kobe accommodation booked through Airbnb memang cultural experience to us. Macam ni lah rupa rumah org Jepun yang kecik2 tu. We booked somewhere near Sannomiya station. Almost half an hour walk jugak. Boleh juga sesiapa nak pergi book area Kobe Harborland. Boleh tengok port tower malam2. We checked out the next day, simpan luggage in 2 lockers at 300¥ each, went to Shin-kobe ropeway and the herb garden. Magnificent view of Kobe from the cable car. Herb garden pun luas dan menarik jugak. Of course ni 4 seasons herb garden. We experience summer plants. Ada yg open area. Ada area dlm glass house. Lepas tu we went to Kobe mosque and have lunch at the restaurant opposite the mosque. Banyak giler portion dia. Boleh tapau utk dinner and makan next day lagi. After that pergi ke Kobe Harborland jalan2 area Port tower tu. On the way back to Sannomiya station, lalu kat Chinatown. Big shopping area gak kat situ tapi tak sempat nak tengok2 sangat. Nishiki market pun tak sempat nak jalan sangat. Sini pun ada macam2 rupanya. But we're on our way to Osaka so tak singgah lah.

We reached Osaka time orang Jepun balik kerja. So sibuk sikit. Naik train lagi ke Higobashi sebab hotel dekat jer dengan station tu. Keluar exit 3 terus pintu hotel. Rehat dulu malam tu and mendobi. Coin operated machine dia kat Onsen ok. Tundukkan pandangan bahaya, tengok atas dan buat2 tak nampak jer lah hehehe...

Kobe Harborland 

Dotonburi and Namba area

Bay area: Tempozan ferris wheel, Kaiyukan Aquarium  and the cruise ship.

Esoknya beli 2-days pass (3000¥) sebab berbaloi2 pass ni. Selain unlimited train and bus access, dpt masuk free at some attractions lagi. Nak beli kat our train station kalau ada. Tak perlu ke Osaka. Yang jaga kaunter tu kata station masturu and tunjuk arah. Ingatkan kena pergi beli kat station masturu, bila dah jalan area yang dia tunjuk nampak sign Station Master. Ooooooo... panjang O kitorang :D

First destination, Osaka Castle Museum. Sangat berbaloi2 pergi sini berbanding Kyoto Imperial Palace. Boleh masuk and ada macam2 artifak kat dalam tu. Right before masuk castle, hujan turun dengan lebatnya. Hmm... berpayung lah semua orang. Keluar castle pun hujan lagi. Decided to go to Kuromon market. Jalan2 tengok buah2an segar, seafood, macam2 makanan yang tak pasti boleh makan ker tidak... beli buah anggur yang big and juicy, then terjumpa tempura stall yang ada tulis Muslim friendly. So dapatlah rasa rather than tengok jer. Japanese tourism memang ada bagi kategori2 utk halal food ni. Kat sini kedai2 lain pun ada tapi tak sebanyak Nishiki market and Chinatown. Masih hujan so nak balik hotel dulu rehat dan solat. On the way jalan underground station tu... macam shopping complex, my friend dah tangkap Channel handbag satu :) Petang to we went to Umeda Sky Building. Hujan lagi tapi nak holiday ni memang tak boleh nak decide on weather. Layan jer lah. After that ke Namba area. Pun dalam hujan. Namba ni banyak kedai and covered building so senang nak jalan2 walaupun hujan. Habis lencun my shoes.

Esok pakai jer kasut basah tu sebab kalau tak bawak keluar bilik, tak kering. Dah try cuci pakaian and letak dalam bathroom, memang tak kering. Nasib baok harini cerah dan sekejap jer kasut dah kering. Sekejap jer dah hari ke-6. So harini kena cover betul2 to make the pass worth it.

Pagi2 ker Tsutenkaku, Osaka tower. Tak worth it sangat rasanya tempat ni tapi ni antara lokasi nak amik gambar dengan Glico man. Lepas tu we head to Bay area. Dapat naik Tempozan ferris wheel, boleh tengok Osaka from high up sebab dekat Umeda tak nampak sangat due to the rain. Then ke Kaiyukan Aquarium. Dapat 100¥ discount guna our pass. Bayar lah 2200¥. Not bad tapi orang ramai sangat. Ada yang kata their summer holiday... tu ramai family. Lepas tu naik cruise ship pulak area Osaka Port. Beli makanan kat 7-11 untuk lunch. Luar tu ada bench kitorang duduk sambil makan. Then ke Universal Studio pulak. Sampai dah petang pun ramai orang beratur lagi. Kami nak melawat kawasan jer. Lepas tu balik berehat and solat jap. Sempat tertidur sekejap. Then ke Dotonburi area nak naik river cruise. Sangat best jalan2 tepi sungai. Tak sangka ada sungai sebab kawasan ni dekat Namba jer. Semalam pun dah lalu area sini tapi hujan. Tak lalu sungai lah masa tu. Tapi... tiket dah sold out. Hmmm... takder rezeki. Lepas tu gi cari Halal Ramen restaurant and then jalan2 sket before balik hotel.

Final day, dah tak guna pass. My friend nak sangat gi Shinsaibashi area cari2 souvenir. Takder apa sangat pun kat situ. Then balik hotel and gerak ke airport. Should have just go to airport dari pagi tu sebab banyak gak souvenir shop kat sini. Tapi souvenir yang kita nak macam tak sesuai dan menarik atau mahal gila. Kalau berkenan beli gak mahal pun tapi tak berkenan and not worth utk beli sekadar beli. Key chain 380¥ tapi tak banyak design menarik. Beli kat airport mahal lagi around 500¥. Tshirt pun macam tak banyak choice. Fridge magnet pun around 380¥ pastu dah beli baru jumpa 170¥ masa di Kyoto. Di airport mahal juga. Mungkin tak lalu di kawasan yang banyak souvenir tapi dah kira tourist area dah yang kami pergi tu. Ingat nak beli green tea pastu baru teringat hubby and family tak minum teh tawar ni. Semua nak manis. So tak jadi ler beli banyak :) Terasa rushing gak beli souvenir, makan, check in, solat and boarding. So habis dah lah holiday di Jepun. Dah rindu kat hubby dah pun. Kalau ada rezeki nak datang lagi dengan my darling hubby pulak :) Japan... I'll definitely come again.