some kind of amazing : July 2016

Japan 2016 Part 7: Asakusa Temple, Ginza, Enroute to Manila

Before I write about the last part of my Japan 2016 trip, here's a short clip that Jj made to give you a glimpse of what we did in Japan. We were actually lacking in videos but Jj's editing skills made up for it! Lesson learned: take more videos while traveling.

Anyway, this final entry for my Japan 2016 travel stories will be shorter than the usual. Our last day mainly consisted of waiting in Narita airport and traveling back to the Philippines so it was pretty uneventful. Well, here it goes!

DAY 6 (March 15, 2016) | Asakusa Temple, Ginza, Enroute to Manila

No comments

, by Unknown

Japan

Japan 2016 Part 6: Harajuku, Golden Gai, Tokyo Disney Sea, Ichiran Ramen

I lied. This is the 2nd to the last post of my Japan trip! I promise Part 7 (my favorite number!) will be the last one. Sorry~

CONTINUATION OF DAY 5 (March 13, 2016) | Harajuku, Golden Gai

Jj and I took the private railway (the one near Oedo Onsen Monogatari) then transferred to the JR Yamanote line to reach Harajuku. I think it was around 8:30PM already when we arrived in Harajuku, which also meant that Benjo was waiting for us for more than an hour already! Waaaaah! Sorry, Benjo!

It was our first time to operate the ticketing machine for the trains since we had JR passes and we've been riding JR trains the whole time until this night.

Since most of the shops in Harajuku close by 9pm, we were not able to roam around the area. It was actually Jj and I's first time in the area and unfortunately, it was also the last time we went there during our trip. We did not get to see colorful, vibrant Harajuku at daytime so that was a real bummer. Benjo told us that we should dedicate at least a day to explore the place! Also, from the various {closed} shops I saw during our rather short stay there, it seemed like the place caters to teens and young adults. Perfect! Spending a day there is a must when we go back to Japan~

Harajuku at night~ Look at the time! Almost closing time for most shops :/

No comments

, by Unknown

Japan

Japan 2016 Part 5: En route to Tokyo, Ikebukuro, Oshino Hakkai, Oedo Onsen MonogatarI

...so I'm back with my Japan travel stories! My next Japan blog post (Part 6) will be the last one then I can finally talk about my South Korea trip. I have a lot of pending entries and I don't mind! Hooray!

CONTINUATION OF DAY 4 (March 12, 2016) | En route to Tokyo, Ikebukuro

The duration of our travel from Miyajimaguchi Station was more than 5 hours. If I am not mistaken, we arrived in Sunshine Prince Hotel at Ikebukuro past 6pm already. We first rode the train from Miyajimaguchi Station to Hiroshima Station (25 mins.) then in Hiroshima Station, we took the 11:53AM Sakura 546 Shinkansen to Shin-Kobe Station (around 1hr and 20 mins). From there, we took the 1:25PM Hikari 470 Shinkansen to Shinagawa Station (around 3 hrs and 8 mins). In Shinagawa Station, we were supposed to take another train that is closer to Odaiba Waterfront because our officemates would be there at around 5pm. Unfortunately, the Hikari 470 Shinkansen had technical problems, which stalled the trip for around 20-30 minutes. We arrived in Shinagawa Station past 5pm already and since our officemates would be heading back to the hotel, we decided to head straight to the hotel as well. Sunshine City Prince Hotel was not exactly beside the exit of Ikebukuro Station so we kind of got lost for a few minutes. Thank you again to the kind Japanese man who took his time to lead us to where the hotel is located.

~~And yes, I literally had to retrieve my bullet train tickets from my travel envelope to give you such an accurate travel time and route information.~~

Nica, Jj and I bought lunch in the 7Eleven in Hiroshima Station. I think this was chicken katsudon (?!) and of course, my favorite Fanta melon drink! I miss that Fanta flavor so much!!! I also just have to say that convenience store meals in Japan are delicious AND pretty affordable.

No comments

, by Unknown

inspiration

Gratitude, Positivity and Love: 3 Simple Rules I Live By

I am fond of reading self-help/motivational books and I figured that these 3 simple ideas were ALWAYS present in the books that I have read. I am currently in the middle of a change in my life (see: quitting my first job ever + currently looking for a new one) and to stop myself from succumbing to laziness and demotivation (which is definitely easier), choosing to live out these rules prove to increase my productivity and make me feel fulfilled as well.

･･✧･ﾟ✧･ﾟ✧･･

No comments

, by Unknown

Japan

Japan 2016 Part 4: Miyajima Island

Here goes the Miyajima Island leg of my trip, which deserves its own blog post. This might be lengthy. I hope you enjoy!

CONTINUATION OF DAY 3 (March 11, 2016) | Miyajima Island + Mikuniya Guest House

The Hiroshima City loop bus stopped in front of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park so we were able to successfully board the bus to go back to Hiroshima Station. No more walking around this time, thankfully! In Hiroshima Station, we got our stuff from the rental locker then rode the JR Sanyo train bound for Miyajimaguchi Station. The train ride was interesting because it gave off a different feeling as compared to our train rides in Tokyo. The scenery was different, the look of the train was different, even the characteristics of the locals were different. It's not a bad kind of different, though. We were amused because we got used to fast-paced, highly urbanized Tokyo and Hiroshima had a more chill, easy-going feel to it. Either way, I adore both places because they give off different charms. Exploring places far from the capital showed us how big and diverse Japan is!

Miyajimaguchi Station was 25 minutes away from Hiroshima Station. From Miyajimaguchi Station, we followed the directions that would lead us to the ferry port. If I'm not mistaken, the ferry leaves every 10 minutes. There is a JR ferry so we didn't have to pay for the ride (thank you for the nth time, JR Pass!).

The ride lasted for a couple of minutes but that did not stop us from taking lots of photos!