Melbourne

I have never been to Melbourne, but i have heard wonderful stories of the country. The most popular one being that Melbourne is a Coffee heaven! & Boy was it true! I absolutely loved the coffee brewed there. It's not too bitter which is perf for my tastebuds. I don't even have to add sugar which is what i normally do. 

The buildings here are so English like that it reminds me abit of London! My friend & i stayed with our mutual friend's sister who owns an apartment there. She told us that Melbourne is a major hipster country. Hahaha. After seeing it all, i totally agree! There are tons of cafes & all of which serves up a good meal! 

Oh &, the best part.. MELBOURNE IS A SHOPPING PARADISE!!!!!

I am def going back to Melb jsut to shop! It's amazing i swear! Their branded goods such as addidas, Puma, Nike, Volcom, Lovisa etc. are sold at huge factory price at the Direct Factory Outlets. It so incredibly awesome i wish i had brought more money & a higher weight check in for my luggage. 

I will do a seperate entry for the DFO shopping in Melbourne.

Kyoto- Hakone, Gora + Mount Fuji

HAKONE, GORA

Coming to Hakone took us almost 2 & a half hours. The amount of public transport we had to take just to get to Hakone, Gora to catch the boat to Lake Aishi to see Mount Fuji was insane.

Firstly, we had to take the Subway to Shibuya. Afterwhich we switched trains to the JR Line to go to Odawara. Which took about 45mins. We then took another train up to Hakone which felt like an hour because it was moving so slow & it kept going back and forth. Upon finally arriving at Hakone, we purchased tickets to take the cable car up to Gora(which is the last stop of the cable car ride). 

After alighting from the cable car, we had to queue up to wait for a public bus to take us to the ferry terminal which we were supposed to take a boat to Lake Aishi. & It was extra cold that day! Sadly, because it was too cloudy, we couldn't see Mount Fuji. Cause actually even from Hakone you'll be able to catch a glimpse of Mount Fuji. We missed the last boat by a couple of minutes. Damn sad. Travelled so much then missed the last transportation that would take us to see beautiful Mount Fuji.

The very next day after our sad trip to Hakone where we missed our chance to see Mount Fuji, we flew back home. On our trip back from Japan, the pilot announced that we would be flying pass Mount Fuji & it can be seen from the right side of the plane. I was seated on the left side. Soon after, several passengers stated flocking towards the right side of the plane snapping away & from where i was seated, i saw on someone's handphone the picture of Mount Fuji & it looked so magnificent!

I got up immediately & quickly took out my phone to snap away! Lol. I left my DSLR in my bag & it was in the cabin above. Of all times when i need my DSLR the most why is it not within reach -.- 

Look at it!!! I was extremely elated that we were blessed with this amazing view. God truly works wonders. So sooo happy to see this! Hehe. Made the tiring trip down to Hakone super worth it! (:

Kyoto- Kimono Forest + Hot spring + Train rides

After our very disappointing sushi + sashimi dinner, we were walking back to the train station. I looked over my shoulders and saw a row of printed lovely prints. We decided to walk over to check it out & i am so glad we did! It was a Kimono forest! It was sooo pretty! It only lights up at night. Im glad that we managed to discover this beauty within Arashimaya although we arrived quite late & got lost trying to find the Bamboo grove. Well, things happen for a reason right? (:

 

After roaming around the Kimono forest, we continued our journey back to the train station. It was quite a long distance & it was getting colder. Kh stopped when we saw the shop above. I wanted to try Hot Spring in Japan but because we never really came across any, i didn't say anything until Arashimaya happened! 

We walked in to check the price & it's 1000yen per person. Towels at a rental of less than 200Yen. Pretty reasonable. They do not have private rooms but it is separated by Men & Women. Candy & i were quite shy. Hahaha it's so weird! But we went YOLO & did it anyway! 

IT WAS THE BEST DECISION EVER!! SOOO SHIOK!! 

I miss it already. There were 3 different types of hot spring water- Normal water, Cherry blossom tea & Milk.

The temperature of the water was damn shiok too. I loved the Cherry blossom one best! It was located at the outdoor area which had fresh air & i didn't even feel cold cause of the super warm temperature of the water. & It was pink! So pretty!

We spent so much time in the trains it's insane. Hahaha plus most of their trains have a rule where you are not allowed to speak so loudly or use your phone with the sound on. Almost every train we took no one was talking. Everybody had their heads lowered looking at their phones in silent mode or sleeping. I love the fact that Japan is such a clean country & everyone is so extremely well mannered! 

Kyoto- Arashimaya Bamboo Grove

Getting to Arashimaya Bamboo grove took us about an hour plus to find. We walked from the nearest train station to the Bamboo grove. The walk there was extremely breath taking. The view was amazing! There was an entire park of Sakura trees. SO BEAUTIFUL!

We got lost trying to find the Bamboo grove within Arashimaya park. The locals kept giving us different directions so we were like walking back and forth until i saw a group of people running across the train tracks. That's when i realised the tall bamboo trees and was extremely elated to have found it. By the time we got to it the sky was starting to turn dark. We quickly snapped photos before it went completely dark. The photos didn't turn out the way i envisioned it would. Oh wells. It just means i gotta visit Japan again. Hehe. There is a map from the Saga Arashimaya Station to guide you to the bamboo grove.

ARASHIMAYA BAMBOO GROVE

Nearest Train Station: Saga Arashimaya Station

*All shops close at 8PM, best to visit in the morning-day time*

 

 

The waygu beef was cooked well. Medium rare- Just the way i like it! (: All the shops inclusive of restaurant, closes at 8PM. So it's best to visit Arashimaya from morning onwards till late afternoon & no later. There are many shops & restaurants at Arashimaya area. It's like a lovely little village. I would love to visit Arashimaya again. & This time, I'm gonna make sure i arrive earlier. Hahaha.