[Travel Log] JPN 2023 - Day 3: Arashiyama & Kiyomizu Temple

Day 3: Arashiyama & Kiyomizu Temple

24 February 2023, Friday

Hotel Keihan provided breakfast, though the selection wasn't vast. 

After breakfast at the hotel, we headed to Saga-Arashiyama station from Kyoto station via the JR line, which took less than 30 minutes to get to. 

Armed with the rain boots that I got from Shopee, we started our trail to Arashiyama, the bamboo forest that I missed out on during the previous trip. 

A rainy, wet & cold day in Kyoto. 

The main destination was to the bamboo grove, but we passed by Tenryu-ji and decided to do a pit-stop. 

Tenryu-ji Temple

Map: Japan, 〒616-8385 Kyoto, Ukyo Ward, Sagatenryuji Susukinobabacho, ６８

After the short stop, we headed on to the Togetsu-kyo Bridge. 

Absolutely clueless as to where the bamboo grove was (because I refused to acknowledge the "Path of Bamboo" sign thinking it was going to lead me back to that fake forest path from the last trip), we headed across the bridge and ended up asking the carpark attendant. 

He looked at us, knowing we were foreigners and by using one word "Bamboo?" and with us nodding our heads away, he pointed us to go back to the other end of the bridge and walk straight down alongside the Kazura river.

And true enough, at the end of the road, we reached the start of a hiking trail. How handy the rain boots have come to be of use!!  

We decided to do a bit of a detour, trekking up to the summit observation deck first. 

Can I just say, how nice it is to hike without sweating at all? And, because its so cold, I don't really see any creepy crawlies around either. 😚

The sight, from the summit: extremely foggy... hahahah

After taking in the views from the top, we were finally at the main attraction of the area... Was I finally going to see what I was supposed to see?? The IG-worthy bamboo grove?? 

And yes... I was! 

It was too hard to take a nice picture of the place, because we were there at noon and it was just filled with tourists like myself... all trying to take nice pictures. hahahah. 

And then, here comes the discovery... that fake bamboo path I was on the previous trip was in fact connected to the real bamboo grove. 😩 what. the. hell. LOL. I could have seen it back there and then if we had went all the way. *inserts facepalm moment*

Nonetheless, I finally fulfilled what I wanted to do the previous time, and it was time for lunch. 

We went back to the riverside and spotted this pretty soba place with a bit of a queue. Being the thin-skin Asian that I was, queuing in line without an idea of how it actually works, while trying to observe how people do it, quite thankful that the customers in front of us were Taiwanese. We asked them and apparently, we had to go up to the service staff to leave a name & no. of pax so they would simply call out when they have a place. 

Arashiyama Yoshimura

Map: Japan, 〒616-8385 Kyoto, Ukyo Ward, Sagatenryuji Susukinobabacho, ３

The whole set was just amazing. 

Enroute back to the station, we saw a Miffy bakery & merchandise store. かわいい～～😍

Deciding that we still have time to visit one more iconic temple, we headed to Kiyomizu-Gojo station via the Keihan line. We followed this extremely useful guide I found (link) with picture guidance on how to walk to the temple from the station (and they provided different routes such as via buses to get there).

Before long, we reached the shopping street leading us to the admission entrance and made it before the last entry time (6 pm in February). 

Kiyomizu-dera

Map: 1 Chome-294 Kiyomizu, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, 605-0862, Japan

The temple was spectacular considering they did not have to use a single nail in the building structure and yet it withstands the terrain conditions well. So glad we decided to come here. (My sister had visited this temple before a couple of years back, and she didn't mind visiting it again 😁)

We decided to leave before the sun sets as the train station was a distance away & we needed to get dinner as well. 

Most of the stores were already closed for the day, but we passed by this store selling candied strawberries and grapes. It reminds me very much of 冰糖葫芦 and what can be more touristy then to get one of these to eat. 

Back at Kyoto station, lol, we were trying to explore the underground shops and just couldn't figure out how big the area was exactly. Eventually, we saw that there was a ramen street at the 10F of the building and went up to look for it. 

And yes, there was Hataka Ikkousha that SG also has. But the beauty about visiting food brands, that are available internationally, in their local scene is being able to see the differences between the two and what they changed to thrive overseas. 

It was a vending machine ticket, fast-food kind of concept which was very different (to me) compared to the more luxurious look the brand has in SG. Ramen was great nonetheless, I emptied the bowl and yes, even the black fungus (which I too, surprised myself). 

Hataka Ikkousha 

Map: Japan, 〒600-8216 Kyoto, Shimogyo Ward, Higashishiokojicho, 901 内 Kyoto Station Building, 京都拉麺小路 10F

Full and ready to take a walk around, there was this really long luminated walkway that led to an escalator down to the ground. 

And right at the bottom of it, while walking towards the station, there was this unblocked view of the Kyoto Tower. 😍

Next post: [Travel Log] JPN 2023 - Day 4: Retail Therapy in Osaka

Previous post: [Travel Log] JPN 2023 - Day 2: KIX airport to Kyoto

[Travel Log] JPN 2023 - Day 2: KIX airport to Kyoto

Day 2: Back in Kyoto

23 February 2023, Thursday

Check out the view from the hotel! Overseeing the whole town... 😍

After a night at Star Gate Hotel, we were refreshed from the flight and ready to start our first full day in Japan! We headed back to Rinku-Town station to purchase our Icoca cards (basically an EzLink) and to get back to the KIX airport to redeem and take the Haruka Airport Express to Kyoto!

(Booked the Haruka Airport Express tickets from Klook - SGD$17.95/pax)

The whole redemption process was seamless (thanks to the step-by-step guide by Klook). There was a green ticket machine that would read our passport while scanning the redemption barcode that the associated travel agency provided via pdf (after confirmation of purchase with Klook) and the train tickets were issued immediately. 

However, one thing to note, this ticket is NOT a reserved seat ticket. So, definitely get in the queue early for the non-reserved cabins for a good seat. Otherwise, there is probably a separate step to get a reserved seat ticket on top of this redeemed ticket which I had obviously missed out on.  

The whole journey from KIX airport to Kyoto Station took about 1hr 20mins.

I booked a hotel just next to the Kyoto station (for convenience) and it was really pleasant (despite it being a little on the smaller side). 

Hotel Keihan Kyoto Ekiminami

Map: Japan, 〒601-8001 Kyoto, Minami Ward, Higashikujo Muromachi, ５５

After resting a bit at the hotel, we were off to find lunch (at the station itself) and how nice to have Japanese Teishoku for a proper first meal in the country. 

p.s. the fried calamari was awesome. 

(I have no clue when I started to enjoy calamari... never used to like them)

After the satisfying meal, I told my sister that we could just walk along Kamo river from the station to Gion while enjoying the weather, sights and all (what I didn't tell her was how long it would actually take, since it was at least 3-4 train stations away 😛)

It was relaxing, just taking in the breeze while watching people cycle/picnic/hang out by the river bank. 

Unfortunately, while we arrived in Gion just fine, there were just so many signs of "NO PHOTOGRAPHY AS IT IS PRIVATE PROPERTY".. that I just gave up taking any pictures in the area at all. 

It was pretty crowded as well, despite it being a Thursday. 

So we walked around, and concluded that it was over-hyped, or perhaps its just us not walking the right lanes. But we did past by this sweet potato dessert/snack shop which became the highlight of the day because those sweet potato chips were awesome. LOL.

I, then suggested, that we walk to Maruyama Park just to take in some nature. 

Yasaka Shrine & Maruyama Park

Map: 625 Gionmachi Kitagawa, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, 605-0073, Japan

I was really happy, as I got the perfect replacement profile photo after many selfies at the park. hahaha. Might be being a little too bias but the greenery, the sunset and the weather was just wonderful. 

We started to make our way back to the nearest station, and passed by the Chion-In Temple. It looks massive... might be worth coming back to explore beyond the gate. haha. 

Back to Kyoto station, we wanted to get dinner but le sister wasn't feeling well, so she didn't have an appetite. As it was also dinner time, the eateries were all filled with queues and we just settled for bread (from the bakeries) and a burger from McDonald's. 

This was the Roasted Soy Sauce Double Thick Beef burger. Umami~~~!

Just to record an episode of dumbness, I was supposed to get the set rather than just the ala carte burger, but I obviously panicked when I had to order in-person because there was no self-service kiosk in sight. LOL. I need to stop saying 大丈夫 to every question that I don't understand. 

Next post: [Travel Log] JPN 2023 - Day 3: Arashiyama & Kiyomizu Temple
Previous post: [Travel Log] JPN 2023 - Day 1: SG to Osaka

[Travel Log] JPN 2023 - Day 1: SG to Osaka

Day 1: Hello KIX Airport & Rinku-Town

22 February 2023, Wednesday

After almost three whole years of non-travel, I finally got to visit Japan again! Both flights (to & from Osaka) were day flights as there weren't many options 😩. 

So here's how we spent our 7D6N (or rather, 5 full days) in Osaka-Kyoto!

As we arrived rather late at night, I decided to book a hotel nearby, in Rinku-Town, which was just a station away from the Airport. 

Star Gate Hotel Kansai Airport
Map: 1 Rinkuoraikita, Izumisano, Osaka 598-8511, Japan

Got greeted by Okada-san on an Aikido demonstration/explanation kind-of TV program. 

And our Konbini dinner... that we got from the Airport before heading to our hotel since most places would have been closed for the day. 

Next post: [Travel Log] JPN 2023 - Day 2: KIX airport to Kyoto

 

Goodbye Everdale!

31 Oct 2022 (UTC 10:00AM) - A farewell to Everdale... Goodbye. 😭

About a month ago, I was introduced to a game called Everdale, published by game company - Supercell. I knew the brand for another game (Hay Day, a game that I used to play with my family members) and decided to give it a go since it was also a casual game. 

Just within a few days into the game, I saw the official announcement on Facebook - that the game was ending its developments quoting that Everdale did not meet their ambitions for a Supercell game. Nonetheless, I continued playing the game out of curiosity and soon realised that it was such a wholesome and peaceful game, and that it was such a pity, that the game couldn't live on. 

Every player's village was a part of a bigger valley (made up of a max of 10 villages) and the objective of it was to collaborate and grow the valley by contributing materials/coins to any building project (such as fields to grow crops, or production buildings, events etc...). 

Within our own villages, we would assign the villagers to tasks, such as researching (to unlock upgrades, production buildings... etc), mining logs/clays/stones, harvesting apples, harvesting pumpkins (to make soup - the villagers only drink soup as a meal), etc.

On the final day, I just let my villagers rest and chill out - with the limited number of items that I managed to get in the short span of time I had playing the game 😭.

The valley I joined and stayed till the end of its time...

We could give gifts to each other (for free, once a day) and it would show up as little balloon presents in our valleys... how cute.

Sadly,... they switched the servers off as they had planned, and the game has vanished from the Google Play stores. 

Its so difficult to find multiplayer games like these... no hate, just collaborate. I really had fun while it lasted. That's about it, my #minitribute to the game! 

Revamp of my personal space

Since last December, much has changed in my room (& work life). After a complete change of (almost) all the furniture in my room, I have been enjoying the personal space a lot more... not just for play but as an office too!

• Desktop (CPU) - Aftershock Hypergate (S$2100.00) 
• Monitor - Prism+ X240 (S$298.95)
• Speakers - Creative Pebble V3 (S$57.00)
• Table - Omnidesk Kenshi Eco Collection (S$671.90)
• Chair - Ergotune Supreme (S$569.00)
• Bedframe - Zinus 12" Wood Platform Bed (S$398.05)
• Mattress - Origin Hybrid Pro Mattress [Super Single] (S$1139.05)

That brings the total revamp costs to S$5233.95, over the span of 10 months. 😱

Among these, the biggest sacrifice would be the storage space (drawer and the shelf below the tabletop) of the old table. The only storage space I have now, is my tabletop... and most of the stuff had to be stuffed into the cupboard, but hey, hello leg space! I can now push my chair all the way in, and it looks so much more airy. 

BEFORE

AFTER

There are still improvements to be made with the clutter of items [e.g. the blue storage box is not supposed to be there, but as it houses my personal stash of kitchen-related items, it cant go into the cupboard], BOO. Still trying to figure this out, but hey... doesn't the space look more airy? 😆

Had a really good round of spring-cleaning and probably have to sit down and clear a second round, but for now,  I think this will be it, for at least the next couple of years. 💖

Samsung S21 FE 5G

Samsung was having Father's Day promotion..! 

Galaxy S21 FE 5G (256gb) was going for S$943 with the added benefit of having a complementary 2-year Samsung Care as well as dairy farm vouchers worth S$50. 

I wanted it in Lavender, but it was sold out - so I ended up with the Olive version + a casing in Lavender 😏.   

 

Tbh, I nearly got an iPhone just to play ROX on - which was quite a surprising thought (to me) because I never supported Apple. - till I saw a public comment about how dumb it was to be looking at iPhone for gaming purposes. So, why not just get a phone that I know I would use if my S10 Lite ever dies on me (the camera function gets quite unstable these days - it vibrates and can't focus for a few seconds every time I launch the camera). 

Why am I looking at a phone again when I have my ROG 5s? - because I can't figure out the problem. ROX crashes every single time on the ROG 5s - especially when my voice chat is on (which is probably 90% of the time *sigh*). 

Box content - Phone, Cable (without the adapter) and the metal pin (to remove the sim card slot)

I had to buy the adapter separately (S$28) and they also offered to do the screen protector for you but I think that was quite pricey (S$48). 😭

Other considerations - no micro SD card slot, no headphone jack... 

ROX Elite Tower Achievement

We climbed to the end of the Elite Tower (for now)!!! 🤯😁

我们在塔里爬到顶啦 （起码现在，目前的版本是顶）！！！ 

真不可思议。 😊 就想记录记录一下。 

ROG Phone 5s - Unboxing

After much deliberation, I still succumbed to my temptations to get the ROG Phone 5s as a replacement for my ROG Phone II. Tbh, I was really unimpressed at the lifespan of the ROG Phone II as I really only used it for gaming purposes (I'm using the Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite as my day-to-day phone). Despite the fact that it hasn't completed died on me, I'm experiencing a lot of sudden shutdowns, and game freezes from it in recent months.

So, I got the unit at SGD$1,399 which was $200 off its regular price of SGD$1,599. Upon self-collection at the Bugis ASUS/ROG experience store, they would take you through the whole process (known as staging), which involves inspecting the unit for cosmetic defects, sound system, camera, and explanation on the warranty stuff before having to sign off that the unit was received in good condition. 

When you first start up the phone, there's this really aesthetically pleasing visuals that felt like an action movie, and I think the comic here is supposed to come to life with the VR stuff, but because we were testing the phone out in store, I skipped it. 😹 

Box content: 

- The ROG Phone 5s

- Phone Case

- Product Manual + Warranty Info

- Stickers (for deco?)

- Pin for the Sim Slot

- The Charger

Just for a size comparison, I placed the ROG Phone II and ROG Phone 5s side-by-side and they really dont differ much. 

This time, the cooler accessory doesn't come with the phone and had to be purchased separately. I'm too used to having a cooler attached to the ROG so I had to get the cooler as well (SGD$69). 

So yes, I'm currently using it to test out ROX with it. Graphics look amazing at the moment but the battery drain is pretty quick too. 😱 But, to be fair, I'm haven't charged it full yet so we shall see.