[Osaka: Tenma] Hidden Osaka

Posted on by Jamie Liew

I’ve always preferred Osaka over Tokyo as the food, people and environment here’s much better. it is just a personal preference but I feel much more relaxed here and.. a new Malaysian friend I met in Osaka brought me to a place which gave me even more reasons to love Osaka. and it is.. Tenma. it seems like a really run-down place and all but truth is, everything here’s really cool and hipster. stand up bars, cheap sushi places, ramen shops, wine bars, whiskey bars, beer places etc.

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so for this time, we settled down at this restaurant popular for fresh delicious sushi for… Continue reading “[Osaka: Tenma] Hidden Osaka” →

[Hyogo] The castle in the sky– Takedajo

Posted on by Jamie Liew

it’s supposed to look like this. and it’s often labelled as Japan’s Machu Picchu.

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(picture from Google)

but for this view, you’ll need to get there by 5am (or come here in Autumn, Sept-Nov where the clouds will be surrounding the castle till.. later.). but it’s super dreadful for me to pull an all nighters so I decided to just go in the day. Continue reading “[Hyogo] The castle in the sky– Takedajo” →

[Osaka: Abeno Harukas] Osaka Night View?

Posted on by Jamie Liew

night views don’t really interest me but the night view in Japanese cities are just.. breath taking. and they are so beautiful, I highly recommend them. first, there was the Umeda Sky Building which had amazing architecture and also an amazing view. but I found an alternative. the Abeno Harukas. at 60 floors, Abeno Harukas is also 20 stories taller than Umeda Sky Building.

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it was so high up I couldn’t catch everything in frame! Continue reading “[Osaka: Abeno Harukas] Osaka Night View?” →

[Osaka: Tenjinbashi] Owl Cafe

Posted on by Jamie Liew

if you’re a bird person then you should have heard about how Japan’s taken over by these owl cafes. not only is owning an owl (very very expensive pet) becoming a trend, stores don’t just sell owls anymore but they are earning by letting you pet very softly on their owls and shower them with human love!

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there are quite a number of these owl cafe’s but I decided to go to the one with the MOST owls! although it’s located literally at nowhere, we were practically their last customer of their day. since it was raining cats and dogs that day, it wasn’t so full. I’ve read reviews how you have to come here and put yourself on a list (they don’t accept over the phone bookings) a few hours before you actually get a place since they limit like.. 6 or 8(?) couples of 2 in only. Continue reading “[Osaka: Tenjinbashi] Owl Cafe” →

[USJ] why you should spend Halloween in Japan.

Posted on by Jamie Liew

so for Halloween this year, I fortunately followed my friends to Universal Studios Japan and I am glad I spent my Halloween in Japan. I was never too interested in going clubbing dressing like a zombie or vampire or something but this time, I have to say, I REALLY enjoyed myself.

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so on the way to USJ, I ran into IRONMAN! and Pepper. his arm and leg gear was so good he deserves a trophy really. and the girl’s hair was so…….. glam. I am pretty sure she dyed her hair for this special occasion! Continue reading “[USJ] why you should spend Halloween in Japan.” →

[Kyoto: Fushimi Inari] New Years Day

Posted on by Jamie Liew

if you’re in Japan on December 31st, you MUST visit a temple/shrine. it isn’t exactly what all Japanese people do but I can guarantee you a huge crowd. in fact, I headed over to Fushimi Inari, my favourite geisha shrine. okay, it isn’t a geisha shrine but I call it that because it came out in “memoirs of a geisha” and I loved that scene a lot.

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we arrived around 4-5am on the first of January and half the stores were closed but you can imagine how crowded it was the night before. I wanted to go for the new years eve festival too but I chose to watch the first sunrise. it is similar in Korea too, where Koreans travel to the most Easten side of Korea to watch the first sunrise of the year. Continue reading “[Kyoto: Fushimi Inari] New Years Day” →

[Kyoto: Hanamidori] The Famous Kinana Ice Cream, Gion

Posted on by Jamie Liew

Gion is perhaps my favourite place in Kyoto and I would only like to complain that there’s too much to see. there are not just a lot of places to visit but also a whole lot of places to eat at! other than my Jouvencelle, I visited the famous Kinana which were reviewed by many Korean bloggers. I have a friend whom had passed me their card and tell me that I must go there when I go back to Kyoto.

it’s some health ice cream I heard.

so how to get there?

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first, get to Hanami-koji! literally mean place to see flowers. I guess it’s a metaphor for a place to see Geishas hahaha. Continue reading “[Kyoto: Hanamidori] The Famous Kinana Ice Cream, Gion” →

[Osaka: Shinsekai] Kushikatsu Daruma, an Osakan specialty.

Posted on by Jamie Liew

there are a lot to eat in Osaka, and I wouldn’t lie about it. but other than the normal Okonomiyaki and Takoyaki which could easily be found worldwide, let me introduce you to Kushi-katsu, a stick of almost anything deep fried. and it is not easy to find anywhere outside of Japan.

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Kushikatsu can be found in many places in Japan but the famous (with chain restaurants!) one is kushikatsu Daruma. it is easy to spot. just look for an angry looking cartoon character outside the store! Continue reading “[Osaka: Shinsekai] Kushikatsu Daruma, an Osakan specialty.” →