Day 4 - 6: Arima, Kobe, Kyoto
After hearing so much about Arima Onsen from friends, we decided to give it a shot on the 4th day! Its a hot spring town on the outskirts of Kobe and we are in Osaka so we decided to make a day trip there.
Oh n Grace Yang lost her hp the night before! we tried calling it but it was off. she faster email her mom to cut the line. then the next morning we saw one of the ntu guys in the lobby n asked him if he saw a hp n he said its with him! thank goodness its not stolen by some stranger.
anw he took it cos he dunno which room grace was in when he found it n off it cos he wanted to sleep undisturbed haha.
Joan stayed in the room the whole day cos her fever was really bad! if she go hot spring really will become boiled chicken. damn sian la!! i hate fevers
Edwin spotted the first nice car since we came!
had waffle + takoyaki (another Kansai famous dish) for breakfast! edwin gian the waffles since the day before already.
On the bus to Arima.... we totally concussed except edwin who just enjoyed the scenery n taking photos.
We're trying to do a Clark Kent
When we aligh from the bus, we realised that Arima is really a simple n small town of hot springs! alot of domestic tourists as well. keep taking photos! its really a nice change from the city tour we had in Osaka.
After gg to the Tourist Information, the lady showed us a map of Arima n all the onsens(hot spring) within Arima. it only cost a few bucks sg for those indoor one. the outdoor one was MUCH more ex . But we decided to try the outdoor one cos it def sounds more... authentic. haha
Here is it! of cos we cant take pics of the outdoor hot spring. everyone is totally naked! luckily our osaka hotel public bath gave us training to bathe naked w other ppl. so we're used to it when we tried the outdoor hot spring.
all the showering, towels, robes, body lotions, hair dryers etc are provided! n all the facilities are damn zai. Huge room with long mirrors, chairs, n the face stuff all from Kose one leh! oh n we took our weight before n after, really got difference!!
After soaking so much minerals, we continued our exploration of Arima + super late lunch!
We went to Kobe at night since the bus there only goes back there. can shun bian see explore kobe abit.
by then joan had already got picked up by a few koreans n others back in the hotel.
she was feeling really faint n this guy from out hotel saw n brought her to the pharmacy!
saw her thru her whole consultation process n back!
then she also made frens with a group of korean guys. wah lao damn tao hua yun!! she must be glad she stayed back haha.
Kobe... i love to see their students in uniforms.
Kobe bridge!
the wind was crazy! really slapping your face man.
Wanted to try Kobe beef but i know it's gonna be damn ex so i din want. In the end the rest see the price >$150 for 100g and also din try. so we ate the cheaper alternative. Yoshinoya haha.
anw kobe beef is really cool. they massage the cow so the fats are infused into the meat, so when you eat can feel the fats together w the meat. See the picture! there are fat dimples within the meat everywhere! normally the fat n meat layer is distinct.
Joan's temp. its rocket high!
yups then the next day we checked out n headed for Kyoto. n i wanna bitch!!
cos intially we booked the kyoto hostel for 2 nights thinking we'll be there for 2 nights. then we realise we only need 1 night cos we can spend more time in tokyo later.
firstly we took FOREVER to find our kyoto hostel. u will see y later. then 2ndly the manager dun allow us to change to 1 night, whcih is still understandable cos we only told them in less than 48hrs. but it was also written that if wanna change within 48 hrs just need to pay for 1st night fees what.
he was really fierce n stern about having a minimum 2 night policy etc. and he said that if we can find on their website that they didnt state that policy then he will charge us 1 night. anw we tried to negotiate la but it failed. so we had to pay 2 ngihts n stay 1.
anw he's really a bitch la, cos he came up n scold us 2 -3 times to keep quiet when all we do is shift luggage. who ask him to have NO space for walking/baggage in the room. n we had 5 luggage lor. argh
anw i went to the website after we're back in sg n the website nvr say must stay 2 nights lor!!!
!@#$! i went to the official website la, not those hostel booking sites.
here's the street where our hostel is located. we walked back n forth a couple of times w our luggage. until i sprain my spine man, totally paralysed me for the next 2 days.
the ONLY written sign of our hostel is this label below the mailbox! n the last pic is the pic of the hostel. TOTALLY blend into the other houses along this street. tell me how to find!
n yes thats the super cramped room we stayed! thank god its 1 night only
putting that aside, we set off for the temples n shrines, gardens n castles! thats what kyoto is about right?
its an ancient city and the heart of traditional Japan. it was the capital for thousands of years!
n i wanna see Gion n geishas after reading Memoirs of a geisha many yrs back.
Kinkaku-Ji Temple: the most widely recognised image of Kyoto
the girls really spent alot of time n $$$ at this charm shop! we took damn long to decide which charm to get for who n etc.
n then we attempted to throw some coins in the stone bowl. i got none in. joan totally cleared her coins for this!! alot of $$$! i even use my hkd coins.
joan bought the lil wooden plate n wrote her wish on it n hang it there, just like how they do it on tv all the time!
(credits to Kyoto Travel Guide!)
Ryoan-ji Temple is famous for its mysterious rock garden, the most celebrated in Japan, which defies attempts at explanation. Enclosed by an earthen wall, fifteen carefully placed rocks seem to drift in a sea of raked white gravel. A viewing platform right above the garden gives visitors an unimpeded view, although from whatever angle you view the garden, you can never see all fifteen stones.
the seats of the subway face out!
we decided to go to a festival in kyoto n the only festival there n then was the Moon Festival. it was a damn long ride n climb UP the stairs in the cold rain. reminds me of the shrine in Kung Fu Panda.
it wasnt really a street parade kinda festival like we expected. more like a ceremony where alot of ppl gathered at the temple n chanted n give their offereings.
VERY hungry n very tired us went back to our hostel area n went into the first place that can give us a feast.
weimin loves the way they have the heating plate as part of the table n damn cant wait to cook.
n i lost during card games a few days back n my forfiet was to take photo w a guy stranger approved by them! so i took with the waiter at this restaurant. edwin totally saboed me n asked him for photo before i cld say anything! after that he was so shy n damn obvious siam me when serving food! i also dun dare to look at him, he must be thinking im some crazy bitch.
Geisha Day!!! in Gion!!weimin n edwin trying their attempt at Gay
weimin loves the last photo of joan caught without her shoe n the orange sock! he is super amused. hahahaha
didnt see any geishas for quite some time. its almost like finding celebrities in LA or smthg. haha
so when we FINALLY saw a group, damn alot of ppl started to follow them n snapped away n the geishas really walk damn fast into the small lanes. really like paparazzi!
this geisha is really v chio! she n her mamasan got some appointment. damn alot of ppl surround her as she got into the taxi. i forgot how the geishas last time travel to meet their customers.
we also saw some not v thin geishas
oh the Love stone above is suppose to be damn huat! must walk with ur eyes closed from 1 stone to another stone 18 feet apart I THINK. joan tried 2 , 3 times n all kena interrupted by tourists walking ard. damn sian.
man that must have been alot of photos! if u have endured until here well done! hahaha
