Japan #2

There is just one thing about Japan that makes u go awww awww i love this country..

Firstly, it is of course the..




Transportation in Japan. People say you haven't actually been to Japan if u didn't try the bullet train. True enough. It's even more comfy than a plane..and it moves so fast that u can hardly see anything outta there. Takes only 3 hours from Osaka to Tokyo..and because it's so fast, we actually went Tokyo twice! in 5 days time! LOL. Actually the main reason is that we wanted to go shopping in Tokyo lol



Try anything with green tea. The taste of green tea in Japan is very intense and just makes you go awww awww awwwww i want more





Go to Dotonbori. It's a street filled with restaurants & arcades & karaokes..but mainly restaurants. Basically it all depends on what you feel like eating but do some research beforehand. Look for more famous ones and off you go. So far we've tried all if not most of the famous ramen shops and each of the ramens have distinctive taste. Ichiban!



Takoyaki. Need i to say more? Famous in Osaka..never really seen many shops selling Takoyaki in Tokyo though.



Okonomiyaki. Oh gosh. I remember us randomly trying this in a restaurant called Chibo and it turned out to be one of the best ones in Dotonbori. Very pricey though..1 piece of that for $1500+ Yen..thats the price of 2 bowls of ramen already!



Speaking of ramen, this is one ramen that made me go aww aww awww again. Haha. Yi Lan Ramen is located in Ueno Station, Tokyo and also there's a branch in Dotonbori, Osaka (told you everything is in dotonbori..). And we couldn't get enough of this ramen that we had it twice..in Tokyo and Osaka. Hahah.



Strawberry Cheese Cake Crepe in Harajuku..awesome stuff.





It is important to choose the right timing to go to famous tourist attractions cos it can get very very packed during peak hours. The 1st one at Shinjuku, 2nd one at Asakusa Temple and then Harajuku. Oh well it's better to not go Tokyo at all if you didn't like being in the crowd. Tokyo is 24/7 crowded, as far as i can recall. Definitely not fun for a long-term stay.



Be aware of how expensive transportation in Japan could be. We bought this 7 days Japan Railway Pass for $373 AUD and it is only for JR trains. Subways/the other trains, you'll have to buy tickets on your own. One way of bullet train is already about $170 AUD and we took it for 4 times which means the value of our JR passes are way above its price already ^^ When u buy a pass, make sure you fully utilize it!



Girls, you all need to go to this Forever 21 in Harajuku!! We were all tired, hungry, thirsty and everything so we decided to just go in to this one last shop and have a fast browse. But we ended up spending bout 3 hours in this freaking shop, not hungry, not tired, not thirsty. lol

They have really cheap yet good quality clothes..not kidding. After knowing that they only have 2 Forever 21 branches in Japan, we went back to Tokyo again just for the other branch in Ginza. Shopaholic much lol? But we have unlimited bullet train rides..so why not?



Go to Disneyland. I'm sure girls will like it. Guys who don't like it, nevermind.



And it is inevitable to get lost in Japan because sometimes the directions are plain confusing and you can't really trust google maps lol. So the only thing u need is a pair of mouth to ask. Also, polish your Japanese beforehand..make sure you understand simple directions like 'walk straight then turn left' wtf



Plan your budget properly. Go for capsule hotel..it's fun and cheap :)



And after a few days of shopping and eating, it's time to buy cup noodles hahahh! can easily get them at around $100 Yen. Cheap and naisss!




And yeah, after 8 days..we came back with over weight luggages & pathetic amount of money left in our bank accounts. Nevertheless, alot of clothes, souvenirs & snacks. It was truly a fun trip with the girls..and new experience as well. I haven't been to any other country before except Australia. Not even Singapore -___-

And I'm looking forward to my Taiwan trip next january wheeeee. with the girls again! and my mummy! One good thing bout Taiwan is that it'll definitely be cheaper wheeeee

Yap Vivian, time for you to do research and plan the trip, yes? :D