Day 2: Inokashira Park - Ghibli Museum - Harajuku - Shibuya - Shinjuku

We were off to Ghibli Museum this morning. To get there, we decided to take the leisurely stroll from Kichijoji station. On our way there we pass an alleyway aligned with food vendors. I spot my first FamilyMart here and my friend gets to try one of her best pork buns on our entire trip.

The guide books always mention Ueno Park as one of the best parks in Tokyo to do Hanami (cherry blossom viewing), but personally (and my friend can agree with me here) Inokashira Park was more beautiful. The park was not overrunned with tourists and crowds and there were more things to see and do on the grounds like visit the little shrine or rent out a paddle or swan boat.

At Inokashira Park, you really got the sense of how people live their lives in the "burbs. We came across locals walking their immaculately groomed dogs and plenty of cyclists riding their bikes (without helmets). We also saw people out with their blue tarps in the frosty morning, already booking their spots under the cherry blossoms (....or maybe they were stragglers from the night before, who knows?)

Walking to Ghibli Musuem, I knew I was on the right path as there were badges of the museum on the lamp posts leading the way. The museum itself was so charming that you didn't have to be a fan of Studio Ghibli's work to enjoy it. Our ticket also included a short movie called "A Sumo Wrestler's Tail" which was all in Japanese. We didn't understand a word while watching it, but we still got the storyline. It was really fun to watch and laugh alongside with the kids there because it almost made me feel like a little kid again.

The museum had some really awesome souvenirs in the "MAMMA AIUTO!" gift shop, some of the best I've ever seen. Even our tickets, which looked like a film print was cool. It was a pity visitors weren't permitted to take photos of the displays inside, however we were allowed to take pictures of its surrounding like Totoro (a big rabbit-like character) which greets you at the entrance of the gate and the large Laputa- Robot Soldier where everyone was queuing up to get their picture with.

When we headed back to Inokashira Park, we decided to try some of the local street food. What I thought were takoyaki (octopus balls) ends up being glutinous rice balls which gets drizzled with soy sauce when you buy it. The weather was still really cold here so when we notice a big pot of milk-like liquid simmering away we decided to give it a go. The flavour of the drink was err.... interesting and reminded me of a warm yakult mixed with a bit of sake. I later found out the drink we had was called "amazake."

By the time we finished eating, it was not only afternoon, but it was a Sunday afternoon, which meant a perfect time to do a trip out to Harajuku. Sure enough, when we arrived at Harajuku, the main strip of shops were packed with teens and tweens. Some pushing and shoving to score themselves the latest bargains. The atmosphere here was very market-like, there were only a few stores on the main strip worth checking out for me - one of them being Zona Liberta. This store had some really quirky but affordable accessories.

Away from the main strip of Harajuku, there were more mainstream stores, the ones we saw were Beams (I guess our equivalent would be Country Road) which seemed to be everywhere in Japan. My friend also discovered a fabulous ladies shoe store here called Diana, where the shoes actually have "Made in Japan," printed on the soles. 

After our quick tour of Harajuku, we were off to Shibuya. I was so EXCITED! When I first spotted the 109 building and the famous intersection, one of the busiest in the world, I felt like a little kid in a candy store! It was quite a surreal feeling crossing it and it made the Adelaide St/Edward St intersection in Brisbane feel like a tiny, little baby in comparison.

Shibuya 109 is the pinnacle of super girly fashion for me in Japan. The fashion at the time felt very much like "little house on the prairie," meaning lots of florals and frills. I even saw scrunchies being sold at one store, something I haven't worn since the early 90s. Another trend I picked up while doing my paces around the stores were the ubiquitous "bangs with long curls" hairstyle on the girls.

The first time arriving at Shinjuku Station, one of the busiest stations in the world, was really overwhelming. My eyes had never seen so much signage jammed into one station. I'm so glad we were with locals we knew at the time, otherwise my friend and I would of definitely gotten lost!

The restaurant we were taken to in Shinjuku delivered one of our best dinners for Tokyo. By ourselves, we would of never been able to experience this restaurant as the menu was all in Japanese and there were not any pictures to point at. It was such a lovely and stress-free dinner because everything was ordered for us. The sake we tried was extremely concentrated, but it was cool that the restaurant let us pick our own sake cups. The sashimi here was really good too and I wish I could of gotten the recipe for that sashimi and avocado salad dish that I ate because that was really OISHII!! The sample platter dessert that came out here was also fabulous.

In my opinion, a Japan Trip wouldn't be complete without karaoke. So after dinner we were off with our new friends who booked us in for a karaoke session. When we arrived at this karaoke club I was amused by the number of floors they had dedicated to karaoke. We only stayed for an hour which was more than enough considering the whirlwind day we just had. Even without a pedometer, we knew we had clocked up some serious kilometres, but it was all worth it as this day ended up being my most favourite day in Tokyo.

Day 11: Kyoto - Toji Temple - Kyoto Costume Museum - Nijo Castle - Kyoto International Manga Museum - Kinkaku-ji (the Gold Pavilion) - Osaka

Typical things you'll see when you first arrive at Kyoto Station are The Cube, Isetan department store, Kyoto Tower and signage that tells you this is the home of Astroboy.

There's no doubt that Kyoto is the city of temples. With so many temples and museums scattered around the city, the best way to reach them was via the Kyoto City Bus. 

Our first stop was the Toji Temple. This 5 storey pagoda temple is the tallest wooden tower in Japan hence why it was on our shortlist. It was beautiful to see it framed by cherry blossoms. We didn't stay long here and decided to find our next destination, the Kyoto Costume Museum.

For some reason, I was expecting the Kyoto Costume Museum to be a museum with all these fabulous haute couture gowns by famous fashion designers. Boy, was I wrong! It actually turned out to be a scale model of a part of a mansion where a nobleman Genji lived. 

My friend had a real good laugh at me here. I had talked it up so much that even she became slightly interested in attending this museum. (Note: if you didn't pick it up already my friend is not a big fan of museums) In hindsight, I had mistaken it for the Kyoto Costume Institute - the one I was suppose to go to!

Next on the list was the Kyoto International Manga Museum and we decided to do the Nijo Castle because it was on the way. I didn't really have any expectations going to this manga museum, but when I got there, it felt more like a manga library. The english manga section was very limited but if you can read japanese you'd probably feel like you're in manga heaven as it was literally floor to ceiling of all different kinds of manga books. There were a few exhibitions on, but nothing overwelming. After leaving this musuem, a part of me wish that I had gone to see Astroboy at the Osamu Tezuka Manga Museum instead. 

The Gold Pavilion (Kinkaku-ji) which is probably the most popular temple in Kyoto was our last stop for the day. We travelled so far on the bus to get there and we ended up staying there very briefly. It would have been nice to explore more of the temple grounds but we had both reached our limit. Our hectic schedule had really taken it's toll on us here.

As we left Kyoto and bullet it back to Osaka, I was feeling guttered. I had just discovered my 3 day kansai pass, which I'd bought that morning was missing and also that I hadn't really enjoyed Kyoto as much as I would of liked. There were still so many things I was hoping to do like try their famous green tea ice-cream, walk the streets of Gion at night and see the iconic Fushimi Inari Taisha.

Coming back to Osaka was like coming back to an old friend, I could feel my spirits lifted after the disappointing and tiring day in Kyoto. That night for dinner, we decided to give Osaka's famous okonomiyaki (a pancake-like dish) a go. When there's a line up at a restaurant, it's always a good sign that the okonomiyaki there must be good. The okonomiyaki I ordered had prawns and noodles in it. The first two slices we tucked into tasted really good, but as my friend pointed out, by the time you go in for the third and fourth slices, the taste just wasn't as good as the first two. Nonetheless, it was an interesting meal that I would probably share the next time I have it.