Sam had this Monday off as he went to school on Friday, which was a National Holiday.
It was raining and we saw no need to go outside.
We slept in and we made banana pancakes!
And pretended like it was the weekend.
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| Yum yum yum.. |
Tuesday 27 November 2012
Adventure to Hiroshima
Two weeks ago we went to Hiroshima with Sam's sister. We took the Shinkansen up and bought some food at the station just before we jumped on the train. Sam and Lucinda got Gyudons that were self heating! You had to pull this string and leave the box closed for about 5 minutes before eating.
On Saturday.. it was pouring down rain.. We were told by the ladies at the reception desk that there was a breakfast place a few minutes walk away. It was a decent cheap breakfast. We continued on to the Hiroshima peace memorial museum. There were many youth painting outside the museum, under a walkway. It was a little surprising to see so many of them there as it was soo wet. Most of the paintings were really good. The museum was quite hot and stuffy inside as well as being crowded with people. It was interesting reading some of the reasons why the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The displays and pictures was an eye-opening and saddening experience as to the impact of the bomb on the city and it's people.
Sam and I turned around after taking some pictures and found Lucinda surrounded by Japanese students. Hehe.. They were elementary students learning about peace and had to speak to ask foreigners some questions.
Sam and I continued on to try some Okonomiyaki (my first time). I got a normal one (cabbage, bean sprouts, yakisoba, thin strips of pork, egg and special okonomiyaki sauce) with some fried garlic, whilst Sam got a 'special' one that had squid and prawn in it. It was tasty, however I thought it needed more sauce.. =P It was very big a filling for the price. I read about this cake shop called Maison Rabelais in a brochure I picked up from the place we were staying. We then headed to this cake shop to pick up a cream puff. The cakes they had were beautiful as well as being reasonably priced. They had these really tasty passionfruit marshmallows too. Sam and I got a cake as well as some cream puffs (lovely chouxs as they were called). That night we tried a different Okonomiyaki place called Ren Ren and had a Hamburg okonomiyaki. It was really good! Instead of having the yakisoba/udon on the base it had a meat pattie and cheese. Their normal Okonomiyaki was a better balance of ingredients that the place we tried earlier that day.
On Sunday it was beautiful weather and we went to Miyajima. We got a two day tram pass (2000yen/person) that allows you to take unlimited street cars (tram), the ferry to Miyajima and the Miyajima ropeway (cable car). The pass is worth it if you take the ropeway even if it's just for the day as the ropeway itself is 1800yen return. It was packed with people. We saw the Itsukushima tori gates, but didn't go into the shrine itself as there were many people queuing up to enter. We went on a little detour up to the ropeway. There was many people waiting and took approximately 70 minutes to get on the ropeway. The first ropeway takes about 10minutes, then you change to a larger car that holds about 30 people that takes about 4 minutes. The view was amazing from the Shishiiwa observatory. You can walk to Mt. Misen from there (about a 1 hour round trip walk). We decided not to as we were short on time (especially with the long queues).
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| Sam pulling the string to start heating up his dinner |
On Saturday.. it was pouring down rain.. We were told by the ladies at the reception desk that there was a breakfast place a few minutes walk away. It was a decent cheap breakfast. We continued on to the Hiroshima peace memorial museum. There were many youth painting outside the museum, under a walkway. It was a little surprising to see so many of them there as it was soo wet. Most of the paintings were really good. The museum was quite hot and stuffy inside as well as being crowded with people. It was interesting reading some of the reasons why the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The displays and pictures was an eye-opening and saddening experience as to the impact of the bomb on the city and it's people.
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| Memorial Cenotaph - holding the names of the people killed by the bomb |
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| Peace Flame |
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| Peace flame and Hiroshima peace memorial museum in the background |
Sam and I turned around after taking some pictures and found Lucinda surrounded by Japanese students. Hehe.. They were elementary students learning about peace and had to speak to ask foreigners some questions.
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| Display made from folded paper cranes |
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| People around the world fold paper cranes and send them to Hiroshima. |
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| Children's peace monument |
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| Bit hard to see, but the trees around the area had these green leaves coming out from where the branches branched out. Some trees looked like they had really hairy armpits. =P |
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| A-bomb dome |
Sam and I continued on to try some Okonomiyaki (my first time). I got a normal one (cabbage, bean sprouts, yakisoba, thin strips of pork, egg and special okonomiyaki sauce) with some fried garlic, whilst Sam got a 'special' one that had squid and prawn in it. It was tasty, however I thought it needed more sauce.. =P It was very big a filling for the price. I read about this cake shop called Maison Rabelais in a brochure I picked up from the place we were staying. We then headed to this cake shop to pick up a cream puff. The cakes they had were beautiful as well as being reasonably priced. They had these really tasty passionfruit marshmallows too. Sam and I got a cake as well as some cream puffs (lovely chouxs as they were called). That night we tried a different Okonomiyaki place called Ren Ren and had a Hamburg okonomiyaki. It was really good! Instead of having the yakisoba/udon on the base it had a meat pattie and cheese. Their normal Okonomiyaki was a better balance of ingredients that the place we tried earlier that day.
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| Delicious cake with a pistachio mousse and these amazingly tasty praline parts through the middle of the cake |
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| Looks like the bird is asking for food rather than saying No! |
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| Hiroshima had many of these yellow leaved trees |
On Sunday it was beautiful weather and we went to Miyajima. We got a two day tram pass (2000yen/person) that allows you to take unlimited street cars (tram), the ferry to Miyajima and the Miyajima ropeway (cable car). The pass is worth it if you take the ropeway even if it's just for the day as the ropeway itself is 1800yen return. It was packed with people. We saw the Itsukushima tori gates, but didn't go into the shrine itself as there were many people queuing up to enter. We went on a little detour up to the ropeway. There was many people waiting and took approximately 70 minutes to get on the ropeway. The first ropeway takes about 10minutes, then you change to a larger car that holds about 30 people that takes about 4 minutes. The view was amazing from the Shishiiwa observatory. You can walk to Mt. Misen from there (about a 1 hour round trip walk). We decided not to as we were short on time (especially with the long queues).
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| Can you spot the man who is leisurely paddle boarding through the gates |
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| View from the ropeway |
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| View from the observatory |
Monday 26 November 2012
Adventure to Kyoto
Three weeks ago we travelled to Kyoto with Sam's sister. It took us about 50 minutes on the JR to Kyoto station, which was surprisingly quick. After we checked into the hotel we walked around a little bit in search of somewhere for dinner. We came across and Ippudo ramen restaurant and decided to get some ramen. After returning to the hotel we tried some chocolate planets that Lucinda and Sam had picked up from Osaka earlier that day. Each planet had a different flavour. Earth was one of the coolest looking!
Saturday was a big day for us. Woke up fairly early and headed for Kinkakuji (Temple of the Golden Pavilion). Some of the leaves had started to change colour but we didn't get to see many vibrant red trees. I did like seeing multi-coloured trees with green, yellow and red leaves. Got to try some tasty matcha dango and this unique green tea soft cream. It didn't taste like matcha but like green tea.
We walked to Ryoanji (A zen temple with a famous rock garden). We were given some strange tea soon after entering the grounds that tasted like dashi and had seaweed in it I believe. The grounds were really beautiful.
We eventually got to Arashiyama after getting lost on our way there. It was very busy and it would probably be even busier now, as more trees would have changed their leaves. We walked through the bamboo path to get to Okochi-sanso villa (the former villa of a famous samurai movie actor). It was a pricey admission fee of 1000yen but I think it was well worth it and highly recommend visiting it. You also get a tea and biscuit as well as a postcard. It's beautiful garden with little stone pathways winding through the trees. There was also a little building where you could sit quietly and look out at this garden.
I got to try some tasty soy-milk soft cream that tasted like asian soya milk rather than the western kind. They were also selling these tasty green tea biscuits. They didn't have open samples, however people would just come straight up and buy them without having to taste. We got a sample eventually and it was super tasty. It was a strong matcha flavoured biscuit with a slice of white chocolate in the middle! I wanted to get some but I thought they were a little too pricey. However, we got some from Lucinda (YAY! ) when she was leaving.
We were pretty tired and worn out by this time and decided to head back to the hotel to have a little rest. We went to some nice Katsu restaurant at Kyoto station where Sam had been with his parents when they visited Japan.
Sunday was a pretty miserable day as it was raining all day. We headed out to grab some breakfast followed by a quick look at the Nishiki ichiba market. We didn't have too much time as we needed to go back to the hotel and checkout. We bought some famous tofu donuts to eat whilst we were going..
Next was Kiyomizudera, which was packed (especially one of the streets leading up to the temple) regardless of the poor weather. We were planning to see the tori gates at the Fushima Inari Shrine but gave it a pass due to the weather and all having soaked feet and shoes.
Saw these two flavoured kit kats and had to try them. The one on the left is the flavour of some Kyoto biscuits that are strong in cinnamon. Too much cinnamon for my liking. The one on the right as you may have guessed is tea flavoured. That one I did like.
Saturday was a big day for us. Woke up fairly early and headed for Kinkakuji (Temple of the Golden Pavilion). Some of the leaves had started to change colour but we didn't get to see many vibrant red trees. I did like seeing multi-coloured trees with green, yellow and red leaves. Got to try some tasty matcha dango and this unique green tea soft cream. It didn't taste like matcha but like green tea.
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| Crazy tree |
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| Some mossy carpet |
We walked to Ryoanji (A zen temple with a famous rock garden). We were given some strange tea soon after entering the grounds that tasted like dashi and had seaweed in it I believe. The grounds were really beautiful.
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| Not sure why these little stone are up here |
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| Spot the odd one out |
We eventually got to Arashiyama after getting lost on our way there. It was very busy and it would probably be even busier now, as more trees would have changed their leaves. We walked through the bamboo path to get to Okochi-sanso villa (the former villa of a famous samurai movie actor). It was a pricey admission fee of 1000yen but I think it was well worth it and highly recommend visiting it. You also get a tea and biscuit as well as a postcard. It's beautiful garden with little stone pathways winding through the trees. There was also a little building where you could sit quietly and look out at this garden.
I got to try some tasty soy-milk soft cream that tasted like asian soya milk rather than the western kind. They were also selling these tasty green tea biscuits. They didn't have open samples, however people would just come straight up and buy them without having to taste. We got a sample eventually and it was super tasty. It was a strong matcha flavoured biscuit with a slice of white chocolate in the middle! I wanted to get some but I thought they were a little too pricey. However, we got some from Lucinda (YAY! ) when she was leaving.
We were pretty tired and worn out by this time and decided to head back to the hotel to have a little rest. We went to some nice Katsu restaurant at Kyoto station where Sam had been with his parents when they visited Japan.
Sunday was a pretty miserable day as it was raining all day. We headed out to grab some breakfast followed by a quick look at the Nishiki ichiba market. We didn't have too much time as we needed to go back to the hotel and checkout. We bought some famous tofu donuts to eat whilst we were going..
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| Cookies from the markets |
Next was Kiyomizudera, which was packed (especially one of the streets leading up to the temple) regardless of the poor weather. We were planning to see the tori gates at the Fushima Inari Shrine but gave it a pass due to the weather and all having soaked feet and shoes.
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| People getting a drink of 'holy water' |
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| Super red tree |
Tasty nabe that night for dinner. Num num num...
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| Nabe pre soup and cooking |
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| Ready to eat |
Saw these two flavoured kit kats and had to try them. The one on the left is the flavour of some Kyoto biscuits that are strong in cinnamon. Too much cinnamon for my liking. The one on the right as you may have guessed is tea flavoured. That one I did like.
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