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7.25.2015

A Walk To | Fushimi Inari Shrine, Kyoto

I bet that most of your friends who have traveled to Japan - have taken picture in these red shrines! Haha. At first I'm a bit clueless about this place, what I knew was this touristy place is full of red torii gates, a perfect spot for your instagram post or new profile picture :P

like Sandra, my friend :P
my extraordinary selfie *err not really :P
Then... I was really amused! Not just because I took picture in the red torii gates, but I just knew that trails lead into the wooded forest of the sacred Mount Inari. So if you like or you want to go hiking/trekking, bring your feet and isotonic drink here! Actually the trails remind me of my grandparents' home in Jogja, which is in a highland, it's really far from the town, and the forest surrounded is much alike - minus the red torii gates haha. Though the trail is really clear and nice, but we have to remain cautious as the trail/stairs became slippery after raining and a tree fell just around 5 meters behind me :O :O



exhausted? chill here! actually I didn't get into here, I just bought a drink from the vending machine in front of this stall :P

So, Fushimi Inari is the most important shrines which dedicated to Inari, the Shinto god of rice. We'll find a lot of fox statues around here, they're cute! Foxes are thought to be Inari's messengers. So sad that I couldn't find a real fox here :(

look at that cute statue :3
Another thing that amused me were we met Michelle Obama on our way back from the viewpoint (whoa, our itinerary is the same as Michelle's, she visited Kiyomizudera at the same time with us too haha)

viewpoint area


Olympus Mju Zoom 115 + Kodak Gold 200

How to get there: 
Take a train to JR Inari Station, the second station from Kyoto Station along the JR Nara Line

Fee: it's freeee!

7.24.2015

Japan Hostel Guide

Many friends ask me recommendation place to stay in Japan. Karena kita berlima masih muda, anaknya berdompet backpacker tapi bawa koper (terus gw nyesel bawa koper karena ditinggal sama petugas pesawat, walaupun isi koper cuma setengah) - kita sempet galau dan bimbang pilih hostel atau coba airbnb. Dengan pertimbangan ini itu yaitu lokasi yang mudah diakses terutama dekat stasiun, harga, dan centilnya kita karena pengen bobo di ruangan yang ala-ala haha. Akhirnya pilihan jatuh kepada... Click the bold link which direct to their website

Osaka

Address: 6 Chome-12-13 Fukushima, Fukushima Ward, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan
Access: around 2 minutes walking distance from JR Osaka Station
Type of Room: Room E 5-person (Family) Private Tatami Room
Price: 19,000 Yen/night
+ Kamarnya lucu aja gitu kaya kamar di komik-komik Jepang, bobo pake tatami, nyamaaan
+ Semua ruangannya bersih dan interiornya lucu terutama di Lounge Area
+ Kamar mandinya juga bersih, mereka nyediain handuk, sabun dan shampoo. Berharga banget buat gw yang kopernya ditinggal sama pesawat :(
+ Common kitchen nya juga lengkap & bersih, they provide free coffee, tea and seasoning
+ Ada Laundry & Vending Machine, mereka juga jual cemilan dan ramen. You can ask their staff
+ The staffs are friendly, helpful and fluent in English! Some are good looking hehe, terutama managernya yang disenengin sama temen-temen gw :)) Tapi mereka emang baik kok, selalu kasih kabar status koper gw yang ilang dan gotongin sampe kamar :D
+ My favorite hostel in Japan!
- Slightly more expensive than others but worth it

lounge room
front desk
osaka's guide


Kyoto 

Address: 568 Nakanocho, Bukkoji-agaru, Teramachi-dori, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto city, Japan
Access: 30 meters from Kawaramachi Station or two minutes walk from "Shijo Kawaramachi" bus stop
Type of Room: Basic 6 Bed Private Shared Bathroom
Price: around $22.89 per person/night
+ Strategic location, near shopping streets and business district. Nishiki Food Market and Gion can also be reached by foot
+ Clean bunk bed with tatami
+ Rooms are clean
+ Free walking tour by their staffs which we didn't join (we have packed schedule haha)
- They don't provide baggage delivery to airport yang berakibat drama gerek-gerek koper dan belanjaan :(
- Fully equipped kitchen, free drinks but kitchen is a bit messy because some guests didn't clean up after using. Tolong kak ini hostel bukan hotel :(
- Wifi didn't reach our room, kalo mau eksis harus ke lounge room dulu :))
Sayangnya Lupa ambil foto dimari hehe


Tokyo

Address: 3-15-1 NishiAsakusa, Taito-ku, Tokyo
Access: 1 minute walk from Asakusa Station (Tsukuba Express Line) or 10 minute walk from Asakusa Station (Metro Ginza Line) or 12 minute walk from Asakusa Station (Toei Asakusa Line)
Type of Room: Deluxe 6 Bed Mixed Dorm 
Price: 18,000 Yen/night
+ Strategic location, near Asakusa favorite attraction and shopping streets. Jadi gampang banget cari jajanan yang murah 
+ Rooms are thematic, sayang kita ga dapet yang lucu-lucu gitu. The mixed dorm is ok though
+ Ada manga room! 
+ Slightly the same as Khaosan World Hostel in Kyoto, kitchen is cleaner
+ They have a small bar where everybody can karaoke and get free beer at night
- For those who have JR Pass: the Tsukuba Express Line, Metro Ginza Line and Toei Line are not covered by JR but the fare is still cheap. Tapi lumayan uangnya dikumpulin buat jajan es haha

 3:00 AM, manga :))
manga room. sorry a bit blurry


Osaka

Address: 557-0004 Osaka Prefecture, Osaka, Nishinari-ku Haginochaya 1-2-20, Jepang
Access: less than 1 minute walk from JR Shin Imamiya station
Type of Room: Capsule Room - Non Smoking
Price: 1,800 Yen/night
+ Strategic location just beside the station. Dekat dengan Kansai Airport juga, kita pilih disini karena emang gak mau tidur di bandara 
+ Spacey for a capsule room. Kebayangnya hostel kapsul itu yang sempit kaya peti seperti biasanya, tapi yang ini masih berbentuk ruangan.
+ Cheap. Mursidah dibanding hostel yang lain tapi sebanding sama kualitasnya
- Bathroom is not provided in each floor
- Poor and dirty kitchen
- It looks very old and depressing. Sedih banget deh kakaaa :/
- Uncomfortable environment. Untungnya cuma semalem disini dan lokasinya di samping stasiun jalan dikit, kita sampe disini hampir tengah malem dan besok paginya check out. Lingkungannya semacem daerah kota tua di Jakarta yang kumuh dan tua. Ga rapi dan bersih kaya lingkungan yang kita kunjungin sebelumnya :(

Yah hidup itu emang penuh pilihan, semua ada positif dan negatifnya. Bagaimana denganmu? 



Olympus Mju Zoom 115 + Fuji Superia Xtra 400 and Pentax Espio Mini + Fuji Superia 200 (exp)

7.18.2015

A Walk To | Kiyomizudera, Kyoto


Sleepiness didn't stop us to wake up very early in the morning and took the morning train to Kyoto. 30 minutes after departing from Osaka station... we arrived in Kyoto! We're all laughed, we just planned to take a nap in this super comfortable shinkansen :))

Commuting from station to Khaosan Hostel was quite a torture for me, since Air Asia lost my suitcase and broke it wheels - I wish I had my carrier. First thing to do after checking in at hostel, check city map and recommendation there, then we changed some of our plan that we made before, haha. We bought 1-day-pass Kyoto City Bus and decided Kiyomizudera as our first destination.




front gate

Kiyomizudera (Pure Water Temple) is one of the most famous temples of Japan as it's listed as one of UNESCO World Heritage sites. The wooden stage, the building which 13 meters above the hillside below, it affords a nice view of the numerous cherry and maple trees in spring and Kyoto city in the distance. In the far among the trees, there's Koyasu pagoda stands there.So pretty!
The pillars of the temple were assembled without using a single nail!

koyasu pagoda

If you're looking for love, you can go to Jishu Shrine behind Kiyomizudera's main hall. This shrine said to be dedicated to the deity of love and matchmaking :P


stair to Jishu Shrine
The trees surround Kiyomizudera made me feel calm, I wonder if it's full bloom already, it would be jaw-dropping haha. 







Keep walking on the track, we found The Otowa Waterfall which the water are divided into three separate stream, it's said to have a different benefit, longevity, success and fortunate love life :3





Olympus Mju Zoom 115 + Fuji Proplus and Pentax Espio Mini + Kodak Ektar 100

How to get there: 
Take bus number 100 or 206 from Kyoto Station or any street where the bus pass. Then walk from Gojo-zaka or Kiyomizu-michi bus stop

Fees: 300 Yen or 400 Yen (Spring & Fall Illumination) 

7.04.2015

A Walk To | Osaka Castle


Our trip to Osaka is not completed if we don't visit the famous Osaka Castle. We catch the train to Osaka Castle from Universal Studio Osaka. We're quite afraid that Osaka Castle is already closed when we've arrived haha.

We took the train to Osakajokoen station and walked from the station to Osaka Castle. It was really cold that afternoon but the street view was so pretty since the entire Osaka Castle Park covers about two square kilometers with lots of green space!

osakajokoen station
the view from osakajokoen station to the street

It feels like in europe, though I've never been there :p




So happy that spring has started!




Olympus mju zoom 115 + fuji proplus (exp)


How to get there: 
The closest JR station to Osaka Castle is Osakajokoen Station on the JR Loop Line, a 10 minute, 160 yen ride from JR Osaka Station.

Castle Tower:
Hours 9:00 to 17:00 (entrance until 16:30)
Fees 600 yen