Japan Trip 2012 – Part 2

Part 1 was mainly about arriving to Japan and slowly settling in and discovering what the place is like. We did a little bit of shopping, eating and sightseeing around Tokyo, but I think personally, part 2 was where the real fun began =)

After staying in Shibuya for a couple days we finally did some proper travelling. I was really excited to see what other parts of Japan looked like. Shibuya blew me away in every aspect. It felt like a perfect city. Clean, friendly, interesting street layouts, funky shops, and a HUGE selection of restaurants and cafes. I even took some time to have a stroll around the neighbourhood whilst Chibi was still in Harajuku, wondering around mindlessly and just observing whatever I came across. It was like a real life theme park. One thing I noticed though is that everyone was like a janitor. There was always someone washing the street, sweeping the floor or wiping a window.

Well that’s Shibuya, it has certainly set the standard! But it was time to move on. We will now depart Tokyo and start making our way down south.

Kawaguchiko

Bus to Kawaguchiko
We hopped on a highway bus at Shinjuku, bound for Kawaguchiko (one of the 5 lakes around Mount Fuji).

K's house
We stayed at K's House. Though it was a hostel, it was actually really nice (Pics to come later!)

When I first saw mount Fuji, I was instantly in awe by its shear size and beauty. I never thought a mountain could look this amazing!  It was so perfectly cone shaped with the upper half in snow. Photographs simply don’t do it justice because it loses the sense of scale experienced by actually being there. Gota love Fuji-san =)

Chibi in front of Mount Fuji
Chibi doing her awesome V sign with Fuji-san (which I later copied, muahaha)
Lunch at Kawaguchiko
Lunch at Kawaguchiko, served by an awesome obachan >). Gota love the eggs too!
Fujisan from Kawaguchiko bridge
Fuji-san taken from Kawaguchiko bridge
K's House Ryokan
Checked-in at K's house in the afternoon. Nice and kosy Ryokan. The TV though, was smaller than my computer's at home lol
Dinner on a kotatsu in K's House
Dinner on a kotatsu (Not katsudon Chibi!) in K's House. Sooo comfortable!
Lunch at Kawaguchiko lakeside
The next morning we had breakfast at Kawaguchiko lakeside. We bought snacks from 7Eleven.
Lunch at kawaguchiko lakeside
There's nothing like eating breakfast at the lakeside next to Fuji-San on a nice sunny day - with Chibi =)
At the top of Mount Kachi Kachi Ropeway
We caught the Mount Kachi Kachi Ropeway hoping to get a better view of Fuji-san..
Mount Fuji Panorama
And we did! Here's a Fuji-san panorama
Lake Kawaguchiko panorama
Turn to the right a little and here we have a gorgeous view of Lake Kawaguchiko. See that tiny bridge? That's the same bridge where we took pictures from earlier.
Bell of the sky
Bell of the sky <3

Shinkansen

This machine was so awesome, it deserves at least a paragraph or two right? Anyway, I’ve aways loved Shinkansens, all the way back when I was a little kid. I loved it for the sleek shape and the speediness. But do you know what else I like about it? They were in some of my favourite mecha animes I watched when I was a kid!! (to be frank, I still love em). They quite often combine with other machines to form a super robot. Anyway, I love Shinkansens!

Dar-Garn (left) and GaoGaiGar (right). Can you spot the Shinkansen? =)
Shinkansen from Mishima to Kyoto
Have you been waiting for this? I have!! It's the Frikkin SHINNNNKANNNNSENNNNN!!!! it's the fastest thing this whole trip, faster than a bird, faster than a plane, faster than Superman, faster than Gundam Exia, faster than Usain Bolt, faster than CP3, faster than you!! It's the fastest thing ever! Did I tell you I love the Shinkansen? =)

Kyoto

Kamo River, Kyoto
So anyway, we caught the SHINNNNKANNNNSENNNNN!!!! to Kyoto. Here is the nice Kamo River
Kyomizudera calm pond area
We paid a visit to Kyomizudera which was by far the prettiest temple. It's famous for a reason right?
Kyomizudera looking back at Kyoto
Kyomizudera looking back at Kyoto. Can you spot Kyoto tower? =P
Nice Kyomizudera sunset shot
Nice Kyomizudera sunset shot. Cherry Blossoms have started blooming as well. Was so heavenly. ><

Arashiyama, Kyoto

This was my favourite day in the whole trip. There was so much to do in Arashiyama that we never got bored for a second!. What made it even better was that the cherry blossoms were in full bloom, simply breathtaking. The only turnoff was there were simply too many tourists that made it feel ‘less Japan’. But inspite of that, we had a really eventful time.

This is life
So let's start the day with a naisu drink!
Pink cherry blossoms
Here comes the Cherry Blossoms! These pink ones were quite rare. The majority were mainly white ones with a tinge of pink.
Bamboo Grove, Arashiyama
Bamboo Grove. Took us ages to find this place lol. Makes you wonder "can't be that hard to find right?!"
Traditional hanami picnic at Arashiyama
And my favourite part of the day - traditional japanese hanami picnic =)
Time to eat!
Normally Chibi will give me some of her share because she doesn't eat as much. Not this time though!
Cherry Blossoms in full bloom
The pretty white/pink cherry blossoms that bloom all over Japan.
Entrance to Monkey Park. You may not advance
Entrance to Monkey Park. If you want to pass through, you'd have to defeat me first...
My new buddy, I name him Son Gochan
My new buddy, I name him Son Gochan
Monkey closeup
Son Gochan doesn't look too pleased...(Give me some food!, he says)
Looking back at Kyoto from the top of Monkey Park
Panorama view at the top of Monkey Park looking back at Kyoto.
Sakura Ice-cream
Afterwards, we bought sakura Ice-cream. This was the most amazing ice-cream I've ever had in my life. We tried other ice-creams from other places, but non matched the one we got from Arashiyama.
Nishi-Kiyacho Dori
We finished the day off with a nice stroll along Nishi-Kiyacho Dori, Kyoto. A nice miniture river alongside shops and residences with cherry blossoms all along.
Super extreme cherry blossom pose!
To really finish the day, here's the super extreme cherry blossom pose! >D

Thanks for reading part 2. Part 3 will be coming shortly where we head to Osaka and surrounds =)

9 comments

  1. yaaay part 2 is finally up! ^^ You should’ve put up more pictures of yourself at Kawaguchiko 😉

    Ah, what beautiful memories 🙂 Arashiyama was definitely my favourite day of the trip too.

    The shinkansen on those robots is hilarious btw XD

  2. Really wished I got to check out Mt Fuji! Well, maybe next time.

    Dinner on the katsudon looks awesome ! =D

    *Looks at the GaoGaiGar * … I SEE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Nah, not faster than I >).

    I laughed when I read, “So let’s start the day with a naisu drink!” XD

    Next time we’ll do battle at Monkey Park >). Man, Son Gochan looks pissed (O_O).

    Haha, there is that pose again~

    Looking forward to part 3!

    1. Indeed, Katsudon was so nice!

      You want to battle? sure, but don’t forget to bring your picnic mat. we have to fight fair and square >)

  3. Hi, may I know how you go to Kyoto from Kawaguchiko? Which train u take, how much the cost and how long the travel time?
    Thanx

    1. Hey zt,

      We used our JR pass to get from Kawaguchiko to Kyoto. First you have to purchase a bus ticket from Kawaguchiko station to Mishima station (costs roughly 20AUD) and takes about an hour. Then we caught the Shinkansen from Mishima to Kyoto which took 1-2 hours.

      This route was recommended by the lady at the information help desk and worked out pretty well

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