Japan (2013) Day 3: Universal Studios Japan, Osaka

Date Visited: 12th October 2013

"I want to go to Disneyland" my mom said to me.
"But there is no Disneyland in Kansai area" I replied to my mom.
"However, there is Universal Studios Japan in Osaka" I added.
"Cool! Let's plan a trip there" she expressed out happily.

So theme park, here we go again! My mom never been to Universal Studios in Singapore but I don't know what made her so eager and thrill to go to the one in Osaka. Perhaps, she is young at heart, just like me. I can't deny I love to go theme parks and so far I've been to quite number of theme parks around the world. 

#1: The iconic globe of Universal Studios 

We bought the tickets one day earlier cause we didn't want to waste our time to queue up merely for the tickets. We went on weekend, Saturday to be exact and hence, we were expecting the crowd would be more packed and cramped than normal weekday. 

#2: Getaway to USJ

Similar to all the theme parks, Universal Studios Japan (USJ) is arranged into seven distinctive zone areas by the time I visited. Of course if compare to the one in Singapore, USJ is more larger in terms of size by double at least. With the latest addition of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter which opened last year July, now USJ has total number of eight different zone areas. Now I wanna go back USJ just for Harry Potter!

There are abundant of amusement rides, ranging from child-friendly carousels to lung-screaming roller coasters and simulators inspired by famous and popular blockbuster Hollywood movies such as Spiderman, Terminator, Back to the Future, Jurassic Park and Jaws. Absolutely  a theme park filled with world-class family entertainment for all ages. 

Hollywood Zone Area

#3: Welcome to Hollywood zone area - This particular area is similar to Singapore 

#4

#5

#6: Shrek & Sesame Street 4D Theater - in Japanese language but my mom enjoyed this so much

#7: Mummy Museum

New York Zone Area

#8: Terminator 2 - 3D (mini sequel to Terminator 2: Judgement Day)

#9: Trick or Treat?

#10: The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man - The queue was significantly long and so we skipped it.

San Francisco 

#11: Inspired by Back to the Future film series 

#12: I love this Coke building 

#13

#14: Our quick lunch. My mom ordered the creepy left bun on the left side - Jason's Bloody Mask

Jurassic Park

#15: This ride inspired by the notable Steven Spielberg's blockbuster films. We waited for more than two hours but didn't manage to experience it.

#16: Get soak with this water-based amusement ride

#17

Amity Village

#18: Jaws

Universal Wonderland

This area is mainly focused for children and families. It houses three different themed zones; Hello Kitty, Snoopy and Sesame Street. 

#19: The three main characters of Universal Wonderland area

It was too crowded and packed to the extent that I didn't really enjoy as much as I did in Universal Studio Singapore. Surprisingly majority of the visitors were local Japanese instead of foreign visitors. I have to admit that besides being friendly, Japanese are indeed patient people in the whole wide world. Imagine they were willing to queue for Jurassic Park ride for more than two hours without any complaints and cutting queue. Salute them to the max.

How To Get To Universal Studios Japan

There are several direct trains per hour and many more connections require a simple transfer at Nishikujo Station before reaching Universal City Station on the JR Yumesaki Line. Upon reaching Universal City Station, five minute walk to the entrance gate of the Universal Studios Japan. 

Admission Fee: 6,980 for adult and 4,880 for children 

Opening Hours: 10 am to 8 pm on low season and 9 am to 9 pm during peak season 

Next Post >>> Day 4: Part 1- Himeji Castle & Kokoen Garden

Japan (2013) Day 2: Kofukuji Temple & Nara Park

Date Visited: 11th October 2013

Deer is what I can imagine when comes to Nara. These notable symbol of Nara is believed to be messengers of god.

On the second day in Kansai region, we decided to plan ahead by travel further out from Osaka city. In case you read my previous post regarding Travel Between Kansai International Airport (KIX) and Central Osaka, you will know there is a myriad tickets and rail passes to select from. 

#1: JR-West Rail Pass - Kansai Area Pass

There are two JR regional pass for West Japan (Kansai region)

1) Kansai Area Pass - Valid for unlimited travel in non-reserved seats from KIX to Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe, Nara and Himeji. Available ride on Limited Express Haruka.

2) Kansai Wide Area Pass - Unlimited access rides in the wider Kansai region including covers Okayama, Kurashiki, Konosaki Onsen, Wakayama and Shirahama 

As our plan to cover Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe, Nara and Himeji, hence we opted for 3 Days JR Kansai Area Pass for unlimited travel on local JR trains. This will only worth if visit one of the more outlying destinations covered such as Himeji, Hikone, Iga Ueno or Koka. But if you don't include these outlying destinations in your travel plan, alternate for Kansai Thru Pass (Surutto Kansai) for unlimited usage of trains, subways and buses for more denser network but this pass doesn't cover JR trains.

	JR Kansai Area Pass	JR Kansai Wide Area Pass	Kansai Thru Pass
1 Day	2,300 yen	-	-
2 Days	4,500 yen	-	4,000 yen
3 Days	5,300 yen	-	5,200 yen
4 Days	6,500 yen	-	-
5 Days	-	9,000 yen	-

Note:

1. The multiple day passes for JR Kansai Area Pass are valid on consecutive days.
2. Kansai Thru Pass ticket can be used on any two or three days within the period of validity. 
3. One advantage of JR West Rail Pass - Kansai Area is that JR trains to Himeji are considerably faster than non-JR trains. Otherwise, Kansai Thru Pass ticket should be consider better value, because it covers a denser and larger network than the JR Kansai Area Pass, especially within the cities.

Or perhaps, I should create another blogpost regarding Rail Passes for the Kansai Region.

Now, let's get back to our travel adventures to Nara:

How To Get To Nara From Osaka Using JR-West Kansai Area Pass

#2: From Shin-Osaka, we transited in Osaka station 

#3: From Hyperdia, this is the route we took

#4: Taking this Tennoji route on JR Yamatoji Line Rapid will be more faster 

#5: One thing about train in Japan is you can't simply jump into the train when approached. 

Look for the exact time of the train to your desired destination on display board.

#6: The ride took less than an hour

#7: Adorable Nara's mascot, Sento-kun in JR Nara Station. It's half deer and half Buddha

#8: What I love about Japan - Signboard and map everywhere

We only went two notable tourist spots; Kofukuji Temple and Nara Park. From JR Nara Station, it took at least 20 minutes walk to these popular attractions but there are plenty of shops along the walk. Eventually, my mom was the one attracted to all these shops but can't blame her cause this is her first time to Japan. 

Kofukuji Temple complex is a World Heritage Listed Buddhist temple in Nara and one of the finest and great example of temples in Japan. It is a Buddhist temple that was once part of the influential Seven Great Temples. 

#9: The Southern Octagonal Hall of Kofukuji

#10: Tokondo (Eastern Golden Hall) on the left and Five Story Pagoda on the right 

#11: Five Story Pagoda, the second highest pagoda in Japan

Somewhere nearby the temple's ground, we saw quite number of people gathered around and oh deer, I mean oh dear, I saw abundant of deer freely roaming and playing carefree around. Although they are technically consider to be wild, deer in Nara are relatively calm, tame and friendly. In case you want to get more close encounter with the deer, there are few stores selling deer snack (rice bran crackers) for 150 yen (approx. to RM5) and trust me, definitely the deer will approach you immediately before you do. 

#12: Close encounter with deer is one of my travel wishlish. #missionaccomplished

#13: Although these deer are wild but they are calm, tame and friendly 

#14: Even Japanese manhole covers are individual masterpiece of the street art. 

We missed out Todai-ji Temple, houses the world's largest bronze statue of the Buddha because my mom wanna go for window shopping. It's alright anyway as long as we enjoyed ourselves petting the deer. 

How To Get To Kofukuji Temple

Kofukuji Temple is five minutes walk from Kintetsu Nara Station (using Kintetsu Rail Pass), or 20 minutes walk from JR Nara Station. Can also be reached from JR Nara Station by clockwise running loop bus number 2 or any of the buses bound for Kasuga Taisha (7 minutes, 190 yen). Get off at Kencho-mae bus stop.

Next Post >>> Day 3: Osaka Universal Studios 

Foodie Friday: The Coffee Lab by Frankie Interior Design

Note: It's non-halal.

Coffee, cakes and chit chat - That's what my BFF and I love to do when we met up. And among all the latest lifestyle cafes in Kota Kinabalu, we prefer to hang out in The Coffee Lab by Frankie Interior Design. 

What we like about this cafe is not just they serve great coffee and affordable desserts, but they do also served scrumptious main meals for lunch. Imagine Japanese cuisines such as Chicken Katsu Do, Curry Chicken Don and Oyakodon are available here at reasonable and lower price.

I went The Coffee Lab quite few times (like 4-5 times perhaps) and hence, I love to compile all the food photos and share in a post instead. Get ready to be hungry with all these yummylicious photos: 

#1: Not just a cafe, this place is actually an interior design showroom 

#2: Ice chocolate & ice mocha (RM9.80) - Had these with a blogger, Sherrie aka cutebun

#3: Nutella Affagato (RM8.00) - Affagato is a mixed of vanilla ice-cream with a shot of espresso. 

#4: Vienna Caffe (RM6.50)

#5: Huge portion of Curry Chicken Don

#6: Crunchy Chicken Katsu Don (RM8.00) - My favourite one 

#7: Juicy Okayodon (RM8.00) - combination of chicken meat and beaten egg 

#8: Chicken spaghetti bolognese 

#9: Small serving of mac & cheese (RM3.00)

#10: Baked mashed potato and bread (RM5.50)

#11: Tiramisu

#12: Banana and nutella crepe served with vanilla ice-cream (RM8.80)

#13: Our favourite hangout for lunch - Delicious and affordable

#14: BFF more than 15 years

It's hard to locate this cafe for the very first time cause instead with the signboard written as The Coffee Lab, look for Frankie Interior Design signboard in Taman Soon Kiong nearby Bukit Padang. In case you are coming from Luyang heading to Bukit Padang, make a U-turn at the roundabout in front of Sabah Golf & Country Club and turn left to the first junction. 

The Coffee Lab by Frankie Interior Design
Lot 10, Ground Floor, Taman Soon Kiong,
Lorong Bernam 3, Kota Kinabalu,
Sabah.

Opening Hours: Monday - Friday 8:30 am - 6:00 pm, Saturday 8:30 am - 3:00 pm (Close on Sunday)

Japan (2013) Day 1: From Kansai International Airport (KIX) to Central Osaka

When majority keep sharing and posting "I Want To Travel Around The World With My Other Half!", but how come no one actually share that "I Want To Travel With My Parents!"?

When I found out there was direct flight from Kota Kinabalu to Osaka (Kansai International Airport) via Malaysia Airlines, without second thought instantly I bought not only one but two tickets specially for my mom as her birthday present last two years. Not only for its hassle-free from transit in Kuala Lumpur but the airfare was pretty affordable and reasonable - only RM797 for return, including 30kg luggage allowance, complimentary meals and beverages and in-flight entertainments.

My initial plan was to do the same route like I did previously for my maiden trip to Japan; Osaka, Kyoto & Tokyo but in the midst of planning, I decided to change the plan which was just solely focus on Kansai region.

#1: Ready for boarding MH54!

#2: In-flight meals and beverages. Somehow, international flight served a decent and scrumptious instead than the local flight. 

#3: After 3 years, I never thought I will seeing this signboard again. [Check my old post]

Interesting Fact of Kansai International Airport:

Kansai International Airport is an airport that's said to have never lost a piece of luggage since it opened 22 years agp and being the second biggest hub airport in Japan after Tokyo Narita International Airport. 

Why I choose to focus on Kansai region instead

• In Kansai region alone, there are 10 prefectures - Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Hyogo (Kobe), Wakayama, Fukui, Mie, Shiga, Tottori and Tokushima.
• Travel around Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo within 8 days is indeed cram and rush based on my past travel experience. Plus like I mentioned earlier, I was travelling with my mom and therefore, I prefer this trip to be relax and easy.
• Cost saving from buying 7 days Japan Rail Pass that cost 29,110 yen (approx. to RM930) and focusing on buying Kansai Pass instead. 

I glad I made a wise choice cause right after two years from this Kansai trip, I went Tokyo last July with my family, including my two brothers who went Japan for the very first time. *peace*

Travel Between Kansai International Airport and Central Osaka

Upon arriving at Kansai International Airport (KIX), both mommy and I bought our quick lunch from Lawson, a 24 hours convenience store once we done with the immigration and customs clearance. Right after that, we went to JR Ticket Office located on second floor (just follow the sign) to query which most preferable and economical pass to choose from.

#4: JR Ticket Office located on second floor of KIX for purchase or exchange JR Pass

Talking about Japan railway and public transportation network, I have to admit that they are the most convenient, efficient, safe and comfort one but then seriously looking into their railway line, they are utterly complex and complicated at the same time. Three times I went Japan, and still I could board on the wrong train somehow. 

To buy which pass is depends on your desired destination. For our case, our hotel situated in Shin-Osaka and hence we were advised by JR officer to opt for ICOCA & Haruka for Haruka Limited Express. This option is hassle-free without having to change trains and the quickest one (it took 49 minutes only) but the expensive one. Haruka Limited Express departs KIX twice an hour.

"ICOCA is an IC card convenient for JR, subway, private railway, buses and shopping in the Kansai Area and other places worth 2,000 yen (500 yen refundable deposit plus 1,500 yen worth in train and bus fares) wheres as Haruka is a discounted ticket for Kansai-Airport Express to access from KIX to Osaka, Kyoto or Kobe area (either a round-trip of a one way ticket)."

Price for ICOCA & Haruka:

Round-trip type = 4,060 yen

One-way type = 3,030 yen

#3: Two designs for ICOCA card and the green tickets are the Haruka return tickets. 

I think it is worth to buy these ICOCA & Haruka pass cause one way conventional ticket from KIX to Shin-Osaka can cost 2,470 yen. However if your arrival station is Namba, then opt for cheaper but slower Nankai Airport Express for 920 yen. (Reminder: There is a difference between "Rapi:t Limited Express Train" and "Express Train" and the fare are also vary. Now you know why I boarded on the wrong train).

If you want to know more about money-saving transportation tickets within Kansai region, here are the reference:
1) Kansai International Airport JR-West
2) Japan Guide for Kansai International Airport 
3) Japan Rail Pass and rail travel in Japan complete guide - JPRail.com
4) Osaka: Arriving & Departing by Tripadvisor

Unlike JR Railway Pass, all of these JR-West Rail Pass, Kansai Area Pass, Kansai Wide Area Pass, Kansai Thru Pass, Kitentsu Rail Pass and etc. can be bought directly within Japan.

In case you like to know the exact train timetable, route and fare from starting point to the end, refer to Hyperdia. I'm frequent user for this whenever I was in Japan. 

#5: Nankai Railway information (Bear in mind this trip was 2013 and the fares are different now)

#6: KIX train station is just nearby the JR ticket office 

#7: Haruka Limited Express - It's expensive but took only 30 minutes from KIX to Shin-Osaka

#8: Hotel Consort in Shin-Osaka (Will blog about this in upcoming post)

On the very first night for my repeated Osaka trip, we went for shopping spree in Shinsaibashi Shopping Arcade and night strolling in bustle and lively Dontobori in Minami (Namba) area. As I went and blog about these two tourist spots previously, hence I don't think it's necessary for me to repeat from doing the same things but please, do enjoy the photos.

My Old Posts:

• Osaka During The Day (2010)
• Osaka at Night (2010)
• Top 5 Things To Do & See in Osaka

#9: Shinsaibashi Shopping Center, the largest shopping area in Osaka which houses more than 180 shops

#10: Drug and beauty stores are the popular one in Shinsaibashi Shopping Center

#11: Glico Running Man, the famous and colourful signboard in Dontobori

#12: My mom took this one - not bad!

#13: Lit by hundreds of neon lights and merchandise signboards 

#14: Dontobori canal packed with abundant of restaurants on left and right

#15: Another famous sign of Dontobori - Giant Crawling Crab

How To Get Shinsaibashi and Dontobori

From Shin-Osaka station, we took Osaka City Subway Midosuji Line to Shinsaibashi Station by using the ICOCA card we bought earlier. The fare is 240 yen.

Example of search result by Hyperdia

Next Post >>> Day 2: Kofukuji Temple & Nara Park