Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Trip to Kyoto and Osaka 2009

A trip to japan again since 2007 was not on my travel plans, until my friend offer me a trip with him. The 2 trigger factors of why i should go again : The flight ticket was free cos of the SIA flight mailage system. Second the company i work in had ask staffs to take leaves from the 24th of Jan to the 3 Feb. All my leaves will be gone by then. Might as well uses the time for a trip.

It was cold there during the late January and Feb period.
A thick jacket or windbreaker is a must. Mostly I wear an inner-shirt, a sweater
and a jacket over. Usually is the wind that can freeze you.... at nights.

For camera, I will advise to keep it warm using body heat. Just tack it under your jacket. It would prevent condensation on the lenses when entering a warm room or space. I had my lenses cap on every time. My Canon 40D experience shutter error 2 times, when exposed to very cold conditions. Worst cases I heard before is total operational failure of a camera...

This second trip to Japan ( Kyoto and Osaka ) is quite memorable for me.
Long hours of walking, ( under light rain in nara ), nice scenery of temples, rural areas, getting lost at a suburban district and the cold..
I recommended people to travel free and easy, so as to experience Japan off the beaten track. You would see places normally tour groups wouldn't bring you too.

Next are the photo and remarks of my trip :
Warning this is going to be a long thread.

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On the way to Kyoto Station from the Kansai Airport, by bus.

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Kyoto Station

After walking a long distance to the hotel near Kyoto station.
First stop is. Chionin Temple

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This is the main gate entrance, to the temple. Shot is taken from inside the temple compound.

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A steep climb up. Surprise to heard two guys in front of us say " Very Shack Sia ! Sian " Haha Singaporeans !!

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In most temples or Shrines, remember to wash your hands before entry.

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Heian Shrine Gate. There are a lot of Mainland china tourist there. Had to wait for a clear shot...

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The impressive roof.

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The main shrine area. Photo taking are not allow inside.
There was a family cleansing riture going on with the mikos and priests.


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The entrance to the Kiyomizu Temple.






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Kiyomizu Temple. It was flooded with tourist then.

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A shot of the Kyoto City center from Kiyomizu Temple. I had to endure cold freezing wind from the mountains till my fingers turn numb when taking this pic.

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Jishu Jinja Shrine for lover wishes.... It was PACK !!



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>The famous Kinkakuji Temple, with its gold plated walls.






Gion Street, in downtown Kyoto. It is a famous spot for
Geishas sightings. It gave a feel of old japan.I did see 2 Geishas in their colourful kimonos. But crowds of
people quickly surround them.

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Tenryuji Temple at Arashiyama with its nice big zen gardens.

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The Bamboo Forest which just beside Tenryuji Temple. A nice retreat from the concerte jungle.

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While relaxing along the rivers of Arashiyama, I happen a chance to take a shot of these....

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The Fushimi Inari Shrine. We never know that there was a hill to climb throught all the tori gates. Was out of breath when we finish the path..... Lots of cats there !!

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When we finally went to Nara it was raining lightly. There are lots of deers at the Todaiji Temple. They will mug people for food and can be a nuisance. Throughout the walk around the nara park and surround temples, the rain did become a bit heavier. It almost spolit the day in Nara. My Camera was quite wet but water did not get into the lenses. Ended the day, eating warm food at a inexpensive restaurant. Back to Kyoto we had bags to pack and perpare to leave for Osaka the next day.

Finally we took a train to Osaka. Leaving Kyoto. Osaka is a good for shopping and for its food. But the transport fee is expensive, is even more than Tokyo. Here we take our time for window shopping. Osaka is a place where you can relax and enjoy in its active nightlife and lights.


The famous crab store. The price was quite Ex..
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We eat at the sushi store just beside the store selling octopus balls. Did try out the octopus balls. It was good.
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Osaka night scene..It freezing cold...
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This place was at the Moriguchi subway station … the actual location of a scene in KEY’s KANON in the first animated episode. Looking for this place result in losing our way in a sub_urban distrct.

Osaka Castle. Whew it was dmn windy when i was there... I too manage to witness a truditional japanese wedding near a shrine.
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One of the entrance gate.
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The surrounding walls.
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A Monk
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A food store just out side the Osaka Castle.

1 comment:

SpinalCode said...

Hey Adrian... Nice pics... which is ur camera?