(10.00a) Going to Himeji this morning quite late coz I think it wouldn’t be much to do except to visit the castle and walk a bit around the area… :)
(12.00n) Arriving Himeji Toyoko-Inn. It is quite cheap and good hotel. Very clean and professional, money worthy! I’ve seen it almost every main train station in Japan. Honestly, I will take this next time I come to Japan. And I think the single bed room can actually fit in 2 persons that make it even cheaper. :D
(12.30p) I walk to the Himeji Castle passed through a shopping street again. Basically all cities I’ve visited in Japan (except Tokyo) have a very long shopping street like this. The combination of shops is pretty much similar too. They all have more than on Mister Donut (the one in Osaka looks very dull tho) some shops selling mochi and Japanese snacks, balablbablala… The very unique one in Himeji is optical shops. There are a lot of optical shops around and I don’t see too many people wearing glasses around. It’s like the hair salon in Sayamaike. Seems to me they are more than enough. I had my lunch in a restaurant that I needa buy the ticket from the machine before go in… haha very unique cheap restaurant in Japan. They are all in Japanese and I’ve bought one which is not exactly the one I want :P but it’s okay, coz I’ve eaten my first udo in Japan now… even a cheap restaurant do the udon not too bad. Of cause it’s not very good, but at least the noodles were quite smooth. You know udon can be very bad sometimes.
(12.50p) Finally, I got into the famous Himeji castle. This most visited castle and one of Japan's "Three Famous Castles" is honestly quite disappointing. Well, I mean it is nice but as a castle, it looks like they were trying to save money when they build it. The outside was looking okay, but the inside was just totally undecorated, dark and very raw.
(1.50p) Already finished the castle visit and it’s not yet the check in time… So I walked around and found a very nice park there. There were 2 young guys playing base ball and really impressive. I never see a baseball match in real. The first time I feel the speed and the strength so closely!
(3.30p) I went into a 2nd hand shop there and try a few coats. It didn’t tag the price and I went to the counter and asked. I thought it could be quite expensive and I probably can’t afford. The sales put the coat onto a scale and told me it’s only 2200Yen! Funny that they count the price by weight!!!!! I remember I’ve seen it once before in another second hand shop. Yea… so, I tried everything that I can possibly fit in :D and bought another leather jacket, 1800Yen!!!! And a very simple bag for 590Yen, I’ve seen a similar one in SF selling like US$15! Such a satisfy shopping with only 5000Yen spent! Yooooho~~~
(4.30p) I found that when the sales put my camera into the counter, they break my filter! .\ /. So annoying… She should at least tell me she’s drop it or what!!!! Anyway, I went back to hotel and try to ask if they know any camera shops around but obviously they don’t know and told me I might find one in the main street -_-. I hang around a bit, bought a fish shape red bean cake. So nice :)
(7.00p)I got back to the room and search a bit on internet. haha internet is our best friend la… just not too far away on the opposite direction the staff shown me. There is a chain photos/camera shop. It cost me 3680Yen lerh T__T it hurts. But luckily they didn’t break my lens! And the staff was very good to help me to clean the lens a bit and now I m ready to take more photos lo… Before going back to Hotel I’ve bought my dinner from a Japanese burger shop. When I get back to Hotel, I found that it is a super tiny burger! It’s almost like just a third of the size in America! I’ve okay with it, but I really can’t imagine what would happen when American come and bought that burger, haha...
(7.30p) Online and Donald told me Garfy was just pass away today T_____T… kinda upset…
28/12
Time is just passing too fast… it’s already 28th and almost the end of the year! Every time I am having a long trip, I think it is probably the last long trip like this in the coming few years… (Actually my California trip was quite long too :D) The real last one should be the Greece + Amsterdam trip before I went back to HK. Well, after that, I actually went to France with Stef for a few times too and didn’t work for a while. Wao… it’s a few years ago from now… People must think I can earn a lot of money so that I can travel so much :P but indeed I actually spend very little every time (which is all I could spend tho). I will probably spend around US$2000 for this trip inc all hotel and transport. I am thinking somehow it’s good for me to visit Japan when the Yen is so expensive. I can’t carry anything more back to HK anyway… I can concentrate more on my sightseeing :). -_- hai lo, Japan without shopping lo…
Awaji Island, a nice place to go but better go only with a company I think...
(10.00a) It’s about an hour to take train + bus to Awaji Yumebutai from Himeji. The first time I use the locker in train station in Japan! :D Only 400Yen for a medium size one per day which’s big enough for me to put everything in.
(11.00a) It’s a big area with an expensive hotel, a conference hall, a huge greenhouse, a big big park by the sea a open-air theater and a flower ground. Very green and not much to do. It’s more a place for family or couple to spend a day or 2 to relax. The most amazing thing there are few big areas cover with water and most of these areas are made with shells! Real ones! All are about the same size too! It’s definitely a place to go in Spring or summer btw, coz most of the places supposed to be covered with colourful flowers were nothing there. Walked and walk and walk and seems that I can never finish everything there. Btw, it’s an entrance fee for the huge green house + the seaside park. I was thinking not to get into them but seems that there is nothing else to do in that area. It could be a nice and romantic place to go if I wasn’t alone~~ It’s not bad, just that if I had at least bought my pen and paper there, I wouldn’t be bored as it was. :)
(2.15p) I decided to leave there and go to Water Temple. I thought it would be some obvious sign or direction around bcoz they are quite close on the map. I only knew the direction but didn’t have a map on hand :P so I keep walking and walking and walking for like 20mins and still haven’t seen any sign there. I went into a little tea house and asked the old lady for direction :D obviously she doesn’t know English and not very well in written Chinese too. Luckily they have a map there, and the only one in the shop. It’s still some walk from there but at least I was in a right direction :). Btw, coz I didn’t have enough coins and she doesn’t want to give me changes with my 5000Yen notes, she gave me a 50Yen off!!! :D woooooo…. Happy happy.
(3.00p) Finally, I arrived the Water Temple. It’s not a big temple but very unique one. It’s built under a rounded Lotus pool. The architecture just keeps you walking for a while (within the limited space) in a quiet path before getting into the main temple building. And the way you enter the temple is very symbolic. It’s like you walking into the Lotus pool to enter the temple. It’s an entrance fee of 400Yen but I didn’t have changes + it’s no staff there. So I decided to skip the fee :P and just quickly take a walk. Haha… I guess that’s the coolest part of Tendao Ando. He’s built probably the most unique Buddish temple and also probably one of the most famous contemporary Catholic Church in the world. And they were built before he’s getting famous!
(5.00p) Got back to the JR station and got back my heavy luggage and going to Kobe tonight! :) People in Kobe is quite different to the other cities in Japan I felt it once I arrived. Or maybe just because of the long holiday had just started? :D
(6.00p) The guest house is 5mins walk from station and quite easy to find. The Owner there was super nice and her daughter is quite pretty too. Her daughter speak quite good English indeed and we talked a bit. She actually not living there but a few stops away with her son. :D Her son is very cute too. You know the age around 6-7 is almost the cutiest age. :) Yep, she show me a map in town Kobe and another one for foreigner showing all around the city too. There’s a skiing center thing in Rokko. It looks a bit complicated to go there though, needa take train and change to bus and then change to cable car and another bus to go there. Since they don’t have Internet there, I asked her if I can get some more information and weather. A few minutes she bring a printout with all the information to me. The weather forecast was perfect but it is actually quite expensive to ski. The entrance fee 2000Yen which I thought is quite cheap and that’s why I thought I could go, is actually not include the equipment rental things. I have to pay for the buses + train + cable car + entrance fee + equipment probably over 10000 Yen to actually ski there -_-… um.. probably not I thought. But thanks for the information anyway :)
(7.00p) Walked to China Town in Kobe. Haha… sounds interesting to have a China Town in Japan, isn’t it just a bit too close to China… well anyway it’s quite a good walk to go there at night. Most of the China Towns around the world are mainly about food but probably not as much as the one in Kobe. ALLLLLLL shops here are only food, and food, and more food. Very Japanese Chinese food though. Although I m quite hungry, I have no reason to have food in China Town, ya? :D So I quickly finish the whole street. It’s a bit smaller than the one in London but still quite big. And I actually found a lot of Chinese food all around Kobe, which is much frequent than Tokyo and Osaka. And, there are quite a lot of Chinese Medicine Shops in Kobe too! which I never really see any in the other cities in JP.
(8.00p) I had my dinner in a BBQ beef rice restaurant, or course a comparatively cheap one. It’s only 690Yen :P and quite delicious. Just that it’s a bit too little beef. The beefs actually look like they are filling up the bowl but they are super thin cut ~_~. Anyway they taste quite good. One more thing, maybe just me, but I found the girls in Kobe are actually quite pretty. Obviously, they are much prettier than in Osaka and also much fashionable too. While the guys there were not too cool.
(9.00p) Passed through a few video game shops and went into one. They have the Gundam game set there. I finally see it 1 or 2 years after it released. Very impressive indeed! The screen is round and fill up the all the space inside!! I only look at people playing and already feel that coolness. On my way back to the guest house, within that 25mins walk, almost all of the shops I passed by are either café or restaurants! There are some karaoke too. I went to another video game shop which is very close to the station. Seems that all the new games come with cards now. They all looks interesting too :D but of course they are not included in my budget trip~~
29/12
(10.00p) Went out quite late in the morning coz I felt that I have not much to do in the city. I am not feeling more infamous galleries and museums. I start with the closest spot in my area called Kitano. That’s an area foreigners used to live in. They kept all the old houses and become a tourist spot somehow. They might be quite interesting to local Japanese coz it’s actually so much different from most parts in Japan. Well, but to me, they are just some old western houses and not beautiful at all. I went into one of the houses anyway coz it’s free :P and saw some tourist information there. I saw the one about Nokko and the skiing park is there tooooo. Haha… such a temptation~ 3 seconds, I spent 3 seconds and I decided to leave Kobe and go to Rokko! Well, to go up the mountain, even not going to the skiing park, it would be much more interesting than staying in Kobe city I thought.
(11.00p) Goooooo from Kobe! Rokko is actually just 2 shops away. I then went on the bus to the cable car station. Surprisingly, it’s only 200Yen (I thought it’s 790Yen). When I went to the cable car station, I asked for the way to the ski park lo~~ and the staff show me the ticket including the entrance fee was only 2780Yen!! Haha 1/2 second and I decided to go for my first ski in my life lo~~ I knew it’s a 5000Yen equipment rental fee, but that’s why I go to the other countries to experience different things… I so much want to ski for long time, and indeed 5000Yen for ski is not that much, ya? It’s probably a double as I remember when I went to Switzerland.
(12.00p) The cable car is located kinda under of the mountain but it’s already quite cold~~ I started worry a bit lerh…
(12.30p) Arrived the ski park!!! So exciting!!! Wooohooo~~~ okokay enter the park and have a look frist~ wao… snow snow snow~~~~ yea… go and rent the gears! Is it actually includes the entrance fee?? Who cares~~ Started feeling hungry, oops… I have had some milk and bread this morning! I can’t be hungry so quickly I thought! Um… I can’t be bother now~~~~ googoggo~~~ get change and have my first ski ever! ^__^….
(12.55p) The first time was quite scary indeed, coz I have no idea about skiing indeed :P it’s all about how to stop and balance I guess… but I didn’t know how to stop at all lerh ~_~… gogogo… it’s going much faster than I thought, oh… and I fell very beautifully :D and I got up and finish the second half. It’s basically the same theory as ice skating but the things under my feet are much longer. Yea… that’s my first ski (1.00p). And I went on the queue to take the little cable car up the hill and try again… But when I pass through the counter, the guy (looks like a gal) asked me if I have the ticket. I was like huh? It’s another ticket for the cable car??!?! Ding nei!!! Tricky huh, Japanese .\ /. Okay… I went to the ticket office. To take the cable cost 150Yen once! Or 1500Yen for 12 times! Or 3000Yen a day!!! Or 2000Yen for 3 hours. Oh… of course I’ve chosen the 3 hrs one. I’ve rented the gear already and I probably wouldn’t leave there too late. But I felt that I had used up my energy while I was doing my calculation. I didn’t want to waste any of my 3 hours on eating so I walked up the hill… haha… seems that it’s only a few idiots do this. It’s not too far indeed, but uphill lo… The queue to buy food ticket was so long and that’s quite expensive too -_- so I decided to buy a bread instead hopefully I could survive until I get back to Kobe~~ ho ho ho… Yea~ the second time, I aimed not to fall! But, I fell again in the middle. This time was a bit ugly coz when I tried to get up, my legs were crashing each other and the thing jumped off. Haha anyway, done, and go to get the ticket. Another 2000Yen~~~ “happy money happy spend” ~ haha… So, the third time, yohooooooo~~~ I did it (1.30p)! Haha yea~~~~
It takes about 2-3mins to take the cable from bottom to top, and it’s quite boring indeed. I looked at how people ski and try to learn from them. And another thing I do to kill the time was….. dun dun dun dun~~~ to clean up the snow on top of the bars. It’s not that easy actually, coz they are not totally flat and it takes a bit time to do it. Yea, but cool, that kill some times~~ So in the rest of the time I kept falling, and skiing, skiing and falling… ^__^ It’s such a good day ^__^.
One thing I don't really understand, why people needa pay so much for the lessons?? Maybe people would find me stupid to take lesson to learn surfing too :P... but the thing is, even if you don't know how to ski, you would move forward and go down the hill anyway while if you don't learn surfing you can't even stand. Worst come to worst, even if you can't stop, you just fall and that's it. And the main thing is, you fall anyway even you take the lessons. Well, maybe if I have money I would take a lesson too :P...
(4.40p) Returned everything and left the park. Maybe the temperature is quite low but I do think it’s because I didn’t really eat for whole day and I felt super cold. I’ve bought a can of hot coffee from a machine which helps a lot.
(6.15p) Went back to Kobe and got my luggage. Gonna stay in the cheap hotel in Osaka tonight.
Very tasty milk dessert(7.00p) Had a dinner in a restaurant I passed by near the station. 650Yen a full set of katsu meal~~ It’s okay la, at least to fill up my stomach ^_^.
(8.00p) Wanted to go out around at night but pretty tired. Chill a bit in hotel~~ Heading Kyoto tomorrow morning! :)
30/12
(12.03a) Got a email from the Guesthouse, saying I had booked the room but didn’t show up :O I totally miscount the date! Shit~~~ luckily they don’t charge me extra and the landlady there was super nice just worried about if I’ve got on any problem during my trip… ^__^….
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