Planes, Thrills and Meals: SQ to Kansai, Osaka , Kyoto and Universal Studios Japan

[Hajimbo]

What camera are you using yflyer?

[yflyer]

I enjoyed reading the rest of the TR. Thank you, yflyer.

Thanks, jhm!

For the cost of a Shinkansen return between Tokyo and Osaka, you can buy a 7-day JR rail pass (JPY 38,880) for unlimited travel. Then you can really go to town and take the Shinkansen from Hakodate to Tokyo or - even further - all the way down to Kagoshima (more black hair wagyu! ) for a total of around 11 hours on the train (broken up, if you wish, by stopovers in Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe, Himeji, Hiroshima, Fukuoka, Kumamoto etc)!

Thanks for the useful information...will definitely consider a rail pass the next time we do Japan.

Or north from Tokyo to somewhat overlooked (by foreigners) Kanazawa on the new Shinkansen which opened earlier this year. Sights to see (for which the city is nicknamed Little Kyoto) - samurai district, geisha district, one of the top Japanese gardens in Japan etc - and many things to eat too - Kanazawa's own version of kaiseki and really excellent sushi!

Kanazawa is another city I am not familiar with. Thanks very much for the recommendation!

[yflyer]

Yflyer, 你的trip report太棒了！ 看你的照片，我就流口水。

Out of curiosity, how did you book the michaya in Kyoto. I know someone who part owns two properties and am just wondering if it's one of the houses. Same district. Though I suppose properties like these are common in the rental market these days?

聪明的丈夫听夫人的话， life is so much happier and peaceful! A woman is always right!

現在就是很希望有机会再去日本游玩。

Thanks, phaleesy! Glad you enjoyed the report and the photos!

Mrs yflyer used homeaway.com to book the machiya in Kyoto. There are quite a number available on that website, and each is different. Lots of photos and descriptions to help you to decide!

Hope you have the opportunity to visit Japan soon!

[yflyer]

Wow, what an epic TR yflyer!

That ice cube udon looks very intriguing. If I ever go back to the Kyoto area, I'll definitely try to check out that restaurant.

Thanks, SQGamespeed! Glad you made it to the end :-)

I would highly recommend that restaurant, Temra Matsu. If I ever go back to Kyoto, I would also try to go again...

[yflyer]

Were you able to see the penguins at the aquarium? That's the best part!

The penguins made me almost want to laugh just looking at them standing there!





But those same penguins which look so awkward (and overdressed in shirt and coat tails) on land, really zipped around gracefully, and very fast, underwater. Wonderful to watch them swim around from the lower levels of the aquarium!

[yflyer]

What camera are you using yflyer?

Hi, Hajimbo! I had an Olympus E-P2 with me, with 14-150mm lens (35mm equivalent to a 28-300mm lens). The telephoto was very useful for the KIX shots.

Apart from that, I took many pics with my iPhone 6 as well.

[mr_botak]

Wow, thank you... fantastic report - Almost feels like I was there! Certainly looks like you had fun, and found some interesting things to eat.

Also great to find another Olympus Pen user!

[yflyer]

Wow, thank you... fantastic report - Almost feels like I was there! Certainly looks like you had fun, and found some interesting things to eat.

Also great to find another Olympus Pen user!

Thanks for reading, mr_botak! Yes a very good vacation. Apart from the food, I quite enjoyed staying at the Japanese style accommodations. Very different from the type of place I stay in when travelling for business.

Also nice to know you are a fan of Olympus Pen cameras! I am thinking that at some point, I will switch to an OM-D, but for the moment, the E-P2 works great.

[HUGE AL]

What multi quote feature?

It's the "+" sign next to the "quote" button. Allows you to select multiple + signs across different posts to quote the ones you've selected.

Ex: Posts 122-126 could have been condensed into one post. Notice how I'm doing it here right now. Multiquote is not restricted to replying to only one person at a time.

http://sqtalk.com/forum/faq.php?faq=vb3_reading_posting

Umeda Sky Tower…

The basement annex of the Umeda Sky Building also houses one of the city's best okonomiyaki places.

For the cost of a Shinkansen return between Tokyo and Osaka, you can buy a 7-day JR rail pass (JPY 38,880) for unlimited travel. Then you can really go to town and take the Shinkansen from Hakodate to Tokyo or - even further - all the way down to Kagoshima (more black hair wagyu! ) for a total of around 11 hours on the train (broken up, if you wish, by stopovers in Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe, Himeji, Hiroshima, Fukuoka, Kumamoto etc)!

Or north from Tokyo to somewhat overlooked (by foreigners) Kanazawa on the new Shinkansen which opened earlier this year. Sights to see (for which the city is nicknamed Little Kyoto) - samurai district, geisha district, one of the top Japanese gardens in Japan etc - and many things to eat too - Kanazawa's own version of kaiseki and really excellent sushi!

Shinkansen has gotten crazy expensive for foreign held passports. However, if you go ape like jhm, it's totally worth it.

jhm, I'm gonna need a Kanazawa guide from you.

[jhm]

The basement annex of the Umeda Sky Building also houses one of the city's best okonomiyaki places.

Kiji is great. They are so friendly! Every time I've gone there, I've left with their metal scraper (as a gift from them and not accidentally dropping into my bag ).

Shinkansen has gotten crazy expensive for foreign held passports. However, if you go ape like jhm, it's totally worth it.

Yes, e.g. I bought a 14-day pass and made use of it last month in and around Tokyo and also overnights in Nikko, Hamamatsu, Hiroshima, Fukuoka, Kagoshima, Kumamoto, Nagasaki and Osaka. Or a previous trip flying to Sapporo (CX) and then the Shinkansen down via Hakodate, Matsushima, Tokyo and finally Osaka to fly out (NH). Plus more over the years.

Using the rail pass as a foreigner, you end up seeing more of Japan than a lot of Japanese themselves!

jhm, I'm gonna need a Kanazawa guide from you.

Some details here:

http://www.sqtalk.com/forum/showthre...924#post194924

including Komatsu Yasuke (assuming the 80+ year old sushi chef hasn't retired by the time you get there) and Mekumi (a sushi bar run by a husband/wife team somewhere out of town).

[HUGE AL]

Kiji is great. They are so friendly! Every time I've gone there, I've left with their metal scraper (as a gift from them and not accidentally dropping into my bag ).

Last time I was there, he screamed, "CALIFORNIA!!" when I walked in the door. hahahahahaha

Stop stealing the okonomiyaki utensils!

Some details here:

http://www.sqtalk.com/forum/showthre...924#post194924

including Komatsu Yasuke (assuming the 80+ year old sushi chef hasn't retired by the time you get there) and Mekumi (a sushi bar run by a husband/wife team somewhere out of town).

Why is that buried in the Osaka thread???

[yflyer]

Ex: Posts 122-126 could have been condensed into one post. Notice how I'm doing it here right now. Multiquote is not restricted to replying to only one person at a time.

Uh huh...using it now. Useful! That a hint I'm posting too much?

Kiji is great. They are so friendly! Every time I've gone there, I've left with their metal scraper (as a gift from them and not accidentally dropping into my bag ).

Yes, e.g. I bought a 14-day pass and made use of it last month in and around Tokyo and also overnights in Nikko, Hamamatsu, Hiroshima, Fukuoka, Kagoshima, Kumamoto, Nagasaki and Osaka. Or a previous trip flying to Sapporo (CX) and then the Shinkansen down via Hakodate, Matsushima, Tokyo and finally Osaka to fly out (NH). Plus more over the years.

Using the rail pass as a foreigner, you end up seeing more of Japan than a lot of Japanese themselves!

A lot of very useful advice, jhm! Need to revisit all these threads the next time I visit Japan to properly plan my itinerary (Or more likely, forward them all to Mrs yflyer to include...)

Didn't make it to Kiji this time. Didn't even make it to the top of the Sky Building! Then again I guess it is always good to leave something for next time.

Why is that buried in the Osaka thread???

A lot of useful Japan holiday advice in that thread! It began when I asked the naive question, where to get good sushi in Osaka...and answer was not in Osaka :-)

[HUGE AL]

Uh huh...using it now. Useful! That a hint I'm posting too much?

Easier to read this way. I think your post count should be somewhere around 2000 instead.

Didn't even make it to the top of the Sky Tower! Then again I guess it is always good to leave something for next time.

Skip that. Despite its name, there's no reason to go up to the top.

[yflyer]

Skip that. Despite its name, there's no reason to go up to the top.

I'm actually quite a sucker for scenery and views...even if there is nothing up there to appreciate apart from views of Osaka, it would be worth it for me...

[icn.sg]

Thanks for another gorgeous report, yflyer.

Many friends and relatives appear to have scooted off to Osaka and Kyoto for their Christmas and New Year break this year, instead of the usual Tokyo and Hokkaido. Your report came just at the right time, and has helped me decide my next vacation spot!

This is my first time seeing a north bound flight making such a sharp turn east immediately after take-off from Changi. Any idea if it was to avoid Malaysian airspace or were there other reasons?

I've never stayed in a Japanese style room before, but have seen plenty of them on "Japan Hour" over the years. Was there a cap on the number of occupants in each room? And was payment according to the number of pax or per room?

Would you say that Osaka is significantly cheaper to stay in than Tokyo?