Universal Studio Japan

I have heard so much about it before we decided to visit Osaka and here, we are today, travelling to Universal Studio Japan.

It was quite a distance from our hotel and we had to figure out how to get on to the right train so that we can be on the right track to USJ. The weather today was really cold at 8 degree with very strong wind and having to spend almost the whole day in the outdoor may not be the best but it was definitely better than hot weather.

When we arrived at USJ after a 45 minutes train ride from the city, the kids were excited already! There were shops along the path to USJ and it wasn’t as crowded as what we were expecting. Thank God for that.

With no time wasting, we went to queue up for some rides and our first ride was the Snoopy Ride and it took us about 10 minutes of queuing time. After the ride, we were lucky to catch Snoopy and friends around the area and happy to get a picture taken too. We continued to comb the kid’s area and little pumpkin was excited to take on the race on Sesame Street. She was not sure how to manage the car but the staff was nice to assist her. She had a great time banging onto other kids and managed to move the car for a very short distance. Hahaahahahahahaahha

We continued our adventure to the center area where all the thrill rides and they do have some heart friendly rides too…. Hahahaha… that’s for me. We flew passed the queue for the Jaws ride as we bought Express Passes and that seriously saved us loads of time queuing. The Jaws boat ride was fantastic for us except for Lady Faith who was scared to tears! I kept telling her that the Jaws was fake and it’s only a toy but she just can’t handle the scare while little pumpkin kept commanding us to shoot the shark each time it surfaced! Hahahahaahah

As there was a height limitation for little pumpkin, Lady Faith took the Jurassic Park ride with her dad and I was told it was amazing! We stopped over at a café nearby to have pizza for luncheon. Food was not too bad but wasn’t the best actually… the weather was so cold that our pizza turned cold after a very short while as we were seated outdoor. 

After lunch, I took the Spiderman ride with Lady Faith as once again, little pumpkin was not allowed for the ride. I felt so bad for her but she seemed happy to hang out with daddy with pocky in her hands. The Spiderman ride was not as exciting for it reminded me of the Transformer ride in USS which was a 3 or 4D effect and you only felt the movement and it was quite boring infact.

For us, the most interesting area would be the Harry Potter village. It was so beautifully built and I felt so REAL! Lady Faith and little pumpkin were thrilled by the buildings and they kept telling us that there were magic everywhere! We walked through the village and checked out the shops and man… they were simply amazing! 

We headed straight for the ride but again, little pumpkin was too short to enter. Lady Faith was lucky enough to take the ride twice – once with dad and the other with me. I wasn’t prepared for the ride and thought it should be pleasant. To my horror…. I found myself screaming after 2 minutes of the ride till the end! I am afraid of heights and this ride though was no rollercoaster but it was 3D with a different grade! The pictures and movement were so REAL that I thought I was flying and man… my heart couldn’t contain that kind of ride! Lady Faith on the other hand was enjoying herself and kept checking me out each time I screamed! Geezzzz…. I am glad I am still alive after the ride!

Need to take a breather and I bought the butterbeer to try since that was one of the highlights in the village besides the wand shop. The butterbeer tasted really nice, it was probably rootbeer with butter foam and it was pretty delicious till the kids enjoyed it too. 

Our last stop was the game stall area for the kids once again and though it was not easy to win but it was the spirit that counts. Lady Faith was so close to winning another prize for her little sister but did not managed.

The sky was turning dark and on our way to the exit, we managed to catch the Sesame Street performance and our little pumpkin was so happy that she ran to take the front seat. She was jumping and dancing along with Elmo and friends as they sang & dance (though in Japanese). 

It was indeed a wonderful day at the USJ and I would say this is definitely a better adventure than the one back home. So guys, if you are visiting Osaka, please spend a day at USJ.

A Day At The ‘Black Door’

After a beautiful outing at Kyoto, we decided to stay put in Osaka to explore a little bit more. Today, we went to Kuromon Market which is not too far from our hotel. It was a cool morning temperature at 12 degrees and feeling fresh and excited, we arrived at the Kuromon Market.

There were so many stuffs in there. The market is pretty big and with different sections. We walked through the market and it was all about food. Yes, as we walked through the narrow and crowded lanes, our eyes were so busy checking out the food the stalls were selling our kids were shouting to us that they want to eat this and that! 

We stopped by to buy the BBQ Eel and it was sooooooooooooo tasty!!! Both girls enjoyed it so much that they requested for another serving. We told them to try other food as we continued our walk. Hubby and I saw the stall selling fresh sashimi and decided to try them. This would be the other best sashimi I tried from Japan. My utmost favourite would be the Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo which served up the BEST sashimi that I have ever tasted! Following up was the Kobe beef stick and the crab stick. The Kobe beef was super yummy and tender which the crab stick was pretty much sweet on its own and tasty too.

After tasting so many foods, it’s time to try out their fruits. Hubby bought the Rock Melon and it was heavenly sweet! Little pumpkin loved it so much that she finished up the whole 2 pieces and hubby went to get some more for us to quench our thirst.

As we walked back to the entrance taking the other section, almost all the stalls were selling the same type of stuff but we managed to get the kids try some BBQ squid, sweet potatoes etc. I would say that this visit to Kuromon Market is a pretty fruitful one.

After luncheon, we went to explore the other side of Dontonbori and tried to do some shopping. It was really crowded but managed to get some souvenirs. When we saw the iconic poster for Dontonbori, we tried to imitate the poster for a picture. There were so many people taking the picture of the poster while many others were attracted to the cosplayers. 

Even our kiddos were attracted to them and wanted to take picture with them. They were really nice and friendly when we approached them for a picture taken with the kids. There were even some of them standing at the side hoping that we will ask for picture but they were too scary looking for our kids’ liking. 

Went back to the hotel earlier to rest as we will be heading to Universal Studio Osaka tomorrow! Woohoo!!!

The Beautiful Kyoto

Woke up on this cold morning feeling really excited about our trip to Kyoto. Heard so much about this beautiful town and today, we will be experiencing it ourselves. We booked the day tour package from Singapore and we just need to get our way to the bus terminal which is very near our hotel.

When we arrived at the bus terminal, hubby registered ourselves and we were very impressed by their services. They gave us all the information on our day tour and coach seats were assigned too. Thumps up!

It was about an hour journey from Osaka City to Kyoto. Upon arrival at Saga Torokko Station, the cold wind was not really friendly but the kids enjoying the ‘smoke’ coming out of their mouth when they talked. This was the same experience when we were at Mount Fuji last year. We waited about less than 5 minutes for the Scenic Train to arrive and got on board.

The Sagano Romantic train travels a leisurely 25-minutes route from Sagao Torokko Station to Kameoka Torokko Station, following the scenic beauty of the Hozukyo Ravie on its route. The view was so beautiful that many couldn’t just sit and watch but hurried to snap some beautiful pictures for the album.

After a fantastic and joyful ride, we arrived at Arashimaya Station. As we walked through the tall and beautiful green bamboo grove, I felt free, fairytale sensation and very nature walk. These bamboo groves grow further apart from each other, allowing it to become thick and beautiful. The beautiful sight of sunlight shining through the bamboo grove, casting soft shadows on the path. Especially when the wind blows through, you can see moving images exuding a tranquil feel. That is the true charm of these forests of the east. It was indeed a wonderful morning walk through a beautiful and tranquil forest!

We were led to the restaurant for our early lunch and I did some quick shopping after the lunch. The souvenirs shops just at the 1^st level of the restaurant was alluring. They housed loads of different types of souvenirs from Kyoto and many other sweets, cookies and biscuits which I can’t bear NOT to buy!

Our next stop was to Kiyomizudera (清水寺, literally "Pure Water Temple") is one of the most celebrated temples of Japan. Kiyomizudera is best known for its wooden stage that juts out from its main hall, 13 meters above the hillside below. The main hall, which together with the stage was built without the use of nails, houses the temple's primary object of worship, a small statue of the eleven faced, thousand armed Kannon.

The Otowa Waterfall is located at the base of Kiyomizudera's main hall. Its waters are divided into three separate streams, and visitors use cups attached to long poles to drink from them. Each stream's water is said to have a different benefit, namely to cause longevity, success at school and a fortunate love life. However, drinking from all three streams is considered greedy. Hahahahahaah

Our final stop for the day was at Fushimi Inari Taisha. Fushimi Inari Shrine (伏見稲荷大社, Fushimi Inari Taisha) is an important Shinto Shrine in southern Kyoto. It is famous for its thousands of vermilion torii gates, which straddle a network of trails behind its main buildings. The trails lead into the wooded forest of the sacred Mount Inari, which stands at 233 meters and belongs to the shrine grounds.

As time was pretty much limited on this last stop, we didn’t get to walk through the parallel rows of gates called Senbon Torii ("thousands of torii gates"). We will be back to check it out next time. 😊 We only managed to enjoy the street food from the stalls around the shrine and man… the food was really good! I was pretty much pleased to taste the Wayu beef sticks and the wantons. They were delicious! So, if you visit Fushimi Inari Shrine and have lots of time, please walk the Senbon Torri and try their street food! Thumps up!

It was a fantastic tour to Kyoto today and upon arrived at Namba, we headed for our dinner at Takashimaya. Found this little restaurant Fukutaro that served Okonomiyaki. There was a queue when we arrived but waited for about 15 minutes to be seated.

We love this restaurant as it is really cool and very JAPANESE! They only have counter seats and snapped in the center was the chef cooking area. At any seats you are at, you are able to catch a glimpse of how your food is cooked. Very interesting!

Our food was served on the teppanyaki style serving hot plate table and it was really a fantastic idea to keep your food hot. We even got to stir fried our Yakisoba when it was served… hahahahaha… love the food and the restaurant. Thumps Up! We will definitely return for more…😊

Let Our Adventure Begins

After a restful night rest, we were up and filled with energy for a day of exploring. Headed out to the train station and managed to find our way to another attraction – The Osaka Station. 

Osaka Station is a major railway station in Osaka’s Umeda district (also known as Kita) that is served by a large number of local and interregional trains, but not the shinkansen which stop at Shin-Osaka Station. The formerly dark and cramped station underwent extensive renovation works and was reborn in 2011 as Osaka Station City, one of Japan's most attractive railway stations.

Newly constructed and renovated buildings on the north and south sides of the station provide travelers with a wide array of shopping, dining, entertainment and recreation opportunities, and are connected with each other by a wide bridge over the railway tracks.

The place is so big and we were explored this beautiful station right after our lunch at Daimaru. The station is so huge that we didn’t where to start but we decided just to take a walk around and we somehow managed to reach an area with the big clock that said Osaka Station on it. The whole building is so beautiful and just by looking at the tracks got your excited.

After spending about an hour checking out the station and some shopping at Daimaru, we took another train to Shinsaibashi where another famous street is nearby. During winter, the day seemed to be so much shorter and by the time we arrived at Shinsekai, the sky was almost turning dark. 

Shinsekai is a street that housed many restaurants, bars and spas. The restaurants are beautifully lighted up that brightened up the streets and there are too many restaurants to choose from if you are planning for a bite. I was rather surprised that it was as crowded compared to Dontombori. 

Tsutenkaku Tower is 103 meters high, with the main observatory at a height of 91 meters. A new open-air deck on top of the main observatory was opened in late 2015. We planned to visit this tower but the sky was already dark so we decided to skip and went for our dinner.

Osaka, Here We Come!!

Konichiwa Osaka! We are finally here after a long flight transiting at Hong Kong. It was indeed a very tiring fight since 2am this morning and we finally arrived at Kansai Airport safely from Hongkong this afternoon.

The weather was so cold that we can’t wait to get into the car which we arranged. Little pumpkin was extremely happy with the cold weather though she kept telling me, “mama, very cccccooooollllldddd’ with a cheeky smile on her face and she did not reject when I asked her to pose for a picture. 😊

After checking in to our hotel, we freshened up ourselves and headed out to explore the neighbourhood. Our hotel is such a great location where it is just located beside Takashimaya Department stall and walking distance to Dontombori and the Black Market.

We decided to check out the famous food street of Dontombori which was about 5-8 mins slow walk and when we arrived, it was very crowded but super interesting to see so many restaurants and street stalls around.

Without hesitation, I queued up for the Takoyaki (octopus ball) which is one of Osaka’s signature street food. I queued up for about 10 minutes to get my set of takoyaki with yakisoba. It was really delicious and definitely tasted better than those I tried in Singapore. THUMPS UP!!!! The kiddos who has no idea what this food is about loved it too and yes, they finished up everything while hubby and I only had a biteful of each.

There were so many different restaurants serving different types of food but they were so crowded and had to queue for at least about 45 minutes to get our seat. Since we were very tired after day, we decided to check out the restaurants near our hotel.

We checked out restaurants in Takashimaya Departmental Store and decided to dine at Mimiu Honten since they had the shortest queue. Browsed through their menu and Lady Faith was so happy that they served tempura and yes, she had that for dinner. Hubby and I shared the shabu shabu set and it was pretty good.

When we returned to our hotel, it marked the 21 hours of being awake! Yes, we were clearly short of sleep and you can imagine how tired we were… the kids only managed to sleep a couple of hours onboard the flight while I only managed to take a short nap of 20 minutes. Geeezzzz….. surprised that I was able to keep awake for 21 hours!!!

I shall take my rest now and hope I will regain all my energy for tomorrow. 😊

Luncheon With Miyazaki-San

Miyazaki-san is so far the BEST boss by far I have worked with and he never fails to keep in touch with us and always take time out to meet us over luncheon. This time, he visited SIN on a private trip basis and he invited us to lunch with him.

I was really happy to be included in his list of invitees and truly blessed to have the opportunity to work with him for a good 7 years. Wonderful boss indeed. After my cake delivery at the office, I walked over to Pan Pacific Hotel with Leng and as we walked, we were talking about how we missed those days working under him with no pressure with pleasure!

It was so good to see him again or in fact, it is like a yearly affair that he will visit SIN and invite us to lunch with him. He always gives us the green light to order whatever we like and that’s how generous he is. To us, he is no longer a boss but a very close friend at heart.

It was really nice to see the rest of the ex-colleagues turning up for lunch and it was good time to catch up with them and at the same time, some of us discussed about our trip to Bangkok next year and told Miyazaki-san that he will be expecting us…hahahaahahah

I was happy to share my cupcakes and brownies with him for the first time and I was happy that everyone enjoyed my Red Velvet Cupcakes with Whiskey Cream Cheese Frosting which is one of my newest creation. 😊 I tasted it and it was pretty good… hahaahahahah

After the delicious lunch, I suspected that it must be the whiskey that could have made Linda drunk... she walked out with Miyazaki-san and stood at the door way 'thanking' us for attending the luncheon... it was like a wedding lunch we just attended! SUPER HILARIOUS!!!! 

Thank you Miyazaki-san for the sumptuous lunch and it was indeed fantastic seeing you again. Hope to see you in Bangkok next year!

Chocolate Berries Cupcakes

Been sending some cakes to some special people in my previous company and I am really glad to receive good feedbacks from them for my bakes.

I am happy to receive orders from some of them and here’s a box of ready cupcakes ready for delivery since I will be meeting some of them for luncheon later today.

Thank you very much for your support Jeanette and look forward to your next order again yea… 😊