LTC Pick for January: Trip to Japan - check!

One item crossed from my bucket list. One of my dream destination and it was worth all the preparation and money.

Japan is a combination of something new and familiar. The people were nice and helpful (even if we usually had to resort to sign languages) and the weather was a bit friendly. It only rained a few times during our stay and the weather had allowed us to enjoy out trips before drenching us during late afternoons.

First stop: Osaka - commercial and industrial center of Japan.

The Cebu Pacific half fare promo was the catalyst for our trip. It was a big saving for us and gave me an excuse to justify to myself the cost of our trip. Our flight landed on Kansai airport, about an hour away from Osaka's cicty center. There's a tourist friendly Kansai Pass that was budget friendly for our 3 days stay at Osaka. We checked in at Chisun Hotel near the Shin-Osaka subway station.

Some of the popular tourist spots in Osaka are the Osaka Castle, Tempozan Ferris Wheel, Tempozan Market, Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan.

On to Kyoto, famous cultural center that was once the capital of Japan.

Although entrance to castle grounds is free, there's a fee to enter the castle

Dugong in Japan!

We originally planned to tour as many castles in Kyoto but we we're so tired of our tour the day before that we slept in late. Nonetheless, the trip to Byodoin Temple was worth the 2nd day of tireless walking. As a bonus, we also went to Hongwan-ji temple near the Kyoto tower. Then on to Nishiki Market for some shopping and met a fellow Filipina as well.

Welcome to Universal Studios Japan

It was raining almost the whole time we were in USJ but we still had a blast! The rides and shows were spectacular and we enjoyed every ride and show we got.

Space Fantasy ride is not for the faint hearted, Spiderman ride will make you a bit dizzy. Jaws, Back to the Future, and Waterworld were so real like, it seemed you were watching the actual filming. But Terminator was the best! Even just waiting in line and we couldn't understand the actor's words (she was speakin in Japanese), we we're already entertained! Being Arnie fans didn't hurt either. And to top it off, the Live Rock and Roll show was groovy!

Tokyo Disneyland

Tokyo Disneyland was so big that we were not able to tour the entire place! There was 7 different sections inside the park and we were able to go to all sections but not really explore each one. It was a good thing that I had friends who were frequent visitors of the park and they planned our itinerary for the day. We were able to avail more rides than usual because there was less people that day due to the elections and my friends took as many fastpass as they can for us.

The Pirates of the Caribbean ride should not be missed by Johnny Depp fans. Seriously.

Yokohama and Tokyo

This post has been long enough so just a few more stuff to consider for your own Japan tour.

Ippudo Ramen near Yokohama station - simply divine.

Shinkansen (bullet train) ride - expensive but something to try at least once in your life.

Wagyu beef - delicious!

Corona beer - I know your can get it oustide of Japan but it was my first time to try it. Love it!

Akihabara - for the geeks in all of us.