See You Again, Japan

Nine days was not nearly enough to satisfy my long-standing pursuit of Japan. Instead of quenching the thirst, it made me hungrier for more! We stayed in Osaka during the entire duration of our vacation, opting for a day trip to Kyoto so we wouldn't have to bring our luggage with us. It was such an experience. I loved every moment of it. Here are some of the things that I miss now that we're back in the Philippines.

We spent our last day in Japan at Ryokuchi Park, Osaka.

The cold autumn temperature, which ranged from 5 degrees in the nighttime to 15 degrees in the daytime. 

A beautiful day in Osaka

• I got the chance to wear pretty trench coats and jackets. I wanted to wear boots, but I didn't find an affordable pair that was comfortable enough for long-distance walking.
• I set a new highest step count record multiple times (according to Samsung Health) comfortably without a single drop of sweat.
• Because I didn't sweat, I didn't feel dirty or grimy at the end of the day.
• My eye makeup didn't melt off my face like it usually does when I don't stay in an air-conditioned room all day. No panda eyes!

The clean air.

• Most cars were hybrid and didn't puff out any smoke.
• My sinuses cleared up.

The delicious food.

• Japanese food just tastes so much better in Japan! ;-D 

The comfortable public transportation.

• I didn't mind riding the trains and subway at all (except during the train ride to Kyoto when we had to sit backwards i.e. not facing the direction the train was moving). Usually I get nauseous and dizzy riding jeepneys because of the smog and the jerky way most jeepney drivers drive, but the train was a very comfortable ride.

So, to borrow General Douglas MacArthur's words, "I came through and I shall return!" Haha! :-D

Japan, Here We Come!

Just a few more days and we'll be in Japan. It's really happening! After all these years of wishing and hoping, I'll finally set foot in the Land of the Rising Sun! :-D

All my bags are packed and I'm ready to go... Kumamon Helly Kitty is, too!

It's going to be such an adventure. First, it'll be my first time travelling out of the country. I'm so excited to experience autumn. I live in the Philippines where there are only two seasons: summer and the rainy season. I often complain that it's too hot, even during the rainy season. I'm looking forward to the cold weather and wearing a trench coat. Haha!

Second, I've never been on a train before. We don't have them where I live. We're going to attempt to navigate Osaka's complex train system on our own with the aid of Google Maps and hopefully some helpful Japanese people along the way. Good luck to us.

Third, we're going to explore Osaka and Kyoto by bicycle on a couple of days. I hope the drivers in Japan are friendly to cyclists. But I'll most likely stick to the sidewalks when possible since I'm not that confident in my biking skills. And I hope my knees can handle it. I've been undergoing physical therapy for patella alta these past few weeks. Thankfully I can now climb up and down stairs with just minimal discomfort. It used to be torture.

Fourth, I'm about to put my Japanese language skills to the test. Not that there's much to test since I only know very basic Japanese. I  haven't even finished Pimsleurs's Japanese Level 3 yet. I'm on lesson 13. Still, it will be fun trying to converse in Japanese. "Trying" is the key word here. Hehe... Tanoshimi desu. :-p

We are going to Japan!!!

At last! After thinking about it for years and years, we are going to Japan! I can finally put one check mark in my bucket list.

In less than six months, we'll be eating takoyaki, okonomiyaki, kushikatsu, ramen, gyoza, and Japanese curry in Osaka! Nine glorious days in Japan's Kitchen... and a side trip to Kyoto. I can't wait! In the meantime, I am busy making our itinerary. I have a feeling I might never get it finished since I keep changing and tweaking it every day. Hah!

It's my first time travelling out of the country because I was such a cheapskate before. Now I have decided to be a cheapskate no more. Life is short. What's the point in working to earn money if you don't spend it and enjoy the fruits of your hard labor? I'm going to live life NOW. NOW is when everything happens. Well, okay. Six months from now is when this particular something is going to happen, but you get my drift.


My shopping list is getting just as long as my list of what to eat while in Japan. I want to buy Japanese cosmetics while I'm there. I wonder what drugstore brands are good, and where should I buy them? Food items like tsukemono, nori, noriten, instant ramen, and wasabi aji ika furai are also in my list. Chopsticks, a nice metal Japan keychain to replace my broken Malaysia one... the list goes on and on. But I haven't figured out where the best and cheapest places to buy them are. Maybe you know? :-)