Autumn Kansai Adventure: Kyoto

Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan

12-14 November 2016

Almost as soon as we got well acquainted with the train lines and train stations in Osaka, it was time to head to Kyoto, where we fumbled our way through the bus routes and bus stops. Despite there being reliable train lines in Kyoto, Claire and I deemed it more practical to take the buses as we explored the city. A lot of the bus routes were nearer the sites we wanted to visit, and the buses were more widely available, especially in the outskirts of Kyoto.

Self-explanatory bus routes and stations - that's the dream

Plus GPS-enabled buses that arrive on the dot - that's the dream :))

 Day 4: Nishiki Market and Downtown Kyoto

After settling down at our hostel, we had time to spare before night fell so we went to downtown Kyoto and looked for Nishiki Market. The tita in me was very pleased with the variety of goods sold in the famous market, ranging from dried seafood, confectionery, herbs and spices, and many fresh produce. I actually enjoyed just walking through the throng and looking at the stalls. Along the way, we tried some street food and soft serve. Claire had grilled baby octopus and black sesame soft serve, while I had grilled scallops and matcha soft serve.

Partly confident about Kyoto's grid-like streets, partly dependent on Google Maps, we detoured to the shopping streets nearby: Shinkyogoku-dori and Teramachi-dori. How well-lit and convenient it is to do shopping in these arcades, indeed.

We continued walking directionless around downtown Kyoto, and then went to the quaint and famed Pontocho Alley and the surrounding streets in the Gion area. There were loads of tourists, but the traditional atmosphere of the area was still palpable. The bigger streets were crowded, but the small alleyways were very charming, with their red lanterns and decorated shop windows.

Walking along, we reached what was probably (😂) the banks of Kamo River. We came across what seemed like a fastfood restaurant that takes order with a vending machine. It's one experience we wanted to try in Japan, and so we had our fill of the full (but relatively cheap!) meals. Too bad I forgot the name!

Autumn Kansai Adventure: Osaka

Most of the downtime I (and I assume Claire, too) had during the latter half of 2016 was spent on planning and worrying about our Japan trip last November. The eight-day adventure in the Kansai area was special  for the both of us because we've always wanted to visit Japan, and it was a trip that we had full control over. We planned the trip from scratch, pooled our resources together, processed our visas, got antsy over our lack of Japanese language (and geographical/navigational) skills, pored over the Google Sheet file for our itinerary for months on end, and come November 8, threw caution to the wind.

It was worth it.

--

Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture, Japan

8-12 November 2016

November 8th was such a terrible day for Philippine history. We were already at NAIA waiting for our flight when news broke that a certain dictator had been allowed burial at the LNMB. And so on we hopped to our flight, looking forward to forgetting the self-destruction happening in the Philippines, even for just a little while.

Arriving about 10 PM at the rainy Kansai Airport, we bought two passes to help us navigate Osaka more conveniently, with access to both mass transportation and popular tourist sites. We got the Kansai One Pass and the Osaka Amazing Pass from the Tourist Center, whose staff were all very accommodating. 

We took the Nankai train straight from KIX, which got me a little too envious of Japan so early in the trip. (A train directly to the international airport!) We got seated next to a retiree Canadian so eager to tell anyone who would listen to him about his travel woes. He told us about the terrible Airbnb he booked in Hong Kong, his long flight from the US, and his uncertainty about where his Airbnb in Osaka was. He chatted with us for the whole duration of the ride until we reached Namba, where we were also headed. Since the information office where we hoped to seek assistance from English-speakings staff was closed, a kind uncle volunteered to help the Canadian. Meanwhile, Claire and I found our way to the train line we had to take to get us to our own Airbnb.

Tired from the flight and the adrenaline rush, we settled for the night and prepared for our trip to Universal Studios the following day.

Day 1: Universal Studios Japan, Osaka

Even if we've read and watched tons of entries about USJ, and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in particular, we were downright overwhelmed with the fact that we were finally able to visit Hogsmeade and Hogwarts, with a bit of the Forbidden Forest on the side. The cold weather, with alternating sunny and overcast skies, added to the experience, too. It was amazing. ♥ 

Hello, childhood dream. :')

I know I was just a consumer of this fabricated, materialist reality. But darn, I loved every single minute of it. :D

There was still a huge crowd at the park even if it was a Wednesday, which was no less than what we expected. We were, in fact, among the first few hundred who had to run to get inside WWHP without the need for timed-entry tickets. Aside from the lines for the attractions, we also had to deal with the language barrier. Almost everything was in Japanese, though I personally didn't really mind. 

Gladrags Wizardwear and The Three Broomsticks

Kids trying out robes at Wiseacre’s Wizarding Equipment :')

Such lovely details in the interiors

Ollivander's! All the wandsss.

The view of the castle across the Black Lake :')

My meal at the Three Broomsticks ♥

I had Butterbeer. Everything was beautiful and nothing hurt.

Bear! :D

I loved how these banners are so in-character. :))
Encouraging Hufflepuff. Assertive Slytherin. Indifferent? Ravenclaw. Hardy Gryffindor. :))

(Costly 😭) Confectionery Dreamland

The details were so amazing. 

We spent the whole morning (and then some) solely inside the WWHP. In the afternoon, we attempted to try going out to the other parts of the park.

Arya at Amityville!

Quaint brownstones and hidden alleyways

While wandering around the rest of USJ, we chanced upon the starting location of the park's parade. The energy was contagious. :))

Well, the keyword was "attempted." After probably an hour, or maybe two, max, we were back again in Hogsmeade. :))

That's not the castle you're looking for, Arya.

We just took the Forbidden Journey ride again, and just marveled once more at the magical world we were (temporarily) in. It was a good call that we decided not to get the Express Pass, firstly because the lines weren't 3-4 hours-long and, secondly, because we dedicated more than ample time for our stay in WWHP. It was an altogether different experience to see Hogsmeade and Hogwarts light up in the evening.

The Howler is Mrs. Weasley chastising Ron, in Japanese, of course.

♥♥♥

The park was truly more beautiful at night. If we had a choice, we would have stayed there for a week more. However, we had to leave at around 7PM to make sure that we still had a train to catch.

Were were exhausted from all the walking and the queues. We didn't even have the energy to look for a nice dinner, and so we had our first meal care of the friendly neighborhood convenience store.

But we went back to our room with happy and fulfilled Potterhead hearts, with Hedwig's theme still playing in our heads as we drifted off to sleep. :))

(More of the photodump under the cut)

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Jeep engines revving. Stray dogs barking. Coins clinking. Yellow fluorescent bulbs lining up the kiosks. Rows of fruits, vegetables, smoked fish. Knick-knacks and trinkets. Relentless honks from speeding buses. Cacophonous idle chatter. Cold northeast wind. Gray smoke from grills. Monotonous PSAs. Peddlers hawking their wares...

A waft of your scent.

And the world stops.

Capping off 2016

I thought that with the number of non-working holidays declared in December, I would have time to lounge around and catch up on my reading and writing pile. December did come by in a whirlwind, filled with frantic days finishing things up at work, catching up on commitments (and raket hehe) and looking for gifts. 

I should know by now that the holiday season meant two things: family and friends, despite the busyness the end of the year brings.

Gabriel and I celebrated our second anniversary weekend on the same month. No fuss, no frills - just a fun movie (Rogue One!), lots of food, running errands and getting over the Christmas preparation madness. We also celebrated Miguel's birthday and my parents' wedding anniversary that weekend.

Of course, December will not be complete without the yearly get-together with my high school barkada. Gellie came back from Japan after three years, bringing with her her husband. It kinda took a while for us to concede that one of us is now married and will be having a kid in a few months. A baby! Can you imagine? I can't, at first. But when we got together again after those three long years, it all felt just natural. Niraj is a pretty cool guy, too, who get along with us really well. He married Gellie; he's got loads of kakulitan in him, too, of course.

Gellie and Niraj were here for just two weeks. Before they left again for Japan, we met three times - for our year-end exchange gift and dinner, for dinner and videoke, and for a day trip to a clubhouse pool and spa. We did not notice it that time, but I realized that in that one week, we made it a point to squeeze in time to meet. We found holes in our schedules to make sure we could join the meet-ups. [Hello sa hard-to-get namin na friends na itago na lang natin sa codename na C at R. CR. :))]

Just the other night, Gabriel and I talked about how fortunate I am to still be friends with the guys I grew up with. How even though we barely manage to find time to meet often, it feels like we were together just yesterday. How ruthless we still are on teasing and bullying (heh) one another. How natural it is to discuss our dreams and fears and plans, and know that we got each other's backs. How easy it is to take off our #adulting facade and just be the hyperactive high schoolers we once were again for a little while. 

So yes, even if I did not manage to coop up in December (which I was really looking forward to), I wouldn't have my holiday break any other way.

Of trips we didn't take together just yet

Gabriel visited his family in Los Angeles during the last week of October to the first week of November. Two days after he arrived, I departed for a one-week trip to Japan. Amused by the dates we have chosen for our respective trips, we agreed to take souvenir photos that we can merge to signify that although we were not able to take the trips together, we were with each other in spirit. :))

The idea first came to us when we talked about how we would both visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, he in Hollywood, and me in Osaka. I told him the "similar itineraries, different time zones" montage reminded me of the Half & Half series of the Korean artist couple, ShinliArt. I wanted to call our series [Double Trouble], but it did not pass QC. 😂

And so the months of planning for our separate trips included thinking of places and things we would photograph. The priority, though, were photos* in Hogsmeade and Hogwarts.

Osaka ❌ Hollywood 

Hufflepuff ❌ Ravenclaw

Day ❌ Night

Dervish and Banges 

Universal City Osaka ❌ Universal City Hollywood

$  ❌ ¥

J. Paul Getty Museum ❌ Osaka Museum of Housing and Living

Breakfast ❌ Dinner

Osaka Science Museum ❌ Hollywood Wax Museum 

Tenryu-ji Temple ❌ J. Paul Getty Museum

Osaka Museum of Housing and Living ❌ Caesars Palace Las Vegas

Burger ❌ Takoyaki

I didn't know it could be quite a challenge not only to take photos of scenes as Gabriel had, but also to find the energy to think through those shots in the middle of sightseeing and endless walking Claire and I did in Osaka and Kyoto. (But more on that on a separate post, haha!) Merging a select few of the photos that matched was quite fun, though. This last one of the skylines is my favorite:

Mojave Desert ❌ Umeda Sky Garden

Gabriel and I first bonded over Harry Potter, back in 2013. We are both huge Potterheads, and we think that's probably one of the biggest reasons why we clicked in the first place. And so we were both so excited about visiting WWHP even if we regret not going together. Taking similar photos kind of consoled us, but we're definitely bent on going to the WWHP in Orlando with each other in tow someday soon.


*Props to Claire for patiently taking photos of me despite our cray cray walkathons. :))