Kyoto Sept 2019 : Around Nagominowa Area

The usual things we do after we check-in to our lodging and freshen up, is to walk around the neighbourhood to explore and get our bearings. So that was what we did when we first arrive in Kyoto. We were happy to find a nearby supermarket at the nearest main road where were can get our snacks and drinks. There were also many vending machines nearby. We spotted some stone statues around too since this was after all, Kyoto. I like the monk statue above cause it reminds me of the pilgrimage monks in Koyasan. 

There was a little shrine nearby, on the same road as the reception building of our hotel. So like all well brought up Buddhist, we actually went there first to pay our respect to the local deities. Above is my husband praying at the altar.

This is what the main entrance of the shrine looked like. It was really small, but it looked so traditional all the same with its small torii gate and all. 

On our first night there, we went out to meet my husband's friend for drinks at a bar nearby. We took a 20minutes walk there, and pass by some beautiful temples that were lit up. I guess it's a famous temple? I wasn't sure, and to be honest, we didn't visit it either during our stay here. We just saw this while on our way to the bar, and took it's beautiful photo.

We can also see the beautiful Kyoto Tower that night. This acts like a guide to know your bearing cause if you see it, and you head towards it, it means you're headed towards Kyoto Station. I will write more about the bar we went to in the next blog. Please allow me to finish sharing the things around our inn first.

There was also this traditional sweet shop on the same road as our inn. And my husband has to walk pass it every morning when he goes to attend his fermentation classes in a house nearby. In the shop, there is a super grumpy old man that tends to it. And I don't know, maybe just to cheer him up, we usually buy some sweets from him every morning. Above is some of the sweet we bought. I was interested in wagashi after taking a class on it, so it was fun for me to try the different flavours and shapes that he has in his shop. They were all freshly made, and roughly made, but still taste nice! Plus, it was good to support the local businesses nearby. We also had breakfast in an old cafe nearby one morning. I will write that as one of the most in the future too! Watch out for it. 

Here's my husband outside his fermentation school, which was the reason we went to Kyoto in the first place. He was really interested in fermentation, and there was a 3 day course being conducted here which one of his friend was also joining. So every morning, he will come here and spend the day here learning about "koji" and it's fermentation process. I was happy just to get free lodging in Japan, and also to run around alone in this country :)

Kyoto Sept 2019 : Nagominowa Inn

We arrived at Kyoto on a Sunday afternoon, and made our way to the small traditional inn that we have booked for our stay here. It was nearby Kyoto main station, along the traditional narrow streets. Our luggage made so much noise when we drag it along those road. And Kyoto is such a quiet place that I feel embarrass for making so much noise as I go. Above is the main entrance of our inn. But the  main reception was actually another inn located nearby, which was where we went to check-in when we arrive.

The main reception building was also a traditional inn, but it was a lot bigger and houses the restaurant and reception here. There were also internal gardens as you made yourself to the dining area, and they were decorated so beautifully that I took a photos while waiting to check in. 

I like the narrow pathways inside the inn, and how the natural lights still shine in from above.

It was also decorated simply, yet tastefully.

After checking in, they gave us a rule book/guide book on the inn, and our keys, and we made our way to the inn just a road away. Above is what it looks like when you enter the main door. This is the common area, where you can sit and chat with your friends, and there is also a fridge here which we uses to store our cold drinks because it was so hot when we visited. We have to take off our shoes once we go up the small steps, so on the left is the shoe cabinet where you can keep your shoes. It was simple but nice. Out room is directly at the end of the pathway you see on top. 

Above is what our room looks like, and basically, that's it. No cabinet, no shelves, nothing. There is a toilet to the left when you enter, and where I took the photo graphs is basically where the door to enter is. We have to make our beds every night before we sleep, and roll it up after we wake up, so that we have enough space to move around. We can hang our clothes and tower at the bare minimum clothes hanger you see at the left side. And most of the time, i eat my snacks or breakfast at the small table you see on the right. But the room has a large window that looks out into a private indoor garden which lets the natural lights in, and it kinda makes everything ok after that. 

The garden is really small, but it's nice in the morning when the sun shines in, and at least there are some green view when you open the window. And since it's private, it was ok to leave the window open. But my husband refuses to keep the window open when we sleep at night, lol. Guess he reads/watched too much Japanese horror stories when he was young.

Since the inn used to be a traditional tea house, everything about it was traditional (except the toilet, thankfully). So the walls are very thin, and you can hear everything around you. So they really stress that you make as little noise as possible when you are staying here. There were also rules if you were even standing outside the building as the roads are narrow and houses are nearby each other. Try not to disturb the neighbours!

I really like the fact that although Japan is a crowded place, it is also a quiet place where people mostly try not to disturb each other. I don't get so stressed out here by people talking loudly on the phone, or watching movies on their phones, and playing loud music for everyone to hear on the bus. It's a nice change from Singapore. 

Lastly, here is the view every morning. I just like the angle of this photo cause it looks like I just woke up. I will write move about the areas around the inn for the next week blog entries before I start on the beautiful city of Kyoto. Stay tune!

Osaka Sept 2019 : Hilton Hotel Basement Restaurant

Since we had no whether to go, and it was too early to take a train to Kyoto, we decided to wonder around Osaka station. While we were looking for a restroom, we walked past a row of restaurant at the basement of the Hilton Hotel. A restaurant was a great place to spend time in, and since they have seafood, my husband decided to give me a treat. It was a Hokkaido seafood restaurant, and both of us really miss the food in Hokkaido, so we decided to go in and give it a try. After all, eating at such a place in Singapore would be beyond our budget. 

We both ordered a set lunch, and added a crab dish to share, as well as a Sapporo beer to share. Above is how they serve the crab gratin. Isn't it lovely?

we weren't sure whether it was already cooked or not, but since there was a small fire under it, we decided to wait, and the crab paste slowly melted like butter. Taste so heavenly!

I'm not sure if we ordered a second one for this. But I remember it was so delicious!

The crab was just the appetiser, and pretty soon my set meal arrived. It was sushi rice covered in little silver baits, and a side of tempura. I ordered it because it looks the most alien set menu there, and I was feeling adventurous!

They were really generous on the little fishes. And I can understand if some foreigner from the west find this totally unappetising. But to me, it was delicious! I finished the whole bowl, even though we had just had a buffet breakfast and morning snacks. 

The tempura was also not too shabby. A very delightful meal.

My husband of course went all out and ordered the full sashimi set. It came in a bouquet of raw fishes and decorated so nicely too! Wow. I miss eating Japanese food in restaurant. I told myself that after all this Covid19 madness is over, I need to go treat  myself to a nice Japanese meal!

And so ends our last day in Osaka. We boarded the train after lunch and made our way to Kyoto, which is like 1 hour away. 

Osaka Sept 2019 : Blue Jean Cat Bakery @ Osaka Station

On the last day of our Osaka stay, we checked out after breakfast and make our way to Osaka station. I had one last place I wanted to visit before leaving Osaka, and that was a cat bakery call Blue Jean. I have seen photos of it in the internet and just can't help putting it on my itinerary. So off we went, hunting for it. And it was so hard to find that I nearly gave up. But luckily my husband manage to locate it after going thru many underground walk ways and through some hotels. And we were welcomed by this cute cat sign just outside the bakery. 

This is how big the bakery is, and there are some sits and table inside where you can sit down and have your snacks. It is just nearby the Hankyu Hotel, but not exactly inside of it. It's more located at the underground link way, so it's kinda hard to locate. 

On their menu, they have so many cat paw bakery! These kinda reminded me of bear paws in Weird Al's songs. I've never eaten bear paws before, so this is just how I imagine them to look like. Only, in Osaka, these are cat paws! And they look so cute and comes in so many flavours! Oh, by the way, the above's aren't donuts. They are ice creams!

They also sell bake goods like buns and cookies, all in the shape of cats all over their bakery.

Since it was around Halloween season, there were also seasonal cat paws on sales with Halloween decorations. I got some of those. 

In fact, here are all the things I got. Ice cream, cat paw cake, and a cannelle. I got a latte for my husband.

The little cannelle is also decorated with a pumpkin. It's a super cute place to visit for our morning snack. I initially thought this would be a cafe where we can hang out there till afternoon before making out way to Kyoto. But since there were limited seats there, we vacated our seats after finishing our food. It was a pity the latte didn't come in a proper mug or cup, that would have been so much better. But I'm glad I stopped by here and managed to enjoy a short snack at this cute bakery. 

Ref:
Blue Jeans Bakery Osaka

Osaka Sept 2019 : Billiken-San

To end my Shinsekai blog entries, I would like to leave you here with my Billiken photo collection! They are everywhere, in front of every shop! Like a money-neko! And almost everyone of them is different! It was fund looking out for them and taking their smily faces, welcoming you into their shop.

Well, since this is Osaka, you will see that most shops here are Kushikatsu shops! Lol.

Here's another white version outside yet another Kushikatsu shop.

An old lady looking billiken outside a Kushikatsu Donteyaki shop.

Billiken in baseball attire outside, yet another, you guess it, Kushikatsu shop.

Wow a souvenir shop Billiken! How different. Dress in Osaka Wally attire.

Oba-chan again, another Kushikatsu shop that also sells Kushiyaki(grilled instead of fried)

Three is a company Billiken.

Giant Fishing Billeken! Enough said! Hope you have enjoyed the post so far!

Osaka Sept 2019 : Old Market Alley

After lunch, we continue our exploration at Shinsekai. By this time, it started to drizzle, so we went to seek shelter. We found some covered shopping arcade nearby, and decided to spend some time here while waiting for the rain to stop. It was an excellent decision, as we found a local market there that happens to only open on Sunday!

But before we step in, the shops outside was also quite interesting and retro. Here's a whole shop of Gachapon! 

The retro decoration of the covered shopping arcade with beautiful poster hanging from the ceiling.

I didn't take much photo inside the alley. It was kinda like a quiet chinatown, selling shoes, household items, vegetables etc. But I did tool some photo of artistic rocks! I find it hilarious! Especially the pricing too! I posted this on my Facebook account, and even my Japanese friends find it hilarious. I love this place!

Not only is this place retro and hilarious, the people here were fun too! In the middle of the alley, there were some uncles and aunties drinking alcohol, and playing darts! On a spinning board! It was a thrill just watching them getting drunk and trying to aim for a target on a spinning board! There were also buskers playing guitar or music and singing. A very local feel to it all. I love this place.

And what is a retro place if it was not for traditional local sweets? Found a wagashi shop inside and got ourselves some snacks. The colours are just to pretty! 

Osaka Sept 2019 : Kushikatsu Lunch

Kushikatsu Daruma is probably the famous Kushikatsu restaurant people usually go to I guess. It can be found almost anywhere in Osaka! But why try something that look like a fast food restaurant when we can have something more local?

After walkthrough the whole of Janjan Yokocho, I was set on trying Kushikatsu for lunch. The problem was picking one. One that is now crowded, and has no English menu, and where preferably a set menu was offered since I didn't know what people order for a Kushikatsu meal. So we ended up in the above restaurant. 

As you can see, no English menu! But there were some set menu, so we ordered some of that. And while waiting for it to come, I try my best with my broken Japanese to read the menu.

We also ordered some beer, and some red wine that was served with ice. 

When the food came, here was what we got. A set of grilled items, and a set of fried items. Sauces were available at the table where you can dip your fried items in them and eat it. It was kinda like "lok-lok", a popular roadside snack in Malaysia. The food wasn't too bad actually, and we quickly finished up the food. 

Hubby really like this beef tendon dish. It goes super well with beer.

We did a second order too, and that's when I realise some words I thought I knew, turned out to be totally wrong. But it's food anyway, so nothing is wasted even if it wasn't something I was expecting.

Here's that red wine in ice. My husband didn't like it, but I did. Taste like ribenna! But with alcohol!

There were cute signs all over the shop. There were stern sign telling you not to double dip your stick into the sauce after taking a bite due to hygiene purpose. The waiter also emphasis this to us as it was quite clear from when we spoke that we weren't Japanese. 

There were also sign selling their sauces. I guess this is spicy sauce?

This one is the normal dipping sauce.

And more ways to tell you how to eat the kushikatsu. And again, stern sign in yellow on the left NO DOUBLE DIPPING! On a whole, it was an interesting experience to finally had a chance to try this. It was kinda expensive for a meal. Almost 70SGD for two person. Although we did ordered 2 beers and a wine with the meal. It's not the healthiest food to eat, but it was definitely fun!