本州物語 第4章－京都：清水寺・金閣寺

Any visitors to Osaka will definitely visit Kyoto as well. Besides being the old capital of Japan, Kyoto still preserves many historical and traditional buildings like temples and shrines. It is said to be the most culturally-rich city in Japan, having countless cultural assets, national treasures and protected structures. There are more than 2000 temples and shrines in Kyoto!

Wow the train station looks so modern. So unlike my impression of Kyoto...

This Kyoto Tower sticks out like a sore thumb in this traditional city.

Had to trek up this slope to reach the temple. Must be tough on the elderly.

Ok we're here! Kiyomizu temple, the most popular and most visited temple in Kyoto.

There was an endless stream of local students visiting the temple for educational field trip. Heard that students from all over Japan visit Kyoto for their field trip, thus almost everyday the situation is like this.

This rod is super heavy...almost twisted my back even as I tried to lift it with another person. It takes several kids to lift this thing haha.

Ooh...nice view of Kyoto's skyline. Reward for ascending up the slope haha.

I still don't understand why people rinse their hair and body with incense smoke... Imagine soot on your skin and hair...

I like how these structures are surrounded by greenery. Hmm...is there something going on down there?

Haha...people queuing up to collect water for rinsing the hands (and mouth too).

Shake shake shake...check out your luck with 100 yen (about SGD1.50).

Don't forget to pray to (and touch) the Buddha as well.

The typical textbook photo of Kiyomizu Temple. =) It's even more beautiful when the sakura blooms.

Can't resist taking a photo with this spectacle.

This teahouse looks more like a suntan salon...

Incidentally I turned back and saw this beautiful scenery. Moral of story: Do look back sometimes, as you might find something nice and different.

Attracted by the mouth-watering banner and bought a matcha-flavoured cream puff!

Street in Gion, the most well-known geisha districts in Japan, lined with several expensive restaurants. They adopt a closed concept for exclusivity so that kaypo passersby and tourists can't see what is going on inside unless they pay to enter.

Are they the real ones??

Stage where geishas perform. It was still too early when I visited. Anyway the performance costs a bomb too lol.

Zaru udon for lunch! Dip-noodle-in-sauce style like cold soba.

Behold Kinkakuji, the Golden Pavilion.

The entrance ticket is in a form of a talisman. How creative!

A closer up shot to admire this beauty.

Looks like A LOT of people missed lol. Do you think it's enough to buy a car with all those coins?

Kyoto is also famous for matcha ice-cream. It was a hot day btw.

本州物語 第3章－通天閣・大阪夜景

Remnant of a roller coaster track. This place used to be an amusement park. Something like our Great World.

Tsutenkaku. This tower was also part of the amusement park, but it's now just a normal observatory tower.

Shopping arcade at the foot of the tower.

The view up here is rather disappointing IMO. There are not much landmarks or special landscape to observe. Just buildings and trees.

Managed to assemble the free paper model given. Looks nice!

Omikuji = Fortune slip. The traditional way is to shake a box to make the slip drop. This one lets the God of Gambling decide your luck =p

Apparently this oversized baby brings good luck. Didn't find it cute so I didn't bother to take a proper shot of it haha.

This is probably how the amusement park looked like in the past.

Pretty sunset...but not very fantastic overall.

Dotonbori - The most happening night street in Osaka!

This street has a lot of interesting shops and restaurants. Their style of advertising is also very unique.

Its claws can move too!!

Looks like an entrance to some 武馆 lol. It's a pachinko outlet anyway.

哦，真的吗？？

Feels like being in some mythical paradise. Even their so-called devil is so cute-looking.

Haha. Another typical translation slip-up.

That hand is going to dump the sushi onto your head...

Let's welcome Miss Octopus.

For a moment I thought it was an airship or zeppelin...

Shopping arcade...look at the crowd inside! O_O

The iconic symbol of Osaka's night life. That's Japan's Usain Bolt..

The Takashimaya here looks like a high-class hotel.

My favourite!!! Okonomiyaki!!! Love their free-flow sauce too.

Top view VS Bottom view. I love the design of this building. But riding the suspended escalator can be quite scary haha.

Oops...sorry for playing gooseberry...

One of the best observation decks I've been to. It really has a starry atmosphere. Even the floor is glittery. But it's pretty cold up here though.

Took a picture and realised that my jacket glows in the dark! So cool!

Metropolis indeed. The city lights stretches far far beyond.

The river and the well-lit bridges make the city view more varied. The clouds look good too! Without Tokyo Tower, I feel Osaka's night view is better than Tokyo.

Peak hour at major stations can be quite intimidating. Not only the crowd is huge, almost all the 'salary man' are wearing black suits and pants. It's like a mass of scurrying ants...