10 October 2019 (Thursday)
As usual, this trip to Osaka was planned by my daughter. She was also our tour guide. My son could not join us due to work commitment.
We had early dinner at the Singapore Changi Airport before departing for Bangkok by budget airline Scoots (TR616). We boarded another flight in Bangkok to Japan - Osaka by Japan Airline (JL728). Before boarding for Osaka, we had our meal at the Sakura Premium lounge which was exclusive for Japan Airline First Class & Business Class passengers .This was my second time & perhaps will be my last chance travelling on Japan Airline Business Class. Because the airlines had plugged the loophole to stop passengers from buying travel miles to off-set full cash payment. The cost of buying travel miles for Business Class air tickets will be much cheaper than paying cash to by Business Class air tickets. Buying Business Class air tickets with travel miles required some technical procedure. The starting point & the ending point cannot be at the same destination. That was why we started our journey from Bangkok & ended in Singapore.
My Scoots
boarding pass
Our meal at Changi
airport before
boarding Scoots
for Bangkok
Flight TR616
to Bangkok
Scoots air plane
Before landing
in Bangkok
Bangkok
arrival hall
Suvarnabhumi
international
airport (BKK)
Checking in
Japan Airline
Priority
check-in
Sakura lounge
meal
Salad cup
Coffee & cakes
My JAL
Business Class
boarding pass
Sakura lounge
Business
Class seating
Business class
meal
11 October 2019 (Friday)
Arrived Kansai International Airport(KIX) Izumisano Osaka, Japan 9.30 am. We topped up values to our previous Japan trip subway cards & took the subway train to Courtyard Osaka Honmachi hotel. Since the rooms were available, the hotel allowed us to check in early. We had early lunch & thereafter we walked to the Osaka Castle garden. On the way we passed the Osaka prefecture Police Head quarter. We also settled our 7 days Japan tourists train tickets that allowed multiple travelling at no additional fees so long the routes were under the JR lines. We purchased the tourists train tickets package on line that cost S$300 per persons. Transportation cost in Japan was considered high. Buying the tourists train tickets package was one of the best options to save cost.
Arrived Osaka
airport
Osaka airport
sky train
View from
sky train
direction to
rail way
Waiting for the
airport train
to arrive
Airport rain
arrived
On the train
From airport to
Tengachava station
Transferring at
Tengachya
station
Alighted at Sakaisuji
- Hommachi station
near Courtyard
Marriott hotel
Courtyard hotel
elevation
Room for 3
WC flushing
control panel
Hands free
WC. Good
invention
Shopping street
Harukoma Sushi
restaurant
1st lunch at
Osaka
Clamp soup
Harukoma sushi
restaurant
Directional sign
to Osaka garden
Osaka police
HQ
Osaka Castle
Garden
Osaka castle
Osaka police
HQ building
Police HQ
1st dinner in Osaka
Choosing our
meals
Cool beer
Waiting dinner
to be served
Our dinner
12 October 2019 ( Saturday)
Today was a shopping day. We traveled to Umeda vicinity. We went to the Grand Front Osaka building for lunch at the Muji cafe after shopping at Muji outlet. We later bought 2 pairs of sports shoes at the Asics sport shop outlet.
Illuminated basin
in gents toilet very
special design
Nice building
interior
Muji shop
Our lunch break
Visited Muji
store outlet
Lunch at
Muji cafe
Japanese
curry rice
No wasting
of food
Night scene
near hotel
very quite
Hotel nearest
station
Hotel room
feature wall
art work
13 October 2019 (Sunday)
We took a train from Osaka to Kobe. Coming to Kobe no one should miss the Kobe beef. We had Kobe beef for lunch. It costed S$55 per person which was considered reasonable. It was our first experience tasting Kobe beef. We visited the UCC coffee museum after lunch. Visitors had to pay an entrance fee to the museum. A cup of coffee was given to each visitors at the end of the visit.
Taking train to
Kobe from Osaka
- Umeda station
Alighted at
Kobe- Sannomiya
Alighted at
Sannomiya station
Kobe town
Kobe town
Kobe beef
restaurant
神户牛
餐馆
Sushi on the ledge
was the bell to
call for service
Ready for Kobe
beef lunch with
black aprons
Beef fats to
lubricate the
grill
Started with
beef tongue
Ready for Kobe
beef lunch with
black aprons
Lunch set
Quality assured
Different parts
of beef
The best portion
of Kobe beef
with fats evenly
distributed
Photo taken
by the restaurant
boss after lunch
Kobe manhole
cover with design
Visiting UCC
cafe museum
after lunch
Coffee tasting
Went to Kobe
Harbourland
for a walk
Kobe harbor
Our dinner
14 October 2019(Saturday)
Visited Kuroman Market, Shinsaibashi shopping street and Dotonbori.
Kuroman market
Sea food market
Lunch
Saba fish set
Shopping street
Unique manhole
cover design
Shoppers
Daimaru Japan
Japan popular
shoe outlet
Did not taste as no
room in our stomach
Afternoon coffee
Glico, the popular
advertisement with
a running man
Glico running man
Dotombori canal
Queue for
Tako-yaki
Tako-yaki snack
Dinner at Saizeriya
restaurant next to hotel
Cool beer to
go with dinner
Door sign - pull
15 October 2019 (Tuesday)
Checked out of Courtyard Osaka hotel after breakfast & took a train to Arashiyama. Deposited luggage at Binario Saga Arashiyama and walked to the Bamboo Forest.
Train ticket
with reserved
seat
Hotel Binario saga
Arashiyama
Hotel Binario saga
Arashiyama
Train station
Old train on
display
Restaurant
Lunch sets
Directional sign
Bamboo forest
Tourists attraction
Jumping shot
Trekking at Arasiyama
Stopped over
for coffee
Arabica coffee
Popular Arabica
coffee
Took selfi shot
before train
approaching
Train approaching
Local popular car
Walking distance from
hotel to train station
Standard design
of Japanese ancient
hotel room
My 7 days tourist
train pass
Family run restaurant
in Arashiyama
Restaurant near
our hotel
Dinner sets
Morning view
from hotel
16 October 2019 (Wednesday)
Checked out of hotel Binario saga Arashiyama and took the high speed train, Shinkansen to Toyama. After deposited our luggage at Diawa Royal hotel, we had sushi for lunch at one of the popular sushi restaurant in the train station mall.
Shinkansen (high
speed train) to Toyama
Reserved seats
3 ABC
Toyama train station
5 minutes walk
from train station
to hotel Daiwa Roynet
Toyama train
station
Queue for sushi
Sushi lunch
Sushi restaurant
Nice weather
Toyama town
Toyama sports building
Toyama water
front
Best view Starbucks
cafe in the world
with water front view
Relax in
Starbucks
cafe
Very scenic
Back to hotel
Train station
night scene
The popular
white prawn
White prawn
tempura dinner
17 October 2019 (Thursday)
Visited the Kurobe Gorge today. We took the Shinkansen from Toyama to Shin-kurobe station. And then transferred train to Unazuki onsen station. We walked to Kurobe gorge railway(Unazuki station).(Yen 1,980 / person , one way). We had lunch at Keyakidaira.
Photo taken at the
Toyama station
Food model display
Shinkansen
Transferred train
at Shin-Kurobe
station
Transferred to
smaller train
Unazuki Onsen
station
Trolley train ride to
Keyakidaira
Trolley train
View from the train
A dam
Arrived at Keyakidaira
Single track for
both directions train
Closed up of rail
At the resting place
Noddle lunch
Trekking after
lunch
Continue trekking
Walking through
a tunnel
Soaking feet
in hot spring
Back trekking
Dinner at
Toyama train
station mall
18 October 2019 (Friday)
Today going to Tateyama Kurobe Alpine route. We took a train from Dentetsu Toyama station to Tateyama station. From Tateyama we took the cable car to Baijdaira and then transferred bus to Murodo. Discount return tickets for Tateyama - Diakanbo were purchased on line.
Outskirt train
station shelter
Tateyama station
Cable car
Photo taken
along the
train ride
Coach ride
Lunch break
Mikurigaike
pond
Subway tunnel
Mask to reduce
cold air preventing
nose irritation
Return train to
Toyama
Dinner at Lotteria
19 October 2019 (Saturday)
We made a trip to Kanazawa, a town which resemble Kyoto. We took a train from Toyama to Kanazawa. And bought a one day bus pass for multiple visiting at places. Place of interest inclusive of Omicho market, 21st century museum of contemporary art, Kenroku-en Kanazawa castle park.
Arrived Kanazawa
train station
1 day tourist
bus pass
Souvenir shop
It was a wet day
Traditional
design
Taking shelter
Listen to the
falling rains
Omicho market
Sushi lunch
BBQ fish &
meat balls
Stainless steel
fire hydrant
Food street
Desert
similar to
marchi
Prawn snack
t
21st century museum
of contemporary art
the artist 田中达也 created
miniature art pieces with
his own imagination
Outside the
Museum
Bus back to
train station
Nice architecture
Dinner at Baqet
restaurant
20 October 2019 (Sunday)
From Toyama to Tokyo
Japan was affected by the typhoon badly from the day we arrived Osaka on 11 October. The worst hit area was Nagano. Our original train route was taking the Shingansen from Toyama to Tokyu , Shinagawa station via Nagano which will take 2 hours. Nagano was inundated with rain water and was affected badly. The Shingansen depot and train service for this route was suspended. JR rail had worked out an alternative route from Toyama to Tokyo avoiding Nagano which had to make several train stations transfer. This was the best option and it took 4 hour 30 minutes. After arrived at Tokyo, Shinagawa station, we took a ten minutes walk to Keikyu EX hotel.
Y structural
steel column
A very special
column design
Nagano route
was canceled
Egg tarts
Last transfer
Our bento
lunch set
Lunch bought
in station
convenient store
Bento lunch set on
train platfrom
Our last
accomodation
3 in a room
Decent
accommodation
Last shopping
at Seiyu super
market
Dinner near
Seiyu super
market
Cheap & Good
dumplings
Night scene
from hotel
Day scene
from hotel
21 October 2019 (Monday)
Took a walk to the water front after breakfast. We checked out of Keykiu EX hotel and deposited our luggage with the hotel store and then went for lunch. After lunch we pulled our luggage to the train station and took the Narita express train to the airport for our return flight to Singapore.
Shinagawa
station
Building at
sea front
Kindergarten
Park near
sea front
High rise
apartment
Kindergarten
children
outing
Sea front building
Shinagawa
sea front
Lunch near
hotel
Lunch before
going to airport
Took Narita express
to airport
Last minutes
airport shopping
Meal before
boarding
Tokyo Narita
airport
JAL Business Class
JL 711 to Singapore
We were considered very lucky as our trip was not affected by bad weather though Japan was experiencing rain and typhoon in the month of October 2019. The trip was relax and enjoyable.
