This place . . . if you are a hobbyist, a nerd, a geek, a crafter, a gamer, a manga collector, and/or an anime enthusiast . . . prepare yourself! This place will make you spend your money. The streets are lined with hobby stores, arcades, maid cafes, and electronic stores. But before you go and… Continue reading Coco Ichibanya Curry, Den Den Town, & Ippudo

Nara is one of the old capitals of Japan. You certainly get that feeling visiting the many World Heritage sites here. From Osaka, it is about an hour train ride via Yamatoji Rapid Service. Once there at the JR Nara Station, I was panicking because Google map indicated that it’s about a 30 minute walk to… Continue reading Nara Deer Park & Temples

The first year we visited Osaka we didn’t get the chance to visit Osaka Castle. I remember riding on the subway at night and catching a glimpse of the castle all lit up. It was magnificent! This time I wasn’t going to miss the chance again. But first, girl gotta eat! The first time we… Continue reading Osaka Castle

For our first week, we picked Osaka as our base to explore Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, and Kobe. I love the Shinkansen, aka the bullet train! The ride from Tokyo Station to Shin-Osaka Station was smooth and scenic. My favorite thing is eating ekiben; “eki” means train and “ben” is short for bento or traditional Japanese… Continue reading To Osaka! Dotonbori