In Love with Hello Kitty

I don't know what's wrong with me but of late, I had developed a strong interest in Hello Kitty. Can't get enough of that white Japanese bobtail cat with a red bow.


meow!

Japan is the birthplace of Hello Kitty so it is everywhere!

 

I screamed with joy when I saw a shop full of Hello Kitty stuffs in Gion.

 

Then I saw another Hello Kitty shop in Chawan-zaka. Kawaii !!!!





My excitement level shot up to maximum when I discovered there's a Hello Kitty area at Universal Wonderland in Universal Studios Japan. Went kawaii kawaii kawaiii at everything like a mad woman. I even queued with kids and teenagers to take picture with the cat. -_-

The Ribbon Boutique.



The zone was established based on the concept that Kitty opened the fancy ribbon-themed boutique after returning from Hollywood.









This kitty is such a fashionista I tell ya!

Well I guess it is a must-go place for the girly girls. Loved it! Everything's so beautiful and kawaii!

Like other characters in Universal Studios Japan, there's a Hello Kitty merchandise store inside the park.
 

I felt like a little kid inside the store.

Kenapa semua benda comel sangat ni??!!!

Hey.. look!


 

There's Hello Kitty biscuits as well.
 

Too many cute things to buy but the prices aren't cheap. T_T

Posing je la with the stuffs...
 

kawaii desu ka? hahaha..

Oh midlife crisis! -_-

Osaka : Rinku Premium Outlets

Continuation from here...

As soon as I arrived at Namba station, I took my bag from the locker and quickly headed to the Nankai Line platforms for the Airport Express.

I didn't plan to shop during this trip. But my friend told me there's a factory outlet in Osaka.

Ok.. I'd go. Just to check the place out.
 

Rinku Premium Outlets is located just a station away from Kansai International Airport. So I went there before heading to the airport.

Lugging my heavy suitcase, I walked from Rinku Town station. The outlet is not that far from the station, just about 5 minutes walk through the shopping mall.



My plan not to shop failed miserably. I couldn't control myself as I browsed the stores.

50% off.

70% discount.

I went crazy.

Last minute shopping uols. hehehe...

Rinku Premium Outlets is open all year round
Operating hours is from 10 am to 8 pm
Access : Take the Nankai Main Line Airport Express to Rinku Town station, and walk approximately 5 minutes
 
I shopped till the stores closed. The best thing? I didn't need to walk back to Rinku Town station carrying all my shopping bags cos there's a shuttle bus straight to the airport from the outlets!

Took the last shuttle bus to the airport at 8 pm. The ride only cost 100 yen per way. So cheap right?

20 minutes on board, I arrived at International departure floor at Kansai International Airport.
Very convenient. Check here for the bus' timetable.

 Oh I discovered that there's a surau or prayer room at the airport. Great!

It's located at Terminal 1 building, on the 4th floor. Find Starbucks there. The surau is near the outlet.

I still had plenty of time before boarding. I've checked in via web so there's no need to rush. Thank God there's WiFi at the airport so I killed time by whatsapping my family and friends back home updating whatever necessary and browsing the social medias.

About 9.30 pm, I went to the check-in counter to drop my check-in luggage. There was no special queue for baggage drop so I had to join the long queue of people checking-in at the counter. Pffttttt. Wasted my time checking-in via web.

But that didn't spoil my overall Japan experience this time. I'm so gonna return to Japan soon (well.. very soon actually!). The reason why I am so rajin updating my blog lately. hahaha..

Sayonara!

Nara : Kofuku-ji & Nara Park

Continuation from here...

Heading back towards Kintetsu Nara station, I walked through the large park again.

Bye deers!



Saw this in the distance.



Mikos in training I guessed. I love seeing the mikos all clad in the white kimono jacket and flowing long red skirt. They look so.. innocent and pure. Well.. perhaps I think so after I watched the anime series Inuyasha years ago. Kikyo and Kagome looked so innocent and pure in the series.

Passed by this building.  

Not sure what was it. Loved the design so I just stopped and snapped a photo of it.



Continuing the walk, I passed by Kofuku-ji. I actually walked past it earlier while heading to Todai-ji but I kinda ignored it since I saw a major construction notice outside the area. And everybody also seemed to ignore it and continued walking towards Todai-ji. I just followed the crowd.

This time, I walked from the other side of the temple, passing by a lake.



I saw a few people heading to the temple so I detoured from the road and made a stop there. How could I not?
I wanted to cross off another UNESCO World Heritage Site ok.

Same as Kasuga Taisha, this temple was also associated with the Fujiwara clan. The temple flourished in the beginning but began to decline when the Fujiwara's power faded in the 12th century.

Entrance to the temple grounds is free but entrance fee is required for this Eastern Golden Hall as it houses several Important Cultural Properties and National Treasures.

the Eastern Golden Hall, Tokon-do

Visiting hours for Eastern Golden Hall is from 9 am to 5 pm
Entrance fee for Eastern Golden Hall is 300 yen

My camera's battery ran low by this time so I had to resort to the phone's camera. I should have a back up camera for my next trips, shouldn't I?

Here's the five-storied pagoda which is the second highest pagoda in Japan.



And this is the Southern Octagonal Hall.

Kofuku-ji is open all year round 
Direction : From Kintetsu Nara station, the temple is about 5 minute walk east

I didn't stay there long since I needed to be back in Osaka soon. I still had a lot of time actually cos my flight would not be until midnight but I had another agenda before going to the airport. hehe..

At the shops nearby the train station, I saw a long queue in front of this one particular shop. Curious, I took a look. Nothing special.. just a queue to buy some food.

But it must be very good since a lot of people were queuing for it so I queued as well.

My late lunch, green tea mochi with red bean filling. It was yummylicious!

Nara : Kasuga Taisha

Continuation from here...

Following suggested walking route on LP Japan that I brought along (thanks deers for eating my map!), I headed to Kasuga Taisha (Kasuga Grand Shrine).

Kasuga Taisha is one of Japan's foremost shrines. It was established in 768, at a time when Nara was designated as the capital of Japan. The shrine is associated with the Fujiwara clan, once the most powerful clan in Japan.

In 1998, it was inscribed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, as part of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara.



The shrine is nestled in the midst of woods. Loved the serenity of the area.

It is famous for its lanterns. There are thousands of stone lanterns along the path from the tori gate leading to the shrine and outside the shrine itself, and hundreds of bronze lanterns can be found hanging around the shrine's corridor. All those lanterns were contributed over the years by worshippers as tokens of faith and thankfulness.







Come here during the Lantern Festival in early February and mid August. All the lanterns would be lit up during those periods. It should be the best time to visit the shrine. Must be very beautiful!



The main entrance to the shrine is past this Temizu-ya with an image of a deer.



Then through the Minami-mon.




 dunno what this frog rock means


fortune shop inside







There is a pretty wisteria tree inside the shrine. However, it was not in bloom yet.

The wisteria flower is considered very important for the shrine cos the name Fujiwara could also be read as 'Wisteria field'. That's why all the mikos here wear wisteria in their hair.





Basically the shrine can be visited free of charge, but there's also a paid area. Not sure what's inside there cos I didn't go in. Peeped through the fences but I didn't see anything interesting inside. Well.. of course it's hidden kan. Nevermind la..

Kasuga Taisha is open all year round
Visiting hours is from 6 am to 6 pm (April to September) , 6.30 am to 5.30 pm (October to March)
Entrance is free of charge (500 yen for inner area)
Direction : From Kintetsu Nara station, the shrine is about 30 minute walk east

I continued walking around the shrine's ground. There are many smaller shrines around Kasuga Taisha. One is the nearby Wakamiya Shrine, an important cultural property. The deities enshrined here are a married couple, so prayers made here are mostly for happy marriage and fortune in matters of love.


love-shaped ema tablets

Other smaller shrines I don't know their names.
 

Waiting for their problems to dissolve in the water...

 

 

After a full circle, I was back to the main road. It was almost 2 pm by then, so I decided to walk back to the train station.