I'm back from Japan and have so many things to share I'm so excited! :)
Going to Japan every year is really such a blessing- it's the only country on earth that's captured my heart the moment I stepped foot onto it's soil. I remember my very first trip there- I went with a girlfriend and we were both just out of university and clueless about what to do with life. I spent only 6 days in Tokyo that time but I came back totally inspired. I realised that it didn't matter what I did but that I do it with a lot of passion. Multiple trips down the road (my brother lived there so accommodation was free - please notice the past tense :( ) and each trip to Japan still continues to leave me feeling inspired and invigorated. Contrary to a lot of other holidays I take, I ACTUALLY want to return back to work after the holiday and just do my best with lots of graciousness and love. How cool is that?
I love the country (and I love Singapore too! )and even though my brother is no longer living there, I fully intend to try and go back at least once every 2 years to explore different parts of the country. Here's my itinerary for this early spring trip in March. I can't wait for you guys to see the gorgeous sakuras and all the FOOD! :) I'll post up another entry some time (much) later (hehheh) on my trip to Japan last November when the autumn leaves were in full bloom! Autumn and Spring are seriously the best times to visit Japan!
So here's my trip to Japan in March 2014. I'll be splitting posts so it wouldn't be so overwhelming! I actually traveled Singapore > Tokyo (Narita)> Osaka > Kyoto> Nagoya> Tokyo >Singapore.
The family and I did a road trip from Tokyo to Osaka/ Kyoto so I'll start directly from the road trip. It was a last minute decision for us to visit so we only spent 1 full day in Osaka and 1 full day in Kyoto before returning back to Tokyo. I'll share more about Tokyo in my autumn trip instead! :)
Let's go!
We rented a small Toyota car with an inbuilt GPS (so useful! And japanese technology is amazing. The GPS was updated every 30sec on the road conditions and could tell you all about the jams etc). If you are a Singaporean driver wanting to do overseas road trips, you can read more about applying for an international driving license here. To apply, you would need to go down in person to any of the AA branches located at River Valley, Kung Chong, Kallang or Pearls Centre. Just bring along your IC, 2 passport sized photographs, driving license and $22 and the license will be issued to you on the spot! (I love Singapore's efficiency! :) )
Driving from Tokyo to Osaka/ Kyoto takes about 9- 12 hours due to bad traffic. We left at 7am in the morning and only made it to our rented apartment in Osaka around 8pm due to bad traffic and multiple pit stops for toilet breaks and all our meals. Without traffic and pit stops it's usually only 4-5 hours (but it's rare to not have traffic). If time is precious to you, I highly recommend the Shinkansen instead. The Nozomi trains take just 2hours 10 min and costs about 150+ sgd for a one way trip. But if you have a large family, and you want the experience of a road trip then a car rental is definitely the way to go for you! :)
ocated at River Valley, Kung Chong, Leisure Park Kallang and Pearls Centre. The IDP will be issued on the spot. Please bring along:
- Your valid Singapore driving licence
- Valid NRIC for Singaporeans
- Valid employment pass/FIN card for foreigners
- 2 recent passport-size photographs
- Your valid Singapore driving licence
- Valid NRIC for Singaporeans
- Valid employment pass/FIN card for foreigners
- 2 recent passport-size photographs
- Your valid Singapore driving licence
- Valid NRIC for Singaporeans
- Valid employment pass/FIN card for foreigners
- 2 recent passport-size photographs
- Your valid Singapore driving licence
- Valid NRIC for Singaporeans
- Valid employment pass/FIN card for foreigners
- 2 recent passport-size photographs
- Your valid Singapore driving licence
- Valid NRIC for Singaporeans
- Valid employment pass/FIN card for foreigners
- 2 recent passport-size photographs
- Your valid Singapore driving licence
- Valid NRIC for Singaporeans
- Valid employment pass/FIN card for foreigners
- 2 recent passport-size photographs
The road there was largely flanked by wind barriers. Driving was such an experience because the wind was so strong you could literally feel the car being blown off course by it!
I brought kaya buns from a bakery near my (Singapore) house before my flight because I hate airline food. Munching on totally squished leftovers in the car! :)
Mount Fuji!!
We had our first pit stop/ toilet break at a 'service station' along the expressway and quite honestly, I was a little skeptical when my brother said he wanted to have lunch there because uh... let's just say I've been to 'highway service stations' on road trips closer to home and have been totally grossed out by the toilets there. I mean, after using such a toilet, you wouldn't want to have lunch, y'know?!- just more squished kaya buns for me please!
And of course... Japan had to enthrall me YET AGAIN. Guys, may I present to you... the most AMAZING highway pit stops ever. (They shouldn't even be called Highway Service Centres. They should just be known as Highway Malls or something. And if you guys want to know the extent of civilization in a country, just check out the toilets. I even took pictures in there. Haha)
Gorgeous rows of spotlessly clean cubicles! With warm seats! T.T
and warm water flowing from the unbelievably clean tap!
And we are talking about a HUGE bathroom here with almost 30 cubicles and all spotlessly clean.
Every service station sells a lot of snacks from different parts of Japan.
Food time! This actually came in a set which I thought would be too much for me to finish but I did! Must be the cold or something. Anyway I never ever worry about food when on holiday. If the opportunity arises, I will try it!
View of Mount Fuji from the dining area!
THIS I really love about Japan. They are just so... full of personal responsibility. You don't just clear your tray at the service stations but they provide cleaning agents and neatly folded washcloths for you to clean up your own table as well! I really feel that if everybody is willing to put in a little effort and just take care of themselves and their mess, we can really channel more resources and energy into places where they are needed + what a gracious, kind act! :) Not only that, when you return your tray, the people working behind the counter graciously thank you for doing so making you feel really good about yourself. It's just such an all round - feel good thing going on and makes everything so efficient as well! The moment we cleared our table, someone else could sit and commence their meal. When I returned to Singapore, I noticed that we would sit around the table and wait for some aunty to come by our table and clean it for us. Not only does it waste a lot of time, I've seen people gingerly push a bowl away slowly with one finger etc and it just makes me feel a bit sad! So we are too 'high class' to touch a bowl so we must get someone else to do it for us? Are their hands not the same as ours?
I've since made the resolution upon returning to Singapore to clear my own tray and bring wet wipes in my bag to clean up my own mess. (See! Going to Japan is always inspiring!) It embarrasses me to think that I need an elderly uncle/ aunty to clean up after me :/
Maybe we should start a movement! I know the hawker centres are trying to push it out but it wouldn't work if we continue to sit around thinking that we are entitled to such a service. I hope you feel inspired today to return your tray after your meal too! The kind and gracious society we all want starts with US.
Okay, sorry about that little rant. Back to the road!
Listening to youtube music while road trippin'! (Yay for a brother who has a Jap sim card with unlimited data haha)
My dad insisted I take this photo because both cars had the same license plate number. Hahah! My dad is so cute :)
Mom brought a whole bag of (unhealthy/ yummy) snacks to feed us. Reminded me of those long long longgggggg car rides to sentosa (no NEL then) when we were younger and my mom would pack a massive bag of toys and food to entertain her 3 children. I can't imagine now being in a small car and trying to placate 3 young impatient children with small bladders. It must have terrorized my mom so much when we were younger that even now when we are close to 30, the main priority on my mom's mind is that EVERYBODY uses the bathroom before we go back to the car. HAHA.
The road trip this time was hilarious because my dad would be driving and he would request for food and my mom would say "no" and he would say indignantly, "EVEN the dolphin do tricks also got food to eat!".
And every time after he wanted to munch something, he would announce "it's time to feed the dolphin!" -.-
A chicken with red bean stuffing. My tastebuds are confused.
Pit stop no. 2!
This pancake thing was EVERYWHERE in line with the start of spring! Pastel pink is my favorite color :)
And just as we were leaving, it started to SNOW!!!!AHHH!!! I was so excited!!!! I've seen snow on the ground many times when it's all dirty and stepped on or just freshly fallen over night but I've NEVER seen FALLING SNOW!! I WAS SO HAPPY AND EXCITED and it was SO COLD!!!!
Desperately trying to stuff my bags into the car and get back inside!!! BUT SO HAPPY! :) SWIRLING SWIRLING SNOW! (and that's my favorite pastel pink glittery nalgene water bottle :) It goes EVERYWHERE with me :) )
Driving in the snow. It lasted only about 15 min so it was great. I'm sure snow is not much fun when it's just dull and dreary and cold the whole day. So just 15 min of the snow was just magical and amazing enough for me :)
Many many many hours later we finally arrive at our rented airbnb apartment in Osaka. We originally wanted to stay in Kyoto but every hotel and apartment was fully booked out due to it being peak holiday season for the Japanese. If you are traveling overseas I highly recommend airbnb! It's always nice to get a glimpse into a local's way of living and the style of their apartments.
Here's how the apartment looked like! Very Japanese and had low ceilings. Still it was comfortable and really pleasant living there.
I love futons! And tatami mats on heated floors! So comfy and warm! We hit the sack really early that night. Road tripping is VERY tiring! :)
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So that was my drive to Osaka from Tokyo!
Will blog about my one day in Osaka tomorrow :)
If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment or email me at [email protected]! :)
