Namba Parks at Night

A garden in a mall is not new to anyone. But this time, it's neither a park in a mall nor a mall in a park. It's both and it's called Namba Parks! Located at the heart of a sprawling shopping district of Namba (beside Nankai line) in Osaka, Namba Parks offer an atmosphere of greens in a middle of a concrete jungle. Known to anyone who have lived or visited Japan that this time of the year is when certain places take transformations at night by lighting up millions of light bulbs colloquially known as "Illumination". Namba parks is not an exemption. I have taken the following pictures of Namba parks tonight using my iphone. I apologise for the quality but I think you can feel the excitement I felt while taking these pictures.

Scrolls of Frolicking Animals and Humans Exhibit at Kyoto National Museum

There is an ongoing (at least up to this writing) special exhibit about the masterpieces and national treasures  of Kozan-ji temple in Kyoto at the Kyoto National Museum that luckily, I was able to see before it ends on November 24 this year.

Ticket to the special exhibit at Kyoto National Museum

Facade of Kyoto National Museum building where the exhibit is held

Featuring the recently restored Scrolls of Frolicking Animals and Humans or 鳥獣人物戯画 (Chōjū-jinbutsu-giga) in Japanese, the exhibition gives a glimpse on the extraordinary artistic skills of the still unknown creator of the four picture scrolls (emakimono) where  animals are depicted with human-like behaviours and humans drawn doing fun activities that are mostly satirical. The scrolls were created around 12th and 13th centuries. Due to its popularity (and perhaps due to the fact that we came on a holiday), we were told that the queue before entering the museum may take an hour and another 2 hours whilst inside viewing the exhibit. Nevertheless, the precious masterpieces waiting for us inside the museum would more than prove their worth to be queued. 

A long queue for the exhibit 

The exhibit begins with the introduction to the Kozan-ji temple in Kyoto in large connected halls where ancient maps, works and texts of the Buddhist monks and other artifacts are displayed. This introduction is necessary to set someone's sense of time to that of the scrolls' creation and also to appreciate the way of life of old Japan. The exit of these halls leads to the main exhibition area where the picture scrolls are displayed following a long labyrinth-like line that would take around 40 mins (not 2 hours as was told). Gazing upon the drawings, one cannot help but to be in awe with the artistic spirit of the creator and his skills of depicting the characters in somewhat humorous and less serious ways. Among the scrolls, my favourite is the first scroll where rabbits and frogs are playing archery. Many people specially those with Japanese history background would associate these drawing to mocking of the monks and probably political figures at that time but for the eyes of an amateur like me, these are rather a fun escape from the harsh realities of life and a reminder from the ancient times to not take things too seriously. 

Kyoto National Museum

After the exhibit, the museum sells souvenirs at reasonable prices. I got two postcards and a curtain for my room door. :)

Souvenir door curtain from the exhibit

Taking pictures inside the museum is strictly prohibited so there won't be any pictures of the actual drawings in this blog. One on the other hand can visit the Kyoto National Museum website and WIKIPEDIA for previews. 

For historical background about the exhibit, WIKIPEDIA has an extensive discussion here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C5%8Dj%C5%AB-jinbutsu-giga 

You can also visit the Kyoto National Museum website here for information on schedule and ticket prices:
http://www.kyohaku.go.jp/eng/special/index.html

Rilakkuma cafe

I can't exactly remember when and how I fell in love with Rilakkuma and his friends. But something made me somewhat addicted to it, perhaps because unlike myself who oftentimes get stressed out in school and other things, Rilakkuma (from "relax" and "kuma" means bear) signifies calmness, peace and overloading cuteness, especially KT chan (KT=kiiroitori) lol. So when I went to Tokyo last Ubon, I really made sure to visit Rilakkuma cafe in Tower Records in Shibuya and everything was just... oh well, what else?  Rilakkuma!

Just look at this coffee...

and this curry rice... I almost didn't eat. I just wanted to bring them home!

And what is a meal without dessert?  

I must say they're all beautifully made!

Some info:

Rilakkuma cafe was collaborating with Tower Records in Tokyo at the time. I am not sure if it is still there.

 Price: It's kinda pricey and limited stay for two hours but who cares? 

Taste: I'll be honest. The curry tasted normal, nothing fantastic. But hey I didn't go there to taste the best curry. The coffee and mousse tasted good. But then again, you'll never find something like these in Starbucks! ^ ^

Shiogensui ramen restaurant

Shiogensui in Osaka is undeniably one of the best ramen restaurants I have visited so far. Unlike traditional ramen, it's soup base is clearer but packs an explosion of flavours as you indulge it. They have several options but for a starter, I opted for the regular one and then tried tsukemen (dipping ramen) on my second visit.

When I tasted it for the first time, I was speechless. The noodle was perfectly cooked and blends well with the broth. It had a little kick of fried garlic I suppose but could hardly tell what else was in it as it gently took me to such a euphoric state (food lovers may understand). The chasu (marinated cooked pork) in particular was so tender and flavourful giving the final ingredient this ramen needs to perfection. 

If you're into another way of eating ramen, tsukemen in this store is as great as any of their dishes. Unlike the normal ramen, it's sauce is saltier. This added saltiness compliments well with the lesser tasting noodles dipped into eat and then magically transforming into a glorious feast in your mouth. This restaurant has undoubtedly the very best tasting ramen so far, until I find a greater one!

Some info:

Price: Not so expensive. Wouldn't cost over 1000 yen. Click on the link for their menu

lhttp://shiogensui.com/menu.html

Location: It's kinda hard to find but if you're taking Hankyu-senri line, get off at Minamikata station. The restaurant is around 10 mins walk away from the station. Click on the link for directions.

https://www.google.com/maps/@34.7272627,135.4916285,3a,75y,198.02h,87.48t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sRJBezQkebH8FojkaS1YS-w!2e0

Note: All you can eat  Kimchi!!

Hello everyone! I have been really busy lately with my thesis and was not able to post in this blog. After successfully graduating master's degree and now on my way to PhD, I am soon ready to post new interesting experiences in Japan!

The Lovely Village of Shirakawa-go! 5 compelling reasons why you should include this in your next trip to Japan.

 Located in Shogawa river valley in Gifu prefecture in central Japan, this village boasts the rich historical accounts of ingenuity of the Japanese people and great scenery - I mean awesome view, really!  It is no surprise that this place is one of Japan's UNESCO Heritage Sites and is famous among tourists and locals. And here is why:

1. It is astoundingly gorgeous! 

A view of the village from the top of a hill.

To get the full view of the whole village, tourists climb to a nearby hill which serves as an observation deck by either walking (steep slope) or by riding a shuttle bus. And once you get to the top, you are greeted with such a breathtaking scenery.

2. Be amazed with the landscape and architecture

A close up view of the traditional houses

Known for their unique construction method, Shirakawa-go village gives us insight on the way of life of its early settlers and their effective environment adaptation skills as reflected by their houses built in gassho-zukuri (prayer-hands construction) style. This building technique protects the houses from heavy snowfall during winter and strong winds during typhoon season.

A fireplace greets visitors in the middle of the house.

3. It is a village and a tourist spot at the same time! 

If there are a few places on earth where people live quietly while hundreds of tourists come by each day, Shirakawa-go just made it on this list. 

4. It is one of the few places in Japan where you can drink sake in its "original" form.

This one is sake with a twist of rice granules! :)

5. It is a place where gardening also means farming!

While rice boxes are common sites in many of Japan's suburbs and rural areas, it is here in Shirakawa-go  where almost every family owns a rice field right next to their traditional houses. 

with these on one side...

And these on the other side.

If you want to know more about Shirakawa-go,  you can click on the following links.

http://shirakawa-go.org/english/

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5950.html

Note: I learned that it is equally awesome to visit this place during winter as evidenced by the photo below.

http://www.japan-guide.com/blog/schauwecker/g/130127_00.jpg

Have fun in your next trip to Japan! 

Another note: All photos published here are raw, unedited and taken during the author's visit to the village. Photos in this blog except otherwise cited are owned by the author.

The comeback post

It has been almost five months since I made the last post in this blog. I have been very busy with research in school and oftentimes had little motivation to write a new blog post until... recently when I saw my hard drive containing photos of places I have visited in Japan. I thought it is a great idea to share it with you all as it might be helpful when you decide to travel in Japan. So, enjoy the following posts!