Okay, this post is long overdue. I planned to write about it around 4 months ago but my life has been really hectic lately especially.
The day finally arrived. 17 November 2014. In the morning, my other-half and I had our breakfast at our favorite “roti canai” stall in Wangsa Maju. I had my last check at the stall. Boarding passes, checked. Room reservation printouts, checked. Notebook and pen, checked. Yen notes, checked. My mind was all about minimalistic and also having to switch from one hotel to another, so my backpack must also be as “minimal” as possible. I brought only few important stuff:
1 pair of gloves. 1 pair of room shoes. 2 clothes. 1 pair of pants. 1 pair of socks. 2 pairs of (thick) leggings. 1 pair of leg warmers. 1 pair of black boots. 2 travel plug adapters (Type A and B). Belkin surge protector. iPhone charger. Japan atlas (you read it right !). Kansai railway map printouts (A3-sized). Sony NEX-3. 1 additional SD Card. Powerbank. 2 USB cables. Notebook and pen. ¥20,000 notes.
I was quite lucky (pretty much) because the yen plummeted during that time. The buying rate was RM2.70=¥100.
We had a short stop at KLCC to buy some some magazines after having our breakfast. Then, we headed to KLIA2 by taking Skybus at KL Sentral. We were not rushing anyway. The journey took less than 2 hours to arrive at the airport.
Upon arrival, we had our quick lunch at the OldTown Kopitiam. All I could remember, two-third of my brain had nothing but anxiety. The remaining was only excitement. Anxious because I found an article the night before that there would be a short interview between me and their custom/ security upon arrival (Thank you, Internet !).
My flight departed from KLIA2 around 3PM without delay.
Arrived at Kansai International Airport (KIX) around 10:30PM (Japan Time). I swear I will NEVER upgrade my seat to Quite Zone anymore. It was never quite at all. For heaven’s sake, I could still here baby’s crying from my seat.
With sleepy brain, I looked for the way out. A Japanese lady officer showed me the direction to the last stop after security: Custom checkpoint. I had a short conversation with the Japanese custom officer. He was quite surprised that I would be in Japan alone and I did not have checked-in luggage. He also laughed at how clumsy I was that time (Thanks again to the crying babies I couldn’t sleep for even a second). Without delaying, I went straight to my first place to crash in: Hotel Nikko Kansai, which was few meters from the arrival hall. Owh, before that. I made a short stop at the train station to get an ICOCA card — a great savior during my trip.
After check-in, I dropped my backpack and then went downstairs to buy some food and drinks at the Lawson, a convenience store (or konbini) just like 7–11. Amazed by the drink selections the store had, I stood in front of their huge fridge for around 30 minutes.
Tired, I didn’t stay up for too long. I turned off the light an hour later.
18 November 2014. Checked out around 7AM JPT. My very first destination was the Marble Beach. My first train ride for that morning was Nankai Aiport Express from KIX to Rinku Town station (¥370). The place was so peaceful. There was not many cars on the road. The morning was so breezy that I didn’t mind to revel in the tranquility for almost half an hour.
My next destination was Kishi Station for Tama the Station Master Cat. The only way to get there was to take a train ride from JR Wakayama Station. It’s a 30-minute train ride to Kishi Station from Wakayama Station via Wakayama Electric Railway line.
Look for the red paw stickers on the floor and follow the red paws. It will bring you to the right platform where you can buy direct ticket to Kishi Station. You can’t use ICOCA card on Wakayama Electric Railway line so you have to buy the ticket at a counter.
The train ride was amazing. I saw houses with hanging persimmons. It was persimmon season I think.
Besides having a cat as their Station Master, there’s another thing that really captivated me: the shape of the station. It looks like a cat ! The station has a souvenir store and a cafe. The store uncle was really friendly. I bought myself a Tama earphone plug. Haven’t used it until today. 😀
The train leaves every 30 minutes. I missed the 11 o’clock train. While waiting for the next train which was scheduled to depart 11:25AM, I killed some time by walking around the area and bought some hot drink from a vending machine. How I wish I could have this kind of view every time I wake up in the morning.
Next up; Pokemon Centre Osaka. Located at Daimeru Umeda, 13th Floor. Rather disappointed because I couldn’t find Pikachu soft toy anywhere, but that’s okay. From Wakayama Station, I had to switch to two different lines: Hanwa Line and Kansai Airport Line. Total fare between Wakayama Station and Osaka Station was ¥1240.
My last destination before checking in was Okawa River and Sakuranomiya Park. The park stretches along the river. I knew about this place from an online article. The park was said to be a great place to view blooming flowers during Spring. Being there during Autumn, I was not disappointed at all. Instead of seeing flowers, I enjoyed the autumn foliage scenery. There were ginkgo trees as well I guess. I bought some snack for me too munch since I hadn’t had lunch that time. Owh, to get to the Sakuranomiya Park, you have to get to the Sakuranomiya Station via JR Osaka Loop Line (¥120). The park was only 5-minute walking distance from the station.
I don’t know why but I didn’t feel hungry although I didn’t eat almost a day. So the food that I bought at the convenience store at Sakuranomiya Station was merely a snack to me. Wakame gohan became my official daily diet throughout my 5-day trip in Kansai. It was very easy to find and cheap too ! The price of the gohan was around ¥100.
#FunFact I booked a capsule room at B&S Eco Cube Shinsaibashi. The place was around 6~7KM from Sakuranomiya Station. Since I had lotsa extra time to kill, I decided to walk all the way from the park to the hotel. It took me an hour to reach at the hotel (inclusive the time I got lost with my phone battery draining very quickly). The hotel was not open yet that time so I decided to wait until 5:00PM at the staircase with other travelers. Quite disappointed with the hotel so I decided not to take any pictures of the hotel.
My original plan was to take a long rest and sleep early since I would have to wake up early the next day but I couldn’t content myself from doing nothing in the capsule so I headed to Dotonburi which was around 7 minutes away from the hotel. The place was famous for its Glico man and takoyaki. But only one thing that really caught my attention: the charcoal-grilled crab. 1 pack (2 pieces per pack) at only ¥700. Quite expensive though but I think it’s worth every penny. In the middle of the place, there was a Starbucks Coffee. It looks nothing unusual about the cafe but you’ll be surprised with what it has inside there. It’s like a library inside the Starbucks Coffee.
I headed back to my capsule room after strolling around Dotonburi for 1-2 hours. There’s a TV inside my capsule but the reception was very bad so I decided to hit the hay early for the next adventure. ☺
To be continued…