雨妤魚's Reviews Page 1/5

Itsukushima Shrine

Itsukushima Shrine stands on the island of Itsukushima, which is also known as the island of gods. It is said that the shrine was founded in 593 by Saeki no Kuramoto, and the 3 goddess “Ichikishimahime-no-Mikoto,” “Tagorihime-no-Mikoto,” and “Tagitsuhime-no-Mikoto” are enshrined there. Famous for granting a wide list of benefits, these three goddesses as are worshipped as the goddesses of the sea, transportation, fortune, and art.

• Hiroshima
• Shrines & Temples

The place that amazed me the most—and that I’ll never forget—on my first solo trip was Miyajima.

I usually get seasick super easily, so I was honestly a little worried before leaving. Maybe I was just too excited, but surprisingly I didn’t feel seasick at all during the whole ferry ride. The ocean views along the way were already beautiful, and once I actually arrived on Miyajima, I was even more blown away.

As soon as I got off the ferry, I saw deer everywhere, casually wandering around the island without being afraid of people at all. The whole island made me slow down without even realizing it. I walked along the streets feeling like I had somehow wandered into a hidden paradise. Even though there were plenty of tourists, it didn’t affect my enjoyment one bit.

I really loved all the little details hidden around Miyajima. The guardian-beast statues at the shrine had such cute expressions—one of them looked adorably goofy, and it made me laugh. The one on the other side looked totally serious, like it was there just to set the tone.

I happened to visit at low tide, so I got to admire the Great Torii up close. That’s when I noticed the pillars were covered in moss, which made me laugh again—it was such a different side of it.

Even now, when I think back on it, I’m still impressed with myself. Even though I knew I get seasick easily, I still chose to take this trip. I didn’t mind that the hems of my pants got covered in wet sand, because everything in front of me was absolutely worth it.

And because of Miyajima, my lucky trip to Japan was given its most unforgettable page.

ICOCA

ICOCA, is the easy-to-use transportation IC card by JR West. You’ll know it when you see it by the mascot character, Iko-chan the platypus, marking the card that makes it easy to get around via train and settle up at stores that accept e-money payments.

• Tickets & Passes

Super convenient—even works at hair salons!
The current limit is still 20,000, but I personally prefer loading up the green Suica card first. I call this one the penguin card!
I usually add money when the exchange rate is good. Some stores don’t accept it, but most do. As long as you tell the staff “cardo,” they’ll understand!
Ahhh, I really want to go to Japan!
Just keep in mind that it does expire. I have four cards, and every time I go, I have to make sure to use each one so I don’t forget!
But it only expires once every 10 years. My aunt’s family let theirs sit for 9 years, and the station staff actually laughed about it... haha
Seriously, who can stand not going to Japan for that long?
Also, these are virtual cards now—you can use them on your phone, and you can add them to your watch too!
If you link it to Apple Pay, you can reload it directly with a credit card, which is super convenient. I hope EasyCard can be added to Apple Pay too.

Shinjuku Expressway Bus Terminal

Opened in 2016, Shinjuku Expressway Bus Terminal stands as one of Japan’s largest highway bus terminals, located at JR Shinjuku Station’s South Exit. With around 90 bus operators serving the terminal, it connects destinations from Aomori in the north to Fukuoka in the south, with over 1,600 bus departures daily.

• Shinjuku, Okubo, Yoyogi, Yotsuya
• Buses

This terminal is pretty big (I mean in terms of floor space lol). The line for the women’s restroom was all the way outside, and I was worried I’d miss my bus, so I didn’t go~
There are lots of ticket machines, and inside this fairly large terminal there’s also a convenience store!
I got really lucky that day—there were only one or two seats left both ways. It was a super last-minute decision to go see Mt. Fuji!
My physical condition was really bad though... and sure enough, I kept getting nosebleeds over there 😔
*Just a heads-up for everyone: the charging ports on both my outbound and return buses were USB!*
I brought the wrong thing, and the one in the photo was borrowed from the person next to me. Turns out they were Chinese lol.
I was originally going to ask to borrow a cable, but they straight-up gave me a power bank instead! I’m seriously so grateful. Totally unrelated, but they nodded off all the way onto my shoulder hahaha—they were sleeping super deeply, which means the driver was really smooth~

Jagarico

This popular potato snack has a crispy texture.The stick-shaped snack is packaged in a cup, making it easy to carry around.They come in salad, cheese, buttered potato, and tarako butter flavors. Their most popular flavor, salad, includes carrot and parsley.Limited-time and special regional flavors are also available.

• Snacks

Crispy, sweet, and a little salty—so yummy!

The first time I ever had this snack was when my uncle and aunt brought it back from a trip to Japan as a souvenir for me. I fell in love with it right away. After that, every time they went to Japan, I’d look forward to them bringing this back for me. But sometimes they couldn’t because it took up too much space, and I’d end up all pouty... I was little back then.

Now I can go get it myself, hehe.
Every time before heading back to the hotel, I stop by a convenience store, and if I’m not sure what to buy, I just grab this.

NODOGLE Spray

When you have a sore throat, spray this product directly onto your throat to sterilize it! Its iodine blend has strong antibacterial properties, killing the viruses and pathogens that cause sore throats by denaturing their outer proteins. Aim the spray nozzle at the affected area of your throat and spray while gently exhaling.

• Medicine

I get tonsillitis pretty often, and every time I go to the clinic, the thing I look forward to most is when the doctor swabs medicine on my throat with a cotton swab!
Because for that little moment, my throat feels the best haha. It has this cool, soothing feeling, and it actually tastes good too!
I saw people online recommending this one and saying it was really similar to the one they use at clinics, so I went and bought it to try.
And wow—the taste is exactly the same!
I seriously love it hahaha.
I even bought cotton swabs and pretended to be my own doctor. Sometimes when I think of it, I still do that... haha, because it feels so soothing.
The only downside was that one time it started hurting more and more... I went to the clinic and found out I had influenza A. I don't really dare use that bottle anymore now. I didn't double-dip, but I'm worried there might still be some virus left behind. I'll buy it again next time I go to Japan!

Ryukakusan Direct

Ryukakusan is a throat medicine that has been used for over 200 years in Japan to treat coughs, phlegm, and throat pain. The Ryukakusan brand is now releasing a new granule-type medication “Ryukakusan Direct Stick” and a lozenge-type medication “Ryukakusan Direct Lozenge.” The stick-type version comes in peach and mint flavors.

• Medicine

I recently mentioned this campaign to one of the ladies at the company and asked if they had any products they’d recommend, so I’d have something to write about.
She enthusiastically shared that the blue one has a cool minty feel and helps soothe a sore throat, while the pink one is peach-flavored, which makes it taste better and also helps relieve throat discomfort.
At home, though, we don’t use this version. We use the more traditional one that comes in a metal tin. My grandma used to love giving it to me because I often had sore throats. She would use a tiny spoon and pour it right into my mouth, so I actually have a bit of childhood trauma about Ryukakusan lol

Megane Bridge (Spectacles Bridge)

More than ten stone bridges were built over Nakajima river running across the central Nagasaki City, the Megane bridge is one of them and the oldest in Japan. In 1634, a monk, Mokusu-nyojo who was in the second generation of Kohfukuji Temple was said to build this bridge, 22m long and 3.65m wide, and the bridge has been designated as a national important cultural property.

• Nagasaki
• Tourist Attractions

This is Megane Bridge. I came after seeing it featured on YouTube, but honestly, I thought it was a bit ordinary—it’s basically a bridge that looks like glasses.
I actually thought the flowers by the roadside were prettier. Also, that day I saw a lot of what looked like school track teams doing spirited counting drills there, which I thought was pretty cool haha.
On a side note, I did really like the overall landscaping.

Nagasaki Shinchi Chinatown

During the Edo period, Nagasaki was actively engaged in trade with China, and the land reclaimed from the sea to build a baggage warehouse to store goods from Chinese ships was called Shinchikurasho. Today, a monument to the Shinchikurasho site stands in the center of Chinatown.

• Nagasaki
• Shopping Streets

Chinatown is lined with shops with Chinese signs everywhere, but honestly it wasn’t really my thing.
It felt pretty ordinary, and there weren’t that many shops open. Still, I did find a store full of Studio Ghibli stuff!
I bought a blind box for my uncle. I think he looks a lot like No-Face, but sadly I ended up pulling a little chick instead lol

Sugar Butter Sand Tree

Milky white chocolate is sandwiched between cookies made from a blend of whole wheat, rye and wild oats. With its adorable appearance, your clients or friends and family will be delighted to receive this box of cookies as a gift.

• Tokyo
• Snacks

I really like these cookies. They’re sandwich cookies, and there are quite a few different flavors. I found this Snoopy design at the duty-free shop in Narita Airport, and it was sooo cute!
The cookies inside also had printed designs on them. I only bought one box though, so sadly there wasn’t enough to share with everyone lol. Personally, the original flavor is my favorite because I never get tired of it, and it goes really well with a tea latte.

Achi Shrine

Worshiping the “Three Goddesses of Munakata”, the god of the sea and transportation / trading safety, this shrine sits atop the summit Mt. Tsurugata Yama, which is a part of Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter (Kurashiki Beautiful Sight Quarter). The name “Achi”, is derived from the Achino-omi tribe who migrated from afar and lived in this space. The name of the shrine comes from the tribe as well.

• Okayama
• Shrines & Temples

I’m taking off a star because there are way too many stairs, and they’re so long.
So tiring lol.
But this was the first shrine I ever went to by myself.
If I saw these stairs in Taiwan, I’d definitely be like, “Wait... do I really want to go up there?”
But in Japan, I had unlimited motivation. Even with unlimited motivation, though, it was still kind of exhausting.
That said, a lot of the scenery and landscaping was actually pretty cool.
The second time I went, I bought an omamori.
It was really pretty, maybe wisteria-themed?
And it was pouring rain the second time too, which was wild.
I was so scared I’d slip, and I was also feeling a little dizzy.
I was honestly afraid I might tumble all the way down. There weren’t many people around either, so it was pretty scary.
I really like solo travel, but this honestly felt a bit dangerous, since not every section has a handrail.