雨妤魚's Reviews Page 4/7

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.

Kabukicho

Kabukicho is the entertainment district that sits just steps from the east exit of Shinjuku Station. It’s a major hub for izakaya pubs, amusement centers and nightlife spots to enjoy after hours. With neon signs lit up through the entire night, it’s earned the nickname of “the city that never sleeps”.

• Shinjuku, Okubo, Yoyogi, Yotsuya
• Shopping Streets

My mom told me this is kind of a red-light district and said I shouldn’t go, but I was on my way to Mt. Fuji, and if I went straight back at night I would’ve been starving, so I came anyway.
Hahaha, it was great.
And honestly, even if she said that, I still would’ve gone~
I’ve never really been the obedient type.
But I didn’t think it felt that dangerous.

The 3D Cat at Shinjuku East Exit

Located above the East Exit plaza of Shinjuku Station, one of the busiest train stations in the world, the giant 3D calico cat peers down at passersby in a dynamic video display. Since its debut in July 2021, the lifelike, seemingly popping-out 3D cat has captured widespread attention and has been featured in both domestic and international media.

• Shinjuku, Okubo, Yoyogi, Yotsuya
• Tourist Attractions

The kitty is super cute!
It’s one of Shinjuku’s major landmarks, and there were seriously so many people taking photos. I filmed a video instead, and this is a screenshot from it~
I was too hungry at the time, though, so right after filming I went to find something to eat haha

First Avenue Tokyo Station

"First Avenue Tokyo Station (Tokyo Station Ichibangai) " is directly connected to "Tokyo Station", the gateway to Japan.A wide variety of stores are gathered here, including ramen, local gourmet foods from all over Japan, Japanese and Western confectioneries from famous and long-established stores, and popular character goods.

• Tokyo Station, Nihonbashi, Marunouchi
• Shopping Streets

This place is huge, seriously huge. I was ready to shop like crazy.
Then I realized you shop by separate sections. The first time I went, I was running around with a basket, and the staff told me, “No, no, no.” My mom laughed at me and I was so embarrassed.

The second time, I was super bummed because I missed getting freshly fried Calbee chips or fries by just three minutes.
If you want to try them like I did, you can follow my map pin to get there!

You’ll get to Ichibangai right away, because I got lost.
Tokyo Station is honestly insanely big.

Oh well, third time’s the charm, right?
Please, I really hope I can finally eat them next time.

JR KYUSHU RAIL PASS

The JR KYUSHU RAIL PASS is a great-value rail pass offered by JR Kyushu for international visitors. It provides unlimited travel on JR lines throughout Kyushu-including local trains, limited express trains, and even the Kyushu Shinkansen. You can choose from 3-, 5-, or 7-day passes, and select the area that suits your itinerary: Northern Kyushu, Southern Kyushu, or All Kyushu.

• Kyushu Region
• Tickets & Passes

I have a lot to say about this. I originally booked the Aso Boy!, but because of the rain, the streetcar was moving super slowly and I missed it. I got into a huge argument with my friend, and I even squatted on the ground and cried.
I really hate it when things don’t go according to my plan. It was also my first time planning a trip by myself. I know plans can’t always keep up with changes, but when it completely falls through, I just feel like everything is ruined.
Maybe I had also built up too much stress... because some of the earlier parts of the trip had already changed too, so I kind of had a meltdown haha.
But then my friend immediately booked the Yufuin no Mori. I got on the train very unwillingly, though I had already planned to stay in Yufuin for one night.
I mean, I really wanted to go see Beppu, and I wanted to see the decorations on the Aso Boy! too. That dog must have been so cute...

Well, my friend bought me ice cream, so I had no choice but to forgive him.

Kinrin Lake

Kinrin Lake is one of many popular tourist spots in the hot springs town of Yufuin. The lake sits under Mt. Yufu and as such was called takemoto-no-ike (lit. “lake under the mountain”) for years. However, it was renamed to Kinrin, or “golden scales”, by Mori Kuso in 1884 when he saw the golden glimmering scales of fish as they swam at sunset.

• Oita
• Nature Spots

I was supposed to happily celebrate my 22nd birthday here, but I ended up really unhappy.

There was morning mist, but it honestly didn’t look good at all.
It’s just a lake, so I don’t know why it’s so popular.

I was so mad. I didn’t sleep all night because I was super excited.
It made me upset first thing in the morning… and I even stayed here for a day just for this. It took almost half an hour to walk over, and it was freezing… Maybe I just came at the wrong time.

Namba Yasaka Shrine

”Namba Yasaka Shrine”, located in the Namba area of Minami in Osaka, is a historic shrine said to have been founded during the reign of Emperor Nintoku (313-399).

• Shinsaibashi, Namba, Nipponbashi (Minami)
• Shrines & Temples

I really wanted to come here, and I even kept asking the tour guide along the way. I just happened to run into a tour leader from Taiwan too lol.

By the time I got there, the other gates had already been closed, and I was so sad... My cousin even laughed at me, and my mom told me to just give up.

But!

I wouldn’t give up, so I walked all around and finally managed to get in. There were only three minutes left before closing.

I was just about to take pictures, but there was already an older staff member trying to usher people out.
At that moment, an Indian family asked me to take a photo for them, and right after I finished, the staff member said no more photos...

I really wanted to take pictures too... *sob*
And I really wanted to buy an omamori.

But thankfully, I did get to see it!
And honestly, that already made me really happy at the time lol.

Yokai Art Museum

Located in the "Maze Town" area, with its irregular narrow streets near the popular Shodoshima tourist spot "Angel Road," the Yokai Art Museum is a complex of four galleries that utilize old buildings to exhibit yokai art.

• Kagawa
• Museums

I was actually just passing by, but if you’ve seen that I went to Kitaro, you probably already know I’m really into yokai and that whole genre lol.
I especially love Junji Ito’s art style.
It just feels so weird in the best way. Is that a personal fetish? lol
I think I even got a capsule toy at a nearby shop.
I honestly can’t remember whether I actually went into the merchandise-only section, or maybe it was just a store.
That day I was so worried there wouldn’t be a ferry back to Takamatsu, so I was rushing around and didn’t dare wander too much haha.
What I really liked was that even without going inside, the whole exterior was done so well.
It made me go wow, I really want to check it out.
It definitely has that kind of pull.