2018 New Year Japan Trip Itinerary: Day 2 Osaka - Tokyo

****Day 2: Osaka - Tokyo****

Shinkansen experience was really nice. It took us only 3 hours to reach Tokyo and the journey was smooth. When we reached Tokyo station, we went to search for subway pass before we check in to the Airbnb place. We bought the 2-day Tokyo Metro pass with JPY 1,200 (~RM45). The 2-day pass is only available for tourist as you need to show your passport in order to purchase the pass. Luckily we bought this pass as traveling out from the Airbnb place to Tokyo city would cost us more if we didn't buy this pass. 

The Airbnb place was near Nakano-Shinbashi station and it was hostel-like. The room was very small tbh but I guess that was why the price was much cheaper than other hotels/hostels. After unloading our luggage at the Airbnb place, we headed back to Shinjuku area for lunch. First meal in Tokyo - super large bowl udon @ Tsurutontan Shinjuku. 

Why they have such complicated crossing??

It was quite difficult to find the restaurant as it was at basement. We reached the place and didn't realized that it was just right in front of us. XD But was fated to try as we thought to randomly try the udon shop in front of us and realized it was the shop that we were searching for when we were queuing. There was a long queue and waited for about 20 minutes.

I ordered a bowl curry katsu udon, with 1.5 portion of udon. 

Sorry for not taking care of my image XD Yours truly was really hungry!

After that, we walked around Shinjuku area before meeting up with my friend's friend. We went to check out Omotesando area near Harajuku station before heading to Meiji Shrine (Meiji Jingu). This is a major luxury shopping destination and the trees along the street are famous for street photography. However, as it was winter, it wasn't as beautiful as the photos taken during spring. 

Oh well, trees during winter are still worth enjoying. Where do you find this scene in Malaysia?

And that was my OOTD for new year eve! Loving my Aldo boots as it is so comfy and only costs me RM200! Such a brilliant consumer. =P Behind me was a long queue for either Garrett popcorn or gyoza. I don't understand why the queue was that long! 

After a few photos, we walked to Meiji Shrine (Meiji Jingu, 明治神宫). It is usually close at 6pm but for new year eve and a first few days of new year, they open till midnight. Especially that they have prayers at midnight for new year. But we did not join that ceremony.

2018 New Year Japan Trip Itinerary: Day 1 KL - Osaka

It is always my dream to travel to Japan. Never thought it would happen so soon and with a friend that I've never thought of. But well, it was a wonderful and memorable trip! Japan is really a beautiful country and rather huge to explore! Can't wait to visit Japan again!!! 

So I'll start with detailed daily itinerary and then a summary. =)

Day 1 (30th Dec): KL - Osaka

Departed to airport around 9.30am for afternoon flight to Osaka. Spared some time at airport to grab brunch and collect the wifi router from Travel Recommends counter. I would suggest to rent one wifi router as it is necessary and cheaper than getting SIM card in Japan. The one that I booked cost RM200 for 9 nights (RM100 per pax). This saved us from getting lost in Japan! XD 

View from the flight. This is so beautiful!

We reached Osaka airport around 9.45pm and started our adventure! We tried to grab a midnight train to Tokyo, which we couldn't managed to book online. Rushed to JR office to change our JR pass and tried to book the train. It was freezing cold! Unfortunately, it was fully reserved and we had no place to sleep at night =( Lesson learnt -- Don't try your luck especially during peak season like New Year.

So, we decided to go with Plan B, which is to find a place to stay in Osaka for the night and also to hunt for supper. Instead of wasting one day of our JR pass, we bought the train ticket to Osaka station, which costs us JPY 1190 (~RM45) each. The train took about 30 minutes to reach Osaka station, reached there around 12.30am.

Ticket for the last train to Osaka station from airport! 

Suit up to combat the cold weather for the night! Don't know where to sleep yet XD

As we were starving that time, we decided to grab a bowl of ramen as supper before we hunt for a place to rest. Hence, Ichiran Ramen @ Umeda which opens for 24 hours was our first food stop in Japan. My friends have been telling me how great it is. So excited to have it as my first meal. =D

Guess what, there were people queuing at midnight for ramen!

Once we got into the restaurant with our huge luggage, the waiters helped us to store the luggage aside. Then, we ordered our ramen using the machine. Once you paid, the machine will give out a receipt. After that, proceed to the seating place to wait for a seat. You will then pass your order to the kitchen for ramen preparation once you are seated. The procedure is so systematic and the ramen was served quite soon that day.  

Ta-daa! Ramen served with soft boiled egg (JPY 1020 = ~RM38). You can choose the flavour of the soup and also with toppings. So individualized! And, they also have individual seating. I love the concept so much! Eating alone wouldn't be awkward anymore! 

After our supper, we went to hunt for place to stay. Found a kind-of-weird hotel and rested for 3 hours before we catch the 6am Shinkansen to Tokyo. That 3 hours stayed cost us JPY 8000, which was the cheapest that we could find. 

Kuala Lumpur: Nana's Green Tea & Minion Exhibition

#throwback

Finally I have the chance to try the soft serve at Nana's Green Tea. My previous visit was in December 2014, which I tried their lunch set. (if you haven't read before, please click here for that blog post. =D ) 

I had a family day trip to KL to find my sister in Sunway. We went to Jing Xuan Restaurant for Dim Sum as brunch, then to Midvalley for a short shopping trip. I had brunch and dinner in 5 hours and then I still want to buy that soft serve from Nana's Green Tea. Can't wait till next time, as I have no idea when is next.

Look! This is my green tea soft serve (RM7++). =)

Yeah! It was in the evening and the restaurant is quite empty. 

Not as packed as when it was newly open. But anyway, soft serve is the main point!

Tired face with my dose of energy and happiness! 

The green tea soft serve is really nice! The matcha flavour is really nice but it is quite bitter. If you like ice cream with sweet taste, then it might not be your type. If not, I'll highly recommend this to you!

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Meanwhile in Midvalley, there's a minion exhibition. Cute little yellow creatures are all over the concourse area. Cuteness overload! =D

That 8 hour trip in KL was really too short. Can't wait for my next trip to the city! =D

Kedah: Kasumi Japanese Cuisine

There are a few Japanese restaurants in Alor Setar area and I've decided to try them all before I get my posting to (maybe) other places. I've went to Ginza Japanese Restaurant for a few times and also Kaede Japanese Restaurant. Of course, not to forget Sushi King for once or twice. There's nothing much to write about Sushi King as it can be found easily. I want to write about something more local. =)

To read about Ginza Japanese Restaurant food review, kindly click HERE.

To read about Kaede Japanese Restaurant food review, kindly click HERE.

Last week, I asked my friend out for dinner as I haven't seen her for quite a while. Erm... about a week or more. That means, I've been eating dinner alone for a week. Thinking of that make me depressed a bit and hence I texted her and asked her out. Luckily she is free to meet up for a dinner. To make it special, we decided to try something new. There's a Japanese restaurant I saw when I went to UOB bank at Jalan Gangsa. Always wanted to go there but forgot about its existence when I need ideas for dinner place. This time, it came into my mind and decided to try it out. 

The restaurant is located at first floor, right beside UOB bank.

Not hard to find it but I'm not too sure if it is searchable with Waze or Google Map. If you can't search the name, perhaps try search for UOB Bank =) Great minds think alike as friend and I reached the place at the same time. Good timing! =D

The restaurant is quite spacious and we are the only few customers for the night. We spent about 2.5 hours there talking (most of time just me grumbling about life) and they are very kind to refill our drinks. The environment makes me feel comfortable and the lighting is bright enough. I don't quite like restaurants with dim lighting as it makes me feel a little emotional. *emo kids nowadays... haihhh...*

Let's talk about food! 

I just used "great minds think alike" right? Yes, it happened again in the restaurant. We aimed the same sushi platter. ^_^ 

It has my favourite inari, tamago nigiri, salmon nigiri and least favourite cucumber maki. 

I enjoyed eating the salmon nigiri but one is not enough. haha.. Me want more salmon! XD This platter cost us about RM10. Roughly that price.

Apart from sushi, each of us ordered a small bowl of don. I ordered a Chicken Terriyaki Don because I think I always order Chicken Katsu Don. Fried stuff is no good. NO!

Ok! So this is how my Chicken Terriyaki Don looks like. 

Pretty appetizing from the photo but a bit dry as there isn't much sauce or gravy on the rice. But the chicken is nice, my type! Not oily and a bit crispy.

After finishng all our food, we are so full. Talked for a while and we decided to get some dessert. Asked the workers if they do serve desserts because we didn't notice any on the menu. And yes, they do serve ice cream -- Vanilla, chocolate and matcha. Both of us (matcha lovers) ordered 1 scoop Matcha Ice Cream each. 

Penang: Sushi Tei

FINALLY, I can say goodbye to TDM oncall. Third week of oncall makes me very nervous because I have not touch the machine for months. I was so afraid that I could not perform well. On the first day of the oncall, I hardly sleep because I was nervous. If there's any toxic case during midnight, I might freak out. Luckily luckily, I finished it peacefully. 19 days of TDM oncall in total. It's over! Hopefully don't have anymore this year. Please Please....

Ok, back to topic on my visit to Sushi Tei last weekend. Went there after work on Thursday to meet up with sister at Queensbay mall. FINALLY... Time for some sushi! =D Japanese food! I've been craving for nice Japanese food for a very longgggggggg timeeeeee.

I was really hungry when I reached Queensbay Mall at 6pm. Had 2 pieces of bread for lunch as I have lunch call that day. So, I've decided to feast for dinner. Hopeless diet plan. Failed again.

Ok, photo time to make your saliva start dripping. *evil smile*

Salmon Sashimi! I MISS THIS SO MUCH.... *tears dropping while eating*

And then sushi-s were all served first before my main.

Inari, soft shell crab maki, tamago sushi. Nom Nom Nom... If you think these sushi for 2 people seem alright, you are wrong. My sis did not eat much as her lunch was at 3pm. I consumed 70% of them XD (Erm... I think I shouldn't tell this out and spoil my image. >.<)

And then my main was served hot stone bowl soba. Very very special.

Oh, this photo is just to show my tired but happy face. Le after-TDM-oncall face. Horrible. 

Take a close up of my soba. Taste very special. It is a bit spicy though. Can't describe the taste because I never have such taste in my life. Worth trying. =)

Taiping: Wasabi Sushi

Sushi post again!! =D

I have no idea why recently I have so much craving for Japanese food recently. When can I go Japan?

Wasabi Sushi Restaurant exists in Taiping for several years but I never try it till last 2 weeks. During Chinese New Year, sis and me were really hungry and we wanted to have some good food. Wanted to go Ming Ji Restaurant for a cup of coffee but that time the restaurant was closed for a break. So, we changed place to Wasabi Sushi which is located nearby. 

The menu which is simple, but looks a bit old.

The simple CNY design of the shop

The shop is rather small but quite cozy. When we went in around 3pm, there are 2 tables of customers. What a surprise. Tea time and tables are quite occupied (Because there are only around 5 tables. Haha... )

Ordered a pot of green tea for 2.

And ordered different sushi. They served all our orders in a plate. 

Look! Total bill is less than RM25 for everything. Rather cheap. But taste wise is just alright. Salmon nigiri feels not too fresh. Unagi nigiri was good. Tamago is too too sweet and hence awful. 

Kedah: Kaede Japanese Restaurant

It is March 2015 already! How time flies! 

Chinese New Year celebration is coming to an end and it is time for my stomach to rest. I get disgusted with meats these few days. This morning I was craving for some salads but I don't have ingredients to make one. Wanted to go for a bowl of Moo Salad at Cafe Diem but I'm lazy to drive there alone and eat. Hence, I have a second thought -- What about trying the japanese restaurant near Teluk Wanjah? 

Yes Yes, you didn't get me wrong. I went to try this new place alone because friends are busy =S

A very small board in the middle of the row of shops.

The menu.

They listed their opening hours on the front page.

Lunch: 11.45am - 3.30pm
Dinner: 5.45pm - 10.20pm
Close on Monday.

Very odd opening hours. 10.20pm?! But well, maybe that's how they make it special.

Small restaurant but the light and decoration make it feel homey. 

Remember that I said I was craving for vege? 

Hence, I ordered a bowl of Sansai Soba (山菜荞麦面) (RM8.80). Loving the mushrooms and vege. The soup is nice too. Totally enjoyed my dinner tonight though I'm all alone. =D 

Who cares when couple beside me give me a strange look?

Ah! Not to forget my side dish -- Inari (RM2.80). 

I have no idea why I love Inari so much recently. But Inari here is still not as good as the one in Ginza. Still good and acceptable. 

Heard that this Kaede Japanese Restaurant exists for a few years in Alor Setar already. I'm a bit slow to explore but it is better than never. =D They serves set menu too. Maybe can try it when I get rid of my fats gained during CNY. Haha... 

Kedah: Ginza Japanese Restaurant & Tiffz Coffee Gallery

New Year Eve Dinner (version 2014)

Last day of 2014, colleagues decided to gather for NYE dinner. I joined them for dinner but didn't manage to countdown together. (Thanks to my night shift! Grrr..... Yes yes, I have to jot this down. I have to countdown in hospital. And in fact, I missed the chance to countdown nicely as I was too busy that time. Sigh.....) Ok, back to the NYE dinner, we decided to dine in Ginza Japanese Restaurant. 

We only managed to book a seat outdoor, though we called earlier to book our place. NOOOOO~~~~ When we reached the restaurant and get seated, we kept asking if there is any chance we can be shifted indoor. And thankfully, after we made our orders, they have a table cleared for us! So thankful! So grateful! So lucky! If not, we will gonna sit outside with a strong fan beside us. horrible....

Ginza has NYE set menu -- Set A Salmon set ; Set B Chicken and something else (which I forgot). I ordered a set A and chicken terriyaki don to share with my friend. Such a big eater. XD

Friend's Ten Don. (Tempura don)
Looks nice in real but photo doesn't seems tempting at all.

Our Chicken Terriyaki Don. =D
Simple but nice. 

Our Set A. Lots of salmon!

Salmon fried rice, salmon sashimi, salmon nigiri, salmon salad, salmon terriyaki, etc etc...

Closer look to our salmonsssss! *slurpss*

They really gave generous amount of salmon in their small bowl of fried rice. *thumbs up*

Because my friend does not eat raw food, I have all salmon for myself. *oopss*

Had a really good dinner to end 2014. Enjoyed the night a lot, with good company, good environment and good food. I'm grateful 2014 has been a good year to me. I learnt a lot of new things. I met a lot of new and nice people. Thankful! Hope 2015 would be great too.

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NEW YEAR DINNER

1/1/2015. I worked till 8am and then slept till 6pm. What a good way to start a new year. SLEEP. =D Had vegetarian japanese dinner at Sushi Kitchen with my usual dinner partners and then meet up the rest for second round at Tiffz Coffee Gallery for small talk. Again, good company and good food to start my 2015. 

Our desserts at Tiffz Coffee Gallery.

Sungai Petani: 2D1N Random food trip

#throwback

Have been working in Kedah for 6 months. Spent most of my time in Alor Star and I've only been to Sungai Petani twice so far. During my second visit, I have the chance to meet up with my beloved "hey-manss", stay-over at their place and being treated with good food. =)

 A short, memorable and sweet trip down to SP. 

First stop: Amanjaya Mall

As I have no idea where is my friend's rented place in SP, we decided to meet up at Amanjaya Mall. The mall is just located on the left after the Sungai Petani (Utara) exit (pretty easy for me to find it). Walked around Amanjaya mall and finished walking in 15 minutes (or lesser). Errrr.... It is about the same as Alor Star Mall. *sigh*

Finally meet up with my friend and she introduced me their favourite ice cream stall. This is really nice! The ice cream stall sells handmade ice cream, which includes green tea flavour, durian flavour, etc.... So hard to choose! All seem nice. Ermmmm.... ERmm..... ERMM....... At last, I ordered a durian ice cream. XD

Durian flavour is nice! Rich texture and fragrance. RM4 for such a nice ice-cream. Quite worthy. Poko-poko is the name of the stall. Located at ground floor of Amanjaya Mall, opposite Blackwood Cafe. 

Second Stop: Second Street Hawker Center (二街)

It is something like wai sek kai (为食街) with 2 rows of food stalls. Friends introduced me their favourite noodle stall and I gave it a try. =) Not bad not bad. 

The chicken floss noodle (dried) served with fish balls and soup. 

Ordered a small one and save some space for other food. Hehe... 

Our side dish -- Loh Bak! 

Did not have loh bak for ages! Quite nice. But feel so guilty after eating all these oily fried stuff. @.@

3rd stop: Muse Cafe

After dinner, sent one of my friend back home to get some sleep before her night shift. Then, me and darling qy continue to hang out in Village Mall and Muse Cafe. Decided to catch a movie in Village mall (super random idea) and so we have about an hour before the movie starts. Hence we chilled at Muse Cafe, a kinda-new cafe in that area. 

Darling QY's flat white. 

My cuppa mocha. 

Not chocolate-y enough. Disappointed.

The environment of the cafe is quite nice. But the coffee is a little disappointing. Cake looks tempting but I did not try. Was too full after dinner. 

Kuala Lumpur: Nana's Green Tea & Vineg Plus

Finally........ Finally........ Finally........

I had the chance to try Nana's Green Tea @ LG floor, The Gardens Mall. There are so many photos about this new (not really for now) Japanese restaurant, especially their desserts. I was tempted for months and I was determined to give it a try. During my random trip back to KL over the Deepavali long weekend, I decided to travel to Midvalley area alone to try Nana's Green Tea and of course did some shopping there too. XD

Gratefully, my friend, who is working in Midvalley, has time to meet up with me! I was not alone when I try Nana's Green Tea ='D (I did imagined myself trying out my long waited green tea latte alone, with people around staring at me. That sounds a little sad. huhu.....)

Ta-daa!!! Surprisingly, the restaurant is pretty small.

No wonder people have to queue to enter during peak hours.

While waiting for my friend, I spent some time looking at the display (pretty detailed and real).

Hmmm..... I really don't know which to choose. All seem so nice to me! My only chance this year (maybe) to try this restaurant, I must choose something that I will really like. (Why I so stressed?)

At first, I wanted to try their green tea parfait. Saw too many instagram photos on this dessert. 

Should I try? Should I try? 

But after looking through their lunch set menu, I'm more tempted to try their lunch set. Similar price as their parfait and I can try their green tea latte. Seem like a good deal. In addition, my friend told me that he tried their lunch set and find it very nice. So yeah, I ordered a lunch set of Oroshi Hamburg with an iced green tea latte + azuki beans. 

Here is it! Iced green tea latte! 

THIS IS AWESOME!! The green tea taste is so strong! Totally my cuppa green tea latte. =D

Me with my lunch set!
This should be one of the very few photos I took with my food throughout the Deepavali weekend. Fail and tired blogger. 

Oroshi Hamburg

That scoop of whitish thingy on top of my hamburg is actually white radish. Initially, I thought it is mashed potato so I was a little disappointed. But the chicken hamburg is really a bomb! Thumbs up! Juicy and soft. Nice try nice try. The salad is quite special too. Not just normal lettuce leaves with mayo or thousand island. So overall, I'm satisfied with my lunch. =D

Taiping: Shunka Japanese Restaurant

Recently, Taiping has a newly open Japanese restaurant -- Shunka Japanese Restaurant. It is located near Taiping Mall, opposite my dad's shop (Sin Heng Guan Trading in Hawker Centre). Since the location is so strategic for me, I decided to give it a try with my sis. 

Hoping to get some nice desserts and sushi. =)

Went there around lunch time and the restaurant was quite full. 

The decoration in the restaurant is quite nice. Just that I find it not spacious enough as the walkway is quite narrow - waitress has to "squeeze through" if there is people. 

I wanted to try their matcha desserts but the waitress told me they are out of their green tea ice and/or glutinous ball. So sad! The waitress told me they will replace the glutinous balls with more red beans, which does not sounds tempting (The dessert itself already has red bean, just that they will add MORE red beans). Sigh........

HENCE, we've decided to order a hot matcha latte (RM7.90), reluctantly. But surprisingly, it turns out really nice! The matcha taste is rather strong and taste a bit bitter. With the addition of sweet milk, it turns out sweet with a little bitterness. A description of life. =D

After taking order for our drink, we've decided to get some sushi as snacks. Flipped through the menu and realized that they don't offer sushi. They offer main dishes (Japanese + Korean) and dishes, and some appetizers. So NO SUSHI. Sad...

Then we decided to order their Takoyaki (RM8.90) as snacks. It turns out very awful. I can only taste a "tepung ball" rather than sotong ball. Such a disappointing Takoyaki. Night market can get better Takoyaki than this! 

The Takoyaki -- look kinda fascinating. 

But the taste is really disappointing. =(