A Vibrant Energy In Osaka

Prior to this trip, people told me that a few days in Osaka would be sufficient.  As a tourist after visiting the city, I’d agree.  Osaka isn’t really a boring city.  I am sure if I lived there, I would have fun there.  It also gives off a fun, youthful, and vibrant culture to it.  Not to mention there is a lot of shopping and good food there.

But Osaka is like any other city with its own foods and shopping.  However as a tourist, you would definitely have enough time to visit all the important attractions within 3 days.  Mind you, I was there for about 2.5 days… but from my research online and from my guidebook, I felt I have covered the major attractions that I had to see.

And Osaka is a convenient stop for you to travel to other major parts of Japan – Kyoto, Nara, and Kobe to name a few.  And the nightlife there seems to be pretty happening on any given weekday. Continue reading A Vibrant Energy In Osaka

Hokkaido in November

Quick tips about Hokkaido:

Jr Train Map

  • The people here do not speak any English… like at all.  You’d expect the hotels to know English, but a majority of the staff couldn’t speak the language even one bit
  • As yen continues to depreciate, the value there keeps getting cheaper.  I was extremely happy with what I was getting for food and for shopping for the price I was paying
  • So yeah it’s a food paradise
  • Since public transportation is quite expensive, and since the weather can be a bit harsh in winter times, I would actually recommend renting a car if you have a group of three or more.  4 days rental was quoted at 29,000 yen including insurance
  • If you are traveling short distances and going with 3 or more people, you can consider riding a taxi too
  • Felt very safe the entire trip
  • If you want to see the autumn leaves, you should go there around Sept / Oct.  If you want to go for skiing / snowboarding, you should go there around December to February
  • Sapporo is a great city, but to appreciate Hokkaido’s scenery, you really have to go outside the city to other parts of Hokkaido

Continue reading Hokkaido in November