Chillout, Soulout & Freakout

I was not so lucky during the time of my visit. I thought I would be enjoying the spring but when I reached Kansai International Airport at 18 April 2018, that was the first day of summer. I had all the jacket and sweater which are useless during this time. So I decided to rent Kimono for a day while walking around the Higashiyama District. This was not a part of my plan but I got no choice because the weather becomes 32 degrees in the afternoon.  There are a lot of Kimono rental shops at Gion area so finding such a shop is not really hard. However, to find the shop with more choices and cheapest will need more survey and early reservation is required. The shop I went cost me 4000 yen (adult) and 3000 yen (kids). Yes, it is very expensive and I do not recommend the shop that I went because the design for men and kids are limited. You can do your own survey online or just see any special discount voucher you can purchase from any travel agent app. Different shop has differ...

Fushimi Inari Taisha (伏見稲荷大社) is the head shrine of the god Inari, located in Fushimi Ward in Kyoto, Japan. The shrine sits at the base of a mountain also named Inari which is 233 metres (764 ft) above sea level, and includes trails up the mountain to many smaller shrines which span 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) and take approximately 2 hours to walk up.  Fushimi Inari is the most important of several thousands of shrines dedicated to Inari, the Shinto god of rice. Foxes are thought to be Inari's messengers, resulting in many fox statues across the shrine grounds. Fushimi Inari Shrine has ancient origins, predating the capital's move to Kyoto in 794. You can easily get to here through the JR Nara Line which stops at Inari Line which is located right in front of the entrance. Another line would be the Keihan Main Line which stops at Fushimi Inari Line but you need to do a short 5 minutes walk to the entrance. While the primary reason most foreign visitors come to Fushimi Inar...

Kokoen (好古園, Kōkoen) is a relatively recently constructed Japanese style garden, which was opened in 1992 on the former site of of the feudal lord's west residence (Nishi-Oyashiki). It consists of nine separate, walled gardens designed in various styles of the Edo Period.  The ticket price is 300 yen but if you are purchasing a bundle ticket together with the Himeji Castle, it will cost 1040 yen only. It is just 5 minutes walk between them. You will only need to spend about 30 minutes to 1 hour in here.  Flowers lover will probably like this garden as there are many kind of flowers in this garden. There is a Japanese restaurant inside Koko-en where you have a pond and a beautiful garden view beside you while dining. The restaurant name is Kassui-ken Restaurant which is opens from 10.00am - 4.30pm. Using the gardening techniques in the Edo period (1600-1860) as a good model, "Koko-en" creates historical atmosphere with magnificent view of Himeji Castl...

Himeji (姫路) is most famous for its magnificent castle, Himeji Castle, widely considered to be Japan's most beautiful surviving feudal castle. The castle is designated both a national treasure and a UNESCO world heritage site. Himeji Castle is the best example of a Japanese castle as it has never been destroyed or even damaged in war. Himeji Castle was completed in 1609, but a fort existed on the site as early as 1333. The (tower or keep) of Himeji Castle is an excellent example of the traditional wooden architecture and its stone walls with their white plastered walls. It is not hard to get to here. No matter where you are originally from, you just have to make sure you know how you get to Himeji Station first. It is not hard by the help of Google Map. So from the Himeji Station, walk towards north of the station. If you do not know where the north is, just ask the staff at the information counter. The staff in the information counter will always have basic English capability...