Arashiyama ♥ 嵐山

After the 4-hour Gion Matsuri procession, where I stood under the hot sun from 8am-12nn, I took the Hankyu line and headed over to Arashiyama since I was already in Kyoto. The sun was strong, but the sky was a gorgeous expanse of blue, and the clouds perfectly white ♥ Arashiyama is a picturesque district in the outskirts of Kyoto, and is a historic site and Place of Scenic Beauty. The bridge, the Togetsukyo, looks stunning over the water, with the mountains in the backdrop.

This is probably my favorite shot of Arashiyama; the sky was so blue, the mountains and greenery in the background, and the flowing water which was so clear! I love visiting places like this; vast expanses of green and blue, with the mountains as a backdrop. Places where the air is so fresh and I just feel so happy standing there ♥ Honestly speaking, I'm not an outdoorsy person and I'm not a big fan of hiking either, but I enjoy going to mountains, highlands and nature places just to see the scenery!

While there, I visited Tenryuuji, Arashiyama's largest temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There is a large lotus pond before the entrance, and the sunny weather and blue skies made everything look so good! I didn't go into the main hall (there's an admission fee), though I did buy an omamori (good luck charm).

They also had special limited edition Tenryuuji x Hello Kitty omamori cellphone straps! There are six different types: money, love, wish, education, safety and health.

Walking on, I visited Nonomiya Jinja (got another omamori) and passed by the gorgeous bamboo grove.

The path, flanked by rows and rows of tall, straight bamboo with the sunlight peeking in between the leaves, was so pretty to walk along, especially when the bamboo swayed in the wind ♥ It was also very cooling with the bamboo blocking out most of the heat!

There's really so much more to see at Arashiyama, but it was such a hot day ("like an oven", as a friend described it) and I was kind of dehydrated from the walking plus the 4 hours in the morning, so I gave up hiking under the oven-hot sun! I went to Arashiyama via the Hankyu line, but departed using the Keifuku Randen. The Randen station had food and bites to eat, as well as a beer garden (not sure if it's limited to summer?). The Randen line stops by many of Kyoto's World Heritage shrines and temples, so I decided to visit Ninnaji after Arashiyama~ To be continued another day!

Nara Deer Park ♥ 奈良公園

Dear deer! Regarded as messengers of the gods in the Shinto religion, deer are the symbol of Nara and hundreds roam freely around the park, and they are protected as a National Treasure! Deer crackers can be found for sale at many corners around the park, and you can feed the deer.

Another main attraction of Nara is Kasuga Taisha, a World Heritage Site. It is a 30-minute walk from Kintetsu Nara Station, though you can take a bus there. The bus is not covered in the Kansai Thru Pass, and since I was literally on my last few hundred yen, I walked to and fro (´Д`) Kasuga Taisha is a very pretty red shrine, and their omamori are gorgeous! Even their ema boards are heart-shaped and so cute!

My favorite photo of Kasuga Taisha! ♥

The grounds are rather extensive with many halls, trees and paths lined with stone lanterns.

On the grounds of Kasuga Taisha there are many deer resting and wandering around. These deer are not shy or afraid of people at all! They occupy all sorts of places in all sorts of positions, like between safety cones, around vending machines, behind stone lanterns, and even in front of store windows! Some deer even walk into the stores! (The ones with automated doors)

Beware of the deer! It didn't happen to me because I wasn't tempting them, but I've heard from friends' experiences that the deer might persistently follow you around if you're eating or holding onto food^^ There are various warning signs around the park cautioning that the deer can bite, kick, head-butt and knock you down! But the deer are quite docile, you can walk up to them and they'll let you pet them.

There are even deer painted on the lamp-posts around Nara Park! Another beautiful summer day, I love the blue of the sky and green of the grass! Beware of rickshaws drivers, they'll come up to you and try to bargain for you to take a ride^^

Visited Yoshikien, a garden that has free admission for foreigners/tourists! It's not very big but the pond is quite pretty. It also has a moss garden and tea house. Right beside it is a larger garden, Isuien, but it has an admission fee.

On the path to the gardens I saw a vending machine, and there are even dedicated buttons on vending machines for the deer! They are a form of donations/fund raising to maintain the deer of Nara Park. I found it funny that they put the line "No drink will be provided." HAHAHA!

Koufukuji, a temple originally built in 710! The pagoda is the 2nd tallest in Japan. Saw two elderly ladies decked in their kimonos paying a visit to the temple. Another sight to see on the grounds is the unique octagonal building^^

seoul hauls ♥

Though I wasn't able to go to some places due to weather/sold-out tickets and etc (Seoraksan and Yeosu), I still had a great time walking around, eating and shopping.

Spicy octopus bibimbap. All the side dishes are free and refillable!

Hwahongmun of the Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon, Gyeonggi-do.

Innisfree haul ♥

The hankies and row of sachets above the masks are freebies.

I bought so much cosmetics, they're sooo cheap and the quality is decent. Plus there are stores EVERYWHERE. For local Korean brands like Etude House, Nature Republic, Innisfree, Tony Moly, The Face Shop and etc, there is a store everywhere and anywhere. There are multiple stores each of the above-mentioned brands in Myeongdong alone.

There are stores in the transit/transfer areas of train stations where you walk to transfer from one line to another. In addition to main shopping districts, you can find them in little streets, not-so-busy places, exits of train stations, airport duty-free...so it's hard to resist buying anything!

Plus, most cosmetics stores give out freebies and samples with every purchase.

I only bought the pink boxes in the middle, the rest were all freebies!

One brand I fell in love with is Too Cool For School. Their products are really fun and cute, some designed to be like art class materials. I love the BB Cream! ♥ It feels light on the skin and gives a dewy finish. I also really like using the lip crayons, eye crayons and lip tint! Will be doing (many) Too Cool For School product reviews soon!

Their store is quite dimly lit compared to other brands, but I love the layout. It isn't a Korean brand, but it has been adapted to suit the Korean market. There are stores in Sinsa, Insadong, E-dae and 2 in Myeongdong. I don't know about other places, but these were the ones I went to!

All the freebies/samples I got from going to Too Cool For School. I visited it about 6 times! ♥

For the Too Cool For School stores in Myeongdong, I've dubbed one the "stingy" store and one the "generous" store...with regard to how much freebies they give. I bought around the same amount, if not more, at the stingy store, but they gave me so little freebies. I went to the generous store twice, bought different amounts, but the amount of freebies way outnumbered the ones I got at the stingy store! ♥ The Insadong store is quite generous too, the Sinsa one isn't. The E-dae one is pretty alright; somewhere in the middle.

Also got a lot of stationery, they're really cute and *really* cheap! ♥

Patterned envelopes were 500won (5ocents) for 6. Postcards were 100won (10cents) each!

Large notebooks were 3,000won. Pen sets were 4,000~8,500won!

I'm a JYJ fan, so I was really happy to see lots of their ads around! ♥

This one's for Mariokart 7 for Nintendo 3DS.

This one's for Sokcheong, a health drink.

This advert space was bought by Lovin JJ, a Japanese Jaejoong fansite.

I also bought a lot of hair accessories, will post about the another time!

Hiraizumi's Chusonji ♥ 平泉中尊寺

The day was to start off going to the Iwate prefecture to visit Chuusonji/中尊寺, a temple at Hiraizumi/平泉, Japan's newest UNESCO World Heritage site, a status attained in June 2011.

Nattou for breakfast, had it three days in a row ♥

Where else but Japan is this readily available for breakfast (:

It was a long bus ride up, so midway, the bus stopped at a PA/SA and I saw this adorable Chopper tin of candy!

Also got a One Piece tin of cookies^^

Dew drops still intact on an intricately woven spider web.

It's wondrous sights of nature like these that I could go on staring at for ages.

Lush greenery I dearly miss.

For some reason, the greenery is just so green, bright and inviting.

Tall, beautiful bamboo ♥

No more #aloneinthemountains!

Gorgeous path for walking, lined by tall bamboo.

Cute dogs!

Cute dog-babies!

A lot of other visitors in the morning.

Entrance to Konjikidou, a golden hall with the mummified remnants of the leaders of the Fujiwara clan, and artifacts from the Heian period, no photography allowed. But the decor was really ornate and beautifully done!

Here's a picture of Konjikido from the brochure.

The golden hall is actually encased by glass walls when you enter the wooden building.

Omikuji, I got 小吉(shoukichi, small luck), which isn't great, but isn't bad either^^

Tree with amazing roots^^

Time to leave :(

Lunch before heading off to Akita International University and the Akita Kantou Festival! ♥

Gokayama! ♥ 五箇山

Got up bright and early to head-start my day trip to Gokayama, part of a UNESCO World Heritage site of gasshou-zukuri (thatched-roof) farmhouses. Most foreigners visit Shirakawago in Gifu instead of Gokayama in Toyama for gasshou-zukuri houses, as the latter is somewhat remote and inaccessible.

Only 4 buses, run by Kaetsunou, go there each day, and these buses can be taken from Jouhana station, a 1.5h train journey away from Toyama. But trust me, all that travelling is worth it, the houses look like cottages from a fairytale and you’ll be taken in by its charm! ♥

Jouhana Station; average daily ridership: 200.


It's really a quiet little town.


Was totally fooled by the skies...


Bus stop, waiting for the bus to Gokayama


Get a number when you board, pay when you alight.

My first stop was supposed to be Washi-no-sato, to experience making washi, Japanese paper. Apparently, washi can last for over a hundred years! To get there, one must take the Kaetsunou bus to Shimonashi, and then transfer to a village-run bus bound for Soyama. So I got off at Shimonashi, a few kilometers downhill from Ainokura, the bigger gasshou-zukuri village in Gokayama.

But alas! Bus schedules for the Soyama-bound bus aren’t available online and the next bus to Soyama was to come in 3 hours. There were no sights at Shimonashi and the lady I asked said walking to Washi-no-sato would take hours, and there was no guarantee that the return bus would be at a convenient time. There definitely wasn't going to be another Kaetsunou bus for hours, so with no other alternatives, I began the hike back up to Ainokura.

It was a long and winding road, empty and without a soul. It started to rain and I started to panic. All alone in the middle of the mountain with no shelters or structures in sight and no idea how long the hike uphill would be, I had no choice but to continue walking. Then, I looked down the edge of the road and saw these!

Amazed by the view of a stream down in the valley.

Looks better vertical! ♥

I continued trekking uphill and finally reached Ainokura.

As I started to explore the area, my previous scary hike was soon forgotten.

First house by the entrance to the village.

The gasshou-zukuri farmhouses are amazing structures~ ♥

They really look so picturesque against the surrounding green paddy fields, flowers and mountain backdrops ♥

Their steeply-sloped roofs are designed to withstand heavy snowfall.

Built mostly in the 18th century, most of these farmhouses are now museum, restaurants or inns.

Ainokura Folk Museum #2. . These houses provide an insight into rural life centuries ago.

You can learn a lot about the unique history of the houses and the community, like the local instruments known as sasara and kokiriko.

Kokiriko. The museums play videos of traditional performances inside the museums, so you can get a glimpse into the history of them as well.

The second floor is accessible via ladders like these, and you can take a look at how the roof is structured.

Lovely view!

Inside of the roof

Close-up of the pieces used to make the roof

View from the 2nd storey

You can also find out about how the roof is made.

Of course, it's in Japanese^^

In the past, people used to eat dinner around this.

How the houses would look like in winter, when snow blankets the whole roof and the ground becomes a floor of white~ ♥

It was still drizzling, but the scenery was great

This must be my favorite picture, it really looks like a fairy-tale cottage!

This is the main restaurant in the village, called Matsuya. They serve mostly udon and soba dishes, for around 1,000yen. The other half of the store is a souvenir shop, where you can purchase Gokayama traditional crafts, foods, keychains, postcards etc.

Path off Ainokura

I'm ever-adventurous and ready to explore deserted paths!

Cedar tree. They're really valued for their wood.

View from the bus back ♥

The countryside is really pretty ♥

Ticket

Train from Jouhana back to Takaoka, where I'll transfer to another train bound for Toyama.

Back to Toyama after a long day up in the mountains.

I think the houses at Gokayama are amazing pieces of work, and are really under-appreciated by the younger generation. As our world becomes increasingly interconnected and globalized, the significance of places like these tends to be forgotten. Today, I saw quite a few other visitors streaming in and out, but they were 90% senior citizens. Despite the long journey, it really is worth the time to visit ♥

Sorry for the lack of commentary, but scenery is best explained and appreciated with picture rather than words right? (: Next post will be on delicious Toyama food! :D