March 27, 2018

Airbnb in Osaka

From Namba Oriental Hotel, we moved to an Airbnb for our last lodging in Osaka.
This Airbnb is just a walking distance form Namba Oriental, and also our cheapest stay in Japan.

This is our 1st experience staying at any Airbnb.  It is cheap but the checkin process can be a bit tricky, make sure you have all the checkin details at hand, expecially if you didn't subscribe to data/mobile plan in Japan like us.

We have the printed instruction ready, plus hubby already communicated with the owner upon booking.  The security code was given, and we get the key from the mailbox, all these without face to face with the owner.

Lucky for us, our checkin was a smooth one.  Not so lucky for a group of Thai ladies, they arrived midnight, and they were having trouble finding the key, we met them at the apartment lobby, they asked for our help, there's nothing much we can do, different owner have different instructions.  Mind you, there's not even a security guard at the apartment, to get in to the lobby/mailbox area you need to have the access code too.

Enough about the checkin; so here's our room on the 11th floor, a studio apartment, very spacey, complete with kitchenette, washing machine, separate bathroom and toilet, 2 queen size bed.
Apartment entrance.
The corridor on 11th floor.

Our Room 1102
View from the entrance
2 queen bed

TV area

The balcony and the beautiful street view from the balcony.
The kitchen

A separate bathroom, toilet, and wash area.

Shoe rack, store room and extra pillow/towel room.

The surrounding. Lawson just across the road.

March 25, 2018

Emmett's Sketches #13 | Military vs Villain

One year ago..

Today, the remake..

March 23, 2018

Fairy Cave, Bau

Mid-term school holiday is coming to an end.
Where did we go during school holiday? Explore the backyard of our very own hometown.

Emmett accidently discover Fairy Cave on Google (he call it Safari).  
He said, ‘Mom, do you know that there’s a cave name Fairy Cave in Sarawak?’
Aduh, terasa sangat bersalah sebab tak bawa dia explore tempat sendiri, bukan apa, in my memories, these cave are not well maintain, and too many mosquitoes, I hate those.

To cut the story short, we managed to show our kids the very famous Fairy Cave in Bau town.

Entrance fee is at RM1 per adult for Malaysian, and RM5 for non-Malaysian.

Loving these scenery..





March 22, 2018

Namba Oriental Hotel, Osaka

After 5 nights in Kyoto, we moved to Osaka for our 2nd leg of journey.

Our 1st stop in Osaka is at Namba Oriental Hotel. 
 We had a pleasant 2 nights stay there. The room is big and bright. 
Equipped with a Bluetooth sound system and a mobile phone. 
There’s a Nescafe Dolce Gusto machine too. ice!

 The entrance. 

 Loving the classic elevator. 


Our room. 
Even Emmett looks bright and cheerful here :D 

 The Nescafe Dolce Gusto, fridge, and other things in the drawer. 

The washroom.

Our short video..

March 11, 2018

Hotel New Hankyu, Kyoto

After spending 2 nights in New Miyako, we moved to New Hankyu, also a walking distance from Kyoto Station, just on the opposite side.

Right across the street from Kyoto Station, Hotel New Hankyu is one of best place to stay with reasonable price, in Kyoto.

Kyoto bus terminal is directly in front of the hotel, with the Shinkansen and Subway platforms both around a 5-minute walk away. The Kyoto Yodobashi Department store is located only 200m away.

Checkin counter.


Our room. 

The washroom. 

Our meal tickets for breakfast or brunch and there are 2 restaurant to choose from.

We had the buffet breakfast on Day 1 and Day 2.
On my tray, bacon, stew eggplant, pasta, lotus root, seaweed, tomato soup, miso soup, and tamato juice. 

On my son's tray, sausage, bacon, porridge, egg and fresh milk. 

On the 3rd day, we had brunch before checking out and headed to Osaka. 
Salad and Mushroom soup.

Eggplant pasta.

Steak with fried rice.

Breakfast area, Salmon rice - sooo goood, bacon, steak with rice.

There's a souvenir shop at the hotel lobby, selling Japanese goods at reasonable price, hotel guest will get extra 15% discount.

March 10, 2018

New Miyako Hotel, Kyoto (2017)

This is our second time staying at New Miyako Hotel, Kyoto.
The 1st time was in 2016.

This hotel is conveniently located at a walking distance from Kyoto Station.  Plus my boys really miss the audio in the elevator, so we decided to stay at this hotel again.

However this time we had to pay double the amount that we paid in summer 2016.
Coming to Japan in Autumn really put a big hole in our pocket, mainly due to the high accommodation rate.  But the scenery and the experience are worth the price, so, ya we would do it again if money-is-enough in the future.

Nuff said, let's enjoy the photos..

Our room



Breakfast vouchers, with 3 restaurants to choose from.


On Day 1, we went to the Kyoyamatoya Japanese Restaurant at the lower ground floor for an authentic Kyoto-style cuisine, obento breakfast. 

Basically we had, miso soup, salmon, taufu, rice, porridge, seaweed, yam ball and the most tasty pumpkin I ever tasted in my life - Kabocha no Nimono. 




On Day 2, we opt for Le Plaisir Restaurant, located on the ground floor.

On my plate, miso soup, bacon, sweet potato, mushroom, yam ball, lobster salad, pasta, and Kabocha no Nimono.


In my dessert bowl : fresh Japanese orange, more Kabocha no Nimono, and assorted dried fruits.


Goodbye New Miyako, till we meet again.