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So… This is the second day of the new month, new year, and new decade. Everyone was posting about their resolutions and reflections yesterday. Me? Hahah… Nothing much… Still same old, same old, nothing much change. Quiet and peaceful life with beloved family and friends is good enough. Wish you have a blessed new year.
Before we welcome 2020, how many of you had redeemed your Starbucks planner? I was fortunate enough to get the limited edition of Starbucks Malaysia 2020 Planner, the Siren Edition. I was told that what I’m having is the last one in not just Kuching but Sarawak! WOW! What an honour to have it.
I was thinking of just doing the unboxing of the 2020 planner but decided to do something more… Unbox those from 2015 to 2019 as well. Truth to be told, some of them were not completely unboxed by me, they were still in their original packaging. For this video, I finally unbox them completely hahaha… What a sacrifice for the sake of content ;p
Hope you enjoy this video. Cheers!
Merry Christmas!! We are approaching 2020 soon!!
Want to share this video with you in case you are looking for videos on how to use Nagatanien The New Otani Hot Cake Mix:
I bought this from my previous Osaka trip. This video took me hours to film. I hope this is what you are looking for and can help you in making Japanese hot cake or pancake with the this premix or in case you are wondering whether this premix is foolproof enough or not.
After Nara, we went to Fushimi Inari Taisha (68 Fukakusa Yabunouchicho, Fushimi Ward, Kyoto, 612-0882, Japan). If you are in Kyoto, if you don’t go to Fushimi Inari Taisha, your trip will likely be not complete ;p This is the head shrine of the kami Inari, located in Fushimi-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
I’m sure this place is no stranger to many people and a popular attractions in Kyoto. You have likely seen it in many marketing materials about Kyoto and I’m sure you’ve seen photos of people taking photos under the red torii gates in Kyoto, most likely this is where it is!
There were so many people! Best to go early on weekday morning or towards the end of the day, the crowd will be less. The attraction is open 24 hours. It’s not a difficult hike, just wear comfortable shoes. If you want to take photos without the crowd, do go further up where there will be less people because people will usually turn back at the Yotsu-suji.
You will need few hours to reach the summit(233m) but if you do not have the luxury of time or just not into hiking too much, then you can turn back, there will be path for your to turn back.
By the way, it’s very hot and humid during summer. Therefore you must bring water with you. There will always be random vending machines around but having your own water will be better so that you can stay hydrated anytime you want and you don’t have to wait till you reach the nearest vending which likely will take a bit more hike.
After the hike, we felt a bit hungry so we decided to get this Wagyu from the stall there. It’s only 500yen(about RM20), if you are to get this size of cooked Wagyu beef steak in Malaysia, it will normally cost you more than RM20. It tasted sooooo good! Yum! Should have gotten another one ;p
That’s the end of our Day 6, if you want to watch the full video of my Day 6 with more views of the shrine, do check out my video here:
If you visit Nara, you must visit Nara Deer Park otherwise your trip to Nara doesn’t count. *LOL* If you plan to just spend half day in Nara, this is the easiest attraction to locate and access. Nara Park is a five minute walk from Kintetsu Nara Station, this is the best way to get there. If you are from JR Nara Station, it will take you about 20 minute. Alternatively, the park can be reached by bus. There are multiple stops around the park.
Greeted by the deer, curious creature, make sure you keep your cables or whatever dangling around you away or else they are going to chew on it. Do not tease them with non-food or something they can’t eat to avoid getting attacked. Only feed them the deer crackers which you can buy at the park and make sure you don’t tease them with it too. Be sincere, give it to them, don’t play with their feelings. Make sure you do not leave anything on the ground, the deer will eat anything they see and you will kill them.
Walking further into the park, the deer will get less as most gathered at the entrance. There are few buildings inside with rich history and being classified as National Treasure. KÅfuku-ji (興ç¦å¯º, KÅfuku-ji) is one of the powerful Seven Great Temples, in the city of Nara, Japan.
Left: Here, you can see the five-story pagoda(五é‡å¡” GojÅ«-no-tÅ) is a National Treasure built in 1426.
Right: Nan’endÅ(å—å††å ‚) which is an Important Cultural Property, built in the year 1741, it’s know as Site No.9 of Saigoku 33 Pilgrimage.
Left: East Golden Hall(æ±é‡‘å ‚ TÅkondÅ) is also one of the National Treasures built in the year 1425 which is one of the former three golden halls.
Right: Somewhere near the toilet ;p
Left: Taking photo with the deer is a must-do *LOL*
Right: Sarusawa-ike(49 Noborioji-cho, Nara, Nara Prefecture 630-8213) is a manmade pond. This is an artificial pond that was dug in 749 as part of the grounds of Kofukuji Temple. This is a great place for cherry blossom in spring and experience the Nara’s fall colours. Apparently there’s a legend related to this pond.
There is a legend that during the Nara period (710-794), the Emperor’s favor for the lady of the court, Uneme, waned and she drowned herself in grief here. At the edge of the pond is the Uneme Shrine which pays respect to the Uneme deity. (source: https://www.japanhoppers.com/en/kansai/nara/kanko/1235/)
After all the walking, it’s time for food! Hungry! When you come here, it’s a must to eat Kakinoha zushi(柿ã®è‘‰ãšã—) also known as Persimmon Leaf Sushi. We bought it at a kiosk called Hiraso 平宗(2-1, Higashimukinakamachi, Nara city, Nara, 630-8215) just outside Kintetsu Nara Statio. Hiraso is founded back in 1861 at Yoshino Yamatokami City in the south part of Nara while Nara branch opened in 1968.
The one with reddish orange top is salmon and the one at the bottom right is mackerel. They are flavored with salt and vinegar. As for the two types of maki you see in the photo, the fillings are made up of different type of pickles.
After spending about 4 hours at Nara, we headed over to Fushimi Inari Taisha at Kyoto. This will be in the next post.
You can see more of Nara Deer Park in this video: