Japan 9-23 Nov 19 with Japan National Tourism Organization Sydney Office (JNTO)

I have been counting down the day to go back to Japan again and I still couldn't believe the day I flew out from Sydney. This trip was organised by Japan National Tourism Organization Sydney Office (JNTO) which we visited Kyushu region: Fukuoka, Nagasaki, Beppu and Kagoshima in the first week. JNTO has kindly enough to let me extend my trip for another week as I wanted to do more research about food, tours, transportation and hotel inspection cus I'm planning to bring a group of 15-20 clients back to Japan in 2020.

You will get to read my day to day experience of Japan and I won't be sugar coating anything 🙃

Day 1 - Flying from Sydney to Fukuoka ( Sat 9 Nov 19)

Our flight was at 09:15 so I had to be there by 07:00. This will be the first time I fly with Japan airline. I have already done automated 24 hour online check in which was quite handy as I didn't need to worry about it the day before. I chose my usual aisle seat cus I hate being stuck on the window or between people. At the check in desk, there was a premium economy seat available and I only had to pay $350!!!!!! I was like, OMG I need to get this as it was totally worth it but there was a catch, MIDDLE SEAT ONLY 😒

I quickly googled the seat configuration and reviews but after 10 mins, I just couldn't go ahead with it as I cannot handle being sandwiched.

The flight was comfy, in flight entertainment with decent size screen with usb port for you to charge your gadgets. Although their movies and tv series were very limited so if you are like me and love to watch something on the plane, please bring your own tablet for this.

The food was okay and what surprised me the most was that they served sake which the cap turned into a little sake cup! Super kawaii ( cute in Japanese)

We landed in Narita 9 hour after but had to collect our bag and recheck in again as we had to go to the domestic terminal. Normally you can just check your bag straight through if your ticket is issued under 1 ticket but maybe this was a different story.

If you need to get some food or exchange some money, make sure to do this before you enter the domestic terminal as there was only 1 shop there! Yes 1 shop!

When we arrived in Fukuoka airport, we got picked up by our tour guide and driver. It was only 15 mins to our first night hotel. We were warned that our room would be very small and they didn't lie. It was really small and enough for 1 person to open their luggage.

After checking in, Oliver, Grant and myself went out for a walk but all split up in the end as everyone wanted to do their own thing. I was tired and wanted to eat something then realised, my friend told me that 7 11 sells a 1 Michelin star instant noodle!!!🍜 What did I do next? Of course I had to go to 7 11 and get one of these bad boys.

I made it noodle back at my hotel and it was delish!

🛌: WBF Grande Hakata, Standard Double Room

Day 2 - Fukuoka ( Sun 10 Nov 19)

I had a really good sleep. Bed was comfy and cus we had to leave by 9am, I packed the night before so I didn't have to rush the next morning. Breakfast was from 07:00 so I went down around 08:00. It was a buffet style breakfast so you can pick and choose anything from Japanese curry rice, miso soup, salad, egg, bacon, bbq or even make your own fresh juice.

After we checked out, we visited Akizuki Castle Castle Ruins and Kamado Shrine. There was an archery competition at the local school which was pretty cool to see. Their bows were massive. We had lunch at Umenohana which they specialist in tofu. Everything was in Japanese and it would have been better if someone explained to us about the dish and what we are eating.

After lunch, we visited the Daizaifu Tenmangu Shrine and checked into our super nice hotel which was opposite Hakata station. We were meant to go out for dinner at Hakta Hanamidori for our chicken mean but we decided to go for Yatai ( open-air street food stand) near the river. As we were in a big group, sitting around one Yatai together was impossible so we split up. There were about 10-15 Yatai and the one I went wasn't that special so I cannot really recommend anything. Apparently there is another Yatai area that is better

🛌: Miyako Hotel Hakata, Superior Room

Day 3 - Fukuoka to Nagasaki ( Mon 11 Nov 19)

Today we headed to Nagasaki by the bullet train in the morning but before I go on about the rest of my day I had the BEST scramble egg in my life at the hotel! The breakfast was on top floor where the pool is. It was a buffet style so you can pick and choose whatever you want. They also had natto which is my fav dish.

What is Natto?

Traditional Japanese food made from soybeans that have been fermented.

What does it taste or smell like? I don't know how to describe it but when I googled it, this is what I have found

Natto has a very unique smell, taste and texture. It has a strong pungent smell, somewhat like old cheese or old socks.

🧀🧦

I know it sounds disgusting but it's something you must try once when you are in Japan. Make sure to have it with rice and miso soup🍚🍲

When we checked out, we left our bags at the hotel as they were being transferred to our next hotel in Nagasaki. This is called takkyubin which was really convenient and make your life much easier when you are going from A to B. Imagine not having to drag your luggage to the station, up the stairs and to your next place.

Depending on your location and where is your next destination, prices can be varied. If the destination is close by, you can get it within the same day but lets say you do it from Osaka to Tokyo, this must be booked 2 days in advance and it's about $20-$30 for a 25kg luggage.

Our train journey was about 2 hours. You can buy food and drink at the convenient stores at the station and have it on the train. The seats were big and comfy with power point to charge your gadget.

When we arrived Nagasaki, we had lunch at N.Y Dining for New York steak which I thought was a bit odd when we are in Japan. I was expecting something more Japanese. After lunch, we visited Nagasaki Peace Park, a memorial space commemorating the atomic bombing of Nagasaki city in August 1945. It was really sad to see what has happened, especially how many stockpiles of nuclear weapons are there in the world. You'd think that people learn from the history 😥

In Japanese tradition, people love to make crane origami and if you make 1000 cranes, your wish would be come true.

Then we went to 26 Martyr’s Monument Museum ( dedicated to the twenty six Christians executed in 1597 when missionary activities were prohibited). I'm not a museum person so this was something that I didn't find very fascinating personally. The next 2 places we went to were pretty cool.

Meganebashi Bridge - This was a stone bridge that if you go in the middle section, you can see the bridge reflection that resembles a pair of glasses. We got some cool pics as well.

Inasayama Ropeway - We nearly missed our cable car up to the mountain by 5 mins but got there on time for the sunset. The view up from the top was spectacular and I saw both sun and moon in the same sky. It was really cold but worth the trip.

We checked into our hotel and had a French dinner.

After our dinner, a few of us wanted to go buy some souvenirs for their family and friends at Don Quijote which is a discounted store that has everything you ever imagine. It was about 15 mins walk from the hotel. I looked for some stuff for Pixie ( My fur baby) but all the costumes were tiny size so I didn't get anything for her. I did however found a sake popper for ¥78 ($1.20)! I also found a VR ( Virtual Reality) porn lol.

On the way back to the hotel, Tionne mentioned that Oliver was going to this bar called Crazy horse and I thought, why not go for a drink and go back. We ended up staying there for 2 hours and had the best time. The bar was like an Indy bar. Very cosy. Drinks were reasonable priced and the owner even took our pic and let us put it up in their bar. We also met Japanese Einstein. We had so much fun and I wish the rest of the group came along.

🛌: Hotel New Nagasaki, Standard Room

Day 4 - Nagasaki to Beppu ( Tue 12 Nov 19)

This morning we checked out and heading to Beppu. Breakfast was on roof top, buffet style again. I had my natto as usual 😋 The drive to Beppu was about 3.5 hour and we stopped for lunch at Beppu Bold Kitchen for a buffet lunch then visited Takasakiyama Monkey Park where the monkeys were free roaming in the park. You weren't allowed to touch them, stare in their eyes, give them food and cannot make fun of them 😅 If they walked through your legs, it meant to be good luck but since I got shorts on, I didn't want to risk them having a taste of my spicy chicken legs lol.

Before we checked into our hotel, we went to Umi Jigoku and Chinoike Jigoku which is a natural hot spring aka Sea Hell. It was pretty cool and we also got to put our feet in one of the hot spring. Our hotel was a ryokan style where you sleep on the tatami mat. We had about 2 hours before our dinner so I went to the onsen which was up the roof top. To use the onsen, you have to be completely naked so if this is your first time you might feel a bit awkward but I did once in Seoul so I wasn't too embarrassed. It was really nice and relaxing.

For dinner, we had a private room to ourselves and wore Yukata to have our Kaiseki style dinner. The food here was yummy and our host spoke a bit of English so she explained to us about the food.

🛌: Sansuikan, Standard Japanese Room

Day 5 - Beppu and Yufuin ( Wed 13 Nov 19)

Breakfast was a mini Kaiseki and at this point, I felt that we were doing too many Kaiseki to be honest. Today we went to Daikanbou – Mt Aso Observatory and Aso Shrine. The mountain side was okay. I hiked up for about 20 mins and that was just about it. Aso shrine was under construction cus of the earthquake so we didn't really see much. I felt like we could have skipped these 2 places. We lunched at Hana Asoobi which was famous for their Beef Hamburger.

After this, we went to Yufuin which wasn't meant to be on the itinerary but I'm sooooooooo glad we went there. I have to say that this little town was my highlight of the trip so far.

Why do I ❤ this town so much? There were little shops, restaurants, lake etc and you can walk everywhere. I had the best croquette here. I wish we stayed here 1 night and try different local food in the area. I also met Chinese Tina Turner when I was there and wish I could have a drink with her.

After Yufuin, we checked into our hotel had another Kaiseki dinner but the best thing we did that night was playing Heads Up in Grant's room with drinks that we got from 7 11 near by. We all had so much fun!

🛌: Hotel & Resorts Beppuwan, Standard Japanese Room or Standard Western Room

Day 6 - Beppu to Kagoshima ( Thu 14 Nov 19. My BIRTHDAYYYYYYY )

It's my birthdayyyyyy yayyyyyyyyy. This was the first time that I'm away from Scott and Pixie for my special day but I was very happy to be in Japan 😍

Breakfast was a buffet style in a big hall. Today we traveled to Kagoshima by train and had our luggage delivered to our next hotel. At the station, I went to a book store that sell a book series of Detective Butt and I bought a sticker of him for my pressie. Our train was more spacious than the last.

Lynn who was from the group also bought me a little dog key ring which I nearly cried cus it was so nice of her to do that for me 🤣

This afternoon we went to Senganen Garden, had lunch at Ohkatei and hiked up to the top. The volcano also erupted when we were there!!!! After we checked in to our hotel, everyone kinda did their own thing. I stayed back at the hotel and had a date drink with Anne. We had the best view from our little bar followed by another Kaiseiki dinner. Anne and Lynn organised a birthday cake for me which was so lovely of them to do so. I really didn't expect much as I know this is a trip with a bunch of strangers but we have become really good friends after a week.

🛌: Shiroyama Hotel Kagoshima, Twin Room

Day 7 - Kagoshima to Kyoto ( Fri 15 Nov 19)

Most of the gang were going back to Australia today but I stayed back to continue on another week to do research for the trip next year. My plan was Kyoto 2 nights, Osaka 2 nights, Kawaguchiko 1 night and Tokyo 2 nights.

I woke up very early as I had a flight to catch at 9am. I was going to use the hotel free shuttle bus but was scared that I might miss my bus to the airport so I caught a taxi to the bus station which was only 10 mins. The bus took about 1.5 hour with ¥1300. They also tag your bag so they know which terminal and airline you are flying with.

When I got to the airport, the check in line was really confusing as they combined 4 airlines in 1 line then the security check took another 20 mins. I flew with ANA and got bulkhead seat which had a lot of leg room.

After I landed in Osaka Itami airport, I asked the information desk to see the best way to get to Kyoto station and she told me that bus would be the easiest way as I wouldn't need to change anywhere where train has 1 change. The bus ride was about 1 hour and cost ¥1340. It also had a free speedy wifi on board as well ( 14MB). I was the few last people on board so had to sit in the middle which was pretty weird.

Check in time at my accommodation was at 15:00 and it was only 11:00 so I put my luggage in a storage near the station so that I can walk around without having a big bag with me which was pretty convenient.

Kyoto station was really busy and I felt a little bit overwhelmed + haven't had anything to eat so I went to my super fav restaurant to have my fried rice. This was my 3rd time there and what made me really happy was that they have their special fried rice sauce for sell. I kinda bought 4 haha!!!!

After I filled my tummy with the best fried rice in the world, I went to inspect 2 hotels which I have emailed them both but never got back to me s I thought, what do I have to lose if I just rock up and ask them to check out the rooms. All 4 places that I went to, all let me inspect the rooms! I was very lucky and glad that I saw them in person as I need to kinda feel the vibe so that I can recommend my clients.

At night, I had a food tour booked which I ended up hating it so badly as I didn't enjoy my time at all. This particular company has used famous Youtubers to feature with their tour so they have hyped it up so much but when I did the real thing, food was so so, our guide was a uni student who only had 3 months experience and hardly talk. The product manager was there to observe but kinda ended up talking more than the guide. I had high expectation from them and told them straight up that this was my research trip as I want to bring a group of customers here next year. At the end of the tour, I told them that I wasn't feeling it and didn't want to do their 2nd tour on the next night if it's going to be the same. They convinced me to do the 2nd one and I regretted that decision so badly.

I actually walking back to the hotel after the tour and started crying cus I felt like I had limited time and I thought my research was perfect but everything just went to sh*t.

This was the starting point when I felt so defeated and took me a while to feel better again. I had to tell myself that on the positive note, at least I tried them and they are not suitable for my clients at all.

🛌: Le Studio Gojo Takakura , Twin Room

Day 8 - Kyoto ( Sat 16 Nov 19)

This morning I had a walking tour with the last Samurai. We walked around Kyoto and checked out a few shops eg. book, candy, tea, sake, art etc. Then the guide showcased his sword skills which were very impressive and he's 90 year old! Then we walked around Kyoto Palace and lunch. The tour meant to finish at 3pm but we ended up finishing up at 4.30pm and had lunch at 4pm which I was quite hangry by then.

After the tour, I caught up with Lynn for drinks and told her about my terrible tour experience which I said I'd give them another go. She did warn me not to but I was stubborn to try again. Oh well, I gave it a go and now I certainly know not to use them.

🛌: Le Studio Gojo Takakura , Twin Room

Day 9 - Kyoto to Osaka ( Sun 17 Nov 19)

This morning I woke up super early cus I wanted to try out the Sagano Romantic Train in Arayashima ( Bamboo Forest) and do the cruise back. Before I caught the train, I had to check out from my hotel and store my luggage at the station. This was really convenient as I can leave it for the day ( ¥700 = $10) and can travel around without taking the big bag with me. At Kyoto station, you can also find out where the lockers are free, pay with cash or even your Suica card.

When I got to Arayashima station, the Sagano train platform was just next to it. Luckily that I bought the ticket online a month ago before the reservation opened up otherwise I would not be able to do the train. I didn't get to choose my seat as the site chose it for me. I got an aisle seat which was difficult to take picture along the way cus the lady next to me kept standing up taking millions of pics so I just sat there and enjoy whatever views I could get. The train was packed and if you can choose the seat, window on the right side is the best.

The final station was Torokko Kameoka and everyone was rushing to get off. I went to the tourist office to find out how to get to the cruise and there are 4 options:

Option 1 - Bus ¥310 for a 16 mins ride. Depart every hour.

Option 2 - Taxi ¥1400 for a 10 mins ride.

Option 3 - Horse carriage ¥1200 for a 25 mins ride. Depart every hour.

Option 4 - JR train ¥150 for a 3 mins ride but you need to walk for another 20 mins.

I walked out to the bus stop but it was full and I didn't want to just pay for a taxi + I had to go to the toilet so badly that I just had to find one first.

After the crowd all left, I thought, today is not my day and was just gonna head back to Kyoto. I went back to the tourist office again to find out how to get back but then I asked her, how long if I wanted to walk to the cruise. She said it was too far and in my head I thought, oh probably 2 hours or something then she said it's 3km so around 45 mins! I was like, that's really easy so I decided to hike instead along the river. I have to say, I'm so glad I did this instead.

The walk was beautiful in the morning. There was no crowd and very peaceful. I saw many boats cruising by the river which was nice and decided that I wasn't going to do it as the scenery would have been the same. The cruise is 2 hours and cost ¥4000. If you come during weekday and off peak, the boat departs certain time where weekend will have many departure to accommodate tourists.

If you want to avoid the crowd, I'd just take the JR train from Kyoto to Umahori then hike from there along the river and catch the train back from Kameoka.

If you really want to do the Sagano train then start from Kameoka station, walk along the river then do the Sagano train.

I caught the train back to Kyoto station and was going just get my luggage and head over to Osaka but I remembered that I have been wanting to try out Fire Ramen so I detoured for a quick lunch.

The restaurant open at 11am which I got there on time. You can choose different course but since I was by myself and didn't want to eat too much, I just had the ramen. There was an instruction of how everything work and the end result, I had the best time. The ramen itself was pretty decent too.

At this point, after having 2 terrible tours in the last 2 days and felt like sh*t, this Fire Ramen made me so happy that I cried a little when I ate

it.

Train from Kyoto to Osaka was only about an hour. I got to my hotel and checked in straight away which was nice. The hotel is brand new, modern and in a quite neighborhood. I had a few hour to chill and do some work before my night walking tour started.

This evening I joined a night walking tour which turned out to be so good! We went to the ghetto area in Osaka and I learnt to much! It was such a different experience from all the tours I have done. We walked around the back street area, local shops, tried Oden and Yakitori, check out the red light district and had dinner.

The most interesting part was the red light district. It was so different. Each place will have a "Mama-san" sitting in front as a shop keeper and the "Girl" in the middle. It meant to be a tea house where the girl serves you tea and snack which you will have to pay ¥16,000 . She does give you the tea and snack then she will confess her love for you so anything naughty happens after is consensual. This will give the guy 20 minutes and the rates are all the same at every shops. After the guy is done, they will get a lollipop so other shops mama-san won't bother calling them to come into their shop.

We were in a group of 9 and had to walk into a small group. I walked with another lady from Melbourne and so many girls were keen to get me in lol.

🛌: The Lively Honmachi Osaka , Standard Double.

Day 10 - Osaka ( Mon 18 Nov 19)

I woke up with excitement cus today I was going to try some really nice Kobe beef which wasn't in the initial plan but I thought, if you are in Japan, you need to try proper Kobe beef right?! The train took about an hour to get to the restaurant I booked 2 months prior and the reason why I have chosen this place cus they were featured on Mark Wien's channel.

The place wasn't busy and I got to meet Lauralee ( owner) who explained the menu to me personally. I told her the reason why I came here as I want to research on great food for my group of clients. She was very nice, kind and willing to work with me to accommodate my group for next year.

The set was meant to be for 2 people ( no single) but it was the most famous one so I had no choice but to do it. The beef melted in my mouth and everything was delish to the max!

My Dry Aged Beef A5 grade had to be cooked 3 times by Lauralee herself. My buddha, sooooooooo goooooooooddddddd 😋

We also spoke about our family, partner, fur babies and my terrible tour experience and she really made me feel so much better afterwards😂

I cannot wait to bring my clients here!!!

Lauralee recommended me to walk around the area but sadly I didn't have enough time as I had to do 2 more hotel inspections 😫

I went to Conrad Osaka and met up with Ruigo who is the sales manager. He was the only person who actually replied back to my email for hotel inspection! He was there to greet me and showed me around. This hotel was 100 out of 10! Everything was super lux and every room is massive. I'd love to come back and stay here one day.