[kansai region] Himeji Castle

My previous post on USJ marked the last attraction I visited in Osaka itself. From this point onwards, I will be touching on the other within the Kansai Region that I went to during my trip.
 
Prior to our departure, Baby and I purchased the 4-Day JR West-Kansai passes from JTB, and each pass cost us SGD77. The pass covered the Kansai area, which consisted of the cities of Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, Nara & Himeiji. With the pass, we were allowed unlimited rides to all these designated areas on all the JR Train services line. these include all 'Special Rapid Train' services, but do note that the pass does not cover the Shinkansen trains.

 
 After having brekkie, we headed down to Osaka Station from Namba station to exchange our JR passes for the actual train passes. The traveling time from Osaka to Himeiji is usually an hour or so, but we took the special rapid train and that cut short our journey to only 40-45minutes.

 
 
 

 
Himeiji is famous for its magnificent white castle, and till-date Himeiji Castle is a both national treasure and a world heritage site. 








 





 


 
To be honest, Himeiji Castle was way better than Osaka Castle, as it was the actual castle from antiquity, and not rebuilt like the one in Osaka. Naturally, there are no elevators within the castle, and one has to go up each floor via long and ancient steep stairs. The stairs were pretty scary!



 
We paid 1000JPY per pax to enter the castle which I found a bit hard to take, but Baby insisted we enter the castle as he is a history freak. Personally, I appreciate the authentic experience of stepping on the ancient Japanese wooden flooring, which gave me a feeling of wonder.




 
We concluded our Himeiji Castle with a nice bowl of hot tempura noodles, and after our lunch, we walked around the town area. The sky turned dark as early as 4pm due to the Winter season. 
 
  

 
We went to Piole Shopping Mall which is located directly beside JR Himeiji Station. There were many shops in the mall, but I spent the most of my time in Tokyu Hands and the Seria 100 Yen Shop. I personally prefer Seria 100 Yen Shop to Daiso, but for some odd reason it is quite difficult to find Seria in Tokyo, whereas Seria was everywhere within the Kansai region! The selection is WAY better than Daiso. IMHO: Seria 100 Yen Shop FTW! 
 
 
Our expenditure in Himeiji was slightly cheaper than in Osaka, so we decided to have dinner before back to Osaka/Namba. We had our meal at Don Don Tei which is located within the mall. The Tendon was delicious, and I wanted more!

 
Thanks for reading! Next up is Nara, the capital city of Nara Prefecture in Kansai region of Japan. 
 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

[product review] KUNDAL HONEY & MACADAMIA

Image
Korea's No. 1 beauty brand, KUNDAL shower/hair products are now available in Singapore, and I am honored to try out their full series of shampoo, treatment, body wash and hair serum which includes a special gift from them - Bath Bombs! KUNDAL o ffers natural hair/bodycare products that have the perfect blend of plant extracts. Their products are comfortably referred to as green products due to their biodegradable and non-toxic components. What I love about the  KUNDAL HONEY & MACADAMIA  range is  that they use honey and macadamia extracts as their main ingredients. They are also infused with a specific scent - such as Pink Grapefruit, White Musk or Cherry Blossom, or the most popular floral scent, Baby Powder. The scent still lingering in the bathroom for hours and it smells pleasant as well as not being over-powering. I love how my hair feels smooth after using each of the products. I tried the White Musk shampoo and Cherry Blossom treatment,...
Read more

[Try and Review] Jonsson Protein's signature VE Protein Hair Treatment

Image
The common scalp problems can cause a lot of irritation, but also hair loss. I was in complete shock at the state of my nightmarish infected scalp! One must make a huge effort to take good care of your scalp. Hence here I am at Jonsson Protein for their signature VE Protein Hair Treatment. Although there are many hair products to cleanse my scalp, it is better to head to a professional. The scalp treatments in a salon would cost you more than shelf products but it is worth the investment! Always remember that having a healthy scalp is the most important element in ensuring that your hair in a healthy and top notch condition!   The benefit of scalp treatment is not just to have shiny luscious locks, it also helps to regulate sebum production, remove dandruff, eliminates impurities and dead skin cells, and prevents hair loss/hair follicles.   The therapist scanned my hair to show me on what hair problems I presently have. She also explained that my scalp was pretty oily, an...
Read more

[product review] Celladix Sebum Rebalancing RX Ampoule + COCOnCO Skincare Line

Image
Thanks for introducing COCOnCO from Korea which has helped me to achieve pleasant results from my beauty regime.   COCOnCO First Essence Toner  is a fermented facial essence, and it soothes wrinkles, tones, moisturizes and nourishes the skin, enhances blood circulation and metabolic processes at the cellular level, evens out complexion, brightens the skin, reduces the secretion of sebaceous glands and fights rashes. If you have pale, tired skin with sagging and fine lines, these can be miraculously transformed with regular use of the essence! It is suggested to be used as the first step in daily skin care. Apply it to cleansed skin first before applying the lotion, emulsion/serum and cream.  It is recommended for the product to be used twice a day - Once in the morning, and once in the evening. After using the COCOnCO First Essence , I did find it more hydrating and my skin is now less sensitive. My favorite way to use this is just as an essence after applying my to...
Read more