Sakuras and the city lights - Part 2 - Tokyo

Date of Travel - 5 Apr 2016 - 10 Apr 2016
Days in Kyoto - 5
Stay - Airbnb - approx 80$/day

Food places I recommend - 
Moyan Curry - I have posted their menu in trip advisor
Onden, Omotesando - A small family run restaurant

Day 1 Tokyo Metropoliton building, Kabuki

We reached Tokyo around evening and our place of stay was at a walking distance from the Shinagawa station. After refreshing we out to explore the beautiful wild city!
The city views from the Tokyo Metropolitan building is really amazing.

Day 2 Asakusa, Sumida Park, Hamarikyu Garden, Aqua city Obaiba

We reached Asakusa by train and then went to the beautiful Senso-ji temple. Outside the temple there are shopping streets and they have great unique snacks there. We tried a baked sweet potato snack (I forgot its name, adding a picture), it was absolutely delicious.

After lunch we went to Sumida Park and took a ferry from there to Hamarikyu Garden. The park in the midst of the city is a really beautiful and a great place to relax.
Every inch of the beautiful city was adorned with the Sakura blossom and makes you just want to stand and stare. After coffee from Cafe Plumeria, we took a train to Aqua city Obaiba. An artificial island with a replica of statue of liberty and lots shopping places was really beautiful in the evening lights.

After reaching back, we had dinner from Moyan Curry which our host recommended and their curry and rice was really good.
We winded up the day after strolling around the city till late.

Day 3 Tokyo National Museum, Akihabara

After visiting the Tokyo National Museum and spending some time in the park nearby we took a train to Akihabara. Akihabara is another must see place, its a different world there - the world of anime and electronics.
Next stop - Maid cafe. We want to try the cosplay restaurants that Tokyo is famous for and went to the Maidreamin cafe. It was something really different, but expensive.

Day 4 Hakone

Hakone is a small town near Tokyo, a popular destination to view Mount Fuji. The rope-way only open till only half way due to some repairs that was happening. They have a small cruise across Lake Ashi for Mt Fuji viewing (No need to buy tickets in advance), but because of the bad weather that day we could not see it, but were lucky to see the majestic and beautiful Mt Fuji on our way back to Tokyo.

Tokyo has many small streets with very small restaurants and during night time most all the places are crowded. After roaming around the city we had yakiniku from a small food stall. Needless to say it was delicious.

Day 5 Japanese sword museum, Yoyogi Park, Takeshita Street, Shibuya crossing, Omotesando

After visiting Japanese sword museum we headed to Yoyogi Park. One thing in both Tokyo and Kyoto is that the parks are always crowded, locals and tourists gathering to enjoy nature's beauty(I think it was because it was the cherry blossom time).

Takeshita Street is one of the few streets where I saw really cheap things to buy like souvenirs, clothes etc. After roaming around nearby areas we went to see the famous Shibuya crossing. Then to Omotesando. Omotesando totally looks like Champs-Élysées, its a nice street with clothing shops and food. Oriental Bazaar - Interesting shop in Omotesando.

After having ramen from a small place, we headed back. The variety of sweets that saw and ate in Japan, I stopped counting after a while. The best food, great packaging for anything you get, beautiful place, what more could you ask for!


To checkout Kyoto Part 1  - Kyoto trip

Have fun!

Arigatho

Sakuras and the city lights - Part 1 - Kyoto

If you have come upon this blog in a quest to decide which place to visit or to help with planning you next trip, I hope it helps.

This is my first visit to Japan and so we decided to choose the most iconic cities - Kyoto and Tokyo.

Both these places are totally different - you get as glimpse of the traditional and the modernized version of Japanese lifestyle and culture.

A very organized, breathtakingly beautiful place with the most polite people I have ever met, this place has stolen our hearts.

The reason we chose to visit Japan was to see the Sakura blossoms and Mt Fuji and for my Anime lover husband, well, he is completely fascinated by the Japanese history and lifestyle.

We traveled from San Francisco to Osaka via Beijing - China eastern Airlines, they do have very good deals most time of the year. The best time to visit Japan is the cherry blossom season and the fall. We had a 15 hr layover in Beijing, so we reached Osaka on 1st April,16.

Date of Travel - 31 March 2016 - 5 Apr 2016
Days in Kyoto - 4
Stay - Airbnb - approx 80$/day

Food places I recommend - 

Food stalls in Yasaka Shrine
Food stalls in Arashiayama
Kobe Gavly Burgers - This is located inside the Kyoto Railway Station - Really awesome burgers
Torikizoku - I have posted their english menu in Tripadvisor.
Supermarkets - Family Mart, 7Eleven carry good food and other things. We got microwaveable noodles from Family Mart for breakfast most days - was really good.

We took train from Osaka airport to Kyoto and then from Kyoto railway station we took a cab to our place of stay. Taxis are available in front of the train station.

Our stay was near the famous Yasaka Shrine and so all the places like the Maruyama Park was just 5-10 mins away which was really awesome.

Day 1 Gion at night, Shirakawa area

Reached our stay around 5 PM. We did not have any plans for the day, so after freshening up we went out to see the city and grab dinner.

The cool evening breeze, the bright lanterns hanging in Yasaka Shrine, the wonderful energy of the city in the evening was mesmerizing, but just then, we reached the Shirakawa area in Gion - the streets were filled with breathtakingly beautiful Sakura trees, it felt surreal.

We had dinner from a Korean place near Yasaka Shrine - the food was amazing - well, to be true, we never had a bad meal or even 'ok' meal during the 10 days we were in Japan, the food there was just amazing.

Day 2  Yasaka Shrine, Maruyama Park, Furukawa-cho shopping street,  Keage Incline, Nanzenji, Philophopher's path, Ginkakuji

After a quick break fast from nearby Starbucks we started our day by visiting Yasaka Shrine.
Maruyama Park is just behind the shrine and if you keep on walking there are many more temples - Otani Sobyo and Chorakuji temple.

Yasaka Shrine has lot of small food stalls and is a great place to grab lunch. After lunch we walked via Shirakawa bridge to Furukawa-cho shopping street,  Jingu Torii Gate and Niomon Dori.

The Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art campus on the way was really beautiful so we went in and spend some time there. On the way to Keage Incline we saw a tour group with a performer dressed as Geisha. There were some food stalls near Keage and so time for snacks!

Next destination was Nanzenji. The temple is very big and has many places to see. We went to the Sanmon Gate, Aqueduct and Pond Garden and then decided to start from there.

It was a long walk to Ginkakuji (Higashiyama Jisho-ji) via Philopher's path. After seeing the beautiful zen temple and the garden we decided to head back.

Day 3 Arashiyama - Togetsukyo Bridge, Tenryu-ji Zen Temple, Bamboo Groves, Saga-Toriimoto Preserved Street, Daikakuji Temple

First on our list was Arashiyama, a district on the western outskirts of Kyoto, Japan. It is a great place to enjoy the cherry blossoms. We reached Arashiyama by bus. The view from Togetsukyo Bridge was really amazing. There were many food stalls near. After some ramen, curry buns and bamboo shoots for lunch we headed to the Tenryu-ji Zen Temple. The garden in this temple called Sogenchi Garden is one of United Nations Heritage Sites and was truly beautiful.

Then we headed to the Bamboo groves and the Saga-Toriimoto Preserved Streets. The preserved streets has beautiful Japanese style houses and will make you feel that you never want to leave.

After a long walk and a bus ride, we reached Daikakuji Temple. This temple is a must see. All the temples have a grandeur and serenity that will inspire you. This temple located near a small pond amidst Sakura trees is a great sight. One of the reason we really enjoyed here could be  because there was very few people and the tranquility of the place as amazing.

Day 4 - Kiyomizu-dera Temple, Nishiki Market, Ninenzaka, Sannenzaka Street, Ryozen Kannon

Being our last day in Kyoto, we decided to explore the places near our place of stay. We went to few shrines on the way and then to the famous Kiyomizu-dera Temple. On the way back we went to Sannenzaka Street (preserved streets) and to the Buddha statue in Ryozen Kannon.

In the evening we went to Maruyama Park, it was really magical after sunset.

Few tips -

• Check timings for the temples and gardens when you make your plans.
• Check the buses you need to go from one place to another if you don't have mobile data.
• Bus passes are useful.

If you are planning to visit Japan during the cherry blossom season, it would be best to plan it atleast 3 months in advance since it is the most busiest time there and the prices of hotels really go up.

Maui, tropical paradise

This was my first trip to Hawaii. It was a great experience and I got to snorkel for the time time, yes, I love it!!

So if this is your first trip to Hawaii, Maui is a good option to consider.

We stayed in Lahaina, so most of the places I went was near or around there.

Good food places -

1. Nick's Pizza, Whaler's Village - The Pizza here is awesome.
2. Joey's Kitchen - Hula Hula chicken is worth trying if you want to try some Hawaiin dishes.
3. Tazaka Guri Guri - Their Pinnaple flavored guri guri is a must try.
4. Cafe Roseanne - This is a small place and serves good breakfast.
5. Panda Express, McDonald etc if you are looking for cheaper options.

The food was generally very expensive but there are few less expensive options too.

Beaches I went and recommend -

1. Kapalua Beach - Best beach I have ever been to - Great snorkeling spot
2. Baby beach - Shallow beach, best place to start snorkeling if you are a newbie

Massage -

Spa Maui & Massage

Beach, beach here I come - Day 1

After getting our rented cab, we reached the hotel around 3.30 PM. Royal Lahaina was right near the beach, very near Black rock and Ka'anapili beach. The rooms were really great for the price and the sound of ocean while sleeping is really soothing.

We spend rest of the day swimming in the beach near the hotel and walking around.


Underwater heaven - Day 2

We had never done snorkeling before, so after asking some locals we got a great tip and headed to Baby beach to try out snorkeling. The beach was really shallow and is the ideal spot for beginners.
A good tip is to bring your own equipments if you do not like using common equipments.

Molokini, Hanna - Day 3

Time to do some real snorkeling - headed to Molokini and Turtle Bay in the morning - Pride of Maui tours. You need to book this in advance.
The crew of Pride of Maui were really good, they provided breakfast and lunch too. The water in Molokini was crystal clear and the snorkeling experience was really awesome.

We drove to Hanna, stopped at Ho'okipa Lookout and Twin falls. Near Ho'okipa lookout if you see fresh fruit stalls, do try out some pineapples and other fruits.

Time for some pampering ;) We went to a spa very near our hotel and I have to say that it was really relaxing - Spa Maui & Massage.

Then we went to checkout Kapalua beach. There were 4 marriages happening in the beach at the same time! That beach was really beautiful and romantic.

Day 4

Another great thing to do in Maui is the helicopter tour. We took the Molokai + West Maui tour with Air Maui. Its good to choose morning slot to avoid the scorching sun. We thought of doing the tour on the day we arrived, but all the slots were filled, so we ended up booking another day.

Later on we went to snorkel in Kapalua Bay and it was awesome. We saw so many varieties of fishes, a lot more than we saw in Molokini.

And slowly our short vacation was coming to an end.

I forgot to mention the best part of all, colorful dresses!!

Aloha!!

Lake Tahoe - Summer

When you plan a trip to Tahoe you can pick either North Lake Tahoe or South Lake Tahoe.We went to North Tahoe this time.

North Lake Tahoe in Summer
Kings beach > Truckee > Hirshdale (Stay) > Alpine meadows > Sqaw Valley > Sand harbor

Kings beach  has all kinds of water activities. Jet ski, Kayaks, Stand up paddle boats, Speed boats, Para-sailing, Para gliding.
If you are planning to go for Jet Ski, it is good to book in advance.

Kings beach, CA

Truckee  downtown is a great small place with few restaurants and cafes.

You can actually raft through Truckee river which looks like fun, but need to make sure that the river has enough water levels.

A view of Truckee river from our cabin, Hirshdale, CA

We went to  Alpine meadows  stable for an hour of horse riding. The trail was through the meadows, it was a little dusty, but since it was my first horse ride, I had a great time. A friend of mine told that another stable has a trail route that leads to the lake, well, that would be quite a treat.

Horse riding in Alpine meadows

Sqaw Valley  was the home for 1960 winter Olympics - you should add it to your must see list if you are in Tahoe. We took a tram onto the top of sqaw valley. If you book the tickets earlier (before 24hrs) you get 6$ off. The ride was amazing and the view of  lake Tahoe from top is great. Make sure you take swim clothes, there is a small pool and jacuzzi on top.

         

Sqaw Valley

         

View from the tram

         

Pool at the top of Sqaw valley

View of Lake Tahoe from the top of Sqaw valley

Sand Harbor  is a great beach, I liked it more than Kings beach and you have all the water activities here as well.

Sand Harbor, CA