My Dream Destination - Japan
Travelling is my favorite thing to do. I love to go to different places to feel different cultures. Someone said "If you travel the whole world some day, you will fully understand the globe on which we live." I made a plan that I will go out twice a year to experience lives in different places, whether the destination is far away or near.
I love watching tv show which introducing
different kinds of food, especially Japanese cuisine. It is always my dream to
feast myself with fine food and beauty of the landscape in Japan. I decided to
go to Japan during August this summer with my best friend Cristy.
Tokyo
Our first stop is Tokyo, which is both the
capital and largest city of Japan. It is said to be the most populous
metropolitan area in the world.
A round trip flight From Toronto, Canada to
Tokyo and from Kyoto to Toronto, Japan is around $1,200.
We would book the Hotel MyStays Hamamatsucho
for two days ($250) when
In Japanese, there are two
words, 「立ち食い屋（たちぐいや
ta chi gu i ya）」,
「立ち飲み屋（たちのみや
ta chi no mi ya）」,
which means “standing eating shop”.
Whenever I am tired of walking, I can always find these eating shops to
treat myself. Here is my list of four favorite street foods that can be found
near Sensō-ji.
This is 人形焼（にんぎょうやき）, a doll cake in various shapes, which is filled with red bean
paste.
This is dorayaki,ドラ焼き(ドラやき do ra ya ki), a type of Japanese confection
which consists of two small pancake-like patties made from castella wrapped
around a filling of sweet Azuki red bean paste.
This is oden (おでん), a Japanese winter dish consisting of several
ingredients such as boiled eggs, daikon, knojac, and processed fishcakes stewed
in a light, soy-flavored dashi broth.
Last but not least, this is called takoyaki (たこ焼き
). A ball-shaped Japanese snack made of a
wheat flour-based batter and cooked in a special takoyaki pan, which is
typically filled with minced or diced octopus, tempura scraps, pickled ginger,
and green onion.
After visiting the Sensō-ji, there is a place
in Tokyo that I have to go. It is the statue of Hachiko. Walk about 600 meters
from Senso-ji to Asakusa Station, and then take Ginza Line towards Shibuya to
Shibuya Station (240 yen). The statue of Hachiko is on the north exit of
Shibuya Station. Why is this statue so important? It is because Hachiko
(1923/11/10 – 1935/3/8) was an Akita dog born who is remembered for his
remarkable loyalty to his owner that continued for many years after his owner’s
death. There is even a movie called Hachi: A Dog’s Tale, which is exactly based
on this true story. In 1924, a professor took Hachiko as a pet. During his
owner’s life, Hachiko greeted him at the end of each day at the nearby Shibuya
Station. This continued as their daily routine until May 1925, when his owner
did not return. His owner had suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and died. From
then on, Hachiko awaited his owner’s return for nine years, nine months and
fifteen days. At that time, people who knew this story would bring Hachiko
treats and food to nourish him during his wait.
Mount Fuji
After spending the rest of the day on shopping, I plan to rent a car and drive to Mt Fuji (2h 30min, 5,000 yen for one day), a must see landscape in one’s life.
Mount Fuji is
the highest mountain in Japan at 3,776.24 m. Mount Fuji is one of Japan’s “Three
Holy Mountains” along with Mount Tate and Mount Haku. It was added to the World
Heritage List as a Cultural Site on June 22, 2013.
Please spend 3
minutes to enjoy the great time-lapse video of Mount Fuji.
Next day, after
I check out the hotel, I will on my way to Kyoto. From Daimon Station in Tokyo, I will take
Asakusa Line towards Haneda-Airport Domestic Terminal to Shinagawa Station,
then I will take Tokaido-Sanyo Shinkansen Nozomi 129 towards Hiroshima to Kyoto
Station (more than 2 hours), and then I will take bus No. 5 for 15 minutes to
the hotel (Total cost 1,420 yen). I will be live in Kyoto Izutsu Hotel ($380
for two nights), which has the best location with great customers reviews. It
only takes 5 minutes’ walk to Sanjo Subway Station, and 25 minutes’ drive to
Kiyomizu-dera Temple where is the place I will be visiting.
Kiyomizu-dera
is an independent Buddhist temple in eastern Kyoto. The temple is part of the
Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto and one of the UNESCO World Heritage site. It only costs 400 yen as entrance ticket.
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(Women in Kiyomizu-dera)
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As a gastronome,
there is a place in Kyoto I have to go. It is called Kikunoi (main restaurant),
(459 Shimokawara-cho, Yasakatoriimae-sagaru,
Shimokawara-dori, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto 605-0825).
As a three–star Michelin restaurant，Kikunoi is the best kaiseki-ryori
restaurant in the world so far. （Kaiseki Ryori is the soul of Japanese art of
food)
There are some tips of this restaurant. It does not accept personal
reservation, does not accept coming alone, and it would be better to book the
seat for Kaiseki Ryori two month ahead of time. I believe the dining experience
would be perfect and unforgettable. So does the price, the Kaiseki Cuisine dinner
for one person is 30,000 yen ($323.4).
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Japanese yan
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Budget:
flight : $1200/person
traffic: $200/person
hotel: $880
shopping: $200/person
food: $600/person
Japan is a attracting country for me, not only for there foods, but for their unique culture and beautiful scene. Unfortunately, August is not a season foe sakura. Because we only have less than a week, we don't have much time to lean and feel deeper about that nation. But it will not be out only trip to Japan. We call it "the trip for yummy" and I can't wait for this summer!
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| my best friend Cristy and me ! |
