Finally getting down to doing some travel posts and this is on my Kyushu, Japan trip. I've previously blogged on my SQ business class flight from SIN-FUK SQ656 (read about it here). 

We arrived at Fukuoka at 0825 and was bound for Yufuin, Oita. Most of you probably have no idea where's this and what's there to do here. Well, Yufuin is famous for her hot springs (onsens) and extremely popular with the domestic tourists. It is located beneath Yufu-dake (Mount Yufu is a volcano) and is a really chill town with nothing much to do. Well, the main purpose of this trip was to chill at the ryokans so that's perfect for me.

If time affords, I would highly recommend the scenic JR Yufu No Mori train from the Hakata station to Yufuin (4680¥). It may take some time though as you'll still need to make your way into Fukuoka city center. Well, to save time, we took a bus from the airport to Yufuin which was also cheaper.
Check in for the ryokans is pretty late and we arrived approximately 2h before the 3pm check in time. After dropping our luggage, we headed out to explore the town. The scenery immediately put me in my holiday mode.

One of the main sights, Kinrin-ko aka Golden Scale Lake. It's a nice 15mins stroll from our ryokan, along the main shopping street, to the lake. Well I was expecting it to be bigger but it was just a large pond I guess. Nevertheless, a nice place to have a spot of tea. 

The Yufuin Floral Village felt like a Christmas market with little European houses and they also have a petting zoo on site. I felt like a kid again feeding hungry rabbits and little ponies. So idyllic!

The main shopping street is where most of the action is. Get your souvenirs and snacks along Yunotsubo Kaido. 

Couldn't resist a snack as usual. This potato croquette store seemed pretty famous with all the newspaper clippings hanging around the display. They have quite a number of flavors and we just randomly picked one to try. Nice crunchy crust with a creamy and tasty meat and potato filling.

We then popped into Cucu.Chi cafe which has a lovely outdoor garden with a view.

My guide to eating in Japan is just to leave all guidebooks at home and just wander into any eatery that you fancy. I've honestly never had a bad meal in Japan before and this turned out to be a great meal.

Our Yakiniku (sautéed beef) bento with some Japanese sides like botan shrimp, tamago and some maki. Comes with tea as well. The meat was very well seasoned and tasty.

Of course, sweets are a must. Just look at the presentation of this one!

Cucu.chi also has a candy store right next to the cafe and I went crazy with all the precious and exotic jams! They also have these amazing brown sugar chocolate with nuts that I could not resist. Make sure you grab a thing or 2 from them.

Another place to get some really good sweets at Théo Murata/B-speak. They are housed in the same spot and there is also a ryokan by the same group called Sansou Murata.

B-speak has this really popular Swiss roll which is called a P-roll and they've been serving this since 1999. Sadly it was all sold out at 2pm! Bah! We settled for the vanilla bean pudding (it's probably a panna cotta) with a nice brown sugar syrup at the bottom. Well if you missed tasting the P-roll, there are some bakeries near the train station which sells Swiss rolls and other delicious Yufuin cheesecake as well.

Yufuin is a good spot to chill out for a day or 2. There are some private ryokans that may be open to tourists but I'd certainly choose a ryokan with decent private onsens. We didn't do much after heading back to our ryokan because it was simply too lovely to leave. Will update with my ryokan stay at Ryoso Yufuin Yamadaya soon. :)

xoxo

Travelerintransit 

Kickstarting the trip report on my autumn Japan Kyushu trip starting with the flight experience from Singapore to Fukuoka on the Singapore Airlines A330-300 Business Class. My SQ business class experience has been limited to the long haul flights so i was pretty interested in finding out what's the difference on this medium haul flight. 

The medium-haul Singapore Airlines Business Class to Fukuoka on A330-300 is configured in a 2-2-2 layout with 30 Business Class and 255 Economy Class seats. The configuration is certainly not as comfortable as the 1-2-1 on the A380 (read my review here) but the space is adequate.

An advanced seat control panel allows you to adjust your seating. The seat converts to an 8 degree incline lie-flat bed but i'm not a fan of this as i kept sliding down my seat due to my petite stature. Each seat also has a fixed back shell that offers enhanced privacy and there is also a personal screen between the seats.

The seats are upholstered in premium leather and ergonomically designed but the general cabin space has a lot of plastic and the finishing wasn't quite flawless. My first thought was that this was an old plane and the interior was refurbished some time ago.

I wasn't quite sure why there are strange pockets of stowage areas. They weren't very useful in terms of storing laptops or oddly shaped items. In terms of power, I was grateful for the in seat laptop supply to keep me juiced before we land.

Again, SQ doesn't provide personal amenity kits for J class. L'Occitane toiletries are provided in the bathroom. BLEARGH.

Since we took the red eye to Fukuoka, supper was offered on the sleeper service menu. We used the Book the Cook (BTC) service to pre-order our main course, which i immediately regretted when i saw the in-flight menu. The pecking order of SQ airline food is as such: First the fabulous Hananakorireki (a delectable Japanese meal created based on the seasons). Next the BTC and last the regular 3 course meal provided on the plane. Tip: Never bother with BTC when flying to/from Japan (especially from Japan). Trust me, nothing on the menu is as good as the Japanese meal prepared. I wouldn't even bother with the International and Asian cuisine in the regular meal. 

Started with some meh pastries, which were made better with butter that i personally salted. 

The Boston Lobster Thermidor is a hot favorite on the BTC menu. I would certainly recommend this. Succulent Lobster tail sautéed in butter, flambéed in brandy, sprinkled with cheese, and served with creamy mushroom sauce, garlic and spicy mustard, and buttered asparagus. Quite delightful.

S had been raving about the Seared Black Cod Fillet 'à la Niçoise' for some time now and so he booked that for me. Served with haricot vert, olives, kalamata olives, cherry tomato and anchovy butter. I wasn't quite impressed. It's the first time i had fishy cod (and i don't mean that in a good way). :( I would very much have preferred the Seared Nut-Crusted Veal Fillet by Chef Carlo Cracco, Seared Lamb Loin by Chef Matthew Moran or the Confit of Chicken with Mushroom Risotto on the BTC menu. I'm obviously the meat girl. 

So on the flight back from Fukuoka, we did not book the cook! Of course i had to have my Japanese meal. 

Our prelude to the flight was the satay with peanut sauce! It's quite nicely done actually. Meat was a little dry but the rich peanut sauce made up for it.

So here is the Autumn Hanakorireki. I was under the impression that i had to pick 1 set out of the 2 set list but they actually serve 2 bento sets per passenger. Woah. 

Ichino Jyu (First Course) comprised the following, from top right CW:

Prawn and chrysanthemum in beancurd paste; Gizzard shad with seaweed in sweetened vinegar; Prawn and trout roe rolled in radish; Red pimento in sweetened vinegar; Cold udon noodles; Scallop and vegetable omelette. Bentos rock my socks! 

Nino Jyu (Second Course) from Top right CW:

Grilled scallop with egg yolk, simmered abalone and yam, Sea bream sushi, fried chicken and asparagus in a rice roll; Simmered tender pork cubes with grated potatoes, winter melon, green beans and carrot; Simmered duck with black pepper, scallop and wakame with jelly, roasted chestnut, dried wheat gluten, simmered shellfish on pickled mustard leaf; Vinegared rice topped with conger eel and crab meat; Salmon with salted rice malt, turnip in sweet vinegar.

Other than the salmon being a little overdone, the rest of the dishes were all flavorful and delicious. I'm a huge fan of variety so the meal was quite faultless. You'll always be able to find something yummeh in a bento with so many items! 

We ended the meal with all my favorite autumn products in 1 dessert! Azuki mousse and sweet potato cream matcha cake! The sponge may be a little dry but the mousse and cream made up for it.

Then came the fruits! HUGE and FRESH produce of Fukuoka. The stewardess insisted that we take some to taste! Absolutely juicy and sweet pear and persimmon. We actually bought some before we left Fukuoka and when we regretted not buying more after we tried these on the plane.

So yea, hope you enjoyed part 1 of the trip report. I'll try to follow up soon with what we did in Kyushu! Onsen hopping, Volcano climbing and lots of Hakata Ramen! Watch this space! :)

A Kyoto autumn adventure under the bright reds, oranges and yellows koyo, led me to the doorsteps of a hidden jewel, Giro Giro Hitoshina. This unorthodox Japanese restaurant serves a 'modern' Kyoto Kaiseiki meal in a casual and cool converted warehouse by the obscure Takase-gawa canal. The floor to ceiling picture window panes, that replaced the original brick wall, presented diners with a charming view of the lush foliage as they partake in an exquisitely prepared 8 course meal determined by the chef. 

The energy given out by the young punkish chefs was electrifying. Reserve a seat by the counter of the open kitchen and you'd be entertained by the dynamic performance as they prepare course after course with finesse.

There is no burden of choice at Giro Giro Hitoshina. You only get to make a decision on your choice of beverage (sake in our case). The menu changes seasonally (by month apparently) so you'll never taste the same thing twice (unless you dine there every other week).

 

We started with Turtle soup, which was a cold and light fish soup (i hope!). 

An Asian style Sushi roll filled with stewed mushrooms and sundried tomatoes. There's also a mini Viet Rice roll with mint and persimmon. Beancurd skin and cucumber tossed in a sesame peanut sauce. Tempura dried fish and a light lotus with smoked pork. It was a mish mash of dishes and ingredients but the individual flavors were great. 

A pretty dish that captured the essence of Autumn with all the colors and flavors. The highlight of the dish was the tofu ball made with chestnut, water chestnut and a surprise chunk of fish roe. Tofu is a signature dish of Kyoto so make sure you do a tofu meal there. Arashiyama is a good place for that. 

A fresh red snapper sashimi with freshly grated wasabi and ponzu sauce.

My other favorite dish of Smoked Yellowtail paired with a grainy creamy lemon sauce and a side of potato salad. An absolutely divine dish. 

The Gratinated Clams was presented with great fan fare, blow torch, bubbling cheese and all right before our eyes. You can't go wrong with the combination of creamy potatoes with briny succulent clams.

I would have Japanese breakfast for dinner any time and this was a comforting dish that i wouldn't mind eating for the rest of my life. Japanese rice with seaweed, grilled mackerel, tamago with fish roe, silver fish and pickled vegetables. A simple Asian meal that warms belly and the heart.

We concluded dinner with an exquisite dessert. Pear w jelly, marmalade on cake, pumpkin ice cream and an Azuki jelly. 

If you think that the meal cost a bomb, it did not. You would be able to enjoy this for ¥3,680 per person. It is not wonder why the 2 seatings a night is insufficient to satisfy the hungry crowd. Book way in advance or you'll be disappointed. The only equivalent in Singapore is Teppei (read review here) but this is more haute and exquisite. 

Giro Giro Hitoshina is the must try if you're in Kyoto. This is certainly on my Favorites list. :)

Giro Giro Hitoshina
420-7 Nanbacho matsubara sagaru Nishikiyamachi dori Shimogyo-ku Kyoto
Tel: +81 075 343 7070
Daily: 5.30 - 11pm
Closed last Mon of the month

If Apple were to design a hotel, it would look like Nine Hours (9h). Clean and sleek lines, futuristic and stark design, idiot friendly check in system, minimalist comfort. Welcome to the future of capsule hotels, right smack in the heart of traditional Kyoto.

We stayed here just for a night because it's too cool not to be checked out and the novelty of sleeping in a capsule was certainly a major pull factor.

The concept: 1 hour shower + 7 hours sleep + 1 hour rest = 9 hours; the optimum length of time for a short yet complete stay. Signs guide you silently and effectively. Quite perfect for the antisocial. Shoe check, luggage check, and then off to the showers.

Follow the number on your key tag and deposit your belongings in the locker. The size is big enough for a cabin bag or medium sized backpack.

Fresh towels, toothbrush set, a comfortable set of PJs and slippers welcome you after a long day of transit. 

A hot shower awaits and there's even a shared hot tub on the other side of the frosted door should you need a relaxing soak. 

I felt like Scarlett Johansson in The Island after donning the chic black pjs. The gender specific lifts will take you to your designated sleeping pods. Certainly very safe for solo women travelers.

The quiet and dimly lit pods were very conducive for a deep rest. There's ample head and leg room even for the non Asian travelers.

No worries about alarms going off while you are asleep. A sleep ambient control system is used to help you fall asleep and wake naturally to the brightness level in the pod. How cool is that right? A shade shields you from the outside world without causing claustrophobia. 

The pods are for 900Y for a day and you can stay up to a maximum of 17h (not just 9h). There's even a sleek space for work or lounging. I'd definitely recommend this for travelers who want a centrally located spot in Kyoto for a short stay. 

Check out the video for a better sense of how 9h is like.

Nine Hours Kyoto Teramachi
588 Teianmaeno-cho, Shijyo, Teramachi-dori,
Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto, 600-8031 Japan
Tel: +81 75-353-9005

2012 was a crazy year of traveling for me. I've pinned 13 countries and many more cities on my trips. Friends often wondered how S and i. It all boils down to good planning and maximizing all available leave and holidays. Long weekends or weekend trips are good enough for nearby Asian cities that are less than 8h of flight away.

Most people would think that 4 days is too little time to spend in Japan considering the air fares and all. Well, this would work if you have been to Japan a couple of times and you don't mind spending all 4 days in 1 or 2 cities. While i wouldn't say we knew Kyoto inside out after the trip, or that we've covered the gazillion UNESCO World Heritage sites and soaked up all the past glory of the old capital, it was sufficient to know if you love/hate a place. And of course, what's not to love about Kyoto?

Getting Around

Kyoto is known for the rich culture and heritage and of course their countless temples, shrines, palaces, pavilions etc. that could not be missed. I had a hard time deciding which to visit because there are simply too many. Due to time constraints and foresight of our probable boredom from viewing too many temples, I picked a few must-sees and dropped by other sights in the same area. The tip is to cover 1 to 2 areas each day instead of going back and forth unnecessarily.

Bus travel is the most convenient as major sights are mostly within walking distance from the stops. What's helpful is that attractions are labelled on the bus map. Each trip costs 220Y within the city zone so it makes perfect sense to get the daily bus pass for 500Y/day which gives you unlimited rides. To get to Arashiyama, you'll need to top up a little more.

So here is how i sectioned Kyoto for my 4 day Autumn trip (sadly we were a little early for the koyo season.)

Places of Interest

1. Kinkaku and Ryoan-ji

One of the top attractions, Kinkaku, Golden Pavilion is a Zen temple whose top two floors are completely plastered with gold leaves. I found it hard to enjoy the zen with tourists scrambling to get their perfect shot.

I very much prefer Ryoan-Ji, which is the finest dry rock garden in Kyoto. This is the epitome of Zen landscaping apparently. There is something really therapeutic about staring at little rocks and man made ripples. 

2. Ginkaku-ji, Tetsugaku-no-michi, Nanzen-ji

Ginkaku, the Silver Pavilion does not have a trace of silver on it. Word is that the shogun ran out of money before they could cover it with silver leaves. Though it's less glamorous than Kinkaku, i love the coziness of it. Take a little climb up the hillside and you'll be able to enjoy the picturesque scenery from the top. Here is where i scored a wish-in-a-stone-bowl and did a little dance with people cheering in the background.

Tetsugaku-no-michi- Philosopher's Path

Follow the directions from Ginkaku to the Tetsugaku-no-michi, the Philosopher's Path. It's possible to walk all the way back to Higayashima or Sanjo but it'd take a long while (we tried). It's really soothing sitting down on the stone benches, listening to the flow of the stream. It would be perfect in spring with all the cherry blossoms or later in autumn with the red leaves.

Pack a bento and have lunch by the stream or attempt to fish for food yourself. There is a little cafe somewhere down the path to rest your feet. And a really cute shop that sells merchandise with cat prints. 

If you are ok with walking, continue down to Nanzen-ji, one of the most important Zen temples in Kyoto. The grounds are massive with several sub temples in it. The central grounds are free and open to public and here is where you'll see the towering Sanmon entrance gate.

3. Shijo and Gion

Shijo is where you do all the shopping. Shopping centers that house levels after levels of cosmetics, fashion, and food are lined along the Shijo-dori. Daimaru, Takashimaya, Marui and Isetan are among those brands. Start walking from Shijo Station and head east towards Gion and Maruyama Park (do this at night) and Yasaka Shrine.

Worthy of visiting is the Teramachi and Shin Kyogoku Covered Shopping Arcades. Restaurants and shops are aplenty under the sheltered walkway and these are more popular with the younger crowd. Drop by the Nishiki Market for some fresh seafood, it's the Tsukiji of Kyoto though not in the same scale.

Gion is where you will head to for some Geisha spotting but they are very elusive. I've only spotted 2, one hurrying down Pontocho and another in a bar. Nevertheless, spend an hour or so wandering along the streets lined by wooden buildings, tea houses and restaurants only known to people in the know. You may just get a glimpse of one.  

4. Fushimi Inari Taisha

 

Fushimi Inari Taishois my favorite place of interest in Kyoto. I guess it has something to do with Memoirs of a Geisha and Zhang Zi Yi running under the vermilion torii gates into the wooded forests of Mount Inari. Do you know that you can buy/donate one of these gates for a price? Well if you can't afford 400000Y for a small gate, you could get a mini one for 500Y at the souvenir counter. ;)

5. Arashiyama

I would highly recommend spending half a day at Arashiyama. Drop off at the the Togetsukyo Bridge and then wander down the shopping street. Have the green tea ice cream with cake which is just next to the train station. More on where i ate in Arashiyama soon.

Tenryuji Temple is one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites and considered as Kyoto's top 5 Zen Temples but really i didn't find anything spectacular about it. The must see however is the Sagano Bamboo forest that is behind the Temple. I love the wind chime quality of the rattling of the bamboo and the light rustle of the leaves.

There are 101 temples in the area so just pick whatever you feel like visiting or just wander around in the nature. Hop on to the Sagano Scenic Train which runs 7km to Kameoka, along the Hozu River, at a leisurely ride at 25km/h. That's what holidays are about ain't it? To complete the experience, take the Hozu River Boat Tour from the JR Kameoka Station back to the Togetsukyo Bridge. Very interesting and entertaining guides they have.

Remember to do a Tofu Ryori in Arashiyama for they are famed for that. I'll introduce an affordable one to you soon. Best Japanese jelly i've had as part of my meal and i totally regretted not buying it back.
There are so many ways to visit Kyoto and here are merely some options based on my experience. It really depends what sort of traveler you are. Remember, whatever you do, don't rush it. The journey is more important than the destination. Hope you've enjoyed this post!