Caprianist

1. JR Pass (if you travel a lot to another city using train)
2. Amusement park tickets, buy the tickets online would avoid you to queue for a long time. Besides, some amusement park lime disneyland and disney sea have a visitor quota per day, so it would be better if you save your spot by booking it online
3. Doraemon museum and ghibli museum ticket. These tickets can only be bought from lawson station in Japan. Better ask for your friend's help to get these, as both of them are unavailable for online purchase.

1. JR Pass (jika Anda bepergian ke kota lain menggunakan kereta api)
2. Tiket Taman Hiburan; membeli tiket secara online akan menghindari Anda untuk antrian untuk waktu yang lama. Selain itu, beberapa taman hiburan seperti Disneyland dan DisneySea yang memiliki kuota pengunjung per hari, sehingga akan lebih baik jika Anda membeli tiket secara online untuk menghindari sudah tercapainya kuota pengunjung. Waktu saya di sana, ada loh pengunjung yang ditolak untuk masuk karena sudah mencapai jumlah kuota pengunjung, jadi tiket sudah tidak dijual lagi dan siapapun yang belum memiliki tiket untuk hari itu jadi nggak bisa masuk!
3. Tiket Museum Doraemon dan Museum Ghibli. Tiket ini hanya dapat dibeli dari Lawson Station di Jepang. Lebih baik meminta bantuan teman Anda untuk mendapatkan ini, karena keduanya tidak tersedia untuk pembelian secara online.

As one of the theme park under the Universal Studio Brand in Asia, this place is so incredible! This theme park has eight sections: Hollywood, New York, San Fransisco, Jurrasic Park, Waterworld, Amity Village, Universal Wonderland and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I think The highlight in this universal studio japan (USJ) in Osaka is The Wizarding World of Harry Potter (of course!!). Whether you're a big fan or not, it really is worth it! You have to buy the well-known butterbeer. Taste like a root beer but it has a different sensation ;) Don't forget to ride the "Harry Potter and The Forbidden Journey". In my own opinion, this ride is one of the best (and yeah-the most crowded) in USJ.


The other rides are quite thrilling, and if you want to experience all the rides (especially in a peak season), better consider the Express Pass. There will be two express pass that you could purchase: express pass 5 and express pass 7. The express pass offer a fast track to some rides and it would save you SOME time! But in my own opinion, it's pricey. Furthermore, It was sold for limited amount, so better make your decision when you arrived. The admission ticket could be purchase online just to avoid some queue. there's no discount or any other perks by purchasing online, so it's up to you!


It's easy-peasy to reach this place, you can take a train to Universal City Station. If you went to Osaka Aquarium, there will be a ferry service to USJ.

#HarryPotter

Japan is a 4 season country. While the most famous region to enjoy the snow in Japan is Hokkaido, but you could enjoy it in another region. Be careful though because as you go south, it would be warmer and the snow would be harder to find. But if you're like me—who was happened to be in Osaka at the end of the winter (late february)—you could visit Biwako Valley. It's not that far from Osaka and it's close enough from Kyoto. It's easy to get there by train and bus too! Just go to Shiga Station (Kosei Line). Once you arrived, there will be a bus just outside the station that would bring you to biwako valley for JPY 210. It would be approx 10 mins to get there.

Biwako valley is a ski resort with a real snow. On winter it would be ski resort, but it would be a valley with nice view on summer. There are ski rental shops inside and outside, so no worries if you didn't bring your own equipment. Ride the cable car, then voila! You'll be at the top of the mountain, fully covered with snow!! The view from this resort is one of the best too! You could enjoy the ski, the snow, and lake biwa at once!

#BiwakoValley

It's BIG! The entire Osaka Castle Park covers about two square kilometers with lots of green space, sport facilities, a multi-purpose arena (Osakajo Hall) and a shrine dedicated to Toyotomi Hideyoshi. The park got yhe fame more during the cherry blossom season, as it would become a fave place to do hanami (which usually takes place in early April).



I love the museum inside the castle, you could find so many armors of japanese troops and the history regarding the castle and the war. You could find a hologram show which I find quite interesting. Up above, you could enjoy the scenery of osaka from the balcony. It's beautiful on sunset! But sometimes it's so windy, so you should probably pay more attention for loose items. Near the balcony, there is a souvenir shop. Time to spend some money!


On the outside, you could find so many spots that would be good to snap. There's a park, the bridge (this is my fave!), the lake, and so on. Feel free to roaming around, but if you have a tight itinerary, make the bridge and the park as the top of your priority!

This temple is also one of the common place to visit in Kyoto. Built without any bolt attached, this incredible temple is still strong! This temple is more spacious compare to fushimi-inari. But it's as CROWDED as fushimi-inari. A must-visit spots in kiyomizu-dera are the temple of love, the wellspring, and the super-heavy monk's stick.

At the temple of love, you will find the stone of love, you could touch it together with your beloved one and pray that your love will last forever, there will be love charms that you could buy too!

The wellspring located in the bottom part of the temple. It is believed that if you drank the wellspring, it would bring you health and wealth (yeaaah I drank it!!)

The one that's some kind of funny in my own opinion is the super-heavy monk's stick. It is said that the one who could lift that stick will be delegated a guaranteed wealth. The funny part is-IT REALLY IS HEAVY. I think the one that could lift it is a weightlifting athlete. Haha

Ah one more thing, don't forget to stop by at the grandma's store near the parking lot. This little shop sell some souvenirs and if you spend more than JPY 1000, you will get a tiny croc. Then she will tell you that this tiny croc should be placed in your wallet. According to the myth, this croc would bring back the money to the wallet.

N.B: never put 2 crocs at once in a wallet!

#Kiyomizudera

I don't think I will blabbering much in this post, as this shrine is one of the most well-known. It's like everyone destination when in kyoto-whether it's local or foreigner. This shrine is famous for its thousands torii gate. Please note that near the entrance there will be so many people, so if you want to enjoy these torii gates, go up! The peak marked itself on 233m heights. And in the top of it there will be a final temple. The temple itself is not that superior, it's good but just that. But what we seek here is the place where we could get a less-crowded torii gates. And believe me, the higher the better! Just be careful as there're forbidden roads and as you go up, there will be more and more forbidden roads. Don't ask me why it's forbidden, cause rumor has it that the forbidden road is related with some kind of mystical thing.

#FushimiInari

"Dokodemodoa!"

Anyone familiar with this phrase? If not, in my local language it would be "pintu ke mana saja!". Yes, it's one of the magical items from Doraemon, the most famous anime in the world. This cat robot popularity is undeniably tremendous. Along with his friends, they have their own museum, Fujiko F Fujio Museum!



What can you expect inside? Absolutely all of the works of Fujiko F Fujio, starting from Q-taro, P-man, esper mami, and of course Doraemon. There will be areas in which a camera is prohibited-usually in exhibition area where the original script and manga will be displayed-but no worries, you can still have a snap in most areas!

Located in Kawasaki, it would take about 45 mins to get to the station. After that you could walk to the museum or simply ride the doraemon-theme bus (yes, the bus is decorated with doraemon characters). Please be aware that YOU CAN'T buy the ticket on the spot. You have to buy the ticket from lawson station and you have to choose the date and time, it would be available in 2 hours basis from 8 AM till 4 PM (last entry).

Once inside, enjoy your childhood once more and don't forget to stop by at doraemon cafe. There're so many fujiko f fujio-inspired menu, and it's delicious! There will be a dorayaki stall too. I recommend you to take a queuing number for the cafe first as it usually so crowded. While you wait, you could explore the open area near the cafe, it could save you some time!

Senso-ji is an ancient Buddhist temple located in Asakusa, Tokyo, Japan. It's Tokyo's oldest temple, and one of its most significant. This temple became independent after World War II. The thing that turn me down is this overcrowded environment, though. And in my own opinion, there's not much to see here so consider this place ONLY if you have an extra time. Better skip it if you have a tight itinerary. You can try to take the prophecy paper for just JPY 100. Fortunately, the prophecy here is available in english! Another thing you could do here is some window shopping in the street shop along the street. But I recommend not to buy anything from here, as the price is not as good as the shop in Kyoto or Osaka.

#SensojiTemple

You can go up there to witness the 360 degrees of tokyo scenery. You can even see the Mountain Fuji from here. This tower could be reached either from Oshiage Station or Tokyo Skytree Station. There are two options of observation decks: Tokyo Skytree Tembo Deck (The First Observatory, 350m heights) and Tokyo Skytree Tembo Galleria (The Second Observatory, 450m heights). Pick anyone you want. You need to pay for additional fare to go to Tokyo Skytree Tembo Galleria, though. I recommend to enjoy the sunset from here (it really is a jaw-dropping scenery!) or enjoy the city lights at night. Because when you go here in the afternoon, it's not that good and it's hot! As a tourist there will be a special line and special price, just show your passport and you'll be eligible for this privilege. If you travel with your honey, make sure to have a dinner here in Musashi Sky Restaurant (RSVP only). The ambience of the city lights with a savory dinner is a one-time experience. The food is kinda pricey though, you need to spend about JPY 12000-18000 for dinner. If you want to pass the luxury, just grab some sea salt ice cream from the skytree cafe and enjoy this delish Ice Cream from 350m heights!

#TokyoSkytree

Tokyo skytree is another landmark and new icon replacing (?) the well-known tokyo tower. Because of its height, pick some place a little far away, for example this river near the senso-ji temple. This spot is not a walking distance from Tokyo Skytree, but if you chose the spot nearby, it won't hurt to stop by in Tokyo Skytree and see what's inside. On the ground floor you'll find the Skytree Shop, the mascots (just outside of the Skytree Shop), and some food stalls. This shop is the largest official Tokyo Skytree Shop. Inside you will find tokyo skytree-themed goods, sweets, fashion items etc. Time to grab a lite bite and snap some photos!

#TokyoSkytree

This one is SUPERB and it's one of my favorite. It really is uncommon and less popular among tourist. The perk for being unpopular is you can take many many photos without being disturbed by another tourist or overcrowded scenery. This pagoda is overlooking Fujiyoshida City and Mount Fuji off in the distance. In order to reach this place is not that hard too though, ride the fujikyu railway and go to the nearest station from chureito pagoda, Shimo-Yoshida Statiion. Walk about 1 km (including the stairs)-uh huh, maybe this is the one that make this place not that popular-and you will be arrived in the gate of Arakura Sengen Shrine. This is the gate for another stairs to chureito pagoda. please don't give up and hang in there a little more and you will be arrived in one of the best viewing spot of Mountain Fuji! The best time to visit this place is on spring and autumn. On Spring, there will be hundreds of Sakura trees in bloom, while it would be more colorful in autumn.

#MountainFuji

This one is good. It would be more colorful in spring or summer, as the plant and flower already bloom at that time. Even you go in another season, this one is still great. You can choose to stay in Ryokan nearby, and if you're lucky you could get the one which provided Mt. Fuji scenery right from its onsen! Choose the one that face to Mt. Fuji would be worth it although it would be more expensive than the one in town or the one that face to Kawaguchiko. This lake is the most easily accessible of the Fuji Five Lakes with train and direct bus connections to Tokyo. Sometimes the cloud could be blocked by the clouds, though. So the best time to enjoy it from the distance is before 9 AM even on a sunny day. You could have a better chance for its visibility during spring and summer.

#MountainFuji