A beginners guide to Japan

A beginners guide to Japan

Nara Park

Hey there groovers, and welcome to another blog post edition, This time we are experiencing the beauty and culture of Japan. Now if you are following my international adventures on the travelgram you would get a feel for how much I adore spending time in this country with all its temples and traditions. I start to think that I may have been a geisha girl in a past life, but lets be honest, i was probably most likely a sumo the way i love to consume the yummy Asian bread treats ....*drools*

link to my IG

In this blog I will give you a rough idea on where to start out when planning your great Japanese adventure. This is not an in-depth comprehensive guide by any means, but will give you some idea of whats around and good to check out in the cities of OSAKA and TOKYO, and what to expect when visiting including an easy way to figure out the currency conversions and a few points on customary rules to keep in mind. 

Narita Temple

   Narita 

When you fly into Tokyo there is a good chance that you will land into Tokyo's Narita airport. Now this is one of Tokyo's main international airports and is approximately an hour away by bus from the city itself, and a major transit hub. To be honest Narita is just a small urban  kinda town with not a huge amount of attractions, However if you do find yourself here for the day even in transit to somewhere else in the world I would suggest a visit to the old town village and temple gardens. The old town street has some traditional Japanese charm and is quite a nice place to stroll through, they have some local food markets, noodle houses as well as a beautiful tea shop. You can catch the bus from your hotel into the Narita station and here you can start off down the small road that winds through the village eventually ending up at a huge gate, this will be the entrance to the Buddhist temple area.

Here there are some beautiful pagodas and garden walks, the monks pray here in the morning and if you are lucky to catch them at certain times of day they make their pilgrimage into the main hall for prayer. 
The main pagoda temple is very impressive and can be seen from far away, It makes for some pretty awesome photo opportunities. The gardens also have a fish pond with koi and a small waterfall with many other shrines dotted throughout. 

   

   

Tokyo

If Tokyo is where you are headed then you are in for a treat, This epic city is awesome and so full of life, it is quite big with many amazing areas to explore but here are some places you can start out while you wander to find your own little alley way and new favourite noodle shop to enjoy some yummy Gyoza and then wash it down with a local Asahi beer which is one of my favourite pastimes. 

SHIBUYA CROSSING would be the perfect place to start out. Shibuya is one of the worlds busiest pedestrian crosswalks with thousands of people crossing this famous area of road every minute, also known as 'Tokyo Time Square'  Its the perfect place to people watch and snap some pretty awesome time lapses. Or you could just watch idiots like me getting those shots for the gram while trying not to get run over. 

This area is just outside of the train station and you can buy a ticket for here on the subway which is easy enough to navigate. If you were wanting to have a great elevated vantage point of the crossing, my suggestion would be to head into the Starbucks (behind my left shoulder in the pic) and grab a seat and coffee in the upstairs window and just watch the world pass by.

Shibuya Crossing

HARAJUKU

 The very next stop down from Shibuya on the subway is the infamous Harajuku and so worth checking out. Japan has a hugely quirky and 'cutsie' culture and here you will find plenty of it, this place is notorious for groups of teenagers (and adults, no judgement here) to gather and dress up like sailor moon or other cartoon like characters with crazy hair and make up, some in Gothic get ups some in animal suits, because around this district anything goes, and the weirder you look the better. 

The main street which can get packed with people is called Takeshita street and here you will find all sorts of animal themed cafes, second hand retro stores, costume places, and some amazing street food including a shop you can get a rainbow candy floss that is bigger than your head.

Harajuku, Takeshita Street

Kawaii Monster Cafe, Harajuku

If you want to check out something really cool the head one street back to the YM square, and look for the Kawaii Monster Cafe on the top floor. This popular cafe has a desert and candy-land theme with things on the menu like rainbow noodles and creative ice cream sundaes, during the visit the staff put on this intense 10 minute show with loud punk music and dance around a huge candy carousel, to be honest I had no idea what was going on, all i knew is that it was random, exciting, and I was into it. 

Harajuku mall entrance

Down from the Cafe is the Harajuku mall and this place has a really impressive mirrored ceiling entrance with is quite cool to check out and get some creative snaps of as It looks like you are in a kaleidoscope while riding up the escalator.
To be honest the mall itself isn't that overwhelming in a shopping sense, we actually just called in here to use the restrooms, but that was an adventure in itself as these were a few floors up and there were hefty queues,it was as if the toilets were some magical Disney ride, so my advice would be try and use the facilities in the cafes you visit as public ones in populated areas of japan can be a while to wait. 

TOKYO TOWER   From this distinctive Eiffel tower looking landmark you will be able to get some awesome panoramic city views, take a quick trip up the tower which is fairly easy to find on the train and will cost around 900 yen ($8 adult) and is open between 9am-11pm.

from here you can wander the streets and find whatever little dive bar or eatery to spend the evening checking out all your awesome pictures and checking how many steps you did on your fancy devices to feel better about all the steam buns you are about to consume. 

Osaka

         

           

DOTONBORI

Now we are adventuring toward the west of Tokyo now, to the awesome city of OSAKA 

if you are heading there and trying to decide on an area to stay, I would suggest as close to the Dotonbori area as possible, this is a bustling hub full of bright lights and amazing arcades full of food places and overly loud Pachinko slot casinos.

 Head down to the centre of Dotonbori at night which is when it really comes alive, you can see the famous giant animal figurines on the sides of the restaurants, huge electronic billboards and late night shops. If you are looking for dinner maybe try and find a place that looks out over the river for a cool view, and definitely try the local cuisine which is the Okonomiyaki, basically an egg based pancake with a range of fillings including noodles, and toppings like fish flakes and kewpie mayo (yaammmm)

Okonomiyaki

 After you have finished eating, try a late night ride on the colourful Don Quijote Ferris wheel which will give you great views of the area from above.

NARA PARK

About a 45 minute train ride from Dotonbori area is the beautiful Nara Temple deer park, I love this place and have been a few times. You can easily find the park area a few minutes walk from the train station conveniently called 'Nara' and very easy to find this line on the subway with a colour coded direction tile. 

The entire park area is full of over 1200 free roaming Sika deer who are sacred to the temple area and classified as national treasure, Back in 1637 It actually used to be a crime punishable by death if you were to kill one of the deer, I wouldn't "deer" try to harm them now anyway...although they may try and harm you, so be careful as these cute little guys could give you a small harmless nip or light head bump if they are excited for food or it looks like you may have some wafers to feed them. We saw it a few times and heard some girls scream. I mean i shouldn't laugh but it can be rather entertaining to witness. The wafers for them can be brought at many vendors inside the park area for about a dollar, they also do a cute bow before receiving their treat which is fun to watch.  

This is one of Japans oldest parks, the Todai-ji is the largest wooden building in the world and houses an impressive 15 meter tall statue of Buddha. 

A small noodle house in the park area is where I had the best Ramen noodle bowl of my life!!! 

Nara is a very easy day trip and so worth seeing. Its free to enter the park however you may need to pay a few dollars here and there to enter some of the temples and shrines.

  

Kyoto

The amazing and traditional Kyoto which used to once be the capital of Japan is just so full of incredible sights and is approximately an hour away by train from central Osaka depending on if you take the high speed bullet train or not.
 In this historical prefecture you have a plethora of popular temples and landmarks to see, My suggestion would be to get an early start on your day here if its just be a day trip as there is a lot to see, You can buy a hop on hop off buss pass for the local bus network, and they will give you a map with all the landmarks and corresponding pictures on it which makes things a lot easier, The bus counter can be found on your right as you exit the train terminal

It does take a long time to get around town on the various busses so allow a bit of extra time for this and maybe even narrow it down to what you would really like to see ion the circuit and the best route there. The following places have been a few that I really enjoyed seeing while visiting Kyoto.

Temple Outside the bamboo forest area

The golden temple or the Kinkaku-ji "Temple of the golden pavilion" is a zen Buddhist temple on the water and very pretty to see. there are some garden walks around and is one of the most popular temples in Kyoto.

Golden temple 

Arashiyama bamboo forest  Is exactly what it is, a beautiful tall bamboo forest you can walk through and is a photographers haven, The way the sunbeams shine through the top of the bamboo is stunning, so maybe try and get there as early as you can as these paths fill up quickly around mid day. The surrounding area and temples make this a beautiful scenic area to wander and explore. the small village town is very quaint and has some cute little shops including one where the owner sells these gorgeous painted trinkets and characters made out of silk larvae, we brought one for our Christmas tree and it was put in a special little box with a hand drawn message from the owner.

Kiyomizudera Temple also known as the "pure water temple" is one of the most celebrated temples of Japan and is a UNESCO world heritage site, Its a simply stunning temple with elevate views over the eastern part of Kyoto. The adjoining village has some traditional shops and small eateries, you can even try a gold leaf ice cream if you are feeling fancy, and here you will also see a lot of locals dressed in traditional robes. there is also some striking red pagodas and garden paths to enjoy especially if you are lucky enough to be there during the springtime and cherry blossom season .

Views from the Kiyomizudera Temple

Some things to keep in mind for your visit to Japan...

CUSTOMS- It may seem a bit odd but please be prepared to remove your footwear in some restaurants and spas if requested, this is quite customary and some establishments may even have some slippers or "Uwabaki" to change into while you are there, its a show of respect and a way to keep their floor areas clean and traditionally the Japanese ate dinner on the floor so its a generational tradition to still honour this.

ADHERE TO THE RULES The Japanese people enjoy and will follow a sense of order especially in crowded areas like the subway, you might get some looks if you were to be standing on the specific walking side of the escalator, or to not give your seat up to an elderly person when the sign above says you should do so, I know this is a no brainer  but out of respect we will always try to conform to the general rules for the masses and follow everyone else when moving through busy areas, or keeping noise levels to a minimum on the train because this may be considered rude. so just something to think about. 

CHERRY BLOSSOM  This popular time of year when the cherry blossom trees are in full beautiful pink bloom happens around the beginning of April each year and this makes Japan a very busy and appealing place to be. You may want to plan your trip to coincide with this celebrated festival however keep in mind that the prices for hotels and attractions may increase slightly or be booked out in advance. but this is indeed a very special occurrence to witness in person and makes for some incredibly colourful holiday pictures.

CURRENCY The local currency is the Japanese YEN and the denominations will be in the hundreds, thousands and tens of thousands....but you will feel so rich haha. 
An easy way to think about this in regards to what you are spending is that $100 yen is roughly 1 dollar NZD or .80c USD. So if the bus is $300 yen then its around 3 dollars in your local currency. 
And the easiest way of all is just to cover up the last 2 digits of the bill and there you have it, the rough number that you are actually spending. 

YEN currency

So there you have it folks, A rough beginners guide to start you out on your Japanese adventure including Narita, Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto. 

Like I said i'm no Hemingway, nor do i write for National Geographic or a fancy travel magazine (clearly) So this is not a in depth comprehensive guide to all the hidden avenues of the country, but more just something to consider when basing yourselves in these awesome cities for the first time. 

Travel is about creating your own map and finding new places to see and explore, However I do hope this was mildly helpful and slightly insightful. 

I always enjoy my stopovers in this interesting and intriguing country and I am constantly posting pics and information about Japan when I visit, so feel free to follow along my world adventures on Instagram here www.instagram.com/nats_travelgram 

I hope it becomes one of your new favourite places too.

Have a great day team, and thank you for reading

Arigatogozaimashita

Natalie :)

A beginners guide to Singapore

My Singapore Sling 

So what's good in Singapore I hear you ask

Hey again groovers, nice to see you, and thanks for stopping by. 

So If you are thinking of your next trip or already planning a visit to this colorful and diverse city, I would suggest taking a few days to ensure you can see it all.  

There are so many unique corners to this modern city. it truly is a place that has been built with culture and ethnic intermingling in mind. whether it be high-end shopping that revs your engine, quality Asian food, or just to be entertained... here are some of my favorite things to do in 

Beautiful Singapore 

*******

-marina bay and supertree grove-

This is the spot I would suggest starting off from, In this attraction-packed area there is so much to see and do.  This is a huge garden area with these 25-50 meter tall "supertree" structures you can walk between on bridges which are covered in plants and which come alive at night in a spectacular lighting display. There is a huge indoor glasshouse with waterfalls, and in the adjacent river, you can also see local seals doing their thing.

  I would suggest going there in the afternoon and then heading up to the top of the nearby marina bay sands hotel which is a short walk from there. Its a huge high rise with a boat looking structure on the top. Up there you will find a pretty impressive infinity pool and cocktail bar, with a more impressive view of the city and light display below with a drink in hand.

Marina bay sands hotel bar

view of the supertree grove from the top

of marina bay sands.

-Art Science Museum-

This was an interesting place for kids of all ages....including me. The museum is housed in the notable giant lotus looking building down on the waterfront.

  I was lucky enough to visit right after a school group left. This was an interactive art and light installation called future world, I really loved. Here you can walk through a hall of fairy lights (as above) which changes with music, it was so whimsical and relaxing. there were also a few other displays but this was the coolest. the entrance fee was $18 SGD

After the museum, you can continue a walk along the waterfront and visit the famed lion fountain which always makes for a fun photo opportunity for your token Singapore gram shot with the city skyline in the background.

-Chinatown and Little India-

There are so many "little" districts in this amazing city. and they are so full of culture, shopping, and delicious food 

Chinatown has a great main street market with many authentic Chinese food shops. Both Chinatown and little India have beautiful cultural temples and colorful areas to explore. you can get to both easy enough on the metro which is very user-friendly in the city, and everything is in English which makes getting around easy. 

main street china town

street art in china town

-Clarke Quay and old  Hill St police station-

Clarke Quay is an area I happened to stumble across by accident, on one of my 'get off the train somewhere and start walking' adventures. (these can often go either way) but this day I was pleasantly surprised. This cool and colorful riverside area has an abundance of dining and bar areas.

There is something for everyone down there food-wise, and the area had a big stage area set up in the middle for bands and evening performances, grab a local Tiger beer or margarita and party the night away, after exploring the nearby area like the old hill st police station, which was the most vibrant police station iv ever seen. Just one of the many amazing colorful structures in this city.

This was easy to get to on the main train line, getting off at the City Hall train station, and a 5-10 min walk.

Colors of the old Hill St police station

-colorful buildings and street art-

Peranakan houses, Koon Seng Rd 

As you may have realized by now, and you have seen my instagram feed... you will know that I love color!! And one of my favorite places I found in Singapore was the Peranakan houses.

 Its a gorgeous street of pastel panted, doll like houses in a surburban area. This does take a bus ride from the metro station for about 15min, but it's so worth it if you love cutsie things to photograph. 

Haji Lane street art

A funky area to see and wander through to find coffee is Haji lane, this street has some interesting cafes and street art, and always good for an afternoon chill spot after a day of exploring the big city.

-shopping-

Singapore is full to the brim with shops and malls, It feels like everywhere you turn there is a new mall to throw your money at. so it's a shoppers haven. There are many high-end shops as well as middle of the road western style shops, ie Sephora and forever 21. 

My favorite mall, and most central to access by train lines is the ION Orchard mall, on the famous Orchard Road. This place has everything you would want in one place, and then a quick stroll outside has many of the High-end designer places if you are feeling extra fancy.

On the main street, you can find some great local food places, Try some amazing Hainanese chicken rice which is a local favorite, or yummy laksa. whatever you have a hankering for you should find it here.

So there you have it....a very brief idea of how to start out in the city. Of course, it's not entirely comprehensive, but it's not meant to be, its a beginners guide!

 However, the main fun of traveling is getting yourself lost and finding your own new favorites and interesting places to recommend to others. 

I hope you enjoyed this read and found it helpful and informative. please, let me know if you ever do plan a visit. 

See ya in the next one groovers, gotta fly :)

IG  @nats_travelgram

beginners guide- one week in bali

My top 5 things to see and do in Bali Indonesia

Hello groovers!!! Thanks so much for joining me on my first blogging attempt! It is really nice to have you along for the ride. 

I'm Natalie, an international flight attendant and world explorer, I am currently sharing all my travel journeys on my Instagram and I thought I could share a bit more with you by writing, so here we are.

I have been visiting Bali seasonally over the last few years and I am here to write about my experiences and what I really enjoyed about the beautiful island.

As writing is something new to me I do apologize in advance if I don't follow a bloggy type format or I go off on a tangent, I also can't help any puns or bad dad jokes that may occur!  but thanks for hanging in there :) ...kinda like I am in the nest above.

and what is that interesting nest thing you ask? well, lets jump right into it...

1-   Tegallalang rice fields 

These beautiful lush rice terraces are such a cool place to explore, they are situated in Ubud which is right in the middle of the island.

The terraces have lots of little paths to walk along and a fair few wobbly stairs so it may not be little one or elderly friendly.

A tip is to get there as early as possible!! I know early wakeups should be banned on holiday but its totally worth it!! if you get there at the perfect time, I'd say around 7am, then you could witness the sunbeams coming through the fields for that perfect gram shot and without the crowds which show up around 10.30am, this also makes navigating the paths easier without climbing around others..although its a great way to get to know people intimately ..lol. There are a lot of locals there working the fields who are all very friendly, one even let me wear his hat and do some work. My attire was really appropriate as you can see. 

Tegalang Rice Field

Just up from there is terrace river swing and the cat poo coffee place. no..seriously!!, So there are local cat like animals called Luwaks, and what they do is eat coffee beans mixed with fruit, then when they poop them out they are cleaned (thank gawd) and then used as some of the most expensive coffee beans in the world.  Here you can sample all the teas and coffees they have in a cute tasting tray while relaxing on the glass floor balcony overlooking the fields.

Luwak coffee tasting

This place has a bunch of swings that you can sail out over the valley if you are feeling brave and also the pretty nests with a view that makes for a pretty sweet pic.

I did one of the swings here but I was wearing a little dress which was perfect in the Balinese heat but not so appropriate for the cannoning type harness that you have to wear through your legs, however, I'm sure the Indonesian man who was strapping me up enjoyed his free show. It cost the equivalent of $20NZD to do the swing and have coffee here, but this is not the famous 'Bali swing' which I have heard is a lot better, but I will see when I head back in a few weeks.

2-  Food and sunsets in Seminyak 

Seminyak is kind of a popular spot in Bali, it feels slightly more upmarket and has a lot of beautiful boutiques and amazing food places. We stayed in Ubud for this trip for the relaxing vibes there, (it is very popular with yogis and vegans)  but this would have been my second option for an area to stay.

If I can recommend a lovely cafe to find, is called  coffee cartel https://www.coffeecartelbali.net/ 

they have beautiful tasty food and if you want they can print cool patterns in your coffee..

Coffee Cartel

As you may have heard smoothie bowls are all the rage (oh lord that something my mum would say) and are found everywhere in Bali, they are ridiculously tasty and inventively presented and oh so ready for their gram shoot, in fact, I'm sure half the cafes there all have beautifully set tables and flower props for the likes of me who love taking photos of pretty food!! its a pretty good marketing ploy if you ask me.

Check out the markets, and treat yo-self to some shopping in the areas many stores and boutiques. 

The sunsets from the west coast of bail are absolutely beautiful. A very popular spot is a place called Potato head, its a group of bars and restaurants on a big lawn area. Here you can lounge in a day bed with a drink in hand next to the pool and watch the magic happen, and also watch many people on the beach getting that perfect picture to end their day. 

We actually went down the road a bit, next door to the swanky W hotel (where I swear I saw the actor that played the funny Asian guy in the Hangover movies)...To these quiet bars with outdoor picnic tables overlooking the beach, It was actually a lot better than trying to deal with the crowds. It was the perfect spot to enjoy our very reasonably priced Bintang (local beer) and calamari while the sun went down 

Warung Cantina sunsets

3-  Padang Padang beach and Uluwatu

Down on the lower bottom west side of the island, you will experience the beachy surfy chilled out areas of Padang Padang and popular Uluwatu. This area is a surfing haven and has some spectacular cliff top bars and accommodations with awesome views. some of the places to stay here can be a bit pricey depending where it is situated, I do know there is an epic $3K a night villa with giant pool on a cliff there, but yeah, let me know if you are wanting to look into that because I would really like to come with you as a personal assistant.

Spend the day at the beach then grab a drink at Single Finns bar and watch the surfers below and the sunset with great popular music. Be sure to get there early though as the good tables can fill up quickly.  It's a great social spot.

Blue Haven resort pool

4-  Tirta Gangga water temple and Lempuyang Luhur

OK so this place is a bit of a hike, It's about 2.5 hours from Seminyak area depending on Bali traffic, and is somewhere you would want to get to early before the crowds and the heat of the day creep in, but it's totally worth It.  I got here as it was opening around 8:30am and it was perfect.

It is located on the far eastern side of the island.

These beautiful water gardens were designed by the local king Anuk in 1948, he was admired by the locals for not only designing but helping build them alongside his lower-class laborers. the water is considered holy and many religious ceremonies are held there. 

There is a pool to swim in if you wish and there are awesome statues and Koi fish to see as you step over many stones around the water garden. 

This is a very popular spot to get some nice photos, especially if it's a sunny day and you can see the fish. it costs a few dollars to get in and there is a cafe there to get lunch.  I would hire a driver for the day and see some other places as I did along the way to maximize your time.

Tirta Gangga

About 30 minutes drive of the Tirta Gangga is the temple of Lempuyang Luhur. It's a very famous spot to watch the sunrise. Here you can get a beautiful view of mount Agung through the temple arches.

Side note I have not yet been there but I thought I would give it an honorable mention as its so close and would be totally worth a look. Unfortunately, when I went to go the same day as the water temple, the clouds were a bit too low for it to be worth the drive but it is on my list.

sadly not my photo, but look how good it looks

5-  Tibumana and Tegenungan Waterfalls 

Bali is full of amazing hidden gems and stunning waterfalls, both of these ones are beautiful and easily accessible, and also within just 1/2 of each other so it would make a good sightseeing day trip to see both of them. I love waterfalls and both of these have their own charm.

Tegenungan is super popular and a fairly easy walk to get to. Depending on the time of day you go it can get quite crowded, so once again, get that alarm set and be there as it opens so you can swim and also climb around on the many photo spot structures they have put in place without too many others getting their selfie sticks all up in your grill.

My favorite thing about this waterfall was the fun swing that's next to it. A small market is next to the car park as you enter and this will cost the equivalent of $1 to get an in...cheap day out right :) 

Tegenungan falls

Getting into the swing of things 

Tibumana falls is a lot quieter and the lesser known of the two, some call it the twin falls. 

On the day I went there had been some heavy rain so it was not as serene as it normally looked in the polished pics I had seen on Instagram, It was more like a scene out of the land before time, but I really loved it, it seemed really powerful, like nature once again reminding us who is boss. This is a slightly steeper walk but its a really pretty one, with some wooden bridges to cross and other smaller falls. you can swim here and there are way fewer people which was quite nice. This cost about 80 cents to enter, and my amazing driver Ketut came down for a walk with me, as I was Travelling alone the time I visited this beauty.

Tibumana waterfall

So lovely peeps there you have it,  a rough idea of a few things I would recommend seeing while you are in Bali. Of course, there are so many more amazing places, like the Gili islands, and stunning Nusa Penida. but this is a starter guide for those just staying on the mainland. I would try and stay at least 10 days so you can not only see everything but also have the time to unwind and relax taking advantage of all the massage places and pamper spots on every street, FYI  a 1-hour full body massage will set you back about $7-8nz ....sooooo good!!!! 

The Balinese people are very welcoming and hospitable, and tourism is a huge factor in what keeps their small country running. 

I hope this was helpful if you are thinking of heading to the beautiful island.

Please let me know your thoughts and experiences. 

Have a great day and thank you so much for taking the time to read my first blog post.

Big love, gotta fly

Nat :)

IG  @nats_travelgram