This is part of an ongoing travelogue. To start at the very beginning, click here. We had spent the whole day in Nara, it already past 5pm and getting dark. Our plan was to walk back to the station, take the train back to Kyoto and have dinner in Kyoto Station. There are a few floors of great restaurants there that had been recommended by friends. However, on the walk back to the station, we passed by this restaurant. Earlier in the day, when we were passing in the other direction, we noted the queue was doubly long. Now in the evening, there were considerably less people waiting, but still…

This is part of an ongoing travelogue. To start at the very beginning, click here. Since we started the day in Nara quite late in the morning, we were now pretty hungry. Within the huge Nara park, there aren’t many places to eat, since all the few buildings here are heritage buildings. So if you are planning to spend the whole day in Nara, make sure you eat before you enter the park. Or eat when you finally finish the entire park. (beautiful autumn colours) So walked down from Todaiji towards Kasuga Taisha, and there was a row of restaurants interspersed with shops selling knives and cutlery (apparently knives are…

This is part of an ongoing travelogue. To start at the very beginning, click here. From Kofukuji, we walked across the park toward Todaiji, the main temple in Nara. There is a long distance to walk and there are lots of things to see. The Nara National Museum is large complex and quite popular, but we didn’t go in. (Nara National Museum) There are a lot of restaurants along the main road, but this particular restaurant caught our attention with the queue in front. What was so special about this place?? We would find out later in the day. (what’s so special about this restaurant??) (nice lake in Narahimuro Shrine)…

This is part of an ongoing travelogue. To start at the very beginning, click here. Day two started a little later than planned. Before the trip, I had planned to start early every day, since with sunset at around 5pm, we had limited day light. But almost every day we ended up leaving about 8 am plus, since we were always tired from the night before and also took our time to have a good breakfast. By the time we reached Kyoto Station, it was past 10am, and were just in time to buy the train to Nara at 10:25am. We took the Kintetsu direct express (JPY 620 one way).…

This is part of an ongoing travelogue. To start at the very beginning, click here. And so off we go on the itinerary proper! So we took off from KLIA2 at almost 2am in the morning (after AirAsia rescheduled my flight TWICE in one month), and landed in Japan about 9am. After settling all our ticketing and transport stuff (check out my transportation guide here), we took a Haruka limited from the annex building right in front of the arrival hall. Make sure you get into the right compartment, though. Some are for reserved ticket holders and some are for open tickets. And you definitely don’t want to be standing…

This is part of an ongoing travelogue. To start at the very beginning, click here. Japan is one of the most advanced societies in the world and their transportation system reflects this. But the challenge for first time visitors is to make sense of the complex train, subway, bus and road networks to save time and money and avoid the hassle of getting lost. The first thing to do before going to Japan is to do as much research as you can. There are many useful websites available, the two that I found the most helpful was Japan Guide and Hyperdia. Japan Guide is one of the best to research…

More than a year ago, I booked a trip to Japan as a birthday present for my wife. At the time, a few of my friends had recently returned from Kyoto and surrounding areas and were telling me it was a must visit – Kyoto is Japan’s most beautiful city. And visit either during the spring cherry blossom or autumn colour season. So after some thought I book my trip a year ahead. The plan was to land in Kansai Airport, Osaka in the morning, and take a train straight to Kyoto. There in Kyoto I would spend 5 full days. Then I’d return to Osaka to spend 3 full…

Some years back, after some concerns about my health and general wellbeing, I started getting into the whole gym and fitness thing. I signed up for a gym, went 4 times a week, started running long distance. First it was 2 km, then 5 km and then 10 km (that was the max, honestly I don’t see myself going any further than that). Getting fitter and slimmer is always better than the alternative, but when it comes to being the peak of physical condition, it is being a Marine. Or more specifically, a US Marine Corp. I think many of us hold to that ideal that to be a Marine,…

This is post concludes an ongoing travelogue. To start at the beginning, please click here. Well, its been more than two months since my holiday to Thailand, and I have finally finished my travelogue here. What started out as a last minute unplanned trip, turned out to a rather enjoyable holiday. I remember we didn’t really get down to doing the itinerary until about 2-3 weeks before leaving. In retrospect, Hua Hin was a rather laidback, family holiday. There isn’t much sights to see, nor many places to go around the town for day trips. Well, actually there are, but we didn’t go for them. After so many holidays where…

This is part of an ongoing travelogue. To start at the beginning, please click here. Our long holiday in Thailand have come to an end. It’s our last meal in Bangkok, and after a long day of Chatuchak, we decided to have dinner near our hotel. Based on online recommendations, we went for Love Eat Bistro, located in a hotel. The place serves a mixture of Italian and local food. But the décor is what sets this place apart. I really liked their frilly, almost Victorian-esque design. (a group of aunties having a lively dinner) (my beautiful dinner party) We ordered some pad thai (as usual), burger, and spaghetti. Food…