Spotlight on Jamie: Osaka

Osaka Japan April 2014 (Universal Studios Japan)

Obligatory photo at the Universal Studios Globe Fountain! ^_^

So today.. I'm going to bring you to Universal Studios Japan~!!! ..but before the Wizarding World of Harry Potter opening! (yea, boo for that, right?!) Because unfortunately, it's still not open when we visited USJ last April. And yes, I'm still not done with my Japan April 2014 series! Haha. I've been back to Japan this month, and yet, I'm still not done with this. So yeah, to keep up, I'll keep this post short. More like a photo-diary with short description? Hihi. So let's start, shall we? *wink*

Pigeon says: "Jamie's using a prime lens in these photos so please excuse the tight framing! And it's not allowed to take pictures inside the attractions, so you'll be just enjoying photos from the outside of the rides in this post. Quack! Oops, I don't quack..."

Our first roller-coaster ride! This one's one of my favorite. Seeing the space while having adrenaline because of the ride is such an awesome and magical experience!

New York feels!

Felt like I'm in the set of HIMYM on these streets. lol

Terminator 2 in 3D was awesome too! I really enjoyed the energetic actors playing their roles in the Terminator movie. Though, I cannot understand anything in the story because it's all in Japanese! Haha. This is really thrilling and surprising, especially the explosion part!

Street performers show up out of nowhere! So fun to watch, even though I don't understand what they were singing. Mehe~

Style spotting right here. Ugh, so stylish Japanese people even in the back view! lol

Inside the Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man. So many vintage stuffff~! One of the best rides in the USJ too! Imagine falling off the building and being saved by Spidey! Hihihi

This taxi! OMG I wish I had my picture taken in this vintage taxi too~

Snoopy for snack, anyone?

We also rode Jaws, but I don't have much photos because they're so strict with no photo policy huhu. I also got to bump into the legend Jet Pangan there! Our photo is on my Instagram! Haha

Our last ride. We got really wet in this ride! Haha

You cannot not have a photo of Mel's Drive whenever you visit Universal Studios! ^_^

Sunset in the USJ..

We were also lucky to catch the Magical Starlight Parade at night! Hello there Hello Kitty! That is not a cat!

And oh, Cinderella! It was really magical! My eyes were sparkling all night! Hihi

USJ sparkles at night to end this post! Hope you enjoyed my photos! More, more, more Japan trip photos soon! ^_^

CLICK HERE to view all my Japan April 2014 blog posts.

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, by Jamie

Japan

Osaka Japan April 2014 (Part 3)

A very touristy photo saying, "Yay! We're on Japan Part 3 post already!" Haha. Sorry if it took quite a long time to follow my part 2 post. September has been really busy so far! And I'm very thankful for it because even though I don't have an actual job yet, there are so many opportunities coming towards me! So yes, let's start this travel post, shall we?

On our 4th day, we decided to go back to Rinku Town because my mom and aunt couldn't sleep of regret by not purchasing the watch they saw on the first time we went there. Haha. Women, right? Above is a photo of what they call the Osaka Gate Tower, and at the bottom of the photo is the Rinku Premium Outlets.

We also celebrated my cousin's acceptance for a new job in Japan. So she treated us on this buffet restaurant called Country Kitchen in the Rinku Town. Swear, my eyes popped out by just seeing their aesthetically delicious-looking food! And they just don't look good, they taste superb as well! I think majority of what I ate are from the desserts section. Mehehe sorry not sorry~ But BTW, the photo above are just clay displays of their food! Looks legit.

I've already shared on my Osaka Japan (Part 1) post that the Rinku Town was like heaven... for people who has the money! Haha because it carries almost all the well-known foreign brands. But for my little cousin and I who doesn't have a chance on shopping there, we found our own heaven! HUHU

My cousin from Japan, a.k.a. our tour guide, shared to us that watching the sunset at the far end of Rinku Town would be a really nice experience for us. We're not expecting that it would be this pretty!

..or maybe I'm just a sucker to sunsets by the beach!

Wearing Romwe bag & Forever 21 sneakers

Looks like I'm sitting on a pile of snow *how I wish* but it's just pebbles from the seashore!

Of course, I wouldn't resist having my photo taken in this graffiti wall by the seashore! Art is everywhere in Japan!

I didn't really took much photos on our 4th day. So I'm merging this post with our 5th day!

Our fifth day is dedicated to going to the famous City of Ten Thousand Shrines, Kyōto. I still get upset by just looking back and trying to remember what happened on that day. Swear, it's full of misfortune...

We didn't have a tour guide on that day so we had just ourselves to figure out how to get to Kyōto. We left my cousin's house after lunch. Supposedly, it will take just 1hr and 30mins to get to Kyōto from Izumisano. Unfortunately, instead of taking the "hayai" or fast train to Kyoto, we rode the train that stops on every single station it passes! I can't remember how long it took for us to get to Kyoto, but I swear it's the longest ride ever!

We reached Kyoto Station by 4PM, and the saddest part is, most of the shrines in Kyoto close at 4PM or 4:30PM! And it will still take like 20-30mins to get to the nearest shrine by foot, 15 if you're fast.

We still tried our luck to visit at least one destination in Kyoto. We decided to go the Kyoto Aquarium and one shrine just near it, because it will just take us 15mins from the station, and my whole family is also fascinated with sea creatures! But yea, unfortunately, they're already closing down and wouldn't let us get in already.

So instead, we just enjoyed this park at the Kyoto Aquarium full historical stuff, that we cannot really understand because all infos are written in Japanese Characters, and also full of Camelia and Sakura trees!

Look at this cute dad and son photo!

And these cute kids with their sweet rides! I'm still dreaming of having a bicycle with a basket in front! :(

Out of frustration, we still decided to walk around Kyoto and take a look at the beautiful shrines there. Even just outside, huhu. We walked until the sun sets.

I also remember having another unfortunate experience in Japan that day when I accidentally ordered a cold order of beef ramen. The photo above is a machine where you order the food that you want. You put your money in, push the button of the order you want, get the receipt, then present it to the cook. (how high-tech, right?) I just ordered what looks yummy on the photo in their posters, not knowing if it's a cold or hot order. I didn't even know cold ramen is a thing! Swear, it was bad. Imagine all the sebo, huhu, I really didn't enjoy that meal. But in all fairness, that was my only bad meal in Japan!

GTFO! Any Ryan Higa fa would relate. LOL

Here's a random photo of a nautical Converse sneakers I got my dibs on to end this post! (It's my first time to see one. Why don't we have this in the Ph?) Well, that's basically our 4th and 5th day in Japan. I'm so sorry if it does have a lot of negativity. But I still hope you still enjoyed all the photos I've taken. And may this post be a guide and lesson to you guys if ever you'll be travelling to Japan! HAHA. We're such a newbie in travelling. You really need to research and read a lot before you travel. But for me, it's still fun. Charge to experience! lol

Click here for all my Japan 2014 posts!