An early start with good English breakfast at the Sheraton Miyako in Osaka before I continue my day!

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Late night shopping and eating in Osaka!

There is this noodle store called yi lan that can found near the Nagahori-gawa canal in the Osaka Shinsaibashi area that serves the most yummy pork soup based noodles. Everything about it is perfect and the additional egg was really good! Cooked with hot spring waters, the egg is cooked inside out rather than outside in. Yummy!

After dinner, I took a stroll along the Dōtonbori street and there were just so many good food to be found. Fresh seafood and the famous tako pachi (octopus balls) with a crazy long queue.

The rest of the evening was spent shopping. There are so many departmental stores as well as little boutiques in the area. This place is probably the harajuku of Osaka. I also went to the Tenjinbashi-suji Shopping Street which is the longest straight and covered shopping walkway in Japan! 2.6km long with lots of shops on either side. It was a real shopping excursion for me! Which is probably why you don’t see much photos taken after my dinner

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There are countless of Sake brewery factories and museums in Kobe in the district of Nada because the spring water in this area is officially one of the 100 spring waters approved by the Japanese government for sake brewing. The one I visited is called Sakura Masamune.

There are countless sake that have “masamune” as the second half of their brand name, but the very first one is said to have been Sakura Masamune from Nada in Hyogo prefecture. Sakura Masamune is a very old, famous and prestigious brewer, and eons ago their founder visited a friend that was the head priest at a hermitage called Gensei-an. There, he looked up on a bookshelf and saw a book of scripture by the Rinzai sect Zen master Rinzai Masamune. In a moment of inspiration, he realized that the characters for “masamune” could also be read “seishu,” which is a homonym for the legal term for sake. And so, the first of hundreds of meigara bearing the term “masamune” was born.

I learnt a lot about Sake brewing from this 400 year old establishment. Sake is not just science but an art as well. While most things have been modernized, many traditions have been kept and the process is still rather labor intensive. I got to play around with the traditional equipment of sake making and you can hardly imagine how huge those barrel were! There are a string of ropes and knots tied at the entrance of the brewery area to show that you have entered into the realm of the spirits as the Japanese believe that Sake is the drink of the Gods and sake brewing used to be done in the temples.

After the factory tour, you could sample the different sake, shop for gifts or try out their sake ice-cream. There were many cute balls hanging around and I found out that it was a tradition brought down from the past. A ball of green would be hung up at the main door to tell others that your home is brewing sake. When the ball of leaves dries up completely and turns brown then the sake is ready.

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A day of shopping and sightseeing at Kobe’s Habourland. There were so many tiny shops and cafes at the Mosaic area facing gorgeous seaside vista. And not too far off there were departmental stores and quaint restaurants. There was even an indoor canal garden!

My favorite part of the place has got to be the pier area called Takahama Quay. It really reminds me of San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Warf! There were flocks of sea gulls everywhere and I had a great time feeding and snapping photos of them.

Across the street was another mall called Seagull Harbor. How aptly named! It’s a really peaceful and scenic environment. I can see why this is one of the hot spots in Kobe for marriage proposals!

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Nankinmachi is also known as Kobe’s Chinatown. It’s amazing how there’s a little Chinatown in almost every country! The Chinatown here is bustling with excitement and you can find all sorts of Chinese food stuff here!

I managed to see these little cocoons of silk worms which were really interesting. Quite a number of interesting shops to do a little shopping here as well

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One of the main interest point in Osaka is the Osaka Castle. Entry into the castle is ¥600 and the closest train is Osaka-jō Koen station on the JR Osaka Loop Line.

It is undisputedly one of Japan’s most famous castles playing a major role in the unification of Japan during the sixteenth century. The castle is built high with a surrounding moat. It’s actually best to come Osaka Castle during the cherry blossom viewing because there are as many as 400 cherry blossom trees in this 1km grounds of the Osaka Castle!

Just before you reach the main building of the castle you will come across a time capsule. In January, 1968, two Japanese companies, Panasonic Corporation and The Mainichi Newspapers, agreed to undertake a joint time capsule project in celebration of the Japan World Exposition 1970: EXPO ‘70. After three years of planning, research and construction, two time capsules identical in every detail were buried adjacent to Osaka Castle. The lower capsule will remain buried for 5,000 years; the upper capsule will be opened for the first time in the year 2,000 and every 100 years thereafter.

The purpose of the project is to send forward in time a visual, aural and documentary record of life in the year 1970 AD. The scale of the project and the size of the capsules is unprecedented: each capsule contains 2,098 objects and recorded items representing the achievements of our civilization and the everyday experience of the Japanese people. The heritage left by our ancient and more recent ancestors is recorded through art, Iiterature and music. Even the ideals and aspirations of people today are expressed in written and recorded messages.

In the construction of the capsules and preparation of their contents nothing was left to chance. Every item was treated with the most advanced preservation techniques known to man at this time; some preservation techniques were devised specially for this project. The Japanese public, together with scientists and scholars from all over the world, took part in the selection process.

The castle has be featured in many period dramas but today it stands as a museum and a reminder to the impressive times when Japan had Shoguns and Samurai a plenty. You can give a museum a miss if you are short on time but do take time to enjoy the park, the birds and day dream about the edo period. The castle reminds me of the last anime I watch which was Samurai Champloo. I love cross genre animations but too bad there aren’t that many around.

My favorite photo of the Osaka Castle is the one below. Past or present, it is a sight to behold.

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This reminds me that I’ve yet to post up my universal experience in Singapore!

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Here’s the 2nd part of the Skin79 Reviews! We’ll hear from guest blogger Valentina Lim about her experiences with Skin79.

“My maiden attempt with the much raved BB cream.
I like how it moisturizes my skin and at the same time providing rather good coverage but still manage to feel so light and airy. It makes my skin look and feel so smooth and soft. It gives the same results as my Bobbi Brown Liquid Foundation but not as heavy or time consuming to put on – it creates a very primed and airbrush look for me. I still love that foundation but will save it for special occasions, this will definitely be an easier alternative for everyday usage.
I just have to use a minimal amount of it and it is enough to blend in seamlessly onto my face. Best of all, it doesn’t clog my pores and is able to last throughout the day on my combination skin.
I am thrilled to learn about this BB cream and will definitely purchase this product!”

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I’ll be starting my post on my trip to Japan earlier this year.

I was really excited flying into Osaka Kansai Airport as I’ve always flew to Japan via Tokyo Narita Airport. It was a smooth trip and my saba fish Japanese rice set breakfast was pretty good too!

The sky was clear, giving the chance to capture a multitude of fabulous aerial shots.  The most fascinating thing for me was that Kasai International Airport is located on a man made island in the middle of the Osaka Bay! Definitely a  feat of engineering!

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I sent some samples to a couple to girls that were so sweet to help me review and test our Skin79 BB cream! Since I’ve sent the girls different type of Skin79 BB Cream, I’ll show case their reviews in three posts. The first post will be Wendy Sim and Donna Tay who both received the Skin79 Super Beblesh Balm Gold label BB Cream.

Firstly we have Wendy Sim.

And here’s what she had to say about Skin79 Super Beblesh Balm Gold label BB Cream:

“I’ve always been trying to find a BB cream that can go well with my skin type, but after trying out quite a few brands, I kinda concluded that BB cream probably isn’t for me. When Renzze mailed me the Skin79 BB cream after I told her about my skin combination, I have to say she really predicted the right one for me. I’ve been using the Skin79 BB cream for a week now, and I have to say I totally love it. For one most important reason : unlike most other BB creams I have tried, my skin does not feel oily even until late afternoon when I use Skin79! Furthermore, the BB cream blends easily and it does not leave my skin sticky! This is especially important for me since I have acne-prone + sensitive skin and anything that leaves my skin oily and sticky is a definite NO. I’m so glad I’ve finally found a BB cream that can serve me well! All thanks to Renzze! =D”

Next, we have Donna Tay.

And here’s what she had to say about Skin79 Super Beblesh Balm Gold label BB Cream:

“First of all I do not know exactly what this product is suppose to do on me except from the lable on the box ( on whitening n wrinkle improvement. After using it for three days, I realise that my skin is less oily compared to other creams. It could last till evening and my skin is still pretty matte. Texture of the cream is nice too and application is very easy with good coverage using a small quantity. It does not have a strong scent which is good for people with sensitive nose. In terms of coverage on blemishes, it does not really work on me, or perhaps I did not use enough cream ( i only use a tear drop on each application). As for wirinkle improvement, it could be too early to tell so will keep u updated on this! But I’m glad to say I’ve no negative comments on this product.”

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