Trip in Kyoto and Osaka!

Inspite of my dreadful pollen allergy... Sachan, Liza and I took Tatay and Ted around some cool places in Kyoto and Osaka on a three days two nights trip (3/12~14) by bullet train. It's off season to travel in Kyoto and Osaka, so we thought that this is our good chance to avoid the crowd. Unfortunately...every places we went in were crowded! We started our trip in Kyoto. We stayed in Hotel Sanoya, a Japanese-style hotel. We first visited one of the 17 world historical treasures in Kyoto, the Kiyomizu Shrine then we went to Gion, the most exclusive and well known geisha district in Kyoto. The old Japanese style houses, tea rooms and restaurants in Kyoto are really cool! The next day, we visited the Golden Pavillion, then we end up our trip in Kyoto Studio Park. We travelled to Osaka on late afternoon. We stayed in Keihan Hotel inside Universal City. We spent our last day in Universal Studio Japan.
Kyoto Station...Japan's second-largest train station building, after Nagoya Station.

Main Gate of Kiyomizu Temple

Kiyomizu Temple is a Unesco World Heritage listed site in the Eastern Kyoto region of Higashiyama and is one of the best known sights of the city.

The temple dates back to 798, but the present buildings were constructed in 1633.

Otowa-no-taki, the waterfall where visitors drink for health, longevity, and success in studies

Taking a break... hinay-hinay lang po!

Street lined by beautiful old buildings in Gion district

Geisha!

Shrine

My dinner!

Our room in Hotel SanoyaRest time!

Our morning breakfast

The Golden Pavilion, or Kinkaku, is a three-story building on the grounds of the temple. The top two stories of the pavilion are covered with pure gold leaf.

Golden Pavillion is really beautiful! It is surrounded by a calm lake and a lovely Japanese garden.

Kinkakuji Golden Pavilion is listed on UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1994. Kinkaku-ji (Temple of the Golden Pavilion) is the popular name of Rokuon-ji (Deer Park Temple), a temple dedicated to the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy, Kannon. The temple was built in 1393 while the present building dates from 1955.

Japanese Tea House

Kyoto Studio Park... also known as TOEI Uzumasa Eiga Mura

Meiji houseOld streetcar

Hide and seek?!

"This sword is mine!!!"

Traditional stage theater

Show time!

Samurai stage show

Late lunch time! Filming an Edo Period action-drama

Statue of Kyoto Studio Park

Our hotel in Osaka... Keihan Hotel in Universal City

Shopping in Universal City

Kare dinner at Oriental restaurant in Universal City

Time to rest!

Having Mcdonald's morning breakfast in our room.

Universal Studio Japan

Popeye & Olive!

ET!

Fisherman's wharp

Sesame Street

Ted's toy store

Jaws!

Jurassic Park

Land of Wizard of Oz

My restaurant!

Tatay's art gallery!?

Time to go home!

Going back to Shizuoka City

(^-^)d

More pix to come!

A fine day in Nihon Daira

Last Sunday, March 9 was a gorgeous day... so my family toured tatay and Ted in one of the best sightseeing spot in Shizuoka City... and that's in Nihon Daira! After enjoying the panoramic view of Mt. Fuji, Suruga Bay and the town of Shizuoka City, we went to the historical place of Kunozan Toshogu Shrine by rope way.

Mt Fuji scene from Nihon Daira We are family♪ Sakura are starting to bloom!

Kuno-zan Toshogu and Nihon-daira are connected by a 1,065 meter ropeway Climbing to Kunosan Toshogu Shrine...Here we are...

The great shrine was constructed in honor of the first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate in the early 17th century, Ieyasu Tokugawa. He was also the founder of the Tokugawa government that finally unified Japan into one country. He was buried here.↓

Cherry blossoms are great!

Kunozan Toshogu Museum

(^-^)v

SAME moved in CCC

From Denden Bldg., SAME or Shizuoka City Association for Multicultural Exchange had just been moved to a new location. It's in Otemachi at Shizuoka City Center of Created Communication or simply CCC. The place was the former Aoba Elementary School in Sumpu vicinity.

My last day of work at SAME Office in Denden Bldg.

SAME office started to move in CCC Bldg. last March 1st. It was opened from March 3rd while I started working there last Tuesday. Unlike in Denden Bldg., the place was a little bit far from downtown but I'll surely get used to it. I hope our visitors will feel the same way too.

The new office looks like an exclusive room and I find it difficult for the visitors to enter. It is better if they'll have a counter or windows like before.

The good point is that the new place have a parking lot... meaning, I can already use my car during rainy days!

Group shot after our radio recording today

The new SAME office at CCC is in the 1F left side

By the way... it's the season of pollen allergy... so don't forget to wear a mask everytime you go out and take extra care!

HINAMATSURI

It's Girl's Day today... or Japanese Doll Festival or simply HINAMATSURI in Japanese! Japan celebrate this every year on 3rd of March to pray the happiness and growth of the girls by displaying some ornamental Japanese dolls representing the Emperor and the Empress and their attendants! They offer some sweet snacks and sweet sake in front of the Hina dolls. According to their traditional belief, after the celebration, parents have to put the dolls away as soon as possible because there is a tradition that says if they don't , their girl will not able to marry or will be late to marry.

Oh I see... maybe that's the reason why papie and I kept the HINA doll set late!

Nyahahaha... just a joooke!!!