When H and I were in Osaka, we took a half-day trip to Nara with my sister and her boyfriend. Our only reason for heading to Nara was to the deer park to spend a couple of hours with the sacred deers and it was so much fun!!

Here's a selfie with a chillin' male deer.

Our hotel, Hotel Sunroute Osaka Namba is located at Nippombashi and there is a direct JR train to Kintetsu Nara Station which costs 560yen and takes approximately 40 minutes. Very convenient and easily accessible.

There's a supposedly famous mochi store near the train station so we went in search for it before making our way to the deers.

I don't know what's the exact address, just google map Nakatanido and you'll get there in about 5 minutes by foot.

We only got a piece each and it was actually quite good! I think there's only one flavour available and it's filled with smooth red bean. 130yen/pc

The 4 of us were feeling a little cautious when we first spotted deers 'cause I've heard people mentioned how they're aggressive?!

They're not at all!!

My sister's friend took a video of deers bowing/nodding to her because they want the treats she's holding in her hand hahaha it was super cute. I didn't take any videos but you can go to the Nara Park geotag on my Instagram (@tippytapp) photos to see what others upload!

After walking around for half an hour and observing how others behave around the deers and vice versa, we finally decided to buy the deer biscuits (150yen) and get ourselves surrounded hahaha.

I kept the biscuits in my pocket because I didn't want to finish them so quickly so I only took out one piece each time and break them into smaller pieces. The deers were sniffing my clothes/bag for treats but they didn't get aggressive at all. Pretty unlike monkeys I guess?

I started attracting them the moment the biscuits were out and it was a little overwhelming initially. Towards the end of the day though, I was waving my biscuits in the air to attract them to come to me hahaha.

The deers always want more, moreeee and after a while, we realized THIS is the sign to show them we've no more treats. Yup, surrender with your hands up and they understand! They'll leave you alone after that to bug other tourists haha.

There was this lone deer chilling by himself so I thought we should go get a picture with him 'cause I like the antlers haha. We were trying to "coax" him to turn his head towards the camera (yeah, like he understands ya) but I think he got annoyed with us after 10 seconds and he just stood up and walked away.

!!!

Okay...............

Never mind, we joined a bunch of others for a group photo 😎

Feeding with my sister who towers over me 🙆

Osaka isn't that exciting to us so I'd totally recommend taking a half-day trip out to Nara.

The deers are very endeering and they are pretty docile in nature. I think many mistook greedy for aggressiveness...although one of the deers did chew on H's shirt - too hungry, probably hahaha.

Do note there's nothing much to do in Nara though! We had a late tonkatsu lunch (which wasn't fantastic despite ranking high on Tripadvisor) then headed back to Osaka.

First posted on my Dayre

Experiencing Kyoto in a Kimono

When asked to choose an outerwear for myself, I was stumped. There I was, in a vibrant red kimono with a bright yellow belt and I have to choose another floral piece to match with it?? I told one of the lady helpers I can't do it, to please make the choice for me. And I was truly pleased when she selected this navy number with muted florals because I wouldn't have thought they'd complement each other so well. Floral on floral is truly an art.

We spent 2 days in Kyoto as the city is relatively small, pretty laid back with a slower pace of life. Other than a bigger crowd of visitors, I would say Kyoto is pretty similar to the rural/village areas of Japan, such as, Furano and Toyako.

I highly recommend spending a day in kimono just to experience what it's like. On the day when we were in Kyoto, the temperature was between 5-14 degree Celcius. It is surprising that the traditional outfit actually kept me warm (warmer than the clothes I was wearing) and I didn't want to return the kimono at the end of the day haha!! Can't say the same for the men, they couldn't wait to strip off the yukata because their materials are a little too thin for the cold.

It was a little hard getting used to walking with socks and clogs initially because the surface of them clogs are slippery. So I took tiny, demure steps and wondered if I was ever gonna finish touring Kyoto hahaha. It was easy to get used to wearing them after a while!

I'm sorry but I can't tell you the exact location/store where we rented our kimonos because I followed the group blindly. The only thing I know is, we walked about 20minutes (or longer) from Gion station to the kimono rental store. But if you google "kimono rental Kyoto", I'm sure a whole list will appear! I paid around ~8000yen or ~S$90 for 8-hour rental of kimono and H's yukata was around S$50.
What is included for the females:
- Kimono (there will be someone to help you wear it)
- Handbag
- Slippers
- Toe socks (kept my feet really warm so I brought them home hehe)
- Hairdo (choose from a selection and there are stylists available. love my braids!!)
- Stowage of personal belongings

What is included for the men:
- Yukata
- Toe socks
- Slippers
- Sling bag
- Stowage of personal belongings

There is also a cheaper option available for the ladies (~5500yen, ~S$60) but the prints on the kimono are not as intricate and vibrant. Also, hair styling is not included in this package.

Some places of attractions to note:
- Fushimi Inari-taisha (temple with the orange bamboos)
- The food street leading to Arashiyama (bamboo forest). The snacks there are good.
- Gion, bustling area which reminds me of Asakusa. You can also spot geishas here! They are expressionless but their hair, immaculate. Which reminds me, I should re-read Memoirs of a Geisha. My interest in these white-faced ladies sparked after having seen them in person.

Till the next time, Kyoto!

Photos of H and/or I are taken with Canon 650D / 50mm f/1.8

Shinjuku Gyoen Park

I was in Japan last month for Hanami. A little hard to believe but throughout my 5.5 years of flying, I have never been to Japan during the sakura season before. Like how I was never in Amsterdam during the tulip season as well. So this trip with the #whenboysvsgirls group checked one item off my bucket list!

On the day we planned to go cherry blossoms viewing, we were blessed with absolutely beautiful weather which made my first sakura season a memorable one. It was raining 3/5 of our entire stay so I'm glad we managed to catch those blooming pinks!

We headed to Shinjuku Gyoen Park (alight at Shinjuku station then walk straight mostly for ten minutes) and paid 200yen (~S$2.30) entrance fee for a more private and intimate viewing session. And we got just that! It was crowded, yes, but pretty manageable and you will be able to take relatively pretty photos without any photo bombers. I cannot say the same about Yoyogi Park during this season... It was BEYOND crowded, almost chaotic (imagine queueing at least 30 minutes for the restroom). Therefore, I highly recommend using your loose change and head to Shinjuku Gyoen instead!

I am a huge fan of flowers, I love all types so it was a joy walking into a park littered with pink petals at every corner. The beauty, tranquility and crisp air would lift anyone's mood.

It was my first sakura season and most definitely not my last. :)

Photos taken with Canon 650D / 85mm lens