Japan Adventures- Himeji Castle and Hello Kitty

Sweater: ChicWish, Jeans: GAP, Shoes: Converse II, Backpack: Amazon

I apologize for the delay in posting, but sometimes you gotta deal with other stuff before you can blog. Anywhose, this will be my final individual Japan post. My next one will be a wrap up post that combines my last few days in Japan. So enjoy the shots of Himeji and the surronding area!

When my friends and I were in Japan (which now has been several months ago, geez I'm way behind in blogging!) we knew we wanted to go see a castle, but there are many different options and with everything we wanted to do, we knew we could only see one. Luckily, another friend was also traveling in Japan at the same time and he suggested Himeji Castle. And you know what, he was totally right. Before his suggestion I actually did not really know about Himeji Castle, but I'm so glad we decided to go.

But, before we before we actually got to Himeji Castle, my friends and I were on a hunt to find somewhere to grab breakfast, and oh boy, do I feel like we hit the jackpot. A Hello Kitty themed cafe! Everything was so adorable and pink, and it was a totally unexpected find. It was even better because we were the only patrons there because it was so early so we got to take in the whole restaurant without disturbing anyone. So, it was a pretty great start to the day already.

Himeji Castle was absolutely stunning as it was surronded by hundreds of cherry blossom trees that were in full bloom and creating a carpet of cherry blossom petals, that I just so happened to match with my sweater! Plus, since we went on a weekday early in the morning, there were not that many people and we were able to get through the castle rather quickly. The castle has a set course of where you can walk as they do not want people ruining the castle by walking everywhere and touching everything. So, to get to the top of the castle there is somewhat of a line you go through since you are all on an organized path. Oh! But that sight at the top is totally worth it. It is absolutely stunning to see the surronding area especially with all the cherry blossom trees in full bloom.

After wandering the castle grounds, my friends and I found a garden area with a small shrine that was overflowing with greenery. The garden not only had beautiful plant life but amazing waterfalls and ponds with Koi fish. If you are visiting Himeji Castle make sure to walk down the path a bit until you find the garden area.  I'm just so glad we went in the spring and were able to see all the plant life in full bloom.

And then after this wonderful day of taking in ancient castles and exquisite scenery, we somehow ended up at a club in Dottonbori, Osaka. Ce la vie! Well, I hope to have my wrap up post of Japan sometime this week, so keep an eye out! TTFN, ta ta for now.

Japan Adventures- Nara Park and Deer

Top: Forever 21, Skirt: Chicwish, Shoes: Vince Camuto

I'm in Japan, so of course I went to Nara! I had to see and feed the deer. Because of all the people visiting the deer are friendly...and aggressive. They see you with food and they want it. But I couldn't help it and bought them food...getting surronded by deer is not the worst way to go, right??

Anywhose, Nara is not just for the deer. There are a lot of shrines and beautiful buildings surronding the park that you have to go see. Plus, while I was there they were starting to build a boat for a big festival for the end of the summer. The board nearby said that they would be moving the boat to a nearby lake (or river) to celebrate the festival. I wish I could have seen that, probably would have been amazing.  If you continue to walk past the boat and around you will see some amazing cherry blossom trees. Then there is a trail to hike up to a building to get a better view of the park and the surronding area. The view from above is breathtaking, and so work the journey.

And any journey is not complete without food, there are also some food stops along the main trail, but if you walk in a little you will find an amazing udon shop that makes you serves some of the best udon I have ever had. Plus, everyone there was super sweet. If you are planning on visiting Japan, then you definitely need to go to Nara. It's an experience you won't forget!

Until next time, TTFN ta ta for now.

Japan Adventures- Continued

Dress: Forever 21, Sweater: Gifted, Socks: American Apparel, Shoes: Dolce Vita (Thrifted)

Still working through all my Japan posts! I have dropped putting the day, because after this posts I think I will start combining my posts (plus, I skipped a day because it was a day of traveling between places, and a traveling outfit aka T-shirt and jeans)...But onto the blog posts!

This was a busy day! My friends and I hit up Arashiyama and Fushimi-Inari Taisha Shrine as well as wandering Kyoto..all in one day! However, looking through my pictures, I realize that I was so enthralled with everything (especially Arashiyama) I did not get a lot of pictures of some of the more stereotypical things (ex. bamboos). I ended up taking pics of myself at places pretty places that were not necessarily unique, but still very pretty. Just FYI, a lot of these pictures were taken in the surronding area of Arashiyama. There are a lot of cute cafes and small shops leading up to the bamboo forests and it's surronding gardens (we even found a cafe with the cutest old man serving percolator coffee in a waistcoat and bowtie). So, don't forget to explore the surronding area!

So, here'ss a quick breakdown of Arashiyama and Fushimi-Inari Taisha Shrine. Arashiyama may be known for the bamboo forest, but few people seem to acknowledge all the amazing gardens and views that surrond it. If you decide to wander the surronding gardens, you can find a small tea room that serves "free" (included with the price of admission to gardens) green tea and mochi. Fushimi-Inari Taisha Shrine is much larger than I thought! There are a lot of small shrines within the park, as well as a short and long hike you can take to get a better view of the Park (my friends and I  took the short hike because we were not prepared for a long haul). If you walk around the park you can also find a small grave site with a water purification site. My advice, don't just visit the central tourist spot and rush through the sites, go explore!

Also, if you plan to go to Arashiyama or Fushimi-Inari Taisha Shrine then you should go during the work week and try and go early! My friends and I did both of these things and the spots were gratefully not that crowded! At Arashiyama, if you are lucky you will also get to see wedding photo shoots; prime photo shoot spot yo.

Slowly working through all my photos (and now I have my pictures from Seattle  to go through as well *sigh*). Expect more from me soon (if my Anime Expo cosplay doesn't kill me). TTFN, ta ta for now.