Day 06: Odaiba Tokyo, Gundam Front Tokyo

Odaiba (お台場) is the new hangout area in Tokyo.  Many big shopping malls and open spaces, but the transportation to there is slightly higher compare to the tradition hangout in Tokyo.  There are only two train line Yurikamome (ゆりかもめ) and Rinkai Line (りんかい線).  Both lines do not accept JR Rail Pass.

As i am staying at Hilton Tokyo Bay Hotel, it is very convenience to take a train from JR Maihama station then transfer at Shin-Kiba to Rinkai Line.  We alight at Tokyo Teleport Station from Rinkai Line.  The whole journey took us about 30 minutes.

Gate at Tokyo Teleport Station

Exit B to Diver City

Directory Information 

Tokyo Teleport Station Map

Diver City Tokyo Plaza

The nearest exit to Diver City is Exit B.  From there we took a 5 minutes walk from the station to the plaza.  Proceed all the way from the entrance to the food court, then exit from the food court and you will see the Gundam.

Fantastic to see the Gundam of the actual size.  There are two light shows at 7 pm and 8..30 pm, hope i remember the timing correctly.  The light show should not be missed, especially for Gundam's fan.

Gundam Front Tokyo

The Gundam Front Tokyo is located at the level 7, take the escalator to Bowling alley at level 6 then up a level to the exhibit.

The models are exclusive and can only find in here.  However, personally find the entrance fees is a bit on the high side.

The flagship stores and the Gundam Cafe are much more interesting than the exhibit hall.

Rest of the shops in the Diver City are same as other places.  But still allow us to spend half a day in the plaza.

Aqua City

From Diver City, take another 5 minutes walk we are at the Aqua City.  From the side of the mall, there is a mini-statue of liberty at the park.

There is a big toy]r us inside the mall, where we spend the other second half of the day.

Too bad, after visiting Diver City and Aqua City, we are running out of time to visit the Toyota MegaWeb.  This will have to leave it for the next trip.

Day 04: Half Day Kyoto Arashiyama (京都嵐山)

Today we will do a half day tour to Kyoto Arashiyama (京都嵐山)

Kyoto has many scenic places around the city, such as Kiyomizu-dera (清水寺) and Shorenin (青蓮院). 
Even the shopping district in Sanjo (三条) is also a very nice place to spend the day.  But personally i love the beauty and the food in Arashiyama.

So we hopped on the Shinkansen from Shin-Osaka => Kyoto Station => Arashiyama JR Station (嵯峨嵐山駅) .  Only challenging part of this journey is to squeeze onto the JR Sagano Line's train.  

Route from Arashiyama JR Station to "Moon Crossing Bridge".

It is recommended to take Hankyu Line (阪急京都本線) from Umeda Station => Katsura Station => Arashiyama Station.  This line is less crowded and the station is closer to the "Moon Crossing Bridge" (渡月橋,Togetsukyō).

嵯峨嵐山駅

The station has a very nice view of the mountain ranges.  The picture was taken just out of the ticket pass gate.  We were so happy that the red leaves were at their peak during this early December 2013.  Normally the red leaves were gone in early December.  Hope this is not the effects of global warning.

天龍寺

This is a UNESCO site and also the first temple we hit while walking down from the train station.  Too bad that day part of the temple was still under renovation, so we can only visit the garden.

The red leaves scene in the temple were fantastic and beautiful beyond description.  Photos show described every words.

   

Lunch at Arashiyama

Lunch Time!!  We went over to a restaurant opposite the temple for a good bowl of soba.  Too hungry till forget to take a photo of the shop front of the restaurant.  The soba was very tasty and refreshing compare to those in Osaka.  However, the restaurant was not very spacious and slightly restricted for one to maneuver within.

渡月橋,Togetsukyō

The best times to see this bridge is at early morning and late at night.  Early morning, the sun will not be so bright and the colour contrast from the mountains is easily seen.  Late at night, the bridge will be lighted up with lights along the bridge.

As we need to catch the Shinkansen to Tokyo, we will have to leave the rest for next trip.  Wish will able to come back during the cherry blossom (花見) in April period.

Day 03: Hiroshima (広島)

Hiroshima  (広島)

This is my first time to Hiroshima, a learning journey for myself and my kids.  We took shinkansen from Shin-Osaka to Hiroshima, it took us about one and a half hour.  The seats and interior of Sakura are much better then the Hikari from Tokyo to Osaka.

It is a Sunday and the reserved seats were fully booked.  Especially, the return trains from Hiroshima to Osaka.  We only able to get one back from Hiroshima at 4.00 pm.

Hiroshima Style Okonomiyaki

We reached at Hiroshima Station around 11.30 am and we decided to have an early lunch.  So we went to the shopping mall and found a roll of Okonomiyaki shops.  All crowded with lunch patrons and we managed to get a seats from a slightly expensive one, which is located at a corner.

The Okonomiyaki was very good, big serving and taste real good!! The beacons were very crispy and well seasoned.  Lot of bean sprouts and cabbages.  We ordered the  ¥1,000, which included soba, prawns and squids. 

A-Bomb Dome

Outside the Hiroshima Station, we walk directly to the Tram Station to get a day pass so we can hop on and off the tram at any places.

The above sign boards are located beside the tram station, they provide very good information on how to move around Hiroshima.

For this trip, we decided just to cover the A Bomb Dome and do some shopping at it shopping district. Mainly due to we are not able to book a later train back to Osaka.

http://www.pcf.city.hiroshima.jp/index_e2.html

We met a Japanese man displaying a few photo about the aftermath of the event and his life, very sad!

Overall Impression of Hiroshima

First impression of Hiroshima was very good.  It is a clean and organize city, with tram and subway as the main transportation.  It is also not as crowded as in Tokyo and Osaka.

Due to time limitation, we are not able to visit the Miyajima (宮島) Temple.  Very disappointed, just have to wait for next round.