Hostels and Hotels : Our Trip in Japan

Today we are going to write reviews of the hostels and hotels that we went to during our trip in Japan. Please remember that we only make these reviews based on our opinions and don’t have any purposes to ruin certain hostel’s or hotel’s reputation. Just sharing  what we felt and exprerienced. Enjoy!

1. Osaka Hana Hostel, Osaka

1-8-4, Nishi-shinsaibashi, Chuo-ku, Namba, Osaka, Jepang 542-0086

Osaka Hana Hostel was the hostel that we s on our first night in Japan. The location was great because it is really close to Amemura and you could find convenience stores and souvenir and also snack shops easily.

Kitchen                 credit : agoda.com

We arrived at about 9PM after we went to Dotonbori. Soon after we entered the hostel, Megumi (staff here) greeted and explained us rules inside the hostel (in English with cute Japanese accent). She was a kind of so (or over?) friendly. Wkwkwk..... We took private room for 2 people that night (costs 3.500/person). Everything is good. The room, toilet, shower, kitchen. All are clean. Staff is friendly and good in service.

Note : When your first staying in Hana Hostel or J-Hoppers Hostel, you will be given a discount sheet. One night stay, one stamp. You would get 300 yen discount every three stamps and that this has no expired date.

2. J-Hoppers Osaka Guesthouse, Osaka

Fukushima-Ku Fukushima 7-4-22, Umeda, Osaka, Jepang 553-0003

Our second hostel was J-Hoppers Osaka Guesthouse (same group with Osaka Hana Hostel). J-Hoppers’s interior design was pretty similar to Osaka Hana Hostel. So familiar. The staffs were also nice as well but the building was a little bit smaller.

We slept in 6 Beds Dorm room and had no unpleasant experience there. They made us having a good rest after all the tiredness of walking through Tenjinbashisuji (7 blocks of shopping street) . Can you feel it?

3. Kobe Sannomiya R2 Hostel, Kobe

2-4-6 Kumoidori, Chuo-ku, Bay Area, Kobe, Jepang 651-0096

   Being great adventurers, we always arrived late at all hostels that we would stay. We came here right after a short exploring of Mountain Rokko to see the one-million-dollar-view from above. Mountain Rokko has been popular site nowadays that you must visit in Kobe.

 

credit : agoda.com

  The design of this hostel was simple. All facilities are good, clean and tidy. The staff was a foreigner and of course, fluent in English without any Japanese accent. No complain!

4. Guesthouse Nara Backpackers, Nara

Yurugi-Cho 31, Pusat Kota Nara, Nara, Jepang 630-8283

So here it is, Footy’s favorites hostel. Guesthouse Nara Backpackers. Actually, this is a nearly 100 years Japanese house that has been modified with modern utensils (such as shower and modern kitchen set). One thing we love much was kotatsu (炬燵) in living room. 

Living Room          credit : booking.com

It is a low, wooden table frame, covered by a futon (or heavy blanket) upon which a table top sits. Underneath is a heat source, generally built into the table itself. It was perfect since we got cold weather there so we could stay warm. The small garden was beautiful and you could also enjoy reading books here. Definitely will come back, no doubt!

Note : Don’t make noisy sound or run inside the hostel. Chiharu-san was super friendly (Footy has long chat with her and the other international tourists). Her English was really good and if you find and problem, don’t hesitate to ask!

5. Kyoto Utano Youth Hostel, Kyoto

29 Nakayama-cho Uzumasa Ukyou-ku, Arashiyama, Kyoto, Jepang 616-8191

 credit : agoda.com

“This isn’t a hostel, this must be a hotel”. That is our thought once we reached this hostel. We re-read the name and yes, it was hostel, not hotel. The building was extremely huge. They had laundry room (they even provided iron there), tennis court and live music inside. 

Dining room was spacious with self-kitchen. It is okay if you don’t want to cook yourself. They provided chef to cook for breakfast and supper. The hostel was exactly like how they won “Best Hostel Award: Most Comfortable Hostel 2009”. It costs 3.500 yen/person for 6 beds dorm room. It’s highly recommended.

6. Nine Hours Capsule Hotel, Kyoto

588 Teianmaeno-cho Shijokudaru Teramachidori Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto Pusat, Kyoto, Jepang 600-8031

Visiting Japan will never be complete without trying the capsule hotel. Unfortunately, there are so many capsule hotels that only allow male guests. But after searching many times, we came across Nine Hours Capsule Hotel. It was featured in a traveling website that talked about recommended capsule hotels in Japan and we chose it instantly.

The design will attract you to the end. Dominated by black, white and gray color. We could feel modern atmosphere, especially the capsule itself. Super modern and not as small as we imagine before. One you check in, they will give you shoe locker key, baggage key (contains slippers) and a amenity bag (contains lounge wear, towels, tooth brush, tooth paste and slippers).

But Footy wasn’t really fond of staying here for two reasons. First, the staff had kind of bad attitude and no smile at all. Second, despite of its amazing design, the atmosphere was too stiff and tensed. It felt like we live in a “prison”. Moreover with the gray lounge wear or you could say the “uniform”. Monotone. If you want to try capsule hotel at least once, it’s ok to stay here one night. But for regular stay, we prefer to look for regular hostels.

Note : Don’t lose your key! Because they will charge the replacement fee and it’s not cheap (5.000 yen and 2.000 yen).

7. Tsukiji First Cabin, Tokyo

2-11-10 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Ginza, Tokyo, Jepang 104-0045
Tuskiji First Cabin have almost similar with Nine Hours Capsule Hotel. 

Everyone is provided a capsule room that is big enough, has Flat TV inside (even though Footy don’t understand Japanese language). The staffs were also nicer than Nine Hours. The same thing was provided lounge ware, tooth brush and tooth paste are provided. 

Foody was definitely stay long hours here peacefully inside her capsule room after got fever. We had a better time here and the location is really near to Tsukiji Fish Market which would be our first destination on the next morning.

Note : The check-in time is 5PM but you could entrust your baggage to recepsionist if you come here before the check-in time. Check-out time is 10AM.

8. Bakpak Tokyo Hostel, Tokyo

110 0012 Tokyo Prefecture, Taito-ku Ryusen  3-12-5 , Japan

This was probably the hostel that we liked the least in this journey. We booked this hostel so sudden, 2 days before. All is  because we didn’t want to spend another night at the park (thank you very much). When we booked it, we saw at the web that this hostel won some kind of awards before. This was probably the best one at that time since we didn’t have many options left due to the sudden booking. By the time we came inside, we were pretty shocked. It was far from our expectation. The building and elevator seems untreated. The rooms felt kinda dirty as well but we could handle it for a night. But no more for the second time.

To sum it up, we prefer to stay in hostels due to its less formality. Since they have living room and kitchen room, you can interact with the staffs and some other guests. Please make sure to follow the hostel’s and hotel’s rules because it isn’t our house. Peace =)

We eat, we walk, we talk

-FoodyFooty2-

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Todaiji Temple : Big Pearl in Peaceful Nara

Todaiji (東大寺 Eastern Great Temple) complex is the most famous and important landmark in Nara Prefecture. The Great Buddha Hall (Daibutsuden 大仏殿) is known as the largest wooden temple in the world. This place serves as place of worship and Japanese headquarters of Kegon school of Buddhism. Over centuries, Todaiji has produced a lot of famous scholar priests.

Got off from JR Nara Station and walked about 15-20 minutes. Don’t get surprised that, over here, deer (鹿 shika) could walk freely! There are even signs to warn people to watch out for the deer. According to folklore, deer is  a messenger of Takemikazuchi-no-mikoto, one of four Gods of Kasuga Shrine. Until 1637, killing deer here could cause punishment to death. But now, even though the stamp of sacred deer has been erased, deer is protected as well.

You would buy deer cracker (shika senbei) too, if you want to feed them. It costs 150 yen per pack. Anyway, be careful! We know that the deers are extremely cute (really, they are! ) but once they see someone with deer crackers, they will approach you directly. Generally calm but some are aggressive. Foody is one of the victims. Hahaha....

Todaiji (東大寺 Eastern Great Temple) complex, built in Nara period (710-794 AD), stands in the former site of Kinshosen-ji (金鐘山寺). Kinshosen-ji was built based on the order of Emperor Shōmu (45th emperor of Japan) to be presented as a appeasement for his passed-away-one-year-old son, Prince Motoi. The location was in the east of Heijō –kyō (now is Nara). Todaiji was founded by Bishop Ruben and chief object of worship is Vairocana Buddha that is the central Buddha of Kegon Sutra.

To enter Daibutsuden (Great Buddha Hall), the admission ticket costs 500 yen. Soon you’ll find a huge Daibutsuden and Nandaimon (Great South Gate). 

This gate has two big Nio Guardian wooden statues, Agyo (with opened mouth-to scare off demons) represents beginning of the universe while Ungyo (with closed mouth-to keep in good spirits) represents end of universe. Birth and death.

Inside the Great Buddha Hall, you can find  an amazing Vairocana Buddha statue or simply called as Daibutsu (大仏). Its height reaches 14,98 metres and Great Hall hall ’s height is 48,74 metres. The statue is made by bronze, then plated by gold.

Minuature of original temple complex before roconstruction

Minuature of Daibutsu

Due to fire attacks of war in 1180 and 1567, there were a lot of damages that were caused. Now, Great Buddha Hall is just 2/3 of the original size. The current statue’s hands were made in Momoyama period (1568-1615) and the head was made in Edo period (1615-1867). 

Lucky charm that is sold inside Great Buddha Hall

In the sub-complex of this temple, you may also find Nigatsudo Hall. If you are lucky enough to visit this site on 1-14 March, you can join the Omizutori festival in that period. This hall opens 24 hours and Otaimatsu can be watched from the courtyard below the hall.

Omizutori Festival      credit : japan-guide.com

11th : 20 minutes from 7PM

12th : 45 minutes from 7.30PM

13th : 20 minutes from 7PM

14th : 5 minutes from 6.30PM

The appointed priests will bring 6-8 metres torches and carry those to the hall. The burning embers that shower from balcony mean  erasing peoples’s sins as spring of new year.

credit : www.todaiji.or.jp

Enough having sightseeing, here we go again with deers outside the Todaiji complex. There are also shopping shops for snacks, foods and souvenirs. Great view and peaceful! さすがな東大寺 =)

Admission Times (The Great Buddha Hall)

	Nov - Feb	Mar	Apr - Sept	Oct
Open	8:00		7:30
Closed	16:30	17:00	17:30	17:00

(No closing days, last admission 30 minutes before)

Admission Times (Todaiji Museum:*We may be closed temporarily)

	Nov - Feb	Mar	Apr – Sept	Oct
Open	9:30
Closed	16:30	17:00	17:30	17:00
	Last admission 30minutes before

Admission Fees (The Great Buddha Hall /Todaiji Museum)

Adult                                       : 500 yen

Primary School student           : 300 yen

Joint pass for Great Buddha Hall and Todaiji Museum

Adult                                       : 800 yen

Primary School student           : 400 yen

Address   : 406-1 Zoshicho, Nara Prefecture 630-821
                  Japan

Website  : www.todaiji.or.jp

We eat, we walk, we talk

-FoodyFooty2-

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Japanese's Hospitality (Nihonjin no Omotenashi)

Are Osaka citizens more talkative and Tokyo citizens more individualist? Most people that have visited and stayed there for a period of time say yes. We won't make any conclusion but just sharing.

Our first meeting with Japanese was on Airasia airplane from Kuala Lumpur (KUL) to Kansai International Airport (KIX). They were old couple from Osaka that went to Malaysia for leisure. The old man was about 60 years old and still, Japanese looked healthy. He even explained to me where Hokkaido, Osaka, Tokyo and others were located. After the plane landed safely, we said goodbye to them, we thought that it was the end of our meeting. But no, they showed us the way to take a bus to the terminal, led our way to immigration section for foreigner. Then they went to the right side where immigration counter for Japanese was located. We didn’t have any baggage so we went to custom checking directly while they were still waiting for their baggages in the baggage belt. Custom officer told us to take out stuffs from our backpacks as their normal checking procedure. Afraid of something might happened to us, the old man approached us and asked the immigration officer. ‘No, Sir. Everything is OK’. After that, he went back to join his wife, waiting for their baggages. We waved our hands from far away, saying thank you and goodbye once again. For the whole story, you can read it here.

Just a while after our arrival at Sumiyoshi Taisha, Osaka in our first day of Japan trip, an aunt asked us where we came from. Maybe with DSLR camera on Foody and GoPro on Footy, we were so like 'tourist'. Hahaha....

In Osaka Castle, when we were looking and taking photographs of blossomed flower tree, an uncle suddenly told Footy that it wasn’t  sakura flower but peach flower. For the whole story, you can read it here.

We found a kind of strange situation while we were walking to Dotonbori. There was an old man, with body full of scratches, sitting on the ground. Nobody seemed to notice or help. We helped him to get up and to sit on the edge of flower box. He just smiled to us and didn't say any words. We felt that he wanted to talk because he opened his mouth but still, no words came out from him. We were so confused with this situation due to our status as ‘just-ordinary-tourists’ here. Luckily,  there was a Japanese man approched him and talked to him so we left over the old man to him. Sorry uncle, but we couldn't help more than that.

Then, after a long overnight bus trip from Umeda Sky Building, Osaka to Shinjuku, Tokyo......

In front of Tokyo Government Building, when we were looking at the map and waiting for the opening hour of the building, a businessman, about 40 years old, asked us if there was something that he could help. Actually, we had got all the informations before but he was so kind to inform us which floor we had to go and, awesomely, in a very good English.

Inside Tama Art University, we asked a college student where we could meet administration staff here in English. It was like he understand but he just nodded and called for the administration staff outside. This time, we met a young woman, maybe about twenty five years old. Actually, this was a request of Foody's friend that planned to take his master degree here. Here, we asked about studying system, enrollment fee, the scholarship for international student and others. Along our trip in Japan, her English was the best.

After our long search to find Odaiba Kaihin Koen Mae post office in Odaiba because google maps couldn't show us which floor and it was already 4.30PM (post office closed at 5PM), we finally tried to find and asked about it to Japanese. Luckily,  an executive woman was walking to our direction and we asked her directly. Her Japanese was so easy to be listened and she was so friendly too. She offered to take us there. Actually, the post office was on the left and her office was on the right after we went up the stairs, it’s in the same area (as google maps showed) but on the third floor (google maps couldn't show).

At least, all Japanese that we met were so kind and helpful. Individualist stamp on Tokyo citizens didn't make them not caring and helping other people. A lot of Japanese couldn't speak English well (especially old man and woman), but most of them will try to help the best they can.

Thanks for the help during our Japan trip, Japanese. Hope that we could treat you with that 'Omotenashi' (おもてなし hospitality) when you visit Indonesia. 

-Ask, then you'll get the answer-

We eat, we walk, we talk

-FoodyFooty2-

contact and follow us on:

email                 : foodyfooty2@gmail.com

facebook          : foody footy

twitter             : @foodyfooty2

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