Japan 2018
We returned to Japan in 5-15 March 2018, and started from Osaka, then south to Kyushu visiting Nagasaki, ending with a day trip to Himeji.
Travels Through A Lens
Trips Around the World
Asia
Asia is Earth’s largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the Eastern and Northern Hemispheres. It is bounded on the east by the Pacific Ocean, on the south by the Indian Ocean, and on the north by the Arctic Ocean.
We have visited mainly South East Asia (Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand), Hong Kong and Japan. We hope to visit more countries in the future.
Japan 2018 Day 8: Osaka (Last Day)
On our last day in Osaka, we wandered around the block from the hotel and ended up in Osaka Station City, a large shopping mall.
Japan 2018 Day 9: Himeji (Cafe de Miki)
On our return back to the station, we couldn't resist stopping by at a Hello Kitty themed cafe called Cafe de Miki.
Japan 2018 Day 9: Himeji (Koko-en 好古園)
Koko-en (好古園) is a Japanese garden next to Himeji Castle. It was constructed in 1992 at the site of the lord's west residence.
Japan 2018 Day 9: Himeji Castle (姫路城)
Himeji Castle (姫路城) is the largest and most visited castle in Japan, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was fully restored in 2015.
Japan 2018 Day 9: Himeji (Otemaedori)
Himeji is the second largest city in Hyogo and is famous for Himeji Castle and Kokoen garden. There are many statues on Otemaedori.
Japan 2018 Day 8: Osaka at Night (Umeda Sky Building)
We visited the Umeda Sky Building for dinner, and then afterwards go to the rooftop to experience cityscapes of Osaka at Night.
Japan 2018 Day 8: Huis Ten Bosch to Osaka
We are travelling from Huis Ten Bosch to Osaka. We checked out of the hotel, made our way back to the Huis Ten Bosch station.
Japan 2018 Day 7: Huis Ten Bosch (Evening Parade)
On our last night at Huis Ten Bosch we stayed back to watch the evening parade and soak up the atmosphere.
Japan 2018 Day 7: Huis Ten Bosch (Afternoon wrap up)
We wandered around Huis Ten Bosch in the afternoon to catch any final sights or attractions that we missed on the first day.
Japan 2018 Day 7: Huis Ten Bosch (Super Trick Art)
Super Trick Art is yet another of those 3D art places that you pose in front of. The lighting is a bit dark in places.
Japan 2018 Day 7: Huis Ten Bosch (Game Museum)
The Game Museum at Huis Ten Bosch contains a display of various gaming consoles past to present as well as various arcade machines.
Japan 2018 Day 7: Huis Ten Bosch (Porcelain Museum)
The Porcelain Museum at Huis Ten Bosch is full of rooms of porcelain displays, a second hall with upholsteries and a third hall with pottery.
Japan 2018 Day 7: Huis Ten Bosch (Harbor Town)
"Harbor Town" in Huis Ten Bosch has theme park attractions, the Huis Ten Bosch castle, and a replica of a Dutch ship called De Liefde.
Japan 2018 Day 7: Huis Ten Bosch (Flower Road)
The Flower Road at Huis Ten Bosch features windmills, tulips, the Delftsebrug bridge, and a cheese shop called Cheese Waag.
Japan 2018 Day 6 Huis Ten Bosch (Night Lights)
The Night Lights in Huis Ten Bosch are very colourful with a lot of the buildings lit up, with "light" flowing from the Domtoren.
Japan 2018 Day 6: Huis Ten Bosch (Thriller and Attraction Cities)
Thriller and Attraction Cities in Huis Ten Bosch contain a variety of theme park attractions surrounded by a fountain.
Japan 2018 Day 6: Huis Ten Bosch (Amsterdam Square)
The Amsterdam Square in Huis Ten Bosch evokes the famous Dam Square with a European village adjacent to it.
Japan 2018 Day 6: Huis Ten Bosch (Glass Museum)
The Stadhuis replica in "Amsterdam Square" in Huis Ten Bosch has a magnificent crystal and glass museum called "Gyaman Gallery".
Japan 2018 Day 6: Huis Ten Bosch (Domtoren)
The replica of Domtoren (the famous church tower in Utrecht) at Huis Ten Bosch has an observation deck with great 360 degree views.
Japan 2018 Day 6: Huis Ten Bosch (Canal Cruise)
We boarded a cruiser at Canaltown that took us on a canal cruise all the way to Tower City where a replica of the Domtoren is.
Japan 2018 Day 6: Huis Ten Bosch (Teddy Bear Kingdom)
We visited a recreation of Kasteel Nijenrode containing the Teddy Bear Kingdom, an extensive collection of teddy bears from around the world.
Japan 2018 Day 6: Huis Ten Bosch station
We arrived at the tiny but very, very cute JR Huis Ten Bosch station, walked across a bridge to the Huis Ten Bosch theme park.
Japan 2018 Day 6: Nagasaki to Huis Ten Bosch
Today we are travelling on the Seaside Liner from Nagasaki to Huis Ten Bosch. Took a few photos at Nagasaki Station.
Japan 2018 Day 5: Nagasaki (Shianbashi)
Shianbashi is Nagasaki's nightlife area (and former red light district). At night, it comes alive with little restaurants and snack bars.
Japan 2018 Day 5: Nagasaki (Teramachi)
Teramachi literally means "Temple town" and it is a street full of ... temples. There's an amazing variety of temples here.
Japan 2018 Day 5: Nagasaki (Spectacles Bridge)
Spectacles Bridge is Japan's first Chinese-style stone bridge and one of Japan's Top 3 most well known bridges.
Japan 2018 Day 5: Nagasaki (Dejima)
Dejima was used to quarantine foreign traders (Portuguese, then Dutch) during the Edo period of the Tokugawa Shogunate.
Japan 2018 Day 5: Nagasaki (historic quarter)
We also explored various places around the Nagasaki historic quarter including Oura Machi and Minami Yamate-Machi.
Japan 2018 Day 5: Nagasaki (Dutch Slope)
The strangely named "Dutch Slope" is a sloping road leading up to a hill where there are historical Western style houses.
Japan 2018 Day 5: Nagasaki (Glover Garden)
Glover Garden is situated on the southern slope of the Minamiyamate hillside and offers a superb and extensive view of Nagasaki Harbour.
Japan 2018 Day 4: Nagasaki Peace Museum
We also visited the Nagasaki Peace Museum, which was similar to the one in Hiroshima but on a smaller scale.
Japan 2018 Day 4: Nagasaki (Atomic Bomb Hypocentre)
The Atomic Bomb Hypocentre has concentric circles marked around it like a bullseye target, next to the nearby remains of the Urakami church.
Japan 2018 Day 4: Nagasaki Peace Park
Nagasaki Peace Park is built on a low hill to the north of the hypocentre of the atomic bomb blast, and features the Peace Sculpture.
Japan 2018 Day 4: Nagasaki (Dejima Harbour)
We walked through the Nagasaki Seaside Park. This offers views of Dejima Harbour and incoming boats, plus open space.
Japan 2018 Day 4 Gunkanjima
Gunkanjima (Battleship Island) was originally called Hashima with a seabed coalmine. After the mine was closed, the island fell into ruin.
Japan 2018 Day 3: Osaka to Nagasaki
Today is a rainy day, which is perfect for travelling from Osaka to Nagasaki. We arrived at 3pm and checked in to the Richmond Hotel.
Japan 2018 Day 2: Osaka (Namba Parks)
We visited Namba City, next to Namba Station, and then walked to Namba Parks, another huge shopping centre with an interesting architecture.
Japan 2018 Day 2: Osaka (Namba Walk)
Namba Walk is an underground mall that looks like it has seen better days. They have a Hello Kitty spring promotion so we took photos.
Japan 2018 Day 1: Osaka (Dotonbori)
The Dotonbori (道頓堀) area is a popular nightlife and entertainment area with an eccentric atmosphere and large illuminated signboards.
Japan 2018 Day 1: Osaka (Piece of Peace)
We attended the LEGO Piece of Peace World Heritage Exhibition at Daimaru. It showcases LEGO models of World Heritage sites and buildings.
Japan 2018 Day 1: Osaka (Amerikamura, Shinsaibashi)
Day 1 in Osaka. We walked around the Shinsaibashi area, starting from Midosuji towards Amerikamura, then Europe-dori and the shopping street.
Singapore 2017
We visited Singapore in 7-15 November 2017, to visit tourist attractions and also catch up with my school friends and family.
Singapore 2017 Day 7: Orchard Road
Last day in Singapore! It was raining very heavily, so we decided to take the MRT and visit Orchard Road, the famous shopping district.
Singapore 2017 Day 6: Trick Eye Museum and Dinner
Trick Eye Museum Singapore, is a 3D optical art museum originally from Korea, where one can pose in front of the art and take photos.
Singapore 2017 Day 6: Resorts World
We headed back to Resorts World via the Sentosa Express monorail, to take some photos around the Bull Ring and the Lake of Dreams.
Singapore 2017 Day 6: Little India
Little India was originally an enclave designated by the British for Indian immigrants, and the main thoroughfare is Serangoon Road.
Singapore 2017 Day 6: Suntec City
Suntec City is one of Singapore’s largest malls and shopping destination nestled in the heart of the bustling Marina Bay precinct.
Singapore 2017 Day 5: Family Dinner
For our family dinner, we went to the Racines restaurant at the brand new Sofitel Singapore City Centre, a French-Asian fusion restaurant.
Singapore 2017 Day 5: Fort Siloso
The final attraction at Sentosa that we visited was Fort Siloso, built in the late 19th century and stands a historical site today.
Singapore 2017 Day 5: Sentosa Merlion
We entered the statue of the Sentosa Merlion, which is a mythical creature with a lion’s head and a fish’s body.
Singapore 2017 Day 5: Sentosa Island
Sentosa Island was called "Pulau Belakang Mati", fortified during the British occupation, and is now a holiday resort.
Singapore 2017 Day 5: Sentosa Cable Car
After lunch we took a taxi to Mt Faber to catch the Sentosa Cable Car to Sentosa Island (less busy than the main station).
Singapore 2017 Day 5: Family Lunch
We waited for Lyn's parents to arrive, then had a family lunch at the Xperience restaurant at the So Sofitel.
Singapore 2017 Day 5: Marina Bay
We woke up early and took a stroll from our hotel to Marina Bay. We walked towards The Promontory, then Clifford Pier towards Merlion Park.
Singapore 2017 Day 4: Orchard Road Christmas
We spent the evening exploring the Christmas Lights at Orchard Road with Christmas decorations and pop up stores.
Singapore 2017 Day 4: Universal Studios
Today we are focused on visiting Universal Studios Singapore, located on Sentosa Island in an area called Resorts Worlds.
Singapore 2017 Day 3: Flower Field
Our final stop in the Flower Dome is the Flower Field - which has many Christmas decorations and displays.
Singapore 2017 Day 3: Continental Gardens
We explored the Continental gardens including Australian, South African, South American, Mediterranean, Californian and the Olive Grove.
Singapore 2017 Day 3: Flower Dome
Flower Dome is supposedly the largest glass greenhouse in the world. It showcases plants and flowers from five continents in nine gardens.
Singapore 2017 Day 3: Secret Garden
The final part of the Cloud Forest attraction is the Secret Garden, featuring an underwater pool with stalactites and stalagmites.
Singapore 2017 Day 3: Treetop Walk
Below the heart of Crystal Mountain in the Cloud Forest, we walked on the Treetop Walk which leads into the Secret Garden.
Singapore 2017 Day 3: Crystal Mountain
Descending the Cloud Walk in the Cloud Forest, we passed through Crystal Mountain where there were many crystals on display.
Singapore 2017 Day 3: Cloud Walk
From the Lost World in the Cloud Forest, we walked down the Cloud Walk which provided fantastic views around the dome.