Very beautiful zoo that takes pride in showing the animals in their natural habitat. No cages whatsoever, you get to enjoy the animals up close and personal. I got a chance to encounter a snake. 🙂 The panda’s are an absolute highlight and don’t forget the night safari which is a very special experience.
If you’re looking for Japan traveling tips, please read my previous article.
In this article I would like to talk about Japanese hot springs. When visiting Japan soaking in the naturally heated water of an onsen really is a must. I hardly can think of anything that is more relaxing after a day filled with activities.
When my boyfriend and I went on a bike tour through the beautiful landscapes of Hokkaido, we stayed in lots of traditional ryokans, which all had an onsen. Although we weren’t exactly experienced bike riders, we never once had a muscle ache. Up till this day I am still convinced that the steaming hot bath we took every evening helped prevent any pain. And sure, the water of some onsen is considered to be good for your health.
Be warned though, most onsen are separated by gender and in rural areas you’ll find some people staring at you, strange foreigner. It happened to me more than one time that I had one half of the bath to myself, while the rest of the Japanese women preferred sitting as far away from me as possible. Actually I didn’t mind. More room for me! 😉
One very important rule to remember when visiting an onsen: it is considered very (VERY) rude to enter the hot bath without washing yourself thoroughly beforehand. Most of the bathing facilities offer shower gel and shampoos, but you can, of course, bring your own. The washing is done on a little stool and make sure to wash of any remaining soap, so that you can enter the communal bath squeaky clean.
Beautiful natural caves with an impressive gold colored statue. The hindou temple inside the cave wasn’t that special, but the location definitely is, with the wild monkey’s roaming the stairs looking for foods to steal from tourist. You also should visit the dark cave. We took a 45 minute tour in the dark cave and got an excellent explanation about all the creatures living there.
The architecture of this bridge is quite stunning. The bridge itself offers great views of the Marina Bay area. At night it is beautifully lit. A top photo spot!
To be honest, I visited this museum because I was mostly interested in the architecture of the building, but the islamic art presented was of a very high quality en very beautiful indeed. The museum offers clear explanations of the objects shown. The view from the terrace is also definitely worth the visit, plus I was very impressed by the beautiful decorated domes in the building.
We ate her twice during our stay. We were very impressed by the quality and authenticity of the food. The first time we took a course meal which was absolutely delicious. In the weekend, you can have an ‘all you can eat’ menu. You can choose from all kinds of different menu-items the ones you prefer and as much as you like. Definitely worth a visit!
A tip for management: the airco is set to a very low temperature. I had to put on an extra jacket to not be cold.
In recent years I have visited Japan twice. The first time I went to Japan with my boyfriend, my brother and his girlfriend. We took a fairly standard trip around Japan. The second time my boyfriend and I attended a wedding in Tokyo and afterwards we went on a bike tour in Hokkaido. Something totally different, but a truly unforgettable experience. Never have so many people stared at me in my life. 😉
Since Japan is a country where tourism is on the rise, I frequently get asked about my experiences there by people who would like to explore the country by themselves. So that’s why I decide to combine some of my tips for traveling to Japan.
In general:
Look into buying a Japan Rail Pas. It is not always the cheapest way to get around Japan, but you can’t travel to Japan and not experience the marvel that is the shinkansen (Japanes bullet train).
Book at least one stay in a ryokan. An authentic Japanese experience you simply can’t miss out on: sleeping on tatami mats, enjoying bathing in an onsen (women and men strictly separated).
If you’re lost or don’t know how to do something, ask help. Japanese people are very friendly, they will always try to help you the best they can. Don’t know how to buy a ticket to your destination. Give your wallet to a Japanese bystander and they will do the purchase for you and even accompany you tot the right train track.
Visit a traditional Japanse onsen. But make sure to clean yourself thoroughly before entering the hot pool. Japanese people don’t want any filthy people in their baths.
Don’t forget to take part in a traditional Japanese tea ceremony. Drinking tea isn’t as straight forward as you thought!
Go for food in a traditional Izakaya and ask for recommendations. Be adventurous about your food. I have hardly ever had a bad meal in Japan. Don’t worry about food hygiene, Japanese cooks know what that are doing. Remember: Japanese food is so much more than sushi. Tip if you like sushi, but don’t want to pay too much: kaiten sushi.
When to visit?
Most websites will say: in spring, so you can enjoy the cherry blossoms (sakura) or in autumn so you can enjoy the beautiful red and yellow colors of the leaves. But if you asked me, each season has its own charm. I would love to return to Hokkaido in winter, to participate in a snow festival. Be warned though, summers on Honshu can be very hot and humid.
IC cards are rechargeable cards that can be used to to pay public transportation fares and to make payments at vending machines, shops and restaurants. Examples are Pasmo and Suica.
Or you can always rent a car. Don’t forget your international driver’s licence! And be warned: in rural areas signs won’t be translated in English. Oh and one more thing: in Japan they drive on the left side of the road.
Haw Par Villa is a curious place indeed. There is no entrance fee, so no excuse to not go there for a short visit. The MRT brings you right to the entrance of the park.
The park of the former Haw Par Villa is full with colorful painted statues and dioramas. I found this place well worth the visit, but I can imagine it is not for everyone. Some parts of the park have been repainted and the statues look like new, in other parts the decay is very visible (the food corner was closed and you could clearly see parts of the roof came off). For me this was also part of the charm of Haw Par Villa, you can imagine it must have been quite something in the days the park was built by the owner of the Tiger Balsem company.
If you’re interested in Chinese folk tales, the dioramas will guide you through the most popular ones. And if you like horror movies, you’ll definitely enjoy the Ten Gates of Hell. Very gruesome indeed.
You need about three hours to visit Haw Par Villa and read the explanations provided by the sculptures.
To be honest this must have been one of the best kaiten sushi experiences I’ve had in my life, outside of Japan. We arrived at Genki Sushi sometime before six, so we managed to dodge the queue, but it wasn’t hard to understand why a short while thereafter we saw a huge queue of people waiting to be seated.
Every table has a tablet which provides an overview of all the different dishes. The interface of the tablet is very intuitive. You just click on the dish you want to order and minutes later a special sushi train brings your order to your table. This form of kaiten sushi guarantees your sushi is super fresh.
The sushi selection at Genki sushi is huge, so it was hard to choose from. But everything we had, was excellent. A real treat!
Jurong Bird Park is definitely worth a visit. The park in itself is beautiful with lots of luscious green trees and beautiful flowers. You can really enter the world of the birds and admiring them up close. I really liked the sections were you could wander between the birds and you could see them fly and play in their natural habitat.
My boyfriend and I really enjoyed feeding the lories. Those lories are kind of brutal though and if you’re not careful they’ll pull the little food container right out of your hands. For some reason they also enjoy sitting on people’s heads. An ideal photo opportunity!
We also enjoyed the High Flyers Show and the Kings of the Skies show. The trainers let the birds fly very close above the audience. Magnificent to see these birds in action. It was even possible to have our picture taken with our own camera by a troop of flamingo’s.
I wasn’t that fond of the cages with the large birds of prey though. I always feel sad seeing those magnificent birds being confined to such a small cage. I have to add though that Jurong Bird Park puts a lot of effort in conservation and making the public aware of the consequences their actions may have on bird life.
I recommend taking out a full day to enjoy everything this park has to offer.
Jurong Bird Park, 2 Jurong Hill Jurong Bird Park, Singapore 628925, Singapore http://www.birdpark.com.sg/
+65 6265 0022
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