Teaser..
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It’s our coldest day by far at 4 degrees celsius, super cold & loving it. Shivering, but hey, enjoying the cool, crisp, Osaka weather. <3 Pag-uwi, balik na naman sa init at pawis kaya namnamin na ng todo.
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Our agenda today is Nara for the Deer Park. Whenever people would ask me how many days we are staying in Osaka & I’d answer 15 days, nagugulat sila. HUWAAT? Bakit ang tagal? Well, so we can take an easy & relaxed pace (easy pa yang lagay na yan sa mga anak ko ha!), and visit the neighboring cities as well na abot-tanaw like Kobe, Kyoto, and yes, Nara.
Now that we are able to, I want to see the world while Kap & I can still walk unassisted, and enjoy life -we only have a few mileage left in us ya know. So the next time the kids will be back in Osaka, they’ll be with their own families na dahil ayaw ko ng paulit-ulit na lugar. I want to see different places & experience varied cultures, which is why we take our time per country. There’s no going back anytime soon, so might as well halughugin ang buong sulok para matapos na. 😛
Took a 40-minute train ride to Nara, then a very short bus ride. Nara is the capital of Japan’s Nara Prefecture in south-central Honshu. The city has significant temples and artwork dating to the 8th century, when it was Japan’s capital. Deers roam freely in Nara Park, also the site of Tōdai-ji temple (which we didn’t visit anymore since we will be going to temples in Kyoto na). CLICK HERE to read more about Nara & how to get there.
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Apparently, you don’t need to take the bus anymore since upon alighting from the train station, the park is just a bit of a walk (5 minutes tops). We got stuck in traffic STANDING for 20 minutes for nothing hehe.
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Two train lines connect the cities of Osaka and Nara: the JR Yamatoji Line (Traveling from Osaka Station the Yamatoji Rapid Service will get you to JR Nara Station in 50 minutes for 800 yen. Traveling from JR Namba Station, take the local train of the Yamatoji Line to Kyuhoji Station and then transfer to the Yamatoji Rapid Service. This will get you to JR Nara Station in 51 minutes for 560 yen. To find the best train times for the JR Yamatoji Line use the JR West Timetable and Fare Finder, and the Kintetsu Nara Line -which was what we took. Traveling from Osaka Namba Station, a Rapid Express train on the Kintetsu Nara Line will get you to Kintetsu Nara Station in 39 minutes for 560 yen. Limited Express services also run between Osaka Namba Station and Kintetsu Nara Station and take just 34 minutes, but they cost considerably more at 1,070 yen. To find the best train times for journeys on the Kintetsu Nara Line use an English language route finder like Jorudan or Hyperdia
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LEFT The JR Yamatoji Line (above ground) vs. the RIGHT The Kintetsu Nara Line (subway). Both will get you to Nara in less than an hour.
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Within Nara city, Kintetsu Nara Station is actually more centrally located than JR Nara Station and has better access to the main sightseeing locations. The Kintetsu Railway also has its own discount passes which can be used to travel between these cities.
Pagbungad palang from the train station, you’ll smell the freshly-churned manure air, indicating there’s wildlife nearby, lol. We really got excited to see the brown deers. Alam ko meron tayong ganyang version sa Maynila, but this is different. The deers here are bigger & interactive. Super friendly, hindi sila takot sa tao – lumalapit talaga & they would nudge you for some crackers & hound you until you give your last piece. Ang saya-saya! <3
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Kap, who is such a dear, ran to get us deer crackers which sold for Y150 (70 php) per bundle by the entrance. Make sure you stock up as it gets gobbled up pretty quickly. And if you want to make friends with the herd. 😉
How so very cute. <3 The deers bow for food! Before taking the cracker from your hand, a deer will bow its head. Hold the cracker overhead and the deer will bow its head one time. Next, put the cracker behind your back to get the deer to bow a second time. It is said that having the deer bow three times is ideal. To do this, hold the cracker overhead one last time, getting that third bow, and then reward the deer with a cracker. Nara deer are said to have been protected as messengers of God for more than 1,200 years. Some people say that the Fujiwara clan nobles of the Heian Period (9th century) got off the palanquin and bowed down to the deer. And the deer, evolving from generation to generation, learned to bow back expecting for food. Huh! They are so very well trained.
Deer feeding at Nara is one encounter that I strongly suggest you take when in Japan. <3 The experience is unparalleled.
As we walked through the park, we noticed that the older deers are the more well-mannered among the lot. The younger deers rarely bow before taking their treat, and some younger ones would even get a little aggressive, nipping at clothing and trying to snatch the crackers out of our hands.
Here my Babyson & Bae were even able to “train” the older deers to stand & get their crackers.
We couldn’t get over the fact how friendly & interactive these animals were, sobrang sanay sa tao. They even crossed the streets & cars gave them free rein (pun intended hehe) over the roads. ;P
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After some photo ops & feeding program, we just sat on the benches thoughtfully provided & strategically placed, and watched the deers with amusement & awe. The sun was out, so it perfectly balanced the cold. The whole park is full of does & stags, so even if there were a lot of tourists, we had our fill. Hindi nag-aagawan ng usa, to each his own ang drama.
Had a quick lunch after at a random resto right above the subway station before going back..
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Originally the kids wanted to go back to Dotonbori for lunch, but I pleaded that since we were already in Nara, might as well stay a wee bit longer & see some action before heading back.
It’s really not scary to choose where to eat because Japan is, I think, a culinary paradise. Lahat ng kainan, masarap! You can never go wrong.
Our Taiwan encounter with chewy mochi donuts made us avid fans, so we were delighted to see a Mister Donuts store just a few doors down. Perfect dessert & sweet ending for our Nara adventure. <3
Their signature donut is called “pon-de-ring”, a very chewy sugar-coated donut very similar to mochi. Mister Donut has several flavors which includes strawberry, brown sugar and plain. Depending on the season, they offer limited edition flavor. In the past they had flavors such as green tea, orange, soy sauce, mango yogurt, sesame and more. How I wish we had these soft, chewy mochi donuts back home! :'(
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We then decided to head our separate ways. Kap wanted to look at tennis shops & seiko watches (he has this thing about collecting seiko watches IDK why! –mangongolekta nalang bakit hindi pa Rolex diba?) 😛 While the girls wanted to look at luxury items back in Takashimaya. We took the same train back but had different stops.
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As you can see, we try & take naps whenever we can in between stations, hohoho. The cold weather makes it inducive to hibernate & nap all day long, kung hindi nga lang sayang ang araw, ang sarap matulog ng matulog.
I like the idea of us being a single unit, but when it comes to shopping, it’s healthier for our marriage to go in different directions teehee. Bye Honey & Babyson, see you later! :-*
And now, girl time with my 2 accomplices.
Our shopping trip soon became a food trip since the girls didn’t like anything from the high-end department store. Masyado daw pang-mashonda ang mga paninda. Panalo ka this round Kap my Kap. 😉
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Met up for dinner at Dotonbori (where else). We wanted sushi again but all the restaurants were crowded with hungry eager beavers like us, as always. Kap lined up for take-outs while we took a million & one selfies – like usual. ;))
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Dotonbori comes alive at night, all the restaurants (and streets as you can tell) in the area are FULL to capacity! @_@ Parang araw-araw presta.
Thankful to our 2 superheroes who stood patiently in line & got us food to take home. Yummy dumplings again from Osaka Ohsho, and a sushi platter from Genrokuzushi – another wildly popular sushi place in the Dotonbori area.
Nothing beats good food & great company in the privacy of our apartment. We can take our time eating & talk about our fun & very memorable day while munching on our yummy treats. Now this is the life. #blessup
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Tomorrow is another chill day DAW, which is how a vacation is supposed to be. Let’s see kung totoo, shall we? Bukas uli, goodbye for now.
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PS: My greatest Osaka find! PINEBERRIES or White strawberries, ¥3k/pack (15 pcs), a crossbreed of Pineapple & Strawberries, tastes exactly as it sounds. It’s sweeter & actually yummier than the regular variant, I miss!! :'((
8 Comments
Hi, I’ve been enjoying your blogs esp the travel ones. FYI, the pon de rings have been available in the philppines for several years already coz me & my family like it as well. I usually get it at their greenhills branch when I go there(though last time I went there was last year pa).
February 16, 2018 at 11:44 pmOh wow!! Thank you for telling me this. Please may I know the name of the store? My kids will go CRAY!! <3
February 17, 2018 at 6:11 amAvailable in Mister Donut Mother Jane, limited stores nga lang.
February 17, 2018 at 9:20 amat least meron pala hehe tatahakin ko ang greenhills para jan! (malapit lang nga pala kay seester mo!!) \m/
February 17, 2018 at 9:50 amTakot ako sa mga deer huhu! Nung kumakain ako ng cremia alone since nag CR husband ko mau biglang lumapit kasi bumili kami nung food nila grabe muntik na ko magtatakbo! ? Uy! We also ate in the same Mister Donut! Inggit ako sa starberries mo! pwede ba iuwi yan?
February 16, 2018 at 11:51 pmHuhu Jana said yummy daw cremia but I didn’t get to try kasi nga naka-“park” ako hehe. Meron pala sa deer area yan?! Henyways, yes pwede naman maguwi ng pineberries pero like any fruits, mabilis mabulok so dapat kinin agad and nagbu-bruise, handle with care. ;))
February 17, 2018 at 6:13 amIt’s at mister donut greenhills branch near shakeys at the greenhills shopping complex. I’m not sure if it’s available at their other branches.
February 17, 2018 at 8:13 amyehey i will definitely check this out. Super ty Kim!! :-*
February 17, 2018 at 9:49 am