Nagoya Itinerary - What to do and eat in Nagoya, Japan

First up, I have to say I think there is truly nothing much in Nagoya. It lacks the cultural heritage of Kyoto, the laid back restful vibe of Nara, yet it has less things to do than the exciting cities of Tokyo and Osaka. It was also not as beautiful as Hakone. 

We took the JR Shinkansen using our JR Pass from Shin-Osaka to Nagoya station. 

What to eat in Nagoya

Miso Katsu at Yabaton: Yabaton has several outlets around Nagoya. We picked the one nearest to Nagoya Station at Meitetsu Department Store 9F. The queue was long when we reached around lunch time and people were queuing right into the stairwell. Thankfully the queue moved fast and we were inside Yabaton in about 20 minutes or so. The Miso Katsu at Yabaton was so good! Miso Katsu is basically katsu drenched in thick hot miso sauce. Portions are huge so be prepared to fill your belly to the brim!

Eat Miso Nikomi at Yamamotoya: We had Miso Nikomi for dinner in the Sakae region as we were wandering around the departmental stores at that time. Miso Nikomi is udon in thick hot miso gravy. It was delicious but be warned that you will be extremely thirsty after your meal. Oh and it was not the easiest to locate. 

1-11-25 Sakae, Naka-ku, Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, or 1F Yamamotoya Honten Sakae Building 2-14-5 Sakae Naka-ku, Nagoya

What to do in Nagoya

The short answer is: nothing. Unless you are into the same old departmental stores that you see all around Tokyo and Osaka, Nagoya has pretty much nothing else interesting to offer. I did, however, manage to buy a leather bag at a very reasonable price in one of the departmental stores so I guess if you are into shopping, Nagoya is not that bad a city to visit!

Visit the departmental stores in Sakae: From Nagoya Station, take the Higashiyama Line (towards Fujigaoka) to Sakae Station. From Sakae Station, explore the numerous departmental stores in the area such as Matsuzakaya and Mitsukoshi. We went into Sunshine Sakae too, which was supposed to be a teen mall, but found nothing exciting inside.

Visit Oasis 21: Go up to the Water Spaceship Roof which is a circular dish with a large pool of water. Looks extremely futuristic and gives you a good view of downtown Nagoya. You can also see the Nagoya TV Tower from here!

That's about it for Nagoya. I wouldn't recommend it as a day trip or even a half-day trip. If you love miso, Nagoya has some pretty awesome miso dishes but that's about it.

49 Seats, Orchard Central

I wanted to try 49 Seats at Kreta Ayer since a long while ago but the queue was always daunting and I never found any one who was interested enough in the food to queue with me. So I was very excited when I found out from Instagram that 49 Seats had a new outlet in Orchard Central! Met my boyfriend for dinner after work and convinced him that it would be an extremely good idea to have dinner at 49 Seats.

It was not crowded when we arrived and we were ushered to a small table in the middle of the room, handed the menu, and told to place our order at the cashier when we were ready. After browsing through the menu, we decided on the Tom Yum Seafood Pasta, the Chicken Chop, and the popular cheese fries.

My Tom Yum Seafood Pasta was very unique with its creamy and spicy sauce as well as fresh seafood. Pasta was al dente and absorbed the tom yum cream sauce very well. The first few bites were impressive and I told my boyfriend I could finally understand why everyone was raving about it. But I started to feel really queasy into my last quarter of the pasta. The thick creamy sauce began to feel too much to bear and I just could not finish my plate of pasta. I guess the trick is to share the Tom Yum Seafood Pasta. Order a couple of mains to share so you would not be left to finish one plate by yourself. 

The boyfriend's chicken chop with mushroom sauce. Was pretty ordinary and reminded me of Astons.

The popular Cheese Fries! This looked fantastic when it arrived and we happily scooped up a gunk of cheese with the fries and shoved them into our mouths. Ah the cheese fries tasted pretty much the same as those from KFC. I do not understand why I expected them to be any different since, you know, they are both cheese fries, but somehow that was my irrational expectation. I just thought that the cheese fries at 49 Seats should be tastier, or, for want of a better word, different. 

I would return if I were in town (which happens pretty often) and searching for some cheap western food. 49 Seats is good for its price but I doubt I would be craving to return anytime soon. Service was also patchy and it felt like they were still trying to get into the groove of things. 

#08-08 Orchard Central
Mon to Fri: 11:30 to 14:30
Mon to Fri: 17:30 to 22:00
Sat to Sun: 11:00 to 22:00
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Nara itinerary - What to do and eat in Nara, Japan

We took the Yamatoji rapid trains from JR Osaka Station to Nara (JR Nara Station). This is fully covered by the JR Pass! The journey took about 45 minutes so we found seats, settled down, and sipped leisurely from our Starbucks while the city whizzed by outside.

From JR Nara Station, we simply walked around and explored the place on foot. Easily manageable and the cold weather made walking a breeze. There are lots of signs pointing towards Nara Park from the station and you are unlikely to miss them. When you see the brown building below, cross the road and head into Sanjo Dori Avenue. The locations below are in chronological order. 

What to do in Nara 

Visit Kofukuji: Walk along Sanjo Dori Avenue and you will reach Kofukuji in about 15 minutes. Entrance into Kofukuji temple grounds is free and we had lots of fun marveling the beautiful buildings and pagodas. 

Visit Todaiji: This is about a 45 minute walk from JR Nara Station (so we stopped for lunch at Shizuka between Kofukuji and Todaiji). Todaiji is a significant landmark in Nara and was constructed as a head temple for all Buddhist temples in Japan. Entrance into the main hall requires a fee of 500 Yen.

Explore Nara Park: Nara Park, in particular the areas surrounding Kofukuji and Todaiji, is very beautiful. Peaceful ponds, evergreen trees, and bare branches converge to form a lovely painting. We walked through the quiet isolated areas of Nara Park and watched many elderly people sitting on little stools and painting. Some of them inked the scenery onto their sketch books while others focused on replicating the historical buildings on paper. Watching them draw and paint brought a surreal sense of peace. 

Say hello to a deer: Deer are everywhere in Nara Park. They are incredibly smart (I watched a deer waiting to cross at a junction and eventually crossing when the cars stopped!) and are not afraid of humans. So go up, say hello, and take a close up photo with a deer! If you fancy being surrounded by a huge crowd of deer, purchase a packet of crackers from the roadside stalls and you will find yourself becoming the most popular person in their eyes. Be careful though, I saw a deer nibbling a girl's butt because she was too slow at distributing her crackers. 

What to eat in Nara

Eat Kamameishi at Shizuka: The awesome thing about Shizuka is that it is right in between Kofukuji and Todaiji which makes it a perfect stop for lunch. Be prepared to queue during lunch time, especially since it takes awhile to prepare kamameishi. I had the crab meat kamameishi which was light, fresh, and delicious! The best part about kamameishi is that it allows you to taste the true sweetness that comes from fresh seafood. 

59 Noborioji-chio Nara

Nara is perfect for a nice lazy stroll in the late morning and early afternoon. Shopping at Sanjo Dori Avenue and Higashimuki Shopping Street (both near JR Nara Station) was not too interesting so don't expect to do much shopping in Nara. 

See my Kyoto itinerary, Nagoya itinerary, and Hakone itinerary!

Platypus Lobster Shack

Stef and I talked about trying Platypus Lobster Shack for a long while and we finally did so nearing the end of 2014! It was a low-energy week for me and my internal battery was running low. I suspected I was coming down with something because my throat was getting scratchy and I just could not seem to sleep enough. I woke up everyday that week feeling crappy and generally bored. Amazing, the dinner with Stef cured that. I was still rather down and gloomy during the meal but I felt much better the next morning! I guess laughter is truly the best medicine. 

We had the Crustacean Bowl ($19.90 for Starter-size) which was impressive. Uni creme, buttery lobster, caviar and char-grilled cheddar cheese on rice. The char-grilled cheddar cheese and uni creme made the rice smooth and thick. The buttery lobster chunks were sweet and juicy. A well-executed dish! 

We had the Lemon and Piquant Garlic Lobster Roll ($22.90 for the set with truffle chips and side salad). I have a friend who complained about how Platypus Lobster Shack's lobster roll was not worth the price because they use lobster legs. I have nothing to rant about the lobster meat and I frankly could not tell if the chunks of lobster meat came from the leg or the body. The lobster chunks with diced sweet tomatoes were light and refreshing with a slight hint of lemon. The truffle chips were fragrant with truffle oil. I actually prefer the Crustacean Bowl to the Lobster Roll because the Crustacean Bowl was full of flavour while the Lobster Roll was a little bland. 

We ordered Passion Fruit Sangria ($20). My first time trying white wine sangria with passion fruit nectar and citrus. It was so sweet and yummy! Much lighter than the usual red wine sangria.

Platypus Lobster Shack is conveniently located in China Square, and is within walking distance from Raffles Place and Chinatown. Stef made a reservation for us and I would recommend you do so as well because the restaurant was crowded during dinner.

China Square, Nankin Row

3 Pickering Street

#01-31

64387961

Mon - Thurs: 5:30 pm - 10 pm

Fri and Sat: 5:30 pm - 11pm

Sundays closed

The Standing Sushi Bar, Queen Street, Momolato, SMU

Tx, Ben and I met for our last dinner in 2014 (yes this post is long overdue oops)! We decided to go for Monday Madness at Standing Sushi Bar where 5 slices of salmon sashimi were going for $3 and umeshu was going for $2! I left office and took a nice long stroll from my office to Queen Street which was about 10 to 15 minutes away. The evening was cool and my walk to Queen Street took me past the Peranakan Museum. For some random reason, I decided to go in and check out the museum on a whim. The museum was interesting but I was done pretty quickly (like in 15 minutes?) and I hurried on to the Standing Sushi Bar. 

Tx made a reservation for us and we were in the door the moment we reached without having to join the long queue outside. Such a relief since I queued for a long while the previous time I visited (also for Monday Madness)!

Almost immediately after settling down, we decided to order 6 orders (30 pieces of sashimi) to share!

We also had the Prawn King Roll ($18.90) which was decent. Sushi rolls with a thin layer of avocado.

Bacon with Enoki Mushroom! I love bacon and enoki mushrooms (or pork belly with enoki mushrooms) grilled to perfection and served hot and crispy! The bacon was a tad too salty but this was overall still fantastic. It is hard to go wrong with the deadly combination of bacon and enoki mushrooms. 

Pork Belly Yakitori was hot, peppery, and tender! When I bit into it, the peppery taste of the pork left a lingering taste in my mouth. The chunks of pork were tender and juicy, very well-marinated, and perfectly grilled.

All Salmon Roll ($16), with seared salmon was yummy! I just love anything with seared salmon.

When we were happy and full, we left the noisy and crowded Standing Sushi Bar and walked slowly to Momolato in SMU. I generally avoid SMU like a plague and I refuse to go anywhere near the school buildings if I could help it. Too many memories that I want to run away from. But I heard about the popsicles at Momolato and was really keen to try. My green tea popsicle was yums with tiny marshmallows at the bottom.

We bought our popsicles and sat down to a nice long chit chat. It felt great to hang out with a good old friend and her husband, laughing about everything and nothing, talking about stuff, some serious stuff, some not-so-serious stuff, some gossip, but mostly just hanging out and enjoying the night. I had a lot of fun that night and we should definitely do it again soon!

Standing Sushi Bar

8 Queen Street

63331335

12:00 - 14:00, 18:00 - 22:00 

Momolato

SMU, School of Economics and Social Sciences (the school building near The Cathay)

90 Stamford Road 

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Kyoto itinerary - What to do and eat in Kyoto

From Shin-Osaka station in Osaka, we took the shinkansen (bullet train) to Kyoto Station which was one stop away. Our itinerary below is in chronological order and we found it extremely convenient to travel in this order around Kyoto. I love Kyoto so much for its traditional little houses, quaint beautiful architecture, and slower pace of life. 

What to do in Kyoto

Visit Fushimi Inari Shrine: We took the JR Nara Line to Inari Station, which is right in front of the Fushimi Inari Shrine. This shrine is famous for its walking path of tori gates, and the hiking trail extends all the way up the hill and back down again. We did not complete the whole trail and opted out somewhere in the middle but the dense parallel rows of tori gates were amazing! The shrine grounds were also very pretty with little streams, evergreen trees, red leaves, and branches bare in the cold.

From Fushimi Inari Shrine, walk towards the Fushimi Inari Station. That will take you through a row of traditional shop houses and across a train track.

Visit Yasaka Shrine and Maruyama Park: From Fushimi Inari Station, take the Keihan Main Line to Gion-Shijo Station. Exit the station and walk down the road towards Yasaka Shrine which is at the end of the road. If you are tired or thirsty, there is a Starbucks along the way which is the perfect pit stop for some coffee and rest.

Yasaka Shrine was interesting but what really caught my eye here was the Maruyama Park behind Yasaka Shrine. We overheard a tour guide explaining that the Maruyama Park had one of the best views for cherry blossoms in spring. It was winter when we visited but the park was no less beautiful. Standing at the edge of the Maruyama Park and looking across, I felt like I was in a painting. A stone bridge across the pond with trees framing the scenery. This place was pretty isolated and quiet, and I loved it. I loved the beauty of the place, the lack of noisy tourists, the peace.

Ninenzaka Stairs and Sannenzaka Stairs: This is part of the Preserved Historic Streets in the Higashiyama District and is easily accessible from Yasaka Shrine. We were lost trying to find our way and were extremely lucky that we met a kind local who led us there. He brought us through some little alleys lined with old wooden buildings and we emerged in a bustling street. The small shops inside the wooden buildings sold a variety of quaint Japanese items like chopsticks, mochi snacks, purses, and many other pretty stuff. It was very fun strolling down the path, looking into the shops, and exploring. If you intend to buy some snacks back home, make sure you remember to check the expiry date. We forgot and ended up buying 5 boxes of mochi snacks which were going to expire even before we left Japan. Those became our daily snacks for the next few days.

Visit Kiyomizudera: I am guessing this is the must-visit in Kyoto judging by the large crowd of tourists in Kiyomizudera. If you are coming from Ninenzaka and Sannenzaka, Kiyomizudera is just right at the end of the Preserved Historic Streets. Frankly, this was my least favourite place because it was just so crowded. I was shoved and pushed along by many tourists from a particular country who spoke so noisily that I cannot even hear myself think. The grounds were beautiful but I just could not enjoy it as much as I did in Yasaka Shrine and Maruyama Park. The tranquility was sorely lacking.

Bamboo Grove in Arashimaya District: I did not manage to visit the bamboo grove during my trip to Kyoto in winter because the days were so short and it turned dark so quickly! So I made it a point to visit when my boyfriend and I were in Kyoto during the cherry blossom season.

I heard the place gets really crowded in the day so we woke up super early and reached the bamboo grove at dawn. The only other people in the bamboo grove was a couple doing their pre-wedding photo shoot and a few photographers so we could take our time to enjoy the place without being hurried along.

It was really quiet and still in the bamboo grove and we could hear birds chirping somewhere far away. There is only one path for visitors and we were not allowed to enter the bamboo grove on both sides (which made sense because I can totally imagine hordes of tourists ruining the bamboo grove).

Togetsukyo Bridge 

Togetsukyo Bridge and the adjacent park were perfect during the cherry blossom season. You can read all about it here. The scenery at the Togetsukyo Bridge was amazing. I would return if I find myself in Kyoto again.

What to eat in Kyoto

Eat katsu at Katsukura: At Kyoto Station Building, take the lift to the 11th floor of the Isetan Department Store. The 11th floor, known as The Cube, houses all the restaurants in the Kyoto Station Building but we were there for one specific reason - Katsukura.

The katsu at Katsukura was really delicious. So crispy and light on the outside, yet amazingly tender and juicy within. I read online that the queue can be atrocious but we escaped that (thankfully) by having our lunch/dinner at 4 pm. Yes, the trick to eating all sorts of popular yummy dishes without having to queue is to eat at incredibly odd hours. We perfected that skill in Japan!

Eat Oyakodon at Hisago: First up, disclaimer. We reached Hisago, which was 5 minutes away from Yasaka Shrine, only to find out that it was closed for renovations!!! Extremely upset. So we did not manage to try the famous oyakodon at Hisago but I was told that this was a must-try dish in Kyoto!

484 Shimokawa-cho Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto 605-0825

Eat 551 Horai Pork Buns: I heard about 551 Horai pork buns during my trip in the winter but did not have an opportunity to try them so I made up for it during my April 2016 trip. Bought the pork buns back to the hotel as supper. It was good, very juicy and the pork was very fresh, but I doubt I would crave for it. 

I also went to Nara which you can read about here! My other day trip was to Nagoya and Hakone!

I visited Kyoto during the cherry blossom season and the post is up here.