Japanese BBQ in Osaka: Matsuzakagyu Yakiniku M

It was such a fun-filled day biking with Cycle Osaka and meeting great people. Daniel and I felt that we needed to treat ourselves to an awesome dinner because we worked super hard biking over 26 miles.  Of course being in Japan, I couldn’t miss out on savoring their perfectly marbled beef. Japanese people are known to raise and groom their cows in luxury. They are fed with high quality food, beers, and even receive daily massages — Talk about living the life. Since this was our last meal in Osaka, we decided to fill our hungry bellies at Matsuzakagyu Yakiniku M, Hozenji Hanare.  Continue reading “Japanese BBQ in Osaka: Matsuzakagyu Yakiniku M”

Cycling Tour in Osaka

After we finished the hike at Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto, we headed back to our hotel in Osaka. We were so exhausted and, to think, we only did one activity the entire day! Like Kyoto, we only have one day in Osaka before heading out to another city so I knew the pressure was on to find an activity that was, not only fun, but also shows us all of what Osaka has to offer. My one dilemma was that Osaka is such a big city and I didn’t know where to start or how to conveniently map everything out. Luckily, I stumbled upon Cycle Osaka, and their bike route covered all the places I wanted to see and more. This was perfect for me because I’m an adult child that gets distracted or bored really easily with normal sightseeing. I need to be doing something engaging while I’m at it.  Continue reading “Cycling Tour in Osaka”

Hiking at Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto

Hiking at Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto: Map: At Inari Station – JR Line.

Daniel and I landed in Osaka from Taiwan around 10:30 pm and we were worried about catching the train since it was already late. With my backpack strapped and my overweight luggage tightly gripped by both hands, we ran to find the train station and, luckily, we managed to jump on the last train out. As I was catching my breath and raising my hand up to Daniel for a proud high five because we caught the last train, a sudden shock jolted my system. It’s the same shock, the same fear of when you are standing on stage and you just realized you’re butt naked and everyone is staring at you. I suddenly realized my energy, my breathing, and my proud high five were loud! Everyone on the train was staring at me and yup, I felt butt naked and like an ignorant tourist…I knew then I needed to reign in my energy and my sassy mouth to blend in and to respect the Japanese customs. Continue reading “Hiking at Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto”

Experience Japan with these 10 Activities

Here are 10 must do’s in Japan covering 4 cities in 7 days:

  1. Hiking at Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto
  2. Cycling tour in Osaka
  3. Barbecuing perfectly marbled beef in Osaka
  4. Wearing a kimono while eating a traditional Japanese meal at a ryokan hotel in Nagano
  5. Standing next to hot spring snow monkeys in Nagano
  6. Savoring melt in your mouth sushi in Tokyo
  7. Slurping ramen loudly in Tokyo
  8. Having dinner at a themed restaurant with no dinner in Shinjuku
  9. Learning how to cook Japanese food with a local
  10. Stuffing my face with green tea everything

Continue reading “Experience Japan with these 10 Activities”