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Juliet Sinclair's TripsJuliet Sinclair's Trips
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traveled in 10 countries Read more Overland Park, United States
  • Traveler2023 Japan/China
    Day 16

    Day 16: Hongkong

    June 10, 2023 in Hong Kong ⋅ 🌧 28 °C

    Note: this is my last post of our trip, because Facebook is banned in China, and we are heading to Wuhan tomorrow.

    I can’t believe Evan never had Dim Sum before! At least he didn’t have any memory of having it. I feel like a failed Chinese mom. LOL!

    There was an excellent Dim Sum restaurant very close to our hotel. The food was really great, and was reasonably priced, so I ordered almost everything thing from the menu. It was hilarious to see how many dishes were on the table. I had to explain to the waitress that it was Evan’s first dim sum and apologized for ordering too much.

    Today’s main event was Victoria Peak, an hill In Hongkong that offers the best view of the whole city. Taking a tram to the peak is a must for anyone visiting Hongkong. The tram climbs a very steep slope that makes feel like an beginning of a roller coaster.

    The view on the peak was as spectacular as I remembered. Few cities in the world can be an urban jungle but still maintains the natural beauty, Hongkong is an exception. The morning rain had stopped. There were some interesting cloud formations at the horizon, making a perfect backdrop for our photos.

    Every night at 8 PM, there is a light show at Hongkong harbor. All the buildings synchronize their lights with an orchestra music. We got onto the top floor of the tallest building in Hongkong, and throughly enjoyed the music and fantastic light show tonight.

    Heading to Wuhan tomorrow, can’t wait to see my family after 3 years apart.    Read more

  • Traveler2023 Japan/China
    Day 15

    Day 15: Osaka to Hongkong

    June 9, 2023 in Hong Kong ⋅ 🌩️ 28 °C

    For the first time I was disappointed with Japanese organization. At Osaka airport, there was a huge line for the security checkpoint! When it was finally our turn, we saw there was only one check line open, even though they had the capacity for 6! Even just opening one more would’ve been a huge relief for the long line. Disappointing!!

    4 hours later we arrived Hongkong. Evan was at awe with how many high rise apartment buildings there were. It was like an high rise forest extending to the horizon.

    Our hotel is adjacent to a giant indoor mall.m, which has 16 floors with a very interesting architecture design. The open area in the middle created an illusion of outdoor space, but if you look closely at the blue sky, you will realize you are still inside. The escalators seemed endless; we got off one there was another longer one. The final 2 were 4 to 5 floors high, probably over 200 feet long!

    People everywhere, so many of them! If I was home, I probably would be getting ready for bed by now, but here, at 10 pm, there was still so much energy on the streets.

    Having some fantastic Chinese food for dinner made us so happy!    Read more

  • Traveler2023 Japan/China
    Day 14

    Day 14: Osaka

    June 8, 2023 in Japan ⋅ 🌧 20 °C

    Today is the last full day we have in Japan, and I only wanted the best food Japan could offer, meaning no more breakfast food from 7/11 anymore; it also means the best curry in Osaka and Kobe Beef in Kobe, Japan!

    Well, our breakfast/lunch curry was indeed the best we’ve ever had! This little curry shop is run by a very nice Japanese guy and extremely good curry chef. His curry has just the right amount of flavor for sweetness, spiciness and cumin. The pork cutlets were also one of the best I’ve ever tasted! We were thoroughly satisfied!

    Next was Osaka Castle. This magnificent building was built by the famous Japanese ruler Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Born of a son of poor farmer family, he rose to power with his intelligence and cunning political skills, defeating all the Japanese clans in 16th century, and united Japan for the first time in history. Although since he invaded China and Korea during his later years, I’d only known him as a “bad guy”. It was very interesting to read his story in the castle museum, realizing how important he was in Japanese history.

    His biological son was born when he was already 59 years old. In order to ensure his son’s successful succession, he executed the entire family of his adopted son.

    His son was only 6 years old when he died, too young to truly rule the country. At age 26, an attack occurred on the castle which was led by the son’s rebellious uncle. The fall of the castle prompted the young shogun’s and his mother’s suicides, along with several generals.

    You can’t help but wonder what would’ve happened if his father hadn’t killed the entire family of the adopted son… history can be so brutal!

    OK, enough about history, back to food! We thought it would be really cool to have Kobe beef in Kobe. So I reserved the seats at the best Kobe beef restaurant in Kobe. In order to make the reservation, I had to pay right then. So the most expensive meal we ever had was paid months prior us even arriving in Japan.

    As soon as we laid our eyes on the two perfect pieces of Kobe beef, we knew we were about the have the best meal of our lives. I can’t even describe properly the first taste of a piece of Kobe beef. It was so tender that it could melt in your mouth! If the perfection can have a taste, this is it!

    The entire process of cooking the beef was also well designed. Instead of having a large chuck of meat all at once, the chef broke the pieces into different sections, and cooked them separately between making vegetables: first, 4 small pieces of beef; then eggplant pieces; then 4 more small pieces of beef; then mushrooms… and so on. Every thing the chef put on our plates was so good that was mind boggling. The entire process lasted more than one hour! We were in food heaven!!

    Japan, a country full of perfectionism, gave us the final act of perfection with this meal. I can’t think of a better way for us to end our trip to Japan.    Read more

  • Traveler2023 Japan/China
    Day 13

    Day 13: Kyoto to Osaka

    June 7, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    Today is traveling day, the train I had booked unfortunately was delayed significantly due to an accident happened at a crossing somewhere. So I purchased tickets for another train and made into Osaka in less than 20 minutes. Bullet train is very cool!

    Our new Airbnb isn’t too far from Osaka train station. We definitely got spoiled by the previous house, feeling disappointed there was only one bathroom in this house. LOL!

    Evan told us that Osaka was the city of neon lights, and it’s very true. When the sea of neon lights suddenly appeared in front of our eyes once we reached the downtown area at night, we were at awe!

    There were so many neon lights that it took a while for my eye sight to get adjusted to them. Part of the area looked like daytime! There were also so many people here, like sardines squeezing into a confined space. We estimated there were probably minimum of 10,000 people here with us tonight!

    The tallest building in Japan is called Harukas building 300, referring the fact the building’s height is 300 meters. Viewing the entire city from the top of this building was an amazing experience! Osaka is indeed a big city! Smaller than Tokyo, but bigger than most cities in the world.

    Tomorrow will be the last full day we have in Japan.    Read more

  • Traveler2023 Japan/China
    Day 12

    Day 12: Kyoto (Happy 18th bday to Evan!)

    June 6, 2023 in Japan ⋅ 🌧 18 °C

    Day 12: Kyoto (Happy 18th Birthday to Evan!)

    This morning was all about celebrating Evan’s 18th Birthday! The candles I brought all the way from home were placed on the French pastries we got yesterday, our Japanese house helped making our photos picture perfect.

    I had scheduled a Kimono Tea ceremony, and we were very excited about it. I have to say, putting on a kimono is super complicated!! I can’t imagine if someone has to put one on themselves. Not surprisingly, it took a lot longer for me to get dressed than the guys.

    The ceremony was excellent! Our host was a very cute Japanese lady, who speaks excellent English. Although she wasn’t too confident about her English herself, kept asking us if we understood her. She was very good at keeping the conversation moving, and getting to know all the guests. The entire event was very charming and relaxing. Although sitting on your knees for a long time was very challenging after a while.

    Next stop, bamboo forests, which was about 45 minutes away from Kyoto. The closer we got to the little town by the forest, the more crowded it got. Even though the bamboo forest was absolutely gorgeous, the crowds certainly added some chaos to the supposedly peaceful atmosphere.

    One of the best rated restaurants in Kyoto is a tiny place with only 10 seats. I reserved our seats months ago by contacting the owner via Facebook, mentioning Evan’s birthday.

    The owner specializes Kyoto style dishes with local ingredients. Every single dish was fresh and tasty, absolutely amazing! We also had some great conversations with the owner and fellow diners.

    As we paid our food and about to leave, the owner stopped us, took out a birthday sash, a pair of funny glasses, a tiara , a laptop loops Happy Birthday song endlessly. Evan, who never liked being the center of attention, blushed all over. But he allowed the restaurant owner to put everything on him, even gave a speech. 😂 The diners who haven’t left yet certainly had a good time celebrating with us.

    I’d say Evan had a memorable birthday today! everything on him,    Read more

  • Traveler2023 Japan/China
    Day 11

    Day 11: Kyoto

    June 5, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    Nara is a city about one hour train ride from Kyoto, and is famous for its deer park, where a large herd of deers (more than 1,200) thrive and become a major attraction to tourists. The deers have been living here for hundreds of years, and considered as sacred animals in the city. They are well cared for and protected. The deer crackers you can buy to feed them are specially designed for them, and safe for them to consume and enjoy.

    As we arrived to the city, after walking about 5 minutes, we could immediately smell them. We bought some crackers, and walked towards the park. I was immediately mobbed by 3 or 4 deers! As a new comer, I was ill prepared for how to handle them. My stack of crackers were gone within a few seconds!

    Steve was laughing and handing me some of his crackers, this time, I learned to take a small piece to feed them. I walked away from those aggressive ones though. Those deers were biggest and most experienced deers, knowing how to bully newcomers. 😳

    The rest of the experience was more calm and fun. The deers would bow to you when asked to be fed. Some were more gentle than others. We didn’t like the ones who tucked our shirts, or nudged at us. The gentle ones got more crackers from us.

    Steve enjoyed feeding the deers so much that he went to got more crackers, and we went to different areas of the park, and fed different groups. The one deer with an injured leg got most crackers from us.

    It’s not often you see animals and humans interacting so peacefully together. Even though the deers are wild, without any caretakers around, no one was mistreating them. Humans are delighted, and deers are happy for the treats. What I saw was a park of harmony and coexistence. Loved it!

    Another major attraction in Nara is Todai-Ji Temple. As we arrived at the entrance, we were at awe of the size of the building, turned out the temple is the largest wooden building in the world!! And the bronze Buddha statue inside is the largest bronze statue in the world! We decided to come to Nara in a whim, so Evan didn’t do any research on this city. Finding out these cool facts was a delightful surprise to us.

    Tomorrow is Evan’s 18th birthday, so we headed back to Kyoto and bought some tasty pastries for his birthday celebration.

    We have been trying to go the the Michelin Star Curry restaurant for two days now. The first time we were here, the restaurant had a sign saying they were in vacation. The second time Google map said they were closed on Sundays. Today, Google map indicated it should be open. However, there was another sign at the door, saying the staff was sick, so they were closed for the next 2 days! Sometimes we get a reminder that not every place is like America, so profits driven that the people’s well being is secondary. Even though we are sad that we may never taste their amazing curry, we do admire them for caring for their staff.

    The last time we were is this area, I saw a restaurant fully of Japanese customers. So we headed directly there. Well, let me just say that you can always trust the locals to know where to eat. The food here is absolutely amazing!! One of the best we had in Japan so far. You can’t even find this restaurant on Google map! We wouldn’t have had the chance to eat here if we hadn’t passed by it. Disappointment turned into another delightful surprise for today.

    Evan’s last day as a child has been a wonderful one!    Read more

  • Traveler2023 Japan/China
    Day 10

    Day 10: Kyoto

    June 4, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    It always seems that the days are longer when you are on vacation. When you are home, the days are kind of similar and blending into each other, suddenly it’s weekends; while you are on vacation, there is so much to do that you are kind surprised that so much are able to be fit into one day.

    Taking advantage of living right in a tourist spot, we were able to take some photos without any tourists in them. However, we still didn’t leave home early enough, because soon after, the streets were full again. We plan to leave even earlier tomorrow.

    For our brunch today, we headed to a market about 20 minutes away. This massive foodie’s heaven is more than 400 years old! So many food stalls and shops stretching all directions, as far as eye can see.

    We were happily trying many different things to eat, fried rice balls on sticks, seafood on sticks, deep fried creamy seafood balls, grilled dough with sweet red bean paste in the middle, and a slice of butter. Every thing was so delicious!! You are not supposed to eat and walk in Japanese markets, we were doing well at first, but forgot the rule when eating the last item. An announcement was made on the loud speaker, reminding people not to eat and walk. We felt so ashamed since it felt it was directed to us. 😂

    One of my favorite places to visit when we were here 10 years ago, was Fushimi Inari Taisha, the mountain with all the red traditional gates on the paths. So I was excited to visit it again. Oh boy, compared with the visitors from 10 years ago, this place got so much busier now. It was hard to find a gap between people for a decent photo. We then figured out the trick was to walk slower than most people, so there would be more chance for a gap. We managed to take some nice pictures this way.

    Next, we went to the Kyoto Imperial Palace, which has become a huge public park. We found a nice shaded spot under a big tree to lay down and rest. I actually took a nice nap there.

    We then ubered to another park with nice gardens. You can always trust Japanese to create relaxing spaces for you to enjoy.

    It was kind of hard to find a place to have dinner today. The curry place we tried to go to yesterday is closed on Sundays; we walked into a nice looking restaurant, only found out that it would cost us about $500 to eat there; picked another place and walked there with our already tired feet, only to find out they were closed, even though Google Maps said they were open. At this point, we were exhausted and hungry. Passed by a sign saying home cooked meal in the basement here, so we went down the stairs. The tiny restaurant only had 10 seats, but it did have three free seats. A cute Japanese couple was running the business, the wife did most of the cooking, while the husband running around doing everything else. It took a while for us to get our food, but the dishes were very tasty! Especially the home made dumplings!

    Checked my Apple Watch when we got back home, I walked over 24,000 steps today! So glad my ankle didn’t give me too much trouble.    Read more

  • Traveler2023 Japan/China
    Day 9

    Day 9: Kanazawa to Kyoto

    June 3, 2023 in Japan ⋅ 🌙 18 °C

    Day 9: Kanazawa to Kyoto

    As we were leaving Kanazawa, the citizens were starting to line up the streets for the festival, and TV reporters already started their broadcasts. Unfortunately we were leaving right before the events started. Oh well, there is always the next time!

    The train ride was comfortable and uneventful, although we snacked the entire way with the yummy food we got from the train station before we left. The fancy cookies with a cat image on the box were especially delicious!!

    I think I found the oldest taxi driver is Japan at the Kyoto train station. He was at least 80 years old! Communication was difficult since the address on Google maps didn’t make sense to him. I ended up showing the nearest landmark to him, this time he got it and started to drive. Well, as Chinese say, the older the ginger the spicier it gets. Our driver was fearless when navigating the busy and narrow Kyoto streets, avoiding all the traffic! At one point, much to our amazement, he turned into an impossibly busy street with many pedestrians. As he slowly driving on, we slowly realized that our Airbnb was in the middle of the busiest tourist attraction in Kyoto!!

    Imagine you were standing in the middle of Time Square in NYT, and found your house right in the middle of it. Well, considering it’s location, we imagined it would be a tiny house.

    Well, we were wrong, very wrong. This house, with a simple black gate facing the tourists, is impossibly large, and beautiful inside. As you walk in, there was a cooking pit on the floor and a large tatami area. To our right, a large modern bathroom, a toilet room and a laundry room. Continuing inside, a dinning room with a fireplace and sofa, next is a decent size kitchen in Japanese standard. A nice courtyard garden outside.

    Second floor, the master bedroom has two king size beds!! Another bathroom with a shower, another toilet room. And then, there is an entire suite at the end of the hallway, with a tatami room, a living room and a bathroom! I think the house is designed for three families to stay here. Evan happily claimed the suite at the end of the hall, Steve and I each got a king size bed. 😂

    Getting onto our comfortable beds, we unintentionally took a nap. By the time we got up, it was dinner time.

    Aiming towards a Japanese curry restaurant which has a Michelin star, we started our stroll on the narrow streets with old houses, admiring how well the streets preserved their heritages and charms. Unfortunately the restaurant was closed today. So we randomly picked a Japanese Western food restaurant since it was busy inside. The hamburger steak and pork cutlets were delicious!!

    Walking the exact same route back, we realized we got a full moon tonight. The streets near our house were quiet now, revealing its real beauty.    Read more

  • Traveler2023 Japan/China
    Day 8

    Day 8: Kanazawa

    June 2, 2023 in Japan ⋅ 🌧 22 °C

    Well, Evan’s plan is great so far, but not perfect. Because just as we are leaving tomorrow, there is the biggest Samurai Festival of Japan happening right outside of our Airbnb, but we will not be here to see it. There will be lion dances, taiko drums, and most interesting of them all, the marching of the actual descendent of Samurai families!! I can’t believe we will miss all of that! 😭

    There was heavy rain all day today, so we were focused on indoor activities.

    Omicho Market is one of the most famous fish markets in Japan, and there is a famous sushi restaurant located within it. We were lucky enough to get seats after waiting for a short time. All I can say is that the sushi here was one of the freshest I’ve ever tasted.

    Kanazawa castle is mostly a wooden structure, there’s no nails in the entire building! Instead, they use intricate locking systems to keep the beams attached. We admired all the architectural details in this amazing building.

    Next, Kanazawa Modern Art Museum. There were a lot of people here, not too surprising since it’s a rainy day. Even though the art pieces were interesting, what impressed me was the fact an entire wing was dedicated to art pieces from Highschool students in the city, and some pieces were very interesting!

    Rain was pouring down hard on us, as we walked slowly towards the Tea House district. The old buildings were well persevered here. You could easily imagine what was like to have Geisha and Samurai walking around in these narrow streets.

    Hot shower felt nice after we got home.    Read more

  • Traveler2023 Japan/China
    Day 7

    Day 7: Tokyo to Kanazawa

    June 1, 2023 in Japan ⋅ 🌧 21 °C

    After a much needed relaxing morning, we headed to Tokyo Train station for our bullet train to Kanazawa.

    Apparently the food vendors near train station ticket counter have limited heating options, for example, they are not allowed to have microwaves. Once again, I am so thankful to Google Translator app, since the cashier had trouble understanding my request of heating things up. My cold bento box was actually quite good!

    Evan went to get some fried chicken, and he was eating it cold, and said it wasn’t too bad. As we were leaving, a Japanese guy stopped Evan, and pull out a piece of paper with English words on it. From what I could understand, he was the guy sold Evan cold fried chicken, and had hard time explaining why it was cold. So he went somewhere got his words translated and wrote them down, and then tracked Evan down to apologize and explain. Japanese people are indeed extremely polite!!

    Our bullet train ride was fast and smooth, 4 hour ride was a breeze.

    We booked an Airbnb house here. Even though the house is over one hundred years old, it’s very well maintained and tastefully decorated. I love the tiny garden in the courtyard! It has the perfect location of right next to all major attractions of the city.

    The reason Evan chose Kanazawa was for its famous gardens. Kenroku garden, which is right by our house, is the most famous one, considered as one of the best in Japan. Since it will be a lot of rain tomorrow, we decided to go there immediately before it closes.

    Well, if we can imagine what a perfect Japanese garden would look like, this is it!! Every sight you see here is picture perfect! The same location can look differently from different angles. The flowers blossomed by little streams, ancient trees of various sizes shaped the spaces, and little bridges provided the focal points. We could spend all day here to admire every corner. Unfortunately it was closing time.

    Dinner was at a restaurant called Itaru, it was a perfect place because it’s busy but still got few tables available to us. The food was surprisingly good!! The sashimi was the freshest we’ve ever eaten, especially the mackerel, it’s entirely possible the fish was caught this morning!

    Rain has started, and it’s going to last all day tomorrow.    Read more

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