Kobe, Japan: Arima Onsen

I love Japan for the authentic-ness of its onsen. Arima in Kobe is perfect as a day trip from Osaka, I used the Kansai 3-day pass to get there. They have gold and silver baths and they are within walking distance from each other and from the train station. 

The bath houses are nothing fancy - they are small, with modern facilities and not at all crowded or touristy - perfect for me! I met a Chinese tourist in one of the bath houses and she could tell I was a tourist and apparently, she has been coming here for a soak for several consecutive days and she says her skin is super smooth. I believe her, but for long term effects - we need to soak regularly for longer - so, we really need to retire to Japan. Taiwan is up for consideration too. Afterall, the Japanese did bring the onsen culture there (in addition to many others).

Fly out beware.

Kin-no Yu Spa (Gold) - 150 m, 2 min

Gin-no Yu Spa (Silver) - 450 m, 6 min

2 baths for 850 yen and 3 baths for 1000 yen. I definitely went to bath Gold and Silver onsens, but I can't recall if I soaked at both.... I think I would have, but honestly, I don't recall with 100% confidence (it's highly probable I wouldn't miss out on both). If I revisit Arima, I will find out if they are familiar. 

The foot soak and water fountain is free, but I need a full body soak!

No littering is understood, but no smoking outdoors? 

Thanks to the Pass that got me everywhere (for 3 non-consecutive days).

Osaka, Japan: Universal Studios

My previous Japan trip was a solo trip and I went to Tokyo Disneysea alone. Not sure if it was the park ride per se, but theme parks are more fun and practical going with company. The queue is really long and if you need to go to the washroom... Also, I wouldn't have the guts to go on most of the rides if I was alone. So I'm proud to say I went on most (if not ALL) the rides at USJ! Many thanks to E for just being there. Standing in line - you wonder "why am I doing this" but the longer the wait, you transition to "I've queued so long, just do it". The scarier the ride, the faster it is, so there isn't much time to be scared. Also, the wilder your hair goes, and you can't wait your glasses, so that takes a substantial bit of scare our of the equation. 

TIP 1: Go for the Hollywood Dream ride! You'd think that it's a regular roller coaster but blasting music drowns out the screams and this makes the experience quite different from the usual! I would have love to do it backwards too!

TIP 2: We queued the longest for the VR Kyary Pamyu Pamyu. It's a seasonal ride under the 'Cool Japan' lineup. It's very telling when there are that many people who stay in line, towards closing time, whether tourist or locals. The longer you waited in line, the more you feel you are losing out on other rides (we had done most of the thrilling ones, so this was a wild card-filler type). But I didn't see anyone leaving the queue, and I'm glad we didn't! Just go for any VR roller coaster - for the tech. They can make the tracks disappear, so it really feels like you are falling into the darkness... GO when the park opens and rush for the VR rides first (because the queue builds up fast), if that there is none, go for the Harry Potter roller coaster one (Note: In comparison, after our Pamyu Pamyu ride, we had some time so we headed to the Harry Potter area, and they just ushered us right in for one last HP roller coaster - that is how "unpopular" the ride is in comparison to the Pamyu Pamyu ride, the queue of which closed like hours before park closure time).

First and last place to head to: Harry Potter

 

But I took the actual Harry Potter train already.

 

 

JAWS

 

 

Parade (for everything non-Disney)

 

Always have food for on the go! 

   

 So proud I went on this ride! So fast, so blur, I couldn't see anything.

 

Just strolling in a random scenic US town, maybe San Francisco?

 











Los Angeles?

 





We did the Spiderman ride - It was okay.

 

Taking photos with mascots requires some effort - Cookie Monster works hard and expects you to too!

 



 Of course - time for souvenir shopping

 

 Goodbye Universal! I'd be back to take Hollywood Dreams backwards.