Day Three – 13 May 2007 (Sunday)

Rise and shine at 0600hrs (By the way Japan is one hour ahead of Singapore, i.e., it is 0500hrs in Singapore when I woke up in Japan hor!) After an English breakfast at the hotel, we departed for Osaka Castle.



Next stop, Nara Deer Park.



The deers were all roaming freely and were super greedy. A lot of tourists and vistors went there prepared to feed them and had packets of food for them. Was rather afraid that the deer would start chasing after me. Haha.. Behind this Nara Deer Park is the Todaiji Temple. Just a holy temple and lotsa Buddha statues.



Went for lunch next. At a typical Japanese teahouse. Our first Japanese meal of the trip.



Kiyomizu Temple – The temple is built on top of 139 tree logs, without a single nail or screw. The structure is simply supported by the tree logs. The Japanese believe that the incense smoke will protect and bless them, so they will use their hands to fan the smoke towards their face and body. And Japanese incense smoke is not so smoky and smelly as the incense that we use in Singapore!



They had the natural spring water that is also supposedly to bless you. Each ‘tap’ has a different blessing – health & prosperity, wisdom and good fortune.



Bullet Train! How can we miss this out when in Japan? Bullet train is called Shinkansen in Japanese. Highest speed that it can reach is 256 km/h. Our train ride was only 20 minutes, but our driver had to drive for about an hour in order to meet us at our destination stop!





After a BBQ buffet dinner (that was simply too smoky and smelly) we checked into our hotel of that night – Westin Nagoya Castle (Room 509) and our room oversaw the Nagoya Castle directly.

Day Three – 13 May 2007 (Sunday)

Rise and shine at 0600hrs (By the way Japan is one hour ahead of Singapore, i.e., it is 0500hrs in Singapore when I woke up in Japan hor!) After an English breakfast at the hotel, we departed for Osaka Castle.



Next stop, Nara Deer Park.



The deers were all roaming freely and were super greedy. A lot of tourists and vistors went there prepared to feed them and had packets of food for them. Was rather afraid that the deer would start chasing after me. Haha.. Behind this Nara Deer Park is the Todaiji Temple. Just a holy temple and lotsa Buddha statues.



Went for lunch next. At a typical Japanese teahouse. Our first Japanese meal of the trip.



Kiyomizu Temple – The temple is built on top of 139 tree logs, without a single nail or screw. The structure is simply supported by the tree logs. The Japanese believe that the incense smoke will protect and bless them, so they will use their hands to fan the smoke towards their face and body. And Japanese incense smoke is not so smoky and smelly as the incense that we use in Singapore!



They had the natural spring water that is also supposedly to bless you. Each ‘tap’ has a different blessing – health & prosperity, wisdom and good fortune.



Bullet Train! How can we miss this out when in Japan? Bullet train is called Shinkansen in Japanese. Highest speed that it can reach is 256 km/h. Our train ride was only 20 minutes, but our driver had to drive for about an hour in order to meet us at our destination stop!





After a BBQ buffet dinner (that was simply too smoky and smelly) we checked into our hotel of that night – Westin Nagoya Castle (Room 509) and our room oversaw the Nagoya Castle directly.