Oh Osaka!

Benarkah aku benar-benar bersyukur?

I have always loved travelling.  But I discovered something different this time around. I realize that perhaps I don't fancy travelling in a group.  Is that good or bad? I have yet to discover my true self. This time it was Osaka. We arrived at Kansai International Airport on Sunday morning,18th October. The temperature was 23 degrees and soon after we were 'rushed' to TODAI-JI temple.  Imagine seeing some of the qualifiers brushing their teeth at the airport as we had to go straight to our first tourist destination. Quietly, I pacify myself,

                                                  "Be grateful, be grateful Yati. Syukur!"

Before we went down the bus, the tour guide reminded us AGAIN to keep track of time. AHA! This was ONE of the things that bothers me in all my group trips. Time limit. Gosh. I quickly brushed away my negative thoughts. It's never easy to impress a seasoned traveler. 

      

         
               Luckily, my heart guided me well. As soon as we came down the bus, I couldn't believe my eyes! There were reindeer everywhere. How wonderful! They were roaming around the temple park, blending with the crowd. Here we were, flocking into their kingdom and they seemed NOT to be bothered with the invasion! How kind.  I've never been among so many reindeer!. This place is surely full of life.  We had to hurry our steps and as I looked around, there it was... 

               The magnificent Todai-Ji Temple. Built in the Nara period (710-794 AD) during the rein of Emporer Shomu, the temple is a place of prayer and also a center of Buddhist doctrinal research. According to literature, Todaiji has produced famous scholar priests. The width of the current building is approximately 33% smaller that that of the original structure but it still ranks as the largest wooden structure in the world! Wow!

Todaiji Temple

The weather was clear and sunny and so all our photos turned out awesome. Later, I  was told that the second wave of qualifiers who arrived in November had to take photos in the rain with their rain coats on.                                                                     
                                                             Belajarlah bersyukur Yati!

Love it!

    Looking at the fine weather and fresh air, I was hoping to practice my Nafas Damai (a deep breathing technique propagated by my teacher Auk Murat) by the lake when suddenly I caught a glimpse of my tour guide with her poster raised high above her head! -  reminding me to urgently go to the bus.  Well, nothing in life is perfect. Given a choice I would stay for at least another hour exploring the park and it's beauty. That's just me.  I love parks.

           Stay positive dear.  We are having lunch in a while so hang on.

                                                                                                                                                             

An hour later, we arrived at a fancy Japanese restaurant.  We were told that they served the best sought after cuisine. Frankly, I don't know what they are but I heard they mentioned something like Kimchi, Sashimi and Tempura. I am terrible with food. Meaning, if I can't acquire the taste, I can't push myself to swallow them. That's bad. I stayed one hour staring at the food while my two friends Shahid & Din, enjoyed themselves. Too bad yati. Served you right for being picky :(

                After lunch I was told that we would be heading to Osaka Castle. It's a must tourist attraction and according to the tour guide, during the cherry blossom season, people would flock this place and we would have to walk miles away to reach the bus parking area. The castle grounds cover approximately 15 acres.

The main tower which is the Osaka tower itself was built overlooking a moat. It is five stories on the outside and eight stories on the inside. To reach the castle, we had to past through the a lawn covered park which was thronged with cherry trees .  Many would prefer to go during the cherry blossom season. By this time, I wasn't complaining at all.  It was just breathtaking. I think I finally fall in love with Japan! At 6 p.m. we finally reached our hotel. My feet hurt and my body ached. I followed my tour guide advice - Don't forget to soak your body in the hot bathtub!

Well, there's nothing more to share other than the shopping at Rinku Premium Outlets which didn't really thrill me (sorry people). But I have one last picture which I thought had value in it.  So I should share with all of you. I call it an act of love. 

       I thought what this qualifier from Johor did was so sweet. This guy brought along his parents to Osaka. I have to say, they were really sporting and they walked as much as we did! Shame on me!
     It's so awesome to work hard and having to spend time with your loved ones. Take them for trips.  Well, this guy did. The question is. When was the last time we did something similar?

Let's give it a thought.
Have a blast life everyone!