A sweetened syrup containing jujube fruits, tremella and lemons.

Chinese dates, we call it jujube, are used in Chinese traditional medicine and good for your health if eaten daily. It can nourish blood and calm the mind for insomnia and restlessness, invigorate the spleen and stomach with poor appetite.

On the other hand, tremella, also known as white fingus is always associated with lung and stomach meridians. In Chinese medicine, it is used to treat coughs and heart palpitations, helps to stimulate immune system, lower blood cholestrol levels, and has been shown to have antitumor properties. Tremella is also considered a vital beauty supplement which help your skin to become soft and pliable.

INGREDIENTS:
You can get these ingredients in Carefour.

• Dried Tremalla, as needed
• Dried Chinese red dates, as needed
• 1/2 Lemon
• 6 cups water
• 7 to 8 tablespoons crushed rock sugar, or to taste

PREPARATION:

1. Soak tremalla and red dates in cold water for 1/2 an hour. Rinse well.
2. Place tremalla and red dates in the pot and add water. Bring to boil for 10 mins. Add rock sugar, stirring to dissolve.
3. Add lemon slices and serve in cold.

Popularity: 11% [?]

I’m finally here! Well, the very first Disney theme park to be constructed on foreign soil, Tokyo Disneyland has become the most visited theme park in the whole world! The most exciting rides are here, the most popular adventure are here, and the most biggest sea theme park are here!

This time, I;m visiting the Disney Sea. It’s flooded with people throughout the year, seems like there is no off-season here. Tokyo Disneyland is located in Urayasu city, Chiba – right outside Tokyo. The best way to get there is by taking the JR Keiyo line from Tokyo station to Maihama station. When you reach Maihama station, it’s about 10 mins walk to the Disneyland, or take Disney Resort Line at Resort Gate Station to Disney Sea Station. Direct Bus from Yokohama, Shinjuku, Haneda Airport, or Narita Airport are also available.

The Monorails at Tokyo Disney were cool!

Ok, the magical journey begins on this Disney train, which comes complete with grey checked couches and are well themed with Disney characters.

Upon arrival, you will need to purchase a Passport which includes all attractions. A one-day-passport costs me 5,500 yen while a 2-day -passport will cost 10,000 yen per adult. There is also a Starlight Passport which cost 4,700 yen for admission to the park after 5pm on certain days.

I make my way behind the super long queue at the main entrance of the park and bought a ticket. I was told about the crazy line, but heard that you can purchase your tickets at some Japan travel agencies, or Tokyo Disneyland Ticket Center located in Hibiya subway station if you want to save time.

There are all sorts of characters around the park.

Bump into one of the classic Disney heroes – Aladdin signing autograph…

Not just water craft can be found at DisneySea!

Journey To The Center if the Earth! The giant volcano.

Fast pass ticket.

Mediterranean Harbor. It resembles a southern European seaport with waterfront buildings and waterways.

The Mickey Stage Show, a 30 mins extravaganza showcasing about 10 of Disney’s classics with dancers and wonderful costumes!

Here comes Donald, Minnie, Mickey and Goofy.

The ending.

For Disney magic that never stops, you can stay at their official Disney hotels – Tokyo DisneySea Hotel MiraCosta, and Tokyo Disneyland hotel – the Disney Ambassador. . There are direct buses from Narita Airport to these hotels, and free Disney shuttle buses to Tokyo Disneyland from their Disney Resort.

We are never too young or too old to visit Tokyo Disneyland.

So… is there any job vacancies in Tokyo Disneyland for me?

Find anything about Tokyo Disneyland here.

Popularity: 30% [?]

I was totally exhausted by the time I reached Tokyo, it’s already 9pm… It has been really tiring and I took absolutely AGES to find my backpacker hostel. Its a bit rush because I had to check in before 10pm… again, the subway route in Tokyo make me headache !! Its freezing at night, all in all a very looooooong day! Here’s my handy map…

This was the first time I got my own room, a very tiny private room… 2m x 2m… haha, I could not hardly believe it. Everything is small in Japan. But I love it here so far…everyone is so polite and friendly, streets are very clean, convenient stores are surprisingly fun and food is decent. People take time out to have lunch together…. everything is so kawaii (cute), vending machines everywhere, its new and exciting !!

A one-day pass is a must when travelling using subway in Tokyo. It’s a lot cheaper and you get unlimited ride. Cabs in Tokyo are expensive.

I went shopping the next day — let me tell you, the shopping here is unreal. It’s unending… neighbourhood by neighbourhood. You could literally spend several days shopping in SHIBUYA alone….. and GINZA, SHINJUKU as well……it’s OVERWHELMING. OMG~~ and the electric city IN AKIHABARA, I spend almost half a day to look at the cameras and mobile phones … It’s very cheap if you buy in duty free shop.

The famous Tokyo Tower.

The Tokyo Tower rose up like a smaller version of Eiffel Tower in red and white, built atop a small hill top.

Nice apartments in city.

Architecture

Pets hotel.

It’s always expensive when talk about foods here. But they are cheap compare to Osaka and Kyoto . I found 180 yen ramen !?!!? Udons at 280 yen… subway fares are cheaper too…

I shop like crazy on my last day in Tokyo, and I got only half a day to do my shopping. But unluckily, shopping centers in Tokyo are only open at 10am and close at 8.30pm……my flight back to Shanghai is at 4.55pm (6 May)…… it takes more than an hour to reach Narita Airport from my hostel…

Sayonara Tokyo!

Popularity: 11% [?]

Fushimi Inari Shrine is famous for its thousands of closely-spaced orange torii gates that wind over the hills of Inariyama beyond the entrance to the shrine, creating spectacular, bright tunnels.

Inari shrines honor the patron deities of agriculture and business, ensuring a constant stream of worshippers and the individual torii are donated by merchants hoping to get ahead in business, and they are not cheap. You will notice dozens of small statues around the shrine of the fox deity (kitsune) – the messenger of Inari.

Admission is free and it is a good hike to the top. It can be access by Fushimi Inari station (Keihan Line) or JR Inari station from Kyoto station.

Popularity: 9% [?]

Ryoan-ji Temple has on of the most famous Zen gardens in the Karesansui (dry landscape) style, a collection of 15 rocks in a sea of raked sand, enclosed by an earthen wall. It is one of the most heavily visited sites in Kyoto have relegated it to a place that "tourists" go to.

The roots of the art of Japanese garden date back to antiquity. Initially, Japanese gardening was under the fundamental influence of Chinese and Korean immigrants. It was not until the Heian period (794-1185 AD) that it became exclusively a Japanese affair, being still a hobby rather than profession or even art. Later on, the monks of Buddhist temples came to assert themselves as garden designers and it was Buddhism, namely its contemplative form "Zen" that created the original, truly Japanese form of gardens known as karesansui – dry or rock garden.

The garden itself is a series of boulders, all together 15 "floating" in a sea of raked gravel. Accordingly, it’s only 14 can be seen, and when one has attained enlightenment, the 15th will become visible.

Many explanations are given for the rock arrangement and minimal decoration. Probably all that can be said that it is highly influence by the ideals of the tea ceremony, in which wabi – honesty, rusticity and understatement are held esteem. The idea of wabi resonated well with the Zen of Buddhism, which incorporated tea Architecture into the temple design, leading to gardens like Ryoan-ji. Wabi is also a powerful design technique that combines simplicity and understatement to allow the viewers’ imagination to "fill in the blanks".

Popularity: 7% [?]

The image of the pavilion which stands at the edge of Kyokochi pond, is reflected in the water and makes a beautiful postcard picture.

I made it to the Golden Pavilion and had a good experience taking it all in. Kinkaku-ji is a Zen temple, formally known as Rokuonji and is listed on the UNESCO World Heritage list. It is constructed in 1937 as part of a new residence for the retire shogun. The pavilion was converted into a Zen temple after the shogun’s death.

Pheonix at the roof top.

The Zen-influenced Golden Pavilion has delicately curving roofs and the walls and eaves of the second and third stories are covered with fine gold leaf, surrounded by a calm lake and gorgeous Japanese Gardens. The architecture is a symbol of Kitayama culture. However, this pavilion is not original. It was burned to the ground many years ago and was rebuild again. The gold leaf is five times thicker than the original coating. You almost need sunglasses! Be sure to explore the surrounding as well. Kinkakuji is probably Kyoto’s most famous and certainly most photographed temple garden. No trip to Kyoto is complete without seeing this Pavillion.

Behind the garden… Statues

You can access Kinkakuji by city bus to Kinkakuji Mae, remember to get a one-day pass and you can use it for public buses or subway. Take bus number 101 or 205 from Kyoto Station. You can also take the Karasuma Subway line to Kitaoji station from where the temple can be reached in a short bus ride. Admission is Y400 and it opens from 9:30 am to 5pm. There were a lot of people there, but it was still worth it. Arrive early to avoid the crowds. You have to visit here if you are ever in Japan.

Popularity: 6% [?]

Kyoto is beautiful…., without doubt, the most romantic city in Japan. A roughly 30 mins from Osaka. Because of its rich cultural heritage, Kyoto was not targeted in the air raids of world war II, and as a result, it is still home to numerous priceless structures, temples and shrines. At the same time, Kyoto is a bustling modern city. I’m able to navigate Kyoto by myself using public transportation! It’s pretty easy… City buses go from one tourist attraction to another.

Scene that I’ve seen when I came out JR Kyoto line station.

Kyoto one day-pass for subway and buses – 1200 Jp Yen.

Temple in the city.

Kyoto streets with vending machines everywhere.

I had my ramen at a small shop when I reach Kyoto. Its the most delicious ramen I’ve ever had. The soup is warm and the noodles are hot !! Food and subway are very expensive in Kyoto. The most cheapest meal I had is 500 Japanese yen for just a bowl of tempura udon ~

Stairs, stairs… and stairs!

The most unexpected thing is, there’s a lot of staircase !! haha, although I think the stairs are what attributed to me losing basically 1 pound per day during my 3 days visit in Kyoto. I’d visited some temples with fantastic architecture which took 2 hours to climb to the top of the mountain… I’m glad I trained a bit back in Shanghai cause I have been walking a lot of miles (or kilometers) since i got here…….

The backpackers hostel that I am staying in Kyoto is very very clean. I met a few Australians and British here. In the evening of 3rd May, l leave Kyoto to Tokyo. It tooks around 2 hours by Shinkansen (bullet train)….. It’s super FAST !!! A normal train would takes 10++ hours to reach Tokyo… can you imagine that !??!?!?!

Popularity: 7% [?]

Forest in the city. City in the forest.

The main hall of Kiyomizudera Temple, stands in the wooded hills that offers you a nice view over Kyoto city. Below the terrace, you can taste the spring water that believe to have healing power.

Kiyomizudera ("Pure Water Temple") is one of the most celebrated temples in Japan. This temple was addded to the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites.

This temple features a unique style in which the building faces out over a high precipe with the floor supported by long pillars.

Popularity: 6% [?]

Umeda Sky Building is a spectacular highrise and modern architecture is a landmark in Kita area of Osaka. It is also know as The Floating Garden Observatory. The 173m tall building consists of 2 towers which are conected with each other by the "Floating Gardern" at the very top, which is the 39th floor. Standing at the top floor gives you a great view of the city. Admission fee if 700 yen. It’s a 10-15 minute walk from Osaka and Umeda Stations.

I need to walk further down the street to take the whole view of the building.

Below the building, looking up…

The escalator at the top, connecting to the floating garden.

A panoramic landscape of Osaka. You can view through a full 360 degrees.

Another view from the open roof top observatory floor.

Old Japanese house behind Umeda Sky building.

Popularity: 7% [?]

Popularity: 2% [?]