My Family Trip To Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto and Wakayama, Japan - part 2

To read part 1 of my family trip to Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto and Wakayama, Japan, please click HERE.

After breakfast at FP Hotel South Namba, we visited Arashiyama Bamboo Grove which is one of the popular attractions in Kyoto. It was an amazing experience standing among all these thick bamboo stalks and breathing the fresh morning air. 

Another popular attraction is the Kinkaku-ji Temple (The Golden Pavilion) which is registered as a World Heritage Site. Gold foil on lacquer covers the upper two levels of Kinkaku and a shiny phoenix stands on top of the roof. This temple looks very beautiful with its reflection on the pond.

After our stroll at the gardens of Kinkaku-ji Temple, we had a simple lunch.

Then we visited Gion which is one of the most well known Geisha districts in Japan. This was my favorite place because of the beautiful architecture of the buildings and tourists were seen dressed in traditional costumes. There were lots of food stalls and souvenir shops here.

My son ringing the bell to make a wish.

At night, we walked to some restaurants nearby our hotel and I was impressed with the restaurant exterior decorations and lightings. There were very colorful and beautiful.

My son enjoying his ramen noodle.

After having our dinner, we walked back to the hotel and slept early because we planned to visit Universal Studios Japan early the next day. We were all very excited especially the kids. To read my blog post about our trip to Universal Studios Japan, click HERE. 

On our last day of our trip, we visited Wakayama Castle. This beautiful castle serves as a symbol of the Wakayama City and its tower offers a great view of the whole town.

We also visited Kuroshio Market where we watched a man cut a whole tuna with a very sharp knife. 

We ate very fresh seafood here for lunch. It was my first time eating very tasty crab meat. I love the food here.

We visited the breath taking Sandanbeki Rock Cliff which was really beautiful. Seeing the raging waves striking the cliffs and the cool breeze blowing onto my face was exciting and memorable.

My family and I enjoyed our trip to Japan very much. We loved the scenery, food and their culture. The travel experience and memories we had were priceless. We would love to visit Japan again someday. Hope you enjoyed reading my blog post. 

My Family Trip To Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto and Wakayama, Japan - part 1

I have been to Tokyo when I was a little girl and I have wanted to visit Japan again after so many years. So I planned a family trip to Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto and Wakayama. We went in March during the spring time and the weather was very cool and nice. We took the Air Asia flight and followed a tour group. Even though it was a short 6 days 4 nights trip, we were happy to visit many interesting places including Universal Studios Japan.

On our first day, we visited Hakutsuru Sake Factory which is a brewery housed in an old warehouse. Hakutsuru Sake Brewing is located in the Nada district of Kobe, a leading sake production center known throughout Japan. This area has high quality spring water and cold winters which are ideal for brewing sake. This place is like a museum that illustrates the different stages of the brewing process with life-size models. There was also sake wine tasting for tourists.

Our next stop was Kobe Mount Rokko where there was an observation deck for a breathtaking panoramic view of Osaka Bay. I loved the scenic view very much.

We had a delicious meal for lunch and I realized that Japanese food is usually saltier than Malaysian food but the taste was good.

After our lunch, we went to nearby shops for some shopping. We saw lots of cute Rilakkuma and Hello Kitty souvenirs, bags and plushies.

After our shopping, we visited Osaka Castle which is one of Japan's most famous landmarks and it played a major role in the unification of Japan during the 16th century of the Azuchi-Momoyama period.

To see the Osaka Castle, we needed to walk a distance through a beautiful garden. We were lucky to see cherry blossom flowers blooming even though it was in March. We were so happy the cherry blossoms bloomed earlier this year.

These were other beautiful flowers that captured my attention.

In the late evening, we headed to Shinsaibashi-Suji Shopping Street for some shopping. This is located in the heart of Osaka. There were lots of department stores, souvenir and fashion shops. Free Wi-Fi is available along Shinsaibashi-Suji Shopping Street.

We did not buy much here because our Malaysian currency was low and most things seem to be expensive after the conversion. We could probably get similar things in Malaysia at a lower price. So it was mostly window shopping.

After a tired day, we had delicious steamboat dinner and checked into FP Hotel South Namba for a good rest. For part 2 of my blog post, click HERE. To read my Universal Studios Japan post, click HERE. Thanks for reading.

Cardfight!! Vanguard - Japanese Trading Card Game

Recently my son and I had the privilege to be introduced to a cardfight game. This was our first time learning to play Cardfight!! Vanguard. 

Cardfight!! Vanguard is an internationally popular Japanese Trading Card Game published by Bushiroad and sold in 57 countries. Ranked as the Top 4 Best Trading Card Game in 2017, Cardfight!! Vanguard is fun and engaging for both young and old alike as the game emphasizes on critical thinking. The rules of the game is quite complicated especially for young children like my son. 

The new line of English version products from the popular trading card game, Cardfight!! Vanguard, were available from June 8, 2018, starting with the trial decks featuring the two protagonists, Aichi Sendou and Toshiki Kai of the titular animation.

Bushiroad recently announced that Cardfight!! Vanguard has stepped forth into a new era, with changes made to the play format and the Cardfight!! Vanguard animation embarking on a new season based on the comic series by Akira Ito on May 5, 2018. English dubbing for the animation is now available on the official Cardfight!! Vanguard YouTube channel as well.

Leading the charge for the new line of products since the new play format has been introduced, are two trial decks, Trial Deck 01: Aichi Sendou and Trial Deck 02: Toshiki Kai. Trial Decks are built decks that are instantly ready for cardfights as soon as the players acquire them. The clans for the trial decks, 《Royal Paladin》and《Kagero》 are the same as the clans Aichi Sendou and Toshiki Kai use in the animation.

As the first products in the new lineup, there are numerous perks for players in these trial decks. Lucky players will find a special card with the creator of the Cardfight!! Vanguard comics, Akira Ito’s hot-stamped signature. An exclusive PR pack consisting of alternate illustrations for the cards “Gallatin” and “Nehalem” will also be given to players with every purchase of the two trial decks while stocks last. Fans of the trading card game will also be able to feast on the new illustrations of selected units.

Chinese Edition Cardfight!! Vanguard
The Chinese subtitled version of the animation is currently airing on the popular Tencent video streaming platform. The Chinese dubbed version of the animation is also in the works and more information about its broadcast will be available subsequently.
To cater to the growing demand for Cardfight!! Vanguard products in the Chinese market, Bushiroad has confirmed plans for the Chinese edition of the Cardfight!! Vanguard trading card game with talks carried out regarding its development and release.

For more information about Cardfight!! Vanguard products, please visit https://en.cf-vanguard.com/products/ or https://en.bushiroad.com/. 


List of Shop for Cardfight!! Vanguard English Edition in Malaysia

Decards Enterprise: Add: 1-68, Summit City USJ, Jalan Kewajipan, Subang Jaya, 47620, Selangor 

Me Two Sdn Bhd Add: 27, Persiaran Raja Muda Musa, Klang, Selangor, 41200 

Ultimate games Corner Add: Lot D6, Tingkat 3, Metro Point Complex, Jalan Sungai Jelok 8, Kajang, 43000 Selangor 

Comic Tracks Add: S30, IOI MALL , 2nd floor , Bandar Puchong Jaya, Puchong 47100 

ACE Cards & Collectibles Add: TK-10, 3rd Floor Midvalley Megamall, Kuala Lumpur, 59200 

Azone Games & Hobbies Add: Bo1-11, MKH Boulevard, Jalan Bukit, Kajang, Selangor, 43000 

Vanguard Café Add: F10 , Aeon Mall Shah Alam, 40100 Shah Alam, Malaysia 

Ministry of Hobbies Add: Millennium Square, Lot 1-042 No 90, Jalan 14/1, Seksyen 14, 46100 Petaling Jaya, Selangor 

25C Arts and Hobbies Add: 25B, Jalan SS4D/2,People's Park, Petaling Jaya, 47301 

Genius Maze Add: 16-1 Suria Jelutong, Jalan Bazar U8/99, Seksyen U8 Shah Alam 

Little Akiba Add: 44B, Jalan SS15/4D, 47500 Subang Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan 

Card Games Kingdom Add: B5-2-9, Jalan Teknologi 2/1A Signature Park Kota Damansara, 47810, Petaling Jaya Selangor. 

Toysbar Add: 4A jalan ss22/21 Damansara Jaya Petaling Jaya Selangor 47400 

Neko Neko Nyaa Add: Lot 11390, Commercial Centre, Jalan Song,Tabuan Height, 93350 Kuching Sarawak.

You can find out more here, https://kcdistributions.com/.

Vitagen Healthy Digestion Program

This year marks the 10 th anniversary of the VHDP celebrating the World Digestive Health Day
(WDHD). This programme is part of the initiative to raise awareness of digestive health among
Malaysians. The launch of WDHD 2018 in conjunction with the road show will be held at Main
Atrium, Ground Floor, Sunway Velocity Mall from 28 th June to 1 st July 2018.
VITAGEN’s commitment to the public

Visitors at the roadshow taking full advantage of the various educational activities.

Since 2008, VHDP has been consistent in promoting the importance of good digestive health to the
public. VHDP collaborates with expert bodies in order to provide expert information and free health
checks to the public. This helps raise public awareness on the importance of digestive health and
preventive measures. The collaborating expert bodies are Digestive Health Malaysia Society (DHM),
Nutrition Month Malaysia (NMM) programme, Positive Parenting (PP) programme, and National
Cancer Council (MAKNA).

Visitors waiting for their turn at the VITAGEN Digestive Health Game Stations

As the market leader for over 40 years, VITAGEN continues to promote digestive care via public
educational campaign and school programmes. VITAGEN has also been supporting and working
closely with Pusat Perubatan Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (PPUKM) in a comprehensive research
to investigate the correlation of good bacteria with the improvement of health and wellbeing.

Promoting good digestive health
The main highlight of the event will be the unveiling and presentation of the final results of the
research by PPUKM after several years of effort. Apart from that, the Digestive Health Assessment
Tool (DHAT), a user-friendly online assessment tool, will be available to the public for a quick
evaluation of their digestive health. Other highlights include a public video screening on colon
cancer—emphasising the ease of the check-up process to encourage the public to go for a regular
medical check-up—as well as the distribution of stool test kits that can be used to check the
presence of blood in a stool sample.

Visitors listening to explanation about Vitagen and its benefit.

A wide array of activities for the whole family will also be featured at the four-day event; free health
screenings, expert consultations, fitness demonstration, interactive digestive health games, and
colouring contest. The highlight is a series of new interactive 3D Digestive Health Mural, where
visitors can have fun taking photos, while learning about the digestive journey in our body.
Keen to learn more about your digestive health and ways to improve your wellbeing? Then mark
your calendar and get your whole family to experience WDHD 2018 at Sunway Velocity Mall!

Jordan's Finding Picasso Coloring Contest

"Hey everyone! Have you heard about Jordan’s Finding Picasso contest yet? Jordan, the Scandinavian oral care brand, has a contest right now that your children aged between 6 to 12 years old can participate in and stand a chance to win really amazing prizes, with a total prize value of RM30,000 up for grabs! Prizes include a PlayStation 4, iPads and of course, tons of high quality products from Jordan. It’s really easy to participate! Just head on down to your nearest pharmacies, supermarkets and hypermarkets and buy some Jordan products! With the purchase you would be eligible to participate.  Don’t wait any longer as the contest will end on June 30, so this means only one more month to test your children’s creativity! It will surely be a fun experience. Let your children’s creativity flow and find the ‘Picasso’ genius in them!" For more information, please head to www.findingjordanpicasso.com.

Bio-Oil - Specialist Skincare Oil

Every woman knows the beauty of pregnancy when she becomes pregnant but there is also fear of stretch marks and other scars that comes along with the birth of her baby. Men or women who have lost a lot of weight worry about stretch marks. Well, you need not worry because there is Bio-Oil which helps improve the appearance of scars, stretch marks, aging skin, dehydrated skin and uneven skin tone. Bio-Oil is a multipurpose specialist skincare product that has won 223 skincare awards for its effectiveness.

Recently, Bio-Oil Malaysia celebrated Mothers’ Day in May with their campaign titled #sheisremarkable. This is an offshoot of Bio-Oil’s year-long 2018 campaign #iamremarkable, which celebrates the milestones in a woman’s life, especially the most meaningful events, like having a baby, and having the experience of becoming a mother enrich the relationship with one’s own mother.

The celebration was kicked off with a video entitled Remarkable Love, showcasing the unique bond between Yasmin Hani and her mother. It revolves around when she just gave birth who has just given birth. In her musings, she flashes back to the time when she was pregnant and her relationship with her own mother.

This campaign is followed with a Facebook contest, where fans of Bio-Oil post snapshots with their mothers. Eleven pairs of Bio-Oil products are up for grabs in conjunction with Bio-Oil’s 11 th year anniversary in Malaysia.

Bio-Oil is also running a contest until the end of June whereby with purchase of Bio-Oil 60ml, you can stand a chance to win a studio photoshoot and makeover session of you and your loved ones. Our journey is an ever changing one and thus Bio-Oil encourages everyone out there, regardless what stage they’re at, to capture the moment and savour the memories.

#sheisremarkable is not only about celebrating oneself as a woman, but to highlight the support received from meaningful relationships with others. Not only can Bio-Oil assist a woman in looking and feeling her best, but it amplifies the joy in being able to share this with others.

“Mother’s love is true love – the purest form of love there is. It is protective and self-sacrificing and wants the best for her daughter. Conversely, a daughter’s love for her mother is irreplaceable. Even though the bond may be complex and fraught with difficulties, at the end of the day there is no other love like the love between a mother and daughter. Pregnancy and giving birth helps to seal the bond between a grown up daughter and her mother, as she is finally in a position to empathise with what her mother went through in carrying and giving birth to her and caring for her. Bio-Oil is an ideal oil to salve and seal that bond, because it can be used to prevent and treat stretch marks, as well as to treat ageing lines,” says Ms. Low Hooi Wan, Business Unit Manager of Bio-Oil Malaysia. “It is truly a product that can be passed down from generations to generations.”

Bio-Oil Malaysia Mother's Day 2018 - Remarkable Love 
Youtube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWiusR23RcU&feature=youtu.be

Website: https://www.bio-oil.com/my/my-en

Lucky Winners of Fortune Saranghaeyo contest organised by Kenny Rogers ROASTERS

Last week, my son and I attended the prize giving ceremony of The Fortune Saranghaeyo contest organised by Kenny Rogers ROASTERS (KRR). Three lucky winners won their 4D3N flight tickets respectively to Korea’s Jeju Island, Busan, and Seoul!

The winners – Mohd Amin Bin Hadarih, Zahar Bin Amir, and Suzan Binti Vincent were presented with their flight tickets by Andy How, Director of Operations and Restaurant Development and Joyce Kau, Senior Product Market Manager. In celebration of the joyous occasion and the Ramadhan month, the winners were also treated to KRR’s latest Meriah Raya meal, which will run until 31 st July, consisting of Ayam Masak Merah on KRR’s signature rotisserie roasted chicken or OMG Unfried Fried chicken, Kenny’s Nasi Tomato, and the crowd-favourite Riang Ria muffin a creamy pandan muffin with a combination of grated coconut steeped in rich brown sugar.

“The Fortune Saranghaeyo meal is our boldest meal promotion to date which became a hit with guests, and this was especially evident when we received an overwhelming response from the contest. This our way to reward guests to keep a healthy lifestyle by eating delicious wholesome meals – which reap fruitful rewards! The key takeaway from this is to advocate that a well-balanced food consumption is truly vital to give one the energy to carry out their day,” said Thila Chandran, Senior Manager of Berjaya Roasters (M) Sdn Bhd. The Fortune Saranghaeyo contest ran from 1 st February to 30 th April 2018 allowed three lucky guests win a pair of 4 days and 3 nights trip to Korea’s Jeju Island, Busan, or Seoul. To participate, guests had to post a picture of them enjoying the Fortune Saranghaeyo meal on their social pages with a creative caption about why they want to travel to Korea with Traveloka.

“Seeing the winners’ elated faces was priceless as it goes to show that they understood that a healthy mind, body and soul is important when travelling. And now, their reward is a wholesome experience of Korea from tasting the food to now living the dream to visit the country!” said Joyce Kau, Senior Product Market Manager.

Aside to the three grand prize winners, 18 participants also won consolation prizes of KRR vouchers worth RM 200 each.

During the prize giving ceremony, lucky draw prizes were also given to bloggers and I was one of the lucky draw winners to win RM 200 Traveloka hotel voucher. Thanks.

For more information on Kenny Rogers ROASTERS, kindly contact 03 - 2119 9888. You can also visit www.krr.com.my or connect to www.facebook.com/krrmalaysia.