The city of Yokohama Japan, is now hosting a Pickachu Summer street
festival until Monday the 17th of August 2015. Pikachu is the popular mascot for
the Pokémon cartoon and video game chain. Over 1000 Giant Pikachus will be in the Yokohama Minatomirai area.
To see the Giant Pikachus go to the Landmark Hall Shopping Center in Yokohama Minatomirai Japan. They will also be performing dance routines in random areas on the streets of the Minatomirai harbor area, Sakuragicho Station, and also at the Aka Renga complex.While you are there check out the free Anpanman Show.
Giant Pikachu Yokohama Minatomirai Japan
Anapanman Yokohama Minatomirai Japan
Pikachu Yokohama Minatomirai Japan
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Summer is a great time to take children to see outdoor shows in Japan. The Anpanman museums are located in Yokohama, Sendai, Nagoya, Fukuoka and Kobe. Here your children can enjoy the world of one of Japans most famous cartoon characters, Anpanman. This cartoon series is over 30 years old and is still a very popular children's TV show and book series.
The entry fee to the Anpanman musuem is 1500yen for children over 1 year of age and adults. A small gift is given to each child upon entry. However there are free shows on weekends in front of the museum and there is an interesting shop with food and souvenirs that will also interest children. I recently took my daughter to see the free show in Yokohama. She was very impressed by it, and enjoyed meeting all the characters including Anpanman, Currypanman, Shokupanman, Uncle Jam, Batako, Cheese, Baikinman, Dokinchan, Horaaman, and, Melonpanna.
Museum Opening hours are: 10 am to 6pm. The shop is open until 7pm. Here is the official website: http://www.kobe-anpanman.jp/
Anpanman Museum Yokohama Japan
Show at Anpanman Museum Yokohama Japan
Anpanman Cakes Yokohama Japan
Show at Anpanman Museum Yokohama Japan
Show at Anpanman Museum Yokohama Japan
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I recently went to Uniqlo near Umeda Station in Osaka. I picked up a Black Jack shirt for only 500 yen. Black Jack is a very famous Manga character in Japan. Great deals can be found at Uniqlo as they have sales every weekend. It is usually cheaper to buy on weekends than on weekdays. Some stores will also heavily discount excess stock, so some Uniqlo stores will have cheaper items than others. Therefore it is a good idea to look inside different Uniqlo stores when bargain hunting. End of season is another great time to get heavily discounted merchandise at Uniqlo.
See Japan Daily Fun Facts for more information on Black Jack
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Vending
machines in Japan sell a huge assortment of products, mostly drinks including
beer and other alcoholic drinks, cold or hot tea, soft drinks, soup,
cigarettes, food, toys, cards, books and even umbrellas. For more information about vending machines in Japan visit Japan Daily Fun Facts.
Vending Machine Suma Kobe Hyogo Japan
Heated
Vending Machine Drinks In Japan
Over 50 percent of Japan’s vending machine market sells beverages,
which has led to companies developing technology that allows the vending
machines to store heated as well as refrigerated drinks. The most popular
brands of drinks are Pocari Sweat, Calpis Water, C.C. Lemon and Aquarius.
Vending Machine Motomachi Kobe Hyogo Japan
Cost
of Vending Machine Drinks In Japan
The average price for a drink from a vending machine is about
150 yen. A Japanese convenience store also averages about 150 yen per drink. Some lesser known
brands of drinks are priced at about 80 yen, however these are smaller
and don’t taste as good.
Vending Machine Motomachi Kobe Hyogo Japan
The
Cheapest Drinks In Japan
If your looking for the best deal in Japan on drinks always
buy from a supermarket. All the well known brands usually sell for 100 or 120
yen. Sometimes the extra large sizes are about 150 yen but they are better value for the money. The cheapest
drinks to be found in Japan are sold at Super Tamade supermarkets in Osaka. The
suburbs of Osaka have many of these super markets.
Super Tamade Daikokucho Osaka Japan
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Osaka Castle has a musuem inside the castle with many artifacts on display, a beautiful 360 panoramic view and gardens with cherry blossom trees.
Children under 15 are admitted for free!
Adults only pay 600 yen each. If you have a large group of fifteen people you can get in for 500 yen each.
Opening times are 9am to 5pm.
This is a very affordable place to take your family.
There are also open spaces outside the castle to have a picnic.
For more information on the history, things to do at Osaka Castle and how to get there please see my detailed story on Osaka Castle on Hubpages.
Osaka Castle Japan
Osaka Castle Japan
Here is the official Osaka Castle Museum Website. If you find my articles informative and interesting, please help support my writing career and my family, by donating to my fan funding page on Youtube, or via Pay Pal at stingyscoundreljapan@gmail.com.
I was recently down at a small tatami factory in Shin Nagata Kobe ordering some new tatami mats. My daughter was helping to sweep the floor. Then along came the tatami cat, which became frightened of the dog and jumped over it. It was very funny.
Mr Kanatani is one of Hyogo's best ever Tatami makers having won many awards. He has run this small tatami business for over 30 years. I highly recommend his services.
Please see the map below for directions to get there.
If you find my articles informative and interesting, please help support my writing career and my family, by donating to my fan funding page on Youtube, or via Pay Pal at stingyscoundreljapan@gmail.com.
Walking in Japan is unavoidable. Cars and taxis are seldom used in the
large cities, especially for the budget traveler. Most people use
trains. Here is my article about sleeping on trains in Japan and how to use trains as a source of free accommodation.You will be walking from shops to trains stations, up and down
subway levels sometimes 5 stories deep, and around large department
stores. You will be walking a lot, so be prepared physically and
mentally. Plan where you’re going, know how long it will take. Wear
appropriate clothing for hot or cold weather, and wear good walking
shoes. Get good nights sleep and eat well. Bring food and water in a
comfortable backpack. Bring a collapsible umbrella incase it rains. If
you have a GPS device use it when unsure of which direction to go.
Kansai Telecasting Corporation Near Ogimachi Station Osaka Japan
The Best Way to Find Interesting Places In Japan
Walking is the best way to find interesting places, and it’s the
cheapest way to travel through the cities. Walking will give you the
opportunity to discover more, photograph interesting things, meet more
people and learn the area. It will give you the opportunity to learn
where the best restaurants are, the cheapest shops and to orientate
yourself with the layout of the cities. When to walk and when not to
walk comes down to good planning of your schedule. I would often walk to
save money and at the same time I would get many of the rewards listed
above.
Tenjinbashi Shoutengai Osaka Japan
How To Save Money On Trains In Japan
When travelling by train I would often get off two or three stations
before my destination. It may save 200 or 300 yen. Some train lines run
in the same direction parallel to each other about a mile or two apart.
Walking over to the other line can be a time and money saving way to
switch train lines, as you don’t need to ride the train to where the
lines link back up and then ride the train line back down in the
opposite direction to reach your destination. So learn your train lines,
the prices to each destination and how much you will save if you get
off a station or two earlier.
Do you ever walk to save money on trains?
Tenjinbashi Shoutengai Meat Shop Osaka Japan
Use GPS to Prevent Getting Lost
Soon after arriving in Japan I was at a friends house in the suburbs of
east Osaka. The entire suburb was filled with narrow laneways that cars
had no access to. I was given directions on how to return to the train
station. I set out an hour before the last train for the night. I
quickly lost my direction everything looked the same, and soon became
completely lost. I walked in circles for over two hours before finding
my friends house again. Thus I missed the last train home that night. If
I had a GPS I would have been fine.
Ogimachi Park Osaka Japan
Walking Around Osaka
I
also often walk my entire route when in the inner city of Osaka if I
have time. The inner city of Osaka from Umeda in the north to Namba in
the south is only 4.2km, which can be covered on foot in about one hour.
From Nanba, through to Shinsaibashi and then up to Tenjinbashi Roku
Chome in the north is the longest Shotengai (undercover shopping
laneway) in Japan. It stretches for miles and is full of many
interesting people and shops. Here is more information about Tenjinbashi
on the official Osaka tourist website: http://www.osaka-info.jp/en/ofc/201101/http://www.osaka-info.jp/en/ofc/201101/.
Kansai Telecasting Corporation Near Ogimachi Station Osaka Japan
Tenjinbashi Shoutengai Osaka Japan
Tenjinbashi Shoutengai Ten 4 Osaka Japan
Tenjinbashi Shoutengai Ten 3 Osaka Japan
Okawa River Near Tenjinbashi Shoutengai Osaka Japan
Tenjinbashi Shoutengai Small Door Osaka Japan
Tenjinbashi Shoutengai Ten 3 Osaka Japan
Tenjinbashi Shoutengai Temple Osaka Japan
Tenjinbashi Shoutengai Ten 1 Osaka Japan
Tenjinbashi Shoutengai Ten 6 Osaka Japan
Shop till you drop on the longest shopping arcade in Japan
Tenjinbashi Shoutengai Walking Route
The most common shops found in a Japanese shotengai
supermarkets and grocery stores
restaurants and cafes
izakaya snack bars
pachinko parlors
massage parlors
barber shops
game centers
post offices
book shops
clothing stores
convenience stores
neighborhood police substations
To summarize, don’t walk when you need to save time, as your holiday is no doubt bound to a limited time schedule. However, I recommend you set aside time to walk long distances, I promise you will have a rewarding experience from it.
If you find my articles informative and interesting, please help support my writing career and my family, by donating to my fan funding page on Youtube, or via Pay Pal at stingyscoundreljapan@gmail.com.
Tetsujin 28 At Shin Nagata Kobe is a must see free tourist attraction for fans of Japanese Manga. This is a giant robot statue dedicated to a 1960's cartoon
called Tetsujin 28 go. It is 18 meters
tall. Tetsujin 28 was
built in honor of the 15th anniversary of the Great Hanshin
earthquake that destroyed many parts of Kobe on January 17th, 1995.
The Tetsujin 28 statue is in Wakamatsu
Park just 5 minutes walk from Shin-Nagata Station Kobe Hyogo Japan. To get here take the local JR train on the Sanyo Line from Sannomiya Station Kobe to Shin Nagata Station. Exit on the south side of JR Shin Nagata Station and walk west across the intersection, and continue west for 5 minutes until you come to a park.
If you find my articles informative and interesting, please help support my writing career and my family, by donating to my fan funding page on Youtube, or via Pay Pal at stingyscoundreljapan@gmail.com.
I recently took my daughter to Studio Alice at Harbor Land Kobe to have professional photographs taken for her 3rd birthday. I chose the birthday theme, where she was given a pretty pink dress to wear and a fake birthday cake to take photos with. The other popular themes to choose from are kimono and Disney themes. Having her photo taken at Studio Alice is a great
lasting memory for my family.
I think it was really good value for money as the staff spent up to an hour with us choosing costumes, dressing my child, and doing her hair and make up before the photo shoot. During the photo shoot my daughter wouldn't sit still and it was very difficult for the staff to get a great photo. However they didn't give up. They spent about an hour getting the right shots.
After the photo shoot we were shown all the photos on a computer screen. Again the staff spent an hour helping us choose the best photos and suggesting print sizes. All up they spent about 3 hours with us and I only spent 20,000 yen.
For my 20,000 yen I got a photo CD with all the images on it, 6 photographs in a
printed photo album, two large size photos in a double picture frame,
and two key chain fobs with my daughter's photo printed on to one side. Quite good value for money compared to how much all this would cost in a western country. The service of the staff was also extremely professional and patient.
If you're planning to go here keep in mind very little or no English will be spoken in the store. For more details on Studio Alice locations, and how to go about booking a photo session if you can't speak Japanese, please see my Studio Alice Article On Hub Pages.
