Sweet Escape !
On our family vacation last year to Batu - Malang, I hired a local professional photographer to capture moments while we’re in Batu Secret Zoo. The reason was simply because I don’t want to be missed in the frame, since I was the only one who loves taking pictures.
On our family vacation this year to Osaka-Kyoto-Tokyo, I wanted to do the same. But flying a photographer just to take photos of us is so out of the option. I wanted to hire a local professional photographer, but how? And how about the cost, wouldn’t it be so expensive?
Thank God I found out about Sweet Escape, a holiday photography service powered by Axioo photography. Their local photographers are spread in 230 cities worldwide, including those I visit in Japan. I chose Kyoto over Osaka and Tokyo because of its authenticity.
So how does Sweet Escape works? Simple, just visit sweetescape.com for bookings. You will then meet the local photographer in that town, at the appointed venue. How about the cost? Their price is simple. It’s either $400 or €400 for 2 hours photoshoot!
We met our friendly photographer Danica in Arashiyama Bamboo Grove. She’s an Indonesian living in Japan and has day job as an architec. My firstborn has been wishing to be an architect and to live in Japan for so long. So I said, she’s living my daughter’s dream :)
In 3 working days after photoshoot, I got the edited photos ready to be downloaded. Truly hassle free! Was it worth it? Yes, every penny. Will I recommend Sweet Escape to friends? Absolutely. That’s why I’m writing this :)
Nuniek Tirta ~ Love Sweet Escape
5 Travel Tips Hemat ke Jepang ala Nuniek Tirta 😜
Tujuan: Osaka, Kyoto, Tokyo
Durasi: 2 minggu (29 Juni - 13 Juli)
1. Berangkat pakai budget airline tanpa bagasi aja, masing2 bawa koper kabin. Isinya baju cukup untuk seminggu. Kami pakai AirAsia dari Tiket.com yg waktu booking tahun lalu lagi ada promo potongan harga 150rb/person, nettnya cuma sekitar 1,75jtan untuk Jakarta-Osaka (one way).
2. Pada hari ke-7 di Jepang nginep di tempat yg ada coin laundry & dryer untuk cuci baju. Kami pilih hotel APA Shinjuku Gyoen, ratenya USD 267 untuk DUA kamar per malam. Enaknya di sana sambil nunggu cucian bisa sambil onsen gratis :) Biaya nyuci ¥300 dan dryer ¥200, nyetrika gratis pake trouser press.
3. Cari festival atau garage sale. Pas kami pindah ke Khaosan World Asakusa, eh lagi ada Kappabashi Street Festival dan dapet barang2 garage sale murah muraaahh. Buat nampung barang belanjaan, pakai aja tas lipat besar tambahan yang dibawa dari rumah. Tapi kalo nemu Samsonite guedeee lagi sale cuma 3 jutaan dan tax free pula ya rejeki, jangan ditolak :p Kami dapat di Lotte Duty Free yg di Kyoto Station.
4. Pulangnya baru deh pakai airlines regular, dapet makan dan bagasi yang dianter langsung sampai kota tujuan akhir (Jakarta). Kami pakai Philippine Airlines dari Tokyo ke Jakarta yang harganya 3,2jtan per orang. Narita-Manila sharecode ANA, Manila-Jakarta sharecode GA, jadi yah lumayanlah.
5. Kemana2 pake kereta aja, sebab taksi mahal gila. Sekali buka pintu ¥660-¥780 alias sekitar 100ribuan rupiah ajah. Uber juga sama aja, karena tarif Uber di sana wajib disamain sama tarif taksi kata sopir Ubernya. JR Pass perlu nggak? Kalo cuma seputaran Osaka-Kyoto-Tokyo aja sih nggak perlu. Cukup beli 1-2 day pass aja selama di Kyoto dan Tokyo kalo mau eksplor. Buat icip2 shinkansen ambil aja rute terpendek Osaka-Kyoto, cuma 15 menit 150ribuan. Dari Kyoto ke Tokyonya gimana? Pakai night bus Willer Express 500ribuan per orang untuk perjalanan 8 jam-an, enak sekalian ngirit ongkos hotel 1 malam :p
Ok guys, have fun in Japan!
Tokyo Disneyland - 10 Tips & Trick
1. Persiapan: pilih hari selain weekend dan hari libur itu udah paling bener. Buat prediksi rame atau nggaknya pengunjung, cek dulu deh Tokyo Disneyland Crowd Calendar ini: http://tdrnavi.jp/forecast/disneyland?lang=en . Saya pilih tanggal 5-6 Juli 2016 karena paling sepi di antara tanggal liburan kami di Jepang dari 29 Juni sampai 12 Juli.
2. Pakaian: cek cuaca! Jangan sampai saltum jadi kepanasan atau kedinginan. Kayak saya, karena hari2 sebelumnya kepanasan di Osaka dan Kyoto (suhu 33-37 derajat!), begitu sampai Tokyo pas lagi sejuk2nya jadi kedinginan (suhu 22-27 derajat). Yg harus diingat juga adalah lokasi Tokyo Disney Resorts ini ada di dekat laut jadi anginnya lebih kencang.
3. Penginapan: kalau punya dana cukup ya paling asik nginep di hotel2 sekitar Disney sih. Enaknya kalo pulang nggak harus umpel2an naik kereta karena pasti penuh banget. Kami pilih nginep di Hotel Mystays Maihama yang berjarak sekitar 1km dan ada fasilitas shuttle busnya ke Disneyland. Review hotel nanti diposting terpisah aja ya.
4. Ticketing: konon bisa beli online dan ambil tiketnya di Sevel. Tapi karena nggak sempat, jadi kami beli langsung aja, nggak terlalu antri kok. Kami pilih 3-days passport yg bisa dipakai masuk 1 hari penuh di Disneyland, 1 hari di Disneysea, 1 hari lagi boleh bolak balik Disneyland atau Disneysea. Harganya ¥17,800/adult dan ¥11,500/child (1 yen sekitar 127 rupiah). Harga tiket paket lainnya silakan cek di sini ya: http://www.tokyodisneyresort.jp/en/index.html
5. Makanan & minuman: bebas bawa masuk dari luar loh! Ini surprising juga. Dufan aja nggak boleh kan kalo nggak salah. Kalo nggak mau repot ya makan di dalem juga banyak pilihannya. Cuma biasalah pasti standar harganya lebih mahal. Rata2 set meal di atas ¥1,000 dan cemilan paling murah popcorn ¥210. Kalo minum sih free flow gratis, ada tap water di mana2. Dingin pula kayak dari kulkas :))
6. Antrian permainan: begitu masuk pintu Disneyland, langsung melesat ke setiap mesin Fast Pass deh supaya nggak nyesel. Fast Pass ini semacam kartu antrian yang udah ada jamnya, jadi kita tinggal balik lagi sesuai jam yang udah ditentukan tanpa harus antri lama. Letaknya ada di dekat wahana2 favorit seperti Star Tours, Big Thunder, Splash Mountain, Monsters Inc, dll.
7. Pertunjukan: minta jadwalnya yang dalam bahasa inggris di area informasi ya. Yang harus diingat, orang Jepang terkenal rajin antri. Jadi 1 jam sebelum pertunjukan aja udah pada rapi antri. Sampe2 ada pengumuman tertulis: baru boleh gelar tiker buat antri maksimal sejam sebelum pertunjukan. Mungkin karena dulu udah pada gelar tiker antrian 3 jam sebelumnya kali ya :)) Tapi tenang, orang Jepang nggak hobi nyelak2 kayak orang2 negara tetangganya yang terkenal suka nyelak itu :p
8. Souvenir: pastinya mihil mihilll. Saya dan anak2 cuma beli raincoat mickey/minnie aja karena memang butuh pas gerimis dan kedinginan. Itu yang paling lumayan dan worth it deh, “cuma” ¥1,000 dan kepake banget. Btw itu yg ukuran anak2 ya, kalo ukuran S M L harganya ¥1,300. FYI, gantungan kunci atau magnet kulkas aja rata2 di atas ¥500.
9. Foto2: di Tokyo Disneyland ini dilarang pake tongsis bro & sis! Begitu ketauan pasti langsung disamperin dan ditawarin buat difotoin aja sama petugas yang tersebar di mana2. Kalo mau foto sendiri mending pake mini tripod aja terus pasang timer atau remote control buat fotonya, lebih bagus juga kan hasilnya :))
10. Bonus: di Tokyo Disneyland ini banyakkk banget yang pake yukata, baju khas tradisional Jepang itu. Cantik2 pula. Konon kalo pake baju itu, dapet diskon khusus buat masuk ke sini. Jadi kepikiran, kenapa Dufan atau Jatim Park nggak bikin program yang sama ya buat mempromosikan dan melestarikan kebaya? :)
Ok that’s all, have fun in Tokyo Disneyland!
Tokyo, 6 July 2016
Nuniek Tirta - enjoying Disneyland
Review: Willer Express Bus
Willerexpress.com
Date of ride: 04 July 11pm - 05 July 8am
Route taken: from Kyoto Station to Tokyo Disneyland
Total fare: ¥16,940 for 2 adults 2 child
So this is an alternative way to reach Tokyo from Kyoto or vice versa, if you dont want to use train or shinkansen.
We tried this for new experience to sleep on the bus. Besides, it’s way cheaper and we save 1 night for hotel cost 😜
The bus departs on time from G2 station which is located right in front of Ibis Styles Hotel Kyoto Station that we stayed in.
The bus is comfortable, with reclining seats, footrest, headrest and cover, blanket, and power outlet!
The driver drives the bus very smoothly that makes us sleepy most of the time. No music, no loud speaking, very quiet.
No toilet inside the bus, but it stops a coulpe of times at rest area where you can also buy things at supermarket.
What’s interesting is that the toilet at the rest area looks very “fancy” with computerized notice system!
And you know what? More than half of the passenger of this bus are a group of Indonesians, hahaha…
Nishiki Market
Kyoto, Japan
Date of visit: 4 July 2016
You can find almost everything here. From fresh fish to fancy fashion goods. From groceries to souvenirs. Everything.
I found kimono outer that I can use for to keep me warm during night bus journey to Tokyo tonight 👍🏼
We found it interesting to shop at local groceries store because there are so many unique stuffs there.
When we were about to leave the place, we saw many workers cleaning up the floor. No wonder it is clean!
Star Restaurant
Star-kyoto.co.jp
Nishiki Market
Date of visit: 04 July 2016
Chosen menu:
Beef steak japanese sauce ¥1,512
Hamburg steak japanese sauce ¥918
Hamburg steak melted cheese and tomato sauce ¥972
Kids rice omelet plate ¥842
Strawberry pudding parfait ¥885
Regular water bottomless is free
This restaurant has been serving since 1925. Food replica in front of the resto is so tempting that it stopped us to drop by! All foods we ordered are delicious, worth the price 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
Kinkaku (The Golden Pavilion)
Kyoto, Japan
Date of visit: 04 July 2016
Kinkaku or known as The Golden Pavilion is a Buddhist hall containing relics of Buddha, part of a Rokuon-ji Temple in the Shokokuji School of Rinzai Sect.
Gold foil on lacquer covers the upper two levels and a shining phoenix stands on top of the shingled roof. It gives beautiful golden reflection on surrounding water.
Tickets: ¥400/adult, ¥300/child
Nijo-jo Castle, Kyoto, Japan
Date of visit: 04 July 2016
Ticket price: ¥600/adult, ¥200/elementary children
Opening hours: 9am - 4pm
The castle was originally built in 1603 as the official Kyoto residence of the first Tokugawa Shogun, Ieyasu. It was completed in 1626 by the third Tokugawa Shogun, Iemitsu. It was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994. Total site is 275,000 m2 and buildings 7,300 m2.
To enter inside the castle we must put off our shoes/sandals. No photo, food and drink allowed. What’s unique about this castle is that the wooden floor made a squeeking sound everytime we step on it, to prevent ninja sneaking inside. If you check below the castle outside, you can see metals between the woods that produced the unique sound.
Review: Hotel Ibis Kyoto Station
Date of stay: 3-4 July 2016
Room rate (when I booked): ¥22,680 for 2 rooms & 1 night (equals to IDR 1,5 million per room per night)
Located right across Kyoto Station where you can easily get train, shinkansen, mrt, city buss, and night buss. Lotsa shopping stores, ATMs, banks, travel agents, and restaurants too.
The room is tiny but it provides everything you need: full amenities (comb, toothbrush & toothpaste, shaver), comfy bathrobe (I wear it to sleep, hemat baju :p), hairdryer, slippers.
Breakfast is decent; they offers basic varieties from rice, porridge, cereals, salad, bakery, fish and meat, fruits and juice, tea coffeee and milk too.
Definitely recommended as budget hotel that offers best value for its strategic location and good service too.
Midpoint Food & Drink
248 Lorton Avenue,
Burlingame CA 9410
Midpointburlingame.com
Date of visit: 20 June 2016
Chosen menu:
Pork chop $23
Mussels & clams $12
Red wine $5 (happy hour 5-7pm
The food was delicious. I think I just had this best pork chop that tastes so juicy inside but crispy outside. I like it even better than Naughty Nuri. The wine was pretty strong and kinda sweet. Perfect :)
Lovely interior. Ambience was great. You can choose to sit inside or outside, watching people go by. Mostly passers are family, mom with kids. I saw this one hot dad that looks like David Beckham with his son too :D
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