Nicocosity

  • Home
  • About
  • Travel
  • Beauty
  • Art
  • Class Act Ph

At this point, I felt like I've become very resilient and alert whenever I go out of the country. Why, you ask? I seem to attract bad luck, like experiencing a strong earthquake in Bangkok, Thailand, and on this trip, a typhoon strong enough to cancel all flights the next day. 

Lol Ken

As a continuation to our proposal story YEP, an hour after I said I do, I received an email that we won't be able to make our Kyoto to Tokyo sleeper bus ride the next day, because lo and behold, the anticipated Typhoon is so strong that all major transportation, air, land and sea, are cancelled!

What's the repercussion of these cancellations? One, we need to rebook our bus trip from Kyoto to Tokyo (Willer bus refunded my initial booking, Thank God!). Next, our first day hotel accommodation in Tokyo is technically cancelled without a refund. Lastly, we need to book an extra day at our hotel - at the regular price 😞 Since most of our accommodations were booked months in advance and via discounted booking apps, THERE IS A DISPARITY WITH THE RATES! I remember initially booking our Park Hotel Kyoto room around Php 2,300+ per night; however, their regular rates for the same room cost around Php 6,000+ per night!!!!


Thank God we have a trusty Credit Card!


Since we can't really fight nature, we stayed another day in Kyoto.

Staying in may be a bummer since it's a day that could have been spent roaming around Kyoto or Tokyo, huhu, but it was a good thing our hotel room was very cozy and actually forced us to rest our exhausted feet. I even managed to create an unboxing video for the Sailor Mars QPosket I bought from Lashinbang hahaha!

By around afternoon, we noticed that the rain is starting to weaken, so we decided to go out and see if there were any establishments open around the Gion area.


Majority of shops are closed- understandably so. Convenience stores are open, but it's noticeable that there stocks of their hot meals are few, considering a lot of people have probably stocked up the day before. 


But aside from convenience stores, and some drugstores, do you what else is open? Yup, Don Quijote! We didn't really buy anything during our quick excursion, but Ken did have fun looking at the Seikos available in store. To end the night, we were able to spot an open Sukiya where we were able to have this yummy Unagi bowl.

That's pretty much it! I guess it was still a unique experience to be stuck in Kyoto. We are definitely lucky that we have a comfortable hotel to stay in and have been able to stock up on food ✌ 

Love Always,
Nicole


Share
Tweet
Pin
Share
No Comments

 


The pinnacle of this trip was when I said, "Geh."

2026 Nicole here, and spoiler alert: Ken and I are married now! I wasn't able to write about things in 2023 nor in 2024, so I'm making up for lost time by writing about that time when I got proposed to almost 3 years ago. Where did the time go?

The first photo tho


It happened on August 14, 2023, during our trip to the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest. I remember that day; I wasn't feeling well. My stomach hurt, and I felt too hot because it was a scorching summer day. Also on our way there, I remember spilling rubbing alcohol all over my bag, which resulted in those ugly splotch marks - The more I felt uncomfortable about this excursion.

LOL



As expected, there were a lot of tourists-including us- entering the bamboo forest. For some reason, we ended up following a Chinese tour group hahaha! Ni Hao, Indeed!



Ken badly wanted to visit the quaint riverside spot we discovered during our first trip together. Still, before we head there, he took a couple of photos and videos of The Trinidads, as if he's doing a post-nuptial shoot for them hahaha! On the side, I took a lot of selfies because I'm such a narcissist hahaha!



Going to that particular spot was a trek! No wonder, not a lot of tourists go there because the path going to the riverside was so steep! No joke, I almost slipped and feared I might break a bone or something. But hey, I must say the view was worth it- My photos just suck, but I promise the views in the spot are worth getting lost for.


The reason why Ken wanted us to go there is that it is the spot he wanted to ask me to marry him 💖 So, why propose there, you ask? Ken vividly recalled seeing an elderly couple sitting in that spot during our first trip, and he thought back then that he wanted us to be like that couple someday - as simple as that 💝


A little tidbit about the ring, before proposing to me, I've already hinted that I don't like diamonds and would prefer a Rose Quartz instead. When he got my ring commissioned, he mentioned this tidbit to his jeweller friend. Unfortunately Rose Quartz is pretty brittle, hence opting for a pink Sapphire instead with smaller diamonds on the side. For the design, it's heavily inspired by Sailor Moon hahaha! This man really knows me.


Here's me proudly showing my ring, oblivious of the problems we will face in a couple of hours after hahahaha!

That's it for this special moment in my life! As I've said earlier, it's been almost 3 years since this proposal happened, we're married now, and life is good 💝 I am also rekindling my interests such as reading (I have a kindle now, and read 2 books in one month!), writing (with this blog), drawing, and creating content in TikTok (yep, I couldn't resist it hahaha!). I have a lot more stories I am excited to write about and share 😊

See you again soon!

Love always,

Nicole ❤




Share
Tweet
Pin
Share
No Comments

I am going to mess the timelines again, and revisit some of the drafts from 2 years ago *cue evil maniacal laugh*

Ok, so I have no idea what or why I suddenly stopped writing and posting last 2023 that I am suddenly left with a lot of drafts waiting to be finished 🤷 Anyhoo, let's just get on with it.

Let's go back to August 2023, where we transitioned from Osaka to Kyoto:



After staying for 2 days in Osaka, we transferred to Kyoto *in style* via the Hanshin train with a Zen garden on-board hahaha! It took us an hour to reach Kyoto from Osaka, then we took the subway to check-in at the Park Hotel Kyoto and rest a bit before we could go and explore Gion.






We head out to Kawaramachi to check out the shopping arcade with a B-Side Label (only the best sticker store in Japan!) and a Lashinbang (2nd hand toys and merch shop) branch in front of it. After shopping, we had our dinner at the Gyukatsu Kyoto Katsugyu in Pontocho alley, and it was so gooooood-a liitle bit pricey, but totally worth it! Since we still have some time left before the trains would close, we decided to head into a Sega arcade where Ken won a Kuromi plushie, and where we played Super Mario Kart-which I won hahahaha!

ACTUAL FIRST DAY IN KYOTO



It was the Trinidads' first time in Kyoto, so of course going to Fushimi Inari is a must. Unlike Ken and I's first time in Kyoto, Fushimi Inari had less people - which is understandable since it was days before the world will be shut down due to COVID-19. Another difference is the temperature, because oh boy it was sweltering! At that time, I was only craving for one thing - AIRCONDITIONER! 


I'll probably just write in a separate post our time at the En Boca Restaurant 🤷


Love Always,

Nicole

Share
Tweet
Pin
Share
No Comments

Ohhhhh boy, this one is going to be sooooo looooong! Allot around 10 minutes of your life to be wasted on a bunch of Kyoto photos hahaha!

Sorry I guess? HAHAHAHUHUHU

If you have read my previous travel blog HERE (EMPHASIS on the IF hahaha), you would have an idea that our first day in Kyoto was a snoozefest, a day spent doing nothing - mainly to appease Ken's awful gout. Since we only have 2 days in this lovely city, our 2nd day in Kyoto had become so jampacked, that we tried to cover as many places as possible!

Derpy faces sans coffee in our system





Our first agenda was to visit the Arashiyama Bamboo forest. Going to Arashiyama coming from our hostel in Kyoto Tsukiusagi we took a 15-minute train, then we board a tram that took us around 5-7 minutes. Good thing though we have purchased an unlimited train card, much similar to the 72-hour unlimited train pass we had in Tokyo, so it saved us a couple of yens, which we eventually spent on...



Ken can no longer hide the fact that he is hungry, hence that grumpy face.




The Miffy Sakura Cafe is a stone's throw away from Arashiyama train station, so it's pretty easy to spot it. The cafe sells a variety of bread and pastries, drinks, and ice cream! If I remember correctly, we got a savory bread with beef in it, a custard bread, and a latte (I didn't buy my own latte because I was scared it might cause destruction to my bowel activity- ok sorry TMI HAHAHA). Aside from food items, they also sell a lot of Miffy merch in the inner part of the store. Just a head's up, the merch is adorable but can be quite pricey, so if you're a fan of this chub chub bunny, better ready your 💴💴💴.

I was tempted to try out the ice cream, but it was soooooo cold that day I don't think I could go a la Elsa and proclaim to the world that the cold never bothered me anyway!

E di ikaw na, Elsa!


I mean look at the goosebumps on my bare thighs hahaha! Though for some reason it was colder in Kyoto compared to Tokyo, where the temperature was averaging at 5 to 6 degrees Celsius compared to Tokyo's 9 to 11 degrees Celsius, hence the lack of thermals or tights. Anyway moving forward...
 










Before getting to the entrance to the bamboo forest, you'll pass by a couple mini temples and street shops. One of the most notable things we passed by was a lone Sakura tree, which comes to think of it must have been inside a private property HAHAHA! Given that from the train station to the bamboo forest entrance can be quite far from each other, I strongly suggest for ladies to wear comfy shoes! That's why I have to give such commendations to the lady below:

Bigyan ng jacket! Paybtawsin!









The first time I saw the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest was from a scene from Memoirs of A Geisha:

This scene!🎎

I remember when I was at the bamboo forest I was puzzled as to why the pathways seem to be small, like how the hell did Zhang Ziyi's car fit in it? Apparently, the bamboo forest has multiple pathways, which I then realized that there are several entry/exit ways going to and going out of the bamboo forest, so most likely we weren't able to walk at the less narrow pathway like in Memoirs of a Geisha.

I thought I'll be seeing the bamboo forest sans the number of tourists, but hells nah! There are quite a lot of tourists, including us of course, during that time. I also remember when we visited Kyoto there was news that the tourist count that time was lower than the usual due to Coronavirus, and that statement surprised us since there were still a lot of tourists.

But enough of the talk of tourists, what I was hoping to see at that time were pandas; like imagine if pandas were living in the bamboo forest, they'll have the ultimate time of their lives haha!

Oh and lastly there is no entrance fee going to the bamboo forest, but atop it was a botanical garden which you can visit for around ¥500. Obviously, we did not go there, because we are cheap 🤷.




Indeed, going to a road, or in our case, a path, less traveled will lead you to remarkable views! After going through the bamboo forest we end up at this small place with chairs and a small field, which is a blessing for Ken's gouty foot. After our quick rest full of conversations, "Wow, we really are in Kyoto now!", and "Can we just stay and live here?", we decided to continue our trip, but not necessarily going back with the same path as to how we went to on our way there. 

Near the 'rest area,' there was a cobbled path going down. Since we are curious idiots, we decided to check where it will lead us. As we cautiously walk down, we realize that the stone-y path soon turned into a make-shift 'quite-dangerous' dirt stairs with a wonderful view of:







A sparkling blue river! We then figured we got there in a not-so-conventional way, since in order to go to that place you have to walk to the other side of the train station- which is quite far, to be honest.

Moral of the story: YOLO hahaha! But to be honest, it was scary going down, so be careful!

Anyway, here are some derpy photos of Ken:








By the time we reached the train station, we were so hungry already! By the way, just a disclaimer, most restaurants near Arashiyama train station are quite expensive, so it was such a blessing that we found a small restaurant with good food, at a reasonable price. I am not going to pretend that I 'forgot' the restaurant's name, because it was written in Japanese and I don't know how to read nor speak that language, so please don't ask me hahahuhuhu. I think we paid around ¥ 1,600 for our meals, which is reasonable since it made us full until 7 pm hahaha!




After a tram and train ride, et voila we are off to Fushimi Inari Shrine








Much like Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, there is no entrance fee going to Fushimi Inari Taisha which is great because you then have more ¥¥¥¥ for some custard cake!

BUT unlike Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, there are A LOT of tourists when we visited Fushimi Inari that it's almost impossible to take a good photo of the famous orange torii gates sans human beings.

We just got semi-lucky here.










Just a quick FYI, Fushimi Inari Shrine is huuuuuge! There are a lot of Torii gates that have different sizes, from the shorter one as seen in Memoirs of a Geisha I got all my Japan references from that movie, yes ...
This is my not-so-subtle way of telling you to watch the movie, NOW!


... To taller ones. Given the size, and the sudden rise of elevation of the shrine, there are parts with not as many people as the first Torii gate you'll see. If you really want to have a quality photo minus any unintentional photobomb, I suggest that you go further into the shrine and you're bound to see a Torii gate with 2-3 people only, because by that time you reach it the majority of other tourists are already tired to go there hahaha! #TravelAdvice101 hahaha!




Muntikan nang di imaging blurred haha!


Blurred talaga. Ay naku, Ken!

For some reason, I and Ken seemed to have developed a penchant for opting for path's less traveled, because lo and behold, we did not go back the same way we did when we entered the shrine HAHAHA! I must say it paid off, because we get to see this tiny bridge, and took blurry photos of me hahaha!



Yummy!


Haru!



After visiting Fushimi Inari, we decided to go to the city part of Kyoto, and pretty much leisurely take our time visiting some shops, and even sit by the Kamo river. As much as we would love to visit the Kyoto International Manga Museum, we figured we should reserve that for another visit to Japan in the future *fingers crossed*  🤞








One of Ken's requests was to visit this particular gun and tactical shop located in the Kyoto arcade. However, according to him, stuff sold there is waaaay more expensive than the ones here in the Philippines. So just a head's up, I don't think it's worth a visit here for tactical geeks like him hahaha!


Aside from that tactical shop, there are a bunch of vintage stores in that arcade! If you are like me, who finds so much joy in people's dead grandmas' stuff, your heart will find happiness there! #Sustainability HAHAHA! Though stuff can be quite pricier there compared to our local ukay-ukays, the quality of the wares these vintage stores have are in mint condition 👌

Didn't know Ken has merch in Japan hahaha!







At last, our last destination for that day: Pontocho! What is Pontocho, you ask? It's a narrow alley by the river Kamo, which is full of restaurants and izakayas. This place was actually recommended by my friend, Frankie, Thank you, Frankie! HAHAHA!

One thing to note about Pontocho's establishments is the fact that almost ALL OF THEM serve expensive food. I kid you not, I think we have walked around 300 meters in search of the most affordable place to eat! HAHAHA! Luckily, we saw this...

GYOKATSU KYOTO KATSUGYU!




Sorry for taking a pic while you were munching on your 3rd cup of rice, Ken hahaha!

To be honest, this meal is pricier than our usual ¥ 1,000 set meals in Japan, but it's worth the price and the long line! Their katsu is really good, that Ken had 4 cups of rice, YES 4 CUPS! HAHAHA! Also, we ended up making some friends! Hola, Yuto!

I must say despite going back to our hostel totally exhausted, that day was one hell of an adventure 💓

Next stop, Osaka!

Love Always,

Nicole ❤

Share
Tweet
Pin
Share
No Comments
Older Posts

Nicocosity

Hi, Nicole A. T. here! I write about things ✨

Are you looking for something?

Want to Collab, Sponsor, or You Have a Great Idea?

You can reach me at nicocosity1993@gmail.com ♡

Labels

  • NicDoesArts
  • NicDoesBeauty
  • NicDoesFashion
  • NicGoesToPlaces
  • NicTheBookWorm

recent posts

Blog Archive

  • ▼  2026 (13)
    • ▼  June 2026 (1)
      • That Girls' Trip to Japan#NicGoesToOsaka
    • ►  May 2026 (1)
    • ►  April 2026 (1)
    • ►  March 2026 (1)
    • ►  February 2026 (7)
    • ►  January 2026 (2)
  • ►  2025 (3)
    • ►  October 2025 (3)
  • ►  2024 (1)
    • ►  January 2024 (1)
  • ►  2023 (11)
    • ►  October 2023 (2)
    • ►  September 2023 (4)
    • ►  April 2023 (2)
    • ►  March 2023 (3)
  • ►  2022 (2)
    • ►  March 2022 (1)
    • ►  January 2022 (1)
  • ►  2020 (32)
    • ►  December 2020 (3)
    • ►  November 2020 (1)
    • ►  October 2020 (2)
    • ►  September 2020 (1)
    • ►  August 2020 (1)
    • ►  July 2020 (3)
    • ►  June 2020 (3)
    • ►  May 2020 (7)
    • ►  April 2020 (3)
    • ►  March 2020 (5)
    • ►  February 2020 (3)
  • ►  2019 (34)
    • ►  December 2019 (3)
    • ►  November 2019 (1)
    • ►  October 2019 (7)
    • ►  September 2019 (2)
    • ►  August 2019 (2)
    • ►  July 2019 (3)
    • ►  June 2019 (3)
    • ►  May 2019 (4)
    • ►  April 2019 (2)
    • ►  March 2019 (2)
    • ►  February 2019 (3)
    • ►  January 2019 (2)
  • ►  2018 (29)
    • ►  December 2018 (2)
    • ►  November 2018 (5)
    • ►  October 2018 (3)
    • ►  September 2018 (2)
    • ►  August 2018 (6)
    • ►  July 2018 (1)
    • ►  June 2018 (2)
    • ►  May 2018 (5)
    • ►  February 2018 (2)
    • ►  January 2018 (1)
  • ►  2017 (17)
    • ►  December 2017 (2)
    • ►  November 2017 (7)
    • ►  October 2017 (6)
    • ►  March 2017 (2)
  • ►  2016 (2)
    • ►  July 2016 (1)
    • ►  June 2016 (1)
  • ►  2014 (1)
    • ►  July 2014 (1)
  • ►  2013 (8)
    • ►  April 2013 (7)
    • ►  March 2013 (1)
  • ►  2012 (42)
    • ►  December 2012 (1)
    • ►  October 2012 (4)
    • ►  September 2012 (1)
    • ►  August 2012 (1)
    • ►  July 2012 (3)
    • ►  June 2012 (5)
    • ►  May 2012 (6)
    • ►  April 2012 (8)
    • ►  March 2012 (7)
    • ►  February 2012 (3)
    • ►  January 2012 (3)
  • ►  2011 (40)
    • ►  December 2011 (3)
    • ►  November 2011 (4)
    • ►  October 2011 (13)
    • ►  September 2011 (8)
    • ►  August 2011 (5)
    • ►  July 2011 (3)
    • ►  June 2011 (1)
    • ►  May 2011 (3)

Created with by BeautyTemplates | Distributed by Blogger