Headed to Kuromon Market where I saw a Master who could gut an Eel in about 20 secs! It was morbid! Don't stand too close or you might receive a shower of bloody water! Watching the whole process is not for the faint heart! First a nail is knocked into the Eel's head to fasten it to the chopping board. As it struggles, the master will slice it into half to remove the bones and the internal organs. The Eel is then washed in a tub of bloody water! Freshly gutted Eels are placed on the grill and cooked till golden brown! This store had a v v long queue when I was there so being a kiasu Singaporean, I could not resist joining the queue! It was well worth the 15mins wait! It was cooked to perfection - tender and fleshy the best Eel I have ever eaten!
Opposite the Eel shop is this noodle shop - what attracted me to the shop was the hand written recommendations on white cardboard outside it! The food in the shop was just average and the recommendations are a little overrated! What is worth mentioning is the Lao Ban's enthusiasm towards his customers and winsome smile! When you sit down, he will ask for your country and will show you recommendations written by your fellow countrymen! After you finish your food, he will ask you to write a recommendation for his shop if you found his food good! Though he will stress that there is no obligation however his friendly disposition will make you willing to accede his request. If you see the sign in the picture - now you know who wrote it!
Headed to the sennichimae doguya suji. This shopping district is filled with speciality stores to fulfil the needs of aspiring/current restaurant owners! Doesn't the food look so yummy??
This is Daylight Robbery! Look at the OUTRAGEOUS Fruit Prices! 41000yen for a Watermelon! Or 420 yen for a single Mangosteen! A pair of dead looking Rambutans costing 525 yen! Imagine paying 980 yen for a Papaya! If only I can set up a tropical fruit shop in Japan, I might be a Rich Lady :P
Day 15 - Kyotothe charm of Kyoto keeps drawing me back!
Headed to the Flea Market at Kitano Tenmangu Shrine held on the 25th of every month. It was a much smaller version of the one held in Toji Temple and 98% of the stall holders were the same as those I saw in Toji Temple's Market! Unless you have alot of time to spare, the time spent at the Kitano Tenmangu Shrine Market can be spent elsewhere!
We tried Ghost
Location: It is a few doors down from Ippodo but on the opposite side of the road! If you are unsure how to get there- just ask the staff at Ippodo!
Note: the shop is closed on Tuesday!
A nice place to go to satisfy your sweet tooth! Black Coffee with Cake a superb combination! The only drawback is that you have to stand and eat the deserts!
Kyoto Tower
Tenjin Matsuri Festival in Osaka - 25th July
Pictures outside Tenmangu Shrine of the land procession heading to the Okawa River. The parade started around 4pm.
We parked ourselves at the bridge which had a crane stationed on the grassy patch beside the river! When the Shrines and the Drum arrived at the river, it was lifted onto the Barges by the crane! * The Bridge provided a clear view for us to watch the loading of the Barges - as they were being filled by Human Beings (performers and public) or Sacred Items. However there was a trade-off as we could not catch sight of the fireworks from this bridge! This is the wrong Bridge to be if you LOVE fireworks! 
I had a bird's eye view of the barges and the people on them reminded me of an army of Ants as they were so tiny! We caught the fireworks from the train :)
The barges sailing down the river with the beautiful setting sun as its backdrop!
Day 16 - Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum
Nearest Station: Hankyu Ikeda Station
Open from Monday -Sunday from 9am-4pm
If you want to attend "The Chicken Ramen Workshop" reservation is required. It is 90 minutes and it cost 500 Yen for Adults. Reservation Hotline : +81-727510825
No Reservation is required for "My Cup Noodle Factory" It is available from 9.30am-3.45pm. There price is 300 Yen per serving. For every 300 yen we slotted into the vending machine we would get a nissin cup. Next we had to sanitise our hands. We could personalise the cups by designing their exterior. We spun the wheel so that the noodles was compressed at the base of the cup. We could customise our cup noodles further by choosing the toppings and soup base! I found that CHEESE is the weirdest topping we can add to the noodles! The cup will be sealed and plastic wrapped!
Visited a replica of the Father of Nissin Noodle's shed. We tried cup noodles designed specially for JAL in the cafeteria (udon,soba& ramen) I felt that the udon was the best among the three cups. The noodles was just a thicker and flatter version of maggi mee however the soup base closely resembled udon soup base in the restaurant.
Priority sitting, Women Only Carriage and An Interesting Invention for the Wheelchair Bound! These some some cool things what I noticed in the train stations around Japan! I could not stop staring at the machine! It had a conveyor belt system at the bottom which aided the machine in its smooth descend down the steps. The machine had a platform which could be elevated so that the station master could transport the passenger down the flight of stairs without him/her falling off! Absolutely Awesome!
