How to get a discounted train ticket

You probably get a JR ticket at "Midori no Madoguchi" or ticket dispensers just next to the ticket gate.

There are many discounted ticket shops in Japan, some are close to train stations.


For example, I go to Ashiya, Hyogo Pref. very often and I usually use this ticket shop close to the JR Ashiya Station to buy discounted tickets.

For example, from Ashiya to Osaka, the rate is JPY300, but you can buy the same ticket with JPY220 or so.

However, this kind of discounted tickets have some limitation for use.

It can be used from 10:00 through 17:00 and weekends only.

You can also find "discount ticket vending machine" like this.

According to this article, there are a couple of hundreds of discounted ticket vending machines in Japan and 60% of them are in the Kansai area (West Japan).

（http://style.nikkei.com/article/DGXNAS18ABF01_V10C14A2AA1P00)

It's all in Japanese, so if you're interested in buying discounted tickets from vending machine, it would be a good idea to study some Japanese before coming to Japan.

Skin Conditioners (Toners)

I use ALBION's Skin Conditioner for my skincare routine.

This is a really good item and I've been sticking to it for many years.
However, I have to admit that the only downside is its price....

Due to that reason, there are times that I struggle to make the both ends meet from time to time...

Especially in summer/spring, I tend to consume much more of this conditioner (toner) to protect my skin from sunburn and to keep my skin hydrated compared to a cool/cold season.

So...I decided to give it a try to this:

Like Albion Skin Conditioner, this toner contains adlay in its ingredients.

According to the biggest cosmetic review site, @cosme, this item is also really good and resembles ALBION Skin Conditioner in terms of impression from use, texture and even color.



(There's precaution that those who are allergic to  poaceous pollen must refrain from using this item.)


When I look at the reviews posted on Amazon.co.jp, almost all users rated this item high.


It might a good idea to replace ALBION Skin Conditioner with this toner from time to time....

I've just purchased this toner, so I'll see....

THREE cosmetics Popular Items

THREE cosmetic items are surprisingly popular in Japan and sometimes very hard to purchase when it comes to makeup items. Most of the time, they are sold out (T T)

Skincare items are relatively easy to get compared to color items but still, they release "limited items" one after another and they are so tempting in terms of color..

THREE is also very popular among not only celebrities but also professional makeup artists.

The recent very popular and hard-to-get items are like this:

1) Whisper Gross For Eye

Luckily enough, I could get this one :)  #01 Wanderlust love

2) Cheeky Seek Blush #05 Feeling the Flow

Many fashion magazines picked up this color #05. Also, many celebrities shared this item on Instagram.

I think you're super lucky if you could purchase this color.

Personally, I like the color #01. It goes well with any face color:)


To be continued....

About Matcha 2

Have you ever tried a bottled green tea in Japan?

There are many kinds of bottled green tea, but my favorite is this one:

綾鷹

The reason is that this tea is produced with the corporation of Kanbayashi Shunjyu Honten (上林春秋本店）.

Kanbayashi Shunjyu Honten is, like Tsujiri, is one of the prestigious tea producers in Kyoto.

If you find it difficult to pick up one from wide variety of bottled green tea at grocery stores or convenience stores in Japan, this is the right one to choose:)

About Matcha

I usually buy matcha to use for cooking at near-by grocery store.

This kind of matcha is called Usucha. (thin tea) and widely used for cooking and beverages.

As you may know, there are two types of matcha, one is Usu-cha, the another is Koi-cha.

Usui means thin and Koi means thick in Japanese.

When I took Matcha lessons at school, I was lucky enough to taste Koi-cha many times.
But it took for a while until my teacher finally allowed me to do practice for Koicha.

Yes, you are expected to know about Chado (Sado) to some certain extent before learning Koicha.

I can say Koi-cha is totally different from Usu-cha.

It's a bit difficult to explain....
It's bitter but sweet (no sugar though) and very creamy.  I think if you try Koicha, it probably changes the concept of what matcha is all about!


I think the number of people knowing what Koicha tastes like is quite small even here in Japan.

Too shame....




This is one of the famous Matcha stores in Kyoto:

Tsujiri- very famous for Matcha Parfait and handling many types Usu-cha and Koicha

How to identify "Koicha" and "Usucha" - For Koicha, the name of product always ends with ”～の昔( ---no mukashi)” whereas Usucha with "の白(---no shiro)”.

If you find the names of Great Master of Tea Ceremon

y with product, you can say it's a good one!

Every time when you are invited to Tea ceremony, you are expected to ask questions about tea, utensils and tea cup used for the ceremony.

During the "question-answering " time, if you are asked about Matcha and you use those kind of "good" matcha, you always answer the name of matcha with information of the Great Master.

How to enjoy top-notch restaurants in Kyoto at reasonable price!

As you've already known, there're thousands of fantastic restaurants in Kyoto you cannot afford to skip to miss! 

The problem is always.....pricing. Usually, you have to pay almost 30,000-50,000 yen for dinner,

So my recommendation is to visit these places lunch time so that you can enjoy authentic Japanese food for about 5000-6000 yen.


You have to book a table beforehand but still, it's worth visiting.

This is a good website through which you can make a reservation at good restaurant.
↓
最大53％OFF！レストラン予約も一休.com！

It's all in Japanese, but you can take a look at what they serve for lunch.

FYI, some restaurants like Sasaki may request you to be there, let's say, 1200 sharp so that first dish can be served all at once.

Hope it helps!

This is what I always get whenever I go to Kyoto!

Got a plan to visit Kyoto?

As many of you may already know, Kyoto City Bus & Kyoto Bus One-Day Pass is a must to buy if you plan to visit there.

You can buy this pass for 500 yen and you can use as many times as you'd like.

You can see more details from here.