Shinjuku Gyoen & Gotokuji Temple

Hi, guys! I just got back from my 12 days trip to Japan last Friday and I still feel quite exhausted lol. I don't even have the mood to go to the malls these days. I and my parents walked a lot everyday in Japan!

Lots of you asked me questions about going to Japan without tour. I've answered few questions on my instagram @verenleecious , but surely some of you might missed it. So I'd make a special blogpost / vlog about it (expenses, transport, accommodation in Japan). But through a blogpost like this, you'll be able to see my itinerary (places I went, food I ate, etc.). 

This trip was my 3rd time going to Japan & my parents' 4th time, but this trip was our first time experiencing the Spring season there. My mom loooooves flowers very much, so this trip includes a lot of visits to flower parks, just like this one; Shinjuku Gyoen.

Shinjuku Gyoen is a big park in Shinjuku, Tokyo. From our apartment's station (Gotanda), we took the JR Yamanote Line to Shinjuku Station and from the exit , we walked around 800m to the park. Use google maps, and it will definitely take you there!

During the sakura season, the park is very crowded with locals and tourists doing hanami there (picnic under the sakura trees). We went there on April 18th, which the full bloom was actually over. But luckily there were still quite a lot of sakura trees there! 

I and my mom took lotsss of pics at the park. We spent 2 hours taking pics & 1 hour sitting by the park enjoying ice cream and the ambience there. 

My outfit is from Batik By Annabelle. Such a matching set with the sakura, right? While my watch is Classic Sheffield 36 Rose Gold from Daniel Wellington. I only brought this watch to Japan & it matched all my outfits there. You can GET 15% OFF by entering "VEREN" discount code during check-out if you shop on their webstore. Code is only valid until May 30th, HURRY UP!

When we walked back to Shinjuku Station, we passed by the famous Gyukatsu Motomura and decided to have lunch there. It's a beef katsu, but the meat inside was still raw. The taste was delicious & the beef was very tender! If you like your beef to be well done, you can grill it at the 'mini-grill' that they prepared for you. It costs around 1300 yen for the smallest portion. 

Next, we went to Gotokuji Temple. 1,5 years ago I found a fun story about Gotokuji (Cat) Temple and wanted to visit this place ever since. This temple was originally meant for a minister during Edo period. Monks who lived there were very poor but they raised a cat lovingly. One day, the cat 'waved' into a passing-by samurai who was resting under a tree nearby & invited him inside. 

Not long after he went inside the temple, the tree was struck by lighting! As a gratitude for having its life saved, the samurai became the temple's patron, and the temple soon became prosperous. That's why, they thought the Cat as a lucky charm ! 

Gotokuji temple was reached after 15 minutes walk from Gotokuji Station. It's tucked inside small streets where lots of bikes passed by and numerous cute cafes / shops were spotted. At the temple, there were not many tourists. It was very quiet. After praying there, we also purchased a small manekineko (lucky cat) to bring home :).

See you on my next post!