I started trying some language learning application about three years ago to learn Korean. And then nowadays, I want to get better in Arabic. From my experience, the language you learn is deciding the application you used. I would recommend Memrise and Duolingo if you want to learn Korean but not Arabic. For Arabic I dont have any recommendation but an offline tutor. 

For Korean, I've tried to learn via Memrise, Duolingo, Mondly and Catch it Korean. From those application, I think Memrise is the best. Why? Because it helps you consistently memorize the vocabulary. If you miss reviewing for a day. The words you need to review would be accumulated in the next day. It is a good things so I dont dare to skip any day. 

Memrise provides us with an interesting word game interface. Besides, it also has mems to make us understand the definition of the word. It also has sounds just like the dictionary application. Actually the first reason is why I am loyal to this application.  

At first, Memrise is only about vocabulary. But when I look for another course recently there are option for Korean 1, Korean 2 and Korean 3. I dont know since when it exist, but those course is allowed us to learn about how to make conversation in Korean. In Korean 1 is about basic expressions used in general conversation. 

When I see the lesson plan at the preface of Korean 1, this application already put the grammar lesson. I havent reach it yet, so I couldnt comment. But still, it is a wonderful improvement. Claps!

Second, I tried to use Duolingo because playing with words only is rather boring and like I dont really improve. This application is pretty good as expected from the review. It is allowed us to memorize the words and show us how to use it the sentence.

It comes with themes in every lesson like foods, pronouns, animals, etc. It is good for understanding the grammar and very practical but for me, it is still not enough to understand Korean drama and music. So I would suggest to combine it with lesson from Memrise. Then it would be the best combo. And there is a famous Youtube channel named Talk to me in Korean. It provides us the detailed information about Korean Grammar and I am surprised they also has mobile application now. For a visual learner, maybe it could be better alternatives because they has summary in PDF though the Youtube one is more complete. A must watch video is here https://youtu.be/TUSNTV7VkcI . 

There are another good application I havent tried. I intend to try all of application reviewed here https://www.lingualift.com/blog/best-language-learning-apps/ , just to find the best. Hahaha. Would create the review later. 

For Arabic, I still could not able to find a good tutor online, even in Memrise and Duolingo. The Arabic grammar is rather complicated, and even if I try harder in online, I still could not understand it without an offline tutor. But for a beginner Duolingo is better though Even I already read a grammar book, I still would need a real tutor. 

Ah. There are one more application to improve language I would like to introduce. Especially if you are learning English. It is Elevate.

Elevate is a brain training program (it is said) designed to improve attention, speaking skills, processing speed, memory and more. It is not a language learning application but it helps me get more fluent in English. I think I improved my English skills alot because of this application. 

It provides us with interesting games to identify some wrong grammar in the sentences by reading or listening. Identify the definition of some difficult vocabulary and the opposite. Identify the wrong in pronounciation and so on. Besides it also teach us how to read and calculate faster as the bonus. Pretty complete lesson huh? 

Moreover, the application has a detailed performance tracking which hardly provides by other application. The only negatives from this application is the subscription is pretty expensive but the free version is enough to make your brain entertained. 

If you have another recommendation or suggestion please comment below. :)

Review

7:34 AM

There are multiple option to go to Osaka from Tokyo:

1. By Shinkansen. It is a well known that bullet train in Japan is superfast and comfortable. By Shinkansen it takes only 2.5-3 hours with no transit from Tokyo Station to Shin-Osaka Station. The cost for one way is about 11.000-14.920 yen but sure you will save a lot of time. In our calculation, for 8 days we would need transportation cost about 15.000 yen excluding from Tokyo to Osaka covers Kyoto, Kobe and Nara. The 7days JR Pass would cost about 30.000 yen. Thus it is not a big saver I guess.  There are local train also but I am not pretty sure how to ride this.

2. By Bus. It is the cheapest way to go to Osaka. It takes 7 hours for us to reach Osaka-Namba but the ticket is only  3.650 yen and depart in midnight means would save us another money for accommodation. The bus is pretty comfortable to sleep. I was not really sleeping though. Hehehe

Osaka Castle

After heading straight to our hostel near Dobutsuen mae station, we ate and wash first. Then went to Osaka Castle. Osaka has very different vibes than Tokyo. It is not so crowded. Everyone is not in a rush. More classics and not many skyscrapers. I found more peace there. Osaka castle has a huge and beautiful garden. There are Japan Museum of History just besides the castle. 

From Osaka Castle we were heading to Shitennoji Temple, walked along the way of Tennoji Park and then found Shinsekai, a conventional shopping district. Actually at that time, we were confused. The path is unusually quiet. So we were unsure if we were in the right way. In Shinsekai, there many colossal shop but I don’t find any which not selling pork. The district is pretty interesting though. After that, just by walking ten more minutes we arrived again at our hostel. So we took a rest.

Park before Osaka Castle

At night we went to Dotonburi to sightseeing, shopping and eating. It is so crowded. The most crowded place in Osaka maybe. There is the biggest Don Quixote in Osaka which has Ferris wheel in front. The shop was pretty complete, you can find anything at affordable prices. We bought most of our souvenirs there. Don Quixote deployed many  discount coupon. You could get it easily at your hostel, restaurants or even in front of their store. It helps you when you are in a tight budget.

Next day we went to Universal Studio of Japan. The queue line is amazing, especially for Harry Potter ride. You'll need to be patient and focus on what you want to ride. It is almost impossible to try all the rides. In a day we only got to rides five kinds. For me, Osaka version is better than Singapore. In USJ you could ask the customer service to provide you a room to pray. They would allow it for 10 minutes only (IT IS ENOUGH! #happy). You would have to take ablution in the toilet nearby.

Hogwarts at noon

Hogwarts at night

At the third day, we went to Kyoto which famous for Japanese traditional temple. From Osaka, it took about one hours by train. We supposed to go to Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, but we were too tired to do more walking. So we decided to delete it and head straight to Fushimi Inari. In Fushimi, we only walked halfway to save more energy then went to Kiyomizudera. From the Kiyomizugojo station we walked about half an hour, then walked again along way to Gion and then Nishiki Market.

Kiyomizudera

It is tiresome. Hahaha. I am not complaining, it is real! In Nishiki we bought shoes and snacks. Then went to Dotonburi again. To shop ! :')

Temple just before Fushimi Inari

Gion

Kiyomizudera

Ah yeah. We buy Kansai Through Pass which covers most of the train lines in Kansai except JR. FYI there are Hanshin lines, Hankyu lines, Keihan lines, Kintetsu, Metro etc. We thought it would save the budget buuuut not really the saver if you dont go to faraway place like Himeji. Lesson learned; Just buy Suica/Pasmo card:)

The fourth day, we reconsidered our plan to go to Nara. Why? Because from what we search in Nara there only Nara Park which interesting to us. So cancelled it and head to Sawanotsuru Sake Museum in Nada Ward Kobe. We departed around 9a.m by using Hanshin Line and hop off in Oishi station. From there we walk for about 15 minutes. At 10am, Kobe is still quiet. We rarely pass anyone in the street and it amazed me. The museum is pretty interesting. It told us about how to make sake in Japanese old tradition. There was no entrance fee, love it. Hahaha. They provided us with free samples and my friend tried all the taste. She said it is tasty and bought the sake ice cream. I didn’t try because I don’t drink.

a display in Sawanotsuru Sake Museum

 From the museum we went to central Kobe. Walk to Kitano-cho district, but didn’t find any interesting spot. So we back to the station and eat Steak Land which is another restaurant that has a very long queue line. The restaurant located just right in front of Kobe Station. The steak is delicious but I prefer Gyukatsu Motomura. :)

Kobe from a temple in Kitano-cho

After that I parted ways with my friend, she said she would back to Dotonburi while I had no interest in shopping. Dotonburi sure is the shopping heaven in Osaka. I continued my journey to Himeji, the farthest city you could go with Kansai Through Pass. My battery was so low, I don’t know what get through my mind, but I still go. The journey took about 1 hour and half to Sanyo Himeji Station. I need to transfer to Motomachi station and that’s when my phone died. In that confusion I still managed to arrive at Sanyo Himeji Station by hop on any train to Himeji. Hahaha. What you need to know the Hanshin line has many types of train. There are direct limited express, rapid express and express. It depends on the station you want to take off. Direct limited express only stops in big station, while rapid express in semi big station. The express type would stop on every station. Whatever, I didn’t even know what types of train I take. Hahaha. I arrived at Himeji Station at 5p.m.

Himeji Castle

Himeji castle is bigger than Osaka Castle and full of white color. At that time, there was lampion festival for 500 yen, so I went in. The festival allowed us to take tour inside the palace which is full with light illumination. The tour last about half an hour and then I went back to Osaka. Lesson learned from previous journey so I took the direct limited train and arrived in Dobutsuen Mae at 9p.m. aaaaannndd my friend havent finished her shopping yet. Waw.

Next day we continue our journey to Minoo Waterfall. It was an exercise indeed. We need to walk for about 6km from the Minoo station, 12 kilos in totals for about 4 hours. But it was one of the best autumn spot in Japan. You can see autumn foliage along the way. I bought fried maple in the way. It was tasty, but I prefer Taiyaki next time. :)

Then shopping time in Dotonburi again. And the day after, the only thing we do is catching the flight.

Minoh Waterfall

 From those experienced, there are some lesson learned ahahha:

1. If your destination in Japan is only those 5 cities I guess we don’t need to buy any pass. Using Suica and Pasmo would be enough and flexible.
2. For Muslim, you could easily find prayer room in many famous tourist place, like Shinjuku, Tokyo Station and so on using halal trip or other application. But halal food is something very rare. Most halal restaurant is hard to find . I spend my day eating onigiri from convenience store. Sushi is not sold in many convenience store. I only find it in at Family Mart Shinjuku Bus Terminal and my friend said it is not halal.
3. Again, don’t be greedy about places. Many ambitious itinerary just wouldn’t work. Or dont do jastip if you are being ambitious. 

Travel

8:41 AM

Hii~ in the previous travelling story (Hong Kong), I've suggested not to be ambitious about the journey. But in this page I would tell you about the most ambitious journey I've ever had. I grew up with manga and cartoon from Japan, that’s why I was so excited about this journey and start being greedy. But it was (of course) not done pretty well. The deviation from the original itinerary is too high. This journey covers Tokyo and Kansai area thus it requires a lot of money. Besides, Japan's subway and bus fare is not cheap.

FYI, I hate flying and rarely sleep during flight though it is done in the middle night. The flight from Indonesia to Japan takes about 5 hours and departed in the middle of the night. I could not get some rest because we arrived early in the morning and the check in time is at noon. I was restless in the first day. Because we was in tight budget we choose hostel and sharing room (female dormitory). Japan accommodation is pretty expensive comparing with Korea especially in the spring and fall. But surprisingly even the hostel is comfortable and clean. The host is kind and helpful. I wouldn’t mind to stay in Japanese hostel again.

This story is about Tokyo and Kawaguchi-ko. The Kansai part comes later. :)

Preparing for transportation pass you use is important. The subway in Tokyo is rather complicated. You would need to google every time you go. That’s why preparing for internet and additional battery is a must. There are two major lines in Tokyo Subway; the JR and Metro. Their station mostly near each other. But JR line has more lines than Metro. You should know how many cities you would go during your stay. If you go long way to Saipporo or other far away city, then JR pass could save your budget. But if you only strolling between Tokyo and Kansai, Suica/Pasmo card is sufficient enough and more flexible because you can use both on Metro and JR. I've been bought Tokyo Metro Pass but the cost is around the same yet it is not flexible.

The plan for day 1 was going to Harajuku, Shinjuku and Shibuya. But you know it got messed up so we only went to Gyukatsu Motomura to eat, back to Hostel to wash and rest, Shibuya, Shinjuku. Gyukatsu Motomura is a famous restaurant in Japan. It has some chain in Kansai too and only serve beef. That’s why many muslim comes although it doesn’t have halal certification. It was the best menu I've had during the journey. Hehe. The outlet I went is a 5 minutes walk from Tokyo Metro Station EXIT GATE. You will need to wait about half an hour before get in. The place is small relatively to the famine it has (only has 8 seat).

We went to Shibuya after maghrib. Right after the exit gate of Shibuya Metro Station, there are super famouse Hachiko statue. Right after the statue, there another famous spot, Shibuya Crossing Street. It is so crowded waw. Filled with people. Even in Jakarta I've never see such massive crowd walking. The best spot to enjoy the famous spot is in the Starbuck Shibuya Tsutaya just after crossing the street. We didn’t really enjoy taking photos in the crowd thus shortly after we were heading to Shinjuku to eat.

Hachiko park. So crowded yeah!

In Shinjuku, I parted ways with my friend because she would eat pork while I would like to try the authentic Coco Ichibanya Halal Version. I did my research so I confidently walked alone and was so surprised when I was walked through the red light district in Shinjuku (Kabukicho). At that time I was afraid since I passed some people dressed like yakuza or gokusen with some drunk women. That street was dark and quiet. Oh my god~ After ten minutes finally I found crowd and better light. Phew~  The halal Coco Curry is located in the basement and the lift is rather secluded. I need to walk around and around the building again. Alhamdulillah I could find it and eat another gourmet. The taste is rather different with what I have in Indonesia, but still good. :)

My friend come to pick me. She had to go through the same street and feel afraid too. Hahaha.

The Day 2. It was to to fulfill my dream. See the view of Mount Fuji.

From my research there are some place to see mount Fuji. The closest place to Tokyo are Gotemba and Kawaguchiko Lake. If you want to shop some branded item at more affordable price you should come to Gotemba. But if you are more nature lover you could come to Kawaguchi Lake. Especially in autumn, Kawaguchi Lake is one of the best spot to enjoy autumn in Japan.  So we went there. The transportation cost is pretty expensive yet you still need to pay additional entrance fee to most of the spot. 

There are two options to go to there from Tokyo.

• First is by train. There are two option take a Limited Express to Otsuki from Shinjuku Station and then hop on the Fujikyu railway to Kawaguchiko. This journey just over two hours and costs ¥3,910. If you want to save some cash, you can catch a local train to Otsuki (cost ¥1490) instead, which adds half an hour to your travel time but can save you nearly ¥1,500. Then ride fujikyuko line (add cost about ¥1140).
• Second is by highway bus . Fujikyu and JR Kanto Bus operate one to two direct buses per hour between Tokyo Station (Yaesu South Exit) and Kawaguchiko Station. The one way trip takes about two hours and costs 1800 yen. Online reservations can be made through Willer, Japan Bus Online and kosokubus.com. It was cheaper option but you need to expect delay. When back to Tokyo, the traffic was sucks and it needed 4 hours or so to reach Tokyo.

Kawaguchiko Station

After arrived in Kawaguchiko Station, you need to buy another bus to going around Kawaguchiko for ¥1500 all day. There are three kind of sightseeing bus. First, Red line covers the shortest track but famous spot. Green line covers middle track and Blue line covers the furthest. The bus ticket could be used to ride all kind of bus. The red line is the most crowded. The stop is near one another. For more detailed information about the routes and stop you could find it here http://bus-en.fujikyu.co.jp/heritage-tour/detail/id/1/

The place we visited are Maple Corridor, Kawaguchiko Natural Living Center (Red line) and Saiko Iyashi No Sato Nenba (green line).

The maple corridor is a 150m corridor filled with maple tree. It is so beautiful in autumn with red vibrant all over the corridor. After the corridor you would find a small market which sells tradisional japanese souvenirs and some snacks.

Maple Corridor

View after Maple Corridor. Beautiful right?

The Kawaguchiko Natural Living Center is in the end of red line bus just besides the lakes. From here we can see Mount Fuji with lake background. But, at that time, the sky is so cloudy so we could not capture the Fuji. Here you could also make blueberry jam by paying additional Y850.

Saiko Iyashi No Sato Nenba is another spot to see mount Fuji. There also a folks village there but you need extra cost to enter. Actually I visit this place randomly. But I feel so happy because I found prayer room there. Actually I already gave up to look for prayer room in Kawaguchiko. I did some googling but not find any clue about halal food nor prayer room. I would just pray in the bus I said. Buuuuuuttt~ Alhamdulillah, I randomly come to this site and found it. Syalalaaaa~

Mount Fuji in Saiko Iyashi No Sato Nenba

Walking path to folk village in Saiko

After back to Tokyo we went to Asakusa to look for food. But because we arrived late, many shops already closed. I only managed to get taiyaki. It is so sweet.

Asakusa Temple

Day 3. Strolling around Tokyo National Palace, Rikugien garden and Shopping

We supposed to go to Odaiba in the third day, but yeah, ended up in Tokyo station.

Despite the large are of Tokyo National Palace, there only small part of the palace that is open to public. Yeah it is so so lah. The effort is spent more in Tokyo Station. It is so confusing. There are many lines and many exit. From the train I guess it took about 30 minutes to head out. Besides, it is sooo crowded and made it more confusing. I ever got lost for a while.

Tokyo Palace

Rikugien garden is one of the most beautiful garden in Tokyo. Unfortunately we arrived there when the sky was dark so we couldn’t enjoy the visit. It is located just near Komagome station (Metro).

Rikkugien Garden

Then because we were heading to Osaka by bus from Shinjuku Terminal, we spent another time strolling around the shopping district.

If you want to see our itinerary  here it is https://www.4shared.com/office/Aeubn0oXea/Osaka.html 

The journey is not as beautiful as we plan. :')

Travel

7:46 AM

Well. It was my travel experience two years ago. But I think it is a waste if I dont share it to anyone. It was a memorable experience. :)

Why choosing Hong Kong? Because the flight cost is almost the same with Bangkok yet we found more interesting places there. Our target was Ngong Ping, Macau and The Peak.

After doing some research, we choose Airbnb as our accommodation and choose to stay in Wan Chai. Normally, accommodation in Kowloon or Tsim Tsa Tsui is less expensive than in Wan Chai, but we didnt find the comfortable one. Eventually we think our choice was a better one because it is so close with Islamic Canteen (5 minutes walk) and Times Square (15 minutes walk). It becomes convenience because looking for Halal food but delicious food is rare in Hong Kong.  

We didnt force ourselves too much or greedy about itinerary. It was only one or two places a day. But it was superb holiday. Hahaha.

Here is our itinerary :

Day 1 : Macau

We arrived at 7 in the morning. Took a bus from airport to Wanchai. It took about one hour to arrive. After thattt we slept!!! and went to Macau at 1 p.m. Hahaha. There are two recommended ferry port in Hong Kong,

1. Hong Kong Macau Ferry Terminal in Shun Tak Center, if you stay in Hong Kong Mainland
2. China Ferry Terminal in Tsim Tsa Tsui of you stay in Kowlood/Tsim Tsa Tsui area.

St Paul Church Ruin

One thing you should aware at Ferry terminal is there are many illegal ticket agent. Second advice is know how long you will stay in Macau and get return ticket beforehand. It would be hard to buy ticket in weekend. I dont know if we are lucky or not but our ticket is exchanged by a person who we thought a official guard (but not) so we have to depart 1 hour earlier in a very short time. Because we didnt buy online we had return ticket at 11 p.m so close to the last train schedule. The journey took about 1 hour. From what I read, the bridge between Macau and Hong Kong is already built so we can take bus and only take 40 minutes. It is a better option I guess.

Walking Path to Senado Square

In Macau you need to know where the free bus shelter is. And in weekend it has a very long line especially to The Venetian. The free bus is provided by the casinos and hotel there so mostly it would stop in front of hotels/casinos, thus it was so awkward for me.

In Macau we only visit Senado Square/St Paul Cathedral and The Venetian. The bus is not having clear direction about the route it take and it was hard getting direction online thus we was afraid getting lost. So we just back to the terminal at 8 p.m.

For muslim, you need to know that it was harder looking for halal restaurant in Macau than Hong Kong. Besides not many people speak English or if they speak somehow their accent make it hard to understand. And you should prepare for your foot too. I've only been to two places but my foot feel extraordinary weary.  

Day 2 : Kowloon, Ngong Ping
The second day we choose Ngong Ping and their cable car. Again we went after 10 p.m after sleep for so long. Hahaha.

The ticket price is rather expensive. But the scenery was beautiful and the cable car was a very pleasant experience. After riding cable car you would find a kind of folk village and of course a huge statue of Budha. The stair is longer than in Borobudur but the effort was worth it. If you save your budget just buy one round cable car and ride bus afterward.

Folk Village in Ngong Ping

FYI, Ngong Ping is where the IP Man film taking place.

After Ngong Ping, we went to Kowloon mosque to pray. The mosque is huge and has an easy access since it is near the subway station. Near Kowloon, there are many tourist spot you can go such as: Avenue of Stars, Mongkok, Kowloon Walled City Park, Nan Lian Garden and some musseum. Unfortunately we only visited Hong Kong Museum of History and strolling around Chunking Mansion to eat. Then went home. Hahaha. 

If you like wandering around museum, you should go to Museum in Hong Kong. They are sophisticated and has complex story telling. In the same area likely there are more than one museum. Like Hong Kong Cultural Center is near Hong Kong Space Museum while Hong Kong Museum of History is just besides Hong Kong Science Museum.  I choose this museum because it has highest rating (in google). Can not go to Science Museum, because strolling around history museum is already took a lot of time. One plus things is the entrance ticket is so cheap. 

Day 3 : The Peak, Times Square

This time before going, we have late breakfast first and Osman Ramju Islamic Center where only 5 minutes walks from our Airbnb. A regret come at that moment, why we dont eat to this place at very first. Their menu is so delicious. Seriously! Especially the dimsum. And the prices are surprisingly cheap. Waw. I was so happy at that moment.  

This dimsum is just amazing

They would offer the dimsum at 9 a.m till 3 p.m. They also offer Cantonese food from 6 pm till 9 p.m.

Then we start to depart for The Peak. We chose to ride the bus since it is easier (well, going up and down subway station is tiresome). You need to be prepared to visit the peak in the afternoon especially when you want to try the tram. It has a very long queue line. At that time we need to wait for about half and an hour to ride the famous tram. From The Peak, you can see the landscape view of Hong Kong mainland. It was a pleasant experience except waiting for the tram. Hahaha   

View from the Peak

Day 4 : Times Square, Flight

I guess no more story I could tell you. The rest of the itinerary was shopping. :)

Ah yeah, I want to give some suggestion to enjoy travelling :

1. Dont get too ambitious with your itinerary. Hong Kong is the most enjoyable experience until now and I find it why. I got enough sleep, enough time to rest my body. It would decrease the tension among your travel-mate because you has relax body and brain. When traveling, we most likely argue with our travel mate, though they are the one who we feel most comfortable with. You just need to visit two or three places at maximum and enjoy the rest of time. Dont make excuse like, we would never visit this place again so we must try our best. For an office worker like me holiday should feel like holiday so we could be back to work with more refreshed mind.   
2. Choose person who you are comfortable with and if you can choose the one who share the same interest with you. It is what everyone knows actually. I would just add sharing interest could also means sharing the same faith. Because I am moslem, I need to pray 3 times a day (because we did jama') at least and need to find halal food. I've been travelling with person who doesnt share the same faith as me. And it made the journey rather not enjoyable. I dont say it not enjoyable at all, it was fun. Just it would be better if we have a friend to pray and eat together. :')
3. Find a good food and a comfortable place to sleep. A good food could become our strength booster and kind of reward after walk for a day. While comfortable place is important to get enough sleep and rest. 

Kkeut~

Travel

6:03 AM