Clever and Light Travel equipment - What the best equipment to take in a trip ?

Dear Diary :

After traveling for several years, I became an expert in taking the best and only the best traveling equipment: solid, and as lighter as possible. All products on this page have been used by myself for at least several months. It is my pleasure to share with you my knowledge about traveling equipment.

GEOX SHOES:

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The travelers, casual or seasoned, all know that story: we're fly, take the the bus, sleep, walk, it's cold then it's hot... Anyway, when we remove our shoes, it is very often unpleasant because of the odor. At the same time we feel so relieved to finally leave our shoes, and quite often, our feet hurt after a long day. One day, I decided to buy GEOX shoes, because I saw the feet can breath well inside. Well, I can tell you it is entirely true! Now, after I took a plane for 24 hours, then a bus, then a taxi, or even rode an elephant, I could finally remove my shoes without feeling pain in my feet and it didn't smell at all. I strongly recommend you to buy this brand. Why I took this model of GEOX ? Well, I'll tell you that the design is pretty good, but also, I love this model because it is suitable for every situation: I can walk all day and hang out in a bar, restaurants, or clubs  with the same shoes. These shoes are so versatile, I love it !

TIMBERLAND SHOES:

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 If you are less fashionnable, or if you have more space in your luggage for a second pair of shoes, buy Timberland shoes. It's a very good quality pair of shoes, which is perfect for hiking.

MY KAPPA BAGAGGE: My love !

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I have the small version of the picture. Why ? Because of its size, it is considered as cabin baggage in absolutely all airlines (Pegasus airlines, Turkish airlines, Airasia, Ryan air, British airways...) and there is nothing worse than arriving at the airport registration and getting an extra charge becauseyour suitcase does not meet the required maximum size. The kappa baggage is waterproof and really durable. It has been handled unceremoniously in a good numbers of aircraft, some buses and also by myself. It has rolled for kilometers in the snow, in the mud, the rain and yet it still works just fine! Big enough for my 17-inch laptop, it also has some rigid bars to protect the shock from the outside. It has a secure closure. In short, you can guess it by now that I remain faithful to this brand !

MY SAMSUNG A5: My best friend:

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Why Samsung A5? Because it was elected as one of the best phones ever. In 2016, it was the phone with longer-lasting battery than any other phones. You will find that out when you travel and we're a lot on the phone: booking, addresses... So the battery is sacred! And I am more than satisfied, it's THE phone, he fell at least a dozen times, giving me big fears, and its screen is still in one piece, its battery is so biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiig, the screen is beautiful, the camera produces pictures that you can  see on my blog (aside from the photos in this article because these are links). On top of that, you can put an SD card. On a trip, it's important to be able to store photos, videos, show tv and e-book! Obviously, I'll stay on the range A Samsung for my next purchase, when it breaks but I hope it will keep working for as long as possible. (It's been over a year and I'm still very happy with the battery). For those who are hesitating between a second hand Samsung A5 2016 and a new Samsung A5 2017, I still advise the 2017, just because it is IP 68 standards, and therefore waterproof. Not for diving of course! But you could (accidentally) drop it into the water and get it back as if nothing had happened!

SANDISK SD card:

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Why SD Sandisk card ? Because this brand is very good (all Sandisk products I bought are still working). For the number of Gigas it depends of your photos skills and the number of videos you want to take on your trip. I have 64 GB but my photos are automatically transferred to my cloud as soon as the phone is connected to WiFi. Attention: some phones can support just a certain amount GB for your SD card. So before purchasing any SD card, make sure your phone can support the GB you are looking for.

RIGID GLASSES CASE: My savior !

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Whether you are into simple, classy, or mat design:

Or you're the Japan and Manga kind:

Learn from the mistakes of the others (including mine) and buy immediately a rigid glasses case! I can assure you that one day, without warning, either the laptop will crash against your glasses (eyeglasses or sun glasses) in the suitcase, or, one night, you just wake up from a nightmare and step on it.Anyway, you'll be, so relieved to have opted for a hard case!

EXTERNAL BATTERY

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Yes, I know, you have perhaps the excellent Samsung A, but, believe me, there are situations where you'll need it : when you're waiting at the airport for hours, on the plane, in the night bus... It is always reassuring to have an external battery. Mine can no longer be found online but I found one with the same charging power: 10,000 mAh. I can charge my phone 8 times in a row, which is very useful, especially when I'm in a country without the right adapter, when I go to hike, or when I take the night transportation.

NO COTTON BUT ONLY SYNTHETIC ! ALWAYS !

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Cotton = odors !
Synthetic or sweat proof =  👍👍👍

Jean, yes, but not every jean :

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The Jean, why? Because it is resistant, and you can wear it in every situation, but be careful! After having tried some brands like Diesel, Guess, Levi's, G-Star... and even the no brand jeans, I can tell you that they all tear at one time or another.Except for those with some spandex! This elastic fiberprevents tearing and has a good resistance to the friction. So take the jean you want, but with spandex as much as possible.

THE ADAPTERS:

Too many times I've seen people disappointed by the electrical outlets! Or ask to borrow my adapter! So find out the kind of adapter you need before getting on your trip.

Power adapter 3 pin for USA, Canada, Thailand: 

Adapter plug 2 pins for Japan:

THE E-BOOK

Yes I know, some people will tell me it's bad for the eyes, blablabla... Ok but when you're traveling for several months, you can't carry a several-month supply of books with you ! The same if you want to travel with a light baggage, so Irecommend you to fill up your phone with some E-book before you leave. 

Attached is the link to a free book in kindle format (readable with the Kindle tablet, but also on your phone through a free app)

THE GPS OFF LINE :

this GPS saved my life more than once! 
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It looks nothing like it, but can you see the arrow on the dial? It shows you the direction of a pre recorded point: hotel, car, starting point for a hike... It is no longer possible to get lost and you can finally hang out without worrying about the way back! Light, small, without any SIM card, it works absolutely everywhere (at least on earth), in all countries, it's just happiness!

BELT TRAVEL SECRET:

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 This belt is magical! It serves as a belt (obviously) and you can hide many cash notes inside, so that you don't lose everything if you lose your wallet or somebody steals it.

Conclusion :

This is a non-exhaustive list, I will regularly update it. The products used were without any problems, that's why I recommend them. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me !

Japan - Osaka

Osaka activities - What to do in Osaka: markets of Osaka - Dotonburi street - Osaka Castle.

Osaka where is it ?

A good guidebook for Osaka :

Tips: 

Inside of Osaka train station, there are a lot of Ramen restaurants very tasty and cheap, where local people eat.

Osaka ?

If you think that Tokyo is too big and too impersonal, and if you also think that Kyoto is too small and doesn't have a nightlife, Osaka suits you perfectly ! Osaka is really between Kyoto and Tokyo : You can find a lot of restaurants as cheap as Tokyo's restaurants (and cheaper than Kamakura, very touristy place) and also many more options than Kyoto. Like Tokyo, you can find some locations with a lot of stores dedicated to cosplay, anime, or figures. (Same as Akihabara, but much less). If you like video games, you will find a lot of video arcades, and also some pachinko. On the other hand, you won't see a lot of nature like in Kyoto.

Osaka - City of markets:

Kuromon Ichiba market, one of the best-known markets. It's simple, you can find everything: Japanese food, drinks, desserts, meals, Kobe beef, clothes, and fresh fish everywhere ! Osaka has been called pantry in the old times, and when you walk in Kuromon Ichiba market, you will understand why ! Good to know: Osaka has a very big coastline, you will find a lot of good and fresh fish.

The little Tokyo:

Osaka is also called the little Tokyo: A lot of stores, restaurants, pachinko, arcade video... And the the best known street is:

Dotonburi:

Dotonburi is the best known street in Osaka (every Japanese people know it). Dotonburi brings together major retailers. And it's exactly here (in the pic above) where every tourist comes to take pictures when they come to this street.

Dotonburi street crosses the Dotonburi canal:

Ezaki Glico:

Can you see the blue and red ads ? The sprinter ? Yes, that's here ! ? It's Ezaki Glico, a famous candy brand, and it's this ad that everybody takes a picture for.

And obviously, it's good to pose like the logo, with arms in the air !

Some Kobe beef ?

And one sushi at 4€ for me ! Yes because if you're not planing to go to Kobe, which is just near Osaka, try the Kobe beef. It is famous as one of the tastiest and softiest meat in all over the world ! The Kobe beef gains its reputation for having the cows listen to classical music, getting a massage regulary (yes really) and drinking beer. The goal is let the cows relax as much as possible. Obviously the price is in line with it, and, if you don't want to spend a fortune in a restaurant to taste this incredible meat, do like me, try the Kobe sushis !

500 yens (around 4€) this Kobe sushi.

Dotonbori :

Welcome back to Dotonburi ! Try to follow the people in the streets, feel the atmosphere, and, if you don't want to do shopping, try the street food, epecially places with a lot of people waiting in line !

Every time a video game coming out, it's a very big event in Japan ! In the picture below, you can see all the Lawson's products are disguised for the coming out of the last Dragon Quest.

Why did they give me chopsticks to eat this steak and this egg ?!? 

Osaka's castle moat :

Osaka's castle :

Osaka castle, which is more of a fortified temple than a castle, is one of the best known temples in Japan, due to its role in Japanese history. You can learn more about it in on the 7th floor, in 3D ! Osaka castle is, with Donbori street, a must see if you're going to visit Osaka.

Museum of Osaka's castle:

My first impression when I was entering inside the Osaka castle was... The disappointment ! I expected one of those amazing authentic Japanse interior designs, like in Shogun castle at Kyoto, but instead it was a very modern museum, with modern stairs, elevators, and showcases. If you're comparing from the outside, it's crazy different.

Be aware, taking pictures is forbidden on some floors, don't do like me ! I saw the sign too late ! So you would have access to the first 6th floors ( ou know why there are elevators now) to the museum, some things are authentic, some are copies.

However it's on the 7th floor (yes, there is still floors after the 6th floor) I found my visit interesting for the Osaka castle.

The picture (fuzzy because the characters moving, forgive my samsung galaxy A5) represents one of the numerous scenes from the history of Osaka castle. The 3D is mixing with a painting and a real decoration..

It's in Japanese, with English subtitles.

The 8th floor of Osaka castle :

My advice : go on a clear weather (even me, in July, I had rain !) the 8th floor ( yes the last floor !) of Osaka castle ( it's really weird to call it a castle 😑) let you see a 360° view from the rooftop. For people who love pictures, you will dislike the fence, good for safety but very annoying for taking beautiful pics.

Conclusion :

Osaka can be visited in one whole day, or two days if you want to take your time. The two main attractions (Dotombury street and Osaka castle) are located next to each other. For other activities, it's, as written before, a little Tokyo. Go to different markets if you have time, especially Kuromon Ichiba, and, if you are a food lover, don't miss the Kobe beef !