My KL Diary

  Phnom Penh Trip (July 9-12, 2025) I traveled to Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, from July 9 to 12. Phnom Penh is a developing city among Southeast Asian capitals. Perhaps because of this, I was able to sightsee peacefully. Even though the temperature is almost the same, it is cooler than KL. This is probably because the density of high-rise buildings has not yet occurred, and the river breeze of the Mekong River and the Tonle Sap River passes through.     Photo shows sightseeing boats lined up on the Tonle Sap Riverbank    The City Of Tuk Tuk Phnom Penh is a developing city compared to other Southeast Asian capitals. It does not have a city tram like Bangkok or KL. It does not have high-end shopping malls like those cities or Jakarta. However, the city is neatly divided and there are plenty of sidewalks and crosswalks with traffic lights. Having said that, it is hot, so I do not recommend walking around. Basically, tourists will use a three-wheeled vehicl...

  Shibuya is so different from my memory A 3-night, 4-day trip to Tokyo from March 11th to 15th. My business was done in half a day, so I spent the rest of the time walking around Tokyo alone for the first time in a while. It was cold in Tokyo in mid-March. I knew that because I had lived there for over 30 years until three years ago, but it felt intensely cold for my body that was used to living in KL. The cold isn't the only enemy when walking around Tokyo. Perhaps because of the large number of tourists, the trains are packed for longer periods of time. It feels like it's impossible to ride a train in the Tokyo city center after 6pm (probably until the last train). The chances of getting a seat on the Yamanote Line on a Saturday afternoon were also very low. The thing that surprised me the most about Tokyo, which I saw for the first time in several years, was Shibuya. I got on the JR and arrived at Shibuya Station. I wasn't in a hurry, so I just went with the flow to go ...

  A Big Welcoming Cat ‘Tuah Neko’ Is at LaLaport BBCC The gate of the old Pudu Prison, built by the UK in the 19 Century, is in front of the LaLaport BBCC, KL. It is a set with the big police building across Jalan Hang Tuah.  I don't know if this big police station is the headquarters of KL Police or a branch station, but I like the location of it where you can look over the areas including the busiest commercial town of Bukit Bintang and DBKL city office. The set is located at the highest place in the old town of KL, with which you  can imagine the early development of KL city.  I'm quite fond of these buildings. However, recently, a new building was built and integrated around the gate of the prison. (Anyone who doesn't know the previous situation there doesn't find the prison gate.) The new building became a bakery and cafe.    The left below is a new cafe Next to it, a new restaurant area was created. On the ground floor, there is a high-class Chinese r...

  A Small Tip: Staying At Hotels Near Don Mueang Airport Is No Good If You Want To Have Just A Fun Trip I'll write down what I wrote in my last post about my trip to Bangkok at the end of the year. When traveling to Bangkok, I don't recommend staying in a hotel near Don Mueang Airport.      Don Mueang Airport It's a city of a size that could be called a hotel district, with many small hotels, but the environment is not the best. To get to the hotel district, you leave the north end of the airport, pass the tourist bus gathering area, and cross a super long overpass. By super long, I mean the length of about four 2-3 lane roads and two train tracks. It doesn't look sturdy, and there are people setting up shops and lying down on it.    Super-long land bridge from the airport When you get off the overpass on the other side, first find a gap in the traffic and cross the road. There you will find a town with many small shops. It's a large town where the economy ...

  Visit to Bangkok One, a new huge commercial facility in Bangkok I traveled to Bangkok from December 28th to 31st, 2024. It was my second visit there since April 2022. I learned that Bangkok is cool in the mornings and evenings at this time of year (it's hot in KL). I went to see One Bangkok, a large commercial facility that opened in October.    One Bangkok It wasn't as huge as I expected. It is a facility similar to the one Mori Building is building in Tokyo as XX Hills, which brings together a luxury hotel, offices, residences, two shopping malls, and an international conference center in one place. In the case of One Bangkok, even if you combine the two shopping malls (Parade and Stories), it is not that big. You can see everything there is to see in one go. There are many Japanese stores and restaurants, including MISUKOSHI DEPACHIKA, which sells Japanese food and ingredients (the only famous chains are Sushiro and Ootoya). I was a little surprised to hear the Japan...