I like how this Universal Studios was different from the one in Singapore. It has different attractions than the ones I saw when I was there, so it was all fresh, at least for me.
Continue reading “Osaka, Japan 2014: Universal Studios Japan (Pt 2)”
Back when I was in high school and college, I used to be quite the fanatic when it comes to movies. My cinema-going record never went below “twice-a-month”. There were even times when I do cinema-hopping, which is basically moving to another cinema to catch a movie, right after I finished one. Also, just this Christmas break, I had to regretfully part with two huuuuuuge boxes of movie magazines, dating all the way back from 1998 until around 2008. I don’t know when it somehow toned itself down.
So you could just imagine how much of a treat it was for me when I went to Universal Studios Singapore a couple of years ago, and to Universal Studios Japan in Osaka just over month ago. IT. WAS. AN. ABSOLUTE. BLAST.
Continue reading “Osaka, Japan 2014: Universal Studios Japan (Pt 1)”
Seeing a couple of blog posts about beautiful Batanes in the past couple of days has reawakened my desire to see it to a once-again burning flame. For now, a number of factors are still making it elusive. Still, I aim to be able to step foot on it, somehow, some way, some time in the future. When I do, I will be able to cross out another one from my growing mental list of places to see before I die. Panglao Island, though… I must admit it was never on that list. Continue reading “Bohol: Panglao Island”
After four times of saying “Ohayou, Tokyo!” out loud, I had to say “Mata ne, Tokyo!” on morning of November 28 as I took the first shinkansen trip from Tokyo to Osaka. I left Tokyo with the knowledge that, someday soon, I will come back and check out the places I wasn’t able to. Tokyo Disneyland, perhaps. Maybe have a HanaDan moment at Ebisu, or go around Ropponggi. Darn, I haven’t even gone around Shinjuku! And, most importantly, I have to climb Mt. Fuji. THAT is an absolute must. So never a “Sayonara~”, just “See You Again~”. Continue reading “Tokyo, Japan 2014: Mata ne, Tokyo!”
Another week, another bout with work, another batch of deadlines. Despite that, we have to start it right, and what better way to do that than to greet it with rainbows? Yes, rainbows. Granted, it’s just going to be one-fifth of a rainbow (….you don’t know what I’m talking about, do you, you-who-have-no-idea-who-Arashi-is? That’s all right, you get a free pass. This time.), but we all know there’s a lot of sparkles to go ’round, even from a single Arashi member. I’m talking about Aiba, and his family’s Chinese restaurant, Keikarou.
Continue reading “Chiba, Japan 2014: Chinahouse Keikarou”
Japan is quite possibly the WORST place to be for anyone who’s dieting. It’s a good thing that word does not exist in my vocabulary. Imagine having to restrain yourself from giving your palate a workout when you’re in the land of the most amazing (and appetizing-looking) sweets, takoyaki, all kinds of sushi, taiyaki, and okonomiyaki, to name a few. It’s a crime, I tell ya. A crime, which is a punishment in itself.
If I could sum up Akihabara in a couple of phrases, it would include “geek heaven” and “fanboy(girl) trap”. Oh, and you could also throw in “gachapon” in there for good measure. If I were a gaming addict or a hardcore anime fan, I’d say Akihabara – shortened to “Akiba” – deserves all four of my four-day stay in Tokyo. As it were, the few hours I got to spend in the area (and only a small part of it, too!) were already overwhelming, at least to me.
From the Imperial Palace, we proceeded to Asakusa. where vestiges of “old Tokyo” can be found. This was a must-see on the itinerary I drew up, and I even devoted an entire afternoon for it. But since it was included in the Tokyo Morning Tour of HatoBus that we went on, I scrapped it from the list. The result? I was left wanting more.
Continue reading “Tokyo, Japan 2014: Ye olde Tokyo, Asakusa”
Remember when I went all the way to Kawaguchiko just to get a glimpse of Fuji-san? And failed because of the weather? Well, guess what. I managed to see Fuji-san. From Tokyo. All the way from the main observation deck of the Tokyo Tower. Continue reading “Tokyo, Japan 2014: Tokyo Tower and the Tokyo Imperial Palace”
Earlier in 2014, I confess to having waded back into watching Kdramas via My Love From Another Star. Then I went through several Jdramas and then, while I was looking for something different from what I’ve seen so far especially in Kdramas, my eyes fell on a promotional poster of BAD GUYS, a production of OCN. Cable television in Korea seem to be stepping up their A-game, so now we see worthwhile dramas from production companies other than KBS, SBS and MBC.
And yay for short dramas! That’s what I like about dramas that are only around 10 to 16 episodes. These mid-length dramas have just the right length, IMO. Add more, and there’s a risk of it being dragged on too long, with one or two episodes doing nothing but acting as unnecessary fillers. Short but sweet; that’s a formula that almost always works.
Continue reading “K-Drama Review: Bad Guys (OCN, 2014)”
Even after sampling Ikebukuro ramen the previous evening at Tairyuken Tokyo Ebisu, I did not give up on my hopes of sampling Kohmen ramen. It took some walking in the cold and drafty evening, and some disorientation, but I had my eureka moment and immediately set about having a taste.
If I had the luxury of time and money, I’d have decided to take the whole Tokyo Disney package: Disneyland and Disney Sea. Unfortunately, I didn’t. On both counts. So I just had to pick one. Fortunately, it was a very easy choice on my part. I picked Tokyo DisneySea. Continue reading “Tokyo, Japan 2014: Tokyo DisneySea”
During my Tokyo trip, I opted to stay in the Ikebukuro area, which is a good decision, methinks, because it gives you easy access to everywhere. I only wish I had more time to explore the area, though, because it turns out to be quite huge (and has a lot to offer). One of them…. is that “cure-for-the-mother-of-all-hangovers”: ramen. And I first had my taste of Ikebukuro ramen at this small place called Tokyo Ebisu.
Continue reading “JapanEats: Ramen @ Ikebukuro – Tairyuken Tokyo Ebisu”
It was a no-brainer: if you go to Takeshita Dori in Harajuku, do NOT miss trying out the crêpes. And you have lots of choices, too, since there are many “crêpe stores” on this famous street. However, the most popular, and is touted as the “quintessential Harajuku street food“, is a crêpe sold by Marion Crêpes.
Continue reading “JapanEats: Marion Crêpes (Harajuku)”
On the first day of the year (Happy 2015 everyone!) here’s a bit of a blog post detour. How’s the holiday weight gain coming along? Personally, it’s making me nervous especially when I think about having to wear my office uniform when I go back to work in a couple of days. Until then, though, I had fun just pigging out during the holidays, and samgyeopsal was a bit of a “staple”. So I figured, why not make a post about it? Keep me company as I retrace my gastronomic steps and revisit my close encounters with Korean food during my trip to South Korea. Continue reading “KoreaEats: Close Encounters with Korean Food… in South Korea”
Proudly powered by WordPress | Theme: Baskerville 2 by Anders Noren.