Post-election drama aside, it has been a lulzy week. I am currently fighting off sleepiness as I type this post, and it’s only midmorning (which does not bode well for the rest of the day, oh dear me). But the day is still young, so let me take this opportunity to take you to Hwaseong Fortress, a must-see (in my opinion) if you find yourself in Seoul or Gyeonggi-do anytime soon.
Continue reading “SoKor 2015: Hwaseong Fortress – Seojangdae (Western Command Post)”
To be honest, when I was drawing up an itinerary for the Nagoya leg of my Japan tour (LOLZ. Indulge me, woncha.), there weren’t a lot of attractions in Nagoya that intrigued me. At least, according to those lists of “places to see in Nagoya”. Most were industrial-themed, and I was really more the type to go for culture, history, or nature. On hindsight, I realized there are such places in Nagoya; I just didn’t look hard enough. I suppose that is something to be rectified in the future?
Continue reading “Japan 2014: Mata ne, Nagoya~!”
It’s, what, 79 days before Christmas? Yes, in the Philippines, the countdown to Christmas Day started when September came around, and it is now normal to wake up to the early morning TV or radio show reminding you how many days there are left to the big day. Personally, I don’t really feel it yet and, given how short my attention span is, I think that’s a good thing. See, if I start celebrations early, I’ll run out of steam and the arrival of the actual day of Christmas would be… well, for lack of a better word, anticlimactic. So to each his own, I suppose. For now, I want to wrap up my visit to the Nagoya Castle by talking about visiting the Tower itself.
Continue reading “Nagoya, Japan 2014: The Nagoya Castle Tower”
As things are starting to wind down for the year and we are about to enter the last quarter of 2015, so are my posts on my trip to Japan last year. I cannot believe it’s almost a year since I was traipsing around the “Land of the Rising Sun”.
Continue reading “Nagoya, Japan 2014: Nagoya Castle’s Hommaru Palace”
There are probably two ways to spend a holiday: rest or sightsee. For me, I prefer the latter. So, upon arrival at around 1pm in Nagoya via shinkansen from Kyoto, we immediately checked in at BestWestern Hotel Nagoya in Sakae, freshened up a bit (or tried to), and immediately proceeded to pay a visit to Nagoya Castle before heading to the Arashi concert later that evening (I talked about the Digitalian concert in this post.
Continue reading “Nagoya, Japan 2014: To The Nagoya Castle”
I could not help but look at my now very long list of backlogs… travel posts to make, photos to upload… and I start to panic. But then when I calm down a bit, I think to myself, “all in good time, eh?” It’s already the 2nd half of May, and I think I’ll be lying low for a bit. Catch up on some ZZZZs, recharge my batteries, recoup losses, replenish travel fund… y’know, normal, ordinary things. At least, MY kind of normal & ordinary. For now, though, I’ll take you to another Kyoto jaunt: the NIJO CASTLE.
Continue reading “Kyoto, Japan 2014: Nijo Castle”
I thought I could “take up” the Osaka Castle in one post; turns out I was (gleefully) wrong. Trips to places like these always remind me how, when I was younger, I was such a sucker for history. Somewhere along the way, that kinda left me. But being reminded in spurts – and major spurts, too! – isn’t such a bad thing, though, because it makes me remember parts of myself I once thought were long forgotten. After wandering around a bit outside, it’s time to step inside the Main Tower of the Osaka Castle.
One would easily realize how much they have been “duped” by fairy tales when their only concept of castles and palaces involve towering turrets where princesses are locked up, doing nothing but wait for a prince to rescue them. Welcome to the East, my friends. Castles aren’t all about that; but, right here, they are all THAT. (I wish that made sense for you, because it totally did for me.) For this entry, let me take you a bit around (outside) the imposing but highly impressive main keep of the Osaka Castle or, if we’re going to be really Japanese about it, Osaka-jo. Continue reading “Osaka 2014: Osaka Castle Part 1”
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