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Tampilkan postingan dengan label Tokyo. Tampilkan semua postingan

Hanami at Yoyogi

"One day, I'm gonna visit Japan to see the sakura tree in full bloom."

And so I did! When I booked my tickets for Tokyo (thanks to the CebuPac seat sale!), first thing that came to mind was the cherry blossom season. I wasn't sure if we'll see flowers between our travel dates (Mar 9-20) since usual forecast is by end of March to April. One of the places that had the earliest sighting of sakura is the Yoyogi Park.

Yoyogi Park is one of the famous parks in Tokyo (which is open to public, coz some have entrance fees) located few minutes away from JR Harajuku Station.


The park is around 130 acres so there's a lot of space here for picnics, jogging, etc.


Among the hundreds of trees in the park, there were about 7 cherry blossom trees in full bloom. Lucky, lucky, eh? ;) Here's an example of a Hanami AKA cherry blossom viewing. Japanese people celebrate by having a picnic party with family and friends in different parks all over Japan.


I don't know about you but the moment I saw the trees, super chillax nung feeling ko.

 
I literally couldn't stop staring. Ang ganda nila! Bakit wala tayo nito sa Pilipinas?!


Sorry I just had to do this pose. HAHAHA. Peace yo!


Look, even mga locals hindi maka get over kahit yearly na nila na e-experience ang sakura season. :)


Since sakura season, naglabasan din ang different sakura flavored food and drinks just like this latte from Starbucks. :) Kalasa niya ang Baileys but of course without the alcohol. Sarap siya actually!

What a memorable way to end my Japan trip. :) Achievement unlocked kumabaga. Hehe. Almost done with all seasons, summer na lang! But I doubt na pumunta ako since suuuuuuuuuper init din ng summer nila sa Japan compared sa summer natin sa Pilipinas.

If you plan to visit Japan ng spring, make sure you book in advanced. My friends got their roundtrip tickets for less than ₱8,000! I heard may mga cheaper pa nga than that! And of course for additional tipid use Airbnb! Very recommended yan! Sign up here to get additional 25% discount from me! ;)

Hello, Tokyo!

Oh yes, I'm back and first order of business? Japanese Food!

What are the perks of having a multiple entry Japanese tourist visa? Well, it's obviously a given fact that you now have an option to go back to Japan as many times as you want. Heck, this trip alone is my 4th in a span of 3 years! Haha. Others claimed that once you have that visa, it's much easier to get another visa from a different country. Hmmm, I think so too!

Maybe some of you are wondering why I'm back in Japan when I was there just last November 2014. This trip wasn't even planned in the first place. It was one of those biglaan moments na.. "Uyyy, may seat sale! Tara, book tayo!" Timing was perfect because travel period for that sale was for March 2015. And kapag sinabi na March, almost spring na. No more snow and best part of it all, cherry blossom season!


Meet my bestfriend Faye and her brother Francis. They went to Japan for a business trip to promote Nathaniel's at Foodex Japan.

For our first pitstop, I invited them to checkout Tsukiji Market which is a wrong move on my part because we arrived past 4:00PM and most shops and restos were already closed that time. Please be reminded that the best time to go to Tsukiji Market is morning 'til noon. ;)



I was too hungry to even have time to take photos of my sushi so I grabbed these from Faye's iphone.


After our super duper late lunch we went to DiverCity Tokyo Plaza to meet up with friends of friends of my friends. Did that make sense? Haha. Anyway, please say hello to my blonde girlfriend Diana Jacinto of Oh Hello Dy. :) She's one of the most artistic person I've ever met (follow her on Instagram!), she loves Pandas, all things Pentel and of course Japan!


Meet my tadhana (LOL) Jay. We celebrated our first night (Wow, first night. Very BF-GF levels. Haha) in Japan with tebasaki (Japanese chicken wings), karaage (Japanese fried chicken) and beers. Kampai!


After almost 18,000 steps, it was time to rest. I survived walking around Tokyo for almost 10 hours in my 4-inch booties! Literal na tiis ganda. Haha. Thanks to Faye and his kuya Francis for accommodating us in their room at Mitsui Garden Hotel Chiba. This is my first time to stay at a hotel in Japan and I'm quite surprised to see that the room was very spacious. ;) Contrary siya to the thought na most properties in Japan medyo tight or masikip due to lack of space.


The next day, it was time to leave Tokyo...

TO BE CONTINUED...

Tsukiji Market

They say you're in the happiest place on earth whenever you visit Disneyland. But in may case, I'm at my happiest when I visited Japan's Tsukiji Market.

Tsukiji Market is best known as one of the world's largest fish markets, handling over 2,000 tons of marine products per day. It is scheduled to move to a new site in Toyosu in November 2016.

Believe it or not this is my first time to visit the market to think this is my 3rd time in Japan. I did not plan on seeing the tuna auction 'coz we're too lazy to be up before 5AM so we went around past 11AM to have brunch at the outer market that consists of small retail shops and restaurants.






I was expecting the market to look, feel and smell fishy but it was the exact opposite of what we saw that day. Everything's in order, very clean and neat talaga ng mga Japanese. :)


People started lining up in different restaurants. Super jampacked! And ang hirap pumili. Haha.

 
For our appetizer, we bought a freshly cooked tamago for only ¥100.

 
These freshly grilled Hiroshima oysters are soooo good that I can eat them all in one sitting. They cost ¥500 each. Mahalia jackson!


But since our goal in Tsukiji Market is to have brunch, we just ordered a huge bowl of Chirashi-don.


Ordering a chirashi is a great way to taste ALL the fresh seafood caught that day. ANG SARAP. Period. Bring me back to Japan please?!
Travel Junkie of the Month: Chuvaness

Travel Junkie of the Month: Chuvaness

The Travel Junkie officially turns 3 this June 2014 and I'm kicking it off by launching the latest segment in my blog called Travel Junkie of the Month!

Please give a warm welcome to our first ever featured Travel Junkie of the Month: Cecile Zamora-Van Straten (CVS) also known as Chuvaness!

I started reading Chuvaness back in 2008. CVS is a genius, and very influential too! I started liking things posted on her blog, thanks to her creative writing/marketing skills. But of course, I couldn't afford all of them di ba! Hehe.

In 2010, I created one of the most viral Facebook page that made headlines. I remember sending the link to CVS in Twitter and next thing you know, she blogged about it and said: "Whoever started KA's despedida party is a genius." -- To be honest, it was one of those days where I literally got scared for my life. It's not cool getting random calls and messages from haters ha. Anyway, I've learned my lesson and vowed to never ever do something stupid online ever again. *wink wink*

Going back to our Travel Junkie of the Month, I've prepared a list of questions for CVS and she was kind enough to answer despite her busy schedule:

  • In one word, define travel. -- Hirap naman. Google na lang!
  • Describe the importance of travel. -- Destressing, learning about other cultures, finding oneself, discovering new things, seeing, smelling, tasting, feeling things you have never had before.
    • Cathay Pacific's First Class Seats

  • How often do you fly, and on what airline? -- Three times a year? I prefer Cathay Pacific. 
  • Do you have a preferred day or time when traveling? -- I prefer to leave around 11:00 AM if Manila and around 4:00 PM if abroad. In Manila I need my blowdry, and abroad I like to leave after lunch. I don’t like stress. 
  • Who books your plane tickets and lodging? -- I book my tickets online and accommodations through my dad’s office where I can get corporate rates.
  • What’s the weirdest question you got from an immigration officer? -- Wala naman.
  • Window or Aisle? -- I prefer a seat nearest to the toilet because I go quite often.
  • Are you a light or heavy packer? -- Definitely not light.
  • How do you pass the time on a flight? -- I pray, browse the duty free catalog, read, and sleep.

    • View from the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Tokyo.

  • In what country or region do you enjoy spending your favorite travel season, and why? -- Tokyo, because I'm Japanese inside.
  • Tell us about your most recent journey. -- 8 days in Tokyo with the boys. My longest in Tokyo yet. I don’t get tired of Tokyo.

    • Ben, Jeroen and Markus Van Straten

  • Where have you traveled and where do you plan to go next? -- I’m going to Sweden for H&M.
  • What is your ultimate travel destination? -- I like Paris. I want to get to know the city more. If only I didnt fear flying so much. Scandinavia I like.


    • Cecile Zamora-Van Straten

  • Why are you so fond of Japanese culture? -- Because I’m Japanese inside. 
  • Travel Tip -- Have a travel kit that you never unpack. Mine is a carry on that includes everything like hairdryer, mirror, toiletries, brushes, bandaids, sanitary pads-that are only for travel. So it shortens my packing worries. It’s ready to go.
Photos grabbed from Chuvaness. Thanks again Ms. C! You're the best! Hope I get to meet you again in the coming days or months. Anyway, how do you like this new section of my blog? Have a person in mind for the next Travel Junkie of the month? Leave your comments and suggestion below! 
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