A quest to see the world and to get more out of life
While our 8-day trip to Japan was certainly longer than the average time we spend in Asian cities, it still left us sad as we said our goodbye. Japan has captured my heart even on our first trip here. This second visit only fortified that love, so much so that we decided to apply for…
As with most of our travels, it all started with a seat sale. The heavily discounted airline tickets prompted us to return to one of our most beloved countries, and another family trip was to become unforgettable. Initially, I thought that it would be a week-long vacation of sorts. After all, we were simply returning…
On this trip, there were a lot of gastronomic delights we experienced. I had long associated Japanese cuisine with something good, but quite mildly flavored compared to its Asian neighbors. While this bias resonated in most dishes we tried, there were some that proved me wrong. What I realized on this trip was that most…
Traveling to Japan isn’t exactly cheap, especially comparing it to other Asian countries. Sure, the airfare from Manila was very affordable, yet accommodations were the opposite. Based from our prior experience, I needed a budget of around USD 50 per person per night, to make room for all the things we wanted. Initially, I was…
The dark streets leading up to Giro Giro Hitoshina were enough to dispel most of my excitement for the meal ahead. Though I knew that Japan was safe, there was an eerie feeling that I couldn’t shake off as we navigated the dimly-lit paths. Even the alley on which the restaurant stood was almost barren,…
Disclaimer: All photos were taken prior to the photography ban. We emerged in Kyoto from our half-day trip to Nara with the sun still up. Our earlier excursion to Fushimi Inari and the subsequent rains at Todaiji rendered us exhausted. We would have wanted to call it a day, but we had a dinner reservation…
From Kyoto’s Inari Station, it almost took an hour to get to Nara. It was pouring by the time we arrived in Nara Station. Not wanting to get drenched from the rain, we whiled ourselves in a 100-yen shop located at the station. Seria had a lot of knick-knacks that interested us, and we even…
The train from Kyoto Station was jam-packed with passengers, but little did I know that almost everyone was destined at the same station: Inari. It was as if the entire train got rid of all its passengers, and everyone bee-lined their way to this photogenic Shinto shrine. Even by the grand torii gate, visitors were…
As we headed back to our hotel from Kinkakuji by bus, I suddenly had this idea of grabbing an early dinner at Kyoto Station. It was the terminal stop of the bus we were taking, and we would be lazy to get venture out from our accommodation once our backs felt the comfort of the…
It was too late when I learned that the G20 Summit was to be held in Osaka, and our schedule suffered greatly as we avoided the city during this period. That realization suddenly dawned on me as we navigated our way back to Kyoto, coming from the city earlier that day only to have lunch…