Asia / North East

Winding down to the last leg of the trip, after returning from Kyoto, we stayed at one of Osaka's most luxurious hotels, Swissotel Nankai. Located at the heart of Namba, its proximity to key entertainment areas ensured every last second... Continue reading Swissotel Nankai Osaka & where foodies shop »

Earlier on in the trip, the boys and I had a serious craving for beef and luckily stumbled across this glamorous yakiniku (grill) restaurant called Kotatsu. The girls went back to the awesome tempura place from the first night, but... Continue reading Yakiniku Kotatsu (焼肉 虎龍) »

I was traveling with first-time-visitors-to-Japan and although it would've been super fun to just keep eating and shopping in Osaka, I wanted to ensure that they experienced the historical beauty of Japan. So I booked us into a 2 night... Continue reading Nishiyama Ryokan, Kyoto »

Remember my shopping frenzy at Sydney's 100 yen store, Maruyu City Super? Well, I am now thrilled to be able to take you to the real deal in Japan! What are theyThese are popular bargain/variety stores in Japan where items... Continue reading Guide to 100 Yen shopping in Japan »

One of the greatest successes of fusion cuisine would have to be tantan-men (担担麺), the Japanese version of dan dan noodles, a Szechuan specialty. Sisen Ramen is a chain of about eight ramen stores in Osaka which serves nothing but... Continue reading Sisen Ramen (四川辣麺) »

Taste Rakuza is more of a gastropub than an izakaya or restaurant, and we only managed to stumble across it because we were lost in the basement level of Kyoto Tower Building. The heat was really smashing us on this... Continue reading Taste Rakuza (味楽座), Japan »

My posts from Japan are starting to drag on now so i'm going to post at least once a day until they're all done! Now, on to waffles... mmmm... waffles. Waffle Waffle is a chain of dessert cafes in Japan... Continue reading Waffle Waffle Le Fruitier, Japan »

Most of my meals in Japan were the cheap and cheerful and a highlight for me was this dinner at CoCo Curry House - a chain of restaurants that specialise in the popular yōshoku dish, Japanese curry rice. Options are... Continue reading CoCo Curry House »

As mentioned in one of my previous posts, you can expect to find something delicious anywhere you go in Osaka. However, for a truly memorable experience, I'd recommend visiting a restaurant like Chibo Okonomiyaki. Okonomiyaki is basically a "pancake" consisting... Continue reading Chibo Okonomiyaki, Osaka, Japan »

A holiday just isn't a holiday without a hotel breakfast buffet. This is what I got to wake up to during my stay at ANA Crowne Plaza in Osaka: There were plentiful juices including orange, apple, grapefruit and tomato, plus... Continue reading ANA Crowne Plaza, Osaka, Japan »

The transition from Sydney's cold and rainy 17°C to Osaka's hot and sticky 38°C was not easy. Our plane landed at about 6pm and by the time we arrived at our hotel, it was already past 9pm. The plan was... Continue reading Chilling out with a chilled udon and tempura on my first night in Osaka »

One of the first things I looked for as soon as we landed in Osaka was takoyaki. Takoyaki are one of Osaka's most favourite street foods. These dumplings consist of a batter with chopped octopus, pickled ginger and spring onion,... Continue reading Takoyaki in Osaka, Japan »

As an introduction to my upcoming posts on all that I ate in Japan, I thought It'd start with a list of 10 things I loved about Japan. This was my second visit and I am certain there will be... Continue reading Ten things I loved about Japan »

We didn't do anything spectacular after leaving Japan except for shop and eat! Here's Winnie and I after a full night of shopping in Mongkok. Continue reading Day Nine, Ten, Eleven - Japan / Hong Kong »

Last day in Japan! This is the Asakusa Kannon Temple, which is also known as Sensoji. It is a Buddhist temple located in Asakusa, Tokyo. For lunch, we went to a BBQ Buffet. Our tour guide helped us order large abalones and Grade A and/or Grade AA Kobe Beef. Kobe beef cattle are hand massaged and fed beer to reduce their stress levels, maintain tenderness in their muscles and to increase their appetites so that they have a higher level of stored fat. As you can see below, the fat has a lovely marbled texture. The taste was amazing! Continue reading Day Eight - Japan / Hong Kong »

We spent the majority of today in queues. A cloudy day does not stop tourists! A great thing about Tokyo Disneyland in comparison to Universal Studios Japan is that the fast-pass is free! The limitation is that you're only allowed to take 1 fast-pass at a time, but each pass gives you an hour's duration to return to the venue. Later in the night, our tour guide arranged for these freshly boiled (delivered defrosted) Hokkaido Crabs to be delivered to our hotel rooms for supper. Hokkaido crabs are also known as Tarabagani or the Red Sea King Crab. The crab's meat was sweet and put a new meaning to "king" crabs... very satisying indeed! Continue reading Day Seven - Japan / Hong Kong »

Eejanaika is the new steel 4th dimensional roller coaster at Fuji-Q (Fujikyu) High Land, that was opened days before I had arrived in Japan. It supposedly translates to "ain't it great". Continue reading Day Six - Japan / Hong Kong »

Tonight, we stayed at the Royal Hotel Kawaguchiko, which had its own hot spa and was only 10 steps from Kawaguchi-ko Lake. Continue reading Day Five - Japan / Hong Kong »

Today, we arrive at Kyoto via the Shinkansen (bullet train). Kyoto has approximately 1600 Buddhist temples and 400 Shinto shrines. The city exposes the well-preserved Japanese architecture and gardens. This is the Heian Jingu Shrine. Continue reading Day Four - Japan / Hong Kong »

For more information, refer to Universal Studios Japan and Shin-Osaka Esaka Tokyu Inn Continue reading Day Three - Japan / Hong Kong »

Abroad the Cathay Pacific flight to Kansai (Osaka) Airport, I was fascinated to discover that there was a channel to view the camera which was mounted beneath the plane. This shot was taken a couple of minutes after take-off. Continue reading Day Two - Japan / Hong Kong »

On July 17th, Mum and I set abroad QANTAS to Hong Kong for an 11 day adventure in Hong Kong (Mong Kok, Kowloon) and Japan (Osaka, Kyoto, Mt Fuji and Tokyo). Continue reading Day One - Japan / Hong Kong »