Archive for December, 2022


Let It Be An Even Better Year

Filed under: Asian Holidays, Australia, Food Trip, Japan, Musings & Ramblings, Philippine Travels, Travel, travels, Travels Around USA — 2 Comments
December 12, 2022

This 2022 is a better year judging by how the pandemic woes have eased and how international borders have opened up. Soon after we returned from our Nile cruise early in 2020, we survived a lockdown which saw us cancelling as many as 3 international trips in 2020 and staying in for much of the time throughout 2020-21. Sad news from family and friends we haven’t, couldn’t visit reached us and all we could do was pray and try to stay healthy. My annual visits to my family in Sydney was put on hold until OZ borders opened up in February 2022. I wasted no time and secured a visa to visit Sydney last May 2022. Stayed a good 6 weeks and felt gratitude seeping in that our family is well and in good health.

Check out these blog links:

https://lifeisacelebration.blog/2022/06/07/sydney-fish-market-finds/

https://lifeisacelebration.blog/2022/06/10/my-vivid-sydney-2022/

https://lifeisacelebration.blog/2022/07/03/anna-bay-in-port-stephens/

La Familia. OZ Chapter.
It was winter that mid year in Sydney. Lovely to bond with family again, especially since there are just 2 of us sisters in the original branch of the family.

Soon after, it was time to visit a niece now based in Guam. Renewed my US visa to visit this territory in the Northern Pacific and spent a month, thinking there isn’t much to do in this tiny island. I was prepared to get bored and promised not to whinge. Well, I must have done whatever there is to do in Guam from hotel staycations, duty-free shopping, watching a musical, binging on movies in the nearby cinema, trying Chamorro meals, driving and touring around the island, swimming and other water adventures. There were a number of family friends to meet up so there’s aplenty to do and catch up on. Besides, there was a birthday to celebrate!

Check out these blog links:

https://lifeisacelebration.blog/2022/08/21/a-chamorro-sunday-in-guam/

https://lifeisacelebration.blog/2022/08/25/wednesdays-in-chamorro-village-guam-2022/

https://lifeisacelebration.blog/2022/08/27/checking-in-at-the-tsubaki/

https://lifeisacelebration.blog/2022/08/31/driving-around-guam/

https://lifeisacelebration.blog/2022/09/04/the-beach-scene-dusit-thani/

https://lifeisacelebration.blog/2022/09/06/bikini-sandbar-or-island/

A day excursion to Bikini Island
And a birthday to celebrate!

In between these visits, I made 2 domestic trips. One to holiday in Boracay with dear friends who are my extended family, and another to Cagayan de Oro in Southern Philippines to celebrate a friend’s retirement and birthday. My relationship with these extended families makes me feel so very thankful for their friendship and the bond that ties us forever. Their children are all my godchildren — from baptism to wedding — and our friendship counts decades with the younger members forging an equally strong bond among themselves. This relationship will last beyond our lifetimes!

https://lifeisacelebration.blog/2022/04/10/that-corner-of-paradise-boracay/

Beach is life.
Justice Meloy’s Retirement Party

And then there’s our Fukuoka trip this last month of the year. Not our first time to Kyushu Island in the southern part of Japan, but we were just too eager to travel again as a group. Who cared who was guiding us or where we were going? Destinations hardly mattered. There were just 3 major sights: a garden in autumn foliage, an active volcano and a gorge, and a canal cruise. And onsens and kaiseki in between. Enough. In the company of these travel buddies, we’re good. Fun as always. More fond memories. We are blessed.

Check out these blog links:

https://lifeisacelebration.blog/2022/12/02/japan-is-always-a-good-idea/

https://lifeisacelebration.blog/2022/12/04/gorges-volcanoes-porsches/

https://lifeisacelebration.blog/2022/12/05/a-canal-cruise-in-yanagawa/

https://lifeisacelebration.blog/2022/12/09/an-onsen-zen-state-of-mind/

https://lifeisacelebration.blog/2022/12/10/kaiseki-anyone/

Travel Buddies
Feeling grateful.
Wishing for an even better 2023.

Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year, everyone! May this Season bring us peace and joy in our minds and hearts.

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Kaiseki, anyone?

Filed under: Asian Holidays, Food Trip, Japan, Travel, travels — Leave a comment
December 10, 2022

Typically, I prefer independent travels. But when you’re a big group, and with bebes, escorted tours suit best. We had a big bus for our group, and kaiseki meals were pre-arranged and looked forward to. As expected, we had what the area offers fresh and best. We may have issues with our Japanese guide on communication and all, but the food department is nothing to complain about. What a relief!

All 9 courses for our first kaiseki.
That Aso beef!

In Arden Hotel Aso, we had 2 kaiseki dinners. We grilled our Aso beef the first time, and had it shabu-shabu a second time. The 2nd kaiseki was more filling as we stepped out of the dining hall with our garments bursting at the seams. No wonder the yukatas are preferred wardrobes for this ritual! Wagyu fans can celebrate but in my book, that sea bream carpaccio is tops! Also, that was the best ebi tempura I’ve eaten. The batter is simply too good, way crispier than the usual.

Sea bream carpaccio
Everything on this tray is GOOOOOD!
Even the pickles.

When we visited Takachiho Gorge, we had a “simple lunch” in this tiny izakaya accessible through 3 flights of stairs. If your bladder bothers you, better do it before climbing up. But I thought the tray presented an attractive meal which we all enjoyed. After all, I was almost nearing my quota for Aso beef (or any beef) and craving for other proteins.

The “hut” lid covered the yummy dish. Cute!
How do they do these eggs?

When we headed to Yanagawa, we lunched in this seafood place just before boarding our river boat. What a delight to see them fish out our lunch fresh from the water tanks! I confess I was hoping for an eel lunch but I’m not complaining about the fish we had.

It’s a rather flat no-name fish. Can you tell?
I wouldn’t mind those clams and oysters too!

By the time we reached the city and on our own in the dining department, I knew what to eat. Those excursions exploring geological wonders hyped up my appetite for unagi (eels) and more shellfish. Found an unagi place and an oysters bar at the rooftop of Hakata Train Station. Well, on the top 2 floors actually. Cravings satisfied!

Unagi for my last lunch before flying out.
Oysters, sardines and zucchini with prosciutto for our last dinner before heading home. Best with beer.

Not to forget, we did partake of that Ichiran ramen too. Not to be missed. You don’t leave Fukuoka without eating this noodle dish in this rich broth. Plus a wagyu lunch somewhere along the route deep down in the island of Kyushu. Sayonara!

Ichiran Ramen
Our Wagyu Lunch
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An Onsen, Zen State of Mind

Filed under: Exotic Cuisine, Food Trip, Japan, Musings & Ramblings, Travel, travels — Leave a comment
December 9, 2022

When we reached Arden Hotel Aso in Minami-Aso, we didn’t have any high expectations. Lying in a village in Kyushu, Japan, the onsen hotel must have been neglected much throughout the pandemic judging by its peeling wall paint along the corridors. But its vast garden was well-kept and the resident rabbits look well-taken care of. The rooms are very clean though, and the food superb. The kitchen crew must have stayed along with the garden staff. This you can tell by the quality of its kaiseki dinners. As for the onsen and hot spring baths, we had the area nearly all to ourselves. A choice of indoor and outdoor onsen, as the mood dictates. Swell!

Arden Hotel Aso
The Garden is perfect for strolls and meditative breaks. Be prepared to meet the resident rabbits!

In winter, it’s agonizing to decide whether to try the outdoor onsen and hot spring baths or to simply check out the indoor onsen. Just walking from the hotel in yukatas to the spas within the complex — a very short walk, actually — can be an ordeal because of the freezing weather. But the indoor onsen is far from being a poor choice. My only complaint is that I could hardly tolerate the hot temps as I dipped in. That is why the outdoor onsen makes so much sense!

No cams allowed inside so these are photos from the hotel website.

We all enjoyed the onsen prior to dinners and breakfasts while we were here. And in the afternoons soon after our day excursions, the gardens provided some perfect breaks for meditation or just me-times. Our spacious rooms looked out to these gardens and the autumn foliage added much to the garden’s charm. In spring and summer, these gardens seem perfect for weddings. I can imagine round tables littering the beautiful rock garden, the food and cocktails served under the maple trees, a string quartet just around the garden rocks and many rabbits jumping around the lawn.

These are the covered corridors towards the outdoor onsen. Used by both humans and rabbits.
Cocktails in spring/summer temps should be good here. This looks out to the garden.

And yes, I mentioned kaiseki dinners. The breakfasts were good too! If one’s skipping the day excursions, staying in for these meals could even be a treat! Our first was topped by Aso beef, a kind of wagyu that may not be of the same quality as your Kobe or Matsusaka beef, but Aso comes from Akaushi cattle raised in this area. You’ve just got to try it!

Aso Beef is this omakase’s highlight!
While the Aso beef shabu shabu is good, I was drawn more to the sea bream carpaccio here. And that tempura is really gooooooood!
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A Canal Cruise in Yanagawa

Filed under: Asian Holidays, Food Trip, Travel, travels — Leave a comment
December 5, 2022

Touted as the “Venice of Japan”, this canal cruise couldn’t have been more fun if not for our singing gondolier named Nakamura-San. He reminded me of Confucius, with his long face and beard. He sang for us nearly the whole time, and his repertoire included a lullaby for the baby in our group. From time to time, he’d shout “danger, danger” as we passed the low branches of trees or under the bridges while punting along the Yanagawa river. That was our cue to duck lest we hit our heads.

We took off on 2 boats. This is Boat #1
And this is Boat #2

Yanagawa is a castle town just an hour away from Fukuoka. The centuries-old narrow waterways used to be moats surrounding the castle that does not exist anymore. Designated as a National Site for Scenic Beauty, there are plans to even expand the grid of artificial moats for a longer, more leisurely punt ride Yanagawa is famous for. I kept thinking the boat ride must be more fun towards sundown or early evenings when the lights are reflected on the river waters. But I’m glad we did it just after lunch and before the temperature dropped further.

The town’s so small it’s such a pleasure to walk along the canal ways.
One of the Boat Stations

While the highlight is the boat ride, don’t skip walking around town and along the canals. Even at low temps, it’s such a delight just walking around. On food choices, this town has a good selection of seafood options. Clams, flatfish, crabs, shrimps, eels, oysters, etc. Don’t miss that too.

Seafood galore
A Simple Lunch

So there. If you’re in Fukuoka, make a day trip to Yanagawa if only for your seafood fix and try a punt ride along the former moats of a now non-existent castle. Sayonara!

Not sure about what this vendor is selling 🙄
Meet Nakamura-San, our Japanese gondolier.
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Gorges, Volcanoes & Porsches

Filed under: Japan, Musings & Ramblings, Travel, travels — Leave a comment
December 4, 2022

Takachiho Gorge is one beautiful consequence of an ugly, devastating tragedy that occurred some 90,000 years ago. This natural beauty was formed when Mount Aso erupted, leaving volcanic basalt columns lining the narrow chasm cutting across the Gokase river. The river waters eroded the lava where the rock formation resembles the scales of a dragon and from where a 17- meter high Minainotaki waterfall further enhance this beauty in the Kyushu mountains.

Takachiho Gorge
Takachiho Gorge

Mount Aso lies in the middle of the Kyushu Island in Southern Japan. It has five peaks of which Takadake is the massif’s tallest at 1,592 m (5,223 ft) in elevation. This is best viewed from the Mt. Aso National Park. Dotted with several craters, the Mount Aso caldera claims to be the largest in the world, spanning 25 kilometers in length and 18 kilometers in width. Laced with many trails, the area provides several hiking options. Interestingly, there are a few villages and towns within the caldera where one also finds Akaushi cattle and horses. Life here revolves around the Shinto Shrine where festivals are held to honor the volcano.

Aso Caldera
A Shinto Shrine

While here, we witnessed a procession of sports cars driven by car aficionados. So many Porsches in a few minutes parked side by side near the Visitors Center. Couldn’t resist having a photo taken. Don’t judge us 🤣

That Boxter!
We’re even missing a few here!
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Japan Is Always A Good Idea

Filed under: Asian Holidays, Food Trip, Japan, Travel, travels — Leave a comment
December 2, 2022

My last trip with these travel buddies was in 2020, returning back home just a mere week before a lockdown was declared. The idea of traveling together again gave us a high and by the time we were ready to go, our number has grown to 23 adults, 4 teens and 2 babies. A whole bus of happy travelers. It didn’t matter much where we were headed but Japan has always been a good idea. Besides, our last trip to Fukuoka in 2017 had a different itinerary.

Our Growing “Family”

On this trip, the abuelas fussed over the bebes while the abuelos trained the teens how to drink smartly. Cocktail hours were longer and more adventurous as the group now includes an award-winning barista who concocted cocktail drinks for the senior, middle-aged and young adults. As always, we enjoyed the company, the private jokes, the food and the onsen. The autumn colors provide good visuals but then again, Japan is good no matter which season.

Da Boys
Da Gels

The temps are dropping so we made sure to wrap ourselves good. The ryokan we are staying in now has an outdoor onsen and we made good use of that before our kaiseki dinner. Post dinner cocktails followed before we called it a night. It’d be a long next day with a long drive towards Takachiho Gorge plus a visit to a shrine where Shinto was born. So there. With the drop in temperature, wish us luck.

Mifuyenama Rekuen Garden
Where are the kids?
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