And just like that, we only have a couple of weeks before the year 2026 sets in. This early, we’ve mapped out some travel plans already for the coming year. Siargao in January. Kerala, India in February. Back to Sydney in March for quite a time, till June. And for the 2nd half of the year 2026, a river cruise along the Rhine. God knows where else we’d find ourselves in in between those planned trips. There’s Hokkaido and Medan, Indonesia in the drawing boards. And of course, that forever plan to watch Messi play — either with Inter Miami or with his national team Argentina for the coveted back to back win in the World Cup. Busy 2026? Perhaps busier than this year 2025. I’ve skipped many trips with my travel mates this year — choosing to spend more time and holidays with the family. All good. 👍
Hiroshima
Started 2025 with a trip to Fukuoka although we stayed in Hiroshima for the most part. Despite the grim reminders of the horrors of war, the white and pink Sakura blooms cheered us up all throughout that spring holiday. For the 3rd time, I visited Miyajima Island to enjoy once more the iconic Torii gate and the succulent oysters and eels the island is famous for. Back in Manila for the necessary preps for a bigger trip to Spain and France. This European holiday is my first trip with a grandnephew based in Sydney, plus a niece whom I wanted to introduce to the camino as well as take to Lourdes, France for some “spiritual experience”. From the Gaudi-inspired city of Barcelona, we took the train to Pamplona and met up with cousins to Saint Jean Pied de Port to Roncesvalles to Lourdes to Paris. It was time very well spent. The sightseeing, the pilgrimage walk, time with family, the art and culture aspects of a trip and most importantly, the bonding time while experiencing all these lovely adventures and creating happy memories.
Walking out of Saint Jean Pied de Port in France to cross the Pyrenees into Spain.
Soon after this European trip, I only had a few days to pack for another holiday. This time, in Bali, Indonesia where more kin from Sydney flew in to join me for 5 days of sun and sand. We made sure the trip is “senior friendly” as my 81 year old sister and brother-in-law are joining. That is not to say this newly-arrived (from a hectic trip) septuagenarian didn’t need a break. Quite honestly, I actually rested so well in Bali. It was truly a relaxing holiday after a fast-paced holiday with a younger set. Just what I needed!
With family in Bali.
Fukuoka in spring. Fukuoka in end of summer. Yes, I returned to this lovely city in September, this time with my “Apos” to attend my nieta’s art exhibit. But I hardly did anything outside of just being present. The twenty-somethings did all the planning, flight and tour bookings. Including all dining and shopping itineraries. Not bad. I can get used to this. We ate well, even if I thought we had too much coffee and ramen. I sat out the shopping part, but I enjoyed the new spots which the younger sets prefer. Besides, we are actually here for the Art Fair Asia Fukuoka !
Before the year ended, I joined my friends for yet another trip — to Kaohsiung in Taiwan. This is my first time here as I’ve only been to Taipei and nowhere else in Taiwan. Just a quick trip. Aside from shopping and eating, I only managed to visit Pier 2 Art Center. On 2 consecutive days, I visited the area which is just a short walk from the hotel we booked. Just as well. The pier is a massive place dotted with brick warehouses cum shopping and dining areas, and parks with very interesting art installations. I’m sure my young family members would love it here. But next visit, I’d be sure to time it during cooler temps. It’s hard to endure the sun in the open-air art spots. The afternoons by the river are more pleasant though.
Pier 2 Art Center. Kaoshiung, Taiwan.
And so, here ends 2025. How has it been? We look back with gratitude and look forward with hope. In a few, the year 2026 beckons. A third of the coming year is all planned out this early but the remainder is still there, leaving room for exploration. For adventure. For surprises. Oh, don’t we all love surprises? I am ready for the coming year. Are you? 💕🎉🙏🍾🚘💃✈️🚂🛳️⛱️🏕️⛰️🏝️
It’s my 4th time in Fukuoka, and my 2nd visit this 2025. But it’s my 1st time visiting with young adults, all 3 of them, all under 30. I pulled up the average to mid 30’s and that changes the whole complexion of this holiday. For starters, they booked the flights, chose the hotel and area (Tenjin), drew up the travel itinerary including dining options. I’m not complaining but I had to skip some meals as I couldn’t keep up with their appetites and bar trips. Also, we’re here “officially” for an art event — the Art Fair Asia Fukuoka (AFAF). My nieta has 2 art works on exhibit along with other Filipino contemporary artists. We arrived a day early and left 4 days after the event. Enough time to explore Fukuoka as well as do a day trip to visit Dazaifu Shrine, Beppu Ropeway, Lake Kinrin and YUFUIN Floral Village.
Art by Anna Bautista. Art Fair Asia Fukuoka 2025. Dazaifu Shrine
Of the 3, the young adults were most excited over the YUFUIN Floral Village. I’ve earlier written about Dazaifu Shrine and Beppu, but hardly on this animé inspired village. My young travel mates said I should have watched the movies before coming, if only for better appreciation. In my Studio Ghibli-starved mind, I can only agree with the observation. But I did try to pay more attention to the tiny, colorful, cute-sy souvenir shops and snack booths. I do appreciate the Harry Potter-themed store, and I recognised Miffy, Miss Minchin until the smell of newly-cooked croquettes and kani sticks got my attention. The slight drizzle gave me a convenient excuse to stay in one of the shaded stalls serving peach sour and craft beers. 🙄
Mt Tsurumi Yufuin Floral Village
On Day 4, our “travel planner” cum artist took us to Fukuoka Art Museum. Oh, this we enjoyed so much. The museum has an impressive collection of works by contemporary artists to include Miro, Basquiat, Warhol and Kiefer whose exhibit we visited in Palazzo Strozzi in Florence last year. The collections also included many artworks by Japanese artists. The Museum itself is an interesting work of art. Just outside the museum building is that famous pumpkin by Yayoi Kusama. That familiar yellow polka-dotted pumpkin!
Yayoi Kusama in Fukuoka Art Museum Fukuoka Art Museum
From the museum, we traced the water edge to find “& Locals”, a cafe serving set meals which you eat overlooking the lake. They were simple meals like the mackerel I had with the finest-tasting tea. Interestingly, there were meal instructions to pour tea over the rice meal for better flavor! Plus we all enjoyed the dessert of matcha kakigori we shared. The lunch set us up for a good stroll across Ohori Park with all its tranquil beauty under an overcast sky. The temps are a tad lower compared to the summer heat that welcomed us on Day 1.
& Locals CafeOhori Park
The remaining days were spent mostly shoppingand eating. The dining and shopping spots are different though — the young adults are more keen on Pokémon Center, Tokyu Hands, GU, Uniqlo. As for dining, there is never enough ramen, tsukumen, ice cream, tonkatsu, gyukatsu, gyoza and yakitori. Trips to the Family Mart and 7-Eleven are normal and frequent. I had my egg sandwich fix while the boys made sure they have enough onigiri. For ice cream, we’d walk to the Daimyo Soft Creme and for coffee, Blue Bottle Cafe in Tenjin.
TsukumenGyukatsu
Weather forecast was rainfall throughout our Fukuoka holiday but we were blessed with cloudy skies with a few sunny spells. No rain except for a few slight drizzle episodes. The Art Fair was successfully launched and the after-event party a fun time. We enjoyed all our meals and all attractions. It was a breeze exploring Fukuoka, and would have wanted to stay longer. Seriously. But all’s well. We can always plan another visit 😉
We’ve covered Fukuoka in 2017 and 2022, both times in autumn. This spring, we enjoyed the Sakura season from Hiroshima, Miyajima (part of Hiroshima)and Fukuoka. Only 3 items in our agenda — cherry blossoms, food trip and shopping (for most). Our hotel in Fukuoka is right next to the Hakata Station where many shops and restos are, so that’s very convenient. I am not that keen on checking out more spots as I’m booked to be back later (and warmer) this year for some event. For now, let it be truly relaxing . And for more Sakura blooms, we trooped to Maizuru Park. We found many locals enjoying a picnic or just lazing around under the cherry blossoms. Hanami is taken quite seriously here and we’re glad to enjoy that with the locals here.
Maizuru Park
The park is built adjoining Ohori Park around the ruins of Fukuoka Castle. The castle used to be the largest castle in the Kyushu area (Edo Period 1603-1868) but only the walls and a few turrets remain. The story goes that the castle was best forgotten as a symbol of Japan’s feudal past. Just like Shukkeien Park in Hiroshima, Maizuru also has an art museum beside it.
Maizuru Park
After viewing all these hanami spots, we were only too glad we are experiencing the last few days of Sakura here. The crowds are mostly locals, much unlike the thick crowds to be found in the bigger cities like Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. The weather cooperated — mostly sunny days in Hiroshima and Fukuoka with temps tempered by our thick and warm clothes. As a big group DIY-ing it, we were surprised we never disbanded nor got separated riding buses, ferries and trams. Dining and shopping was never a problem as our hotels enjoyed a good location. After many trips to Japan, this is only my 2nd time to witness Cherry blossoms in full bloom. First time with the tourist crowds, this 2nd time with the locals. Certainly worth the trip!
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.
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!
A day excursion to Bikini IslandAnd 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!
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.
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!
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 AsoThe 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!
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 #1And 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.
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 GorgeTakachiho 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 CalderaA 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 🤣
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 BoysDa 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.
Beppu is a resort city in the Oita Prefecture. Found in the southern island of Kyushu, Japan, it boasts of as many as 4,000 onsens or hot springs set between the volcanic mountains and the lovely Beppu Bay. You know you are in Beppu as soon as you see those steam vents all over the city. Quite amazing and rather unreal to find in a city.
We arrived autumn time. The (hot) springs area in Umi Jigoku was teeming with steam vents looking even more surreal because of the autumn foliage. Unfortunately, we came on a long weekend. This Thanksgiving weekend sent throngs of locals out of their urban abodes heading for the luxury of sand baths, mud baths, foot baths, onsen, hot spring baths to be found in Beppu.
We couldn’t wait for 2 hours for the sand baths. Besides, it’s freezing cold (as low as ZERO degree in Mt. Tsurumi Summit at 1,375 meters high) and we weren’t confident we’d enjoy lying down “buried” under the hot sands for only 15 minutes, then up and go. Too much trouble. Instead, we opted for the foot baths. Still too hot for our legs and feet, but t’was fun doing this with the group before a hefty kaiseki in our hotel’s restaurant. A lonnnnng dinner, with the ubiquitous Japanese cooking utensils and dishes spread out on our long table. The plating typically teases, but the taste never ever disappoints!
We were filled to the brim with all the sumptuous food. The miso soup had an unusual, savory taste. The pickles you’d care to eat with your rice. The thin meat slices paired well with the broth with morsels of fish balls, shrimps, etc. The saba (costing ¥5,000 per mackerel) was so fresh. The tempura batter sweetish and crisp. Even the matcha gelatine-like dessert tasted sooo good.
That last photo above was sourced from our hotel’s site.
So, no worries. We didn’t snap photos inside the hotel’s onsen. Did we try it? Naturally. Beppu boasts of the best onsen experience. And so, we ended our long day on a “hot” note.
lifeisacelebration 