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Day Trip to Himeji: Himeji Castle and Shoshazan Engyoji Temple
Our stop was announced and I said my goodbye to my seatmate, Mr Yamamoto. My friends and I shuffled along the aisle to the door, ready to jump out of the shinkansen and storm Himeji Castle and Engyoji...
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Japanecdote: Am I an Alien?
There were only a handful of visitors in Engyoji Temple and as far as I could tell we were the only foreigners there. A Japanese man kept looking at us—at me, according to my friends. Did I look like...
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Strolling and Snacking in Miyajima
For our last three days (of our ten days) in Japan, our home base was Osaka, but we opted to do day trips from there to other prefectures, intending to make the most of our JR Pass. The eighth day was...
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Remembering the Past in Hiroshima
The afternoon of our ninth day in Japan was dedicated to remembering the past by visiting the city of Hiroshima.History Lesson 1: Life in a Castle TownOur first stop was the Hiroshima Castle, nicknamed...
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Japanecdote: How to Lose Friends
From Himeji, we took the shinkansen to Shin-Osaka Station where we arrived during rush hour. After retrieving our bags from the coin lockers, we went to the platform and waited for the train that would...
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Osaka Accommodations: Osaka Airbnb, Hotel Raizan, Hotel Mikado
These are where I stayed in in Osaka. In 2015, an airbnb apartment. In 2016, economy hotels. All three are near subway stations.Osaka Airbnb Near Bentencho StationMinato-ku, Osaka CityNearest station:...
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Japanecdote: Where is Bentencho Station?
On our first night in Osaka we lost our friends...and eventually found them. When we were together at last, we continued on our journey to Bentencho Station, to find our Airbnb apartment.  We queued at...
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Osaka Adlaw, Osaka Ako sa Osaka
On the last day of our trip, we all went our separate ways: one was leaving on a morning flight, two were extending their stay and going to Nara, and I was left alone to wander around Osaka until my...
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Japanecdote: Learn From Your Mistakes
Learn from your mistakes they say. Learned from my mistake I surely did. After that Where is Bentencho Station experience I was more careful with my train commute in Osaka. Especially on my last ride...
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UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the Kansai Region
Prefectures of Japan | Photo from wikipedia.orgThe Kansai Region of Japan is comprised of seven prefectures (see purple area in map):HyogoKyotoMieNaraOsakaShigaWakayamaThese prefectures, except for...
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What's in a (Business) Name? Sesenta y dos
The perfect combination!Spotted by Fred of The Exaggerated Zeal in SM City Cebu.For more amusing business names, please visit Go Random.
View ArticleWisdom from the Road #53
On WazeWaze may give you the shortest and fastest route but it may not be the best route.Finding our way to an Airbnb house in San Remegio, we didn't use Waze and just took the familiar roads...
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Cabgan Island in Surigao del Sur
After half an hour's boat ride from the sleepy poblacion of Barobo in Surigao del Sur we landed on the beach of Cabgan Island. Not a soul was in sight, only the clear turquoise water, white sandy...
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No Laswit in Lagoon
I visited Surigao del Sur around the third week of February with these two places in mind: Cabgan Island in Barobo and Laswitan Lagoon in Cortes. Blogs I had read mentioned that the laswit or splash of...
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Toledo Treasures
Forty-five kilometers west of Cebu City or a 1-hour/100-peso van ride that cuts across the width of the province lies the city of Toledo, where one can take a barge to get to the province of Negros...
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An Ignoramus in Japan: Vending Machines
I am not a complete dummy when it comes to vending machines. We do have vending machines in the Philippines but they are few and far between. And it's usually just for cold bottled and canned drinks,...
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An Ignoramus in Japan: Bathrooms and Toilets
I am not a caveman. I do not poop in a hole nor wipe by butt with a leaf. I know what a bathroom, a shower, a faucet, a bathtub, and a toilet are. But stepping into a bath/bathroom/toilet in Japan...
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An Ignoramus in Japan: Manhole Covers
There were so many interesting things to see in Japan. Even the manhole covers! There are over 6000 designs and I have only seen 0.30% of that number! (Some I missed to take a photo of, but I have...
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I Spy With My Little Eye: Japan's Fashion Contradictions
Observations of an unfashionable mustache in a land where the modern and the traditional commingle, where simplicity and outrageousness walk side by side.ConformityI don't think I had seen any Japanese...
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I Spy With My Little Eye: On the Go in Japan
Observations of a mustache while...Walking the streets of Japan:1. The Japanese do not eat while walking. When one eats while walking, especially in crowded places, there is a possibility of bumping...
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