Japan
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I tested the Kobe beef in Kobe (Japan) and loved it!
The first time I heard about Kobe beef was in a teppanyaki in Paris (teppanyaki = restaurant where a hot plate is used to cook food). And the idea started to germinate: one day, I will go to Kobe to eat Kobe beef Kobe beef? What is it? Kobe beef comes from the Tajima-gyu breed. This breed has been kept pure since the Edo period (17th century) until now. Kobe beef is said to account for only 0.16% of beef consumption in Japan. Only “virgin” cows and castrated males, raised to maturity, are considered eligible. They must also be born in Hyogo Prefecture (of which Kobe is the main city),…
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Travel Diary Kyoto (Japan) #4: Nishiki’s market, Cat Cafe
I was telling you briefly the last time we went to the Nishiki market in Kyoto. I will tell you more about it in this article Read my other travel diaries to Kyoto (#1, #2 and #3) I didn’t want to go at first, but my opinion changed after I met a Malaysian woman on a bus in Kyoto. She travels without a smartphone, without 3G/4G, just with a map of Kyoto given by her hostel, which, moreover, is in Japanese. As a result, she is completely lost. Her only landmark is the Nishiki market which isn’t far from her hostel, but she does not see it from the bus.…
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Mount Yoshino (Japan): 30,000 cherry trees in bloom
Today, we are motivated to go to Nara Prefecture, more precisely to Mount Yoshino, where we can see 30,000 cherry trees in bloom. The full-bloom period was a week ago, so we don’t expect to see 30,000 cherry trees in bloom, but a few thousand in bloom anyway 😀 Part 1: Travel Diary Part 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Diary How to get there? We take the subway and then a local train to get there. There is a limited express which goes there, faster (of 15mn) but we did not manage well to buy the tickets. So we go there by local train by paying with our ICOCA…
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Travel Notes Osaka (Japan) #4: Sakura at the Expo ’70 Commemorative Park, Japan Folk Crafts Museum
Last Tuesday, I went to see the cherry blossoms at Expo ’70 Commemorative Park, in full-bloom for 3 days. It is one of the best places in all of Japan for hanami (traditional Japanese custom to appreciate the beauty of flowers, mainly cherry blossoms). As JB had to work, I went there by myself Part 1: Travel Diary Part 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Diary I need 2 changes and a long hour to get to Expo’70 Comemorative Park. Luckily I’m sitting down most of the time. As soon as I get off the train/subway/RER (I don’t know anymore), I see a huge wheel on my right, and a…
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Miyako Odori: Advice and Practical Tips – Travel Report Kyoto (Japan) #3
As I explained to you last time, we went to Gion Corner in Kyoto to get information about their geiko show, before coming across a flyer of an even more beautiful show that only takes place in April every year: Miyako Odori As we are still in Osaka for a while, we were able to make the round trip during the day to Kyoto to attend What it is: Miyako Odori is an annual show/festival where geikos (geishas) and maiko (apprentice geishas) present their cherry tree dances. It is a very well known festival, organized since 1872 (there are years when it has been organized twice) Where: Attention this festival…
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Transportation: Google Maps in Japan, don’t believe it 100%, how to avoid the pitfalls
We just spent a few days in Kyoto and took regional trains, local trains, JR trains, local buses etc. and we have to warn you: follow Google Maps, but double-check, always! Because the mistake can come from your inattention Note: we don’t have a JR pass, so don’t count on us to tell you which lines are compatible with your pass. We don’t know 🙁 Situation 1 : Remain on board There are two trains with different names to take in a row, but Google Maps tells you to stay on the same train (“Remain on board”) He isn’t wrong, but YOU may make some mistakes. Follow these steps to…
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Travel journal Kyoto (Japan) #2: Museum of Traditional Crafts, Kyoto Botanical Garden, Fushimi Inari-taisha
Read the first part of our stay in Kyoto here This morning, we wake up early to enjoy breakfast at Le Bac à Sable, a café opened by a French-Japanese couple. It feels good to have a good croissant and a good chocolate bar. Moreover here we don’t speak about “pain au chocolat” but about “chocolatine”, they are real ones. We highly recommend you! This morning, we had a meeting with an old Vietnamese friend and his wife. But we still have an hour ahead of us so I am motivated to walk to the Museum of Traditional Crafts, of which I saw some flyers yesterday at Gion Corner Museum…
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Travel journal Kyoto (Japan) #1: Sakura, Cherry blossoms
Seeing cherry blossoms has always been my dream. Every year, we remember that we have to go there one day. And finally, that day has finally arrived! As early as January, when we still didn’t know what we were going to do the next day, I put pressure on JB to book a hotel in Kyoto on March 29th and 30th, because the January forecast predicted the “full bloom” (the fact that all the flowers would be open) around those dates. And the forecast was absolutely correct. But unfortunately, as of January, the accommodations were already well booked, for both nights we will have to sleep in two different guesthouses…
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Mochi: the Japanese cake that kills (but is delicious)
A Japanese speciality that I first discovered in Thailand, mochi is a preparation based on sticky rice which, once kneaded, takes the shape of a dumpling.This same preparation is the basis for the famous Chinese coconut beads that I knew and appreciated for much longer.The toppings can vary but the mochi I like the most is topped with a strawberry, sometimes coated with chocolate.The preparation of the mochi can be very impressive, judge for yourself through these two videos taken in Nara in front of the famous Nakatanidou.Mochi is also known to be a killer cake! Japanese people eat an average of 1kg each per year, mainly during the New…
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Travel Diary Osaka (Japan) #3: Osaka Castle, cherry blossoms, Namba Walk, Bic Camera, SK-II
Read Travel Diary #1 here, #2 here Ohayô gozaimasu! (hello in Japanese), here I am to tell you the continuation of my trip in Japan If you only knew how hard it is for me to remember Japanese sentences! If you learned to say konichiwa from the movie Taxi, you should know that it is only used in the afternoon :'( And Japanese people seem to prefer to say Ohayô gozaimasu! even in the afternoon So, when someone says hello to me, I get stuck, smiling blissfully, processing “damn, what do we say after ohayô already? kadasui? gounamas? think think think think!!!” and the person in front has already had…
