Travel Journal
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Sapa (Vietnam): Rice Terraces and Minority Ethnic Groups (travel book + guide)
We continue to discover Vietnam through the photos of my trip in 2010 with JB. With the Ha Long Bay, Sapa is a must-see destination in the North of Vietnam. For this trip of 3 days 3 nights (including two in the train), we went through one of the many tourist agencies. Part 1: Travel Diary Part 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Diary Day 1: Departure from Hanoi By reserving the tour, our agency gives us two train tickets and we manage to go to the station and take the SP3 train which leaves for Lao Cai at 9:55 pm. No meal is proposed, the train is comfortable (and…
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Ha Long Bay (Vietnam): A Wonder of Nature (travel book + guide)
I am asked questions about Ha Long Bay and Sapa Bay, while my blog does not contain any article about these two top destinations… I feel a little guilty 😀 while I am Vietnamese and well placed to give you some advice to enjoy your trip in my country Let’s say I visited these destinations before the creation of this blog. So, I bring you to Ha Long Bay from 2010, which I visited with JB. The agency programs still haven’t changed, so this article is still useful if you travel in 2018/2019 Part 1: Travel Diary Part 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Diary For this trip, we opted…
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Discovering the art of Japanese paper cutting
If I talk to you about “paper” and “Japan”, you will surely answer “origami”. But we won’t talk too much about origami today, but about the art of Japanese paper cutting. I am a big fan of paper cutting, and even though I assiduously follow the new techniques and artists on Pinterest, I discovered in Japan some absolutely incredible books and new techniques. They are unfortunately not available for sale in France. Where to buy these books? On Amazon Japan, Rakuten, in large bookstores or in “art supply stores” such as Kawachi. They cost between 1400yen and 1900yen. Where to buy the tools? Amazon Japan, or the Kawachi store. What…
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Test & review of the Arima onsen Taiko-no-yu in Kobe (Japan)
To find out how a session in an Onsen takes place, it’s this way.This Onsen is located in a zone on the outskirts of Kobe, known to be close to a fault generating deep fissures in the rock. Ideal to recover deep hot springs.The Onsen Taiko-no-yu is inside the Arima View Hotel but you can go there without staying there.As usual the first step is to put our shoes in a locker (no need for a coin).We then exchange the key of the locker for an electronic bracelet that will allow us to buy food, drinks, massages, …The entrance is quite expensive: 2400 yen per person. At this price everything…
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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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Test and review of the Sento Shimizuyu in Osaka (Japan)
To find out how a session in an Onsen takes place, it’s this way.As usual, we take off our shoes at the entrance (no need for a locker room).No automatic machine for buying tickets, you ask directly to the lady at the reception desk.The reception is a little cold, at least that’s our perception.440 yen the entrance, 30 yen the soap, 20 yen the shampoo.The locker room is non-smoking, which isn’t often the case with the popular sentos, which is a good thing.Small curiosity, the baths are above the checkroom, so we take the elevator to get there.The sento Shimizuyu is a little bigger than the neighborhood sentos we have…
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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…
