Blogs from Japan, Asia - page 4

From Koyasan, I headed to Kyoto, the cultural capital of Japan. Kyoto, with its rich heritage, is a land of stunning temples, beautiful walking streets and nature. For nearly a 1,000 years, till late 1800s, Kyoto was the capital of Japan (Tokyo became the capital in 1868). It is one of the rare cities in Japan that was spared both the strategic bombing campaign of World War II and also being a target of the Atomic bomb. The story goes that while Kyoto was shortlisted as a target for the Atomic bomb, the War Secretary of USA at the time, who has spent time visiting Kyoto earlier insisted (successfully) to remove Kyoto as a target and replaced it with Nagasaki. Hence, even today, you find lot of cultural heritage in Kyoto intact. This also implies that ... read more

To Universal Studios theme park with two teenagers, a 6:30am start to ensure we got the free access to Nintendo World and scored a 9am slot via the app which had consistently misbehaved when adding in our park tickets but came good on the day. A quick ride on the Jurassic Park rollercoaster whilst the queue was 10 mins but had to take my glasses off, I’m too blind for that but guess the ride is less scary when you can’t see where you are going. Nintendo World is very well done but could be bigger cos that’s what everyone wants to do and you need to buy the wrist bands to properly play along. But hey it’s a theme park, expect the merch, the spend. The food was much better than I remember at Legoland ... read more

From Culinary Backstreets, one of my favorite web pages. Sake is considered Japan’s national drink. Its exact origins lie in the murkiness that accumulates over thousands of years, but it’s believed that rice-derived alcohol production arrived from China alongside rice cultivation at least 2,500 years ago. This rice-derived drink was then developed over the centuries, growing into a flourishing industry by the 17th century. In 1698, for example, government records list 27,251 sake brewers across Japan. Fast-forward to the turn of the 20th century, when the industry was making efforts to improve and regulate quality, leading to the establishment of the National Research Institute of Brewing (NRIB) in 1904. Over the centuries – or indeed, millennia – sake became deeply entwined with Japanese traditions, particularly Shintoism, an animistic religion centered on the respect and worship of ... read more

Kinda messed up the luggage shipping, well should’ve shipped yesterday before 4pm so our bags won’t get to Osaka till the next day so after a quiet-ish morning coffee we did a quick Gu/Uniqlo shop and headed to Nara on a tourist train. A bit of fun and sweet train snacks (Eki-cakei?). However the Nara deer hate us, or rather hate Stan - they wouldn’t touch his deer crackers at all. Easy route onto Osaka to meet London chums and to Dontonburi for dinner which was waaay hectic and full of all the lights. Bit rushed tonight as it’s an early start to USJ tomorrow. ... read more

Omakase sushi doesn’t need to be reserved for special occasions planned weeks ahead. This casual open kitchen at the new Shinjuku Yokochofood hall allows for casual spontaneity while serving up first-rate sushi. The restaurant playfully likens itself to a petrol station because of the way its course selection is formatted, but instead of diesel, you’re getting fueled on sushi. A ‘regular’ omakase set is priced at ¥4,000 during lunch while the more voluminous ‘full tank’ set is available for ¥6,000. The former includes roughly eight pieces of Edomae-style sushi, where the rice has been lightly seasoned with red vinegar. Varieties of fish vary depending on the season, but even the standard course often includes favourites like chutoro (fatty tuna) and anago (saltwater eel). Within the flashing neon lights and clutter of Shinjuku, you can take refuge ... read more