I love Korea and anything related to Korea! The awesome Korean dramas/variety shows, the Kpop songs, the endless cosmetics shopping..... and of cuz, not forgetting the FOOD!! I visit Seoul almost once every year and there are a few food joints that I find myself going back again & again each trip!
So I thought I would like to share with you guys on Where and What to eat in Seoul! Especially useful if it is going to be your first time to Seoul or if you're always clueless on where to eat in Seoul! So let's start!!
You guys should probably know by now how much I love Thailand! I love the people, they are always so friendly and full of smiles :) I absolutely love Thai cuisine as well, ahhh talk about the perfect combination of both spicy and sour! Most importantly, Thailand is sooooo big, there are just so many parts to be explored! From clear blue sea and white sand beaches to the city life, Thailand has it all covered!
This year alone, I've already visited Bangkok 3 times and yet, I'm still not a single bit bored of it!! That's just how awesome Thailand is :D Today, I'll be sharing with you guys a 3D2N Bangkok Itinerary (this is especially useful if it's your first time to Bangkok!)!
Ps: Read till the end to find out how you can win a free trip to Thailand!
The last time I visited Philippines was almost exactly a year ago (to Boracay) and I seriously miss it so damn much!!! This time round, I had the chance to visit Davao where I got to explore some of Davao's most popular attractions including Eden Nature Park, Davao Crocodile Park's White Water Rafting Adventure, Maxima Aquafun and snorkelling at the Giant Glam Sanctuary in Samal Island!
Many of you guys have been asking me to do a blog post on my recent Boracay trip!
So here it goes~~ Hopefully it'll be useful :D
My last entry on Japan wouldn't be complete without a post on Osaka, a place I called the 'City of Takoyaki'.
Osaka is a city that you should definitely visit for a short stay if you are at nearby Kyoto! I was only here for a 2D1N stay and managed to cover most of the well known attractions. So if you happened to be visiting Osaka in the future, here are some of the places/food you should not miss out!
{ STAY }
We decided to be more adventurous on our last night in Japan, so we booked ourselves a CAPSULE HOTEL!! I mean.... Japan is the only city that has this Capsule Hotel concept and we thought it'll be quite interesting and an experience for us! :p
The one we stayed is called Capsule Hotel Asahi Plaza Shinsaibashi.
Men and Women's room will be on different levels
A peak into my lil room...
It actually turned out to be so..... C O M F Y!!
I had one of the best sleep here throughout my Japan trip. LOL.
Toilets are shared so I guess you have to be open enough cuz your friends/strangers will be seeing you naked. Lol
This is where you can wash your face/remove&apply your make up/brush your teeth etc~
There'll be another toilet for you to shower with spa! No photos of it cuz of obvious reasons..
The capsule hotel also has places for you to chill, watch TV, play games etc!
A locker for you to store your stuff will be provided as well.
Really love the location of the capsule hotel btw! It's super near to Amerikamura, Shinsaibashi & Dotonbori!
It is also SUPER CLEAN! Well, we all know Japanese are very clean and neat right? Hehe. All in all, it was quite a good stay!
Capsule Hotel Asahi Plaza Shinsaibashi
2-12-22 Nishi-Shinsaibashi, Chuo-ku, Namba / Shinsaibashi, Osaka, Japan 542-0086
{ MUST-GO-PLACES }
1) SHINSAIBASHI
Shinsaibashi Shopping Arcade and the surrounding area is the main shopping district in Osaka!
The never-ending long shopping streets!
One of my favourite store spotted at Shinsaibashi!
2) AMERIKAMURA
Amerikamura is aka as the Harajuku of Tokyo! The atmosphere here is livelier and there are more cafes as well. Lots of thrift stores here and clothing stores with a younger feel compared to the nearby Shinsaibashi. I love this area the most!! :D
Oppps candid shot caught by Jj! I was sneezing lol!
BUBBLE TEAAAAA~~ But it was a far cry from the ones back in Sg/Taiwan :(
Sorry, just had to act a lil more swag/cool since the background is a graffiti wall!
3) DOTONBORI
This is one of Osaka's most popular tourist destination. If you love FOOD, you HAVE to pay here a visit!!
Come at night when it'll be brightly lighted with glaring & striking neon lights!
** Shinsaibashi, Amerikamura and Dotonbori are all within short walking distance of each other so you could plan a day and visit all 3 places together at once! **
4) OSAKA CASTLE
It's a museum about the castle's history. More info here .
It was a pretty long walk from the nearest train station! Doesn't help that the weather was soooo hot that day, *melts*
Oh hi I spot little kids with yellow caps again! Must be another school excursion!
Didn't take much pics of the museum's exhibits... but remember to go up all the way to the top floor to get a clear view of beautiful Osaka!
5) SHINSEKAI
Shinsekai, aka Osaka's "New World", is a district that was developed before the war and was neglected in the decades after. It is also the best place to have one of Osaka's well-known specialities - Kushikatsu!
I've read online that Shinsekai is actually one of Japan's most dangerous neighbourhood with a sizeable homeless population around the area~ I was initially hesitant cuz I was honestly afraid BUT.... I can fully assure you that I felt safe when I was there! Lots of eateries here also so be sure to visit ;)
The Tsutenkaku Tower is also housed here at Shinsekai!
Some other places to go if you have the time!
6) OSAKA KAIYUKAN AQUARIUM
This is one of the largest aquarium in the world and it also houses a Whale Shark!
7) UNIVERSAL STUDIO JAPAN
Visit here only if you have the extra time to spare! I'd give this a miss though since I have been to the one in Hollywood 4 times and Singapore now has USS as well :D
{ MUST-EAT-FOODS }
'It has been said that the people of Osaka spend more on food than on anything else, and the term "kuidaore" ("eat until you drop") is used to describe the food culture here.' While Tokyo is famous for their Ramen, Osaka is also famous for other local dishes! Here are some that I think that you should try if you're in Osaka!
TAKOYAKI & OKONOMIYAKI
Okonomiyaki originated in Osaka, and you can find the hearty stuffed pancake in every corner of Osaka! Since it originated from here, there's definitely no better place than here to try Okonomiyaki!
Takoyaki means 'Grilled Octopus'. They are shaped into small little balls and is a flour&egg based batter cooked together with fillings of Octopus slices.
Takoyaki
Undoubtedly one of the best I have eaten!!! It was so crispy on the outside yet remains soft and chewy on the inside! They were also generous with the octopus slices! Yummy!!
Okonomiyaki
My first reaction when they served us was "Wow the portion is huge!". What's more.. we ordered 3 of it in different flavours lol. #sinful
Damnn I'm craving for one now!! :( Teleport me back to Japan now will you?
Kinda regretted ordering 3 similar Okonomiyaki actually.. saw the diners around us ordering this noodle-like pancake (no idea what it is!!) and I really wanted to try it so bad?!! But we were all too full from our Takoyaki + Okonomiyaki lol :(
Kureo-ru (Takoyaki Okonomiyaki)
Along Dotonbori Street with a huge yellow signboard!
Another place worth mentioning even though I haven't been there to try:
Mizuno
1-4-15 Dotonbori, Chuo-ku, Osaka.
www.mizuno-osaka.com. Tel: +81 (0) 6 6212 6360
KUSHIKATSU
'Kushikatsu are battered and deep fried pieces of food on skewers. Meat and vegetables are the most common ingredients for Kushikatsu, but some restaurants offer more exotic varieties such as strawberries on their menus.'
Shinsekai is the best place to enjoy Kushikatsu in a nostalgic Osaka atmosphere.
There were alot of restaurants selling Kushikatsu here and you'll be spoilt for choices!! After walking a few rounds, I settled at the above restaurant which turned out to be good! :D
Menu & price list~
Camwhoring while waiting for food~
AND FINALLY.....
FOOOOOD!!
Kinda forgot what we ordered lol. Doesn't help when they looked so similar in the picture hahahaha
Pork!
After the savoury ones.. we decided to go for the sweeter ones!
They had fruits kashikatsu too so we ordered one banana and one strawberry to try!
The banana one tasted pretty much like our 'Goreng Pisang' just that there was this extra coating of chocolate!
The strawberry one was however, GREATTTT!!! The condensed milk made it even sweeter oOOoOo I love it!
Omnomnom
Sorry no details of the restaurant's name/address cuz I can't read Jap!
But I took a picture outside the restaurant so you should be able to recognise it! ;)
Caught this free shuttle bus which brought us from Shinsekai back to Shinsaibashi :)
& other random stuff I tried and ate...
DIY-Yogurt store found along Shinsaibashi Shopping Street.
FINALLY found a crepe store!! Sadly they were no where near the standard of the crepes found in Harajuku, Tokyo!
Also along Shinsaibashi shopping street!
Random Takoyaki I had
This was at Amerikamura!
Street side Okonomiyaki.
Far cry from the ones found in restaurants too!! But it is also much cheaper so no complains hehe
Yup that is all!!
HAVE FUN IN OSAKA YA??? :D
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Hope this post is helpful to those who are heading to Osaka, and sorry for taking such a long time to blog this week! My internet has gone bonkers (SINGTEL!?!?!) and will only be up on 30th Jan (ohgod kill me). So please be patient with me cuz blogging might take a lil slower, replies on my emails/askfm will also be slower cuz I hate doing it via my phone. :( Now I can only take refugee at either Jj's or my Dajie's place. Lol life is sad without internet.. #truestory
Have a great week ahead people!! :)
