TRAVEL AND LIFESTYLE DIARIES

One of the things typically Japanese that fascinated me to no end is ‘Soraben’ (or ‘Sora-ben’). It is a type of bento box for take-away at the airports. It is basically a packed lunch or dinner for passengers to eat during their journey. So the pack food is very nicely presented in a bento take-away box and in it are a variety of small portions of food. I was very tempted to buy a few boxes to try out. They looked so attractive, tasty and intriguing. I mean where else in the world can you buy packed lunch or dinner in style and this pretty? These soraben boxes though I saw at the Haneda Domestic Airport. You cannot miss them with their excellent packaging. I thought at first they were souvenir gifts, but worse than that I thought they were culinary books, lol. It’s pretty lame but these are the things that I like about discovering another culture, you see new and different stuffs. In this Japan trip I did a number of airport changes (7 changes in total!) and I noticed that th...

Japan is a vending machine land. Everywhere you go you see vending machines on the streets and on every corner. The same thing goes with Japanese fast food restaurants. Their fast food here is mostly ramen = noodles, rice toppings and a few more dishes that are easy to cook such as gyozas = dumplings. I love ramen! Noodles are a big part of my life actually. At least the choices are visual enough. Food by the way in Japan is cheaper than we have initially thought. Much, much cheaper than in the Netherlands, so we are happy campers. Because I was sick I didn’t really crave for food in the mornings. I also preferred to eat something warm and liquid such as a noodle soup. So when we arrived in Asakusa we right away searched for a ramen restaurant. We found this low-key fast food restaurant on one of the main streets in Asakusa. There were large ad posters of the noodle soup outside, which attracted me right away. We went in and noticed a few people queuing up in front of ...

Because Japan was heavily bombed in the 1940’s there are not many places that remembers us of Japan during the Edo Period and before the war. Asakusa is one of the few places in Tokyo that will give you a little peek into life in the past. The Kaminarimon Gate in Asakusa with the giant chochin, this serves as the outer gate of the Senso-ji Temple. Rickshaws or Jinrikisha parked in front of Kaminarimon Gate. Dutchman and I came here with the Tokyo subway. It’s just a few stops from our hotel in Kodenmacho, Chuo so I thought it would be an easy outing for me. I was sick with Bronchitis during this trip which unknowingly to us already developed into Pneumonia. I have been sick a few times while on holiday but this was the worse I have experienced so far. But nothing deters me from going out; I have had enough of the 4 walls of the hotel room. I need some air, some space and something to see and enjoy. I just need to take extra precaution and do things slow. When we alighte...

It is always the same story every time we holiday in the Greek Isles. I always end up with a few favourite places at the end of the holiday. In Corfu I have a few on the list and Nissaki is one of them. The bay beach is small and cosy which makes it really attractive and inviting. Because we were there just before the peak summer season, we didn’t have to fight for a spot on the beach. I guess Dutchman and I are spoiled with regards to this. It’s one of the perks of not having any children. You can go during off peak seasons and enjoy a normal and relaxing holiday without the rush, the crowds and expensive prices. Nissaki is located in the north eastern part of the island, just before reaching Kalami , Agios Stefanos and Kassiopi . Dutchman and I spent an afternoon here. We didn’t really do much here except park ourselves on the beach, luckily though we were able to find a spot on the small beach with some shade. We did some swimming of course. Dutchman snorkelled. I did so...