Abandoned Fukuchiyama line

My friend Ian asked me if i want to go hiking, and my first response was, "define hiking". I am in no condition to hike (I have never been in a condition to hike haha), but he sent me a link of the place we were going to visit, it was mostly on level surface, but he said that if we still have energy we can go up the hill.

The destination was an abandoned section of the Fukuchiyama line between Namaze and Takedao stations. It was said to have been abandoned some 25 years ago. There are tunnels, a river nestled in the mountain, big rocks, paradise really.

Hiking buddies

After lunch we decided to go up the hill where there is a nice stream, so I went up with them thinking, okay, maybe it is not that far, but after around 50 meters haha, I was already panting so I said, I am just going to wait for them in the picnic area. It was quite slippery, going down, and I did not want to slide all the way down so I used this time to take pictures of grasses and flowers, so people would think that it is on purpose that I am going down in sitting position. :))

Baguio kind of life

I have always been in love with Baguio. I'm crazy about its weather, its food, its second hand shopping scene. Now I'm in Japan living in a place that is a bit similar to Baguio, except perhaps, for the traffic and congestion that has characterized Baguio in the last years. I love that my school is in the mountains, and that when I go up my apartment, I can see the lights of the houses at night. When I have classes in the evening, I am greeted by the myriad lights in the distance. I am thankful. :)

Miyajima

After a day of touring Hiroshima, we spent a night in a backpackers inn near the port to Miyajima. Early the next day, we boarded a ferry to the shrine island. I was quite excited because I recently saw the second Wolverine movie and there was a part there where he stayed at Miyajima.

Hiroshima

Once every school year, the Kobe University offers its foreign students a chance to go on a subsidized field trip to chosen areas in Japan. Last year, we chose to go to Hiroshima with our fellow scholars from Vietnam, Laos, and Myanmar. The trip was organized by their very accommodating Japanese tutor so we did not have to worry about anything! Because of its historical significance, Hiroshima is a must-see place in Japan. The city was virtually decimated when the atomic bomb "Little Boy" was dropped in Hiroshima. The important places in Hiroshima highlight this moment in Japan's history and its commitment to peace.

Submarine outside Kure Maritime Museum

Battleship Yamato

Hiroshima Castle

Atomic Bomb Dome

Atomic Bomb Dome

Peace Memorial

Foodtrippin' Fukuoka

It has been a long time since I've had a "proper" food trip. So I was glad when my friend invited me on a food trip to Fukuoka. My extensive research tells me that Fukuoka is a city on Kyushu island and that it is famous for hakata ramen. I booked a flight on Peach for a short trip to Fukuoka.

My friend arrived in Fukuoka two hours before I did and he already scoured the area for the famous ramen place Ichiran. We lined up for their famous ramen and we were not disappointed. I am proud to say that I am no longer intimidated by the size of their ramen bowls as I was when I first got here.

I won't attempt to dissect the flavors of this one, but this is certainly one of the best I've tried so far. After drowning in a hearty ramen bowl, we explored the city a little. We visited the Castle Ruins and Ohori Park. Our sightseeing involved sitting in every bench after about 30 or so minutes of walking. It was so much fun, actually, because I didn't want this trip, or any trip, to rival the Amazing Race. I enjoyed the pace.

We were more excited about dinner time. Fukuoka is famous for open food stands called yatai. At around 7 in the evening, we ventured out the city to search for these stands. We were told there were more than a hundred of them around Fukuoka and we were lucky that some are located just five minutes away from our hotel.

You can smell the aroma of food from a mile away.:)

Delicious yakitori.

Weird looking mentaiko, a kind of Japanese roe.

Gzoya topped with mentaiko.

Motsu nabe, oily and satisfyingly delectable innards in soup. Just looking at these pictures makes me hungry! I cannot wait to embark on more food adventures!###

Second-hand lovin'

I am fond of second-hand shops. I love the quirky things and fashionable clothes that I cannot otherwise afford in real life, but I can buy at a fraction of the real price from ukay shops. One Sunday in Kobe after mass, I scoured the stores under the Motomachi train station to check out the second hand shops. Most of the stalls were closed, but some were open. Them offered everything from old Japanese books, vinyl records, toys, figurines, watches, samurai swords, cameras as well as clothes and accessories. At first I was really enjoying myself until I began thinking about Pinoy horror movies like Feng Shui and Segunda Mano. In any case, I saw a lot of interesting stuff for sale.

White Christmas

I am a bit of a Christmas junkie. I would start buying gifts for everyone as early as July or August when shops would hold their mid-year sale. I get a kick out of wrapping gifts and hiding them inside my closet so they would not get dusty. In September, we would already set up our Christmas tree in Bulacan.

Last year, I was on a plane to Japan in August, and settling in a new house in September. We were busy reading books and articles in October and November, and writing papers and preparing presentations in December. I barely had time to pick up a gift for the exchange gifts.

On Christmas day, we tagged along ours seniors' field trip to Kanazawa and Shirakawa-go. Being self-confessed free-riders, we wanted to explore much of Japan without having to plan the trip by ourselves. It was exciting to see snow for the first time but it was kinda sad, kinda cold that I didn't have parties and dinners and what not on Christmas.

For our field trip, Kobe University lets us choose from a list of destinations. We nailed two of the destinations in the list last November - Hiroshima and Kurashiki. Last December we wanted to experience snow so we went with our senpais to Kanazawa and Kurashiki. We used the johachi kippu, a less expensive way to get to our destination. We went to Kanazawa on Christmas Day. On our way there, we already passed by snow-covered mountains. We were expecting to see snow in Kanazawa but the weather apps say that we are two days too early. When we arrived in Kanazawa, it was really cold but there was no snow at all. First, we visited the Higashi Chaya District, an area of geisha teahouses. Some of the chaya are open as museums, but there are some which still operate as geisha teahouses.

Our next stop was Kenroku-en Garden, said to be one of the three most beautiful gardens in Japan. Our senior said the garden is more splendid when covered with snow.

The next day we visited Shirakawa-go, a UNESCO world heritage site famous for their traditional gassho-zukuri farmhouses, some of which are more than 250 years old. Finally, snow!!!