Takoyaki – Anne Goes to Places

Kyushu, Day 15: Osaka Daytrip

To cut the story short – our flight from Fukuoka going back to Manila got cancelled and the only way to go home was fly from Osaka, Nagoya, or Tokyo. Osaka was the nearest so we had our rerouted flight be there.

MARCH 18, 2020

For our last breakfast during this trip, Hisako-obaasan prepared different dishes with mentaiko: pure mentaiko, grilled fish with mentaiko, and mentaiko mayonnaise. She gave us melon and her signature yogurt with honey for desserts!

Before leaving, we had a quick pictorial with them. I already miss our Japan grandparents while typing this. Whenever we would leave their home, we would say “Ittekimasu” while she would say “Itterasshai”. Then every time we went back, we would greet her with “Tadaima” and she would reply “Okaeri”. T_T

They drove us to the train station and Hisako-obaasan even went with us inside and made sure that we would be able to ride the train on time. Even in the previous days, she made sure that we would ride the bus and would always wave us goodbye once the bus left.

So from Hakata, we rode the shinkansen going to Osaka. To cut the story short – our flight from Fukuoka going back to Manila got cancelled and the only way to go home was fly from Osaka, Nagoya, or Tokyo. Osaka was the nearest so we had our rerouted flight be there.

It was C’s first time in Osaka so I brought her to Dotonbori for late lunch – Ichiran’s ramen and Creo-ru’s takoyaki. C was able to research a café selling Cremia (¥550).

We went to DEN DEN TOWN afterwards because I was not satisfied with the anime shops we visited in Fukuoka. Even here, there was not a lot of Kimetsu no Yaiba merch.

We went to KIX afterwards by boarding the airport limousine bus in Hankyu Hotel stop near Osaka Station.

We were lucky that there was a Botejyu branch in KIX so C was able to eat more food well-known in Osaka – kushikatsu and okonomiyaki.

This trip was nerve-wracking as we travelled during COVID-19 crisis (not yet super bad in Japan at that time) but definitely a memorable one with all the nice people we met and the good experiences we had. ❤

Kyushu, Day 10: Dazaifu Tenmangu

Once we entered Dazaifu Tenmangu, we were greeted by the statue of an ox. We saw the locals patting its head and upon researching, it is believed that you can become smarter by doing this.

MARCH 13, 2020

At Tenjin Station, we bought the Dazaifu and Yanagawa One-Day Sightseeing Ticket Pack (¥3,080). This was a good purchase because you can either choose the route:

Tenjin – Dazaifu – Yanagawa – Tenjin; or
Tenjin – Yanagawa – Dazaifu – Tenjin

The ticket pack also included discounts in various partner stores (restaurants, souvenirs, etc.).

We went for the first route option as we had a scheduled kimono rental in Dazaifu in the morning. And when we reached Dazaifu station, it made us feel like we were transported back in time.

We reserved an appointment for kimono rental in WARGO, the same rental shop I went to in Kyoto last 2018. Still in awe on how quick they were in dressing us up as well as doing our hairstyle. Their location was convenient for us because Dazaifu Tenmangu was just a short walk away.

Once we entered DAZAIFU TENMANGU, we were greeted by the statue of an ox. We saw the locals patting its head and upon researching, it is believed that you can become smarter by doing this.

After this, there were bridges to cross over Lake Shinji to reach the shrine’s honden. These three bridges represented one timeline each – past, present, and future.

Reaching the honden (main hall), people pray and revere Sugawara Michizane, the god of academics and learning. When Michizane was still alive, he was respected as a scholar, politician, and a poet.

I noticed that this shrine had omikuji in various colorful papers and ema in different shapes and designs. I was not able to see it but I read that there Dazaifu Tenmangu offers a unique omikuji called usodori. The usodori is a type of bird and is considered to be the guardian of Tenjin-sama. It is believed to improve people’s fortunes and brings them happiness.

Dazaifu Tenmangu also has an ume garden but unfortunately, the trees were not yet blooming. Or did they finish already?

Before leaving to return the kimono, we dropped by the line of food stalls outside the shrine and bought takoyaki (¥500). I also bought an Amaou strawberry stick (¥700). In a stick, there was one chocolate-covered Amaou strawberry while the other two were plain ones. Seemed expensive but all worth it because those were really good strawberries! Amaou strawberry is the pride of Hakata region because it is considered as one of the best, if not the best, strawberries in Japan.

Time to return the kimono and head to Yanagawa!

Kyushu, Day 3: Yufuin Food Trip

There were a lot of food that I wanted to try in Yufuin so we did not opt for eating a heavy meal in one place. Our first food stop was Bakudanyaki Honpo.

MARCH 6, 2020

Near Floral Village was a Snoopy-themed shop selling food and merch.

There were a lot of food that I wanted to try in Yufuin so we did not opt for eating a heavy meal in one place. Our first food stop was BAKUDANYAKI HONPO. Bakudan yaki literally translates to “fried bomb” and this place is famous for selling a very huge piece of takoyaki – even bigger than my fist.

C and I ordered the original flavor (¥450). We did not want to share so we had one piece each. Haha! Inside the bakudan yaki was more than 10 ingredients including octopus, sausage, corn, meat, and cabbage. We also ordered a bottle of ramune which was a good pair with the takoyaki.

It was so good that we were able to finish it in less than 10 minutes. I asked C if she wanted to get another one but for sharing. She was game so I ordered the cheese flavor (¥500). It was also very delicious! Aside from the generous amount of cheese, there was a bit of spiciness as well.

We saw a lot of shops selling dairy-based products so we were wondering if Yufuin is famous for it…

Then I spotted a shop selling Cremia (¥500)!!! I told C that she also had to buy one for herself because this ice cream was legit heaven! She fell in love after her first bite and every time we saw a shop with Cremia during the trip, she would buy one.

Last food stop was MILCH, famous for its cheesecake cups.

We bought a piece of hot mini cheesecake cup (¥150) and it was a burst of textures – gooey and fluffy cheese topping with sponge cake in the middle and crispy graham-like crunch at the bottom. I read online that it was awarded the “Monde Selection” quality label for three consecutive years (2015-2017).

We also got Milch pudding (¥300). Its taste closely resembled crème brulee! Sweet but not overpowering.

All of the delicious food and desserts that we had are enough to convince me to go back here again!

Japan, Day 3: Korankei

Last stop for Day 3 was Korankei, which is considered as one of the best autumn spots in Chubu region. The place is very famous for momiji matsuri (autumn leaves viewing), and it is estimated to have about 4,000 maple trees of 11 types. Also, autumn night illumination is held every year from 5PM to 9PM wherein performances are held and lots of food stalls are set up.

Last stop for Day 3 was KORANKEI, which is considered as one of the best autumn spots in Chubu region. The place is very famous for momiji matsuri (autumn leaves viewing), and it is estimated to have about 4,000 maple trees of 11 types. Also, autumn night illumination is held every year from 5PM to 9PM wherein performances are held and lots of food stalls are set up.

NOVEMBER 23, 2018

The ride from Obara Fureai Park to Korankei took almost an hour. We took a different route (but only realized this when I left Korankei) – our van was the only vehicle on the road and we passed by mountains and lots of tall trees… to the point that I felt like we were going to a high place similar to Baguio or Sagada. LOL.

We arrived at Korankei at almost 5PM but the sun was almost gone by then! These were the only shots I got from Tomoebashi Bridge, which captured the scenery with the little bit of natural light left:

I walked along the pathway near Tomoe River then saw an uphill road to my left. A lot of locals were going up so I decided to follow… another mini hike for this day! It was quite a struggle for me because of my loafers’ slippery sole but I managed to reach the top.

There wasn’t much of a view because most of the surroundings were too dark to see already. The spotlights helped though in seeing the varying colors of the trees around us.

Overexposed – probably the worst picture I have in this trip haha!

After going back to the main road of Korankei, I noticed hundreds of lit candles along Tomoe River. I wanted to go there but there was a sign that only people who bought wishing candles can do so… what else to do but buy one, right?

There was a sign in kanji but I somehow understood that there was a photo contest for the wishing candles bought that was why the locals were busy finding the best angle. Some were trying to form a word or shape as a form of creativity.

View of Taigetsukyo Bridge from the riverside

I went around the area and once done with exploring, it was back to the main road of maple trees.

I wasn’t able to visit anymore other famous spots in Korankei such as Kojakuji Temple and the Koranbashi Suspension Bridge. ☹ It was already dark and the crowd was nauseating for me. I managed to find a big area with lots of food stalls but all of them had long lines and all dining tables were full. I decided to just go back to Taigetsukyo Bridge and cross it.

There were food stalls as well in this other side of Korankei and I fell in line in one shop because of the momiji-shaped food they were selling. I got the custard filled one because that one sounded delicious… true enough, it was good! I liked the sprinkled salt on top which contrasted the sweetness.

I walked while eating the momiji sweet – tabearuki (食べ歩き, eating while walking) is an acceptable behavior during festivals like this. I eventually found myself in another area with lots of food stalls. I saw takoyaki, yakisoba, candied fruits, okonomiyaki, omurice, and so much more food! How I wish that I could eat so much food during this time but my stomach wasn’t feeling well so I was only able to eat a set of 6-piece takoyaki. 😦

Interesting how they put the mayo inside each takoyaki

After dinner, I went to the bus stop for Toyotashi Station as the destination. It was only during this ride when I was able to confirm that we took a different route earlier that day. The bus arrived late at the train station because of the heavy traffic in Korankei.

Even if it was a very, very tiring third day, no regrets because the sceneries I saw were mesmerizing. Autumn in Japan is definitely a must!

Kansai, Day 6: Kobe – Osaka

Time for our daytrip in KOBE! After about an hour and a half of train ride, we reached Kobe-Sannomiya Station. We bought onigiri and bread for a quick breakfast before walking to our first destination – MAIKO MARINE PROMENADE.

It is an observatory located right under AKASHI KAIKYO BRIDGE, the world’s longest suspension bridge. Basically, it offers a beautiful view of the sea and it even has a small section where you can walk on the glass floor and see the waters below.

MARCH 11, 2017

It is an observatory located right under AKASHI KAIKYO BRIDGE, the world’s longest suspension bridge. Basically, it offers a beautiful view of the sea and it even has a small section where you can walk on the glass floor and see the waters below. Not for those who are acrophobic.

There are two main viewing areas in Maiko Marine Promenade – one is inside the building, which has tall windows and coin-operated binoculars for a better view of the sea and city. As for the other one, you have to go outside the building and walk right under the bridge.

We did not know that it would be open air so we could really feel the sea breeze on top of the very low temperature. Also, every now and then, the structure would vibrate because of the passing vehicles on the bridge.

Our next mission was to eat Kobe beef for lunch! STEAKLAND is a very popular resto for this but I cannot judge if it is the best one out there. Price is definitely cheaper than the other popular Kobe beef restaurants. They cook the beef right in front of you so be prepared to smell like grilled meat when you leave the place.

Since there were only three of us in the group, a couple was assigned to our table and the chef cooked the vegetables together then divided it to 5 servings. We had different orders on the beef / Kobe beef but the chef knows his craft since he knew what type of beef each one was. I enjoyed my food but I am definitely curious how the Kobe beef in pricier and popular restaurants taste, since Steakland has mixed reviews.

We went straight to ROKKO CABLE SHITA STATION after lunch – cable car to reach MOUNT ROKKO. There are a lot of places to visit in this area and we noticed some locals who brought snowboards. We were puzzled because it was already early March but apparently, there was still snow in Rokko-san Snow Park. Note that there is a schedule on the Rokko Sanjo Bus so better take note of that. We did not know about this so when we reached the cable car station in Mount Rokko, we took our time going around and when we went out, the bus just left and the next one would come in about 40 minutes.

Our bad luck did not end there though… We chose Rokko Alpine Botanical Garden but when we got there, the place was closed until end March. Most likely because none – or very few – plants had bloomed at the time of our visit. We had to wait (again) for a bus and it was really cooold up in the mountain.

We went to ROKKO-SHIDARE OBSERVATORY instead and the architecture looked really awesome. We took time going around plus we were surprised to see remnants of snow + frozen water in the area!

After our time in the observatory, we went to ROKKO GARDEN TERRACE which was just across it. The view of Kobe was definitely breathtaking and we were fortunate to have good weather on that day.

Since we were already hungry and I wanted to see Rokko-Shidare Observatory at night, we grabbed some snacks first. We were confused by the vendo machine for ordering because everything was written in Japanese. I could read hiragana and a few katakana but we were worried we might end up ordering the wrong food. A local went in front of us so we had to ask for his help in ordering the ice cream with Kobe honey. I got that plus akashiyaki, which is takoyaki dunked in hot broth – perfect for the cold weather.

While waiting for nightfall, I bought the famous Kobe pudding in a souvenir shop as well as Kitkat with Kobe pudding flavor. There were other food/snack choices that I wanted to buy but I decided to just limit myself and go with the most popular one.

When the sun had already set, the colorful lights in Rokko-Shidare Observatory were illuminated. It was a nice sight to see but it was not as awesome as I expected.

We went back to Osaka after this and had our dinner at ICHI, a yakiniku restaurant near our Airbnb – recommended by our host and apparently a popular place among locals. We ordered a lot of meat for our empty tummies and we enjoyed our meal here. Even though it was quite difficult to communicate with the language barrier, the staff was able to give us what we need.

That’s it for now. Next post is our adventure in Himeji! 🙂

LINKS TO OTHER KANSAI REGION / JAPAN 2017 POSTS:

Japan, Day 0-1: Kyoto (Higashiyama Area)

Japan, Day 2: Kyoto (Arashiyama)

Japan, Day 3: Kyoto (Fushimi, Northern Higashiyama)

Japan, Day 4: Kyoto (Central & Downtown)

Japan, Day 5: Kyoto >> Osaka

Japan, Day 7: Himeji >> Osaka

Japan, Day 8: Nara >> Osaka

Japan, Day 9: Universal Studios

Japan, Day 10 (AM): Ise-shima

Japan, Day 10 (PM): Ise-shima

Japan, Day 11: Osaka

Tokyo, Day 1: Arrival + Food Trip in Tokyo

JANUARY 14, 2016

Thanks to our company, I was able to go to my dream country since high school. Since it was in January, it was still winter in Japan so being from a tropical country, it was a challenge to look for and buy winter wear. I already had a few winter clothes from our Korea trip last 2014 but I saw Uniqlo Megamall selling HEATTECH EXTRA WARM tops. I knew that I had to buy at least two since I tend to feel cold easily. A few tips when looking for winter wear:

Uniqlo and H&M are go-to places for both clothes and accessories. Best to go there during sale since you can get 20-70% discount.
I was lucky that our Korea and Japan trip happened in mid- to late January so I was able to take advantage of the end-of-season sale in various stores.
Some of my friends also told me that you can get good items in ukay-ukay stores. I went with some of my office mates before our Japan trip and true enough, everything was cheap — boots around Php 300-600, coats for about Php 400-800.
“Cheapest” way is to find a relative or close friend who has the same size as yours and borrow some clothes and coat. 😉

Back to my actual travel — our first day was dedicated for our flight to Tokyo, and we arrived at Narita International Airport around 4PM. Note that Japan is 1 hour ahead of Manila.

Thanks for the safe flight, Delta Airlines!

We met with our tour guide, Toshi-san — even if he is already a senior citizen, he walked so fast and he was quite talkative! From the airport, he took us to an area near Akasaka to have dinner at TOFURO RESTAURANT.

Most of the dishes we had tasted good. There were only 2 dishes that I was not a fan of, but mainly because of personal preference — these had white/red beans in it.

After dinner, we headed to HOTEL MONTEREY AKASAKA for check-in. The room was quite small for 2 people but not really complaining since the bedroom and bathroom were both really clean and neat. Japanese toilet is also awesome, by the way. Toshi-san warned us though that it is not advisable to buy and bring one home since as far as he knows, the water used in Japan and Philippines are of different kinds.

Once we have checked in and rested for a bit, we decided to go out for midnight snacks. But first, we had to look for Uniqlo so that a few of our office mates could buy winter clothes and accessories…

Unfortunately, one of my office mates and I got separated from the group. Getting lost was not that bad though since we were able to see a few more sights in the area…

Back to one of Akasaka’s alleys

Beverage vendo — you can find this everywhere!

Eventually, we were able to contact each other (thanks Viber!) and decided to re-group in our hotel. After getting back together, we decided to look for a place to have our midnight snack. We passed by Gindaco Highball Sakaba which was full of people standing up — both inside the store and outside the freezing street. We roamed around the area for a few more minutes until we decided to go back to Gindaco. The only available table was only outside but we did not mind since we were hungry already. Interesting to note that it is a standing bar so all customers were just standing while eating and drinking. It was unusual for us but a cool experience.

Back to the food — I was so excited to order since their main item is takoyaki. Yay!

Their takoyaki was really big compared to those sold here in MNL + each plump ball contained a big chunk of octopus. Each bite was really good and even Hana’s (Little Tokyo) paled in comparison with this one. They also offer other variations of takoyaki such as green onion and cheese.