Tokyo Rush

Whew! Three years had gone by since my last post. 

I've always loved jotting down my thoughts, my experiences, my new experiences. But life has taken over that I didn't have time to actually sit down and organize anything. 

One of the things I love to do is travel. It is a shared love with my husband and five year old daughter. We started traveling abroad with her on her fourth birthday. And she has caught on the travel bug. Since then she's gone to Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan. 

Third time's the charm. On her fifth birthday, we went to Tokyo for her to appreciate our love for this beautiful country. It's our third time in Japan so we were pretty much confident that we can navigate its complex train network easily. 

We went in November, the tail end of fall season. It was practically raining everyday we were there. So there were days we stayed indoor (malls, mostly) because it's hard to walk around pushing a stroller and getting on-and-off subway stations that do not have elevators. Yes, most subway stations do not have an elevator especially the older lines. 

I am your DIY traveler. I like the challenge of researching and putting together an itinerary with the end in mind: enjoy the city for its culture, food and experiences. But I am not the kind that wants to put everything touristy in one trip. In theory, it can be done. But you will be there to take a photo and then off to your next destination. To me, it's not enough. 

I like to explore and people-watch. That is why I spend on a minimum half-a-day in one destination. In some instances, museum visits are a one day affair. 

Fellow members of DIY Travel on Facebook asked for a sample itinerary.  So I thought about the best way to make it available. 

Tokyo Itinerary

Sharing some photos from this trip. 

Our boutique hotel. Shinjuku Knot Tokyo Hotel

Places of intertest include Mt Fuji, Starbucks Roastery, Meiji Jingu Shrine, Ginza for shopping, Shibuya for the scramble, Hachiko, Tsukiji Fish Market, Tokyo Tower, TeamLab. Tokyo Disneyland. We didn't go to Disney Sea, might include in our next trip. 

Pro Tip: 

Japan is a beautiful place to travel but it is one of the most expensive cities in the world. So might as well prepare. 

In my experience, it is better to prepare at least a year before the date of travel. Here is the order of my preparation. 

1. Buy ticket (it can be expensive so might as well get it out of the way. In this trip, fare was PHP15K per person). 
2. Start researching your itinerary. See mine below for reference.  If it's your first time the things you can do in Japan is overwhelming. 
3. Research your hotel, hostel, airbnb. On this trip, we stayed at Shinjuku. 
4. Apply for your visa. Gather all your documents. And submit to an accredited agency. In the Philippines, there are only three. And my favorite is Discovery Tour (Salcedo Village, Makati) cos it takes only about 3 days for your visa to be released. And it is the cheapest at PHP850 only. Note: You need to ask for a different form if you want to apply for a multiple-entry visa. 
5. Research how will you travel to your hotel from the airport. There are several options: bus limousine (this is like P2P), airport express train, taxi, and Uber. We took Uber because we arrived midnight. Fare: PHP5K. Bus Limo could be about PHP1k/pax. 
6. Buy your train pass. I like using Pasmo as it gets anywhere and in all train lines unlike the JR Pass. Also, you can use it to pay for taxi, food, even your coffee. 
7. Install Maps or Google Map on your phone. Navigation can be a pain but with a digital map, it'd be easier. 
8. Withdraw money at any ATM terminals. I discovered that I don't lose as much money in the forex when I go straight exchange. Service fee is only 3% or PHP150 per transaction. 

And this I hope is the beginning of my reviving my blog. So many trips I have to share yet. 

Thanks for dropping by. Do let me know in the comments if you want to see more travel itineraries you can reference to, some tips and other things that might be interesting especially for a first-time traveler to a particular country. 

Taipei Diaries: Miniatures Museum of Taiwan

Not all who wander are lost. But not us. Over dark skies that loom to pour rain any moment, we were lost in the city of Taipei. This was Day 5 of our vacation. And by this time, we were already pretty confident in our commuting skills. After two station misses, I braved an inquiry with the local information office. 

It seemed that looking for the Taipei Miniature Museum is going to be really interesting. We were getting contrasting directions and locations. And yes, train stops. We've walked blocks and blocks in the inner city streets looking for the museum but instead we saw art galleries, urban gardens and quaint cafes that are apparently the hangout of local yuppies. 

Everyone was so helpful; it was overwhelming. Just when we thought we were at our destination already, we got back right to where our starting point was. It was crazy, tiring, and the hubby and I were already short on patience. I was ready to give up. But we collectively decided to give it one more try. So, we went back to the train station and double-checked the directional signages. That's the beauty of Taipei-- it's super tourist friendly. Tourist spots are marked and have directional signs for tourists to find them easily. Well, apparently except for the miniature museum. We just couldn't find it. 

Tired and cranky, I gave one more push and asked a group of office girls if they've heard of the miniature museum. One of those I inquired from showed me the most beautiful smile in the world and told me that it's just one building away from where we were. Boy, was I relieved. It better be worth it. 

Well, what do we know, the signage is miniature, too! We were looking up at the skyscrapers looking for it when we should have looked down!

Its location? The basement.

The museum is tiny in comparison to the museums in Taipei. But the treasure you'll find here is just short of amazing. Here are some of our finds here. 

The attention to details and the scale of the collection is awe-inspiring. My camera wasn't able to capture the beauty and elaborateness of each frame but being there, seeing everything was enough to compensate the street adventure we had to endure. 

The experience left me breathless with each breathtaking frame we saw as we walked through the museum. Awesome. Just awesome. 

The Miniautes Museum of Taiwan is the first museum to collect miniatures in Asia, gathering artworks from around the world. 

The Miniatures Museum of Taiwan 

Address: No. 96, Section 1, Jianguo North Road, Zhongshan District, Taipei City, Taiwan 104 Phone: +886 2 2515 0583

For directions, click here. 

Xx

Sheng

Taipei Diaries: The Sights

The sights in Taipei are a mix of the old and the new. 

Day 1 was spent exploring Taipei 101, Taipei's most recognizable landmark. It resembles a giant beanstalk.

For a time, it was the tallest building in Asia. For now, it is the world's tallet green building. And before The Burj Dubai, its elevator system was the fastest in the world. 

Damper: a 660 ton pendulum designed to make Taipei 101 withstand typhoon and earthquake. 

Interesting art installation. Infinite Life is made from the elevator cables of Taipei 101. 

 And this commissioned LOVE installation. 

The Chiang Kai Shek Memorial. 

From the Chiang Kai Shik memorial, we feasted on the thousands of artifacts and art pieces at the National Palace Museum. It boasts of the largest selection of Chinese Imperial artifacts and artworks than mainland China. 

A beautiful walkway by the National Museum.

And of course, the obligatory temple stop. Before the day ended, we visited Longshan Temple. 

And the most happening place in Taipei is called Ximending. 

Within the Ximending district is this famous Red House. 

We ended our first day with a feast at Taipei's most famous night market, Shilin Night Market.