New For Valentine In Japan

Photo credit :  Tokyofashion.com

Valentine’s Day  in Japan 2012 is very popular in Japan but this is not just because you get chocolates, flowers and gifts - because in Japan, they celebrate it differently.  Now like I said before on Valentine’s day in Japan - it’s only the women who give chocolate to let the man she likes or is interested in know her feelings and then the men in Japan will recipocrate on White Day on the 14 March only in Japan and created by Japanese with gifts of chocoalate and jewelry box gifts to the one he might be interested in.   As bizarre as it may seems - on Valentine’s day - you can see woman from all over japan flocking into chocolate stores, candy stores and also flower stores to buy gifts for the men. Japanese are known for being meticulous and not worry about spending money to buy the right gifts.

Noboribetsu Grand Hotel

Located at 154 Noboribetu Onsencho, Noboribetsu, Hokkaido 059-0592, Japan - this is an Onsen actually - a hot spring Onsen to be exact.  It has an indoor and outdoor onsen.

The outdoor hot spring were called, sulfur, salt and iron hot spring.

Rooms were nice and spacious but please keep in mind that the staff don’t speak too well in English although they do try to accommodate.

New Hankyu Hotel Osaka

New Hankyu Hotel Osaka is located at 1-1-35 Shibata, Kita-ku Osaka, Osaka Prefecture 530-8310 Japan - and most people I’m sure chose this hotel not because the rooms are pretty small but because it’s a hotel that is near a bus station that takes you directly back to the airport.   The New Hankyu Hotel is a no frill hotel but it is only a stone throw from shopping areas.

I guess if you are on a transit - it’s not such a big deal - but with no internet in the room or the public areas and you have to pay for watching local tv  - now that is bad.  Take note that some of the rooms had such bad cigarette smell - and even if you do request for a non-smoking room - it might still turn out to smell like one.  Not entirely the hotel’s fault, for some guests can be quite stubborn.  I wouldn’t mind staying there again - if I was in for a transit as the price was suitable for us at that time but if i had my kid with me - I wouldn’t stay in this hotel.

Pool Party For Christmas

While I missed the pool and bbq parties back home where the children can play around the pool safely because of having swimming pool fencing. We can do this here I mean the pool fencing  - but since it is Winter, no one will be having a pool party here.   But I do remember having pool parties in Japan in friend’s home with a pool and hot tub. As I watch their holiday photos on Facebook, I have to say that I’m quite tempted to visit them next Christmas too - to enjoy the sun and the pool. I think I really missed the outdoor pool a lot and the sun tanning one can do when I lived and traveled around Asia. Sure we have our pools here - but we can only use it during the summer and summer isn’t that hot either but yes, we do have the fencing too put around the pool because the kids are always playing outside and we have to make sure that they don’t go in there when they are alone without an adult. Plus, we have younger kids who comes and visit with their siblings and we all know how engrossed kids get when they are playing and they forget their younger ones - so now that we have the fence put up - we don’t have to worry about one falling into the pool when we are not watching. But I could definitely use some pool party right about now.

Spooky Tours In Tokyo

Remember the movie - The Grudge?  yup that one !  if you are into that kinda movie - then you have to go for the spooky tours in Tokyo - or was it called the haunted tours?   Entrance is at 3000 Yen and you have to take off your shoes before going in and seriously if you are timid - don’t even think about going for that tour.  You get to listen to all kinds of tales and visit graveyards and temples - and the guide was pretty knowledgeable and the tour was a easy paced.  Great to visit with your teenagers and it gives you a variety of insight on all kinds of scarey tales.  Lilly Fields is the person to contact for this tour.

Hotel Ryumeikan In Japan, Tokyo

We stayed at the Ryumeikan Hotel for only 2 days - and when we first booked it - we didn’t really think that it was a boutique hotel - looking at its picture - but we were quite wrong.  The entrance of the hotel was quite plain as you can see here - but the inside was pretty decent and some rooms I were told later that they even had those clawfoot tubs that I loved.

Unfortunately, my room didn’t have the clawfoot tub but it was still a very nice tub - if I may say so myself.  Not the conventional tub and I prefer the oval shaped tub a lot better.  I liked the open concept window where I can enjoy the night light of tokyo while i enjoy a soak after a long day of shopping or working.

For the smaller room - they don’t have such a big washing area but still a very nice one - and I wouldn’t mind having a smaller wash area as long as I have one of those clawfoot tubs.

Love the room - they gave us a king size bed - but I didn’t quite like the carpeting as you can see in this picture.  But definitely loved the desk though - one can work comfortably here.

This is the upper lobby lounge of the hotel - you can have a drink here and meet up with your guests or just relax for the evening.  It is also the place where you can check in - and if you have luggage - you need to lug it up yourself.  The hotel is only 5 mins away from the train station and I loved it - very convenient to go anywhere downtown. The rates were good - so if you are in Tokyo - and want to stay comfortably - you may want to check out this hotel.

Ocean Hell, Umi Jigoku, Beppu

Beppu famous for its onsen - it’s a must to visit when you are in Japan - and one of the must visit attraction in Beppu is hells!  yes!  not literally but this volcanic lake is so hot - you an boil an egg in it I hear.  There are 9 hells altogether in Beppu but I find the Ocean hell really beautiful but for 2000 yen - you can visit all 9 Hells.  Of course, there is more to do in Beppu than the hot springs - you can visit the zoo, eat food cook with the steaming hot spring water, enjoy the scenery in Oita Prefecture, eat som Onsen Tamago - go on a cable car ride and many more but that would be another story for another day.

Getting Married In Japan

So I have a lot of American girlfriends who are married or getting married to Japanese men - now why is that so I teased them ?  but yes ! it’s not uncommon these days - so many Canadians and American women go to Japan for exchange programs and many goes there for teaching and other kind of work.  So when my closest friend’s daughter wrote and told me she is getting married to a Japanese man - I wasn’t really surprised.

So what is the procedure for an American to get married in Japan - I was asked.  Well, besides first getting your partner rings there are some things you have to be made aware of if you want to get married in Japan and be legally recognized so I was told.   In Japan - they called it the civil registration - and you can do it in a Japanese municipal government office.  But of course, you can have the traditional Japanese celebration and the modern Japanese - they do it in church too - but the only legal way to get married is in the government office.

Best & Cheapest Hotel In Japan

While the Best Western is not such a popular hotel in Canada or USA - because it’s pretty old and a basic motel here - the Best Western Shinjuku Astina Hotel in Japan - is a totally different story.  We were quite hesitant to book this hotel because of its name but we were pleasantly surprised by how modern, clean and comfortable the hotel is.  So if you want a cheap, good and clean hotel that provides breakfast - choose this hotel - you can’t get a better deal than this in Japan.

The lobby of the Best Western Shinjuku Astina looks as good as any 4 star hotel in Canada - and I’m very impressed by the staff as well.

They even have toileteries in their bathroom - so you must be convinced now that this is a pretty cool hotel to stay in for your vacation.

The bathroom even looked better than the Westin in Canada.

The rooms that we’ve gotten were very spacious and we will be back to this hotel the next time we are in Japan - definitely value for money in Japan.

Aerosmith Japan Tour 2011

For those who wants to catch the Aerosmith Japan Tour 2011 - you still got a few more days before the tour ends.  The band started their tour in Japan in late November and has 8 dates to their concert and tomorrow the legendary band plays in Nagoya - Japan.  Aerosmith bass player Tom Hamilton  was said to have bought a special Fender Precision Bass for this tour and why not right?  since his first bass guitar was a Fender Precision - one that he borrowed from a friend - so he said in an interview and he later bought it from his friend.  Of course, now he doesn’t have to buy it from a friend nor borrow a Fender Precision because he can afford any Fender Precision Bass.  Anyhow, it’s an honor to be able to see this legendary band play - so for those who are in Japan - go see them - in Nagoya or Sapporo.