Memoirs of a Geisha is in my Top 3 list of favorite novels. Like, up there with The Hobbit

I first bought the book in 2002 and have since read in more than 5 times since, not including the times I randomly picked it up for the loo (British daw oh, “loo.”). When it translated into the big screen, I knew for a fact that it would be a different presentation as it is in the book.

The book is actually more of a special documentary of the life of a geisha than solely the story of a child running after the concept of an older, much more sophisticated man. For the book, the story was about being a geisha and the love story was just a means to keep the story going.

I love that book. Still do. Currently, reading it again, actually.

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Fast forward to this year and we step into a large warehouse in Kyoto – it’s a souvenir warehouse shop that has a specialization in traditional Japanese clothing or more particularly, the kimono. They get to show you the traditional process of how it’s made. Naturally, you would be able to purchase your own budget or full-blown version of the Japanese garb, along with all the bits and bobs that come with it – geta (or traditional Japanese slippers), bags, hair accessories, make up and other stuff that completes the Kimono.

To affirm that we are actually in the world of Super Tourists, of course, there is an offer to dress up in a Kimono and have a photo op whilst looking like the dainty, mysterious and graceful geisha. 

I am not one (by a longshot) of any of those adjectives so I had no intention of signing up for the kimono dressing thing. Also, I didn’t want to end up hiding my pretty little plus sized face behind a noh mask after finding out that the stuff won’t even fit me.

But then, as I walked around the aisles of that warehouse department store, sorting through the Made in China Hello Kitty merchandise and wide assortment of kimono-looking bathrobes, I found my Mom running after me and handing me a ticket stub.

Why SHE was aggravated at why I DIDN’T WANT to do this made me roll my eyes. Nevertheless, I rolled with the punches and did a, “if this doesn’t fit me, my ego bubble burst will be on you.”

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To start, I got stripped down to my lovely underwear and a tiny little Japanese lady went over me and took control over me. Then, suddenly, I felt like a tornado going all over the place. Somehow, this lady managed to push, pull and tuck everything that needs to be done in a way that I hardly resemble a sumo wrestler. I was pushed, turned, twirled, instructed and looped all around to have this thing put on me. I should’ve felt violated, however, it was all too fast to be able to calculate any feelings about it.

<I SWEAR there is a tiny Japanese lady behind me, doing her magic>

<Seeeeeeee…..>

When it all came down to it and the final tuck was tucked and the geta (traditional Japanese slipeers) were put on, I, then, knew why geishas act the way they do. I was finally encased in this traditional Japanese clothing and I couldn’t help but feel like a tightly wrapped spring roll. This wasn’t a matter of being the epitome of all the wonderful things about a woman. It was about restriction. I couldn’t bend over, I couldn’t twist, I couldn’t pick something off of the floor and I couldn’t breathe.  

I felt like a shark just swallowed me whole and didn’t want to digest me just yet. Like he was either reveling at how immensely juicy I was or just wanted to insulate me from the “freezing” Kyoto temperatures.

Amazing how strong that tiny little woman had that she was able to pull strings and tuck stuff within me that none of it came undone when I (tried to) bend over and pick something off the floor.

<Attempting and failing at imitating Japanese Kawaii cuteness.
Or… me, successfully imitating the Maneki Neko>

The layers consisted of the underwear – a thin top and skirt combo made of linen. It was then followed by an unprinted 2^nd layer, which is slightly shown when putting on the 3^rd layer and the final kimono layer. Then, I was tied around with some rope and a long obi that went round and round and round my gut before being intricately knotted behind me. All I needed now were the white socks and traditional slippers.When I first took my steps in full garb, my first honest reaction was, “Kaya pala ang hihinhin ng geisha” (“No wonder geishas were so timid”) because they literally couldn’t be anything else, even if they wanted to.

Although I do have to commend, it is amazing how my posture was instantly corrected due to this wonderful and just how regal I actually felt. It’s like a chiropractic adjustment with intricately printed robes. Sure, I did somewhat resemble the look of an out and about sumo wrestler, so thank god I didn’t put my hair in a tight bun that day. Either way, I can feel my spine thanking me for having done this even for a few minutes.

The experience of wearing a traditional kimono is very tourist-y and doesn’t even give you an in-depth look or study on how the entire process goes about. There was no short film showing on the history of the kimono or any pamphlets and brochures that would explain it. You basically, go in, get dressed, go out and have your photo taken. That’s it.

It would’ve been nice if it had that whole experience to go with it, just to make it richer and much more educating and memorable. Having read Memoirs, I have a basic idea of how the history of geishas and kimonos go so I have a much deeper appreciation for it, if not an almost reverence towards them. Like I said, I’ve read it more than a few times – I could be in denial of this seemingly blatant obsession on the book.

This whole experience doesn’t come totally cheap, by the way. It was a steep(ish) price, something like 2,600 yen or to the tune of $26(ish) just to have the darn thing on, and without a good photographer to take your photos.

Honestly, I could’ve gone on with my life without having done it and my life isn’t exactly changed because of it, but hey, it’s a good memory to keep. And everybody had a few laughs as it happened. I would prefer that my glorious mammaries would never ever be strung to my body so closely and tightly ever again.

After a few poses, I was finally ready to get back into my usual attire for the day, and with one fell swoop, old, tiny, Japanese lady did a few untucks and before you know it, everything, even the underwear just magically dropped off of me. No guy on the planet has even been able to do that. (Say Whaaaaaat??!) It was a “what just happened” moment. Still, it was good to be back in this century, finally!

So that’s it, that’s my experience with wearing a traditional Japanese kimono. Check, please!

<Got schooled by little miss model here>

So what’s the big deal? The following facts may not pull the wool from over your eyes, but they’re nice to know:

• A kimono is worn left over right. If you do the other way around, it means you’re dead and will be attending your own funeral.
• The obi or the main sash/belt is knotted at the back. Back in the day, those who wore their obis in front weren’t really geisha but prostitutes.
• The okobo or traditional footwear worn by geisha is designed so that the kimono will not ever touch the ground or get wet.
• Traditional hand dyed silk kimonos and its accessories could cost, presently, at around $20,000 or to the tune of one million pesos.

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The post Kyoto, Japan: Memoirs of a Kimono-Wearing, Barely-Able-to-Breathe Non-Geisha appeared first on The Super Tourists. Come on over and visit the REAL super tourists! :)

One day, after years of planning and intending to go, we finally found ourselves driving through the gates of the Royale Tagaytay Clubhouse’s Beach Resort in Matabungkay Beach, Lian, Batangas (The Batangas by way of Nasugbu and not the San Juan part that everybody’s all familiar with.

In any case, who the hell still goes to Matabungkay?

It’s the stuff old stories are made of. You know, the ones that start of as, “Noong panahon namin” (In our time). There would always be stories of renting a jeepney, filling it with family or friends and then driving off to Batangas and make their way to the cove that is Matabungkay beach. They would then extend their stories to how they rented bamboo rafts and grilled their food out in the water. And just like clockwork, more stories on how they would get such a bad tan/sunburn that it took a year to get rid of it.

 

 

 

 

As the other rafts that we passed by were filled to the brim with people and food, ours seemed dismal in comparison. A measly 5 people littered around our huge raft with nothing more than towels and sarongs congregated on top of the dining table. It was a sad sight. We didn’t have one bag of chips or 1 bottle of water on us but as luck would have it, fate would have our stomachs empty but our heels smooth and fine. Because you see, instead of actual sustenance we actually packed a foot scrub paddle.

 

 

“Be it may that we had not a lick of food or water on that raft, but by God, we had a mighty fine foot scrub that day.”

After a couple of hours floating around, we heard it come from the little Happy Meal, “I’m hungry.”

Being defeated before we even began, we asked to be tugged back to our resort. It was there that we had our sandwich, soup and pancit. We may not have had the chance to eat out in the water, bobbing on top of the small little waves but hey, the merienda was fresh out of the kitchen! #pampalubagloob

 

 

In the middle of splishing and splashing, the little one grabs unto the gutter and shudders, “What’s wrong,” I asked. “Ah-ah,” she replies with the most apologetic eyes ever. It’s the funniest thing ever.

We rise from the waters in a rush. She takes her bathroom break, which is followed by an eager dinner. As we gobbled down on perfectly matched beach treats, fried fish, lechon kawali with an onslaught of chipped green Indian mangoes and cheeks of ripe yellow mangoes, the little one takes her sullen face and brings it up to meet mine. “I want to go swimming again,” she pleads. “But darling, it’s late and it’s cold,” I tell her.

She buries her face between her knees and endlessly chews on her spoonful of rice. She keeps it all tucked in one side of her cheek as she sulks quietly. I couldn’t bring myself to tell her off bluntly nor to tell her to stop sulking. It WAS a marvelous setting to be in that particular pool and if we weren’t too late, we would’ve gone back.

Finally, a distraction, her spirits gets lifted and once is once again jumping on the bed. We got her changed and with all the activity of that day, it wasn’t long until she finally sunk into our waaaaaay-too-soft-to-be-comfortable bed and into deep sleep – the kind of sleep where unicorns and talking cheeseburgers exist. There she stayed until the crack of dawn. When only a glimmer of light bounced off of the still water, she sprung up from the where-the-hell-are-the-springs spring bed and unto the dense dark sand. There, happiness was found in dragging a stick through the moist sand and throwing clumps of sand into the still water.

An elderly white guy and his dog take to their morning walk, an overeager man and his pedal-boat come up to shore to offer us his services and ZeYaya climbs on top of a beached bamboo raft for an impromptu photo shoot. It was a calm morning of a busy day. It was Labor Day that day.

After breakfast, packing and heading out, we find out that Matabungkay still had some heavy kick left in it. Buses, jeeps and cars start to trickle into the small roads. As everybody came in to enjoy the Matabungkay, we were just leaving it for the vacation house in Tagaytay. This little patch of paradise still has a few kicks left. The water is clear and clean, the people are friendly, the area is safe and the activity it offers is novel. Where else can you experience lazily floating on a bamboo raft while enjoying the company of family and friends? So, you know what? People still do care about Matabungkay and although you won’t see me clamoring for my next bamboo raft experience, I would definitely go back again for a lazy weekend on the beach – one that does not require plane rides.

As we pulled out of the little, quiet town, the little one was heartbroken, asking if we could take the pool with us. I tuck her hair to her ear and assure her, “There’s a pool in Tagaytay, Sweetie, we can swim there tonight.” And for those who want to know, yes, we did swim in Tagaytay that night.

The post Matabungkay Beach, Batangas: Who Still Cares?! appeared first on The Super Tourists. Come on over and visit the REAL super tourists! :)

If you blended up Vegas and poured it into a Japanese glass, you’d get Namba, Osaka. And smack in the middle of it is a tucked in hideaway named Namba Oriental Hotel.

Namba Oriental Hotel has got awesome location with a convenience store and McDonalds, literally next door. Across a main street and down another 100 meters or so, is the world-famous Dotonburi of Osaka – the food district of this part of town.

Considering that we were the last to get off of the bus, get on the street access elevators into the lobby and got our rooms, and got from an all-day, hypothermia-inducing stay in Universal Studios Japan, we were exhausted to say the least. I knew that within 10 seconds of coming into the room, it would be un-photograph-able (i.e. so far from decent and proper that people might actually gag from the sight of it) so I knew that I had to take my photos in the first 10 seconds of entering the room.

I was using my Canon D20 Underwater Camera and with it being already subpar to its predecessor, the awkward and pregnant-looking D10, I knew that these low-light conditions weren’t going to help my insta-photo session. Anyway, I still managed to snap a few before the mess of our family erupted in one huge pile.

Admittedly, my Ninja Photography skills are amateur, at best, but still, as you can see from the magic poster child of cameras who suck at low-light conditions, the room is pretty big by Japanese standards. The drawers next to the TV even had sets of yukatas for us. Not really sure how we would be able to use them, at the time, we basically treated them like bathrobes. Woops.

After the photos have been taken, our Ninja Suitcase Skills come out to play, as they do every single night of every trip we do – whether my Mom and I are together or not.

My Mom and I have a habit of always keeping a closed off suitcase for the night and having everything for the morning after, already prepared in a neat pile, and having the mess from the night to be easily tucked into the suitcase without messing up anything.

Our neatness is upgraded with a good dose of obsessive-compulsiveness. Not in the Howie Mendel, repeatedly opening and closing doors, germaphobe type but your regularly exaggerated, politically incorrect term. The moment the room doors close, zippers go in a flash and locks magically undo themselves, piles stock on beds, luggage organizers reveal their glorious innards and souvenirs bought from the day are lined up in a single-file and orderly fashion.

Immediately, we get the toiletry kit and park it in the bathroom. Right after that, we take out the pajamas and head for the bathroom. As soon as we emerge from the bathroom all spiffy and clean with freshly hand-washed underwear in hand, the real work begins:

+– Souvenirs are all collected and put in a special bag

+– The paper trail of maps, tickets and brochures all come together as well

+– Weather reports for the next day are examined and proper outfits are determined

+– The clothes for the next day are piled up neatly for easy access the next day

+– The clothes from that day are stuffed in a specific laundry bag

+- Suitcases are then repacked, closed and zipped up so that the sleepwear are conveniently slipped into one of the bag’s front pockets the next morning

This way, we have closed suitcases so we don’t have to operate in a messy room and the odds of leaving something behind goes down since our suitcases remain closed most of the time.

Finally, after 2 hours of organizing, re-packing and freshening up, we are finally able to sleep in a room that looks as if you just walked into it. Also, you don’t have to walk around as if Cambodian land mines littered the ground, making early morning bathroom breaks stubbed-toe-free

The hotel is standard in amenities and its main draw is its location. It is a 100-meters away from the underground train station (and station shopping area!) and then a second set of 100-meters and you’re in Dotonburi.

Hotel Details:

+– Is a short 100-meter walk from the main highway and about the same distance from the train stop so get ready to haul luggage

+– No WiFi at the lobby, free or paid.

+– Breakfast is average but the restaurant is teeny tiny, for bigger groups, waiting in line is quite the norm.

+– Convenience Store and McDonalds are conveniently located next door.

Room Details:

+– Super Toilet Features: bidet, butt washing, heated seats, tinkling water sounds

+– Internet – WiFi not (immediately) available in rooms but apparently (and I was told this the morning we were leaving) that you could “borrow” a laptop or router kit from the front desk and use the LAN connection. (But the thing is, I asked the front desk on what I could do with the WiFi situation and I was redirected outside of the hotel)

+– Once again like our stay in Bellevue Garden Hotel in Kansai, we got a 2-twin beds and a sofa bed combo

+– Coffee and tea station, with the extra mention of having a Nescafe Dolce Gusto machine in the room

+– Estimated room price for triple sharing is about $250-$275

CONTACT DETAILS:

Namba Oriental Hotel English Website

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The post Namba Oriental Hotel, Osaka, Japan: A Display of Ninja Skills in Photography and Suitcase Management appeared first on The Super Tourists. Come on over and visit the REAL super tourists! :)

Coming off from the previous post, also about Universal Studios Japan, we are now going into detail about the one thing you have to be prepared for when coming into this Osakan theme park.

SETTING: Still freezing out butts off in the “Spring” cold temperatures, which are now at 10 degrees, overcast and windy. Poor tropical people, us.

Get ready to wait. And wait. And wait.

Hello Kitty’s Cupcake Dream

The first ride we ever did was the teeny tiny little Mad Hatter Tea Cups-ish ride. Except that it’s not the Mad Hatter, it’s Hello Kitty. And that it’s not Tea Cups, they’re cupcakes. And the ride itself is smaller. That was a breeze, we waited for 10 minutes – because we got lucky. Another half an hour and the line ballooned to a wait time of 45 minutes. Total wait time: 10 minutes

Hello Kitty’s Ribbon Collection

The next attraction we went to – without even knowing what it was we were lining up to – was a Hello Kitty Bow Boutique something. We just went it, not knowing what was in store for us. We only found out after lining up for half an hour that it was—and get this – a photo op with Hello Kitty. That was it. You line up for half an hour, snake through this tiny building only to end up in a room with a giant pussy cat and another constantly-bowing Japanese photographer who is most probably telling you, “Yes, Mommy, you can be in the picture, too.” And of course, you had to pay for the photos – About 1,000 yen each. Alangan after waiting for that long, we weren’t going to get the photos? So we bit the bullet and bought both photos. Total spent: 2,000 yen. Total wait time: 30 minutes

Jaws

For the third line we went in as a family because I knew from experience that it was going to be “easy.” We lined up for Jaws – all four of us, not knowing how long the line was going to be. We slowly snaked through aisles and aisles, passing by Amityville display artifacts until, finally, we were able to indulge in the ride – which is as awesome as it was in the 80’s.

But back then, Jaws didn’t have its own ride- it was part of the obligatory-back lot tram tour in Universal Studios in Hollywood. Back then, the tour just stopped into a lake and then out of nowhere, the giant shark lunged at the tipped tram. And then, that’s it. On to the next attraction, the flash flood, was it?

Anyway, the waiting time we spent in there was already “ridiculous” for me, especially when we were considering that we had a senior with us. Total Waiting Time: About 1 hour

Idle Time

The Happy Meal was too short for the Jurassic Park ride – and we weren’t willing to get wet on a day that’s this cold anyway. ZeFolks were basically calling it a night (at 2pm) but we still had some energy left so we ventured through the park ourselves. It was fun to enjoy the park without having to look back to where the seniors were at.

We headed for the Water World stunt show but got there too late. We could’ve waited but 4-year olds weren’t built to wait in an empty and freezingly-cold amphitheater for 2 hours. So we skipped on. And yes, we did skip.

Next on the Japanese-language park map was Back to the Future. The line outside declared a 65-minute waiting time for the ride. I stopped, sat down and reconsidered. Would we really like to go into THIS ride? Tonie doesn’t even know who the hell Marty McFly is.

It actually started to rain a bit

We sat around for another 10 minutes – I found out that I was EXHAUSTED. My legs almost gave way. I didn’t even notice that I was already buckling underneath. We’ve been walking non-stop the whole morning and afternoon, half of it with Tonie on my shoulders that we haven’t really stopped to rest.

We were gonna call it a day and just spent the rest of it walking around for photo ops. It was my first time to be exposed to cold weather for this much time. So far, it’s been 6 hours in the bone-numbing cold and we’ve hardly had the time to warm up.

We walked and was shown the answer to our theme park dilemma. The Happy Meal saw the most enticing sign ever: a giant Spider Man seemingly jumping from a building. Amazing Spider Man 3D ride, it said. We were sooo going to do this. Indicated waiting time: 90 minutes. I sighed, swallowed down my fear and shouted, “Challenge Accepted!” And yes, I really did shout.

The Amazing Adventures of Spider Man in 3D

The first 20 minutes of waiting was a mental mess, I kept bouncing around the idea of whether we should do this or not. The longer we stayed there, the more people we saw walk towards the back of the line, see how damn long it was and walk away. After the first 20 minutes, the little one was getting tired. So I let her sit on the railings, which we’re not allowed to do, according to a park official who pointed it out to me. By the time 40 minutes was down, my shoulders were hurting from having a half sack of rice on it. She’s not that heavy but after a while, it gets to you, you know? By the time we got to turn the corner from which we thought was the last one until the ride comes into view, a whole room opens up and guess what? More lines. We pass that room and go into another. Same thing. We go into 3 more rooms and each time, I wanted to cry. Will the line ever end? We’ve already past the point of no return and it was getting hopeless. The first hour passes and we’re still inching our way through rooms.

GENTLEMEN, START YOUR ENGINES!

Notice how my smile disappears and Tonie gets sleepier as time passes

The first hour mark

Finally, after another half an hour, after nearly wanting to give up, break down and cry, we were given our 3D glasses. It won’t be long now. I’m pretty sure they weren’t going to give us 3D glasses to hold unto for the next 10 minutes or something. And just as we were given our glasses, we turn around to see boarding area! An hour and a half of bouncing around the entire complex and it finally gave us a view, an estimate of how much farther we had to endure. We could see it, the molded plastic seats in the ride never looked so comfortable in my life. 4 minutes after we got our glasses, the doors finally closed down to our awesome Spider Man ride. Given that it was a 3D ride where Spider Man was talking in Japanese, you didn’t need to be a genius to figure out that yes, he needed OUR help in saving New York City.

This was the time,about 2 minutes before we got to actually ride

We emerged victorious. I believe I had a lump in my throat. And I’m pretty sure my moment looked like this:

That’s how it felt to me anyway.

Was it worth it? Yes. Would I do it again? That same day, no. Another day, yes!

For me, it was such a culminating event that I just HAD to buy the Spider Man plushie after the ride. I just wanted to remember that experience. I wanted to relive the pain in my feet, the soreness of my shoulders and the short temper that Tonie almost threw out the window – all for a 4 minute ride that was in a word- Amazing.

EPILOGUE

And that was the end of our ride-scapade in Universal Studios in Japan. We ended on a high note and was satisfied, despite not being able to get on the other rides. Maybe next time?

We walked out of the souvenir shop, got our souvenir ride photo and walked out just in time to see a park show. Given of course, it was in Japanese – but seeing a guy shoot out of a cannon need not be translated, methinks. There were balloons and confetti that I almost thought were specifically for me. I survived the Amazing Adventures of Spider Man ride.

When the crowd dispersed and things went back to relative-to-the-park normal, the wind picked up and started making us miserable. We stood by the heated lamps like the tropical losers that we were and stayed there for a while. The weather wasn’t going to get any better. It got really cloudy and the sun was already headed down. We headed back to where ZeFolks were because we still cherished the use of our extremities. Finally, when we walked into the heated building, I collapsed into the plush hotel lobby chair. As I felt the blood quickly rush back into my legs, Tonie yelled, “Mommy, let’s play!” I groaned and I almost cried. And yes, I almost did. 

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For you guys out there, if you still want take on Universal Studios during Spring Break, you’re on your own. It’s a unique experience indeed but you know what? There’s something more evil than this experience. Oh yes, but you’re going to have to stay tuned for that. But let me give you a hint: it starts with T and ends with Okyo Disney Sea

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The post The One Thing Everybody Warns You About Universal Studios Japan appeared first on The Super Tourists. Come on over and visit the REAL super tourists! :)

First off, whatever it is – it’s only considered a warm-up to the Disney Resorts in Tokyo.

Secondly, it’s a lot of fun. Relatively.

USJ Fact #1: It is always crowded and with 90% locals

Universal Studios Japan is amazing. You’d imagine that there’d be more foreigners coming in to visit but there are actually more of the locals. And a lot of them buy the annual pass and go to the park a few times a year. In the time we were in lines, it was very, very rare to see other foreigners waltz into the lines. I’ve read about it before but didn’t know to what extent – really, at times, we felt out of place.

USJ Fact #2: Never ever go on Spring Break on Weekends, if you can

Go for the weekends, if you can’t help but go. However, Spring Break really isn’t a time you should even consider. It’s soooo crowded it’s not even funny anymore. Unless you’re like us and are biting the bullet in exchange for the cherry blossoms, in that case, good luck!

 

One of the rides that the Happy Meal wasn’t able to ride. This photo shall suffice in lieu of it. 

 

 

USJ Fact #3: You can bring food and water in – just don’t be too obvious about it.

Park rules say that you can’t. But actually, you can. And we did. We already knew just how expensive Japanese stuff is, imagine putting it in a theme park! We had with us, a giant bottle of water and some itty bitty things we could eat throughout the day or as we died while waiting in line.

We still opted to have our lunch here though. It’s not that bad – for theme parks, that is-  rounding of at 1,000 yen per meal. 

 

USJ Fact #4: The Rides Are Ancient

Back to the Future, Jaws, Waterworld, Backdraft – these are just some of the things that peppered pop culture for the latter part of the last century. And though concepts like Jurassic Park and Spiderman are pretty constant and timeless, most of the park seems to play on the nostalgia bone more than the excitement one.

The Happy Meal had photos with Snoopy’s Lucy, the Pink Panther and Woody Woodpecker and she only got to know them all by Youtube, when I insisted that we watched some videos so she’ll know who they were.

Thank Buddha that the Wizarding World of Harry Potter will be coming in next year. It’ll be a breath of fresh air to have something from this millennium pop up into that theme park.

Still, the ancient-ness may be obvious but the excitement level is still pretty strong. I really didn’t mind that Jaws was shown in the 70s, or Back to the Future in the 80s – they were and ARE still pretty kick ass movies that deserve their homages.

The kiddie section that caters to the 4-7 range with attractions for Hello Kitty, Elmo and Snoopy

Who Dey?

 

USJ Fact #5: Make use of the Cheat Tickets

Aka the Universal Studios Express Pass. It costs extra on  TOP of the 6,600 yen 1-day studio pass (this is for 12 years and older, 4,500 for younger kids and 5,900 for seniors).

Actually, for the Express Pass you have 2 options. The 4-ride pass gives you a not-really-head-of-the-line-but-good-enough cheat on 4 of the 10-ish major attractions. This one costs an additional 3,200 while the 7-ride pass costs 4,900 yen. 

We didn’t get them since Tonie can’t ride half of the rides anyway – too short. But we should’ve gotten the 4-ride pass instead. I didn’t realize when doing research that we could get a cheaper express ticket. Blah.

Oh well, shoulda woulda coulda. *shrug*

USJ Fact #6: If you’re looking for Universal Studios Japan specific souvenirs, good luck

We like collecting theme park stuff and when we were on the hunt for a theme park specific, non-character laden souvenir magnet, we couldn’t find any. As a matter of fact, there weren’t any – not a magnet, keychain, shirt or anything. They were all either attached with a small dolorian, T-rex, or had Snoopy dangling on the other side of it. I don’t know, maybe it’s just us – but they’re not so big on that kind of souvenir.

USJ Fact #7: If you can’t speak Japanese, do not prioritize the shows.

Unless you’re cool with just body language and not knowing why everybody is laughing, then go ahead.

Finally, the biggest and best advice I could give to you:

Will be featured on the next post – just because it is sooo damn long. Like, dayummm! 

Our first sighting of cherry blossoms was also found here! 

 

 

 

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The post What Everybody Should Know About Universal Studios Japan appeared first on The Super Tourists. Come on over and visit the REAL super tourists! :)

When you walk out into the cool spring-ish weather at the start of a beautiful evening and begin to involuntarily shiver, you know you’re not in Kansas anymore.

PAL’s flight to Kansai lands in the early evening, so you’ll find yourself heading out of Kansai International at around 730ish.

And to be fair, Kansai International Airport is huge and purdy. Real damn purdy. Like all of those better-than-us airports, they’ve got a train connects the gates to the Arrival section of the airport. Immigration could not be smoother and baggage claim is a solemn and organized breeze. This is the first time I’m giving points to the magic creatures that put the bags on the belts, they’re almost of equal distance and all lovingly arranged. It’s as if, someone wanted to play suitcase dominoes. 5 points to Gryffindor. And finally, money changing was such an efficient 3-stage process that takes you through 3-lines and 2-Japanese guys until you finally get hold of your crispy Japanese yen. My first taste of Japanese quirkiness and I’m loving it.

Regarding the public transportation taking you to different parts of the city, and neighboring Osaka – they make it easy, even for the Japanese public transport system virgin, tolerable to understand.

As for us, the members of our party, all 70-something of us, were all congregating at the Arrivals section. It was an exhausting site to see so many people on this one trip. And after our first travel agency coordination hiccup, we finally roll our eyes away as we board our first bus going to our first hotel of the week, Bellevue Garden Hotel Kansai.

Oh and Kansai International has AWESOME WIFI!

HOTEL DETAILS:

• Right across a pretty big supermarket
• Is a 4-star hotel
• 10-15 minutes direct bus transfer from the airport
• Dinner and breakfast weren’t “spectacular” – and this is a pretty much consensus with everybody
• They don’t have WiFi in the rooms but they do have a WiFi Station down at the lobby where it costs about 100 yen for 10 minutes. Be careful of the keyboards that turn into Kanji with the push of a stray button- somewhere.
• They also have a few vendo machines, along with the only cup noodle vendo machine I’ve ever seen on this trip (I did expect to see this machine again in the week that followed, but alas, it was not meant to be)
• The hotel also has its own shuttle bus coming in from the airport that leaves the airport as early as 10am and as late as 1030pm. On the other side their shuttles to the airport starts at 630am and the last one out of the hotel is at 6pm. Seats on the hotel shuttle are only via reservation though.

ROOM DETAILS

• The room is huge by Japanese hotel standards, but then again, we were practically charged $300 for this room (via published rates estimates, not including the discount the agency most likely got for the trip).
• It marked our first run in with Japan’s ever-so common, the super toilet.
• Toiletry items were from Shisheido – I have never wished that I had a giant empty plastic bottle until that day.
• We basically got 2 singles and 1 converted sofa bed

All in all, the food was the only thing we were able to experience and we all agreed that it wasn’t stellar- the dinner OR the breakfast.  But you know what makes up for all of it? A wonderful panoramic view of Kansai in the morning. Seeing those traditional Japanese rooftops that I’ve only ever seen in animes was a nice tickle to my this-is-actually-happening bone. This is the land of Hayao Miyazaki, the 2007 Miss Universe, Maskman, Bioman, Dragonball, Maria Ozawa (not that I am a fan – I DID work for a men’s magazine #bakitkadefensive) and Hello Kitty. Yet, the first thing I notice in the Kansai skyline is a faint image of a familiar Yoshinoya.

Anyway, Kansai Japan, check!

CONTACT DETAILS

English Website Link

The post Kansai, Japan: Bellevue Garden Hotel appeared first on The Super Tourists. Come on over and visit the REAL super tourists! :)

This translates into our Top 5 Facepalm moments in the Land of the Rising Sun.

1) The Baggage-Porter Lesson

This is ZeFolks’ shortest packaged trip ever, by being just 1 week long. And with that, this is also the more-or-less coldest trip that they are going to have. With my Mom and I being adamant on having 1 outfit per day, we decided to load up on several overcoats as well. That resulted in our party of 3 adults and 1 4-year old to have 3 medium suitcases, 1 large one and 2 carry on trolleys. That’s a lot of clothes for just 1 week.

We were fine with the fact that that seemed to be “a lot.” What we didn’t expect though was that hotels in Japan had no porters. Unless you were staying in the Ritz or something of the same class, you were pretty much on your own with regards to your luggage.

We stayed in 3-star hotels and even though the rooms were HUGE (by Japanese standards) and the amenities, all top notch – you had to roll your own bag up the elevators. Surely, this isn’t anything but a first world problem, but still. Among us three women in our family, we had 24 overcoats. 24. That’s like a spring collection, right there!

So now, let us take a moment of silence for the invention of the spinner suitcase.

2) The Sukiyaki Dinner Lesson

We were nestled snuggly in bright-eyes Dotonburi in Namba, Osaka. A Sukiyaki dinner was lined up for the night. As we dunked our mushrooms, Chinese cabbage and slices of meat into the hot pot in front of us, I went back to the “stock cart” and got us some more meat and oddly enough, sausages. My Mother insisted that we shouldn’t “eat that much” and that it was “nakakahiya.” I pointed it out that the others in the group were doing the same. It was a little bit of an argument.
My Angkel then asked if this was the only thing we were going to eat. My Mom, reassuringly, answered, “Soup lang to.” (This is just soup)

Having a huge chunk of cabbage in my mouth, I snorted and honked out my laughter. I had to tell her that the soup WAS dinner.

There’s a giant hot pot in the middle of the table. That alone gave you a clue that it would pretty much be the “centerpiece” of the meal. And THAT’S why everybody was hoarding the beef and the sausages.

When that was cleared up, Operation Stock Pot was in order. Tonie was humming the Mission Impossible theme, which she remembers from watching The Lorax, and we headed out to hoard as many veggies and meat for our hot pot.

Lesson, before you go diet-timid on dinner, make sure that you ARE having another course.

3) The Wakarimasen Lesson

Japan has a lot of tourists visiting it. And although most of their signs have English translation, outside of hotel lobbies, you will have a hard time finding someone who speaks English.

Wakarimasen means “I don’t know” or “I don’t understand.” And for the most part, it was the only thing I uttered along with, “sumimasen” (excuse me), “gomennasai” (I’m sorry) and “kudasai” (please).

During our traditional Japanese dinner at our traditional Japanese ryokan in Hakone, my Angkel blew his top off because of an unbroken language barrier with one of the dining room attendants. It was, like, the ONLY time I’ve seen him like that in the past 3 years. I thought he was going to start grabbing his left arm or something at the rate he was having his episode. And this happened, BEFORE dinner. So, ummm… that made things awkward to say the least. It was a good thing that after dinner, he got up and apologized to our tour guide/interpreter for the scene he caused. Episode, over!

The thing is, with the Japanese language, you really do need to have a translator on you or have as much as you can on hand. The translations aren’t as easy to figure out as opposed to Italian or Spanish words. You’ll tire out your armpits with the sign language you are TRYING to pull off and really, you HAVE to make an effort to learn a bit of Nihongo.

TIP: Always attempt to pronounce it as quick as you can. They apparently understand it much better when you breeze through the word quickly than taking the time to annunciate each syllable.

4) The Disney Sea Lesson

The line to a food stall and (inset) the waiting time for Toy Story Mania – that’s 220 minutes, y’all!

With our family’s imposed mission to visit all Disney resorts around the world, our visit to a Disney park in Japan wasn’t going to be missed. We decided to spend the day in Disney Sea instead of Disneyland as it was unique in the whole Disney Resort system thing. It was the only one of its kind and it was in Tokyo. Unfortunately though, we had to visit on the WORST DAY in the entire year. Even worse than the Christmas season, visiting during Spring Break is the worst thing ever. Oh wait, there’s something even worse- Spring Break AND a Saturday.

In all my life, in all the times I have been challenged by Mr. Walt Disney, this was the very first time that I went inside a Disneyland park and was NOT able to ride a single attraction. Not one. 

That pretty much took the cake in our trip. And I knew that were pretty much in for some trouble just for being there on a Saturday were rides usually averaged on the 2-3 hour waiting area. On top of that, it was the dead of Spring Break.

We really couldn’t do anything about it, it was the only bad card we were to be dealt with in exchange for the lovely cherry blossoms. And we played that said card as much as we could.

When we arrived at Disney at a little past 10 in the morning, the first ride nearest to the entrance, Toy Story Mania, had a wait time close to 4 hours. I could’ve watched all 3 Toy Story movies before I even got to the ride! And the Fast Pass tickets were already out. Next door, to the Tower of Terror, waiting time was a little over 3 hours. And as for the Fast Pass, return was scheduled at 7am.

The rest of the day looked the same for us, minimum of 3 hours waiting time. Even for food stalls, the lines were impossible. Who waits 30 minutes for popcorn? Not hotdogs, not burgers, not even magical-mystical deep fried Oreos but popcorn. Even souvenir shops had lines. It was like lining up to go inside a super-exclusive club except that it was a souvenir shop.

In short, Disney Parks – NEVER on a Saturday and NEVER on Spring Break.

5) The PAL Baggage Allowance Lesson

Turns out Philippine Airlines allows TWO (2) PIECES of 23-kilo baggage allowance for flights in an out of Tokyo AND Nagoya. Kansai doesn’t share the same privilege but knowing that in advance would’ve allowed us to carry additional boxes of Green Tea Kit Kats for pasalubong-and personal consumption! We only have, like, 7 packs of those and we are rationing them like we were in a deserted island.

One family was able to bring home 2 boxes of the green good stuff back home and we are writhing in jealousy of that family. We want more!

6) Finally, the Shopping Lesson

Everybody knows that Japan is an expensive country. Tokyo is considered to be the most expensive country in the world so it does make sense to not shop there for stuff that you would be able to find elsewhere – like international brands and other stuff.
Someone in our group bought a Taylor Guitar. That’s his trip and not ours but it turns out, Taylor guitars are actually 60% cheaper in the Philippines, in your local RJ Music Store -and that’s a statistic coming from Mr. Ramon Jacinto himself, eh! And Taylor Guitars aren’t even Japanese. It’s an American brand.

As for everybody’s favorite Uniqlo products, well, their flagship store in Ginza district is actually 40% more expensive compared to the stores in Mall of Asia or North Edsa. So thanks, I’ll buy super-duper-soft cotton shirts in Mall of Asia instead.

It’s like that one time I went to France to try and buy my Angkel a Lacoste shirt, it actually was more the $50-60 more than if I bought it at the Panama outlet store. Yes, I country-name-drop now.

For us, our illogical shopping raid was for authentic Sanrio products. After years and years of buying Divisoria items, we decided that it might be time to finally pay royalties to the large-headed white cat. After that short stint of wide-eyedly paying for stuff, we’re back to our Divisoria-style Hello Kitty products.
The lesson here is, before you blow your load (that’s what she said) on buying whatever “seems” like a bargain- make sure that it really is, compared to the world market (and not comparative to your local conversion, like what we ALL are guilty of).

We survived Japan and all of its quirks. Despite all of the facepalm moments we have, we still love every second of it. Even the Happy Meal is quite ecstatic about the place, I mean, 2 whole weeks later and she’s still going, “Arigato Gozaimas.”

The post How to Avoid Epic Failing Japan appeared first on The Super Tourists. Come on over and visit the REAL super tourists! :)

Color me excited. Color me “I’m so excited and I just can’t hide it!”

There’s been a very long build up with this trip to Japan and it finally happened and this is the inaugural post of a very long series. I have officially fallen in love with our Japan vacation and the rest of Japan that we haven’t visited.

It’s effing expensive so living there really isn’t attractive to me, however, the sights, the sounds and the taste of Japan are so enthralling that I have decided to go there at least 2 more times. And I’m not just saying that because everybody says that about where they’ve traveled to. Japan really is a feast for the senses, whether it’s for its mega city super power set up or the calm, collected and put together past that they have.

Yatta! (I did it!)

And since words cannot fully describe how we feel about our whole Japan vacation, here’s a little primer of photos and even our first try of a Video Star music video featuring none other than Utada Hikaru’s Traveling. I know, fitting isn’t it?

This video includes Day 1 and parts of Day 2 of our week-long trip to Japan from Kansai to Narita.

Please pardon the shakiness of the videos, it’s my first time to do video on an iPhone and it’s not the most stable of video capturing devices, as we all know. Those with photo-sensitive epilepsy are advised against watching this. Those with motion sickness should jump on that bandwagon as well. Finally, I suppose you keep those who are allergic to awful music video productions away from this video as well.

For those who can tolerate it, we’ve got 4 more videos that you may want to see.

Video by Video Star iPhone app. Song is “Traveling” by Utada Hikaru.

The post Ohayou Gozaimas: Japan Vacation Video #1 (1/5) appeared first on The Super Tourists. Come on over and visit the REAL super tourists! :)

Seniors on a couple of nature trips. Get your Flanax ready and read on.

We start off with a shot of what seems to be an outtake of The Walking Dead’s main vehicular protagonist. After getting past the jeepney in the background, we move on to formally introducing the very mode of transportation that was provided by Samal Island Huts for their day trip around the island.

It only cost them P1,500 for the whole day with a driver and one of the owners of the place they were staying acted as the day’s tourist guide as well.

First stop of the day: Haguimit Falls. And from the looks of those stairs and by how far the bottom is, any senior would be cursing their way down and back up. Luckily, both of ZeFolks were able to get to the bottom and enjoy the playful area that is Haguimit Falls.

It was here that they took time to cool off (well, my Mom did) and enjoy the water before gorging on their packed lunches.

Seniors are warned of the slippery rocks. My Mom regretted not having her aqua socks/ water shoes on at the time. For the more advanced seniors, make sure your hip replacement insurance hasn’t expired yet.

As for this photo, I am posting as an award to her efforts of self-timer shots while making her way to a spot in the waterfalls. You should’ve seen the quantity of shots that were taken before this one.

PRIDE is seeing my Angkel make it to the bottom of the steps going to Haguimit Falls.
PREJUDICE is having a secret laugh that it would probably quite literally take him forever to go back up them.

Second Stop of the Day: Kaputian Beach.

With Pearl Farm technically being in the same baranggay Kaputian, it makes sense that for those who cannot amass a budget for a day trip to Pearl Farm to make your way instead to this publich(ish) beach. There is a door charge of P10, after all.

It’s a very good beach, after all. Not all being shortchanged with nature’s beauty. And as for our two travelers, we see that their age isn’t the only thing that’s different between them. Their preference of water and sun exposure seems to be obvious as well.

After quite a drive, they arrive at their final destination for the day: the Monfort Fruit Bat Colony. My Mom was squirming around in her seat as she told us the story of how it felt to be there: the sight, the smell and the noise.

Personally, though, I don’t get it. When I was there about a year and a half ago, the smell really wasn’t that bad. In fact, I didn’t any foul odor at all. And being able to smell our habal-habal driver after a 20-minute hike up Mt. Puting Bato proved that my Olfactories were in check for that day.

I do have to agree, once your eyes adjust and sink in at how many bats there actually are in those caves, it creeps up your back and has the power to activate gag reflexes.

On Day 2, they made their way to the Pearl Farm Beach Resort but not after going through some public transportation to get there. At dawn (don’t you just love the dramatic effect of saying, “at dawn”?) they had to take a barge across back to the city and then take the resort boat going back to Samal Island and into the resort.

Props for Mr. Photobomber there. 5 Points to Griffindor.

On Day 3 of their nature trips down south, they take a Davao City tour and make a beeline for the Eden Nature Park.

As you can tell, there really wasn’t a lot that they could do in the park. This is my Mom’s version of bouncing off of walls, I guess.

As for this photo, I just see it as a direct opposite of when people say something about “rainbows coming out of your ass.” Literally.

Finally, ZeFolks make their way to the final leg of their series of nature trips in Davao with a stop at the Philippine Eagle Center.

And that was it folks, 3 days of nature tripping out down south in Davao-Samal Island. A little of beach here and there, a lot of greenery and then a couple of huge eagles to cap it off with. It was definitely a breath of fresh air- even my Angkel says so.

He wasn’t at all disappointed with the kind of trip that they had but admitted that it was a good refresher in that it was something, “different.” Touché, my good man. Touché.

Despite all the greenery and with practically nothing to do other than photo ops, ZeFolks did immensely enjoy themselves with the days’ nature trips around Samal Island and Davao City.

The post Exploring Davao and Samal: Nature Trips for the Seniors appeared first on The Super Tourists. Come on over and visit the REAL super tourists! :)

I grew up thinking Pearl Farm really was an actual working farm harvesting actual pearls.

But in actuality, it’s one of the countries oldie-but-a-goody in terms of luxury beach resorts. Despite being quite the known destination, it can still wow and awe people. Here’s my Mom and Angkel, who have been all over the world, and they loved their first time in Pearl Farm – despite that one major thing that sorta ticked them off.

They were currently staying at a local Samal Island Resort named, Samal Island Huts, and they wanted to experience the posh and laid back side of the island before they head back to the city.

They got in, saw the free breakfast buffet laid out and grumbled at having eaten something at the marina prior to pick up. Their lunch was impressive but it wasn’t spectacular.

Having their “packed” breakfast of bread and cheez whiz with some ordered coffee

The rest of the day was spent talking with the other guests, roaming around the grounds and taking as many jumpshots as their bodies can handle.

My Mom and Angkel really weren’t the beach volleyball, snorkeling, tennis, basketball, golf, kayak kind of people so they just sat around in the shade and enjoyed the rest of the day relaxing on the beach.

It was posh, private and detached. My Mom, for some reason, was able to pull the manager over and have him go on and on and on about the resort facilities, amenities and rooms. They were instantly given a 50% discount if they decided to stay for the night. But they didn’t have any clothes or toiletries or medication with them so they had to turn it down – what a way to give out a HUGE discount, knowing that they wouldn’t be able to take advantage of it. Nice play, sir. Nice play.

Not much to report on that part of their adventures. They really didn’t do a lot other than talk to the manager about the different rooms and chit chat with other people over some additionally-charged drinks. When it was time to head back to their hotel via the long way round, they were ready.

MAJOR REVELATION: My Mom and Angkel had this to say about Pearl Farm – It’s sooo much better than the Maldives.

Pick up your jaw and wipe away that look on your face because although relative to what they experienced, that was the case. Sure, they weren’t able to book themselves in the multi-thousand dollar a night exclusive beach resort in the Indian Ocean must-visit but they did stay at a resort that commanded an $80 non-consumable, basic resort entrance – so I call that, pwede na-close enough

She described the sand as being finer, whiter and with a generally “mas maganda” (more beautiful) atmosphere than what they experienced in the Maldives a year ago.

Maybe it really is more fun in the Philippines.

PEARL FARM MAJOR FLAW:

The resort is practically inaccessible by land (from within the island, duh). Since they were spending 2 nights in the island, they decided to spend the extra day in Pearl Farm as a day tour, turns out – they don’t have a service that can pick them up from their room. They also do not have decent roads going to the resort as the hotel-owner they were staying at said that their vehicle wouldn’t be able to survive the very-off road conditions going to Pearl Farm. The only within-Samal mode of transportation they could suggest is the habal-habal and even THAT ride wasn’t going to be smooth sailing and it would be rougher than they thought.

The SINGULAR WAY into the resort was by boat. And, because we asked, they told us that there also wasn’t a way that they could be picked up from any other port or ferry from any part of the island. So that meant one thing.

ZeFolks had to be brought to the ferry (thankfully, it’s not more than 5 minutes away from the hotel), board the barge back to Davao (10 minute ride), take a cab going to the Marina where Pearl Farm does the pick-up (20-minute cab ride) before finally get picked up by the Pearl Farm boat (which is a 45-minute ride going to the resort).

And since they were staying in the same hotel within Samal Island, they had to make their way back to the mainland, just so they could go back to their hotel back on the island.

So, remember, all of you out there… Pearl Farm is designed (and that’s how it going to be for the rest of its existence) to be visited from Davao City proper. 

We’re not being divas or anything but it just totally misses out on logic. It’s a resort in Samal Island and they were in Samal Island and they couldn’t get to the resort by land and have to get on the mainland to do so? It’s just unfortunate they couldn’t (or wouldn’t) do anything about it.

RESORT DETAILS:

• PEARL FARM BEACH RESORT DAYTOURS cost P1,950 during weekdays and P2,500 on weekends and holidays.
• Booking in advance is mandatory and payment is accepted by Paypal or direct bank deposit.
• Day tour schedules are 8am (marina pick-up) to 4pm (pick up from Pearl Farm), and you cannot request for another boat to come pick you up if you’re late – unless you are bleeding profusely or pulled a Kevin Ware on the resort.
• Day Tours include the following in the package: roundtrip boat transfers, welcome drink, buffet lunch (and breakfast- it doesn’t say but it was there when they got in) and free use of *some* facilities.
• As for the kids, 6-11 years old get charged 50% less and any younger than that is at P375 per head.
• Oh, and guests aren’t allowed to bring any sort of food into the resort but bring all the bottled water you can carry

BOOKING TIP: If you book through AGODA, they only give you free breakfast. If you book through the m directly, the package is full board. Aaaaah, you see what they did right there? Did you see? I know you did. Somebody please start a slow clap.

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This isn’t a paid post. Just saying’.

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The post Davao, Philippines: Pearl Farm Luxury Beach Resort and Its One Major Flaw appeared first on The Super Tourists. Come on over and visit the REAL super tourists! :)