celebraTINg exisTENce

Winter in Seoul 2019: KBS' Cool FM and Saetgang Ecology Park

By Tin Gallemaso - 1:00:00 PM

We visited this place February 2019, just never had the chance to blog about it until now. Two Days, One Night was still showing/broadcasting during this time so I was really looking forward to visiting this building back then.

It was the Chinese New Year Holiday so not a lot of establishments were open. There was a VR musuem but yeah, it was closed that day. Would've entered had I known that my favorite variety show would get discontinued months after this. :((

2 Days, 1 Night.... you're missed... you're really missed. :((

We chanced upon the live broadcast of KBS' Cool FM and you can watch the DJ from the glass window.

After walking around the building, we continued walking towards Saetgang Overpass.

This is one of the shooting locations of Fight For My Way as well.

Not a long overpass but interesting design. You can take photos with the building of Yeouido at the background.

I tried to look for this bridge during my first time in Seoul but got lost because there's a train station called Saetgang and I thought it was around that area - one of the nearest station here would be Singil station if you're not coming from KBS.

I think I'd need more warm clothes since I'm going back in January for another winter trip. Hahaha! Kakahinayang kasi mag-invest for outfits. :)))

If you go down the bridge, you'll enter Saetgang Ecology Park.

There wasn't a lot to see that time since the trees have already lost their leaves and it hasn't snowed for days so we had neither autumn foliage nor winter snow. HAHA!

Still a nice place to walk around and take photos though especially since we don't have winter in our country. I've only seen places in Seoul during winter so going back there last month I was kinda feeling weird during the first few hours 'cause I was seeing leaves on the trees. lol

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Fukuoka

First Time in Japan: Northern Kyushu Itinerary, Expenses and Travel Tips (From Hakata in Fukuoka)

By Tin Gallemaso - 1:00:00 PM

For my first trip to Japan, we were initially hoping for Tokyo but then since it was easier to buy tickets to Fukuoka on a Cebu Pacific Air seat sale, we went to Fukuoka instead. Below is the itinerary of our seven days stay in Hakata, Fukuoka. I have also embedded a Google Map just so you'd have an idea on where the places are located.

LENGTHY POST AHEAD

I saw cheaper Fukuoka itineraries but they only stayed in Hakata area during their tour. Huis Ten Bosch is the main reason why we chose FUK and since we bought the JR Pass ticket then exploring other parts of Northern Kyushu is the most obvious thing to do even if that meant spending more.

[Klook Link] Purchase 3/5 Day JR All/North/South Kyushu Pass (Japan Pick Up) Tickets: here.

Itinerary:

DAY 1:

MNL - FUK flight

We just checked in our hotel, ate dinner and we called it a night around 11 PM.

DAY 2: (Yufuin, Oita)

1. Yufuin Floral Village

2. Kinrin Lake

3. Hells of Beppu

Bus travel from Hells of Beppu (Oita) to Yufuin

Yufuin Food Trip (esp. for match lovers!!!!) and Yufuin No Mori train ride

DAY 3: (Sasebo)

1. Huis Ten Bosch

Link: Morning

Link: Night

DAY 4: (Dazaifu, Nagasaki)

1. Tenmangu Shrine

2. Starbucks Dazaifu

3. Spectacles Bridge

4. Mount Inasayama

Link: Ropeway

Link: Viewing Platform

5. Don Quijote

DAY 5: (Fukuoka)

1. Uminonakamichi Seaside Park

DAY 6: (Fukuoka)

5. Fukuoka Castle (Ruins)

6. Kawabata Shopping Center

7. Don Quijote

8. Canal City Mall Fountain Show

DAY 7:

1. Lunch at Uobei

2. Canal City

3. Sakura Viewing

Royce chocolate shopping at the airport

FUK - MNL flight

Notice that we didn't include a lot of items in our itinerary since we wanted our days to be chill and more room for surprises. Also, these places were not near each other so we had to allot travel time. We are usually not strict with our schedule - we know our itinerary and which trains to take but the time changes depending on the circumstances since we were dependent on the train schedule. Also, this is not the most affordable tour since we had to pay entrance fees for some places and they were definitely not cheap. So, hindi ako magbibigay ng itinerary na 10k lang e nalibot mo na buong Northern Kyushu. Overtime, you'd find a travel style that suits you more and this itinerary was what we deemed best for a better value and better experience.

Travel Tips:

I have actually posted the arrival and departure details before but since I've finished posting all the articles related to our Fukuoka travel, I have decided to compose a more detailed one.

TIP: For people availing the JR Pass, know the schedule of the trains you're taking. This way, you'd be able to be more efficient in planning routes.

DAY 2: (Yufuin, Oita)

[Klook Link] Dazaifu Shrine, Yufuin, and Beppu Day Trip in Kyushu

1. Yufuin Floral Village

2. Kinrin Lake

3. Hells of Beppu

[Klook Link] Hells of Beppu Admission Ticket and Kamenoi Bus 1 Day Pass in Kyushu

TIP: The train that goes to Yufuin is an all-reserved train that easily gets sold-out. What we did was we decided to go to the farther place first which is the Hells of Beppu and we rode a bus to Yufuin. Trains back to Hakata Station were still all-reserved but it was easier to get tickets on the spot. Also, there are a lot of food establishments you can eat at in Yufuin. We enjoyed our food trip there, our favorite were the cheesecake and matcha gelato both of which we've researched about beforehand. <3

DAY 3: (Sasebo)

[Klook Link] Huis Ten Bosch Ticket Nagasaki

[Klook Link] Huis Ten Bosch Ticket and Train Pass

1. Huis Ten BoschLink: Morning

Link: Night

TIP: Again, make sure to take train schedules in mind and reserve tickets if you can. We spent the whole day walking around 'cause this European Theme Park is soooooooo huge. We weren't able to try it but the entrance to the VR rides are ticket-inclusive. Should you want to use the rides, fall in line in the morning 'cause the queue gets longer in the afternoon. What we did was we walked around, rested and ate late lunch outside the park, went back and walked around again. Parang dalawang beses kami nagpunta - isa sa umaga, isa sa gabi. Why did we stay for the entire day? aside from making sure we got our money's worth, the park has a different feel to it in daytime and in night time. Still the highlight of Fukuoka 2019 especially the fields of tulips. <3

DAY 4: (Dazaifu, Nagasaki)

[Klook Link] Dazaifu Shrine, Yufuin, and Beppu Day Trip in Kyushu

1. Tenmangu Shrine

2. Starbucks Dazaifu

3. Spectacles Bridge

4. Mount Inasayama

Link: Ropeway

Link: Viewing Platform

5. Don Quijote

TIP: There are a lot of places that can be visited in Nagasaki so you may spend the entire day there. However, if you'll be following this itinerary, you'd have to be at the Shrine at around 3 PM (the latest) because establishments near it close early.

DAY 5: (Fukuoka)

[Klook Link] Fukuoka Tower Ticket

1. Uminonakamichi Seaside Park

2. Ramen at Ichiran

3. Fukuoka Tower

TIP: The Seaside Park is huge!!! No matter how small it looks like in the map, it is huge! If you don't plan on staying there for a long time though, you can add it on a day when you're JR pass is still active. That way, you won't have to pay an additional fee for the train ride going there. For Fukuoka Tower, try to go there before sunset just so you'd have time to explore the nearby beach as well before going up to the viewing deck.

DAY 6: (Fukuoka)

[Klook Link] 1 Day/2 Days Fukuoka Subway Tickets

5. Fukuoka Castle (Ruins)

6. Kawabata Shopping Center

7. Don Quijote

8. Canal City Mall Fountain Show

TIP: Riding the bus can be a little bit expensive but it's inevitable so make sure you're riding the right one. Availing the unlimited subway pass can be more economical if you're planning your routes near the stations. Also, renting bicycles for the entire day can be an option especially if you're travelling during Spring or Autumn.

DAY 7:

1. Lunch at Uobei

2. Canal City

3. Sakura Viewing

Royce chocolate shopping at the airport

FUK-MNL flight

TIP: You can take a train or a bus when going back to the airport. It didn't take a lot of time but you'd have to surrender all the receipts or the tax refund receipts of all your purchases just after the immigration counter. All the receipts are taped on the pages of your passport and they will be the one to remove them. Also, it doesn't matter if you don't find Royce Chocolates in Hakata because there's one inside the airport.

Expenses:

Below are the fixed expenses we had...

Pre-departure: P 10,770.00

Airfare: P 4,000
Travel Tax - P 1,620
Visa Processing Fee - P 950
JR Pass - P 3,942 at Klook [Purchase Tickets Here]
Fukuoka Tower - P 258 at Klook [Purchase Tickets Here]

Expenses in Fukuoka: 22,522 Yen around 10,584

Hostel - 11,892 (we've reserved the rooms on sale but it was pay cash upon arrival)
Sea Hells Entrance Fee - 400
Bus to Beppu Hells - 340
Bus from Beppu to Yufuin - 940*
Huis Ten Bosch - 7,000 [Purchase Klook Tickets Here]
Nagasaki Ropeway - 1,230
Fukuoka Subway Pass - 720 [Purchase Klook Tickets Here]

*spent 940 'cause we didn't want to go back to the JR train station so we rode a bus from the Hells straight to Yufuin

Total for Fixed Expenses: P 21,354

Our total for a week in Northern Kyushu was around P 30,000. We were really anxious with regards to the expenses for this trip because Japan is known as an expensive country and it didn't disappoint -ang mahal talaga. However, two things that made the entire cost significantly lower were our airfare and accommodation.

airplane tickets - booked November

accommodation - booked early December (no payment yet)

pocket money - December, January, February (dito kami nagpa-palit ng Yen paunti-unti per month)
Visa processing - February (tigas ng mukha mag-asikaso ng kung ano-ano nang wala pang visa... hahaha! madaming kaba pero mas malaking tiwala ang kinailangan)

travel dates - March

Above is how we distributed the expenses in a span of five months para hindi masyado mabigat... :))) but take note that we already planned the trip March of last year pa after Macau so kinda like a one year in the making trip pa rin.

Looking forward to a P 30,000 Tokyo din!! BAKA NAMAN HAHAHAHA.

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Fukuoka

Japan 2019: Fukuoka Caste Ruins (Maizuru Park)

By Tin Gallemaso - 1:00:00 PM

Or should I just say white cherry blossoms viewing?

On this site once stood the largest castle in Kyushu but all that's left are ruins and trees. On a full bloom day, it will be much better to view cherry blossoms on this area rather than the nearby Ohori Park because the trees are larger.

This is a different variation of cherry blossoms - they're called Weeping Cherry tree 'cause they look a lot like Weeping Willow.

Once saw a weeping tree in the Garden of Morning Calm in South Korea link: here.

The branches were within reach and I was very careful and made sure I only touched the branch and not the flowers while taking selfies with it.

Sana oil hindi oily ahahhahaha!

It must be the weather talaga. Don't remember having that clear skin back then.. don't even have it now. AHAHAHA!

"cascades of sakura flowers"

As you'd notice, the branches of these trees grow drooping downward which make it looks like. It looks "sad" whenever it has no leaves nor flowers but on a peak season, it looks grander than the rest of the trees.

The next two pictures are the ruins. I couldn't grasp how big this castle used to be but it was also interesting to walk around these walls.

It looks as if we've traveled far from the buildings but I think, this was only twenty minutes away from Hakata.

For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return.

Leonardo da Vinci

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Fukuoka

Japan 2019: Kushida Shrine and Tocho-ji Temple, Hakata, Fukuoka

By Tin Gallemaso - 1:00:00 PM

These two well-known historical places on this post were just walking distance from our hotel in Hakata. If you tour around Fukuoka on a budget, then these places are definitely one of those that you'd get to see. No entrance fee and since it's just walking distance from Hakata Station - no transportation fee either.

Kushida Shrine

There was a tour guide touring foreigners around when we went there and so we just stayed a bit close to the group so we could also hear what she was saying. lol.

The home of the protective God of Hakata built in the year 757.

This is a fortune paper that you can get in Kushida Shrine. Unlike the one in Dazaifu, they have English ones here so we gladly paid for it. I considered mine lucky so I still have it placed in my wallet until now.

At my back is called - Kazari Yamakaza or a large stationary festival float. This is made to pray for peace and wish for protection.

I wasn't sure which one was the gingko tree but it was said that there's a 1,000 gingko tree inside the temple grounds.

Tocho-ji Temple

Established in the year 806 and is the home to the largest wooden seated Buddha in all of Japan. We weren't able to see it though. The one thing that made our Japan tour difficult is, of course, the language gap. We were anxious for a lot of times while thinking if we were doing things right. lol. :)))

5 storey Pagoda of the temple. This was built in 2011 to commemorate the 1200th anniversary of the temple.

We only saw a few buds that day but if you're visiting on a peak time then you shouldn't miss Cherry Blossoms viewing at this temple as well because of the huge tree in the center. I can only imagine how grand it looks like when the sakura flowers are in full bloom.

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Stories

Winter in Seoul 2019: KBS' Cool FM and Saetgang Ecology Park

First Time in Japan: Northern Kyushu Itinerary, Expenses and Travel Tips (From Hakata in Fukuoka)

DAY 2: (Yufuin, Oita)

DAY 3: (Sasebo)

Link: Night

DAY 4: (Dazaifu, Nagasaki)

DAY 5: (Fukuoka)

DAY 6: (Fukuoka)

DAY 7:

Japan 2019: Fukuoka Caste Ruins (Maizuru Park)

For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return.

Leonardo da Vinci

Japan 2019: Kushida Shrine and Tocho-ji Temple, Hakata, Fukuoka

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