If you are heading south, Hakata is a good place to be your base for a week or two. I rented an apartment from f-apartments. A reliable apartment supplier for foreigners, especially when you have no knowledge of Japanese.
Possible Day Trips using Hakata as your base:
1) Arita2) Nagasaki3) Hita4) Tosu Premium Outlet
5) Nakonoshima Island Park
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Japan Stay Club
If you plan to stay at any of the major towns in Japan for one week or more, perhaps you might like to consider booking an apartment. I booked an apartment from Japan Stay Club.
Before I decided to use that agent, I searched the net for reviews about that company. However I hardly found any! Many of us often worry about the RELIABILITY of the agent. This is heightened by the highly publicised online credit card scams. Most of the time to secure an apartment, the full amount will be deducted from your credit card prior to arrival! Therefore there is the lingering fear of possibly being cheated!
Here is my review of Japan Stay Club:
In order to secure an apartment by JSC, a full payment by credit card is necessary. In addition to the rental fees advertised, there are additional fees such as cleaning,insurance and misc fees. Based on my experience, I feel that the company is reliable. The interior of the apartments are exactly like the photos on the website! Most importantly they are clean and spacious, it beats staying in a hotel room!
Everyday items such as towels, toiletries, washing detergent are provided making it a comfortable home away from home! The lovely part of staying in an apartment is that they are often located in neighbourhood districts. Therefore you will be able to dine at eateries not found in any guidebook.
There are two ways to collect the key for the apartment. You can either get it from JSC's office or you can ask them to leave the key in the mailbox. I prefer the latter. I have rented 3 apartments from them and what I saw on the website was what I got! Maybe I was just lucky, leave a tag if you disagree! There is a saying - Do not judge a book by its cover. The exterior of the apartment may look run down, however the interior is fine.
Before I decided to use that agent, I searched the net for reviews about that company. However I hardly found any! Many of us often worry about the RELIABILITY of the agent. This is heightened by the highly publicised online credit card scams. Most of the time to secure an apartment, the full amount will be deducted from your credit card prior to arrival! Therefore there is the lingering fear of possibly being cheated!
Here is my review of Japan Stay Club:
In order to secure an apartment by JSC, a full payment by credit card is necessary. In addition to the rental fees advertised, there are additional fees such as cleaning,insurance and misc fees. Based on my experience, I feel that the company is reliable. The interior of the apartments are exactly like the photos on the website! Most importantly they are clean and spacious, it beats staying in a hotel room!
Everyday items such as towels, toiletries, washing detergent are provided making it a comfortable home away from home! The lovely part of staying in an apartment is that they are often located in neighbourhood districts. Therefore you will be able to dine at eateries not found in any guidebook.
There are two ways to collect the key for the apartment. You can either get it from JSC's office or you can ask them to leave the key in the mailbox. I prefer the latter. I have rented 3 apartments from them and what I saw on the website was what I got! Maybe I was just lucky, leave a tag if you disagree! There is a saying - Do not judge a book by its cover. The exterior of the apartment may look run down, however the interior is fine.
Tosu Premium Outlet
I feel that the best shopping experience is unplanned retail therapy! I love stumbling upon irresistable bargains. I often come back empty handed when I make the attempt to go shopping!
I always tell my friends that I moonlight as a "Sales Girl", as I love to sniff out good bargains! I have heard rave reviews about the factory outlets in Japan, therefore I decided to head to Tosu Premium Outlet. As expected I came back empty handed, perhaps you might have better luck than me!
Getting There
Address
8-1, Yayoigaoka,
Tosu-Shi, Saga, Japan
841-0005
Opening Hours
Jan - Dec (10:00-20:00)
Closed: Once a year, on the third Thursday in Feb
I always tell my friends that I moonlight as a "Sales Girl", as I love to sniff out good bargains! I have heard rave reviews about the factory outlets in Japan, therefore I decided to head to Tosu Premium Outlet. As expected I came back empty handed, perhaps you might have better luck than me!
Getting There
Address
8-1, Yayoigaoka,
Tosu-Shi, Saga, Japan
841-0005
Opening Hours
Jan - Dec (10:00-20:00)
Closed: Once a year, on the third Thursday in Feb
Hita
If you have a daughter, you might like to bring her to Hita during
I visited Hita because I wanted to see the impressive doll collection in Mameda(the central area of town). Even though it was after the Girls' festival, you can still view the dolls in many of the souvenir shops around town.
In Japan the citizens are strong advocates for Road & Traffic Safety. In the different towns, the message maybe the same but the means of promotion is often different! While visiting Hita, an added bonus was that I managed to catch sight of a vintage car parade! The Road Safety Flags given out to residents and tourists served two purposes 1)Promotion of Traffic Safety 2)For them to support the drivers when they drove past. I am not too sure if this parade is an annual affair, but I caught sight of it on 10 April at around 10.30am. If you would like to catch the parade, do give the tourist centre a ring to confirm the details before heading there.
Vintage Car Parade
*Beer drinkers might like to head to the Sapporo Beer factory. There is a guided tour for visitors followed by a tasting session. Kanpai!
You might like to visit Hita during these periods:
1)Gion Festival (First Sunday after July 20th)
2)Tenryo Festival (Third weekend in October)
3)From July to November, catch sight of fishermen erecting bamboo fish traps in the Mikuma river. A must eat during this season is the grilled Ayu fishes.
Getting There
From JR Hakata Station, board the Yufuin-no-Mori Express to JR Hita station (approx 78mins) I have taken a number of bullet and ordinary trains, but this was the first time that the stewardess came round with props!
I visited Hita because I wanted to see the impressive doll collection in Mameda(the central area of town). Even though it was after the Girls' festival, you can still view the dolls in many of the souvenir shops around town.
In Japan the citizens are strong advocates for Road & Traffic Safety. In the different towns, the message maybe the same but the means of promotion is often different! While visiting Hita, an added bonus was that I managed to catch sight of a vintage car parade! The Road Safety Flags given out to residents and tourists served two purposes 1)Promotion of Traffic Safety 2)For them to support the drivers when they drove past. I am not too sure if this parade is an annual affair, but I caught sight of it on 10 April at around 10.30am. If you would like to catch the parade, do give the tourist centre a ring to confirm the details before heading there.
Vintage Car Parade
*Beer drinkers might like to head to the Sapporo Beer factory. There is a guided tour for visitors followed by a tasting session. Kanpai!
You might like to visit Hita during these periods:
1)Gion Festival (First Sunday after July 20th)
2)Tenryo Festival (Third weekend in October)
3)From July to November, catch sight of fishermen erecting bamboo fish traps in the Mikuma river. A must eat during this season is the grilled Ayu fishes.
Getting There
From JR Hakata Station, board the Yufuin-no-Mori Express to JR Hita station (approx 78mins) I have taken a number of bullet and ordinary trains, but this was the first time that the stewardess came round with props!
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Li Quan Roast Duck
Da Dong, Quan Ju De and Li Quan are three of the most famous places to try Peking Duck. Many guide books hype and rave about them, so expect crowds of tourists and pricey menus! I have read mixed reviews of all three restaurants. Most of the reviews advised diners to make a booking!
When a friend came over, I decided to bring him to Li Quan. Not because I felt that it was the best restaurant but I wanted to give him a Hutong dining experience. Some people commented online that the horrible smell from the toilet, drifted to the tables near it. To be fair to the restaurant, I can't comment on that point, however I noticed most of the diners were foreigners!
Here are my ratings for Li Quan:
Ambience = 4 thumbs
Food = 3 thumbs
Value for money = 1.5 thumbs
Address: No.11 Beixiangfeng, Zhengyi Road
Phone: 6705-5578
I am not a duck connoisseur, so I was satisfied with the duck. I found the pricing abit too expensive for my liking and that was the reason why it was my first and last time in that restaurant. Stay tune to find out which local joint managed to satisfy my Roast Duck cravings throughout my stay there. I know I will be bashed by food critics, but I found the duck as good as Li Quan's.
When a friend came over, I decided to bring him to Li Quan. Not because I felt that it was the best restaurant but I wanted to give him a Hutong dining experience. Some people commented online that the horrible smell from the toilet, drifted to the tables near it. To be fair to the restaurant, I can't comment on that point, however I noticed most of the diners were foreigners!
Here are my ratings for Li Quan:
Ambience = 4 thumbs
Food = 3 thumbs
Value for money = 1.5 thumbs
Address: No.11 Beixiangfeng, Zhengyi Road
Phone: 6705-5578
I am not a duck connoisseur, so I was satisfied with the duck. I found the pricing abit too expensive for my liking and that was the reason why it was my first and last time in that restaurant. Stay tune to find out which local joint managed to satisfy my Roast Duck cravings throughout my stay there. I know I will be bashed by food critics, but I found the duck as good as Li Quan's.
Quirkiness - 'open crotch pants'
One of my favourite pictures - A baby wearing an 'open crotch pants'(Kai Dang Ku) These pants provide Maximum Convenience with Minimum Coverage and allows toddlers to relieve themselves by just squatting down! (information source: China Daily)
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Ice Skating on Hou Hai Lake & Autumn Beauty
Hou Hai Lake Area is a popular hangout zone, with trendy and upmarket Restaurants, Bars and Cafes sprouting up in that district. It is known as Bar street to the locals. Rather than just visiting the stylish establishments after dark! Join the locals and occasional furry creatures(dogs) on the lake.
It is a breeze to ice skate in a ring filled with man-made ice. However a frozen lake is a different story! The ice is too slippery and it was hard to find our centre of balance. In the end, we traded our skates for a chair skate instead! Skate bicycles are also available for rental.
The beauty of Hou Hai in Autumn
Bridal Couples = Mini Celebrities for the Day
Caught sight of tourists taking pictures of them and with them. I realised I am in the former category. I heard from someone from Philippines that if you take a picture together with a bridal couple, it will bring you good luck.
五颜六色的狗, 可爱还是丑, 让你决定 (A multi coloured dog, is it beautiful or ugly. It is for you to decide)
It is a breeze to ice skate in a ring filled with man-made ice. However a frozen lake is a different story! The ice is too slippery and it was hard to find our centre of balance. In the end, we traded our skates for a chair skate instead! Skate bicycles are also available for rental.
The beauty of Hou Hai in Autumn
Bridal Couples = Mini Celebrities for the Day
Caught sight of tourists taking pictures of them and with them. I realised I am in the former category. I heard from someone from Philippines that if you take a picture together with a bridal couple, it will bring you good luck.
五颜六色的狗, 可爱还是丑, 让你决定 (A multi coloured dog, is it beautiful or ugly. It is for you to decide)
Jundushan Ski Resort
Would you relate skiing to Beijing? A lesser known fact about the Capital, is that it is surrounded by ski resorts. When the winter months draw by, the locals will head to one of the many ski resorts to practice this winter sport. I would consider skiing as a luxury, because we cannot ski in the Tropics! Adding on it is quite costly to ski in Europe, Canada, United States, Japan & Korea etc. Trust me skiing in China is a steal!
A list of ski resorts surrounding Beijing. Here's another site for you to check out.
Jundushan Ski Resort
We picked this resort as it is just 30km away from the city. We had a little misadventure at the ski resort due to our slight disobedience. There was a sign warning beginners not to get onto the ski lift. However curiosity got the better of us and we got on. To our horror, we found ourself at the top of the expert slope and there was no other way except to ski down! After deliberating for 1/2 an hour, we decided to take the plunge. And I bade farewell to the resort by leaving a "bum imprint" on the snow for the very last time! *Learning lesson - do not take the ski lift if you are just a novice.
Address: 588 Zhenshun Cun, Cuicun Zhen (5 km north of the Xiaotangshan Hot Spring Holiday Village), Changping District 昌平区崔村镇真顺村588号
Opening Hours: 8am-10pm daily
T: 6072 5888 (You might like to check if they provide shuttle services to and from the resort, that will save you the hassle of making your own way there. We managed to catch the shuttle service from the resort to a train station.)
Getting There
Option A) Take subway line 2 to Ji Shiu Tan. From exit A, walk east to the De Sheng Men bus station and take express bus 919 to Chang Ping then hire a taxi to the resort.
Option B) Take subway line 13 to Long Zi, exit and cross the road and hire a taxi to take you to the resort.
You might be interested in:
Yabuli Ski Resort (Harbin)
A list of ski resorts surrounding Beijing. Here's another site for you to check out.
Jundushan Ski Resort
We picked this resort as it is just 30km away from the city. We had a little misadventure at the ski resort due to our slight disobedience. There was a sign warning beginners not to get onto the ski lift. However curiosity got the better of us and we got on. To our horror, we found ourself at the top of the expert slope and there was no other way except to ski down! After deliberating for 1/2 an hour, we decided to take the plunge. And I bade farewell to the resort by leaving a "bum imprint" on the snow for the very last time! *Learning lesson - do not take the ski lift if you are just a novice.
Address: 588 Zhenshun Cun, Cuicun Zhen (5 km north of the Xiaotangshan Hot Spring Holiday Village), Changping District 昌平区崔村镇真顺村588号
Opening Hours: 8am-10pm daily
T: 6072 5888 (You might like to check if they provide shuttle services to and from the resort, that will save you the hassle of making your own way there. We managed to catch the shuttle service from the resort to a train station.)
Getting There
Option A) Take subway line 2 to Ji Shiu Tan. From exit A, walk east to the De Sheng Men bus station and take express bus 919 to Chang Ping then hire a taxi to the resort.
Option B) Take subway line 13 to Long Zi, exit and cross the road and hire a taxi to take you to the resort.
You might be interested in:
Yabuli Ski Resort (Harbin)
Silver Fox Cave/ Ying Hu Dong / 银狐洞
I was tired of Modernism, Sky Scrappers, Crowds(The Chen Yu Ren Shan Ren Hai best describe the multitudes in Beijing) and Shopping so I decided to embark on an excursion out of Beijing! I was looking for something relatively intriguing and unheard off, yet close enough to the capital so that I could make it back by night fall. I liked the idea of a nature retreat with fresh country air, so after bouncing off ideas, we decided to enter the Fox's Den tucked away in Fangshan District! Opening Hours: 8am-5pm, daily. Admission: 41 yuan. Please give them a call to check if the cave is still open 6036-3236; 6036-3166.
The Silver Fox Cave is a network of underground caves, with a freshwater river system beneath. It is a geological beauty consisting of many limestone formations resembling icons such as The Great Wall of China, Statue of Chairman Mao, A Praying Sea Lion, Corn hanging from the Ceiling and A Mother carrying a Child. Colourful lights are used to highlight the icons. However these structures pale in comparison to the Star in the cave. It is a white "furry" rock structure resembling a fox, which explains the name of the cave.
The ticket for the cave includes a Mandarin Guided Tour, a Boat Ride and Tram Ride which does not take you to the surface. You still have to climb a long flight of stairs to exit! Do not worry if you do not understand Mandarin, as there are English signs beside the rocks. During the Summer months there is a contrast between the outside and internal temperature of the cave, so please bring a light cardigan. Renting a cardigan is an option, if you don't mind using a garment worn by many people.
Picture of Boat Ride, Flight of Stairs and Walk way in the cave
To get to the cave is an adventure of its own!
There are two ways to get there
1)Bus No 917北 from Tianqiao to Silver Fox Cave.
2)Bus No 948 from Pingguoyuan to Fouzizhuang and a 1-2km walk to the site
We caught bus 948 from the bus stop outside 苹果园(Píngguǒ Yuán = Apple Garden) subway station. Just ask around if you cannot locate the bus stop. Do not be deceived by the name 苹果园, there are no 苹果树(Píngguǒ shù = Apple Trees) there! There may not be 苹果树 there, but that area is famous for pickpockets, so do watch your belongings!
During the weekends, the bus frequency is approx 1 1/2 hours. We reached the bus stop around 8am and had to wait slightly over an hour for the bus. While you wait for the bus, be prepared to be harassed by touts. Here are two tactics which they used on us 1)They told us that the bus wouldn't come and when that trick didn't work 2)They told us that we were wasting time waiting for the bus and it would be faster to just take their cab. My friend was so irritated with the touts that she told them off - 你知道你多么烦！像乌鸦一样kwa kwa 的叫! (Do you know you are as irritating as a CROW!)The bus came around 10am and it took us about 2 hours to reach the Fou Zi Zhuang stop(银狐洞). In total we took about 3 hours to reach the entrance! We spent about 1 1/2 hours in the cave and waited for the bus back to 苹果园 at 4pm.
View along the 1-2km walk
our 导游 who followed us all the way to the cave and back to the main road to wait for the bus!
When you board the bus
1) Double confirm with the driver that the bus will take you to 银狐洞
2) Ask him to notify you when it is time to alight (Fou Zi Zhuang Stop)
Picture of surrounding area of the bus stop
3) Please check the timing of the bus heading from the end stop back to 苹果园. Try and catch the earliest possible bus.
*Eg:Give yourself sufficient time to wait for the bus at 银狐洞 stop. Don't lose track of time! Try to catch the bus which leaves from the end stop at around 4pm instead of a later one.
I visited the cave during the winter months and by 5+ it was almost pitched black. Instead of vultures hovering around us to look for their prey. We were surrounded by a couple of 黑车(illegal taxis), confronted with the prospect that we might have missed the last bus and was stranded almost 60 over km away from BJ City! The temperature was dipping to below 0 degrees and we were very cold & hungry! Not exactly a nice position to be in! So please try and catch the 7am bus instead!
4) If you want to return to 苹果园. Please remember to board the bus from the opposite direction.
Here are some suggestions for a Day Trip out of Beijing
1)Cuandixia Village
2)Shidu (10 ferry crossings)- "The Guilin of the North"
3)Shihua (Stone-flower) Cave
4)Feng Huang Ling
5)Hong Luo Temple
6)Green Brook Fishing Garden (Bi Xi Chui Diao Yuan)
7)Qinglong Lake
The Silver Fox Cave is a network of underground caves, with a freshwater river system beneath. It is a geological beauty consisting of many limestone formations resembling icons such as The Great Wall of China, Statue of Chairman Mao, A Praying Sea Lion, Corn hanging from the Ceiling and A Mother carrying a Child. Colourful lights are used to highlight the icons. However these structures pale in comparison to the Star in the cave. It is a white "furry" rock structure resembling a fox, which explains the name of the cave.
The ticket for the cave includes a Mandarin Guided Tour, a Boat Ride and Tram Ride which does not take you to the surface. You still have to climb a long flight of stairs to exit! Do not worry if you do not understand Mandarin, as there are English signs beside the rocks. During the Summer months there is a contrast between the outside and internal temperature of the cave, so please bring a light cardigan. Renting a cardigan is an option, if you don't mind using a garment worn by many people.
Picture of Boat Ride, Flight of Stairs and Walk way in the cave
To get to the cave is an adventure of its own!
There are two ways to get there
1)Bus No 917北 from Tianqiao to Silver Fox Cave.
2)Bus No 948 from Pingguoyuan to Fouzizhuang and a 1-2km walk to the site
We caught bus 948 from the bus stop outside 苹果园(Píngguǒ Yuán = Apple Garden) subway station. Just ask around if you cannot locate the bus stop. Do not be deceived by the name 苹果园, there are no 苹果树(Píngguǒ shù = Apple Trees) there! There may not be 苹果树 there, but that area is famous for pickpockets, so do watch your belongings!
During the weekends, the bus frequency is approx 1 1/2 hours. We reached the bus stop around 8am and had to wait slightly over an hour for the bus. While you wait for the bus, be prepared to be harassed by touts. Here are two tactics which they used on us 1)They told us that the bus wouldn't come and when that trick didn't work 2)They told us that we were wasting time waiting for the bus and it would be faster to just take their cab. My friend was so irritated with the touts that she told them off - 你知道你多么烦！像乌鸦一样kwa kwa 的叫! (Do you know you are as irritating as a CROW!)The bus came around 10am and it took us about 2 hours to reach the Fou Zi Zhuang stop(银狐洞). In total we took about 3 hours to reach the entrance! We spent about 1 1/2 hours in the cave and waited for the bus back to 苹果园 at 4pm.
View along the 1-2km walk
our 导游 who followed us all the way to the cave and back to the main road to wait for the bus!
When you board the bus
1) Double confirm with the driver that the bus will take you to 银狐洞
2) Ask him to notify you when it is time to alight (Fou Zi Zhuang Stop)
Picture of surrounding area of the bus stop
3) Please check the timing of the bus heading from the end stop back to 苹果园. Try and catch the earliest possible bus.
*Eg:Give yourself sufficient time to wait for the bus at 银狐洞 stop. Don't lose track of time! Try to catch the bus which leaves from the end stop at around 4pm instead of a later one.
I visited the cave during the winter months and by 5+ it was almost pitched black. Instead of vultures hovering around us to look for their prey. We were surrounded by a couple of 黑车(illegal taxis), confronted with the prospect that we might have missed the last bus and was stranded almost 60 over km away from BJ City! The temperature was dipping to below 0 degrees and we were very cold & hungry! Not exactly a nice position to be in! So please try and catch the 7am bus instead!
4) If you want to return to 苹果园. Please remember to board the bus from the opposite direction.
Here are some suggestions for a Day Trip out of Beijing
1)Cuandixia Village
2)Shidu (10 ferry crossings)- "The Guilin of the North"
3)Shihua (Stone-flower) Cave
4)Feng Huang Ling
5)Hong Luo Temple
6)Green Brook Fishing Garden (Bi Xi Chui Diao Yuan)
7)Qinglong Lake
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