Korea

This post is about Korea. I went to Korea 3 times. Korea is the nearest country to Japan. Korea and Japan have a long historical connection. The capital city is Seoul. It is near North Korea.

The main sightseeing spot is Seoul Tower. This is the most popular spot in Seoul. The night views are very nice. But you need to walk way up the slope.

The second sightseeing spot is Myongdong. It is downtown in Seoul. Japanese people call this Korea's Harajuku. You can buy cosmetics, fashion goods, and souvenirs. Myongdong is always full of people and visitors. If you have luck, you can meet famous Korean stars. If you are hungry, you can eat around in Myongdong. You can choose fast food or Korean food. You can find Lotteria, Macdonalds, Dunkin Donuts and Kentucky Fried Chicken and more fast food places.There is also Myongdong gyouza, toppogi and other Korean foods.

My favorite spot is Lotte Mart. This is a big supermarket. Koreans always come here and buy food, toys and more. We can buy many snacks, kimchi, Korean laver and other items. If you buy many things, you can send them to your home from here. It is near Seoul Station.

Seoul has a very complex subway. If you can't understand it, you should ask help from a Korean person. They are very kind.

Taiwan

Have you ever been to Taiwan? It is 3 hours from Haneda Airport to Taipei International Airport. It is a very popular country among Japanese.

The Taiwan President's office building was built during the period of colonial rule by Japan. You can see the old Japanese buildings. The buildings give a nostalgic feeling of Japan. Many Taiwanese like this building. It is near Sun Memorial Hall. You can walk around here.

Next is Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall. It was built to praise Sun Yat Sen. He made the Taiwan Nation.

Here there are many sentries. You can watch the changing of the the guard ceremony. It is a very formal and powerful ceremony. If you go to Taiwan, please visit here and watch this ceremony.

Taiwanese foods are very yummy. For example, xiaolongbao, gyouza, mabodoufu etc. My favorite food shop is Hang Zhou Dumpling House. It is near Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall too. There are many kinds of xiaolongbao. For example, there is loofah and shrimp xiaolongbao. I really like this xiaolongbao. It is really yummy.

Taiwan has a very interesting night market. Many people visit the Xiaoling night market. There are many kinds of Taiwanese food. My favorite food is oyster omlet. This is a very yummy local Taiwanese food. Xiu dofu has a very, very bad smell, but the taste is good. I was amazed.

If you like Ghibli, I think you should go to Jiufen.This was the model for Spirited Away. You think you are in the Ghibli  world. This is my favorite spot in Taiwan. 

Taiwan has many interesting spots. If you go to Taiwan, don't go only to Taipei. You should also go to Gaoxing.  It has a different atmosphere to Taipei. It it very interesting.

Taiwanese are very kind. Some Taiwanese can speak a little Japanese. I think you should go to Taiwan.

Hakone

Do you know Hakone? This is one of the famous places in Japan. Hakone is very popular among people who are living in the Kanto area. I always go to Hakone with friends and family. We can go there in one and a half hours by train.

Hakone has many popular places. My favorite place is Owakudani. Here there is a very bad smell. It is a sulfur smell. Owakudani is on Hakone Yama. Hakone yama is a volcano. The people who visit Owakudani usually eat black eggs. They are very yummy.

 
Ashinoko is a famous place too. We can go here from Owakudani by ropeway. We can ride a pirate ship and see many nice views. My father often goes fishing here.

Hakone En is one of the famous places for families. It has an aquarium, some attractions, and a small zoo. It's very popular with families. 

If you will go to Hakone, I recommend you go by train. Hakone Tozan railway is fun. You can feel the nature and have a wonderful experience.  I think the Switch back is a valuable experience.

Hakone is very nice place for a day trip. If you have free time, please go to Hakone.

Owakudani

http://www.owakudani.com

1251Sengoku bara, Hakone cho, Ashigara Shimo gun, Kanagawa Ken.

神奈川県足柄下郡箱根町仙石原1251

Hakone En 

www.princehotels.co.jp/amuse/hakone-en/

139 Moto hakone, Hakone cho, Ashigara Shimo gun, Kanagawa Ken.

神奈川県足柄下郡箱根町元箱根139

Hong Kong

I will write about Hong Kong. Do you know where Hong Kong is? Have you been there? It was a colony of the U.K. before 1997. You can see many beautiful views there.



At first, the most famous sightseeing spot is Victoria Peak. You can see Hong Kong Island all around and Kowloon Island buildings. Tourists from many countries visit here. If the weather is good and if you go at night, you can see very beautiful views. The night view is one of the world's three most beautiful night views.

Here is Mongkok. This is a famous area Downtown. Many people are here. Many stalls and shops are here. At McDonalds, you can eat a southeast original menu GCB burger. The taste is very good.






Next is Hong Kong Disneyland. This was the main event of my trip. By train, it takes about 40 minutes from the Hong Kong main station. The attraction is the same as Tokyo Disneyland, but the main castle is the Sleeping Beauty castle. They also have a Toy Story land, which they don't have at Tokyo Disneyland. Here is very fun. It's a Small World and Mickey's Philhar Magic are in English and Chinese. They are very cute.

Hokkaido

Hokkaido is the biggest prefecture in Japan. It has a different history from Honshu Japan and there are many sightseeing spots.

 
I think the most famous spot is Asahiyama Zoo. You can see many animals and the main event is penguins walking around. Penguins walk around the zoo freely but the event is held only in winter. If you are interested in going, I recommend you go in winter.






Next is Otaru. This is a very famous city in Hokkaido. Otaru has been a habor city since old times. The famous cheesecake store LeTAO's head office is in Otaru. Otaru has many sweets and famous shops. The night views are very nice, and the atmosphere feels like another country.






Next is Susukino. This is in downtown Sapporo, and it feels like Shibuya. There are many restaurants and shops. Susukino has good access. In the winter, the Sapporo Snow Festival is near here.









If you like horses,  I recommend Northern Horse Park. There are many horses from here that become race horses. You can see them running. The most famous race horse, Deep Impact, was born and grew up here.





Otaru (小樽観光協会）　http://otaru.gr.jp/

Asahiyama Zoo （旭山動物園）　http://www5.city.asahikawa.hokkaido.jp/asahiyamazoo/

Northern Horse Park (ノーザンホースパーク) http://www.northern-horsepark.co.jp/

Kyoto, Japan

I will write about Kyoto. This is the most famous place in Japan. I went to Kyoto four times this year. I really like Kyoto.

At first, I'll introduce Goryo Eji Tonsho. Do you know? Many people don't know this place. If you like or are interested in Japanese history, I hope you learn about this place. Please search for what happened here.

The second place is Kamogawa. Here is the most famous river in Kyoto. The bridges' names are Kamogawa, Ichijo Ohashi, Nijo Ohashi, Sanjo Ohashi, and more to Nanajo Ohashi. There many tourist in Sanjo Ohashi and Shijo Ohashi. I played at the Kamogawa riverbank.

This is Kyoto's symbol, Kyoto Tower. It is much smaller than Tokyo Tower. The tower is standing on the building. It is very beautiful if you go there in the evening. You can watch the night views in Kyoto. It is near Kyoto Station.

This is Murin An. This is a cottage once owned by a historical person, Yamagata Aritomo. Here there is a beautiful garden and cafe. If you interested in gardens or history, you have to go there. I like this place. This is a little known spot.

Next is Arashiyama. It's about 30 minutes from Kyoto Station. The river's name is Katsuragawa. It is a different river from Kamogawa. Katsuragawa is always overflowing when a heavy rain falls in Kyoto. The most famous place in Arashiyama is the bridge named of Togetsu kyo. There are always many people at this place. But the views are very beautiful.

Kyoto tower
http://www.kyoto-tower.co.jp/kyototower/index.html

Kobe

Have you ever been to Kobe? If you go there, you can feel its exoticism. Kobe is like Yokohama. It's a port town and many foreigners lived here in the old days.

I think the most famous place is Kitano Ijinkan. Here there are many western style houses. For example, U.K., the Netherlands, Denmark, China, Panama, etc. The most famous building is Uroko no Ie. It is one of the famous buildings in Kobe. But the building is on the hill. If you go there, it is very hard.

Next is Nankin Gai. This is Kobe's Chinatown. I think it's the same as Yokohama Chinatown. The gate is little different from the Yokohama Chinatown's gate. The Chinese food was very good.

The port tower is famous. I think it's the most famous landmark building in Kobe.

The outskirts of Kobe has a shopping mall, game center, restaurant and more. This area is called Harbor Land. Here is one of the famous date spots.

The next is Rokkosan. We can see very beautiful night views. It is acknowledged as one of  the three major night views of Japan along with Nagasaki and Hakodate. If you go Rokkosan, possibly you can see an UFO. It's very famous for sightings of UFOs.

Sannomiya is popular among young people. This is called Western Shibuya. There are many people and many shopping malls. If you go to Kobe, I think you should buy souvenirs here.

I think Kobe is interesting. I want to go to Harbor Land if I go to Kobe again.

Kitano Ijinkan

http://www.kobeijinkan.com/

Nankin Gai

http://www.nankinmachi.or.jp

Harbor Land

http://www.harborland.co.jp/sp/

1choume, Higashi Kawasaki, Chuo Ku, Kobe Shi, Hyougo Ken.

神戸市中央区東川崎町1丁目

Rokkosan

http://www.rokkosan.com