Dim Sum in Tung Chung

Before heading home from our one week family vacation in Japan, it was time for a brief couple of nights in Hong Kong.  We frequent Hong Kong for two reasons: 1) We usually patronize Cathay Pacific, so it's a mandatory stop.  On flights back home Manila, it's always an option if we want to stopover or stay longer in Hong Kong.  2) I love Hong Kong and I can never get enough of this city.

Two nights in Hong Kong allowed for a full day to catch up with my best friend in his new place in Tung Chung.  Tung Chung is located relatively close to the Hong Kong International Airport.  For those of you who enjoy bargain shopping, there is a nice outlet mall with imported brand names located right at the MTR stop.

Before checking out his new pad, we walked around the outlet mall for something to eat.  After a week of Japanese food, I was ready for some dim sum.  So Federal Palace was the perfect place.  Even though we were only 2 people, I still wanted to enjoy some classic Cantonese bites while in Hong Kong.  I left the ordering to the local, and I just requested ordering plates I don't always get.  My love for constantly trying new things.

Place your cursor above "Notes" below to read the captions for each photo.

If you can't see the slide show, check out my Flickr album: Tung Chung Dim Sum

Street Eating around Kobe

The last of my Japan updates, and I'm ending it with an afternoon full of street eats in Kobe.  I went into Kobe only knowing about the beef and the sweets.  The few hours spent in the streets of the downtown were a pleasant surprise.  I learned more about Japan's past walking through the Memorial Park and their dedication and passion to rebuild their country.  They have that love of country, and it's reflective in Kobe - how the city has maintained its pristine order, it's so clean!

Their love of country is reflective in their standard for food.  You can find the highest quality of food in the most ordinary places - groceries, department stores, shopping arcades, and street vendors.  Some of my favorite snacks were the street eats in Kobe.  The savories and the sweets, one after the next.  Grilled mochi, kakuni burger (aka, pork belly buns), crab croquettes, gaufres, waffles, cake rolls, parfaits.  I haven't had that much sugar in one day in a long time.  It was all so worth it to taste those treats made just in Kobe.

My favorite part about traveling is discovering the local specialties, the pride of the city or town.  In Kobe, there are so many specialties to show off.  What a city!  It's definitely worth checking out if you enjoy food, and make sure your stomach is empty so you can fully enjoy every bite the city has to offer.

Place your cursor above "Notes" below to read the captions for each photo.

If you can't see the slide show here, check out my Flickr album: Kobe Street Eats

And that concludes my Japan trip! Hope you enjoyed my perspective of Tokyo, Osaka, and Kobe. Until the next trip!

History & Remembrance at the Port of Kobe

After an early afternoon full of street snacks, lunch, and an overdose of sweets, I was in need of a brief food break (which lasted 30 minutes).

A quick stroll through the Port of Kobe is a perfect break and a leisurely stroll to get to know more about the city.  The waterfront is a destination where you'll find the Memorial Park and various other tourist attractions, like a ferris wheel.

The Memorial Park is a remembrance dedicated to the city of Kobe and the surrounding areas affected by the 1995 earthquake that devastated Japan.  It destroyed nearly 250,000 homes and buildings and took the lives of over 40,000.  It was a tragic loss for Japan and for Kobe.

This port park shows the evidence of the devastation, with remnants of the rubble.  There is also a display of photos of the restoration process.  Japan has suffered from a number of life-altering earthquakes.  Yet, with every occurrence they have poured their hearts out into restoring their cities and their lives.  It is so evident in Kobe how hard work and dedication renewed the city.  Seventeen years later it is still so orderly and pristine.  Japan amazes me in so many ways..

If you can't see the slide show here, check out my Flickr album: Port of Kobe

An Afternoon in Downtown Kobe

We're food tripping around Japan.  We've already re-visited Tokyo, and spent an afternoon and evening around downtown Osaka.  So what's next?

A 20-minute train ride to.. Kobe!  The land of beef, breads, baked goods, and sweets.

From the Kobe train station, we crossed a couple streets and headed to Kobe's shopping arcade full of local shops, restaurants, and cafes.  We didn't go here to shop for clothes, we came here to shop to fill our stomachs.  I definitely had a sugar rush all day from all the sweets I tasted.  What a great sugar rush, too.  There are so many sweets unique to Kobe.

Just parellel to the arcade street is the Chinatown.  I typically don't check out all the Chinatowns in the cities I visit, but this one is worth walking through.  It is the CLEANEST.  For me, that made it even more fun to frequently stop at the stalls and constantly nibble on all the local treats.  I wish every Chinatown was like this.

 More on the street eats at the end of the week..

Here are pictures of the journey to Kobe, the sights of the arcade, and Chinatown.

If you can't see the slide show, check out my Flickr album: Kobe Day Trip - Arcade

Matsusaka Beef Experience in Osaka

After reading the NY Times 36 Hours in Osaka article, we were convinced to spend a couple nights in Osaka.  The paragraph that reeled us in to Osaka wrote, "Kobe is not the only place in Japan pampering its cattle. In fact, an arguably more delectable steak comes from the massaged, beer-sipping, black-haired variety in Matsusaka, about two hours east of Osaka." It went on to talk about a yakiniku restaurant serving the beef where you can grill yourself at your table.

Matsusakagyu Yakiniku was one of the most memorable meals, ever.  We tasted 7 of the 12 cuts of beef.  Every cut of beef would melt so gently and so beautifully on my tongue.  This is seriously one of the best tasting cuts of beef I've ever tasted.  It was an epic night to savor.

If I were a cow, I'd love to be a Japanese cow.. A Matsusaka cow.  A life of massages and beer!  That is the life.

Place your cursor above "Notes" below to read the captions for each photo.

If you can't see the slide show here, check out my Flickr album: Matsusakagyu Osaka