Travel Log - Japan 2018 Day 2

Writers' note: Happy Lunar New Year! Took me an entire month to get back and continue my Japan Travel Log Series. 😅
Click here to read from the 1st post of this travel log! 😄

4 November 2018 (A day of sightseeing in Kanazawa City)

1st stop: Omicho Market
Map: 50 Kamiomicho, Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture 920-0905, Japan

 Our hotel was just diagonally opposite the market so it was extremely convenient to get to. 

Oden store in the Market (with a side beef cart)

 THIS, MY FRIENDS... is NOTO GYU (beef) - 100g at 2000円. ***A MUST TRY***

I rarely ever eat beef like that (steak form) - but THIS... have got me craving like. damn.
*self-note: I am definitely coming back to Kanazawa*


Next stop: Kanazawa Castle Park 
Map: 1番1号 Marunouchi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture 920-0937, Japan

There's just something about castles that are fascinating... look at all these attention to details! 

*note: steep steps (within the castle building)*

Living the tai tai life for a short moment... Great tea, great dessert, great view, great company.

*note to self: the gold plated vanilla (or was it milk) ice-cream just tasted like vanilla ice-cream 😅

3rd stop: Kenrokuen Garden (just next to Kanazawa Castle)
Map: 1 Kenrokumachi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture 920-0936, Japan

Next stop: 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art
Map: １丁目-2-1 Hirosaka, Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture 920-8509, Japan

There were little trumpet looking installations around the area (quite like those science-sound experiments where speaking through one trumpet will be heard from another trumpet elsewhere)...

There was an oji-san that went "konnichiwa" and kept waving at us and we said hi back. It was so cute. hahahha.

 There was some kind of a food festival held over the Sunday that we went but they were already closing/closed

Last stop: Dinner @ Menyataiga 
Map: 6-3 Horikawamachi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture 920-0847, Japan

There was a bit of a queue despite the slight drizzle but the staff were so kind.. they brought out umbrellas for their queuing customers! 💘

Just look at it... Mmmmmmmmm

Bonus: Admiring the Station

Next post: Travel Log - Japan 2018 Day 3
Previous post: Travel Log - Japan 2018 Day 1

Photo credits: S9 Galaxy & my travel pals @Jole @mx

Travel Log - Japan 2018 Day 1

Konnichiwa こんにちは！

Finally a travel log on my favourite travel destination, JAPAN. 日本大好き！(I Love Japan) 💘

My 2nd time travelling with friends, for the 5th time in Japan after 5 years... [Its been so long, I think I teared a little when I landed, ROFL *emotional*]

2010 - Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto

2011 - Fukuoka 

2013 Mar - Osaka

2013 Jun - Hokkaido

*** 2018 Nov - Kanazawa, Takayama, Kamikochi, Matsumoto, Tokyo ***

3 November 2018

SQ672 from Singapore 01:20 (GMT+8) to Nagoya 08:40 (GMT+9)

[there's only 1 SQ flight to and from Nagoya each day]

It was relatively easy to navigate at the airport and purchased our one-way subway tickets to Meitetsu Station through the self-service machines. Their Ezlink Card (Manaca IC Card) could also be purchased through the machines so that is very convenient too.

The Jurassic Route to Kanazawa!

^ Bus Tickets from Meitetsu Bus Center, Nagoya -> Kanazawa Station

Our Bento from Meitetsu Bus Station: The pink pickles(?) were THE BEST I had ever tasted.

On route to Kanazawa (approx. 4 hours bus ride with a 10-15 mins pit stop in the middle):

At the Pit Stop: Really LOVE how there are stamps placed all over the country. Its like a collectible!

Sunset view while on the bus... MX helped to take a dozen of these photos. 

Hotel Resol Trinity Kanazawa
Map: 1-18 Musashimachi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture 920-0855, Japan

The hotel was well positioned in the center of many places of interest such as the Kanazawa Castle and Omicho Market, but it was a 15-20 mins walk away from the JR Kanazawa Station/Bus Center.

The Meitetsu highway bus actually made 1-2 stops in Kanazawa before the final stop at the station which was definitely much nearer to the hotel but we didn't know that prior to making the trip so... 😅

The view from the hotel

We ended the night with a 8-Sushi set meal... prepared and served right in front of you. With all honesty, I'm not one that typically enjoys sashimi (in fact, I don't really enjoy seafood in general) but this was good. No kidding, it was so fresh and that slight tint of wasabi did it for me. 🙌

Next Post: Travel Log - Japan 2018 Day 2 

For more information on the Meitetsu bus operating between Nagoya & Kanazawa: link

Photo credits: S9 Galaxy & my travel pals @Jole @mx

MaplestorySEA - Kiineziz is 240!

Had my eyes on the storm growth pot for levels 230~239 for a while. やったー！.

4.1.19 😎 Kiineziz is 240~!

Hello & Welcome

Welcome to Just Play & Live Life. (^-^)/

I am イージン, the author of this blog. 

Disclaimer: This blog is just my haven for recording my memories (of travels and life happenings), occasional rampant about life, gaming achievements, and pretty much everything else. It is, in no way, meant to be used against anyone, nor for monetization. 

For ease of access to my travel memories, the trips are pinned in chronological travel order. 

• Taiwan 2016: Kaohsiung, Taichung, Taipei

• Hong Kong & Macau 2017

• South Korea 2018: Seoul, Busan

• Indonesia 2018: Bintan (for company's D&D)

• Japan 2018: Nagoya, Kanazawa, Takayama, Matsumoto, Tokyo

• Japan 2019 (Apr): Nagoya, Shizuoka, Hamamatsu, Mt.Fuji

• Japan 2019 (Jun): Osaka, Nara, Kyoto

• Japan 2023: Osaka, Kyoto

• Taiwan 2023: Sun Moon Lake, Taichung, Taipei

Other series:

• Food Tabemono

• Gaming (PC & Mobile) - MaplestoryM | MaplestorySEA (PC) | Idle Poring | Tabi Kaeru | Ragnarok X

• Skincare & Beauty 

• Technology & Gadgets 

MaplestorySEA - Level 200 Zen, 等々(etc)...

Tera Burning Character - ZEN 

So we get to Tera Burn a character which levels 1+2 (in other words, 3 levels per level) from 10 all the way to 199~! What better time to level a character that you don't really like playing (but yet worth doing) than NOW.

I've always had a somewhat-hate relationship with ZEN, but hey... hello level 200 ZEN. 

*still self-applauding my determination to get it from 175 to 200 in half a day* 

(special thanks to UnKn0wN for supporting)

*** Life Updates ***

3-13 November: Japan Trip (Upcoming Travel Log!!!)

15 - 26 November: Covering duties at work

25 Nov - 1 Dec: Studying for JLPT N4

2 December: JLPT N4 Examination

That was pretty much what I had been busy with all of last month. Can't wait to start on my Travel Log posts for Japan~! 😘

Travel Log - The Canopi @ Bintan, Indonesia

22-23 September 2018

My 2D1N stay @ The Canopi, Bintan with my Family & Colleagues. 

(Company Event/D&D)

The Treasure Bay, Bintan was a short 5 mins bus ride from the Ferry Terminal.
(Note: The Canopi's main reception entrance was under renovation so we entered the resort through The Treasure Bay).

My Fish & Chip Lunch that took FOREVER to arrive @ Warna Warni Restaurant

I was really quite bumped about lunch - dishes took more than an hour to be served, the waiters (a good 6-7 of them, or more) were all standing around, avoiding eye contact. Everything was just... incredibly slow. From arrival at the restaurant (approx~12:45 JKT time) to check-in time (15:00 JKT time), the whole duration was spent at the restaurant (and that's excluding the time taken to pay the bill).

BUT, with that said, I'll give them the benefit of doubt - that they were probably not prepared to face a large crowd of diners (we did take up approx 90% of the seats in the restaurant).  

Lagoon-view Tent! (We drew lots on the types of Tents prior to the trip)

The interior of the Tent:

^ Sofa turned into beds as I had 4 to a tent

The man-made lagoon that's picture-perfect:

Our dinner set-up

Our Recreation Club Committee bought fireworks... 😆 -things to do outside of SG-

International Breakfast (the next morning):

The Treasure Bay, Bintan Entrance

You could rent this scooters (for a fee) to ride around the resort area...

Post-thoughts:

It was my 1st time in Indonesia (despite it being just that small resort part of it)... The fireworks during dinner was really the highlight for me (hearsay: it was cheaper than hiring a live entertainment band 😆). 

Would I come again? - perhaps a couple of years later (with friends, LOL).