Marine World - Fukuoka

We went to Fukuoka a few weekends ago, and went to Marine World. Marine World is an aquarium and is home to more than 20 different kinds of sharks and other sea animals. There was also a water show featuring seals and 4 different kinds of dolphins.

We had to take a few local trains to get there, so first thing we do is grab some delicious, freshly made croissants at the train station. Il Forno del Mignon is FAMOUS for their croissants and with good reason, because they are slightly crispy on the outside and warm and fluffy on the inside. Mmmm....

 

 

Here's the entrance to the aquarium and the first thing Matt does is play with the seal! Heheee

 

 

OK, here's the actual entrance to Marine World. Isn't it an awesome looking building?!

 

 



 Here comes the fish.....

 

 

We start off with the really weird and odd looking ones:

 

 

 

 

Then we get to the pretty cool looking ones:

 



 

 

Look at all the Nemo's and Crush - it's a Finding Nemo reunion!!

 



 

 A big giant lobster, octopus, and crab, oh my. Hungry anyone?

 

 





A family of stingrays playing with a shark:

 

 



I guess they didn't want to play with this shark:

 

 

 

Or these jellyfish:

 



 

 But maybe they'll want to play with this penguin, this seal, or these baby sea otters?

 

They're all so cute. Great time at the aquarium. Recommended.

Ichiran 一蘭

For those who do not know the name "Ichiran", you are seriously missing out. Ichiran is the BEST tonkotsu ramen a person will EVER have. In fact, the owner has dedicated his life to the mastery of tonkotsu and is the only thing on the menu.

What is tonkotsu? This is tonkotsu. It is a big bowl of delicious ramen noodles with pork slices, green onions, garlic, and broth filled with special sauce and seasonings. SO GOOD!

Tonkotsu is a Fukuoka specialty and even though Ichiran is now a big chain with locations all around Japan (and even New York), it has maintained the highest quality and consistency across locations. I can only speak of 2 locations I've been to (Nagoya and flagship restaurant in Fukuoka) and they taste the same.

As like almost everything else in Japan, there is a process to follow:

1. Buy a ticket at the vending machine (like what these girls are doing):

 

2. Walk in and check the board for vacancy:

 

 

3. You will be seated in a little booth. The owner believed the only way to taste tonkotsu is to concentrate on the flavor. Hence, no talking, no texting, no playing with the phone. Just eat. 

 

3. Customize your tonkotsu.

 

 and voila - it will appear! Now pay attention to your food and enjoy!

 



 

4. Not enough ramen noodles? No problem, just order more by filling out what you want, put down the money, and press the button. Be sure to leave at least half a bowl of broth.



 

 

 

 

 

5. And just like that, more noodles come. Put it in your broth and enjoy (once again). 



 

And that's how you eat delicious tonkotsu at Ichiran.

 

Macau

First time in Macau and it was not what we expected. It was cool though. We took a fast speed ferry from Hong Kong one night, had dinner in an underwater themed atrium of a hotel, walked around, went to a few casinos, saw a water show, and then went back to Hong Kong.

First we had dinner. The restaurant was right inside this atrium so we were eating with all these things to admire.

 

After dinner, we headed outside and walked around. Not amazed there were so many neon lights, but didn't expect so many cool looking buildings. 

 

 

Errr... odd looking building - think it's safe?



 

 

Then finally, check out this awesome light show. The video's on Matt's camera, but check out these still pictures I captured. Better show than the Bellagio's in Vegas.

 

All in all, glad we went to Macau.

Inuyama Castle

Inuyama castle is one of the 12 castles still in existence today that were built during the Edo period. Completed in 1440, it is one of the oldest castles in Japan. What's really cool about this castle is it is one of the few castles in Japan that allows visitors to actually enter and explore the inside of the structure. It's great to see how people used it.

 

The inside of the castle is quite extraordinary and well maintained. Check out the stairs to get to the upper levels. It has extremely steep slope and not a lot of depth to each step. I wonder how they used to run up and down the stairs on these?!

 

 

People back then must be as tall as me, because there is not a lot of extra room between my head and the rafters. Matt had to duck everywhere.

 

These are what the rooms look like. Open concept with little lookout rooms along the outer perimeters.

 

 

But once you get to the top level (the attic maybe?), you see this amazing view. Breathtaking!

 

 

Here's us enjoying the view. Check out the travel mug (*wink*)! What's in your wallet?! LOL



 

Hot Hot Hot

Whenever people warn me about the Nagoya summer weather, I've always kind of shrugged it off. I mean how HOT can it get? It's not like Nagoya is that close to the equator.

Well, let me tell you - Nagoya is HOT. Nagoya is famous for being the hottest city in Japan. And its summers are terribly humid. The sun is blazingly hot and burns my scalp and skin.

 

 

This weather is relentless. I wish it would rain, but then the day after it rains is the most HUMID day ever.

 

Help. 

 

No fear, the Japanese have come up with many different solutions. It has gels, sprays, portable fans (with and without mist), desk fans that's powered by USB, neck scarfs that you can wet or insert ice packs into, LOTS of ice cream and popsicle varieties, cold noodles, cold pillows, and of course air conditioners. Here's typically what you would see in a department store or pharmacy selling cooling items.

 



Today is Shosho day. sho(処) means remain and sho (暑) means summer heat. Shosho is a day when
summer heat begisns to taper off. Though it may still be hot in a daytime, we can start feeling autumn air in the early morning and night. Sugoi!

Rain in Nagoya

Nagoya has been having some major rain storms lately, which is unusual as rainy season should have been over by now.

Nagoya rain is very different than rain at home. It is a torrential down pour type of rain, very similar to what one might experience in monsoon season in the equatorial countries.

Check out this video I took when I was caught up in the rain a few days ago. It's very loud and the rain water was just gushing out of the down spout.