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48 HOURS IN TOKYO DURING SAKURA SEASON: PART 1 (Tokyo, Japan)

4/7/2015

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If I were asked to explain the Japanese spirit,
 I would say it is wild cherry blossoms glowing in the morning sun!
- Motoori Norinaga
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Ever since we moved in South Korea, we planned to check Japan off our list. Since, its only a 2 hour flight from Incheon, we decided to see Japan in all its glory during Spring. One of the best time of the year to visit Japan is during Sakura (cherry blossoms) Season. Hanami (flower viewing) has been a Japanese tradition dating back from centuries ago. Spring brings promise of new hope and a new beginning. This season crowns the whole country with flowering pink and white cherry blossom trees. After the long, cold and dreary winter, people tend to go out and enjoy hanami. Hanami is best enjoyed picnicking under cherry blossom trees with family and friends. 
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HOW TO GET AROUND TOKYO?

It is important to know that trains/metro are operated by different companies in Japan. We decided to purchase a Suica Card for the JR line (for more information, click here). This is a commuter's pass that you can use in all JR Lines, subway and the Haneda Express Monorail from Haneda Airport. We paid 2,000 yen each (500 yen is for the deposit and the remaining 1,500 yen can be used to get around Tokyo). The card can be purchased at the airport and load credits at convenience stores or kiosks at the station. Upon buying, you present your passport and foreigners gets discounted rates.  At the end of your trip in Japan, you can surrender your card and get the deposit back. If you plan to come back to Japan, keep it, the card is valid for 10 years. (Note: Haneda Airport is just 20-30 minutes train ride to the city while Narita International Airport takes more than 1-hour to go to the city by train. If you have a choice which airport to choose, Haneda Airport is better than landing in Narita International Airport, especially if you're landing late night. On a side note, Haneda Airport is only open to few international flights.) 

We decided to purchase the JR Suica Card since the hotel we chose is just 5 minutes walking distance from Hamamatsucho Station. Hamamatsucho Station is the last station on the Haneda Express Monorail that takes you to Tokyo. This is where you also change lines to go to other neighborhoods. Hamamatsucho Station is conveniently included on the JR Yamanote Line. JR Yamanote Line (green line) loops to all the places we want to see (click here if you want to see the stops on the JR Yamanote Line). A complete circle is 35km and takes about 60 minutes while visiting 29 stations (source: Tokyo Moob).

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READING TERMINAL MARKET FAVORITES (PENNSYLVANIA, USA)

3/25/2015

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“When engaged in eating, the brain should be the servant of the stomach.” 
- Agatha Christite
One of our favorite spots in Philadelphia is Reading Terminal Market and we go there just to eat our heart out. This market is definitely an icon in Philadephia. Every time we go back home in Pennsylvania, going here is a-must for us. Its a one-stop shop to cure our Philly cravings. Brock and I always get to play tourist in our own city and we just absolutely love it. We still discover new things in this city every time we go. 
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THE BEST PORK SANDWICH (YET)

You seldom see DiNic's empty. When you go here during lunch time, the line is so long especially on weekends. You will at least wait for about 20-30 minutes to get the best Roast Pork sandwich of your life. You can also get their Roast Beef but we usually order Roast Pork with Peppers and Provolone - a true symphony of flavors on your mouth. 
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DIVINE SANDWICH 

If you like a different type of sandwich go to Hershel's East Side Deli. They usually serve kosher-style food. You will see them prepare your sandwich - whatever your choice would be, from delicious pastrami, brisket, corned beef, turkey - hand-carved on the spot when you order. They also have good chicken liver salad and white fish. 
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HOLY CANNOLI!

And if there is room for dessert, stop by at Termini Brothers, been in business since 1921 and get their famous Cannoli or Sfogliatelle. If you are not Italian, you probably won't know what a Sfogliatelle is. Its a shell-shape Italian pastry covered in thin flaky goodness. Thank God for their delicious and perfect light ricotta filling of a cannoli. This is by far the best cannoli we have tasted in our entire lives, and we've been to Italy. 
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CREAMIEST ICE CREAM EVER

Bassett's is an institution in Philadelphia. It is America's oldest ice cream company and been in business since 1861. It is the creamiest ice cream you have the chance of eating and they have all the flavors that suits your cravings, even weird ones. The ice cream is just a wonderful treat with its rich and creamy flavor. You may not need dinner if you eat it on a late afternoon.
Categories: Living in USA, North America, Pennsylvania, Food Adventures, Travel Tips
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TRAVEL TIPS: BALKANOLOGY 101 ( DRIVING THRU THE BALKANS)

3/2/2015

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We can’t know what’s going to happen. We can just try to figure it out as we go along.
- Morgan Matson | Amy and Roger's Epic Detour
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HOW DID WE DECIDE ON A ROUTE?

The Balkan Region has been a dream destination for both of us and seeing this off-the-beaten path region is probably our most favorite trip as couple. As you all know, using trains in this part of Europe is not as easy as the other popular European cities. The main transportation that tourists usually use in this region are buses (train in some parts of Croatia), but as you all know we like do-it-yourself trips, that is why we decided on renting a car to see the best of the Balkans. We wanted to give you a few tips on driving around this region, since we only found a few blog sites that offer this kind of perspective.  

WHY DID WE RENT A CAR?

We truly love the freedom of the open road and always enjoyed road trips. First of all, we rented a car for convenience. If we drive a rental car, we can take as much time on tourist spots we want to see and stop wherever we want to stop. We wanted to make every moment and every part of our trip an adventure. We do not want to rely on regimented itinerary of group tours, or to follow bus schedules and we end up hurrying + scared of being late if we miss a bus. In this way, we can tailor our trip as much as we like and  we can be flexible for unexpected happenings.  For instance, we were suppose to see Plitvice Lakes National Park and stay there for 2 nights but instead heavy rains welcomed us, and it was pointless to see Plitvice Lakes in this condition (see here why we did decide to see it). Instead, we only stayed for 1 night and drove to Slovenia a day early than expected. For more details, click here. 
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We patterned our trip with Topdeck Travel's Balkan Itinerary but removed some places we did not want to see, and added a few more stops we are interested in. We are also inspired by Souvenir Chronicles about driving around the Balkans by car and they were very nice to answer our initial questions about driving a rental car around this area. 

When I started searching about this trip like - how the roads are, especially driving thru Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, appropriate visas, border crossings and checkpoints or other important parts of the road trip we wanted to know, there's only a few blogs that discusses it in detail how is it really like driving this region. Below is our Balkan road trip map, I deleted some of the stops we did, but only pinned the major cities of the countries we've had the pleasure of driving. We did the Balkans for at least 18 days and added Budapest and Krakow at the beginning and end of the trip (total of 25 days). 
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Our Balkan Itinerary

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We are husband + wife, adventurers + visual storytellers, who love to see the world together. Our goal is to see 100 countries in our lifetime and we are halfway there.

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