Japan’s northernmost prefecture – Hokkaido (北海道) has been on my to-visit list for the longest time, due to her famous lavender season in summer. Somehow, my plan to visit the island was always shelved, until few months ago when I finally decided to make it happen with my sisters this summer! 🎉 Since it was…
Asia / Chungcheongbuk-do (충청북도) / Gangwon-do (강원도) / Gyeongsangbuk-do (경상북도) / Seoul (서울) / South Korea (한국)
6 years ago, after my solo travel (for most days) to Korea, I wrote about the 6 things I wished I knew before holidaying in Korea [click here to read about it here]. I remembered those lessons learnt for my most recent trip to the Land of the Morning Calm, and had a happy autumn…
Time flies, my first visit to Taitung City happened in June 2017, i.e. it has been 3 years! And to date, I have stayed in the slow-living city for a total of 14 nights, much more than any other city except my hometown (Singapore) and Seoul. So I guess it’s a good time for me…
Austria / Belgium / Europe / Germany / Netherlands
Happy New Year! How has the new year 2020 been for you so far? 🙂 Although only 28 days of the year have passed, I am delighted that I’ve already gained 12 valuable first-time experiences, thanks to my recent Europe holidays in the first 2 weeks of 2020. It has been a long time since…
[UPDATED JUN’20]: It has been 3 years since I first stepped foot on the expansive piece of paradise land on Taiwan’s east coast – TAITUNG. “Tung” means “east” in Chinese, so the name “Taitung” simply means “east of Taiwan”. Despite boasting spectacular scenery with unique ethnic diversity that is hard to find elsewhere on the…
Planning a trip to Hokkaido’s capital city – Sapporo soon? Check out where you can eat, drink & shop in this alluring city for 3 days in this post!
For our Hokkaido holidays last summer, Sapporo was the city where we spent the most time in. 4 nights to be exact. Beause Japan is so well known for her culinary delights, undoubtedly, we also went hunting for good food in Hokkaido’s capital city. 😋 While we aren’t gourmands, we still managed to discover some…
I enjoy Japanese curry although it is on the thicker and sweeter side compared to Chinese curry. After I learnt that soup curry is one of Sapporo’s most popular local dishes, I was eager to try it when we visited Hokkaido last summer. As the name suggests, soup curry is a soup dish. The recipe…
While researching for things to do for our Hokkaido summer trip last August, we stumbled upon the impressive Cape Kamui (神威岬) lying on Shakotan Peninsula (積丹半島) along Hokkaido’s western coast. We love amazing scenery and nature walks, so this was an unanimous must-do after we read about this summer special activity! Initially, we wanted to…
Located northwest of Sapporo on Ishikari Bay, Otaru (小樽) is a small port city known for its history, seafood and glass craft. About 150 years ago, it was the prosperous economic centre of Hokkaido. While that has become history, many historic buildings remain, creating a unique nostalgic atmosphere in the city. After a relaxing night…
Lake Toya (洞爷湖) is a volcanic caldera lake in Shikotsu-Toya National Park. The famous onsen town is 1 of Hokkaido’s most popular tourist spots, and staying overnight in a hot spring resort certainly sounds good! That’s why we decided to pamper ourselves with a relaxing onsen experience at Lake Toya for a night. Afterall, half…
Lake Toya is a popular hot spring resort area in Shikotsu-Toya National Park. We visited this volcanic caldera lake after a 2-night stay in Hakodate [read my posts for the 5 Things To Do For The Best of Hakodate In Southern Hokkaido and 4 Tantalizing Places To Savour Hakodate’s Delicacies]. From Hakodate, it was about…
Located at the southern tip of Hokkaido, Hakodate (函館) is the island’s third largest city. As 1 of the first Japanese port cities opened to international trade after Japan’s self-isolation from foreign powers was lifted, Hakodate is an appealing city with distinct Western influences. At some of the major tourist attractions in Hakodate, you would…
Japan has always been known to be 1 of the world’s best destinations to indulge in a gastronomical feast. Of course, we also didn’t want to miss out any good food for our recent Hokkaido summer trip. This applies particularly in Hakodate, for the port city is famous for its local delicacies. 😋 Therefore, here’s…
Do you like to eat Japanese ramen? If you do, you need to try some Hokkaido ramen when visiting Japan’s northernmost prefecture, because this is said to be where Japanese ramen was born! 😉 Asahikawa in central Hokkaido is well known for ramen. In fact, they even have a ramen village in the suburbs that…
The GPS Gal's Penchant for Travelling 