japan/china 2019
On my second visit to Asia, I got to visit two countries: Japan and China. Ben’s Grandpa still lives in China – Shaoxing to be exact. So when his family decided to visit, I tagged along. Any trip to anywhere in Asia from NYC warrants at least two weeks, since it’s such a long flight.…
10 foods you should say, “ni hao” to in china
I wish I got the chance to try a lot more food but unfortunately, we were only in China for about five days. As with any country, China has its regional cuisines (I highly recommend watching, “Flavorful Origins” on Netflix to learn more about Chaoshan and Yunnan cuisines). Being that China is one of the…
6 things i learned in the 5 days i spent in china
Credit cards (and cash) are not widely accepted. Not even McDonald’s in the Shanghai train station accepted credit cards. The main form of payment is via AliPay or WeChat app where it’s either linked to a credit card, or you pre-load money onto it and it works like a debit card. Weather at the end…
7 things you should know if you’re applying for a china visa
If you’re planning to visit China, you’ll need a Visa. There are different forms you can select from, depending on the reason for your visit and the length of your stay. Here are some things to keep in mind before you apply: Download and complete the correct form (typed, in caps) prior to your visit…
-
fushimi inari taisha
You’ve seen it before. The red gates all over Instagram. A quick Google search of ‘red gates Kyoto’ will show you Fushimi Inari Taisha. Out of character, I didn’t really do any research on it prior to our trip to Japan. I only knew that it would be about 20 minutes from our hotel. Since Read more
-
a day in nara
Nara is about an hour from Kyoto, and you can take the JR Nara line. This was more like a half day trip since we had to be back in Kyoto, to catch the Shinkansen back to Tokyo, so that we could catch a flight at night to Shanghai. We did this because our time Read more
-
what it’s like to ride the shinkansen
The bullet train, or Shinkansen is the quickest and easiest way to get from city to city. If you’re planning to travel to multiple cities, it might be a good idea to get the JR rail pass, where it allows you to have unlimited rides within a certain amount of days. Since we were only Read more
-
how to be a tourist in tokyo
Of course, this isn’t en exhaustive list but these are some of the things we got to do in the five days we spent in Tokyo. Admire the cherry blossoms. Of course, this depends on the time of year you go, and it’s not limited to only Tokyo. They typically bloom around late March in Read more
-
flying air china (part 2)
It’s a double-edged sword. On one hand, you get cheap fares. On the other, you get massive delays. Back in 2018, when we flew Air China from JFK to Thailand, we only had an hour layover between our flight from Beijing to Bangkok. When we should have boarding the flight from Beijing to Bangkok, we Read more
-
japan/china 2019
On my second visit to Asia, I got to visit two countries: Japan and China. Ben’s Grandpa still lives in China – Shaoxing to be exact. So when his family decided to visit, I tagged along. Any trip to anywhere in Asia from NYC warrants at least two weeks, since it’s such a long flight. Read more
how to be a traveler 