Since I have no idea how else I'm going to blog about my previous trip to Japan, let me just dump it all here! HAHAHA! Though, I'll try my hardest to still feed you on what happened hehe.

So let's start with what happened on the 2nd day! Initially as per our itinerary (which I carefully made), we were supposed to be off to Dazaifu Tenmangu temple, then go to the Kyushu Museum which is nearby, but due to the heat (oh Lerd) we decided to just go somewhere else- A Mall.




So we headed to Marinoa Outlet Center, which is about 30 minutes away from our place in Hakata. Due to poor research, we hopped into the subway, then got off Meinohama station, and walked around 1km going to the outlet itself- yes, we walked under the scorching hot sun without an umbrella! Skin cancer, here we go!




I had high hopes and expectations towards Marinoa Outlet, and unfortunately it wasn't met. The stores weren't as impressive, and I've noticed that the prices aren't mind-boggling low! Also, should you ever intend on shopping for American brands like Coach, or even Converse, you might just get disappointed, because they are not less expensive! Might as well just buy in Manila, and save the luggage allowance for Don Quijote goodies!

To be fair tho, Marinoa Outlet has a lot of gems in it. One would be the Godiva store, which sells these oh-so-good frappucinos! Due to the expensive price (one grande-sized drink costs 520 yen or around Php 260!), me and Imman decided to just buy one and share tapos bawi nalang sa Mini Stop. Another gem would be the Asics store, where at the time they have a big selection of footwear that are on sale as big as 70% off. I bought a pair for my mom, then Imman bought one for himself and his dad. I think I saved as much as Php 3000+ for the pair I bought, which is an obvious good deal! Lastly, Marinoa Outlet has their Sports outlet store on the 'annex' part near the Taito arcade center and their food center. Imman was able to score a lot of Adidas apparel ranging from Php 800- Php 1,200 only, where in the Philippines the average price of a shirt range from Php 2,000 to Php 4,000!


By around 2:00 P.M., we decided to go back to our AirBnb and freshen up a bit, before we meet up with an old neighbour of ours who's living in Fukuoka nowadays.

Shopaholic spotted!

This trip wouldn't have been this amazing if it weren't for my old neighbour, and my late childhood friend's mom, tita Bot, who showed us around Fukuoka and treated us to the most delicious tonkatsu we have ever had! We had the tonkatsu at the YouMe shopping mall in Higashima, which is a stone throw away from their quaint but lovely home. Also, in YouMe I was able to score the comfiest and most affordable pair of heels from GU as seen on the photos above hahahah! But on a semi-serious note, finding a pair of good shoes, especially if you have large feet like me, is muy deficil! Most Japanese peeps are smaller in size, so I suppose the demand for larger sizes of footwear is not as much as for the size 5s and 6s, which made it difficult for me to score good shoes. Luckily I was able to see a couple of good designs in GU, and guess what these babies retail for around 560 yen, or roughly Php 270 only! Such a bargain, right?🤗😍😂





After stuffing ourselves full with Tonkatsu, and the best bowl of brown rice I've ever had, we decided to head over this quaint Izakaya for some beer and yakitori. I'm no beer connosieur, so I've got to take Imman's word that this is where he had the best beer ever! But if you're going to ask me, well they all taste the same- except for San Miguel Pale Pilsen #TomadorisBigornia

Aside from good beer, we've had amazing people for company that night! We even first-hand experienced Japanese people's hospitality! So here's what went down: due to an amazing time getting inebriated, we did not notice how time flew by, and before we know it it's already 11 pm! At first it was only me, Imman, and tita Botsky who were talking about different transportation options we could take. Our first option is via bus, since we were able to go there by hopping on a bus, however we also realized that they have a very strict time of arrival, and since we do not have the complete schedule it would be a waste of time if we go to the nearest bus stop without an assurance. Our next option is through train, however the nearest train station is half a km away! Taking a cab is not an option, because cabs are so expensive! We are poor, so no to that!

I suppose the whole of the Izakaya noticed how stressed we were on how we will go home, that one elderly Japanese man offered to give us money to take a cab already! Hahahahahaha! I was so surprised that this man, whom not even my tita knows, out of nowhere decided to offer us his generosity! It was one of the moments that left me awestruck at how nice the Japanese are! In the end, of course we politely declined, end up having a jolly chat over another pint, and dashed to the nearest train station.

We were able to go to the station in one piece... but a little tipsy🍺🍻

Love Always,
Nicoco ❤