The moment my cousin, Lot, announced that she booked us a trip to Hanoi, I remember looking like this:

Since I have no idea what to make of it, I decided to just dump everything here, and say a thing or two before I finally close the Fukuoka travel chapter of this blog-for 2018, that is *wink*

Shiroi Koibito!

I just dumped everything here, because the next 2 days in Japan went by like a whirlwind! It was such a fun vacation, and I actually regret not taking much photos... but then again, I felt like I really savored the moments I was there that I did not bother snapping away photos.

To add some substance to this post, let me give you some tips about travelling in Fukuoka:
1. Google Map is your bestfriend.
2. Don't go to Fukuoka in August! It's scorching hot! If you're like me who's from a tropical country who grabs every chance she could to wear coat and boots, August is a no go! But if you're from a cold one, well, go there in August!
3. Canal City is a popular mall, but not necessarily the best place to get the best deals. If you want to get big discounts or you want to go shopping for stuff, go to YouMe Town Hakata instead.
4. Though Don Quijote is a paradise, it doesn't necessarily have the lowest price! Also, if you were able to compare it, some Don Quijote branches has cheaper price for things compared to other branches. I was able to notice this when we went to the Donki at Hakozaki, where they sell these Kracie soaps for 50 yen for packs of 3! When I got back to the one in Nakasu, I was disappointed to see that they sell them at 50 yen per piece.
5. Always check the schedule of buses and trains. Japanese peeps are crazy precise with everything, and that includes time! If the bus stop says that N19 bus stops at 12:45, IT WILL STOP AT 12:45!
6. Google Translate is also your bestfriend.
7. Banks give better conversion rates for money changing! But of course, they take more time than the usual money changers.
8. EVERY THING TASTES DELICIOUS! With that, if you are on a budget- LIKE US, 7Eleven and Family Mart is the way to go! But you know what's cheaper? Food in supermarkets, especially when it's closing time already, that yummy 300 yen tonkatsu meal goes down to a 150 by the end of the night.
9. Be polite, courteous, and respectful. I think this applies not only when you're in Japan, this should be an innate thing within you.
10. Explore the temples! Though there are many in Hakata, they are very different from each other. Ultimate Suggestion: Go book that AirBnb Temple tour!
11. Royce chocolates are only available at the Airport- and they are less expensive in Japan!
12. The best food places are from those establishments that doesn't give a hint that they are actually a restaurant! HAHAHAHA! Seriously, I had the best Tempura of my life in a place that looks like an old clinic!
13. Resist yourself from going HAM on those 'claw' arcade games!
14. Make new friends!

There are still soooo much more I could talk about Fukuoka! WAAAAAH! I really wanna go back!

Until then, I shall see Fukuoka again soon- with snow.


Love Always,

Nicole

P.S.

Super mega thank you to Tita Bot and Seichi for showing us around!

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 ❤

I just realized that a lot of things had happened already (e.g. Art Exchange, Vietnam trip, etc), and here I am, still struggling on how to finish the Fukuoka blog! HAHAHA!

. ME.

Anyway, rather than letting days slip by, let me just share with you the art g6oodies I have acquired in Fukuoka *insert all the hearts emoji here*.

As I have mentioned in a previous post, I did not let my heart go wild for art stuff during that trip. One of the reasons is, I have limited fund$$$, and well I'll be back in Japan soon, so I'd rather get poor in Sekaido, I suppose hahahah 👌👌👌!

Soooo, let's start:

Yup, these Pentel Fude pens were actually my last purchase (minus the food purchases Hahaha!) at the YouMe Town Mall's grocery. The first time I was able to buy one was in MBK's Tokyu shop in Bangkok, where I was able to get myself a pink and red one. Just like before, I'm here regretting not buying as much colors as possible! But whatevs, I'll be back in the motherland in a jif!

Since I do not speak in Japanese, I have no idea what to call this aside Pentel Pen. Sooo, this Pentel pen was purchased at Daiso for around 105 yen (with tax already), or around Php 50+ or $ 1. Initially, I thought this is a brush pen, unfortunately I was wrong. In the end, I use this as a detailer pen for my clay crafts instead *Thumbs Up*.


Now, this one is my favorite! This Kuretake detailer waterbrush is a gem! Upon checking, there are no art stores in the Philippines that sells this, nor are those online shops! Should they ever sell these, I bet my socks that the price will skyrocket to a Php 200+ SRP, when in Japan I was able to purchase it for Php 125 or $ 3 only! I ended up buying 2 of these, one for me, and one for my best friend, Zai.


At first I thought this was manufactured by Gansai Tambi as well, but after some research, this pearlescent palette is from the Japanese brand, Kissho. During my Yamamoto Bumpodo trip, I was psyched on buying the gold, or starry line palette of Gansai Tambi, which retails for around Php 400 only, which is almost half the price if you buy it here in Manila, however upon seeing these pastel set, I decided to go for this instead. So far, I haven't seen this set yet in The Philippines, however I did see this in a couple of online shops, and they sell this for a whopping $ 25! Lol, no!


Anyway, this is how it looks like! I noticed that the color isn't as strong or as pigmented like the more expensive Finetec ones, and instead the colors of the kissho is more of a sheen glitter, which would look better if mixed with solid colors. In this photo, I used the kissho light blue with my light blue prima watercolor. Another thing I noticed about this palette is the fact that after the paint dries in the paper, the texture feels like the text was embossed! I suppose this just saved me Php 1000+++ on embossing tools hahaha!

The Holy Grail

The first time I saw this in Artillery Philippines' site, I remember almost tearing up at how gorgeous this set is! Eventually, I turned into a crying mess upon seeing that it retails there for almost Php 8,000! I badly wanted this before, but due to its exorbitant price I just let out a sigh and moved on...

... But not in Japan! When I saw this in Yamamoto Bumpodo I freaked out!

Like this.

But what made me even more manic was when I saw the price! It retailed at 9500 yen, or roughly around Php 4,700! Although it is still a bit expensive, I'm already thinking of buying it with a 70/30 chance. But since I saw this on the first day, and figured that I still have 4 more days to survive in Japan, I initially decided to just go back for this. However, after asking Yamamoto Bumpodo's staff if they still have another stock of this Card Captor Sakura Copic set, they told me...


... I know I have to bring out the plastic card. To justify that I made a great purchase, let me show you these photos:

Yup guys, these Copics are just the plain ones, and yet they retail for Php1 7,600! HAHAHAHAHAH, I'm really just justifying that Php 4,800 ain't a bad price for a deal lolololol!.

Soooo, with that I suggest that you guys buy Copic pens in Japan, and yes to saving up for more Art hauls! See you guys in another Art haul soon *wink wink*

Love Always,
Nicole