The Backpack Adventures

A food trip in Japan is not complete without trying the okonomiyaki ( お好み焼き o-konomi-yaki ). It is a Japanese pancake made from a variety of ingredients. It is also prepared differently in different places. Okonomiyaki Osaka Style Okonomiyaki Osaka Style The name  okonomiyaki  came from the words  okonomi  which means "what you want" or "what you like" and  yaki  which means "grilled" or "cooked". Food Trip: Okonomiyaki Osaka Style The okonomiyaki batter Okonomiyaki is mostly associated with the Kansai or Hiroshima areas of Japan but you could still buy anywhere in the country. Since we stayed in the Kansai area, particularly Osaka, we got the chance to try out the Kansai- or Osaka- style okonomiyaki. This is also where the dish originated. Add the okonomiyaki sauce... So what is the Kansai-/Osaka-style okonomiyaki? The Kansai- or Osaka-style okonomiyaki is the predominant version of the dish which is served throughout most of Ja

Day 2 December 20, 2014 Rengakan Illumination It's raining hard today and I'm losing hope that we would go anywhere with this weather. I was hoping that it would only be snowflakes that are falling from the skies and not raindrops and mushy ice. L ucky for me,  Mr. Toshi drove me around Eiraku Dam . There is a walking course around this place and this is where he usually takes long walks with his wife. However, since it was still raining, I was not able to go out of the car. I will just memorize the way of going to the dam and revisit it when the weather is more pleasurable.  Raining and snowing... weird mix. Mr. Toshi and I talked about golf on our way back home. He wanted us to try his favorite sport /recreational activity so we dropped by at his residence to get his golf clubs and also invite my wife to come along and try it out too. Let's play golf at New Airport Green Club ! Let's check the playing field, shall we? I got tutored by the master.

Introduction This is the beginning of our 26-day adventure in Japan . Join me and my family as we recount the daily accounts of our trips and adventures in this beautiful country called The Land of the Rising Sun . Day 0 Dec. 18, 2014 Arrival Today is the big day, after months of preparation, we are finally going to Japan . Our excitement is building as we left NAIA Terminal 3 on a 4-hour flight to Kansai International Airport (KIX). Guess where we're heading? Welcome to Kansai Team Nicerio! Finally! We landed safely! After passing through the immigration, we were picked up by our godfather and we immediately drove to his residence in Tsubasagaokakita, Senna-gun, Osaka Prefecture. Thank you so much Kameyama Family! We're happy to be part of this family Before we called it a day, our Japanese family gave us a little "welcoming celebration". For me, this symbolizes the beginning of our adventure in Japan . Day 1 Dec.19, 2014 Stroll aroun

Japan: Land of the Rising Sun A country found in East Asia, Japan ( 日本 ) is a stratovolcanic archipelago composed of 6,852 islands. Also called Nippon or Nihon, Japan is a major economic power and is the world's third-largest economy. Japan Flag The sun has always had a special place in Japanese culture. The ancient Chinese, seeing the sunrise over the islands to the east called them ji-pon (which translates to the source of the sun ) Hence as time passed the name stuck and eventually became Japan. The country is categorized into four major islands; Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, and Shikoku . Japan Map Honshu (which translates to "Main Island" or "Main Province" ) is the largest and most populated island in Japan. Tokyo, the de facto capital of the country is located here. Hokkaido (which means "Northern Sea Circuit" ) is the second-largest and northernmost island of Japan. Kyushu (which means "Nine Provinces" ) is the thir