FEI is coming soon!

Two month after the grand opening of W Guangzhou, Fei Ultralounge, the Guangzhou's most sophisticated nightclub set to open its door to the public on July 19, 2013.

 

 

"Tokyo Design Studio AND Lights Up Guangzhou Club Fei Ultralounge,
-Pulsating with energy you can feel as well as see, Fei Ultralounge is set to turn up the heat in Guangzhou’s nightlife scene-" -from BLUIN ARTINFO-
See more at: BLOUIN ARTINFO

-Fei Ultralounge General Information-

Opening Hours: Daily from 8pm to 2am (Guests under 18years are not allowed after 10pm)

Dress Code: Proper attire is required at all times. Shorts, Sleeveless Shirt and Open-toes shoes for gentleman are not allowed.

Reservaion/Booking: All tables will be available for booking, however tables will only be able to hold for 15minutes.

Guangzhou Life 広州生活

January 2013, I started new life in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong Province, the third biggest city in China after Beijing and Shanghai.

Zhujiang New Town (珠江新城) in Tianhe district (天河区)

 

 

Guangzhou (as known as "City of Flowers"), the city which Pearl River flows through, is located in Southeast China, about 180km -2 hours train ride- away from Hong Kong.

Most of the people here speak Canton direct, same as in Hong Kong (even though, there is a slight difference).

 

Zhujiang New Town, the area where I live, is a very new town, as you can see from it's name.

Many (not just one or two!) super high skyscrapers are already there and more are under construction. The area with 5star hotels, shopping malls, sophisticated restaurants (Cantonese, Japanese, Mediterranean's and more), Japanese brand super market (JUSCO/AEON).

You can get most of the things you want, but it can be expensive... (e.g. price of cloth in ZARA, H&M or UNIQLO can be as same as in Hong Kong but it's in RMB, 1 RMB = 1.25 HKD)  

 

People talk about China's economy deterioration but I don't see it here, at least on the surface level...

Can't wait to see what it will look like after all those construction are finished after 3-5years!

 

 

Zhujiang New Town (珠江新城) in Tianhe district (天河区)

 

 

Canton Tower

 

 Please also see the post in August 24, 2012 →Guangzhou, 広州

 

 



 

"I by Inagiku", W Guangzhou

A Japanese restaurant "I by Inagiku" in W Guangzhou has finally opened its door to people in Guangzhou, China.

 

Sushi Bar -I by Inagiku-

 

 

'13 April 26, "I by Inagiku" with 132 seats -includes 5 private dining rooms, sushi bar, teppanyaki bar and sake bar- plus outside garden bar, has finally opened in W Guangzhou, 5F.

 

Once you step into the restaurant, you can feel that it is nothing like the other Japanese restaurants you have been before. Mixture of modern interior and the art of "Kabuki" -Traditional Japanese art of singing and dancing- . Great combination of W brand -the contemporary feel of the luxury hotel- and Inagiku -the restaurant with over 100years history- (

→Inagiku's official website -story of Inagiku-).

 

 

Sake Bar

 

 

Dining area & Sushi bar (left), Entrance of the restaurant (right)

 

 

Lounge Bar at the entrance

 

 

The art object behind the sushi bar (left) and the ceiling of the lounge bar (right)

 

 

View of the sushi bar through the lounge bar

 

 

Hot Openings: W enters mainland China

"W Hotels Worldwide has opened W Guangzhou, its first W property in mainland China and its 44^th globally ......... I by Inagiku serves Japanese fare with indoor and outdoor dining as well as a sake bar and teppanyaki counter."

See more detail →Hot Openings: W enters mainland China by HOTELSMag.com

W Hotel Group’s first China branch W Guangzhou set to open in 2013

W hotel, one of the Starwood Hotels, has started it's history from NY in Dec. 1998.　
Over 20 properties in North America, 7 in Europe and it came to Asia (Hongkong, Soul, Taipei, Singapore, Bangkok, Bali).
After opening W Guangzhou, it is scheduled to open in Shanghai and Beijing in 2014.

See more detail →W Hotel Group’s first China branch W Guangzhou set to open on January 31, 2013

Melbourne, Australia, メルボルン、オーストラリア

There is always a first time for everything.
My first time trip to the Southern Hemisphere was in Nov. 2012, to Melbourne, Australia.



View from Crown Towers' Guest Room

 

 

It was a long way to Melbourne from Taipei, took me almost a day to get there.

There is no direct flight between Taipei and Melbourne. So, I had to fly to Guangzhou first, then from Guangzhou to Melbourne.

The flight takes a couple of hours from Taipei to Guangzhou. I had to spend 6hours in the airport for the next flight to Melbourne (bad connection...), then, flight time from Guangzhou to Melbourne took another 8.5hours....

After all that, even the custom at the airport stopped me for an hour! They almost took my "Taiwan's Famous Pineapple Cake" which I just bought in Taipei airport as a souvenir. (They are very strict on food, not only fresh fruits or meat but "any" food).

 

Even though, I was very tired after the long trip, the weather of Melbourne freshened me up immediately, once I stepped out from the airport.

Spring time in Melbourne in Nov. Not so cold any more and very warm in daytime.

Specially, the day I arrived was a very nice sunny day.

 

 

Crown Towers from outside

 

 

I have stayed in the Crown Towers hotel in Crown Melbourne (or, known as "Crown Casino" -the biggest casino complex in the Southern Hemisphere-).

I loved the big, clean guest room with a view of Yarra River and downtown Melbourne.

One thing though, there was no complimentary bottled mineral water which I usually see any 5* hotels in Asia. Maybe, it is only in Asian countries...??

 

 

A Crown Towers' Deluxe Room

 

A Crown Towers' Deluxe Room,  a bathroom with TV (right)

 

Crown Towers' Entrance (left top & bottom), Entrance to the Casino (right)

 

A Beautiful Night view of outside Crown

 

 

Well, of course, I wasn't there for gaming.

On the second day in Melbourne, I woke up at 4am in the morning to visit a local seafood market.

A Japanese gentleman who owns a seafood supply company and lives in Melbourne for over 20 years, was kind enough to take me to the market and show me around.

 

New Seafood Centre in West Melbourne has opened about a year ago after many years of planning and debating on some issues. Many suppliers moved here from the former wholesale fish market on Footscray Rd. 

 

 

Melbourne's New Wholesale Fish Market

 

Market's fish of the day, Fresh Tuna!

  

 

First of all, the market was so clean, well-organized and very hygienic. I was very impressed.

Whole building was air-conditioned to keep the seafood fresh. They even clean and sanitize inside of the building everyday after they close the market.

 

I also was impressed by the variety of seafood they had. Fresh tuna, snapper, yellowtail...etc

And the people, they were super nice (maybe, just because I was with their old friend -Japanese seafood supplier-...). They even opened up a fresh sea urchin in front of me and let me try how it tastes like!! 

(* as I wrote about Tokyo's "Tsukiji" fish market in Nov. 2010 "Memoirs of Tokyo", they were not nice to strangers...)

 

 

 Red Seabream Snapper "Ma-dai" (left), Kingfish -or Yellowtail- "Hiramasa" (right)

 

 Fresh Sea Urchins "Murasaki Uni"

 

Tasting the sea urchin at the site!

 

 

I only had a half day to be a real tourist in the last day of short 5days trip to Melbourne.

I couldn't do much in a half day. Only thing I did was just walk around the downtown Melbourne and the side of Yarra River. It was a nice day to walk around and didn't need a jacket.

 

 

 Yarra River, just outside of Crown

   

 Flinders Street Station (left), a street view from outside of Flinders Street Station (right)

 

 

 A street view from outside of Flinders Street Station (left), Flinders Street Station (right)

 

St. Paul's Cathedral

 

 

5days weren't enough... but I was still happy to experience a part of Melbourne.

I really appreciate the effort of the people who made this trip happen. Thank you all!!

 

 

The Westin Pazhou,ザ・ ウエスティン琶洲、広州

The Westin Pazhou opened its door in Sep.2011 with a direct access to the Guangzhou International Convention & Exhibition Centre.

 

Hotel Lobby with Christmas tree

 

 

In the end of Nov. I have spent a couple of nights in The Westin Pazhou.

They are just getting ready for the holiday season.

The weather on the day I arrived wasn't so bad. Not too cold yet but just bit foggy as any other cities in China. It rained in the evening of the second night and became chilly when I went out for dinner.

 

 

Inside the guest room with Westin's signature "Heavenly Bed"

 

Bathroom with separate bath tub and shower with complimentary amenities

 

The guest room was very nice. Big enough, modern design with open bathroom space (it can be separated with sliding doors) and famous "Heavenly Bed" made me sleep like a baby!

 

One of the reasons I visited there was to see my old friend.

Chef Toshiyasu Uehara works in the hotel's signature restaurant "Mai" Japanese restaurant.

He is a great Japanese master chef who has opened this restaurant and many others in the five star luxury hotels.

 

Japanese restaurant "Mai, located on level 42. "

-Entrance from the 42nd floor elevator hall (left), and Sushi Bar (right)-

 

Teppanyaki counter (left), dining table (middle), Private dining with Teppanyaki (right)

 

 



His restaurant is located on the 42nd floor of the hotel which provides excellent food and service, of course, and great view of Guangzhou skyline which creates special atmosphere.

The restaurant has sushi bar, teppanyaki counter, live open kitchen station and private dining room with teppanyaki counter other than usual dining area.

 

 

Function room on the 42nd floor with Guangzhou's skyline view

 

 

On the 42nd floor, besides "Mai" Japanese restaurant, there is a rooftop function space "The Panorama". Space with floor-to-ceiling windows and breath taking views of the Pearl River and Guangzhou City skyline.

 

 

View from the hotel,

Pearl River with construction site (left), exhibition center (middle), Shangri-la Guangzhou (right) 

 

 

The location of the hotel is perfect for the people who come on the business trip for the trade exhibitions but not so good for the ones come for sightseeing. Though, there is a MTR station which take you to anywhere in Guangzhou city, just outside of the hotel.

I didn't have much time for sightseeing anyway, so I didn't mind, as long as I could get confortable place to stay...

 

More about Guangzhou→Guangzhou, Aug.24 2012

 

 

Merry Christmas to you all!!

(Giant Christmas tree in the Taipei, Taoyuan Airport)

 

 

 

Mobile Market in Taiwan, 移動式マーケット

If you are living in a suburb or a countryside, you have to have a car and drive down to a town or a shopping mall for grocery shopping, but In Taiwan, a market comes to you!



 

Mobile Market Car with full of fresh vegetables, fruits, meat and other grocery

 

 

Everyday -except Mondays, market's official closing day, and other national holidays- around 12:30, the "Mobile Market" car comes to the neighborhood and make an announcement, "Vegetables, Fruits, Grocery shopping ♪"

The car drives down the suburbs and stops each communities for 20-30minutes.

 

 

Variety of fresh local vegetables

 

Also fresh local fruits, seafood, meat and others

 

 

The "Mobile Market" comes with fresh seasonal local vegetables, fruits, meat and some other dried food,  even seasonings.

Prices are a little bit more expensive than the local market, but if you think about going to a market by yourself, driving a car or using some public transportation, carry stuff around here and there, I think it is fair enough. It is much more convenient.

 

 

It comes everyday at same time for the people who live in suburbs

 

The market's boss/driver checks the weights of items you would like to purchase

 

 

Only you have to do is,

Pick whatever you want, Put them in a blue plastic basket, Tell driver/shop owner, He will check the items and major the weights, Pay the money and DONE!

 

P.S. There are also other "Mobile" shops, like, "Mobile Noodle Shop" or "Mobile Stinky Tofu Shop" come around 8:30-9:00pm for late night snacks .

 

 

Shirakawa-go and Kiso Magome, 白川郷、木曽馬籠の旅

The Historic Villages of Shirakawa-gō and Gokayama became one of the Japan's UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Dec. 1995.

Houses in Shirakawa-go. People still live in those houses in this village.

 

 

Pretty river runs through the village

Last month, in middle of Oct., I visited Shirakawa-go and Kiso Magome.

Shirakawa-gō (白川郷, "White River Old-District") is located in the village of Shirakawa in Gifu Prefecture, in central region of Honshu, main island of Japan.

Kiso Magome (木曽馬籠) is an old town flourished in Edo period as "Shukuba-machi" -post town- along the side of Nakasendo(中山道) road which connects Edo(modern-day Tokyo) and Kyoto.

"Gasho-zukuri" (合掌造り) -prayer hands construction-

 

 

The style of the houses in this village are very unique.

It's called "Gasho-zukuri"-prayer hands construction-. The name come from the shape of  it's roof, looks like two hands joined in prayer.

The design is exceptionally strong and, in combination with the unique properties of the thatching, allow the houses to withstand and shed the weight of the region's heavy snowfalls in winter.

 

 



The houses in Shirakawa-go village are mostly straw-thatched

 

 

Changing the straw-thatched roof needs a loot of work

 

 

The change of the straw-thatched roof happens every 30-40 years.

* It used to be able to hold longer time (50-60 years or more) but the time became shorter since it is difficult to find the good conditioned straw in recent years. It also needs minor fixing almost every year depending on how much snow fell in the season. 

 

The changing costs a lot of money and lot of work.

Since they became one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Dec. 1995, they can get financial support from the government.

Working for the changing roof needs many people. The villager help each other to change their house's roof in turn, but since the population of the village are not enough, they depend on contracted workers and volunteer workers.

 

 

Entrance to "Kiso Magome"(木曽馬籠)

 

 

Kiso Magome located in South-Eastern part of Gifu Prefecture, near the border of Nagano Prefecture.

This old town was thrived in Edo era with full of travelers who needed a food, place to take a rest and stay over night while traveling between Edo (modern-day Tokyo) and Kyoto. 

Fortunately, the town is isolated in the country side with the mountains, the houses and the scenery are unobstructed by the modernizing development and keep the taste of Edo era.

Even now, we can still find images of the ancient time from this town. 

 

 

Old traditional style houses stand beside narrow alley

 

 

The town was busy with the people who traveled between Edo and Kyoto in Edo period 

 

 

I have stayed over night in Gero Onsen "下呂温泉"-hot spring-

Gero Onsen is one of the Japan's top three hot spring -other two are Arima Onsen in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, and Kusazu Onsen in Gunma Prefecture-.

This hot spring has over 1,000years of history.

 



View from the hotel room (left), Japanese style room with "Tatami" mat (right)



 

I have stayed in Suimei-kan (水明館) Hotel, the 80years old hotel has three restaurants, three buildings with three public hot spring bath in each buildings. I have tried all the three public bath in two days (in the afternoon, evening and morning).

Most of the Japanese style "Ryokan" hotel includes dinner and breakfast. This hotel was one of them.

I had a fantastic dinner with famous "Hida" wagyu beef (飛騨牛)!

(Official website  of "Suimei-kan"-only in Japanese →http://www.suimeikan.co.jp/index.php)

 

Bathroom in the guest room, usually people use the big public bath in the hotel

  

View from the hotel room

 

 

In middle of Oct. The leaves of the maple tree and ginko tree were not yet turned either red or yellow.

If you wish to enjoy the typical Autumn scenery of this region, you may need to try in Nov... though it can be different every year.

(See also the post in Dec. 26 2011 →Autumn in Japan, 日本の秋)