tricia will go places

After arriving in Fukuoka on Christmas day, our super hectic 9 AM to 9 PM tour around the city finally commenced on the 26th of December. Fukuoka is a very small and simple place compared to other places in Japan I’ve been to (Tokyo, Nara, Kyoto and Osaka specifically) but it has its own charm, I believe. It used to be a merchant town with a very rich history, being the gateway to Japan a long time ago. I definitely wouldn’t mind visiting this place every so often - such a quaint place perfect for a much-needed peaceful vacation.

Photo-heavy entry ahead:

Early morning at some random street. I love how everywhere you go in Japan, it’s always so clean and orderly.

Couple holding hands before crossing the street.

Hakata-bei at the Rakusui-en Garden. The locals didn’t want the ruins of original Hakata buildings to go to waste after the war so they made these patterns and used the materials to create these famous Hakata walls. Recycling at its finest.

Lovely Japanese garden. Here also lies a reconstructed Meiji period tea house where I was able to try out their maccha tea along with some complementary Japanese sweets.

Authentic green tea that was rather bitter but meshed so perfectly with the sweets served with it.

Took a photo of this vending machine because my brothers ended up getting addicted to Suntory Boss Coffee Rainbow Mountain Blend.

Passed by Canal City for about 5 minutes on the way to Kushida Shrine. Canal City had a grand sale the day before I left Fukuoka so I ended up going here the second time during my stay.

In Kushida shrine, there was this magnificently decorated float dedicated to the gods Ohatanushi-no-mikoto, Amaterasu-omikami and Susanowo-no-mikoto.

Our tour guide Hiro-san showed us an artwork of how men would look like during the Yamakasa festival. She said her previous tourist clients would always giggle after seeing this. I could only imagine.

She also mentioned something about this rock in the shrine that locals use to determine whether or not someone is fit for sumo wrestling. And of course my 100-105-pound brother Juju accepted the challenge.

Heard a story about the wind of god or kamikaze.

After Kushida Shrine, we went to Tochoji Temple, a family temple of the Kuroda family, lord of Fukuoka province.

The sight to see here was this Fukuoka Daibutsu or the Great Buddhist statue, one of the largest wooden figures of the seated Buddha. Used my ninja skills to take this picture.

Behind the statue is a small museum in a dark tunnel of sorts that shows a collection of paintings of hell, etc. However, at the end of the narrow tunnel, where the light eventually goes out, you can find a thick ring if you’re lucky. They say you can go to heaven if you find this ring. I did!

Giant five-story pagoda.

Failed at showing the epicness of it for the sake of taking an artsy fartsy shot with a tree in front of it.

One of the regular temple visitors asked me out of the blue where I was from, and gave me a really interesting gift. He gave me a Delta airplane figurine, which I guess he carries around with him everywhere. And now it’s with me! I hope this means more travel opportunities in 2012. Thanks, Delta-san.

If Ultraman transformed into a car, this would be it.

A few blocks from Tochoji Temple was a quiet Zen garden in the middle of the neighborhood.

Suddenly, my collar.

Managed to snap a photo of Family Mart while on the way to Tenjin. Everyone here is crazy about KARA! Gekidan Hitori is pleased.

Picture of a girl in the bus mirror. Quite eerie, yes? My brothers were joking how much creepier it would be if I opened this photo in my laptop and found the girl looking at me all of a sudden. Ahh, chills.

Snaps of people on the way to Tenjin…

…where people look like aliens!

Had lunch at one of the most popular sushi restaurants in the area. I wasn’t able to ask what the restaurant was called but I still vividly remember their gourd logo.

Stockings at 0-4°C. All that fur on her ankles just might’ve been her savior.

Obligatory Arashi photo.

Two girls looking like they’re having a very fun conversation. Snidel paper bag, I see you!

My brother Chase. It’s all bokeh behind him but after lunch we headed straight to Dazaifu City via subway. Dazaifu may be a very popular tourist destination, but a lot of locals also go here to pray for success in their examinations.

And for the strangest reason my siblings and I were all so coordinated.

Had a ¥700 cafe au lait at one of the coffee shops there. I don’t want to think that I just paid for the immensely dainty cup and saucer lol

Some local treats like Umegae-mochi (sweet rice cake with bean jam) and Onigawara Monaka (sweet bean jam sandwiched in mochi wafers) were being sold on the way to Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine.

This shrine is dedicated to Sugawara Michizane, also known as the god of learning.

Found a street performer in the area who was able to make this monkey stand on a pole.

The girls on the right were brisk walking because they were in such a hurry to get to a place with a heater. Brr.

Girl at the Dazaifu station.

It was freezing like crazy when we decided to go to our last stop of the day…

Fukuoka Tower stands at 234 meters, making it the highest seaside tower in Japan. Fun fact: They change the lighting and decorations around the building depending on the season. They would have, of course, the standard lighting on an ordinary month, but they would have a “Milky Way decoration” in July and August, a “St. Valentines Day decoration” in February and March and a “Blue Christmas light decoration” in November and December.

Just after sunset, this was how the wonderful city of Fukuoka looked like when I was there. <3

Back at Amu Plaza in Hakata Station, we had a late dinner. We were already so hungry but we decided to brave the waiting line for this much-hyped restaurant.

The verdict? BEST RAMEN I’VE EVER TASTED IN MY ENTIRE LIFE. All the ramen that I’ve tried now fails in comparison.

Where can I find authentic barikata Hakata noodles in Manila?!

Got rid of my blonde hair. Bleaching my hair the first time a few months ago was worth it, after seeing the results today. My hairstylist gave me a gray dye swatch earlier, and I wanted to get rid of the blonde so passionately that I didn’t even bother asking him about specifics. “I just want ash.”, and ash I really got.

What do you think?

There’s always something about dyeing hair that makes me feel like a brand new person again.

I’m back! Spending the holidays in Japan was a blast. Such a magical place with a much-enviable visual culture, as always! Easily my most favorite place in the world.

This time, my family and I went to Fukuoka instead of Tokyo or Osaka for a change. Surprisingly, there’s a direct flight from Manila to Fukuoka via Philippine Airlines. Glad to know that different parts of Japan are finally getting more and more accessible to us.

We arrived in Fukuoka just before dinner, so we headed straight to the subway from the airport. The hotel that we stayed in was just right across Hakata Station, making it so convenient for us to go around the city without having to allot so much on cab fare.

Since we were so hungry from the flight, we decided to grab a bite to eat at some random ramen place at Hakata Deitos…

…and a nice cup of iced coffee at Marbre Blanc Cafe where we also enjoyed some wonderful parfaits and not to mention, a group of good-looking waiters who looked as if they came straight out of an anime/manga.

After dinner, we roamed around the station some more. Managed to snap a photo of these two adorable kids who both seemed so grown-up, already shopping for stuff on their own!

Fluffy white dog outside Hankyu department store. The stroller has “I <3 HUG” all over it.

Yet another puppy in the department store. Adorbs!

Some very expensive but high-quality men’s shoes. ￥19,950 or approx. ₱11,200 for one pair!

Personally one of my most favorite Japanese brands of all time. I’d buy everything they’re selling if only they weren’t too pricey. Just look at those lovely fall colors!

Laguna Moon was selling some really nice coats with fur collars.

If I had to share a Japanese shoe brand, this would be it. Esperanza makes some of the best quality, trendiest shoes I’ve ever seen in my life. Luckily, I was able to get the boots I’ve always wanted (ViVi, the things you do to me…) in Canal City a few days after this shot was taken. At 50 freaking percent off! #freddiemercury.jpg

Cecil McBee! I still remember my first experience with them. I bought this skirt, and found myself surprised to be escorted out of the store before they handed me my paper bag! Talk about super special customer service.

Dolly Wink Otona Line! Got a blonde eyebrow pencil for myself and brown eyebrow powder for my BFF Crissey. On the left is Ayumi Hamasaki’s line of false eyelashes.

Someone bring all of these Japanese beauty products to Manila, please?

Apparently, in Japan, KFC = Christmas. How cute is Santa Sanders!?

Passed by some izakaya-style restaurants in the station. Drinks on Christmas day!

Favorite photo from this set. Remember this photo? The geeky photographer in me is a sucker for these kinds of photos that tell a story. <3

Christmas day ended early for us… only because we had to prepare for the next day. More photos from my Fukuoka trip soon.

Also, Happy New Year! 2011 has been a rollercoaster ride, but I’ve learned to just go with it instead of resist it. Good riddance. Thanks for the great year, Tumblr folks!

Christmas shopping is something I look forward to every year. I don’t mind the insane traffic jams, and the massive amount of competitive people in shopping malls trying their very best to get the most affordable deals. I like shopping during this time of the year for a number of absolutely cheesy reasons. For one, holiday collections are usually full of super shiny shimmer and colors that never fail to remind me of warm and fuzzy Christmas feelings. Also, at the end of the year, after all the hard work you’ve done, it feels good to be able to purchase things both for yourself and for others. It really is the most wonderful time of the year!

A few days ago, I was able to find some time to visit Bayo’s Eastwood branch to check some new stocks out and buy some gifts for friends and loved ones. Last Christmas, way before I started collaborating with Bayo, I remember getting my mom gift certificates and necklaces from this store. It’s so near my house, and I love how all the Bayo branches I have been to somehow smells like baby powder, which is my preferred scent when it comes to pretty much everything like linen spray and perfume. Good, happy Bayo vibes never fail to make me want to enter their store every now and then.

They allowed me to take pictures in the store so feel free to do some online window shopping with what I’ll be showing here if you haven’t finished shopping for Christmas yet. Click on the Bayo picture on my sidebar if you’re interested in something but don’t have time to go to the nearest branch.

I bumped into my BFF Crissey and her officemates while she was taking a break from work! Her officemates were trying clothes out in the other dressing room so… in usual Trissey fashion, we giggled a lot and fooled around in the dressing room I was in and even took the dorkiest photos in the world. Will save your eyes from that, but in the meantime, I can’t wait for the end of season sale in January so I could get all these jewel tones, monochromatic outerwear and soft colors and fabric. Definitely going to shop ‘til I drop in January after receiving Christmas money from my relatives. Hee.

Since we’re talking about shopping anyway, here’s my most favorite shopping buddy at the moment. It doesn’t need to eat or sleep and it doesn’t get sick! This was launched just recently and I found the idea quite genius so I got myself a BPI My ePrepaid MasterCard. It’s a reloadable prepaid MasterCard that you can use for *drum roll* online shopping, besides purchasing from your favorite shops and restaurants. It’s a gift from God to those who aren’t allowed by their parents to own credit cards yet but have already saved so much from their allowance to be able to already buy stuff like iPhone/iPad apps, Paypal-only things, and Ticketworld concert tickets online. You won’t get billed for your purchases like a credit card and you won’t have to link your card to an existing savings account like a debit card.

I asked around regarding what the minimum age for this card is. I was told that if you’re older than 10, you can already apply for one. 10-years-old. If online shopping was as easy as applying for a card, loading it, using it to pay, reloading it and using it over and over again… then I wish I already had this card since highschool!

Plus points for color choices too! I chose the pink/indigo one (same color as the cardigan in the last picture!), naturally, but it’s also available in blue/azure. Interested? Click on the banner on my sidebar for more information and for application. Don’t be surprised if they give you free vouchers for Serenitea, Happy Lemon and Chatime after you apply.

If you’ve got time, money and extra things to spare this Christmas, please check this out for a comprehensive list on how you can help the victims of Typhoon Sendong.

Sponsored post.

(Romwe oversized top, from Korea oversized polo shirt, Topshop leggings, Doc Martens boots, Kissaholic satchel) If you like, you can hype this look on Lookbook here.

On lazy mornings when the weather is chilly and when your bed is trying so hard to keep you from properly starting your day, oversized clothes are absolute shelter for me. It’s like carrying on with your life wearing only a super-upgraded version of your pajamas.

(Romwe dress, Guess heels, Topshop necklace, Diva accessories) Hype on Lookbook here.

If the situation calls for this sort of fashion, my top-of-mind choice of dress would be one of my little black dresses with a super straight cut and long-ish sleeves. Throw in a nice golden clutch and this could transform into a good evening outfit. For quite some time now, I’ve been setting my eyes upon dresses that I could wear both during the day and at night. I was never the type to have a million outfit changes in a day, so dresses of this sort are classic examples of wardrobe investments.

My mum would always tell me as a kid that there are certain kinds of clothes that can last you 10, 15 or even 20 years, and that these are the ones that you shouldn’t skimp on or overlook. Last weekend, I splurged on the exact same dress that I saw her wear a couple of weeks ago. Thanks for being the ultimate inspiration!

P.S. (On a much heavier note) Praying for the victims of Typhoon Sendong in Visayas in Mindanao. Going to donate a lot of what I can for now - my clothes.

(Just G top with bowtie and skirt with belt, San-Sue bag, Clothes for the Goddess wedges, Forever 21 ring) Hype this look on Lookbook here.

Upon realizing that my teal nail color matched my floral bowtie perfectly, a part of me just naturally picked clothes out with cool tones as a theme. Luckily, I was able to purchase a nice floral skirt that deviates from the normally pretty pastel pink color scheme that I fancy. It came with a really interesting-looking bright blue belt, which turned out to be a key-item in this whole ensemble, as the contrast worked so well with the paler shades of blue that I used. It’s so convenient buying clothes that come with something else that will easily complement what you’re getting. In this case, my polo top came with a bowtie, and my skirt came with a belt. Call me somewhat cheating but this kind of set-up was totally made for days when some circumstances don’t work as well as you think they would be, and when the inspiration and motivation to dress up is temporarily in the failing department. Keep cool and you just might find some overlooked blessings in the guise of two-in-one items available at your favorite store. :)