Visiting the Homes of the Emperor and the Shogun: Kyoto Imperial Palace and Nijo Castle

01 Saturday Jun 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, Japan, Kyoto

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Asia, Imperial Palace, Japan, Kyoto, Nijo Castle, Selfish Year, Selfish Years

Mr. Selfish and I decided to visit the Imperial Palace and Nijo Castle during our stay in Kyoto. We didn’t really know much Japanese history but it was still interesting to see the palace and the castle.

Apparently, in 1600, the Tokugawa Shogunate seized power and established a military government in what is now Tokyo. During this time period, the role of the emperor was largely symbolic since the shogun controlled foreign policy, the military, and feudal patronage. Although the government was in Tokyo, the shoguns still frequented Kyoto since it was home to the Imperial Court. Hence, the shoguns built Nijo Castle, which is quite close to the Imperial Palace.

Mr. Selfish and I toured the Imperial Palace first. You can only visit the palace through a tour, which is offered in English or Japanese. You have to bring your passport to the tour office and sign up. We were lucky in that we showed up about 20 minutes before an English tour was to begin and were able to join that tour.

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Visiting Kyoto’s Free Shrines

30 Thursday May 2013

Posted by misterselfish in Asia, Japan, Kyoto

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Heian Shrine, Inari Shrine, Japan, Kyoto, Kyoto Shrines, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, Shimogamo Shrine, Yasaka Shrine

As the long time capital of Japan, Kyoto has no shortage of sites. Designated as a UNESCO world-heritage site, Kyoto actually has 17 UNESCO sites within city bounds, and contains roughly 20% of Japan’s National Treasures.

But a lot of these sites cost money – usually 300 – 500 yen a piece, which can add up quickly – especially once you factor in transportation. With that in mind, Mrs. Selfish and I quickly set out to find the best free sites Kyoto had to offer.

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Relaxing at Ryokan Sanga

28 Tuesday May 2013

Posted by misterselfish in Accommodations, Asia, Food & Drinks, Japan

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Kurokawa, ryokan, Ryokan Sanga, Selfish Year, Selfish Years

During our previous trip to Japan, Mrs. Selfish and I had the pleasure of staying at a ryokan in Hakone. A Ryokan is a traditional Japanese hotel, known for a three things: kaiseki meals, traditional rooms and garb, and onsen.

Last time we only stayed for one night, so this time around we decided to splurg and stay for two nights at the Ryokan Sanga.

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Unplugging in Kurokawa Onsen Town

27 Monday May 2013

Posted by misterselfish in Asia, Japan

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Kurokawa, Kurokawa Onsen, Kurokawa Onsen Town, Onsen, Selfish Year, Selfish Years

Bidding a wary goodbye to the Grand Hyatt Fukuoka, Mrs. Selfish and I packed our bags and prepared for 2 days in charming Kurokawa Onsen Town.

The Japanese take their hot springs very seriously, and onsen bathing is a tradition that goes back several centuries. Over the years, the experience has become more and more modernized, and people have taken to bath houses as well, so we were particularly excited to go to Kurokawa Onsen Town.

While everyone else modernized, Kurokawa stuck with preserving tradition, and the result is a stunning, traditional town with dozens of ryokans and onsens in an spiritually soothing environment.

This is a place you come to relax.

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Use British Airways Avios to Save Major Ca$h

26 Sunday May 2013

Posted by misterselfish in Travel Hacking

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Avios, British Airways, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, Travel Hacking

Since starting our Selfish Year voyage, Mrs. Selfish and I have flown a total of 58 flights, 28 of which we paid for with points. The remainder of the flights we paid for with cash, and while none were completely cringe worthy (other than, perhaps the Air Tahiti flight to Bora Bora), they added up to a sizeable sum when combined.

So when I started looking into booking our additional flights in Japan I turned to an often under-appreciated currency – British Airline’s Avios miles.

When to use Avios Miles

British Airway’s Avios miles are almost completely worthless when flying British Airways themselves, thanks to their extremely high fuel surcharges.

However, they are superb points for saving money on short haul flights, especially if your flight matches the following criteria:

1. A short distance flight, ideally less than 1150 miles, or better yet, less than 650 miles. As always, use a tool like the Great Circle Mapper to determine the distance between city pairs.

2. Are you flying in a market where British Airways has strong partners? For instance, are you flying Japan Airlines in Japan? Quantas in Australia? American Airlines in the States?

3. Is the market you’re flying in expensive? Japan is a really good fit here, as is America in some cases.

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One Night to Sample the Delicious Food in Fukuoka

25 Saturday May 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, Food & Drinks, Japan

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Asia, Food & Drinks, Fukuoka, Gyoza, Ichiran, Ippudo, Japan, Ramen, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, Tonkotsu, Yatai

Upon leaving Seoul, Mr. Selfish and I flew to Fukuoka, which is the sixth largest city in Japan and is located about 680 miles southwest of Tokyo. We had read online that tonkotsu ramen originated from Fukuoka and knew that we had to try it there.

Tonkotsu ramen is made from boiling pork bones, fat, and collagen for an extended period of time. The broth is typically thick and creamy. The first place we tried was Ichiran (1-2-22, Sumiyoshi, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka). Ordering your ramen at Ichiran is an interesting process devoid of all human contact. First, you pick what you want to order and pay for it at a vending machine.

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18 Hours in Fukuoka: The Grand Hyatt

24 Friday May 2013

Posted by misterselfish in Accommodations, Asia, Hyatt, Japan, Travel Hacking

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Grand Hyatt Fukouka, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, Travel Hacking

After bidding farewell to the Westin Chosun in Seoul, Mrs. Selfish and I boarded the 5am airport bus for Incheon Airport. Two flights and 9 hours later we arrived in Fukuoka Airport, Japan!

When looking at Japan, Mrs. Selfish and I knew we wanted to spend the majority of our time split between Kyoto and Tokyo, and about a week in less visited areas of Japan.

After further research, we determined we’d spend 2 nights in Kurukawa Onsen Town – a charming town on the southern island of Kyushu. The most direct way there involved flying into Fukouka for a one night stay.

Within moments of hitting the city, I knew we’d made a big mistake. Fukouka is an amazing city, worthy of at least a few days of exploration, and is considered by some to be the food capital of Japan.

And the Grand Hyatt is no slouch either. Coming in as a category 3 hotel, the Grand Hyatt cost us a paltry 12,000 Hyatt points – which I transferred from our Ultimate Rewards pool.

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Savoring Seoul Food: The Chicken Edition

23 Thursday May 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, Food & Drinks, Seoul, South Korea

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Asia, Chicken Noodle Soup, Fried Chicken, HanChu Fried Chicken, Myeongdong Dakhanmari, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, Seoul, South Korea

Mr. Selfish and I certainly enjoyed the Korean food in Seoul. We loved the bulgogi, galbi, and bibimbap, but there was something missing – chicken. Specifically, we were on the hunt for Korean fried chicken, which is seasoned with many spices, including salt and sugar, prior to frying. We also learned that Korean chickens are different from the ones U.S. since they are typically smaller and have less protein. As a result, the chickens are usually fried whole and then chopped into smaller pieces. The fried chicken is then typically served with pickled radishes of some sort.

Mr. Selfish looked for the best Korean fried chicken places in town, and we decided to go to HanChu Fried Chicken, which was located at 549-9 Sinsa-dong. It wasn’t a fancy place but it sure was tasty.

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The Second Palace We Visited in Seoul: Gyeongbokgung Palace

22 Wednesday May 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, Seoul, South Korea

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Asia, Gyeongbokgung Palace, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, Seoul, South Korea

Mr. Selfish and I visited Gyeongbokgung Palace during our five-day stay in Seoul. This palace is the largest of the five grand palaces in Seoul. It was first constructed in 1395 but since then, it has been burned and abandoned several times. It wasn’t reconstructed until 1867.

We enjoyed the reenactment of the royal guard outside the main gate (Gwanghwamun). Just like the guards at Buckingham Palace, they will remain still when you pose for a photo next to them.

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Photography Fun at the Trickeye Museum in Seoul

21 Tuesday May 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, Seoul, South Korea

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Asia, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, Seoul, South Korea, Trick Eye Museum, Trickeye Museum, trompe l'oeil

Mr. Selfish and I have posted our fair share of silly photos on this blog. This post is to rule over all of those photos. We went to the Trickeye Museum in Seoul, which is located at Seogyo Plaza B2, 357-1, Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu. The museum uses the technique of trompe l’oeil to make masterpieces and other scenes into 3-D interactive photo opps.

The first part of the museum consists mostly of converted masterpieces.

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Staying at the Westin Chosun

20 Monday May 2013

Posted by misterselfish in Accommodations, Asia, Seoul, South Korea, Starwood, Travel Hacking

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Selfish Year, Selfish Years, SPG, Starwood, Westin Chosun

Since we were spending our 4-year anniversary in Seoul, I decided to book us in a hotel I knew Mrs. Selfish would love: the Westin Chosun. After staying at the Westin Munich and the Westin Bangkok, Mrs. Selfish and I were solidly in the Westin camp, thanks largely due to their “heavenly bed.”

The Westin Chosun was a great pick. Not only did it match the Westin brand (even maintaining the Westin smell, which is kind of creepy), but the location is extremely convenient. It’s within walking distance of many of Seoul’s historic sites, and only a short metro ride away from Gangnum and other areas.

It also gave me an opportunity to take advantage of Starwood’s buy 4-nights, get 1-night free redemption policy. The Westin Chosun is a category 5 hotel, so booking a room cost us 48,000 SPG points.

Getting There & Check-In

Getting to the Westin from Incheon Airport was a very smooth process, thanks to the airport limousine bus service, which departs from bus stop 4B/11A. Mrs. Selfish and I purchased two tickets on the bus for about 15,000 won each (around $14.50), and only had to wait 5 minutes. An hour later, we arrived at the Westin!

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5 Observations on Crazy South Korea

17 Friday May 2013

Posted by misterselfish in Asia, Rant, South Korea

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Korean liposuction, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, South Korea observations

Mrs. Selfish wasn’t particularly keen on South Korea when I booked our Asian flights. I wasn’t sure what to expect myself – would it be like a knock off version of Japan? Just how popular is Gangnam Style anyway? Is eyelid surgery really that prevalent? And what’s going on with those crazy k-pop idol groups?

Although we only had 5 days in South Korea (in the midst of nuclear tensions, no less), we definitely saw some strange things in Korea.

1. South Korea is totally bad ass.

From what we saw, South Korea seems prepared for any craziness the North might inflict upon them. Most subway stops seem to have gas masks, and many of the underground malls double as shelters.

Gas masks in the subway for fires… and presumably more!

When the s*** goes down, it’s time to hit the ‘bucks!

During our time in China we received tons of worried emails from relatives (thanks mah!), so I was a little nervous when we hit South Korea. South Koreans, on the other hand, didn’t seem to bat an eye at the antics of those crazy ‘ol North Koreans. Ice. Cold.

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Greatest Wall Ever!

16 Thursday May 2013

Posted by misterselfish in Asia, Beijing, China

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China, Great Wall, Selfish Year, Selfish Years

While planning our trip to China, Mrs. Selfish and I determined that a trip to the Great Wall was mandatory. I mean, how could you go to China and not visit the Great Wall, especially if you’re staying in Beijing?

After a little research we discovered that there are numerous sections of the Great Wall ripe for visiting, all in various states of disrepair. From Datong we could have visited a dilapidated section of the wall – it’s bricks stolen by local farmers to use as building materials – but the more famous sections are near Beijing.

The Great Wall is big business for the Chinese government, so sections near Beijing have been restored to match what they would have looked like back in the day. Instead of holding back throngs of Mongul hoards, however, many sections of the Wall now house throngs of Chinese tourists and hoards of Chinese merchants hawking crappy t-shirts and calendars.

With that in mind, Mrs. Selfish and I quickly settled on the Jingshanling section of the wall – and while we did spot a few hawkers, the wall was blissfully empty for the 6 hours we hiked its heights.

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Hair Lost in Translation

14 Tuesday May 2013

Posted by misterselfish in Asia, Japan, Living Abroad

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Haircuts Abroad, Selfish Year, Selfish Years

One of the odd realities of long term travel is that you still have errands to run and chores to do. Laundry, grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning the bathroom, taking out the trash – definitely not things I associated with traveling abroad, but definitely things that all need doing should you stay in one place for more than a few days.

At home, we handled these chores without thinking. Abroad, they’re an adventure!

Hunting down Tex-Mex ingredients in Paris? Check. Looking for a good laundromat on a remote island in Thailand? Check. Getting a haircut in Japan?

Wellllll…

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Saving money by renting apartments

07 Tuesday May 2013

Posted by misterselfish in Accommodations, Travel Hacking

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Accommodations, AirBnB, Chiang Mai, Paris, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, Shanghai, Travel Hacking

While staying at luxury hotels can be quite exciting, nothing beats the feeling of coming home. Before we started our selfish year of travels, Mrs. Selfish and took tons of weekend trips, culminating in our once-a-year international trip over the Thanksgiving holiday.

While getting out of the States and traveling to new countries was exhilarating, it was also exhausting. If you’re from the States, vacationing is about three things: maximizing, maximizing, maximizing.

By the end of each international trip, we were more tired then when we had started. Coming home in itself was a treat – a chance to catch up on sleep and get back into the ol’ routine.

Traveling for a year straight is the same deal, except now there is no home to come home to. It’s exciting, but also tiring – not to mention expensive. Fortunately, that’s where apartment rentals come in.

Our loft in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

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