Daytrip in Marikina

Whenever there's a short holiday or a long weekend, people usually travel to the north to sightsee in Baguio, surf in La Union, or go to Subic beaches, or to the south to chill in Tagaytay, visit the lakes of Laguna, or snorkel and dive in Batangas. To avoid possible heavy traffic and to try out something different, we decided to head on east this time - to the Shoe Capital of the Philippines.

Here's how you can spend a day in Marikina for less than a thousand pesos.

Sample itinerary in Marikina:

9:00 Breakfast in James Dean Cafe

10:00 Tour Book Museum

12:00 Lunch in Pan de Amerikana

14:00 Have fun in Philippine Science Centrum

16:30 Visit Museum of Miniatures

17:30 Chill in Riverbanks

18:30 Buy something from the Outlet stores



James Dean Café

Located in 127 Dao Street, Marikina Heights, James Dean Café is a small restaurant housing a number of James Dean collections.

Pretty awesome designs and collection

The menu is not extensive though. They only serve hotdogs, burgers, coffee and milkshakes. A meal's cost per person would range from Php 150 to to PhP 300.

I'm not sure if we just came at the wrong time and date (a holiday) but the staff doesn't seem to be paying attention. We came in and seated ourselves and it took time for someone to hand us the menu and take our orders. We also had instructions about our burgers and hotdogs that were noted down but for whatever reason weren't followed, and our ordered soda was not in stock and we were not even advised until we followed it up after almost having finished our food. The taste was just okay, but nothing fancy.

Philippine Science Centrum

Science was that one subject that's always pulled down my grade. I find it hard to memorize not just concepts, theories, and formulas but also perform actual experiments. But if I'd only known a place like this, I may have appreciated the subject more.

It's been a decade since we last visited this place, but I can still remember having lots of fun in this interactive science museum. The current rate as of this writing is Php 150, Php 75 for senior citizens. The rate is good for an hour and a half, but you can extend for another Php 75 per additional hour.

Most of the exhibits are still the same, and the place still isn't fully air-conditioned. But if you can handle the heat, we bet you can still have lots of fun.

Here are some of my favorite exhibits:

Steady Hand Game

The Human Gyro Ride

Experience what it was like to be Sandra Bullock in the Gravity

Tesla Coil

Come Race with Me

Record your time and see if you can beat Filipina former track and field athlete Ms. Elma Muros-Posada. 

The Wonder House

Won't spoil the fun! Not for those who easily gets dizzy though

Fun way to learn about Insulators & Conductors

Distorted Room

The only room where I can be a giant

Watch Me Pedal

Pedal and see the parts of your skeletal system at work

It's quite unfortunate that this exhibit was out of order, along with other machines that are either broken or under maintenance. But the hour we spent was still so much fun! Other favorite features of mine are the Anti-gravity Mirror, Ring Bubbles, Frozen Shadow, Colored Shadow, Head on a Platter, Power of Reflection, Van De Graaf,  and Plasma Sphere.

Pan De Amerikana

Have you always wanted to dine out in a cozy place?
With features of Sampaguita Pictures' artists, huge chess board and pieces, and other artistic wooden furniture and designs, Pan De Amerikana, just might be the place you're looking for. Serving mostly Filipino dishes, you can feel relaxed in the ambiance mostly of wooden and antique designs. And be sure to try their pandesal.

Note though that there are two branches and the upside down designed restaurant is located in Katipunan, not in Marikina.


Riverbanks Mall, Center and Amphitheater

Before you spend the rest of your budget on discounted shoes and bags, you can roam around the Riverbanks, go and chill for awhile at the amphitheater, and be at peace with the river's scenery, a clear blue sky and birds' flying.

What makes this trip more amazing? It was like relieving my US Trip exactly a year ago ~ In&Out, California Science Center, and outlet stores!!!

What and Where to Eat in Japan

One of the things I regret not having experienced during my Hong Kong trip years back was the local food. So in my succeeding travels, I always made sure to sample out the dishes that are popular to the locals of that country. Since I also love Japanese food, I made sure to make a list of things to try out and cross out all that we were able to sample. I thought of sharing the list, and a couple of comments and suggestions follow:

Ramen

Okonomiyaki

Udon

Sushi Onigiri

Yuba

Cold Soba Yakisoba

Tempura

Gyoza

Yokan

Taiyaki

Soft Cream

Kakigori

Wagyu

Sake Matcha Tea

Yakitori

Kobe Beef

Takoyaki Tonkatsu Karaage

There are a lot of places to sample Japan's delicious food. It depends on what food you would like to taste.

Ramen is one of the most common food for Japanese, so we opted to try this out first. For Ramen, we went to DARUMANOME (だるまのめ) in Akihabara. We were ignorant of how they ordered so we just entered the place and raised our hand to order, but the food is usually ordered through a machine located in front of the restaurant. Then a slip of paper will be printed after you have selected your order and this is what you will present when you get inside. Aside from Ramen, we also tried out their Gyoza. It's so different from what we have here in the Philippines. (Gyoza in PH usually makes me burp afterwards). It kind of tasted like pot stickers in TW. And of course, we topped in with that one huge glass of Coke! All these is priced at 1,150 Yen. The serving is huge so it's already good for two.

Next to Ramen in the noodle craze is soba. We tried one in Shibuya and one in Chiyoda.

Cold Soba with Vegetable Tempura

&

Cold Soba with Squid Tempura

Soba dipped in egg and spices with Beef Strips

We paired this soba with

Karaage

Alcohol-Free Suntory Beer

Another type of noodle that's famous in Japan is Udon. We got to try this out as part of a set in a restaurant in the airport, before we depart for home. It was part of a really affordable set with nigiri sushi. We also added another order of salmon sashimi, and free matcha tea.

Tsukiji Market is the best place to go to if you want to have sushi and all kinds of fresh seafood. Contrary to what I have researched over the internet, food in Tsukiji isn't so expensive after all. You just need to know where to go. We had the following in Tsukiji:

Grilled Oyster

Egg on Stick

Grilled Scallops with Sea Urchin

Nigiri Sushi

Freshly blended Grapefruit Juice

For the Nigiri Sushi Platter, we had it at the second store in the long line of places to eat. I don't know the name but below is a picture of the store. The sellers in this place are very friendly. The Sushi is also affodable. The whole platter is priced at 1,100 and comes with miso soup and free tea.

Now, if you're up for light snacks and sweets of various kinds, you can try Takeshita Street in Harajuku, Shibuya. It's one long street full of fun, colorful, and yummy treats for your tastebuds.

Gelato Strawberry Chocolate and Cream Crepe from SweetBox

Cotton Candy from Totti Candy Factory

Zaku Zaku Croquant Chou

ザクザク

(This is heavenly! Seriously. It's crunchy on the outside, with a filling that oozes right into your mouth with every bite! And the sweetness is just right ~ not lacking and not too much. It's a cream puff unlike any other!)

Cheese Sticks from Lotteria

Potarico Salad Fries from Calbee

Gindaco Takoyaki

(located not really in Takeshita Street but just a few blocks away)

Other sweets and snacks we have tried are the following from our tour in Mt. Fuji and Hakone:

Melon Pan and Coffee

Soft Creme in Choco Mint Flavor (above picture)

and Matcha Flavor (below picture)

Also from Asakusa, you can check these snacks out:

(don't know the name but it's round-shape and very sticky)

Asakusa Kagetsudo Honten Peach Pie

(We were ordering the cream cheese pie but it’s already sold out!)

During our tour in Mt. Fuji, we stopped by Yamanashi prefecture and had our lunch set at below restaurant. It was a quiet place with a really nice view of Lake Kawaguchiko.

Lunch Set is served!

from top left to right Salad, Shrimp and Vegetable Tempira, Chicken Teriyaki, Hoto (flat Udon noodles and vegetables in miso soup), Tofu, Rice, Raddish and Plum sides, and Yokan.

For yakitori and beer, Piss Alley is the way to go. But since we were very tired the night we were supposed to visit Piss Alley, we just opted to go somewhere nearer our hotel in Shinjuku - Irodori, which is located at 1-17-11 Kabukicho | 2F, Shinjuku 160-0021, Tokyo Prefecture. Note though that they charge 500 Yen per seat. In return, you can feel that you're eating in a real Japanese restaurant, where you had to remove your shoes before entering a small private room that's usually good for 4 people.

Salmon Sahimi

(just because we can't get enough!)

Yakisoba

Yakitori

There's a really good place to east Okonomiyaki in the back streets of Shibuya (with address 3 Chome-20-1 Jingumae, Shibuya, Tokyo 150-0001, Japan), named Sakura Tei さくら亭.  We got to cook on our own, which was very challenging but at the same time a one-of-a-kind experience. They also let you cook your own yakisoba, monjayaki, and more.

MOVIE

If you are on a really tight budget, convenience stores are always there to save you. As advised in my full Japan blog, it is advisable to go to convenience stores for at least one meal each day so you don't hurt your pocket too much. There are 3 main convenience stores - 7 Eleven, Lawson, and Family Mart. There are lots of branches (mostly every corner), and lots of food to try in each one, but we mostly bought different flavors of Onigiri and Maki. These are priced between 100 - 200 Yen.

Oh, in case you'll be travelling with kids who would plead for some fast food, there's also McDonalds, KFC, Shake Shack, etc. in Japan. As part of our travel traditions, we tried out Japan KFC. It did not disappoint, though KFC in Korea and Singapore is still the best for me. A pack of 3 pcs. chicken, 1 pc. Chicken fillet, 1 side of potato mojos, and 1 side of nuggets, with 2 glasses of drinks will cost you 1,600 Yen. 

We spent less than Php10,000 / US$200 / 21,000 Yen for 6 days and 5 nights, with around 3 meals each day. You can even spend less than this because this already includes our special meal of wagyu and kobe beef which is priced a little high because of the kind of beef served. This costs Php 3,980 / US$80 / 8,330Yen, almost half of our total spend on food.

Kobe Beef Karbi @ 5,800 Yen and Wagyu with Side Dishes and Drinks @ 1,500 Yen. Drinks and additional taxes sums it up to 8,330 Yen..

To have a taste of this affordable yet very delicious special beef, head over to No.1 Yakiniku Shabu-shabu Shinjuku Higashiguchi Store / No.1 焼肉しゃぶしゃぶ 新宿東口店 located in 1F FCC Bldg, 1-8-3, Kabuki-cho. Below is a picture of the place, for reference.