When it comes to Ishikawa, most people know it by the city of gold – Kanazawa (金沢).

There are much more to explore on this prefecture located on the Japan Sea coast. The first stop for me was Wajima (輪島), a historical city known for its Asaichi (morning market) and lacquerware.

Posters from our hotel, the middle depicting a busy morning market and the one on the right, a beautiful rice terrace known for its night illumination.

Chirihama Nagisa Driveway (千里浜なぎさドライブウェイ)

Ever thought that you could drive on a highway that’s made of… sand? read more

I could say that this is the highlight of my trip to Chubu-Hokuriku region in Japan. A registered world heritage site – Gokayama (五箇山).

When it comes to the Chubu region, the hottest tourist spot in recent years is perhaps Shirakawago (白川郷) in Gifu prefecture. When I first saw the travel itinerary, I was a little sad that Shirakawago was not included in this trip, but little did I know that we were in for a surprise, that is the same 250-year-old gassho-zukkuri farmhouses as the ones in Shirakawago, are also found in Ainokura (相倉) in Gokayama, Toyama prefecture. read more

Junya turns 46 months today and Sakura is 23 months old!

For the past whole month we have been… traveling!! This is probably the first time for our family to travel non stop for an entire month… and counting! By the time we return to Singapore, it will be two full months of away from home.

It’s a month of growth for both #cheesiepetits, I thought I had skipped one whole month of update because so much has happened in a short few weeks, and there are so so much I wanted to note down this time around. read more

Takayama is a city in Gifu Prefecture, which I think quite a lot of you are familiar with because is recently made known to the world by anime “Your Name”. There are a few other areas name Takayama in Japan, so this traditional city is usually referred to as Hida-Takayama (飛騨高山).

As the kanji of the name suggests, this city is made of lots of… high mountains.

Matsuri No Mori (Art & Festa Forest)

We stopped by Matsuri No Mori, a museum of different interests, workshop areas and a souvenir shop combined. read more

This is a short post on the ryokan I stayed in Gero Onsen (下呂温泉), Gifu Prefecture. Read my previous post on Seki City Swordsmith. ^^

I loooove Onsen and I was so excited to visit Gero Onsen as it is one of the top 3 famous springs in Japan (I think rated based on the quality of the hotspring), along with Kusatsu onsen (草津温泉) in Gunma Prefecture (which I visited when I was 8 months pregnant with Junya in 2014!) as well as Arima Onsen (有馬温泉) in Hyogo Prefecture.

Other famous onsen you should keep in your list include Beppu Onsen (Oita Prefecture), Yufuin Onsen (Oita Prefecture), Dogo Onsen (Ehime Prefecture), Kinugawa Onsen (Tochigi Prefecture), Hakone Onsen (Kanagawa Prefecture), etc. I think after my #47prefecturemission, I am going to have an Onsen-tour and also Jinja (shrine) tour. It’s very mentally refreshing and spiritually lifting. read more

After our Udon making experience in Nagoya, our group departed for Seki city in Gifu prefecture to witness the craftsman skill of the world-renowned swordsmith in Japan – Hanomoya Cutler Sansyu 刃物屋三秀.

Seki Hamono Museum

Cutler Sansyu has a museum in Seki City, where you can visit for a Japanese Sword Forging Tour, which also includes Iai performance, kimono wearing free trial, tea ceremony, workshop and of course, a factory shop for your shopping! I was really excited for the visit because I was just looking for a new blade to add to my kitchen top. read more