Okinawa

October 14, 2023March 21, 2024 by elainevitikainen ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

For a year now, I had this question in my mind. The question was, if I can go anywhere without any limitations, where will I go? The answer was actually easy. I would like to go to Mochi Island, the island I built on Animal Crossing! But then this year I realised that the closest I can get to Mochi Island is actually to visit Okinawa…

I would say that Okinawa was the main reason I wanted to visit Japan again. Although it took us another 2.5 hours flight to the south of Japan, there was no regret at all. Okinawa is so pretty with such a relaxing atmosphere. I also enjoyed the food and some which surprisingly brought me back to my childhood especially the stir fried bitter melon with eggs that was served during breakfast at the hotel and was also available at the convenience stores. The convenience stores also sell Spam Onigiri which I had to try obviously!

The first day in Naha was about getting Eki stamps at the Tourist Information counter at the airport then a stroll at Kokusai Street. We also got to try the monorail train from the airport to our accommodation which was really fun. You can watch the reel here. On the second day, we walked to Naminoue Beach. I can’t believe how empty the beach was. The water was also so pretty and just by looking at the sea really relaxes the mind. On the way back, we even met the Yakult lady. I was so happy! Check out the unexpected meeting here. However, we didn’t get enough of the beach so we took a bus to Araha Beach to catch a view of the sunset. The 1 hour ride was so worth it. It was so beautiful! You can watch the reel here.

The next day, we went to Senagajima Umikaji Terrace to watch airplanes landing at Naha airport. It was such an unbelievable sight as airplanes and more airplanes kept on landing. The Umikaji Terrace also has more than 40 restaurants, cafés and shops so it was a fun place to spend the afternoon. It was a very hot day though and the island vibes was very much alive. I just love Okinawa! Then on the way back, we visited Fukushūen Garden. Fukushūen Garden is a traditional Chinese garden in Naha. It is a very beautiful garden. I especially enjoyed watching many beautiful koi fish swimming in the pond and crossing several bridges which were very similar to the bridges on Mochi Island. And the waterfalls too reminded me of Mochi island! What we missed was to try the Buku buku tea as the tea house that we were planning to go closed at 5 pm that day. However, we were able to find a local ramen shop which served delicious ramen with daifuku for dessert. You can watch the reel here.

We stayed in Naha for 3 nights then flew back to Tokyo. The next post is about Shinjuku and Fujiyoshida…

Back in Japan

October 11, 2023May 13, 2026 by elainevitikainen ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

I was so excited! I was back in Japan after 5 years and for the third time. I didn’t expect this to happen, especially that we already travelled to South Korea this year. But life is full of surprises and going back to Asia for the second time this year for another holiday was such a blessing.

It all started when my husband and I were having the afternoon tea to celebrate our 28th anniversary in June. After the dream talks of visiting Japan, we decided to make it a reality so I purchased air tickets and was immediately in a full planning mood. My husband was flying after a work trip in Bangkok and it was exciting to see how everything will come together. We stayed in 7 different places and dragged our luggages from Tokyo to Okinawa, from Tokyo (with a side trip to Fujiyoshida) to Takayama (with side trips to Kamikochi and Shirakawago), from Tokyo to Nikko and back to Tokyo. Many changes happened during planning – hotel changes and destination changes. But these were all part and parcel of planning for a holiday of a lifetime. One thing that I’m most thankful for this trip was remaining healthy, even though my husband just came back from a large conference in Bangkok with more than 400 attendees. The downside was really missing our kids because they were with us when we visited in 2018 and they really love Japanese food.

I arrived at Narita terminal 2 from Helsinki at 13:05 (actually some 30 minutes earlier than scheduled) and zoomed past immigration and customs, probably in less than 10 minutes. This was because I already registered online at Visit Japan Web and had the QR codes for immigration and customs. I also just had a hand carry luggage. The first thing I did after I exited the customs was to pick up the pocket wifi that I pre rented online. I really recommend this especially that my husband had a MacBook and iPad during this travel. Being able to access the internet from multiple devices was a plus and also we had internet connection while traveling. We paid 8,840 JPY (around 55 EUR) for the rental for 14 days.

At 13:30, my husband’s flight arrived from Bangkok. I was waiting for him at the same arrival area where I came in. It was a happy reunion after a week and so our holiday started. The first thing we did was to take the free shuttle bus to terminal 1 where I got a Welcome Eki stamp from the Tourist Information centre. Then we went to the Traveler’s Factory on the 4th floor to get myself a Traveler’s Notebook journal which is exclusively available at Narita airport. We also withdrew some Yen from the ATM and bought Welcome Pasmo cards which we used for transportation and convenience store purchases. We stayed for a night in Asakusa and flew out of Haneda airport to Okinawa the next day. Please watch the Day 1 reel here. The next post is about Okinawa…

Bye, Seoul. Until next time!

April 5, 2023November 11, 2024 by elainevitikainen ♥ 1 Comment

It was hard to say goodbye. But good things do come to an end. However, we still have a few hours before our flight which leaves at 21:20. So we checked out and without prior plan, we headed to Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP). This place is huge and it was very easy to get lost inside. It was really impressive.

Then we decided to go to Gwangjang Market to check out the stall featured on Netflix’ Street Food Asia. It was such an experience and the knife cut noodles was good and this market is really clean.

Some take aways from this holiday:

Good walking shoes are important. We were walking more than 10 kilometres each day.
Carry cash! You will not regret it as some places only take cash.
TMoney is a must have when using public transport!
I didn’t use Naver Map, although, I have it on my phone. I guess I’m just too familiar with Google Map and it worked well.
I didn’t use the Kakao T app either, although, I also have it on my phone. We didn’t need to ride a taxi at all.
Having a pocket Wifi with us all the time was very good. I highly recommend it and we only paid 39 EUR for the entire 14 days.
Buy your flight tickets early as prices tend to spike up.
Book accommodation that has free cancellation because there might be changes along the way.

I love that I got to listen to music in South Korea that I’m familiar with. I love that South Korea has an efficient and affordable public transport. I especially love taking the bus as I enjoy looking out. I love that they have clean toilets everywhere. I love that South Korea is generally clean and that I don’t have to think twice whether I should eat street food or not. I love that restaurant meals include drinking water. I’m not a fan of buying bottled water. I love that there is no tipping as we are not use to that in Europe. I love the fun of navigating the language barrier and being able to use the very few Korean words that I know. I love that the people we’ve met were really kind and helpful. You get the sense that they do care. I felt safe in South Korea. There was no single moment when I felt that I was in a dangerous situation. (CCTVs are everywhere!)

I can truly say that it was an amazing holiday. I’m so glad that we did it at the right time when the Cherry Blossom was in full bloom. We also got to fly over the North Pole on our way back to Helsinki and we have Diplomas to prove it. 😀 Lastly, I’m happy that the 50th country I’ve visited is South Korea. Bye for now, Seoul. Until next time!

Check out the reel here:

Bye, Seoul. Until Next Time

My South Korea Travel Journal can be found here.

Check out the travel video here.

More photos from Seoul by Ari Vitikainen can be found here.

All photos from my South Korea posts are by Ari Vitikainen at arivitikainen.com

The last full day in Seoul

April 5, 2023September 19, 2024 by elainevitikainen ♥ 1 Comment

The rain continued the next day but that didn’t stop us from our plan of going to the N Seoul Tower for our last evening in Seoul. But before that, we visited the Seoul Museum of History and learned about how Seoul became how it is now. This city changed a lot and progressed rapidly in such a short span of time. I really love the model of the City of Seoul where we can see Seoul at a glance. It was fun to check out the places where we have been over the last days. The museum is free entrance and it was quite empty.

So now off to N Seoul Tower. The cable car is just a walking distance from our hotel and the rain stopped. The Daebak Company gave us free tickets to N Seoul Tower and two free drinks. Yes, it was not raining anymore but it was very foggy. The staff at the ticket counter told me that we can reuse the tickets within three months because it was a very foggy day. We went up anyway and enjoyed our drinks. I thought the fog was very pretty and showed me another side of Seoul.

Check out the reel here:

Last Day in Seoul

More photos from Seoul by Ari Vitikainen can be found here.

Rainy Day in Seoul

April 4, 2023April 22, 2023 by elainevitikainen ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

This day was a rainy day and we went to see the Lotte World Tower. Although the main reason was to really see the Seokchon Lake surrounded by Cherry Blossom. It was really pretty. We were sat infront of the Lotte World Magic Island when the light rain started pouring. It was a good idea that when we were heading to Lotte World Mall, I decided to get us some umbrellas at the convenience store. I felt confident that way than all the time worrying if the rain comes.

When we went back to Myeongdong, the rain kept going and I can’t believe why some people still haven’t invested on an umbrella! 🙂 But we continued exploring the food street and enjoyed a bite of this and that. Street food in Myeongdong is a must!

Check out the reel here:

Rainy Day in Seoul

More photos from Seoul by Ari Vitikainen can be found here.

Three more nights in Seoul

April 3, 2023September 19, 2024 by elainevitikainen ♥ 3 Comments

This day was very special because were were visiting the Daebak Company in Hongdae. They were in the process of packing the Spring Boxes so the office has pretty Spring boxes in every corner. I really enjoyed seeing the process and all the hard work they put into it. I was also interviewed for their SNS and I really enjoyed talking about my Korean experience. It was also so lovely to meet new people and learn new things. They treated us to coffee and to a very fancy lunch at a traditional restaurant with our own private room, just like in K-Dramas when the conglomerates meet. 🙂 I really appreciate that they took time for us amidst their busy schedule. I love hearing their stories and getting to know them.

Then we walked around Hongdae but there were not lots to see during the daytime. So I hope to visit Hongdae again someday. But we went in for coffee at Koriko Cafe. So cute! I can’t resist buying some Studio Ghibli merch. We went back to the hotel so that we can take the tripod to prepare for the night shots of the bridges. I really wanted to see the Banpo Bridge though but we ended up by the Hanggang Bridge which was really pretty at night and we also walked over it. Well, maybe next time I’ll get to see the Banpo Bridge.

Check out the reel here:

Another Fun Day in Seoul

More photos from Seoul by Ari Vitikainen can be found here.

Gyeongju, South Korea

March 30, 2023May 28, 2025 by elainevitikainen ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Today, we are heading to Gyeongju. Gyeongju was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Silla from 57 BC to 935 AD. It is often referred to as The Museum Without Walls. But before going on a bus to Gyeongju, we took the Sky Capsule from Mipo to Cheongsapo in Busan. The Sky Capsule is really cute and it was fun to have a tiny train all to ourselves on such a scenic ride!

Then from Cheongsapo, we rode the Beach Train all the way to Songjeong. We enjoyed a short walk by the beach and ate the most delicious and beautifully prepared seafood before heading back on a Beach Train.

Then it was time to leave Busan. We took a bus from the Haeundae Intercity Bus Terminal which is basically just a bus stop. There is a ticket machine there and the staff who was just about to leave, stayed to help me buy the tickets. Before she left, she even told the other staff that we were going to Gyeongju just so we are directed to the right bus. She was really kind. The bus was just an hour ride and cost 10,000 KRW per person which is around 7 EUR.

Gyeongju is very pretty and I wished we had stayed longer. It was also here where we stayed at a Hanok. It was such a memorable experience! The Hanok has an extension which accommodates a bathroom and a small kitchen. The floor was really warm and I love the feel of it! There are many cool restaurants and cute cafes near our accommodation. And lots of street food too. One thing that is a must try is the famous Gyeongju Bread. People seem to be carrying a box of it for souvenirs and they are only sold in a set of 10 pieces or more. We got a box of freshly baked ones and they were very good. Our Hanok is also a walking distance to the Daereungwon Tomb Complex and the Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond. These places were really pretty with Cherry Blossom in full bloom. The streets of Gyeongju was also lined with Cherry Blossom. I think I fell in love with Gyeongju!

We stayed 2 nights in Gyeongju. We decided against taking a 4 hours plus bus ride to Jeonju so we decide to return to Busan. The bus terminal was a 15 minutes walk from our Hanok and the bus ticket only cost 5,700 KRW per person which was around 4 EUR. And as usual, the bus was really comfortable with large seats and almost empty.

Check out the reels here:

Today in Busan and Gyeongju

Gyeongju, South Korea

More photos from Gyeongju by Ari Vitikainen can be found here.

A quick trip to Amsterdam

October 1, 2022October 25, 2022 by elainevitikainen ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

It was an early morning trip to the airport. The metro station was almost empty but the airport was full of people. You can really feel the ‘revenge travel’ that people are talking about. Then the rain started just when we had to leave the bus to board the plane.

It was the big plane, the one you take on an intercontinental flight. I dreamt of flying to Tokyo or Seoul… Once we are up, it was sunny and very pretty!

I arrived at my hotel in central Amsterdam. I was too early and sweating from wearing thick clothing all the way from Helsinki. I took off my coat, left it, walked and sat myself to breakfast in this cozy place. I came in just at the right time as the place became full too quickly. Apparently, it was a known place for the locals.

I walked back to the hotel as the rain started pouring. I had no umbrella and no coat either. The closest shop was the cheese shop and that was how I ended up owning a cheese umbrella. I arrived at the hotel and was able to check into my room. The stairs was a typical dutch stairs – long, steep and narrow. But I was able to manage to get to the third floor. The secret – travelling light! The room was tiny. I can’t remember staying in such tiny hotel room ever in my life. But I managed. The secret – I’m a tiny person myself! (Note: this room was not even cheap!)

Then came the name test during breakfast the next day. And it was 100% perfect. The guy behind the counter got my name by just saying it once. He even offered a muffin for 25 cents. This was a correct name third time around. First in Paris, then Vancouver and now in Amsterdam. This place also played Billie Holiday.

Then it was walking walking walking. It’s really worth staying close to the major attractions. I was also back at Van Gogh museum after 6 years. I didn’t visit when I was in Amsterdam in 2019.

But the main reason why I was in Amsterdam was to attend my son’s graduation for his bachelor’s from the University of Amsterdam. We even went out the first evening to shop and dine. It was a special event. Just think about how these students spent the last two years studying online. It was a happy reunion with course-mates whom they haven’t seen in two years. Students flew from different countries to attend the graduation ceremony. Some even flew all the way from Dubai. I was such a proud mum! After the dinner of humongous burger, we said goodbye as he was busy with his classes the next day. He is taking a Master degree course after all!

So I continued to explore Amsterdam by foot the next day before heading to the airport. It was cloudy with few showers here and there but it was nice. The day before, my son took me to a special cookie shop. It’s so famous that they were out of cookies already when we got there. So there I was at 10.15 and a queue was already formed. I queued for fun. It was my first time to queue for cookies and I can honestly say it was worth it!

I continued walking and passed by this cute croissant shop and also saw a Gashapon shop. Guess if I played? Then I got breakfast at a pancake place where only one person works. She was amazing because the place was actually packed. She took the order, cooked, took the payment, cleaned and repeat. Some people were eating open pancake but I rolled it!

I head back to the hotel with a few diversions. The cookie shop still had a long queue. I also looked around the book market where I was 6 years ago and got myself some old postcards. Interestingly, I bought two very old postcards from Japan mailed to a person in Finland! I also passed by the Flower market and bought some bonsai seeds. Then I took my small luggage from the hotel and headed to the airport by bus. I arrived 4 hours before my plane departs without knowing that I should be at the airport 4 hours before my plane departs because of the revenge travel! There were lots of people. The queue went in and out of the airport. They even made a tent. I haven’t seen anything like this in my entire life and I have travelled a lot.

But I made it. It was a crazy three hours queue, longer than flying to Helsinki! Why did I come to the airport 4 hours earlier is still a mystery to me up until now…

It was a quick and lovely break, something that I thought I didn’t need but I actually did!

Visiting Family in Canada

May 22, 2022June 7, 2022 by elainevitikainen ♥ 1 Comment

And there was Athens…

April 3, 2022 by elainevitikainen ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

After a week in Santorini, we flew to Athens where we were greeted with the most perfect weather.

The Acropolis museum and the Acropolis itself is a must see. Amazing architectures and a feel of history!

We visited the National Gallery where I found my new favourite art from 1967 – Two Chairs by Costas Tsoclis.

We also took the bus to Flisvos Marina for a sunset dinner and returned to our hotel to enjoy evening drinks at our rooftop restaurant overlooking the Acropolis.

It was a wonderful holiday with lots of seafood, grilled fish, baklavas, walking and sunshine. I experienced a beautiful Greece with helpful, kind hearted people. After 2 years, it was a miracle that this trip even happened!