Posted by: Victor
(October 30, 2010 12:28 PM)

In just a couple of days, the temperature has dropped almost 10 degrees!
It is time to plan what leisure activities to do in the winter!
Let's have some preview first!
When it comes to winter, the first thing that comes out of your mind is...
For me, it is SNOW

The snow "Monsters" in Zao

Ski!! Snowboard!!


And I just cant wait for Christmas as well!

The illuminations are so beautiful!

On 18, 19 November, there will be an all-you-can-drink French and Czech Wine party in Sakura Cafe Ikebukuro! Please come and join!
http://www.sakura-cafe.asia/ikebukuro/news/nouveau.php

Posted by: Victor (October 30, 2010 12:28 PM) | Permalink

Posted by: Sariko
(October 23, 2010 4:19 PM)

WOW!!
Our reception is full of luggage for future guests!!
We received 38 luggage.
Welcome to our hotel luggage san:)

nnh??
I see somebody is hiding...........

Posted by: Sariko (October 23, 2010 4:19 PM) | Permalink

Posted by: Victor
(October 21, 2010 9:45 AM)

Tasting beers from different countries is interesting!
Tenants and staff of Sakura House joined the party.

There were also customers and our staff.
Some girls who are hairstylists came as well

The food was delicious!
We played games, chatted and drank a lot!
We really had a lot of fun!

Posted by: Victor (October 21, 2010 9:45 AM) | Permalink

Posted by: Victor
(October 20, 2010 9:30 AM)

Have you ever heard about Yum Cha, literally tea drinking?
It is one of the most popular activities for Japanese travelers visiting Hong Kong.
Yum Cha is not only tasting tea, but also DimSum, which is a kind of Cantonese cuisine in a very small portion in sizes, usually one piece foe an individual. If you have not tried DimSum in Hong Kong, please don't tell others that you have been to the place ( just kidding XD)
So, let me introduce the top five of DimSums!
1. Shrimp dumplings

They are also called the "King of all DimSums"
The translucent skins of the dumpling make it artistic
The shrimps are very fresh and delicious

2.Shaomai/Shumai (steamed meat dumpling)

I think it is very well-known in Japan.
It can be found in China Town and even in supermarkets.
The traditional one in Hong Kong is made by yellow skins with shrimp and meat inside.
Sometimes shrimp eggs are put on the top as a decoration.

3. Steamed meatball

The meatball is made of beef, and usually has a tofu skin layer in the bottom, garnished with some vegetables like scallions. It is served with the standardized non-Chinese worcestershire sauce worldwide.

4.Spring rolls

They are made by wrapping an assortment of ingredients in a pastry and then steaming or frying the resulting roll. They are also common in Japan, but the one is Cantonese cuisine is a bit different than the one in Japan.

5. DimSum in Disneyland Hong Kong
Killing the Little Green Man in Toy Story!

They are in the shape of the characters in Disney's animations
I tried them by myself. They were really funny!!

Posted by: Victor (October 20, 2010 9:30 AM) | Permalink

Posted by: Victor
(October 15, 2010 10:14 AM)

The number of tourists visiting Japan from Hong Kong has been rising recently because of the popularity of Japanese cuisine, fashion, and culture. It is also due to the fact that it is getting more and more convenient to come. The international terminal in Haneda Airport will be open at the end of this month.
So, when visitors come to our hotel in Ikebukuro, the can do the interchange at Shinagawa station. After that, by just taking the Yamanote Line, they can reach our hotel.

Sushi is one of the most popular food in Hong Kong
So, many people choose to go to the Tsukiji market to taste fresh sushi

Harajuku is famous among youngsters in Hong Kong. Kids who like dressing fashionably
You can find a lot of them in Takeshita Dori.

Besides, it is the Tokyo Tower that attracts Hong Kongers to visit. Being a symbolic architecture in Tokyo, taking a photo in front of it is nearly a must!!

Posted by: Victor (October 15, 2010 10:14 AM) | Permalink

Posted by: Victor
(October 14, 2010 9:15 AM)

A working holiday visa is a travel permit which allows travelers to undertake employment in the country issuing the visa for the purpose of supplementing their travel funds.

And in this year, Japan and Hong Kong have signed an agreement that allows youngsters to work during their travels. There have been about 800 people successfully getting the visa and I feel lucky to be one of them.

So, I started my journey in July. Before staying in Tokyo, I went to Hokkaido and Tohoku.

Furano

The northernmost tip of Japan, Wakkanai

Hakodate

Festival in Hachinohe

The festivals in Tohoku were very impressive. I visited 5 of them in August. The one I liked most is in Aomori. The lanterns were big and it required the participants used all ther energy to pull them.

The reason for being an applicant of the working holiday visa is that I wanna experience daily life in this country. There should be something that I can't try and see as a tourist.

I'm really glad that I can be one of the staff in Sakura Hotel Ikebukuro. My co-workers are so nice and have taught me a lot of things. Here I want to show my gratitude to them. This is actually the essence of the journey. I really enjoy my life in Japan now!

Posted by: Victor (October 14, 2010 9:15 AM) | Permalink

Posted by: Victor
(October 13, 2010 11:36 AM)

Hi, this is Victor again, Today, I'm going to introduce you my favorite local food that can be found at streets in Hong Kong.
First of all, there are a lot of tiny shops selling snacks in Hong Kong like this:

Aren’t you looking at the girls :P
In this kind of shops, you can find almost most of the common snacks.
In all kinds of snacks, the most popular one must be fish balls

In one year, millions of fish balls are sold. No matter how time passes by, its popularity doesn change! There is usually 2 tastes to choose from, one is curry, the other is soy sauce, and you can request to mix them together. Other than fish balls that are made from fish, there are also other kinds of balls such as beef, pork, or even squid!
The second most popular one is called the "mini eggs"

It is a kinda like a pancake or waffle, but the texture is quite different.
Depending on the shops, some of them taste like cake, which is soft and full of the taste of egg yolks. Some make it hollow, making the taste more like cookies.
The third one that I:m going to introduce is "Put Chai Kou"

It is kinda like puddings, but it is a kind of rice cake
With red beans inside, it is definitely one of the most delicious desserts!
Last but not least, even if you can see it, you can smell it ACROSS the street.
If you haven't seen it before, I think you would be very scared as it doest smell like food, but SXXT
:P So, be prepared. But after putting it in your mouth, you will find it a food from the heaven!
It is the smelly tofu!

Posted by: Victor (October 13, 2010 11:36 AM) | Permalink

Posted by: Sariko
(October 12, 2010 9:03 AM)

大家好,我是香港來的victor. 今天是我第一天上班,請多多指教! 平時我喜歡唱卡啦ok,購物等等.
這是我也第一次在日本工作,對我來?感覺得新鮮的?, 我得喜歡日本以今次選擇了工作假期來試一下生活的感覺. 池袋是副都心的其中之一,周為都很繁華,所以聚集了各國的遊客,我希望在這裡工作可以接觸到各國的文化和人,和他們交流,?廣見聞.
?起旅遊,我曾經到過十多個國家,遍及四大洲,包括亞洲,北美洲,非洲,歐洲,不久將來我希望可以跨過赤道,遊覽南半球的國家,看看風土人情.
到過日本多次的我,己經習慣了日本的生活.但工作仍是一項大挑戰,希望我能勝任這項工作!

Hi! My name is Victor, and I am from Hong Kong. This is the first day for me to work in Sakura Hotel, as well as in Japan. I fell very excited about my job, and hopefully I can pick up the things quickly! I have been to Japan for many times, but this is also the first time for me to come with my working holiday visa, which allows me to work in this country. In my leisure time, I like going to Karaoke, doing some shopping and going to parks. When it comes to Ikebukuro, a district where all visitors gather, its crowd always makes people think of the prosperity of Japan. Its convenience allows people from all over the world to come easily.
I have been to 13 countries in the world in 4 continents. I have also been to all Disney Resorts in the world. In the near future, I hope that I can cross the equator to visit the place in the Southern hemisphere to make contact with the people and feel their cultures.

Posted by: Sariko (October 12, 2010 9:03 AM) | Permalink

Posted by: Sariko
(October 7, 2010 11:55 AM)

I went to Jordan for my summer vacation.
I didn't really expect anything before I go there.
But now, I am in love there.
Every single sight and single moment was just incredible!!
Here is some picture from my trip.

I definitely go there again.

Posted by: Sariko (October 7, 2010 11:55 AM) | Permalink

Posted by: Sariko
(October 2, 2010 1:30 AM)

A: Will you be my friend?
B: Mmmmmmmm....................

So sweeeeeeet!!

Posted by: Sariko (October 2, 2010 1:30 AM) | Permalink