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Japan 2026!
  • Shalee Gherbaz
  • Shalee Gherbaz

Japan 2026!

One month in Japan doing Shalee's customised "Golden Figure 8 Loop" Japan itinerary of the central island of Japan. Czytaj więcej
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  • Shalee GherbazJapan 2026!Podróżnik

    The cutest pastas for lunch

    5 marca, Japonia ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    We wandered through Hamanomachi Arcades many alleys and came across a cute Italian place that was really reasonably priced and had lasagna, which Michael was down for trying.

    I had the beef ravioli, and when it came out they came out in these super cute clay pots. Which meant it had all the caramelised, burnt bits around the edges. Yummo! Czytaj więcej

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  • Shalee GherbazJapan 2026!Podróżnik

    Huis Ten Bosch (interim post)

    5 marca, Japonia ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    We have spent the late afternoon and evening in Huis Ten Bosch, having a fabulous time. It is a very cool, unique theme park. Michael got like, 500 photos, so it's going to take a bit for him to sort through them and transfer things to me, so we will post all about it later.

    In the meantime, I did take some standard pics on my phone that didn't come out too shabby!

    Huis Ten Bosch is a theme park on the southwest coast of mainland Japan that is designed to be like The Netherlands. It has a range of VR rides, unique lights/tech experiences and exhibitions, shopping, and it completely lights up at night with themed shows, fountain shows and one of the world's largest light illuminations.

    We have really enjoyed it. They have a chocolate themed space where you pour chocolate out of a tap to drink, a trick maze museum that freaked me out beyond belief, a beautiful flowers and oceans interactive spaces, and it just exploded at night into such a gorgeous place to wander.

    Once I get the proper pics, I'll do a proper big post to note all the cool things we got up to!     Czytaj więcej

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  • Shalee GherbazJapan 2026!Podróżnik

    HTB M's snaps pt 1. Exteriors, day!

    5 marca, Japonia ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    I'm gonna have to do Huis Ten Bosch in multiple posts because this place was just gorgeous and Michael took so many amazing snaps!

    To start with, this is the outdoor area of the park that shows some of the beautiful architecture during daylight. We loved the big windmills and tulips, the umbrella section, and the awesome castle structures! Czytaj więcej

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  • Shalee GherbazJapan 2026!Podróżnik

    HTB M's snaps pt 2. Interiors, day!

    5 marca, Japonia ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    Here's some super awesome snaps Michael got of me in the trick maze, the cool vibes in the costumes and interiors of the chocolate museum, the teddy bear museum and some other cute bits and bobs!

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  • Shalee GherbazJapan 2026!Podróżnik

    HTB M's snaps pt 4. Light illumination

    5 marca, Japonia ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    The light illuminations really were so spectacular. They rotated colours, and it was massive.

    Also, the umbrella ceiling at the end of the day has light up sticks that change colours to the beat of music. Michael got some super cool snaps of them!

    And that's it for HTB. It was leagues better than Sunworld in Vietnam. Such an enjoyable theme park for non thrill ride people, and lots of fun activities for kids!     Czytaj więcej

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  • Shalee GherbazJapan 2026!Podróżnik

    Rainy Huis Ten Bosch

    6 marca, Japonia ⋅ 🌧 12 °C

    The weather decided to go to crap today. It's been pouring rain since 6am and apparently won't stop until 3pm which is when we are due to arrive in Fukuoka! Luckily the hotel allows us to borrow some very large umbrellas and leave our bags there, so we went over and braved it (thank god I wore my waterproof snow boots, they worked a treat). Also, everywhere you go indoors, you put your umbrella in these machines that lock in the water with plastic bags. Super cool! Not for the fish, but for not slipping over inside.

    Once we were in the park, we split up to tackle different things. Michael went back for round two of the Chocolate place, grabbing both a hot and a cold one to relax whilst he did his journalling. He said it was perfect drinking temperature and easily the best drinking chocolate he has ever had, and that coming here for that was worth it alone. He also got some baked goods before entering the park, especially loving this curry sausage pastry.

    I went on some of the indoor technology rides. The first was one of those ones you harness yourself in and there's a massive screen and you glide all around the earth. Super fun and cool. The next was so weird. It was a play thing where people played some sort of game underneath you whilst you bounced around on a ropeway above. I did have a bit of a relax up there in the end. And the third one was a space exhibition thing that used sensors to have people step on diamonds to form star constellations, then took you into a cinema of different galaxies where the lights all around you matched and flashed in time with the picture. This was really cool.

    We had some stress with the taxi, as it couldn't find us and the trains only run a few times a day here so I had a bit of a menty b. The pouring rain certainly wasn't helping, because if the taxi couldn't find us we were gonna have to run a km to the station in the pouring rain to get there on time. Luckily Michael took charge and worked out the issue and got us to the right spot so we could find the taxi, and the station was small so I was able to sort out the pre-purchased tickets quickly, go to the bathroom, and be at the station ready to go with 10 minutes to spare.

    Now we are stuck on the train somewhere, not moving, and no idea what is going on because it's all in Japanese. Bleh. I'm blaming the rain. Luckily we can tell from our air tags that our bags have arrived at our hotel in Fukuoka. I'm off to a tattoo friendly onsen for a bit before having a chill night in and Michael will head off and explore the technology shops at the station near our hotel before joining me. We have two bigger days of sightseeing over the weekend, and now with all this stress I really need the onsen!     Czytaj więcej

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  • Shalee GherbazJapan 2026!Podróżnik

    Onsen!

    6 marca, Japonia ⋅ ☀️ 11 °C

    I finally got to go to an onsen! Got a cab to the outskirts of Fukuoka City to go and relax for a few hours in a private onsen (the kind where you can have tattoos). You can't take photos inside onsens but I did grab a sneaky snap of my tub. Then just had an amazing ramen, rice and gyoza set for dinner and headed back to chill with Michael at the hotel. We've been playing this interactive game called Dispatch, which is a game that is part tv show, part interactive decision making.

    Michael had an amazing time wandering the streets of Tenjin and shopping whilst I was at the onsen. So much of a good time he forgot to snap any pics! Oh well! Sometimes you just gotta live in the moment. He did however snap up his glorious dinner, which he said was fabulous.

    This area and city are cool as. Very much like a mix of Melbourne and Tokyo. I went for a quick wander to get some stuff from 7/11 late at night and the city was bustling. I think we are going to love our weekend here.     Czytaj więcej

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  • Shalee GherbazJapan 2026!Podróżnik

    Old Hakata Town

    7 marca, Japonia ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    Today's first stop on our explorations of Fukuoka City is the Old Hakata Town. This is a temple area with a range of temples, shrines and older style housing in the middle of the bustling city area. It was lovely to have most of these temples almost to ourselves, as Fukuoka is much less tourist heavy than other cities we've been to.

    There were some beautiful gardens and trees as well dotted all along the way, and even some big fish! Michael and I really love to snap nature and animals as part of our adventure (and people interacting in everyday life).     Czytaj więcej

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  • Shalee GherbazJapan 2026!Podróżnik

    Kawabata Shopping Arcade

    7 marca, Japonia ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    Our next stop was to grab a quick bite of lunch at Kawabata Shopping Arcade. We found a place that was cheap and that we liked the look of, and ended up having a thoroughly delicious lunch. We shared two set meals: the chicken katsu curry and the horse mackerel and fried chicken set. The miso soup was delicious and warming, and all our meats were beautifully fried and seasoned. Michael also had a sneaky alcoholic peach soft drink, and I had ginger ale. It ended up being like, $12 each or so. Super good!

    This arcade had a range of shops, but I was hanging out for a matcha, so when we saw a place I had to have one! Plus, Michael saw a local order a creme brulee dessert and was like, "yep, I'm having that." Best matcha I've ever had. It was so perfectly balanced! Score!     Czytaj więcej

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  • Shalee GherbazJapan 2026!Podróżnik

    Ohori Park: the swan boats and island!

    7 marca, Japonia ⋅ ☀️ 9 °C

    Next up was a quick 10 min train ride Ohori Park to check out the lake and swan boats. It was bustling! No wonder, after all, it's a beautiful sunny day today (a cold day, but a sunny day nonetheless).

    Lots of romance in this area, with couples holding hands and snuggling and very clearly on dates. PDAs are not the rage in Japan, so even holding hands for a stroll is a big deal. Which has suited Michael and I, as we aren't exactly the PDA kind of couple and I have a habit of walking ahead as I get too excited about what I'm exploring, so we fit right in hahahaha!

    The swan boats are super cute... As we're all the animals. Lots of doggies in little outfits here, as well as fish, ducks and birds. It's quite beautiful actually, having the bustle of the city around you as you stroll onto islands in the middle of the lake via bridges on either side. It really was lovely.     Czytaj więcej

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  • Shalee GherbazJapan 2026!Podróżnik

    Fukuoka Castle Ruins

    7 marca, Japonia ⋅ ☀️ 9 °C

    Next to Ohori Park is the Fukuoka Castle Ruins complex. There isn't really much of a castle per se, as it's, well, ruined! But there is an amazing viewpoint where part of the castle once stood, and it's awesome! It's also super lovely to just walk around and explore nature and people watch. Czytaj więcej

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  • Shalee GherbazJapan 2026!Podróżnik

    Shopping and Yatai Dining in Tenjin!

    7 marca, Japonia ⋅ 🌙 8 °C

    We finished off our day with a spot of shopping and a super cool dinner at a Yatai in Tenjin right across from our hotel. Yatai are a unique Fukuoka dining experience. It's basically street foot, but inside a tent that holds between 6-10 patrons at a time, and the chef cooks your food fresh in front of you. We had tempura shrimps, ramen and fried rice. It was a super cool, fun experience! Czytaj więcej

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  • Shalee GherbazJapan 2026!Podróżnik

    The morning train ride to Karatsu

    8 marca, Japonia ⋅ ⛅ 7 °C

    Today is my Yuri On Ice Pilgrimage day in Karatsu, which is a seaside town and hour outside of Fukuoka. We are going to visit all the main landmarks that are depicted in the anime, and I am very excited!

    The train ride out was beautiful. You have mountains and rice paddies as well as the ocean and various islands, plus all the traditional Japanese housing. I got a few snaps and some video to remember.     Czytaj więcej

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  • Shalee GherbazJapan 2026!Podróżnik

    A Hawk Stole my cream bun 😭😭😭

    8 marca, Japonia ⋅ ☁️ 8 °C

    The wildest thing just happened!

    Here Michael and I are, walking through the sticks of Karatsu, munching away on our baked goods that we got from a bakery we passed on the way to Karatsu Castle. The bakery had so many interesting things so we figured having some baked goods on hand to munch on throughout the day never hurt anyone. Alas, we decided to try one of our goodies.

    Michael had his savoury pastrami and bechamel cheese pastry, which he loved, and I had a vanilla bean cream sandwich roll. It was soooo delicious. Not overly sweet, but with a beautiful note of vanilla, and a very crunchy roll to contrast the smooth texture of the cream.

    So munch munch we go. A baseball game is happening beside us, were getting so close to the castle, I'm happy as Larry munching away on my cream roll when suddenly, I hear a WOOSH, thick talons grip my fingers, feathers smack my head, and before I can even squeal, off goes my creamy delicious treat in the claws of a HAWK. Like, a big ass HAWK. Michael looks up, and away it flies, creamy delight in its grip.

    So yeah. That happened. And now I have no cream sandwich. Rude.     Czytaj więcej

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  • Shalee GherbazJapan 2026!Podróżnik

    Yuri On Ice Pilgrimage

    8 marca, Japonia ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    This post is for my reflections and snaps from the Yuri On Ice Pilgrimage.

    When designing this trip, as soon as I landed on going to Nagasaki due to the Chinese New Year, I knew that I had to visit the seaside town of Karatsu. Karatsu is the location that my favourite anime, Yuri On Ice, is based off. The main character, Yuri Katsuki, returns to his hometown of Hasetsu (aka Karatsu IRL) after a crushing defeat in the Grand Prix final. Dwelling on his loss, he ends up at the skating rink and runs through the current world champion, Victor Nikiforov's, freestyle routine, which his childhood friend films and uploads online and it goes viral. Victor, who is feeling uncertain about what to do next after just being the best and winning everything for so long, sees this video, is inspired, flies to Hasetsu, and demands to be Yuri's coach. The story then follows Yuri's journey with Victor through the next Grand Prix season and their blossoming relationship. It's my absolute favourite!

    So of course I had to come and see the places from the anime in person. In 2018, when I was in Taiwan, I was able to get some merch, including a keychain. I have held onto that keychain since then, and now, in 2026, have bought Yuri and Victor here with me.

    Michael was amazing today. We found scenes and images from the anime, and he meticulously recreated them with me. I'm super happy with how they turned out, given the animators took some creative liberties with perspective and removing certain things out of frame.

    The castle had some great cutouts and nods to the anime, despite the anime being over 10 years old. We even went out to the onsen that was included in the anime and bought sweets so that we could look at a bunch of donated Yuri on ice merch, posters, and signed stuff by the creators. And to top it off, I found a tiny bit of Yuri on Ice merch at the Karatsu BookOff to take home with me!

    It was a wonderful experience for me to get to do this. It's an experience I never in a million years thought I would be able to do. Thanks to Michael's immense desire to travel to Japan and my clever planning, I made it happen, and now I get to carry Yuri On Ice in my memories and mementos forever.     Czytaj więcej

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  • Shalee GherbazJapan 2026!Podróżnik

    Karatsu Castle and views!

    8 marca, Japonia ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    One of the perks of the Yuri On Ice Pilgrimage is that Karatsu is legit a stunning place to visit. This castle was amazing. It's up on a hill right by the seaside, and inside it is four stories of stuff.

    Two of the stories you can't take photos or videos in because it has a whole heap of original artifacts and history on the area, including incredible samurai armour (even cooler than the samurai museum), swords, knives, and large muscat guns, a range of China and porcelain wares, scrolls and letters, and a heap of info on the cultural history of Karatsu.

    The fourth floor is where all the Yuri on Ice stuff is, plus stuff for the "romancing" campaign going on right now for the region to encourage tourism, and then the top has an outdoor observatory that gives you 360 views of the whole area. And the view is stunning!

    Plus, the grounds themselves were well laid out, and I can imagine during their blossom season (the plums have well and truly blossomed in the south so the trees are bare) it would be super beautiful.     Czytaj więcej

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  • Shalee GherbazJapan 2026!Podróżnik

    Karatsu town exploration

    8 marca, Japonia ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    We wandered about 1.2km each way to get to Karatsu Castle. I saw a poster in a window with Ash from Pokemon in his XY/XYZ design which was so awesome! I also connected with a tea shop owner when ordering an iced hojicha. She was so lovely, and was so delighted to know I'd come all the way to Karatsu from Australia because of Yuri On Ice. It is very beloved there. Plus, she had a huge range of teas that were grown and made in Karatsu Given my hojicha slapped, I bought some green tea and some hojicha. The bags were super cheap too (around $5 each) so it was a score! Czytaj więcej

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  • Shalee GherbazJapan 2026!Podróżnik

    Secondhand Shopping BookOff & 2nd Street

    8 marca, Japonia ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    Michael suggested we hit up the BookOff and 2nd Street, as the images of the 2nd Street on google maps were showing that they had memorabilia and other stuff that wasn't just designer clothes and handbags.

    Well... We have learnt! When you go regional, you get a bargain! Gone were the luxury 2nd streets of the cities, and in were the bargains!

    I got my Yuri On Ice merch, a Shikamaru figurine (my fave character from Naruto Shippuden, an anime Michael and I both love) AND a super massive score... A Serena Pokemon Card Sleeve pack! This pack contains 64 sleeves to put your Pokemon cards in, and they all have Serena on them!!!! I can put her everywhere hahaha, as they are the same size as all of our credit cards/work access passes/pt passes, etc. and it only cost me $5! Stoked!

    But it gets better. 2nd Street had some absolute scores. We got 5 Naruto themed folder slips, which I want to use as placemats or frame and put on the walls at home, as well as super cool Naruto stat packs, which contained 12 separate Naruto characters. Then I found these plastic pop out mini stands of a range of Alice in Wonderland, Beauty and the Beast, and Star Wars characters (Michael will keep the Alice characters, I'll keep the Beauty and the Beast, and I'll give my brother Glen the star wars ones). I found a cute keychain as well, and to top it off, I found myself an AMAZING autumn/spring jacket/dress that has a very specific detail that I have been searching for for ages. We don't know what it's called, but it's like an old fashioned bell collar that runs down the arms and around the top half of the back. My boobs are a little big to button all the way up, but it looks great as an open jacket, and for $9... I wasn't letting this go!

    Michael also absolutely scored. He got a secondhand Sony 28-60mm full framed lens for $190. These lens' retail at over $600 new, and secondhand online for $400-$500, so between this lens and the other one, he's fully set now! Winner winner!

    We finished up super late in the afternoon, so we ended up having "lunch" around 4pm ish at a local fast food chain that does beef and rice bowls. They hit the spot! Then we got ourselves home via 90 min train, packed up our bags to be shipped off to Osaka, ate some chicken snacks from the local Lawson's, finished off our game we've been playing (Dispatch), and hit the hay!

    Overall, today was an amazing day, and we absolutely have loved our time on the southern end of the mainland Japan! Next stop... Onomichi!     Czytaj więcej

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  • Shalee GherbazJapan 2026!Podróżnik

    Early lunch in Hindori Shopping Arcade

    9 marca, Japonia ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

    We have comfortably arrived in Onomichi without any issues. The Shinkansen ran on time, and the local train was easy enough to navigate from Fukuyuma Station. We have chucked our backpacks in a coin locker for the day so that we can wander about freely without any luggage whatsoever, as our Airbnb is up on a mountainside and won't be available until after 4pm.

    We were pretty hungry, and so we've decided today is going to be an "early lunch, early dinner" kind of day, especially given there isn't much dining around our Airbnb. That way, we can just buy snacks to munch in the evening if we get peckish. We've stopped in our first destination of the day, Hindori Shopping Arcade. Like most of Asia, the Japanese sleep in, and so many things are closed, but we will duck back here to collect our backpacks later in the arvo and see them then.

    For now, we are cosied up in a small eatery having Onomichi Ramen sets. These sets come with a bowl of Onomichi Ramen (the local speciality), a bowl of fried rice, and a side of either karaage chicken or gyoza. We got one of each. Super yum across the board! The fried rice here tastes like the fried rice I grew up with in my hometown. It's amazing!! Also, the chicken pieces were huge. We ended up with leftovers, unable to finish our meals because of the size!     Czytaj więcej

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  • Shalee GherbazJapan 2026!Podróżnik

    Sakura in Onomichi!!!

    9 marca, Japonia ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

    Michael and I were walking along the hondori shopping arcade after doing some light shopping (I got some very cute socks in my autumn colours and a really cute hair tie with a crocheted flower on it) when I spotted a pink blossoming tree out of the corner of my eye along the shoreline. We weren't expecting plum blossoms here by the ocean of all things, so we went to check them out and see if it was just one tree.

    It was a row of them, and they were Sakura! In full bloom! We couldn't believe it! Sakura... In Onomichi?!?! What a score!

    We figured we would miss the Sakura season, which is why I did so much research into the plum blossom season. So to actually get to see them up close, and with such a beautiful contrast of the ocean was so cool.

    Plus, an elderly Japanese man came over to have a yap and offered to take a photo of us together. He said that we had come to Onomichi at the perfect time to see the Sakura strip, that Michael was a very handsome man, that he thought Michael's beard translated all over his body (cracking Michael and I up) and that we should pop out a baby because it would be extremely attractive given how attractive we both were. Which was so funny, because when I bought my socks from an elderly Japanese shopkeeper, she pointed out Michael's topknot to say that it was very well done and he was very handsome.

    The Japanese elderly think Michael is hot stuff, and I seem to get the giggles and the waves from Japanese young adults in their 20s in these more rural areas. People are very respectful and kind here in Japan. We haven't felt anything but warm hospitality. I think it helps that we have been quiet, calm, respectful and following all of their customs in return. And we've got a good handle on the five odd phrases we do know in Japanese, and we can tell that it's appreciated that we try.     Czytaj więcej

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