Discovering Asakusa in Tokyo, Japan

When I first went to Tokyo in 2010, I did plenty of research on where to stay, and, consistently, Shinjuku came out on top, with Ginza a close second for its proximity to Tsukiji Market and to high-end shops. I loved the energy of Shinjuku but we didn’t get to do our hotel booking early enough this time. We ran out of rooms in the places we were considering.

A store selling those popular rice crackers

I started looking for options in AirBNB. I opted out of Shinjuku because I was afraid we would end up at the red light district. I saw some promising apartments in Roponggi, Asakusa and Ginza. Mon, who lived in Tokyo for some time and was conversant in Japanese, said we were better off staying at either of the latter two neighborhoods.

We opted for the apartment in Asakusa because it looked really promising in pictures. The posting indicated that it could accommodate 10 people so there should be more than sufficient space for four. The first time I came to Tokyo, I stayed in a highly recommended hotel in Shinjuku where the room can hardly accommodate two people with luggage.

What a fantastic choice it ended up to be. We had a hard time getting our bearings from the Asakusa train station but once we figured out where we were supposed to go, transportation became less of a concern.

There's plenty of small, quaint restaurants but they fill up fast so come early and be prepared to wait

The historic district of Asakusa has a more traditionally Japanese atmosphere than other Tokyo neighborhoods. It has plenty of small, family-run restaurants and shops in narrow streets that are a pleasure to get lost in. It also has the oldest geisha district in Tokyo, although we didn’t see one during our stay.

Yuka’s Apartment turned out to be a great find because it’s right on the fifth floor of Rox 3G, which is one of three annex buildings of Rox, the only shopping mall you’ll find in the area.

The building and unit were both spotless. It must be obsessively cleaned because there’s not a spot of dirt even in the hard-to-scrub grout. The apartment was a great model of Japanese aesthetics—clean, well-structured, understated. I loved how storage is built into the walls, and how the different areas are partitioned with sliding doors so that you can enjoy the open structure and still have privacy when it’s called for. The entire place was equipped with necessities for cooking, bathing and cleaning, and stocked up with supplies including rolls of toilet paper, towels, beddings, etc.

Tokyo SkyTree

Senso-ji Temple

 From the balcony or through the glass doors of the living room, you can enjoy a view of the Tokyo SkyTree and Senso-ji temple. After an entire day of walking, we loved sitting together in front of the television with our munchies to relax. To get all that at half the price of a tourist hotel in Tokyo was a big stroke of luck.

One of the best things about it is its proximity to Nakamise and Shin-Nakamise Shopping Streets. Nakamise is lined with small vendor stalls selling items and local snacks. Shin-Nakamise or new Nakamise is a shopping arcade with interesting shops and restaurants. It runs perpendicular to the old shopping street. You can spend and entire day there because there’s plenty of interesting things to see.

Local snacks

I could spend all day sampling bites at Nakamise

A cluster of street-side bars where you can drink all night

Shin-Nakamise

Asakusa is small enough to discover on foot but if you don’t have enough time or want to discover the neighborhood comfortably seated on a high perch, book a rickshaw tour. Asakusa is the only place in Tokyo rickshaws are allowed to operate. Tours are offered in different languages.

One of the unexpected benefits of riding a rickshaw was getting an insider recommendation to a fantastic yakiniku place, which I will feature in the next post.

Must-Try Filipino Food: Teresita Razon's Halo Halo and Pancit Palabok

This is the refined (and arguably the best) version of what is typically an over-the-top Filipino dessert, the halo-halo. Teresita Razon’s take stays true to the original recipe of Lola Viring, one of three sisters who put up the original Razon’s in Guagua, Pampanga. Unlike common variants that are piled with beans, gelatin, jackfruit, banana, rice crisps, purple yam ice cream and other treats, Razon’s shaved ice dessert keeps it simple. Just macapuno, sweetened bananas, milk and two generous slices of homemade leche flan on top. Rich, refreshing, delicious. To get the real deal, make sure to visit

Another Teresita Razon specialty you must try is the pancit palabok (technically, pancit luglug because it uses the thicker round rice noodles instead of bihon or beehun). The vivid annatto-colored sauce is so thick it coats every string. The blizzard of ground chicharrón (deep-fried pork rinds) on top makes its way through every bite.

Domicillo in Tagaytay: A Room With A Perfect View

It was a five-day weekend, thanks to the visit of Pope Francis, my most favorite Pope of all time. I didn’t have any travel plans and was content to spend all those days getting my fitness regimen back on track and watching the Papal coverage on TV. But Anton of OurAwesomePlanet posted an entry on a new Budji-Layug-designed boutique hotel in Tagaytay called Domicillo. I am a fan of Budji, there were rooms available, Tagaytay was a quick drive, my friends were game to go, and the photos were beckoning me to come, and for all those reasons I went packing as expected.

Traffic flow was a breeze until we got to Nuvali where a fourth lane was starting to build in the two-lane road. We decided to make a U-turn before it was too late. For a moment I thought we would end up back in the metro but Mon suggested we try a different route recommended by Waze. The route got us to Domicillo in an hour or just a little over. Not bad!

We booked the Premier Lower Lake View room with a regular rate of P13,000+++ per night but currently at a discount to just a little over P9,000+++ while the hotel in on soft opening.

We were greeted by this view.



This bed spells vacation.



Other than the view and the bed and the cool concrete-and-wood interiors, this hotel rules in terms of location. It is a short walk to your sisigs and frapuccinos but is tucked further down from the road so that you can gaze at Taal from your balcony in utter peace and quiet.

For lunch, we walked to nearby Villa Ibarra, which offered its own enviable view of Taal – framed by white lace curtains and yellow blooms. It was lovely.

Villa Ibarra

Also near Domicillo is Qi Wellness where we booked massages upon sight of this. Imagine sliding into that Jacuzzi during magic hour. Unfortunately, we didn’t pack our swimsuits because it had been drizzling when we left Manila and our massages were scheduled at night. But we got the repose that we needed, and enough energy to drive to Army Navy for dinner and haul a few bottles of beer and vodka tonic from 7-11 for our nightcap.

The view from Qi Wellness

We were greeted by a downpour the next day, which made it difficult to get out of bed. I managed to drag myself to the deck for breakfast where the  staff prepared our food from a makeshift kitchen (the restaurant was still under construction). The bangus was worth getting up for. It also drove me straight back to bed for a nap before checkout time.

We thoroughly enjoyed our overnight stay at Domicillo. There were some hiccups as should be expected but nothing that cannot be addressed with proper training and some attention to detail. Here’s to name a few:

1. Make practical information available in the room. This includes how to adjust the shower temperature, what time breakfast is served, how to make local and international calls, a map of nearby establishments, etc.

2. At least for the most expensive rooms, supply robes, hangers, hairdryer, extra glasses and cups, and, if possible, a coffee maker. I loved that there were plenty of fluffy towels in the bathroom.

3. Provide turn down service with some niceties.

4. Make space for a cozy nook inside the room where guests can enjoy their breakfast and read a good book.

That said, Domicillo has the makings of a place I would love to visit again.

Domicillo Boutique Hotel, Km 58 General Emilio Aguinaldo Highway, Tagaytay City Telephone: +6346 413-3552, Mobile: +63922 884-1532

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