Bantog Backpackers

Saturday, March 9, 2024

Akihabara is known as the epicenter of Japanese otaku goods. A destination for anime, manga, and video games fans. But prior to that, Akihabara was previously famous for cheaper electronics and its original name is "Denki-gai" or Electric town.

You can get to Akihabara through Metro's Hibiya line, JR Yamanote Line, Sobu Line, and Keihin-Tohoku Line. We stayed in Asakusa and by commuting, you'll be there in 20 minutes. We always get to Akihabara by walking, ahahah! It is exactly 3.9 kilometers from our hostel, Sakura Hostel. We went here twice, one is daytime and the next visit is night time, both fabulous!

My 5 J's

otaku goods sold at Radio Kaikan building

Radio Kaikan is one of the most famous location in Akihabara. It is an eight storey commercial building selling otaku goods.

Radio Kaikan's exact location is 1-Chome-15-16 Sotokanda, Chiyoda City, Tokyo 101-0021

Radio Kaikan building in Steins Gate

anime location from https://japantour.xyz/2019/09/27/akihabaras-real-life-anime-locations/#google_vignette

Akihabara at night

Places to visit in Akihabara:

1. Kanda Myojin Shrine

2. Radio Kaikan

3. Mandarake

4. A visit to Maid's Cafe

5. 2k540 Aki-Oka Artisan

6. Super Potato

7. MI5 naughty shops

8. Hijiri Bashi Bridge

9. Kanda River

10. Akihabara 48 Theater

Saturday, March 2, 2024

Ueno is located at the north-east of the city center in the Taito district, also famous for being the Tokyo's gateway to the north.

How to get to Ueno Tokyo?

Access Ueno station by taking the Metro Ginza and Hibiya lines. You can also get here by train thru Keisei line and by JR Shinkansen trains.

Ueno is famous for its museums like the Tokyo National Museum, National Museum for Western Art, Tokyo Metropolitan Art and the National Science Museum. It is also Tokyos' most popular leisure district. Ueno is also home to Ueno Zoo, a 14.3 hectare zoo, Japan's oldest zoo that opened in 1882.

Looking for cheap but quality and branded clothes, face care products, shoes, souvenirs, accessories? Then you must visit Ueno. Type Ameyoko shopping street on google map and in here you'll find a huge area of street filled with all sorts of merchandise, with more than 400 stores. It is also an area with lots of restaurant and drinking places.

We got our authentic and legit Adidas and Reebok shoes from 2400 yen to 4800 yen (Php900 to Php1800) and our adidas cap for 1600 yen and NY cap for 4200 yen less 10% and another less 20% for following their instagram page and another less 10% if you meet their promo of buying 5 items in one transaction. How cool is that?

Ueno is an easy access to Akihabara. You can walk here by foot in just ten (10) minutes. We rented a place in Asakusa, and we went to Ueno three times just by walking. Ueno is also an easy access to Shibuya, Shinjuku, Hibiya park, Ginza, Sensoji temple, and Nakamise Street

Saturday, February 24, 2024

The Centraal Station is named as the most beautiful not just in Europe but in the whole world. The Centraal Station is designed by Architect Louis Delacenserie and constructed from 1895-1905. Architect Delacenseria took his inspiration from the Pantheon of Rome and also from the Swiss station of Lucerne. It was known also as the Railway Cathedral and inaugurated on August 11, 1905.

The station has four floors/levels and fourteen (14) tracks. It has eight (8) towers and a number of decorations with a golden color. The canopy has a length of 186 meters and width of 66 meters.

The station has been renovated and was led by Architect Jacques Voncke, and commissioned by Eurostation in 2009 still preserving its architectural treasure while drastically increasing capacity and modernization of passenger facilities.

Top routes in Antwerpen Centraal are Antwerp to Brussels airport, Antwerp to Amsterdam Schipol airport, Antwerp to Brussels Midi, Antwerp to Rotterdam, Netherlands, Antwerp to Amsterdam Centraal and Antwerp to Charleroi Sud.

Julia with Tito Raymond

The Centraal Station is exactly located in Koningin Astridplein, next to Antwerp Zoo and Diamond Quarter.

The top ten attractions in Antwerp are:

1. The Centraal Station

2. MAS Museum where you can see the whole of Antwerp

3. Het Steen

4. Vlaeykensgang, a hidden alley, type "Oude Kornmarkt 16" on google map and it will take you here

5. Cathedral of Our Lady and in front of it is the Nello and Patrasche statue

6. Zoo Antwerpen

7. Grote Markt

8. Plantin Moretus Museum

9. Red Star Line Museum

10. St. Paul's Church

The Louvre or the Louvre Museum is one of the largest, oldest and most impressive museum in the world. It is a central landmark of Paris. Louvre is famous for its iconic pieces like the Monalisa, Winged Victory of Samothrace and the Venus de Milo. It has an immense collection of artworks.

How to get to The Louvre?

If you're going to use the public transportation, going by metro is one of the most recommended options. Go to line one (1) or seven (7) as both arrive at Palais Royal Musee du Louvre station.

Paris is the world's most visited destination. Paris' Eiffel Tower and The Louvre ranks first globally in 2022 and nationally in 2023. The Louvre Museum houses 380,000 objects and displays and 35,000 works of art in eight curatorial departments. Most artifacts are of French and Renaissance art masterpieces and also from Rome and Egypt. During the French Revolution of August 10, 1793, The Louvre Museum was opened with 537 paintings. Most of the displayed works came from royal family and church confiscations. There are more than eight million visitors who pass through halls of Louvre. The museum is so huge and measures 200,000 square meters. It opens from 9am to 6pm and closes every Tuesdays and important holidays. The admission ticket costs 17 euro.

After visiting The Louvre, The Tuileries Gardens is a perfect location to relax and appreciate the beauty of Paris. It is a nice garden to walk around but can be crowded most of the time. Entrance is free.

Visit the top attractions in Paris.

1. The Eiffel Tower

2. Arc de Triomphe

3. Louvre Museum

4. Disneyland Paris

5. Notre dam cathedral

6. Montmarte and Sacre Coeur

7. Palace of Versailles

8. Luxembourg Park

9. The Pantheon

10. Moulin Rouge

Sunday, February 4, 2024

Antwerp is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. Antwerp gained fame as the center of the diamond industry and its legacy for its fine arts.

Belgium as a country is famous for its Belgian beers, Belgian waffles and Belgian chocolates.

Belgium has three (3) official languages: Dutch (Flemish), French and German. It also has three regions through Constitutional reforms in 1970s and 1980s, a compromise designed to minimize linguistic and cultural stress. The three regions are Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels.

The five Flemish provinces includes Antwerp, Limburg, East Flanders, Flemish Brabant, and West Flanders.

Wallonia has five provinces namely Walloon Brabant, Hainaut, Liege, Luxembourg, and Namur.

Brussels, the third region, functions as a Single capital region administration.

Grote Markt

Belgium's official name is Kingdom of Belgium. Belgium is a constitutional, hereditary and known monarchy. The Kingdom of Belgium has a king and queen. King Philippe and Queen Mathilde married in 1999 and have four children namely Princess Elisabeth, Prince Gabriel, Prince Emmanuel and Princess Eleonore.

In Belgium, the king has limited power. Parliament and Prime Minister is voted by the public since Belgium is a democratic country.