My wife and I just received our Schengen Visas today, and to help other Filipinos who would also like to visit the Schengen Area, let me share our experience getting it. We were planning to visit Austria and Germany in May so we figured two months before our planned trip would be a good time…
Category: Japan
Watching Pacquiao vs Bradley Match In Japan
On April 10th 11 AM Japan time (10 AM Philippine time). Pacquiao will fight his final match as a professional boxer. His opponent would be a familiar face, Timothy Bradley, with whom he has a 1 win 1 loss record. The question in the mind of most Filipinos in Tokyo would be where to watch…
Visit From A Policeman
The other morning while I was home alone, I heard the apartment doorbell ringing and when I checked the security camera, I saw a policeman waiting outside the building. Normally, I do not answer the doorbell if I’m not expecting a visitor or a delivery, but seeing he was a policeman, I answered and let…
Cannot Connect to bmonline.ph
Last time I went to the Philippine embassy to get my OEC, I was given this sheet containing a link to “www.bmonline.ph“. The lady advised me to start using this website as the embassy will soon stop processing manual applications and everything will be done online. Problem is, it seems I cannot connect to the…
Yellow Tokyo
The other day, I took a day off from work to run some errands, getting my OEC from the Philippine embassy, and renewing my Japanese International Driver’s License, both in preparation for my visit to the Philippines. The weather was amazing with clear blue skies, so I decided to bring my trusty camera with me…
Tokyo’s Most Famous Sisig
Over the weekend, the Filipino community of Tokyo converged at Yoyogi Park to celebrate the yearly Philippine Festival in Tokyo. Advertised highlights of the festival were Manny Pacquiao, Jolina Magdangal, Marvin Agustin, among others. We didn’t see any of them so we just settled for the food and the refreshing Filipino fiesta atmosphere. We arrived around noontime just…
Shioiri Waterfront Festival 2014
Shioiri Park will be hosting the Shioiri Waterfront Festival on the 13th of October 2014. See the poster below. Should be a great way for families to spend a day off from work.
Sumida Fireworks from Minami-Senju
Not known to many people but Minami-Senju also has great views of the Sumida Fireworks. People flock to the riverside to reserve spots from early in the morning. There are also several high-rise residential buildings that offer a clear view of the fireworks, with the Tokyo Sky Tree by its side. For this year, we…
Apple Flyover Map of Minami-Senju, Tokyo
Looks like Apple maps already has 3D flyover maps of Tokyo. Not exactly sure when this was added but it’s good to know the city I live in now has this feature. See the picture below of Minami-Senju. It looks like a real picture taken from the sky, except when in the app, you can…
OEC, Privacy and MTEC
Today, I went to the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo to get the OEC for my wife and myself. This process is straightforward, and is much much preferred than getting my OEC while in the Philippines, as any OFW can confirm. Getting the OEC I arrived there at 9:50 AM, signed my name and phone number at…
Blue Flowers of Ibaraki
While having lunch with friends from the office, one mentioned Hitachi Seaside Park (ひたち海浜公園) and how popular it is during spring time when the flowers are all blue. My wife and I have seen this place before during autumn, but considering how much she loves flowers, I figured it would also be good to take her…
Minami-Senju Primer
This is how the area near Minami-Senju station would look like from Apple Maps. The area to the right of the station is what many people would call the new Minami-Senju. This area was redeveloped about a decade ago, so you can see many new buildings, big parks, big condominium buildings, and shopping centers. This…
Enrico in Tokyo 