Don Don Donki's Baked Sweet Potato - Really Delicious @ Orchard Central [Singapore]

Unless you have a severe nose block, you would definitely catch a whiff of the unmistakable aroma coming from baked sweet potatoes on basement two of Orchard Central shopping centre and should you like the root vegetable as much as i do, you would follow that aroma. 

If there's a queue that snaked along the passage that connects Orchard Central to Centrepoint Mall, don't think too much on whether you can stomach a sweet potato and proceed to just join the queue! 

At S$2.80 a piece, it's not that expensive compared to what i had at a neighborhood stall (which had since closed down) and considering that the sweet potatoes were imported from Japan.

Don't be put off by the above sign as it's merely a 'strongly recommended' message; with cashless being the way to go in this country, not many people actually carry change and even if i have, i would prefer to feed my piggy banks. Nevertheless, be considerate and refrain from shoving a big note lah! 

Oh, apparently the price isn't always the same and depends on the law of demand and supply that's covered under basic economics; in December 2017, it's only S$2 apiece! 

The queue actually cleared quite fast since each customer can only purchase a maximum of 2 pieces! Do be mindful that there's limited number of sweet potatoes per batch (each machine can only churn out 30-40 pieces) and once you miss it, it's about an hour wait. 

I don't know why but i got two freshly baked pieces in the paper bag! They were hot; so exercise some patience in peeling off the skin of the sweet potato. p.s. it's quite easy to tear off the skin.

Holding it up like a drumstick, i noticed that it didn't have that moist, caramelized texture featured on the sweet potatoes that made me miss a heartbeat at Genting Highlands! 

Shortly after, i took a big chunk off the top and as i slowly chewed through the piping hot content; the sweetness intensified and i almost gave out a loud mmmmmm. I was impressed. 

There wasn't the cloying, sickening sweet taste and i actually managed to clean off the entire piece even though i just had a platter of chicken nanban and a plate of salmon belly kabayaki! I would have loved to start on the second piece but i am dead mindful of my weight. 

Sweet potato counter without the queue as the batch was already snapped up by the customers. As i found a seat near the queue to have my food, i can totally sense the disappointment of those who failed to get their hands on the popular product.

Next batch at 3.30 pm; this display was extremely helpful for planning purpose and on weekends, the queue would form way before the batch was ready.

The cartons of sweet potatoes from Japan; i am just wondering if i could get some raw ones as i thought they would make a good ingredient for my ondeh ondeh cupcakes! 

As you can see, the sweet potatoes were harvested from Donki's own plantations, which i assumed to be at Japan. Regardless of its origins, they were not exaggerating when they labelled the sweet potatoes as 'shockingly delicious'! 

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Location

181 Orchard Rd, Basement 2, Don Don Donki,

Orchard Central, Singapore 238896

Pricing

S$2.80 each

p.s. as i have indicated, i got two pieces in my bag; hence, it could be two pieces in one bag that cost S$2.80 or i am lucky to have been given two pieces instead of one. 

The Calm and Scenic Lake Toya @ Hokkaido [Japan]

It doesn't seem right for me to stay in Lake Toya without a longer glimpse of its beauty and so, i pulled Alex out of bed and drove out at about 7 am from Daiwa Ryokan when the lack of curtain forced me to wake up at about 4 am! 

Emptiness greeted us as the entire promenade was devoid of humans; guess most, if not all people were sleeping whereas dumb-assess like me were facing insomnia due to the bright morning sunshine. 

Cruise ship from the night before; the same one that's used to catch the daily fireworks show at night on Lake Toya. Oh wait, there's an uncle there! 

I actually had plans to visit Nakajima Island in the middle of Lake Toya but time wasn't on our time. Anyway, here's where i am going to pepper you with information about the caldera lake! 

It was formed about 110,000 years ago due to a volcano eruption with a maximum depth of close to 180 meter. Nakajima rose up from the middle of the lake about 40,000 to 50,000 years ago. Do thank Japan's Ministry of Environment for providing the information panel.

Mount Yotei from the lake! Don't recall what's that mountain? It's the source of ice cold spring water at Fukidashi Park! For more information, click here. 

Lonesome boat in the middle of the lake. 

The circumference of Lake Toya is about 43 kilometers and it's unfair if i didn't give it a different perspective; since i didn't want to drive too far along a boring highway, let's just check out the eight views of toyako! 

I have no idea where the eight views were although this location brings us much closer to the lake. If you wish, i believe you can play around with the water and get yourself soaking wet! 

We were not prepared and were happy to stand on rocks while marveling at the clear water and rocks covered with slippery moss. 

Did you see that building on top of the hill in the middle of the picture? Now, go check out the first picture of my fireworks post and you would notice a bright shimmer on the top left; think it's the same building. 

Boat rental service! More on that shortly.

Always curious to check out the living creatures in the lake in case there is a lake monster like the one at Loch Ness. Interestingly, there's a reported one in Hokkaido but not at Lake Toya; it's in Lake Kussharo and you may refer to here for more information. 

So many shrimps in the lake!

Sign on shore mentioning a fine or imprisonment for people who catch the crayfish in the lake. Hm... the shrimps would be okay right? Well, since we are foreigners, better don't play play. 

Think the butterfly is dead...

Looks a bit like tomatoes from one of the nearby bushes.

Nakajima Island from lakeside - notice any difference from the picture i shared earlier? Let's see if any one of you has hawk eyes to spot it! 

That island on the left is a separate isle and even though the name is known as kannon island, i am more intrigued by the Chinese translation; guanyin which is the name of a very popular bodhisattva! 

Edging nearer towards the boat rental area.

The speedboat by the pier can also be rented for around-the-lake courses! Cheapest was a 10-minute ride at about S$37.50 for two persons. I was more keen in route G which would have cost me close to S$170 for a 45-minute ride! 

Definitely cheaper to go with the pedal boat but i think i would be dead scared if i am stuck at the deepest part of the lake.

Nevertheless, the rental rate wasn't that cheap at 1,200 yen (30 minutes) for a two-seater pedal boat. Furthermore, it's still not open for business which means i can save some money! p.s. Alex has the tendency to go with such rides (evidence here at Taiwan's Yun-Hsien Park & Resort).

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Location

Lake Toya,

Hokkaido, Japan

Map

As above.

For our 8 days, 7 nights Hokkaido itinerary in summer, click here.

Sengen Park (Geyser) beside Takimoto Inn @ Noboribetsu [Hokkaido, Japan]

The good thing about modern technology is that searching for information is much more convenient nowadays and for a free and easy traveler, the use of google map is terribly helpful for planning! 

Before my Hokkaido trip, i was already wondering about this particular place i chanced upon at google map when i was searching for the route to Takimoto Inn, our accommodation in Noboribetsu. 

Sengen Park - interestingly as you can see, there were 8 over-sized spiked cudgels dotted over this tiny park and with each of them painted a different color, it's a visual attraction that beckons you to come nearer for a closer look.

In addition to the colorful cudgels, your eyes would also be mystified by the bursts of natural hot spring mist generated from the nearby Hell's Valley. 

If not for the fact that this is the main area of the onsen village with buildings all over, the loud cloud of steam would have generated quite a fright in the middle of the night for someone driving past the park! 

I believe there's some significance to the color for each of the cudgels and the above would have provided the required information if it's available in other languages like English. Anyway, i counted nine on the panel but there were only eight on site! Maybe the last one is the humongous cudgel in Dai-ichi Takimotokan. 

Remember what are those wooden tablets known as? Votive tablets and as with the one at Mt. Tengu, you can purchase, write your wishes and hang them up using the existing ropes circling the cudgel. 

For someone who is short (like me), i can only use the rope on the lower segment. I did regret not buying the votive tablet in noboribetsu as i could add on to the one i got in Mt. Tengu. 

Park is more a parade square than a park per-se as i tend to associate the former with tons of trees and maybe a lake. Whatever the case, i did notice a slight of staircase leading to what appeared to be a tunnel.

With hot mists gushing out at certain intervals, there's actually a fence to prevent anyone from climbing any further; obviously for safety reasons. 

The above is the reason why sengen park is also known as geyser park although i am under the impression that geyser is a lot more towering than the hardly 3-4 meters height that it's contained under. 

Clearer scene when the geyser is not in much activity; the mist continued to be generated even though it's in much lesser quantity.  

A helpful notice on the side shared that every three hours, the geyser would purge at least 2,000 liters of water of about 80 degrees celcius for about 50 minutes. Loud noise will be generated and it's supposed to eject up to 8 meters high! How to be 8 meters when the compartment is not as high?! 

The only cudgel with a child demon statue.

Aside from bearing the name of the park (in Japanese), the cudgel next to the adorable statue is for those who are praying for luck in studying. 

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Location

Noboribetsuonsencho, Noboribetsu, 

Hokkaido 059-0551, Japan

Entry Fees

Free

For our itinerary (8 days, 7 nights) to Hokkaido in summer, click here.