One more week, at the luxury hotel in Alicante Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa we are travelling around the Asian continent to discover another of its treasures. On this occasion, we are taking you to Japan to tell you about its famous Meiji Shrine.

Meiji Shrine or Meiji Jingu is the most famous Shinto shrine in Tokyo and one of the most popular Japanese ones. It is dedicated to the deified spirits of Emperor Meiji and his consort, Empress Shoken.

It was built in 1920 and completed in 1921, a couple of years after the passing of the emperor and the passing of the empress, in appreciation for the role the Emperor had during the Meiji Restoration.

The place chosen for its construction was an iris garden the Emperor and the Empress used to frequent. Covering an area of 700,000 square metres, the shrine is surrounded by a forest made from 120,000 trees of different species, adjacent to Yoyogi Park, in the heart of Tokyo.

The entrance to Meiji Shrine is marked by several huge wood and copper torii gate, which include a chrysanthemum flower figure, the flower that appears on the blazon of the Japanese Imperial family. The shrine consists of two different areas: the inner are or naien, where we find the shrine´s buildings and the Homotsuden, the Meiji Jingu Treasure House, which houses many curiosities of the Emperor and the Empress; and the outdoor area or gaien. At south end of the shrine we find the Inner Garden.

The shrine was rebuilt in 1958, right after the Second World War, after being destroyed by the bombs that fell on Tokyo during the war.

Meiji Shrine is a mandatory stop for any tourist visiting Tokyo: Enjoying its architecture, relaxing by walking through the forest paths, walking under a huge wood torii gate, washing hands on a temizuya fountain, throwing coins into the shrine´s offerings box, watching a Shinto wedding or getting a omikuji to know your luck.

The shrine regularly welcomes over three million visitors during hatsumode or the first Shinto shrine visit of the Japanese New Year.

During your visit to the luxury resort Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa you should enjoy a walk through the hotel´s lush tropical gardens blooming with flowers. Give a grand finale to an incredible experience in Southeast Asia in the Mediterranean.

It´s time to celebrate, and at the luxury hotel in Alicante Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa we are all set to welcome Christmas and the New Year. That´s why today we are travelling to China, specifically to Hong Kong, to enjoy it famous winter festival.

In winter, Hong Kong´s skyline dazzles more than usual, as the buildings are getting ready for Christmas. The beautiful Victoria Bay shines even with more glamour and the festive ambiance passes on both tourists and locals.

Hong Kong´s winter festival, known as Hong Kong Winterfest, is the centre of Christmas celebrations in Hong Kong. This is a popular festival, which fills the city with Christmas colours, lights and sounds. This past December 1^st, as every year, the lighting of the huge Christmas tree located in Statue Square, and built from 20,000,000 pieces of glass, kicked off this Christmas celebration, which lasts until January 1^st.

The festival includes a series of events sponsored by the Hong Kong Tourism Administration. Let´s go over the most important ones:

Hong Kong Pulse Light Show. This is the first festival of Hong Kong Winterfest. This is a multimedia performance with spectacular lighting effects and 3D projection mapping, music and sound effects at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Open Piazza. It projects from random geometric shapes to anime cartoons for the little ones. This is one of the most amazing shows performed during the Winterfest, the reason why it is performed three times a day, from November 25th to December 28th.

Xmas In The Air at Harbour City. This show consists of a giant Santa airship which is 20 metres long, 7 metres high and built of 2,000 blinking LED lights. This is the main attraction of Harbour City shopping mall. This shopping mall invites its customers to experience Christmas from the air at the Ocean Terminal terrace. It takes place from November 21^st to January 1^st.

Besides, other shopping malls also join Hong Kong Winterfest with sales before New Year´s Eve and many flashy ornaments. They dress up with Christmas balls and their facades light up with festive images.

The amazing Hong Kong´s bay has moved to the luxury resort in Alicante Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa to welcome the new year. Celebrate the most special night of the year in Southeast Asia in the Mediterranean.

Christmas is approaching, and at the luxury hotel in Alicante Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa we are getting ready to dazzle from the inside out. Today we are travelling from our Temple of Relaxation to Thailand to discover the different types of Thai massages. Are you joining us?

Thai massage is a millenary technique, which is applied all over the body, from head to toe. This is a stretching and deep massage.

Which are the different types of Thai massage?

Traditional Thai massage. This is the most popular Thai massage and also the most traditional one. It is known as the “Yoga massage”, and it is performed while you are fully clothed, usually on a padded mat on the floor. It combines acupressure and yoga techniques. It helps relieve joint, muscle and tendon tension. It also provides vitality and promotes complete relaxation.

Thai oil massage. This is a very smooth type of Thai massage applied with oils. It is much more relaxing than traditional Thai massage. It is performed on a traditional massage stretcher, with a towel over the body. Its function is stimulating through acupressure the meridian or energy lines of the body. Due to these aromatherapy oils, this massage improves blood circulation, softens the skin and calms the mind.

Thai pinda massage. This is a combination of traditional Thai massage and ancestral healing methods based on the application of plant pouches all over the body in order to make energy flow. Pindas (hot poultice filled with medicated herbs) allow acting onto the acupuncture points to relax the body. It relieves muscle and joint pain and improves blood circulation.

Thai foot massage. It consists of massaging the feet with massage oil applying pressure to specific areas of the soles of the feet, which correspond with different organs of the body. The pressure on these points release toxins and improve its functioning.

If you are planning on visiting us soon, we have a suggestion for looking stunning this Christmas: Getaway to the 5 stars resort in Alicante Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa + our 3 day-Dusit programme at the Thai Spa. Are you coming?

One more week at the luxury hotel in Alicante Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa we continue discovering new curiosities about the Asian continent. Today we are travelling to Japan to get to know more its gastronomy and fins out which are the main fish used in Japanese cuisine. Are you joining us?

There are several fish, which are considered very important in Japanese traditional cuisine. Do you want to know which are they? Keep reading!

Salmon. This fish is very popular in Japanese cuisine, as well as in Japanese restaurants worldwide. Besides its flashy orange colour, it is very valued due to its tasty flavour. Its fillets are the most used part of this fish, which is always a must sashimi ingredient.

Bluefin tuna. Considered sashimi king, besides being one of the main ingredients of any type of sushi, it develops a very important role in Japanese cuisine. The tuna belly, the tastiest part, is known as toro.

Butterfish. It is a must in the menu of any Japanese restaurant. This is a white meat fish and whose texture is soft and fatty, ideal to be eaten raw. It is a very common ingredient of nigiris.

Mackerel. Despite of being one of the cheapest fish, it is a delicious and very healthy one. Known as saba, Japanese restaurants serve it as an ingredient of sushi and sashimi, marinated in rice vinegar. Among the bluefish specie, mackerel is the richest source of omega-3.

Horse mackerel. Along with the mackerel, this is one of the most spectacular fish on sashimi preparation. It allows many cuts and its belly is a perfect ingredient for Hyoshiki-Giri, one of the main ways of cutting fish for sashimi.

If you are planning on visiting the luxury resort Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa, you have a mandatory stop in our Mediterranean restaurant Palapa, where you will be able to enjoy delicious rice with fish and seafood.