Peter Wik

Peter Wik has been traveling the world since childhood. He has visited over 60 countries and some of them up to a hundred times. Peter is the owner of Relasian Travel & Event based in Stockholm, Sweden but constantly on the road. Peter is a foodie and loves to try new food around the world. Here he shares his favorite gems from places high and low around the world to make you go local yet being global. Peter lives in Stockholm and Paris.

For contact please visit relasian.com

2013-04-25

Atelier Brancusi at Centre Pompidou, Paris, France

A hidden gem in the art world of Paris is the Atelier of the sculptor Brancusi. Brancusi that was born in Romania 1876 left his country for Munich but did not like it there so as he did not have any money he just walked to Paris were he stayed the rest of his life. He is famous for the shapes of birds, the egg/face and the pillars of eternity. As an old man he decided to give his 3 room atelier as a gift to the French state, the country that he loved. The Italian Architect Renzo Piano then made this building just outside the museum Centre Pompidou for this gift. Here you can see his great works and it is surprisingly few people here so it gives you a rather intimate feeling to it. Yet another must see in Paris!
The Atelier is open daily 14.00-18.00 except Tuesdays and located in front of the Centre Pompidou to the left!


2013-04-24

Pingyao, one of the best kept ancient cities in the world!

About 700 km from Beijing and 80 km from Taiyuan you find one of the best kept ancient cities in the world - Pingyao. This city dates back over 2700 years but had its glorious days durning the Ming and Ching dynasties. One of the few city walls from the 1400-th century China is still there and as you can see on this picture the city still has a great feeling to it. Pingyao was the financial centre of China during the Ching dynasty until last century when cities like Shanghai and Beijing took over. Here in Pingyao you can find old hostels to stay at as well as some cool boutique hotels. The city has about 450.000 inhabitants and 50.000 still live inside the city wall. This is a place to visit before the building boom of China reaches here as well. Take a train from Beijing to Taiyuan and then a bus to Pingyao.
Have a great stay!

2013-04-20

Tsujikura Lantern and Umbrella Shop, Kyoto

Wherever you walk in old Kyoto you find these beautiful lanterns outside the restaurants and shops and sometimes if you are lucky you see a geisha with a traditional Japanese umbrella in her hand, The manufacturer Tsujikura has been in business since 1590 and now the 18th generation is taking care of the production. So if you want to bring home one of these umbrellas or lanterns you should visit their store in central Kyoto next to the Takashimaya department store. It is located on the 7th floor of a modern dark gray building. They come in different prices and some at really good value. The ladies working there are so lovely too!
7F Tsujikura Bldg, Higashi-gawa Shijyo Noburu, Kawaramachi-dori, Tyukyo-Ku, Kyoto 604-80-26
Tel 075-221 4396
Open Thursday-Tuesday 11.00-19.00

2013-04-18

Matsumoto Castle, Japan

If you want to visit an original Castle in Japan one good option is to go to the city of Matsumoto. This castle is one of the four old castles in Japan that are considered national treasures. This castle is one of the few in Japan that is original and black in color. The Matsumoto Castle was built in 1592 and was used by 23 war lords over time. This is a great place to see how the construction of a castle was made and there is also a nice presentation of arms from that time.
Matsumoto is a 2,5 hours ride on the train from Shinjuku in Tokyo and then a 15 minutes walk from the JR station. The castle is open daily from 08.30-16.30 and the cost is 600 yen for adult and 300 yen for children. As you can see the Japanese Alps are around this city and from the top of the castle you have a great view over them.

2013-04-11

Sakaba Cassio Izakaya in Nakano, Tokyo

Izakaya Nakano
My friend from my time working at the Tokyo Hilton 1991-93, Cassio-san has opened a small Izakaya in Nakano not far from Shinjuku. This is one of these small nice drinking and eating places that for many people is difficult to enter when in Japan. Cassio-san as a previous restaurant manager at Tokyo Hilton speaks english and can therefor be your great host. To go there you take the Seibu Shinjuku line from Shinjuku och Takadanobaba. You take the local train and get of after a few minutes at Araiyakushi-Mae station. At the exit the restaurant is only 1 minute away. Gets busy after 21.30 and is open as long time as there are guests!
Sakaba Cassio, 1-2-20 Matsugaoka, Nakano-Ku. 03-6319-3492
At Isakayas in Japan you should both eat and drink!

2013-04-06

LOFT Stores in Japan

Loft Shibuya
If if you like shopping and have once been into a LOFT store you just have to go back every time you come to Japan. These stores sells every little gadget or thing you can just imagine. They are big in stationary, make-up, travel gears and every little imaginable thing for your home you can think of. LOFT stores are to be found all over Japan but you have a big one in Shibuya in Tokyo and one just on Kawaramachi in Kyoto. If you enter LOFT, I promise you will be just another person that walk the streets of Japan with a yellow LOFT bag. 

2013-04-04

Katsukura, Tonkatsu in Kyoto, Japan

Tonkatsu Katsukura
Tonkatsu is a very popular Japanese dish that consists of panfried pork cutlet, pork filet or prawns. You eat is with cabbage, rice and miso soup together with delicious sauces. Katsukura is a chain of Tonkatsu restaurants in Kyoto. The quality is good and the price is low. This shop can be found at Shijo, Higashi To-In around the corner from Daimaru departmentstore and Armani Excange. No reservations can be made but the phonenumber is 075-221-4191 if you need directions for your taxi driver.

2013-04-03

Where to eat Okonomiyaki in Hiroshima!

ASSA Shopping Center Okonomiyaki
The city of Hiroshima is famous for a dish called Okonomiyaki, You can have it in Osaka and in other cities all over Japan as well, but it's origin is from Hiroshima and Osaka. There are many places in Hiroshima to eat this food. It's good value for money and you can have a full meal for under 1000 yen. Okonomiyaki is called a Japanese pancake or a Japanese pizza. I would say that it is not anything like that. It made of egg, flower, cabbage, bacon, sometimes seafood, bonitoflakes and topped with a sweet sauce. It must be tried and a good place to eat this is at Hiroshima Station Building on the 2nd floor of the ASSA shopping center. Here you can find a lot of small Okonomiyaki shops and one of the most famous were people line up is the Reicyan that you can see on the picture. Enyoy your meal!