Saturday, 6 December 2014
Moomin cafe opens in Hong Kong
Japan's Moomin Cafe has opened a branch in Hong Kong. Solo diners can share the table with the characters at Moomin Cafe. 
The cafe is inspired by the stories of Moomins, the hippo-like creatures created by Finnish artist and writer Tove Jansson. 
A giant Moomin will be making visits to the cafe in the following weeks of the opening. 
The cafe has a capacity of 73 people, plus assorted Moomin characters. 
The reckless Little My is one of three additional characters exclusive to the Hong Kong cafe, along with Hattifatteners and Snufkin. 
Far left: creamy Hattifattener-shaped cheesecake with fresh fruit and custard sauce. Top: Venison stew. Bottom: Hattifattener plate with chicken tomato ragout. Drinks: Moomin character lattes 
Moomin house pancakes are a signature dish in the cartoon as well as a favorite of the cafe's director, Mickey Kera. The pancakes are are served with three desserts hidden in the three-story tower. 
The Moomin pancake house is available at the souvenir shop along with Moomin family pasta and mugs. 
The Moomin cafe and souvenir store is located in Hong Kong's Harbor City shopping mall. There will be a separate pop up store in the mall until January 2015. - Japan's Moomin cafe opens in Hong Kong where diners can sit with stuffed animals when dining
- The Moomin cafe made to look like a Finnish house and garden in one of Hong Kong's busiest malls
- Nordic foods include venison stew, salmon milk soup and piirakka
- This year marks the 100th birthday of late Moomin creator, Tove Jansson
(CNN) -- No need to worry about dinner conversation in this cafe, your meal buddy may not be able to speak -- or move, or eat.
Hong Kong's latest eatery, the Moomin Cafe, features Nordic cuisine and a host of stuffed dining companions to help banish the loneliness of solo diners.
It's the first overseas venture for a concept that's already proved a hit in Japan.
The Moomin Cafes are inspired by popular Finnish stories that depict the whimsical adventures of a family of white hippo-like characters and their friends.
The Moomins was first published in 1945 in Finland but came to global attention after the creation of several television series, the most popular in the 1990s.
Tokyo's first Moomin Cafe opened in Tokyo in 2003. Since then, three more have opened and six Moomin-themed coffee stands.
The timing of the Hong Kong cafe's opening could not be better -- this year marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Moomin creator, Tove Jansson (1914-2001).
Japan's original Moomin Cafe has been operating for over a decade, but its popularity only exploded earlier this year after its "
MORE: Quiet success of Japan's Moomin cafe
Plush creatures
To save its lone customers from the awkward perils of solo dining, a plush Moomin character is brought over to the table as dining companion.
"I thought if people can stay and sit with Moomin characters like Moominmamma and Moominpappa (parents in the Moomin family), it'd be more interesting," says Mickey Kera, who came up with the cafe concept.
But Hong Kong's single diners may have to fight for an adorable meal buddy.
"Unlike Japan's anti-lonliness cafes, Moomin characters will be placed at various tables and joining a Moomin character will be up to luck," says cafe spokeswoman Cindy Wu.
Wu says the Hong Kong location will have three additional characters not featured in the Japanese outlets: Hattifatteners, Little My and Snufkin.
READ: All by my selfie! Blogger shows how to take travel photos with an imaginary girlfriend
Bringing Finland to Hong Kong
Though originating in Japan, the Hong Kong cafe tries to reflect Finnish lifestyle and cuisine.
The Tsim Tsa Tsui venue is designed to look like a tradition Finnish house, with photographs of Finland and hand drawn artwork of Moomins.
"I love the venison soup stew, salmon milk soup and Jansson's temptation (baked potato with caramelized onion gratin), which are traditional Nordic dishes," says Kera.
"I really want to introduce Moomin and Finnish lifestyle to Hong Kong people."
The cafe also serves Finnish traditional bread called Piirakka and Scandinavian salad with pickled herring, as well as a Nordic dish of salmon with goat cheese and basil.
MORE: Cat-ching! Cat cafes take over world
Exclusive only in this cafe
The Hong Kong restaurant features dishes not available in Japan, such as Moomin House Pancakes -- an impressive stack drizzled with cream and accompanied by a three-story ceramic Moomin house containing custard pudding, chocolate mousse and mango jelly.
Sadly, you don't get to take the Moomin house home,but diners ordering the Souvenir Mango Cup Pudding are allowed to keep the mug used to serve the dessert.
In addition to the Moomin pancake house, coffee mugs and Moomin-shaped pasta are available at the souvenir store.
Moomin Cafe Harbour City , LCX, Ocean Terminal, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong; +852 2730 0963; open daily 11 a.m.-11 p.m.
A separate pop-up store will open until January 4, 2015.
The world's coolest city golf clubs
Steenberg Golf Club in Cape Town has the largest green in Africa -- a 76-meter beast on the 14th hole with a hazard designed to resemble the mountains in the background. 
Baseball player and Minnesota local Joe Mauer and Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz both learned to play at the Highland National Golf Course in Saint Paul, Minnesota. 
Abu Dhabi's Yas Links is the first Middle East golf course designed by course architect Kyle Phillips. Completely built on reclaimed land, the course has fantastic views and a variety of challenges. 
New Orleans' 18-hole Audubon Park Golf Course opened in 1898 and can be accessed via streetcar. 
You'll go on a mini safari while playing at Nairobi, Kenya's Windsor Golf and Country Club. Monkeys and an array of birds are common sights. 
Not for beginners, the Royal Melbourne is the oldest golf club in Australia. Its notorious hazards include vast expanses of tea tree scrubs and cavernous bunkers. 
At the Golf Lounge Hamburg, the focus is very much on perfecting your swing. You can use the Golf Lab to improve your technique or swing away any work stress at the driving range. 
San Diego's 18-hole Del Mar Country Club golf course is located in the heart of a beautiful private development that's home to celebrities such as Bill Gates. 
This spectacular 27-hole golf course is the first in south Asia designed by Jack Nicklaus. The course is made up of three smaller courses -- the Canyon, Ridge and Valley courses -- which can be played individually or together. 
Games often extend well into the night at this nine-hole Canadian golf course within Whitehorse's city limits thanks to summer midnight sun.
According to his former advisers, Kim Il-Sung scored countless hole-in-ones at the Yanggakdo International Hotel golf course in Pyongyang, North Korea. The course was recently torn down. - Minnesota's highland National Golf Course has a Snoopy-shaped 15th hole
- Golfers can check out monkeys and an array of birds while playing at Nairobi's Windsor Golf Hotel and Country Club
- Summer games at Canada's Meadow Lake Golf Course can extend into the night thanks to the midnight sun
(CNN) -- Are you the kind of person who likes to squeeze in a quick round of golf in between business meetings?
You're in luck if you happen to be heading to one of these cities for your next work trip.
From pro-designed courses to holes inspired by Snoopy, these urban fairways prove that you don't need to go on vacation to experience some challenging, beautiful greens.
Steenberg Golf Club (Cape Town, South Africa)
Located in the beautiful Steenberg wine estate just 20 minutes from the city center, this 18-hole course has several unique features, including the largest green in Africa.
You'll find the 76-meter (249 feet) beast on the 14th hole. It also has a rather unusual hazard -- a mound of greenery shaped to resemble the mountains in the background.
"Steenberg is a wonderful golf club," says Francois Pienaar, keen golfer and former captain of the South African rugby team.
"The course is an absolute pleasure to play and a nice challenge for the amateur."
Steenberg Golf Club , Steenberg Estate, Steenberg Road, Cape Town, South Africa; +27 21 713 2221
Highland National Golf Course (Saint Paul, Minnesota)
Our favorite bit of the 18-hole Highland National golf course?
The Snoopy-shaped 15th hole, which is a tribute to Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz, who learned to play golf here.
The course reopened in 2005 after extensive refurbishment and is ripe with history -- baseball player and Minnesota local Joe Mauer is another golfer who learned to play at Highland.
Highland National Golf Course , 1403 Montreal Ave., Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States; +1 651 695 3774
Yas Links (Yas island, Abu Dhabi)
Located next to Yas Island's marina and only meters from the Grand Prix circuit, this 18-hole golf course is built entirely on reclaimed land -- the product of two million cubic meters of dredged sand.
It took two years to build and is the first Middle East course designed by renowned course architect Kyle Phillips.
"I love Yas Links for the fantastic views and the variety of challenges it presents," says Yas Links men's captain, James Duggan.
"Each hole is different and all are memorable, but the final stretch from 15 to 18 embeds itself in the memory forever. The windy par 3 17th hole has to be regarded as the signature hole and the tricky Par 5 18th has wrecked many a good golf card!"
Yas Links , Yas island, Abu Dhabi; +971 2 810 7777
Audubon Park Golf Course (New Orleans, Louisiana)
New Orleans' beautiful 18-hole course, which opened in 1898, is the only one in the United States that can be accessed via streetcar -- in this case, the New Orleans streetcar, which was recently named a national landmark.
"It's the course of the future,'' says Stan Stopa, who's been Audubon's golf pro for the past 32 years.
"While it's shorter, easier to navigate and plays faster, it's still a challenge. You can use every club in your bag."
According to a popular urban legend, the rock on the 18th fairway is a meteor.
In fact, it's a chunk of iron ore that was on display during the 1884-1885 World's Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exposition, which took place on what is now the golf course.
Audubon Park Golf Course , 6500 Magazine St., New Orleans, Louisiana; +1 800 774 7394
Windsor Golf Hotel and Country Club (Nairobi, Kenya)
This urban golf course, which is one mile above sea level, includes incredibly varied terrain and winds through Nairobi's coffee farms and indigenous forests, although course designer Tom Macauley claims that Scotland's famous Gleneagles course was his inspiration.
"What makes the course unique is the fact that it's carved out of a tropical rainforest," explains local golfer Mike Macharia.
"In a typical round, one encounters monkeys, an array of birds and the occasional dik dik (small antelope). My favorite hole is number 14, which is designed to wind round like the river below it. You can choose to play your ball then go over the river or simply meander your way around it."
Windsor Golf Hotel and Country Club , Kigwa Road, Ridgeways off Kiambu Road, Nairobi, Kenya; +254 722 203 361
The Royal Melbourne Golf Club (Melbourne, Australia)
The Royal Melbourne is the oldest golf club in the country, but the course isn't for beginners -- the maximum handicap to play is 27 for men and 36 for women.
US Golf Digest ranked the course as one of the top 10 in the world and it's the only course outside the U.S. to be selected by the PGA tour to host the Presidents' Cup more than once.
Its notorious hazards include vast expanses of tea tree scrubs and cavernous bunkers.
The Royal Melbourne Golf Club , Cheltenham Road, Black Rock Victoria, Australia; +61 3 9598 2600
Del Mar Country Club (San Diego, California)
This year, San Diego's 18-hole Del Mar Country Club golf course dropped its members-only policy and is opening its doors to the public for the first time.
The course is located in the heart of a beautiful private development home to celebrities such as Bill Gates.
We recommend the "after dark" golf events, which include putting competitions with glow-in-the-dark balls.
"Playing Del Mar Country Club is a real treat," says keen local golfer Ryan Hyslop. "It's beautiful and challenging, and you get a different experience every time you play. The course is always in fantastic condition -- I never miss an opportunity to play there."
Del Mar Country Club , Rancho Santa Fe, California; +1 858 759 5500
Meadow Lake Golf Course (Whitehorse, Canada)
Why let the sun dictate the length of your game?
At this nine-hole Canadian golf course, located within Whitehorse's city limits, games in summer often extend well into the night, thanks to the famous midnight sun, and tee times regularly start at 9 p.m.
"Meadow Lakes is an incredibly scenic course, set in natural surroundings with the best greens in Yukon," says local golfer Denny Kobayashi. "It's locally-owned and operated and the views of the Yukon River Valley are extraordinary."
Meadow Lake Golf Course , Alaska Hwy, Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada; +1 867 668 4653
Golf Lounge Hamburg (Germany)
This urban golf spot might not have meandering fairways or beautiful water features, but the focus at the Golf Lounge Hamburg is very much on perfecting your swing.
There are 40 covered, heated tee boxes spread over three levels, which makes it one of the few golf options where bad weather won't spoil your fun.
There's a high-tech Golf Lab where players can learn how to improve their technique with the help of radar-enabled technology, and a Putt Lab, where 2,500 sensors analyze every aspect of your swing.
Afterwards, golfers can practice what they've learned on a nine-hole putting course.
Golf Lounge Hamburg , Billwerder Neuer Deich 40, Hamburg, Germany; +49 40 819 78 79 0
ITC Grand Bharat golf resort (Delhi, India)
The spectacular 27-hole golf course at the newly opened ITC Grand Bharat, on the outskirts of Delhi, is the first golf course in south Asia designed by Jack Nicklaus.
The course is ideal for players of all abilities because it's actually made up of three shorter nine-hole courses -- the Canyon, Ridge and Valley courses -- which can be played individually or together.
ITC Grand Bharat golf resort , Village Dadu, Tehsil Tauru, Manesar, Gurgaon, India; +91 1267 285 500
Yanggakdo International Hotel golf course (Pyongyang, North Korea)
We couldn't sign off without paying tribute to what was once the world's most bizarre inner-city golf course -- the Yanggakdo International Hotel golf course in Pyongyang, North Korea, where (at least according to his former advisers) the country's late leader Kim Il-Sung scored countless hole-in-ones.
The course was located on the same island as the hotel it was named after, which was one of the few hotels in which foreign guests could stay.
Hotel and course were knocked down without warning last year and although we're not sure what will replace it, there are sure to be many golfers out there who would've loved the bragging rights offered by playing this one.
Hidden world of Japan's art island
- The remote island of Naoshima in the Seto Inland Sea is a high-end art destination
- Tadao Ando designed hotels and underground museums to showcase art in remarkable ways
- Nearby islands of Teshima and Inujima are part of Benesse Art Site Naoshima
Editor's note: CNN's On the Road series brings you a greater insight into the customs and culture of countries across the world. Until mid-December CNN International explores the places, people and passions unique to Japan. Read CNN's special reports policy.
(CNN) -- A remote island with stunning underground architecture.
A massive crypt lined with copper bars, a colossal sphere at its center.
Mazes made of stone that lead from one underground chamber to another, each differing in shape and size.
I didn't expect my visit to the Japanese "art island" of Naoshima to remind me of the world of Myst, the computer game I played as a child.
It's been more than a decade since I played the game, but that strange, beautifully desolate island and the eerie feeling of wandering around it alone have stayed with me.
Exploring Naoshima's underground galleries, I was reminded again and again of Myst's mysterious mechanical structures, right down to the discovery of "puzzles" that visitors are meant to figure out on their own.
Magnificent architecture
The small island of Naoshima is a startling art and architecture destination, with architect Tadao Ando serving as the creative director. Among many unusual museums and hotel buildings on the island is the Benesse House Oval (pictured), a six-room hotel accessible only to Oval guests by monorail. 
The nearby islands of Teshima and Inujima are continuations of the Benesse Art Site Naoshima project. 
Architect Ryue Nishizawa designed the underground Teshima Art Museum in the shape of a drop of water. 
Naoshima is reached by ferry from the ports of Uno and Takamatsu. The southern side of the island is studded with sculptures, such as George Rickey's kinetic "Four Lines" (pictured), and stunning architecture set against a beautiful sea backdrop. 
Pop art precursor Yayoi Kusama, who's often credited with influencing Andy Warhol, was commissioned to create "Pumpkin" for Naoshima. The sculpture has become a Naoshima icon, and smaller stone imitations are found dotted around the island. 
Staying at Benesse House -- four buildings designed by Tadao Ando that combine museum and hotel -- is a crucial part of the haunting Naoshima experience. 
Adhering to his principle of designing buildings that follow the natural forms of landscapes, Tadao Ando's buildings on the island blend into or are built into the earth, some of them opening up to the sky. The Chichu Art Museum (pictured) is a prime example. 
The underground Chichu Art Museum houses surreal exhibition spaces that showcase art in unexpected ways. Photos aren't allowed inside the museum.
Located on the east side of the island in a former castle town, the Art House Project commissions artists to convert empty houses into works of art. 
Naoshima residents participated in artist Tatsuo Miyajima's conversion of this nearly 200-year-old house into an installation titled "Kadoya." As par of the installation, digital numbers flicker in darkness in "Sea of Time '98." 
Among delights of Naoshima are hidden venues that appear unexpectedly. The Lee Ufan Museum, yet another beautifully designed Tadao Ando structure, is almost entirely out of sight behind a nondescript wall and built into the earth. 
The remains of a copper refinery have been renovated for the Inujima Seirensho Art Museum. 
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Japan's hidden island of surreal art Some 3,000 islands dot the Seto Inland Sea of Japan, which separates Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu, three of the four main islands of Japan.
While many of those islands remain quiet and uninhabited, Naoshima has been turned into one of the most remarkable art and architecture destinations in the world.
Visitors often refer to it as "Ando Island," since most of the structures on the island were designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Tadao Ando.
A museum designed by and dedicated to the renowned architect is also located on the island.
READ: How (not) to drink the best whisky in the world
Naoshima's transformation into a unique art project began in 1987, when Soichiro Fukutake, the chairman of Fukutake Publishing, now known as the Benesse Holdings, Inc., purchased the south side of the island.
Enlisted by Fukutake to supervise development on the southern portion of the island, Ando went to work over the next two decades designing a hotel complex and museums.
Adhering to his guiding principle of designing buildings that follow the natural forms of landscapes, Ando's buildings on the island blend into or are built into the earth, some of them opening up to the sky.
'Perfect balance of light, sound, space, color'
Some of Ando's buildings became part of the Benesse Art Site Naoshima (BASN), which showcases major artworks acquired by the company over the past decades.
Since 1995, many of those pieces have been created specifically for the island.
That same year, the company established the Benesse Prize at the Venice Biennale, commissioning winners to create works specifically for BASN, which includes Naoshima and the nearby islands of Teshima and Inujima.
Just as the art has been designed for the island, the buildings that house the works have been designed to maximize the impact of the art.
MORE: The enchanting ancient forests of Japan's 'Eden'
Opened in 2004, the island's Chichu Art Museum showcases its collection in spectacular and unexpected ways.
In the museum's Claude Monet Space, a vast, pure white underground chamber is made up of hundreds of thousands of tiny stone tiles.
The dazzling while tiles perfectly show off the enormous blue and violet paintings on each wall. Visitors remove their shoes at the entrance and are given soft slippers.
When I visited, I was the only person in the room (not counting an attendant who stood in a corner as still as a sculpture).
The space gleams white from the natural light peering through a white stone ceiling.
It was the same everywhere I went on the island -- quiet, stupefying displays of beauty and art with breathtaking sea or landscapes in the background. Visitor numbers are restricted throughout the exhibitions.
"They've managed to create a perfect balance of light, sound, space, color and proportion, which makes the experience transcendent and unforgettable," says Rhea Karam, a New York-based fine arts photographer at work on a project inspired by Naoshima.
The same as I did, Karam found the Claude Monet Space a shock.
"Growing up in Paris, I was very familiar with Monet's work and accustomed to seeing it everywhere to the point that I wasn't particularly interested when I heard he was displayed in the Chichu Art Museum," says Karam.
"The unbelievable, almost holistic presentation of Monet's Water Lily paintings made me see them in a light I had never before experienced."
Where to stay, what to see
Limited accommodation on the island mean the number of visitors is limited.
While small inns have been cropping up on the island, a stay at the hotel Benesse House remains by far the best way to get the full Naoshima experience.
Comprised of four different lodgings (Museum, Oval, Park, Beach), the hotel's rooms all provide incredible views of the Seto Inland Sea and have beautiful art of their own. It's a bit like staying at a modern art gallery.
The standout is the breathtaking Oval (see gallery above), with its six rooms built around an oval pond.
Oval is connected to the Benesse House Museum by a monorail accessible only to Oval guests.
Benesse operates a free shuttle bus from Benesse House Museum to nearby Lee Ufan Museum and Chichu Art Museum.
The shuttle also runs to the more removed Honmura District, once a castle town, on the island's east side, where the Ando Museum and the Art House Project are located.
The former is a small museum designed by Tadao Ando featuring his architecture; the latter is a project that turns empty houses into works of art.
Visitors to the Honmura side can pick up a map from the Honmura Lounge, a visitor's center and gift shop, and take part in a treasure hunt around the old castle town to find the art projects hidden in century-old houses.
The nearby islands of Inujima and Teshima house continuations of the remarkable Benesse Art Site Naoshima project.
Naoshima is reached by ferry from the ports of Uno (near Okayama) and Takamatsu.
Benesse House , Gotanji, Naoshima, Kagawa; +81 87 892 3223; rooms range from ¥31,000/$300 (single room at Park) to ¥87,000/$854 (four-person suite at Museum or Park during high season). Only guests staying at Oval have access to Oval.
Chichu Art Museum , 3449-1 Naoshima, Kagawa; +81 87 892 3755; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. (last entry 5 p.m.), closed Mondays; ¥2,060 ($20); free for children 15 and under; annual membership ¥10,300 ($100); no photographs allowed
Lee Ufan Museum , 1390 Azakuraura, Naoshima, Kagawa; +81 87 892 3754; closed Mondays; ¥1,030 ($10); free for children 15 and under; annual membership ¥5,100 ($50); no photographs allowed
Benesse House Museum , Gotanji, Naoshima, Kagawa; +81 87 892 3223; 8 a.m.-9 p.m. (last entry 8 p.m.); ¥1,030 ($10), free for Benesse House guests and children 15 and under; no photographs allowed
Art House Project , Honmura, Naoshima, Kagawa; +81 87 892 3223, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m., closed Mondays; ¥1,030 ($10) for multi-site ticket (six art houses); no photographs allowed
Ando Museum , 736-2 Naoshima, Kagawa; +81 87 892 3754; 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m., closed Mondays; ¥510 ($5), free for children 15 and under; no photographs allowed
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