The first time I saw a complete Japanese Sumo match was on the TV at one of the train stations at a rural Hokkaido town on my last Japan trip. It lasted for about four seconds. Despite the gruesomeness, Sumo wrestling is utterly fascinating. A peek into the multi-layered Japanese culture. I truly hope…
Keep ReadingAn authentic rural Hokkaido breakfast is known to be more seafood-based and usually boosts the local agricultural produce. I recently had the privilege to try the authentic Hokkaido breakfast during my Japan trip. Hokkaido Breakfast Set A typical set of Hokkaido breakfast includes slightly sticky rice, half-boiled Tamago (egg), miso soup, lightly grilled salmon,…
Keep ReadingI admire and look up to seasoned solo female travellers. That being said, I am here to confess that: I don’t like solo travelling. The realization should have come much sooner when I spent a miserable winter in Beijing (except when I ate delicious spicy Chinese food there) and hastily declared I was done…
Keep ReadingHave you seen a Marimo before? Marimo, scientifically known as a seaweed ball, is a type of sea plant found in the northern hemisphere that can grow in size over time. It’s a perfect house plant/pet due to its cute ball-like form and simple growing ability with little care. Marimo at Lake Akan Lake Akan,…
Keep ReadingIt wasn’t even 8 AM yet and it didn’t take a genius to realize why I needed to queue for more than two hours just to stand in front of Sushi Dai at Tsukiji Fish Market and stare at people eating sushi. The famous Japanese Sushi restaurant is the same size as my room…
Keep Reading“All the Japanese food I ate on my Japan trip has been amazingly delicious. It doesn’t matter whether it’s in a hole in the wall restaurant or inside top to bottom glass doors restaurants; something I bought from 7-11 or vending machine“, I tried to convince Fafa to book a table at Jiro Sushi…
Keep ReadingI flew to Japan last Saturday with my best friends. My second Japan trip, to fulfil the pact we made at the airport three years ago, to come back again because it’s JAPAN! I dislike repeating things and for someone who hasn’t seen much of the world and with limited work leave, I shouldn’t…
Keep ReadingToday is the last day of my second Japan trip and has shaped up to be one of my most memorable travel tales. I have had too many first-time experiences jam-packed into the day before even 9 AM. This is the story of how I ended up eating sushi for breakfast at the world-famous…
Keep ReadingVisiting Shibuya means walking on the iconic Shibuya crossing. The world’s busiest pedestrian crossing, the Shibuya crossing is a quirky thing to tick off of the Tokyo travel list. I expected to see some weird shenanigans while walking on the Shibuya crossing. But instead, rushing among thousands of strangers, I felt overwhelmed. I chalked it out as a dehydration…
Keep ReadingShinjuku at night was busier and livelier than Shinjuku during the daytime. There was a 7-11 below the hotel so I got my goodies for the night, including various Onigiri, random coffee cans and a bottle of wine and went back to the hotel.…
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