A physical copy of the Japanese version of Pokopia, a Pokรฉmon, held over a Pikachu suitcase.
I heard it was sold out in North America, so I managed to buy a copy of Pokopia before my flight out of Japan.
Also, there's more than one Pikachu in this picture. ๐
Yokohama's Cosmo Clock 21 ferris wheel, a day time shot.
Yokohama's Cosmo Clock 21 ferris wheel, a night time shot while it is lit up.
The streets of Shinjuku at night. There are many ads on large screens lighting up the area.
One of Tokyo's tallest buildings with a clock lit up at night.
And so, my first time in Japan has come to an end...
โข I got to see one of Japan's biggest ferris wheels in Yokohama. Bought a cloak there.
โข walked through Shinjuku
โข saw the Sky Tree again
So good..!
A tea set platter with snacks from Tokyo Tarako Spaghetti.
Windy sits at House of Herme, a fashion shop in Shibuya.
A sakura flavoured cup of coffee sits on a table, located in SYNdicate Cafe.
A somewhat symmetrical art installation above a staircase in Omotesando. Dramatically colourized.
โข enjoyed a lot of tarako pasta over several meals @ Tokyo Tarako Spaghetti, they have several locations and locals like it very much
โข bought clothes @ House of Herme and Harejp
โข coffee @ SYNdicate
โข explored Omotesando, Takeshita Street and the Shibuya's Tokyo Food Show
Windy models with her new... checks notes... "Final Fantasy XIV Orchestra Concert Moogle Conductor Plushie" Moogle. Proudly. In the bathroom. At 3AM.
Also, while en route through a metro tunnel to the restaurant, I somehow stumbled onto a Final Fantasy XIV pop up shop โ a MMO game I play!
I'm a minimalist (and therefore not a collector in the least), but of course I just had to get a musical Moogle plush...
Really, what luck I had today... ๐ฅฐ
Tokyo Tower ๆฑไบฌใฟใฏใผ stands lit up at night. A unique car drives on a winding road leading to the tower.
Windy stands in front of a window overlooking the streets of Tokyo city lit up at night.
Outside Zojo-ji Temple ๅขไธๅฏบ, a horde of impressive vehicles grace the night streets of Tokyo, their drivers relaxing and enjoying some drinks.
Masuya Shibadaimon ใพใๅฎถ ่ๅคง้ๅบ, an Izakaya restaurant, stands stunningly at the corner of an intersection.
โข went to see Tokyo Tower ๐ผโ got to go up!
โข indulged in some night life, which included a spectacle of Tokyo drift vehicular paragons
โข found a vibe at Masuya Shibadaimon ใพใๅฎถ ่ๅคง้ๅบ
โข took one of the best photos of my life... :o
A type of heron is perched atop one of the Ueno Toshogu Shrine's tori gates.
An exterior through way at the University of Tokyo Hongu campus.
A plate of Wagyu Beef Fillet Steak with Lyonnaise Potatoes at TENQOO overlooking Tokyo from the 27th floor of them Hotel Metropolitan Tokyo Marunouichi.
A non-alcoholic strawberry drink sits on a table at TENQOO, overlooking Tokyo city at night.
โข somehow got another tour from someone, this time in Akihabara
โข walked through Ueno Park and the University of Tokyo Hongo campus
โข dinner at TENQOO โ modern French fine dining (very good) ๐
A stone path leads towards a small pond within the Imperial Palace gardens in Tokyo.
Windy de Coninck stands before the brick exterior of Tokyo Station.
The Tokyo Station exterior lit at night. A clock sits under the domed roof.
The architecturally impressive atrium of the KITTE Marunouchi ไธธใฎๅ building in Tokyo, which stands across from Tokyo Station.
โข visited the Imperial Palace park
โข admired Tokyo Station's exterior
โข window shopped in the surrounding department stores
โข ate monjayaki
โข went to the Xiaomi x Leica exhibition
Ah, the famous "reservation only" excuse.
Oooo... what about Zalando then? I used them in Belgium. They carry many brands (you don't have to rely on the ones I mentioned earlier) and their prices as a massive distributor vary greatly. They also model and detail the fabric quality of most items. :D
For looser stuff I've also had some regular success at American Eagle outlets with larger sales sections. And for tights I've found Garage successful in price and comfort for me this year.
I know the pain... Uniqlo has some nice options to my liking as of late though.
A leisure room with a tatami.
Packages of OKUI Kaiseido brand shio konbu, a type of salted seaweed cooking ingredient or snack.
An eyeshadow palette with blue, orange, brown and gold pigments.
An order of a Conjer Anago Shirashi (sea Eel Salad) at ๆฅๆฌๆฉ็ใ ใณใฌใๅฎค็บๅบใ
Enjoying that Tatami life for the next week at the new hotel.
Managed to find OKUI Kaiseido Shio Konbu.
After four years of being makeup-free, I splurged on some:
โข Nars Serum cushion (meh)
โข Bobbi Brown lipstick ๐ฅฐ
โข Prada palette โ didn't have pink, but it did have all the other colours I wanted
Mentaiko Pizza from Hakozaki Kyลซtarล Shลten ็ญฅๅด้ณฉๅคช้ๅๅบใ
Mentaiko dip fries from Hakozaki Kyลซtarล Shลten ็ญฅๅด้ณฉๅคช้ๅๅบใ
A crow rests on a power line above palm trees. A mountain stands in the distance.
Final day in FukuokaโKyushu before going back to Tokyo for the final stretch of the trip.
โข slept in to rest my overworked feet
โข lunch at Yayoiken Hakozaki ใใใ่ป ็ฎฑๅดๅบ
โข more thrifting
โข dinner at Hakozaki Kyลซtarล Shลten ็ญฅๅด้ณฉๅคช้ๅๅบ beside Hakozakigu Shrine ็ญๅๅไธไนๅฎฎ ็ญฅๅดๅฎฎ โ porcini oden + ใใใใใ pizza & fries
They have some of THE best websites too!
Day 5 of the train pass was skipped over in favour of staying within the confines of Fukuoka City as we has made arrangements to meet with the lovely ladies we befriended the other day.
We made a group reservation to eat fancy chicken yakitori course meals & then ended the night with karaoke. ๐ค
A small sculpture made out of a soft drink can flows with the wind, a grand tori stands behind it.
Across the park near the shrine sits another small red building.
A shrine sits atop mossy rocks.
A young plum blossom tree blooms inside the temple grounds.
Day 4: Kashima ้นฟๅณถๅธ
โข visited Yลซtoku Inari Shrine ็ฅๅพณ็จฒ่ท็ฅ็คพ
โข snacked at JUJIRO CAFE
โข got lost getting back, someone was going the same way and tried to help us but gave the wrong directions & got lost too โ seemed embarrassed but eventually gathered up courage to apologize to us โ was cool of him ๐
A Shinkansen conductor looks out from his train window.
A pair of dango soup meal sets sit atop a kotatsu.
Akaike - a red coloured hot spring.
A bowl of umibudo, also known as sea grape seaweed.
Day 3: Beppu
โข had lunch at Amamichaya ๅฅๅบ็ๅณ่ถๅฑ under a warm kotatsu where I ate dango soup
โข saw the "Hells of Beppu" Jigoku
โข tried kabosu (a type of citrus fruit)
โข cancelled a rope lift due to strong winds
โข thrifted some clothes
โข ate sea grape seaweed (umibudo) for the first time!
A selection of a-la-carte meat cuts and vegetables waiting to be grilled on a table.
Shinkansen Day 2: Nagasaki ้ทๅดๅธ
Got to see some beautiful mountains en route but not much of the city otherwise due to rain & mist. ๐ง๏ธ
Ended up staying indoors as much as possible today, so I thrifted and ate Yakiniku. I don't normally eat this much meat but the quality was quite high so I indulged.
A black bear named Kumamon, Kumamoto's mascot, stands at Katล Shrine.
Windy stands in front of Kumamoto Castle.
A dish called of Aka beef bowl which has beef, egg, and rice.
A sirloin of seared Aka Beef served atop rice with sauce.
Acquired an 5-day unlimited Shinkansen ๆฐๅนน็ท ticket.
First day: Kumamoto ็ๆฌๅธ
โข met Kumamon
โข saw Kumamoto Castle
โข was recommended to eat Aka Beef by the friends I made at Yorozu, so I did !
โข tired to go to a few thrift stores, but they ended up being too specialized & expensive
I have much to learn. ๐
I do like trains... ๐
Yorozu was definitely the highlight of my Japan trip so far! ๐
A set of interesting small snacks to go along with very delicious tea at Yorozu. It was so so so good.
Ohori Park - Japanese Garden (250ๅ per person)
A portrait at Ohori Park's famed Kangetsu Bridge.
The ocean view from one of Nishi Park's Observation points.
โข breakfast at Yorozu, which was a pleasant surprise and we also made adorable acquaintances ๐ฅฐ
โข strolled through Ohori Park (super pretty)
โข lunch at &LOCALS ใขใณใใญใผใซใซใบ ๅคงๆฟ ๅ
ฌๅ
โข hiked up Nishi Park
โข took a bus and shopped at Hakata
โข had an adventurous dinner that I then cleansed with hot Starby's
A very tall motorised Gundam stands at LaLaport Fukuoka, pose 1.
A very tall motorised Gundam stands at LaLaport Fukuoka, pose 2.
A ramen food set.
A sunset in Fukuoka's busy Tenjin area.
โข another day, another noodle outing โ this time at the famed ICHIRAN HQ ไธ่ญ ๆฌ็คพ็ทๆฌๅบ
โข went around Fukuoka's underground which connects several stations and department stores (and is a shopping hub itself)
โข went to LaLaport to see (what I think is?) a 1:1 motorized Gundam (there was also shopping ๐๏ธ)
๐
Tsujita and Mentaiju both specialize in tsukemen by the way, a type of dip noodle dish. I prefer tsukemen to ramen.
^ ____ ^
Shogen-ji Temple in Fukuoka.
Suikyo-temmangu Shrine in Tenjin.
A soba meal set as well as mackerel and bonito dishes.
A mature blooming sakura tree in Fukuoka city.
โข ate at Tsujita (again)
โข visited a shrine
โข visited Canal City & ate soba
โข drank coffee and yuzu tea at Sora
โข somehow got a food tour from a kind old man
โข visited Tenjin & bought a pajama dress at Gelato Pique and vintage clothing
โข ate at Mentaiju (kind old man recommended)
Can anyone reckon a guess to why I was intent on visiting Fukuoka for the next 10 days?
Person A: A Japanese person just walked up to me asking if I could help with his English homework - awkward face Person B: Oooo Person B: Try!! Person B: Do it Person A: I did Person B: happy face Person A: smilie face
Ran away to Fukuoka for the week and this happened as we landed.
