30 Days of Thanksgiving - 25/30

I'm thankful for holidays with the husband. I think we make a good team traveling together and we always have such a good time exploring places together. What I like is how we don't have have a fixed plan, and we're flexible in where to go and what to do and always manage to have a great time.

Japan - Day 3 (or 4?) - Shinjuku, Shibuya, Harajuku

Saw a sign that said "Shibuya - 3km, Harajuku - 5km" so we decided to walk instead of taking the subway.

Had breakfast at one of the few joints in the area that was open in the morning, Freshness Burger. I had a chicken teriyaki burger and +3 had a hotdog and spme croissant-puff with cream. A yummy breakfast to start the day.

Walked to what we thought was Shibuya, but turns out we were still in the Shinjuku area. Japan is big! Lol. Popped into Takashimaya Times Square cos they had a sign advertising Tokyu Hands and +3 wanted to see what it was. Turns out Tokyu Hands is just a brand of a department store that sells all kinds of stuff like stationery, toys, household stuff etc.

Bought some toys there (Star Wars for him, Pose Skeleton for me) and walked around the various levels. Bought some food from the basement food market (tuna sushi, chicken yakitori, plum rice balls and sweet potato - which were all ok only) and ate at the rooftop garden, a nice space we discovered that gave a gorgeous view of the city.

Took the subway to the Harajuku station (it's got another name) and walked along the Otomesando Avenue. From Harajuku we walked to Shibuya, stopping at Tower Records and a couple of other shops. I took a break while +3 explored the area and took some pictures of the public spaces.

If you're in the Otomesando Avenue area, take a walk along the back alleys. It has a lot of interesting shops and lots more character.

Saw the famous Shibuya Crossing (crazy So. Many. People.). Originally thought of looking for this sushi joint that was highly recommended but we were too tired and decided to head back to the hotel instead.

Took the wrong train to the outskirts, but discovered it soon enough and managed to find the right one after. Dinner was at the same Tamoya-like place. Heh.

Japan Day 2 (or 3?) - Ueno & Asakusa

On Monday, we went to Ueno and Asakusa. We headed to the Ueno Park which was crazy crowded (the Imperial Palace Park was waaaay nicer and less people). Also visited the National Museum of Western Art (admissions at 430yen each - according to +3, I didn't want to go in but he decided I needed some culture lol). This museum was designed by Le Corbusier, apparently the grand master of modern architecture.

Hilariously, +3 thought another building (the Symphony Orchestra building) was the one by designed Le Corbusier. (I guessed correctly hahahaha).

The collection used to be owned by a rich guy called Matsukata, who lost his paintings during the war, and then the Japanese governmnetasked the French government to give them back after the war as part of the peace treaty. Or something like that.

Bought some ice cream from an ice cream truck after, then walked around the area before heading to Asakusa.

Asakusa is like Old Tokyo, and we originally had plans to see the Senso-Ji temple but OMG there were So. Many. People. Decided to just have lunch at a nearby steakhouse (The Very Steak!) which was delicious, despite being a  standing only place. We had 300gm of ribeye steak each. Yum. Popped over to Starbucks where I discovered that they had a short size drink (smaller than the small size, tall). Matcha tea latte = love.

Walked past a building designed by Philip Starck (not sure how to spell), which looked like a black square building with a golden turd (or carrot if you're polite) on the top. Lol. This guy also designed +3's lemon juicer. Hehehe. Sat by the river for a bit then headed back to the hotel.

Explored the area around our hotel in the evening. Booked the wrong Hotel Sunroute - instead of the Hotel Sunroute Plaza Shinjuku that everyone was recommending, I booked the Hotel Sunroute Higashi Shinjuku instead. Thankfully it was also near a sunway station.

The hotel is located near Korea Town and also near the Square Enix building (some office building of some game company- +3 says he feels like he is having an umrah by visiting that building. Lololol). We were also within walking distance (about 8 min walk?) to the Don Quijote shop- the Japanese version of Mustafa. Dinner was at a local Tamoya-like joint opposite the hotel which is open 24 hours. We picked items off the shelf and paid for it before sitting down to eat.

It was a tiring day but fun exploring the city. Passed out when I got back to the hotel. Lol.

Japan - Day 1 (Or Is It 2?)

We got in to Tokyo yesterday, after a pleasantly comfortable 7 hour flight on SQ. Knowing that Baby Chung is now using my bladdar as a kicking bag, +3 let me have the aisle seat so I could make my frequent trips to the toilet.

An uneventful flight, thankfully, the highlights being my multiple toilet runs and watching Unlucky Plaza on the in-flight entertainment system. Thumbs up for Unlucky Plaza.

There was some initial confusion upon arriving at Narita Airport on which train to take to get to our hotel, but I'm blessed with an amazing husband who managed to figure it out. We bought tickets for the Narita Express (about 3020 yen each) and waited for the train. We also bought Pasmo cards to use on the subway.

Got to Tokyo station, got out and explored a little while looking for the stations where we couldchange to another line. Again, I have to say how amazing +3 is. I don't know how I would have navigated this alone.

By the time we checked in to our hotel (Hotel Villa Fountaine Kudanshita), we were starving. Put our bags in our room and explored the neighbourhood. Found a little joint that said "Tendon Soba Udon" and went inside. I was wondering what "Vegetable Tendon" was, and turns out a tendon is a tempura rice bowl. Ahsohneh!

Ate first meal in Tokyo, then walked around for about an hour or so. The weather at night is nice and cool, and there were lots of small restaurants and minimarts (7-11, Lawson's etc) around. Not a bad place to be for our first two nights in Japan!

Today, we woke up and skipped the hotel breakfast (looked like toast and scrambled eggs) and decided to have breakfast at a cafe we spotted the night before that had charcoal roasted coffee. +3 had pancakes with azuki and a scoop of ice cream, and I had a sandwich (roasted chicken and egg mayo).

Walked down to the Nippon Budokan and then down the Imperial Palace Park and explored the Imperial Palace. The park had gorgeous open spaces and we spent some time lying on the grass, in the shade of the trees.

Had curry for lunch at some place called Hot Spoon near the subway station, and then took the train to Akihabara aka the place with all the electronics.

Went inside a book store that had 9 stories, 3 of which were dedicated to all things comic-related. Beware if the sign on the 9th floor says it is for "portfolio" cos what it really is are the pornos. Lol. Imagine being the only female on that floor.

Walked to another building and explored Muji and wow, the selection of stuff is so much larger than what we have in Singapore!

Was feeling tired so we stopped at a cafe, and I ended up dozing off for about 10-15 minutes. Finally woke up and headed to some mall (can't remember what it was called) where we spent the rest of the afternoon. 7 floors of stationery (we bought some pens) and electronics and household appliances and toys (bought some bandai too, +3 was a happy camper).

Made our way back and ate at the same place we had dinner last night. Tomorrow, we check out and head to our hotel in Shunjuku.

Land of the Rising Sun

We're in Japan! Too tired to write much but this babymoon looks promising.

30 Days of Thanksgiving - 24/30

I know I'm taking a really long time to finish these series of posts, but what can I say? It's my blog and I'll post when I want to. Lol.

Simple thing to be thankful for today - my Shu Uemera Tsuya Skin Youthful Crystal-Transparency Lotion.

When I was preparing for my weddinv last year, shiny recommended a make up artist. I went for a trial make up session and really liked her, and she shared that I had really dry skin. I confessed that I didn't really have any facial routine other than to wash with a generic facial wash and the occasional slap of moisturiser (every other month).

Instead of nagging me about the importance of a proper skin care routine, she actually said that she was very lazy herself and just used this Shu Uemera lotion at night after she washed her face.
I decided to get a bottle for myself and tried to use it every night. It was really easy cos after I'd wash my face, I just needed to shake a couple of drops onto my palm and clap them together and then pat onto my face. And that's it!

A super simple skincare routine.

I saw her a couple of months after my trial make up session, and while I did pamper myself with a few facial sessions, I know my skin was definitely not as dry as when she first met me.

Even today, more than half a year after my wedding, I'm still using that same bottle I bought and my skin thanks me for it. Heheh.

The Library

One of the places I enjoy hanging out at since I've stopped working is the main branch of the National Library. It's convenient to get to, and the airconditioning is comfortable and not too cold like in the malls.

The wide selection of (free) books keep me entertained as well and the space is generally comfortable and pleasant to spend a few hours in.

Today, I've found myself a nosy nook to settle into, and I've picked up a Piers Anthony book which will transport me to the wonderful land of Xanth. What a wonderful way to spend a Friday afternoon!