A blog on how we travel Japan
Ichiran Ramen (一蘭) is one of the most well known ramen chain in Japan among tourists. Originating from the kingdom of tonkotsu Fukuoka, Ichiran Ramen has branches all over Japan. In recent years, we can even see them overseas in cities like Hong Kong, Taipei, and New York. Our first experience with Ichiran was many …
Who loves oden as much as I do? ?? Oden, in my opinion is the Japanese version of Yong Tau Foo (without the rice/mee/bee hoon), that’s warm and comforting to the soul. Oden is typically sold as takeaways in convenience stores during winter, as well as during cool periods during other seasons, such as typhoon period …
CoCo Ichibanya – Another eating on a budget series in Japan One of our favourite chain restaurants in Japan is the Curry House CoCo Ichibanya. With over a thousand stores in Japan alone, you can easily find one at major shopping streets. CoCo Ichibanya is also inexpensive and each curry rice comes in huge generous …
Fans of Mr Hayao Miyazaki and Ghibli Studio will definitely lit up their eyes at the sight of these Totoro cream puffs! Yes! You heard us correctly~~~ Totoro from the highly acclaimed popular animated fantasy film My Neighbour Totoro produced by Studio Ghibli in 1988, came alive in the form of cream puffs at Shiro-Hige’s …
1st January, New Year’s Day also known as Ganjitsu is the most important holiday in Japan. For your information, Gan means “beginning” and Jitsu means “Day”. Ganjitsu is a joyous holiday that marks a new and fresh beginning into the year. After your New Year’s Eve countdown (you may refer to another entry here: New Year’s Eve Countdown Options in Japan), you may want …
During my recent long summer vacation in Tokyo, I visited the Rilakkuma (Kiiroitori Diary) themed cafe hosted by Tower Records Cafe at Omotesando. This pop-up cafe was a little unique as it revolved around Rilakkuma’s friend – Kiiroitori (the yellow chick)! Some fun facts about Rilakkuma and Kiiroitori: Rilakkuma is produced by San-X, a Japanese …
If Shinsaibashi Shopping Street is too touristy, mainstream, crowded and loud for you, then I would recommend you to explore the nearby ORANGE STREET Osaka, located just within a leisure 20-minute walk. The 800 meters Orange Street is gaining popularity among the hipster crowd in Osaka with its small cluster of quaint and chic cafes, …
Japanese are well-known for their innovation and creativity, and I’m excited to share on some very interesting finds that formed part of the stationery collection available at Bunbougu Cafe – a Stationery Cafe (Bunbougu means 文房具, stationery in Japanese) owned by Toukou Bros, a well-known stationery wholesaler in Japan. Check out these amazing stationery! An “anti-discard” …
My love for beautiful theme cafes brings me on a search journey for another flower-themed cafe, and I found my answer in the gorgeous Nicolai Bergmann Nomu Cafe. If Aoyama Flower Market is the leader and an important player of the Japanese floralculture industry, then Nicolai Bergmann would be deemed as “the new kid on the …
I have always preached that “eating out in Japan can be very affordable” and this can be achieved by dining in Japanese fast food restaurant. Well, I’m not referring to the Western meal of burgers and fries but our typical “Asian” meal of rice and soup. With over 800 restaurants in Japan, Matsuya (松屋) is …