We're back from Japan!! It's been nothing short of amazing & without question one of the BEST trip we've had: from hitting the foodies trail, scouring flea market, hitting local design district to experiencing a culture that is essentially Japanese.
After a whirlwind trip of 9 days in Japan, one thing's for sure - we are DEFINITELY going back!! I managed to to squeezed a morning to go to Tokyo's furniture district & also some gorgeous design shops. It was awesome. I can post on Japan all month if I need to but I am going to limit myself to one week (or more!). :) So.. stay tuned!
I am still organizing my photos & thinking how best to post my finds. At the mean time, enjoy the highlights I have compiled below. (Trust me, it was tough even to choose photos for highlights!)
Things that surprised us the most in Japan:
1. Heated toilet seat in winter (our
2. Sloshing music option to mask the embarrassing sound in toilet (!)
3. Freshness in all the ingredients in food; food in supermarket actually tasted fresh!
4. Heated seat on subway train
5. Gorgeousness in packaging everywhere! (even a simple bento from a kiosk in metro had beautiful packaging!)
6. How polite everyone is - bus driver who says thank you to every single person who gets off the bus
7. Impeccable interior in 98% of shops we visited..
8. Great tasting & healthy snacks (is that even possible?!) We were addicted...
9. Design practicality & functionality not seen anywhere else in the world.
Sigh.. need I say more.. Can someone please tell me when's the next ticket sale to Japan?
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| Shibuya Crossing - the world's busiest crossing |
Flea Market & Design Stores Hunting
Went to a couple of flea markets, did our design store rounds & also discovered some unique stores when we were wondering about town. Will cover more in coming days.. :)
Food
We hunt down Keith's must-have list on the food trail: from his search for the perfect Ramen, awesome tempura, Tonkatsu & Katsu, amazing soba (testified by local Japanese), hands-down best udon I have ever had, one of the best sushi in town (which we lined up an hour for!), traditional Kaiseki in Kyoto (Keith's 3 Michelin meal this trip) to shabu-shabu in Nagatacho Kurasawa Restaurant in Tokyo (thanks to our good friend in Tokyo). I have limited myself to these 2 photos as I leave the foodies segment to the gastro guy, if he's up for it. :)
Visited numerous key temples in Tokyo, Kamakura & Kyoto which were all different in its own rights. The zen gardens & the gorgeous colour & structure was a genuine delight. The zen rock garden in Ryoan-ji trumps all gardens in our opinion.
By The Quirky One
I miss the food.
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