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I'm back! I apologize for being absent for the past few weeks, as I have been visiting somewhere special Japan - a world full of amazing food, sights, and culture was where I spent my Spring Break this year. In commemoration of the many pictures and memories, I decided to make this week 'Japan week' on the blog. Starting this Sunday, there will be spurted posts throughout the week including itineraries and tips on travelling. Starting off today, I will give you the itinerary for Tokyo, Japan, aside some stunning photos. Enjoy! Day 1Arrived in the afternoon after a 14 hour flight. Took the bus ride from Narita International Airport, which was around 2.5 hours. Basically, by the time I checked into the Westin Tokyo, I was exhausted from both traveling and the time difference. Before I passed out, I visited Yebisu for dinner, a Teppanyaki restaurant. Very convenient and very good, but very pricey. After, I went back upstairs and hit the bed around 8:30 pm. Day 2Woke up around 5:30 am because of the crazy time difference, but took advantage of it and ate an early breakfast in the hotel. The first stop of the day was a view of the city at Tokyo Tower.  From the top, the view was pretty insane, and was a great start to getting a feel of Tokyo. There are pictures telling you what everything is, and definitely made the city seem big. I recommend it as a first stop, because it helps get a grasp of where things are.  After was a stop at the park next door, Shiba Park. The park was stunning, making me wish parks in the U.S. were this cool. Despite being in a big city, it was like walking straight into nature, with hike-like paths, water, and towering trees. After strolling through the park we came across a temple, Zojoji, located on the edge, and took a few photos. Standing in the background is the Tokyo tower, creating a picturesque view.  A quick drive over brought me to Diver City Tokyo, where there is a view of many Toyota cars at MegaWeb Toyota. Next door is a giant mall, that is designed to look like night in Europe. After a quick lunch here, I walked around the plaza a bit more before heading to the last stop. Hama-rikyu Gardens was a large historic sight with a small fee to enter (¥300). A beautiful place to walk around and take photos, and was enhanced at this time of year because of the cherry blossom trees in bloom.  Located in the back of the gardens was a tea house, offering traditional green tea with a sweet. The house was located on a small bit of land in the water, which made for even better views.  Dinner was at a Shabu-Shabu restaurant. Shabu-Shabu is similar to fondue, in that you cook the meat in front of you. The meat is very thin, and it takes less then 10 seconds to cook in the broth. Day 2The morning was started off at Shibuya crossing, known to be the world's busiest intersection. Located in the square is a Starbucks, and I took to the second floor to enjoy the view from above. The busiest times to visit are commuting hours. Next up, I headed to Harajuku for a walk down the famous street, Takeshita Dori. Located along the street are many shops selling cute, kawaii clothes, and sweets galore. Among them, I purchased chocolate covered potato chips, 3 flavored cotton candy shaped like a candy corn, and the famous Japanese Crepes.     After walking around the streets and enjoying the sights, I went to the area of Roppongi for an early dinner. Today's restaurant was another cook-it-yourself meat. This one was called Yakiniku, and the restaurant was called Jumbo. Day 3.Day 3 started off with a breakfast stop at Mister Donut, the Dunkin Donuts of Japan. Although slightly better than Dunkin, and with many weird flavors, it is nothing to rave about
,After walking around the area of Ginza, and peeking in K.itoya, a super cool stationary store, I took a walk to the famous fish market, Tsukiji. Here, I had an early lunch of fresh sushi, which was definitely the best quality I have ever eaten. The outskirts is where everything is: fish stands, grocery stores, restaurants, and other tiny shops. The actually market where the fish dealing happens takes place in the very early morning. Although, I did take a peek inside because it had a cool feel all abandoned mid-day, but was quick to leave after seeing a rat sniffing fish guts.    The next area was a train ride away, a place famous for it's technology, anime, and maid cafe's, Akihabara. Hours were spent wandering around the 9 story electronic shop, Yodobashi. Later, we took a stroll down the busy streets, filled with eye-candy and shops.  Dinner that night was at Hainan Jeefan, a Sinaporean restaurant, which gave me a break from all the Japanese food. After seeing it the other day in Harakuku, we took a 20 minute walk to another location of Ice Monster, a shaved ice place. They have pre-flavored blocks of ice that they shave down, so there is no syrupy flavor or uneven amount of it. Overall, it was one of the best shaved ices I have ever eaten.  Day 4Day 4 was a mostly casual day, starting with a late morning. After eating lunch at Yasaika Mei, a Japanese vegetable restaurant, I took the train over to Fukagawa Edo Museum. A great place for both kids and adults, this museum is a giant exhibition of ancient times in Japan. Inside is a tiny village, designed to be like Fukaawa-Saga chō in the mid-19th century. Each building is filled with what realistic furniture and other commodities that you can touch. There is even a water canal next to a screen that changes between night and day. In the sunset, there is traditional music that is played in the center of the tiny town.   Nearby was Kiyosumi Gardens, a great place to stroll around. In the middle is a giant pond, and may people come to feed the fish in it, which is fun to watch. The last stop of the day was for dinner at Ninja Akasaka, one of the many themed restaurants located in Tokyo. This restaurant had a Ninja theme, and was an amazing experience alongside some good food. In order to enter the restaurant, visitors are required to go through "ninja training" a process of walking down a small dark hallway into the main eating area. Our table was located in what looked like a cave. On top of that, all the food was themed, and there was a magic show done at the table while we ate.
 That concludes this very long itinerary from Tokyo. I also visited Kyoto in Japan, so there will be an itinerary of that coming up soon. Let me know down below if you found this post helpful, or plan on/have been to Tokyo. Hope you enjoy Japan week!
xx Hanna
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I'm back! And better yet, with a great travel post for you. Last weekend, I took a trip to the capital of the United States, and it was beautiful. The famous cherry blossoms are currently in season, so the city was jam packed, but pretty nonetheless. Below are some stunning photos and my itinerary for the weekend, to help you if you plan on travelling soon. Enjoy! Day 1Driving into the city, we took a stop at Union Market to get some lunch. Union Market is basically a warehouse filled with lots of small local vendors. I got an Indian crepe from dc dosa, pomegranate kombucha from Craft Kombucha, and some ice cream from Trickling Springs Creamery (pb & j and maple bacon flavors!) At the front, there was seating outside as the venue can be partially opened, making it a great spot during the summer.  After, we headed to check into our hotel, the Grand Hyatt. It is very centrally located, about a 15 minute walk from the National mall. From there, we walked to the Natural History building of the Smithsonian, and spent the next few hours wandering around. If you didn't already know, the Smithsonian is a museum free of charge, and definitely a must-see on a trip to D.C.   From there, we walked over to the Washington Monument to take some photos. There was a bunch of cherry blossoms around the area too, and are currently in season, so we took a bunch of photos there also.  Next, was to see the white house. It is possible to view both the front and the back, but the back is a much larger space to view and take photos.
Lastly, we stopped for dinner at a Spanish tapas place, Boqueria. This is a branch off of the three locations they have in New York. The best dishes I got were the lamb meatballs and the nutella churros. Day 2Started off the morning with some doughnuts at Astro. The line was out the door, but it was worth it. I split the salted caramel, Crème brûlée and cherry blossom donuts. The Crème brûlée donut was out of this world good, a must-try if you visit.
After, we took a cab up to the Lincoln Memorial. Although very busy, the view was beautiful
From the Lincoln Memorial, we walked down to the waterside and started the long journey among the blossom filled walk to Jefferson memorial. The view along the way was absolutely stunning. If you plan on going to Washington D.C. definitely check if you are going when the cherry blossoms are in bloom, because it's what made the trip for me.   Next, it was time for lunch at the oldest restaurant in D.C, Old Ebbitt Grill. The food here was good, but the atmosphere is what you go for. With velvet booths and old decor, it really looks like the oldest restaurant in the capital Although, make sure to book a reservation if you decide to go, as it was extremely busy. After lunch was a trip to the next Smithsonian museum, the National Air and Space Museum. Filled with old planes, this building is a great stop to waste some time. A must-see for those who love anything about planes and space.  Since it was getting late, we took a cab over to Georgetown to walk around. Not only is it a great stop for food, Georgetown is super cute with colorful town houses and old street lamps in this hilly neighborhood.   Day 3The breakfast stop today was at a Belgian place 15 minutes from the hotel, B Too. Their specialties are the creative waffles. I got a cornbread waffle topped with pulled pork and sunny-side up eggs. A great morning stop for those Belgian lovers. A 5 minute walk away is Ted's Bulletin. a bakery specializing in their homemade pop tarts.
The rest of the day was spent wandering around more Smithsonian museums, as it was rainy outside. We saw the Declaration of Independence at the National Archives, and American history at the National Museum of American History. Both were worth the line outside because they had some interesting exhibits inside. The must see is the cars exhibit in the American History museum. Lastly, we walked to dinner at Rasika, an Indian restaurant. If you love Indian food, then this place is a great option. I ordered the Chicken Makhani and was stuffed after. Day 4The last stop on the trip was for breakfast at Founding Farmers, a place dedicated to simple yet great food, I ordered the Strawberries and Creme French Toast, and it was probably the best French Toast I have ever had. That concludes this travel post to Washington D.C! I hope it helped you plan for your next trip, or was at least a good look at what it's like. Let me know in the comments any of your must-dos from Washington DC, or if you want to visit. Have a great week!
xx Hanna |
