I miss Japan, and that must be the biggest understatement of mine this year, to the point that, yes I am strongly considering starting a life there in the future. For now, I enjoy what Manila has to offer, while I yearn and look back to the amazing trip I had in Tokyo and Fukuoka! 

The lively arcade at the Sensoji temple area

For the 2nd day of our Tokyo trip, it has been quite a sensory overload. Of course, it comes to no surprise that every thing I see is a feast for the eyes, which definitely overwhelmed me -in a good way, of course 😍😍😍

Photoshoot?

Our Airbnb is in Sumida which I think is quite near to Asakusa, and by near I meant around 2 kilometers worth of walking. The neighbourhood we stayed at was very... quiet, which is a big contrast to the main city proper that is just a few kilometers away.

Hi... umm, Asahi?

Hi Skytree!

Happy Place 5Ever!

Plushy wallets!🦊🐕🐶

My face whenever people offer sweets while I am on Keto diet.

Hi temple!

Given that Sensoji Temple is a popular tourist attraction, all the stuff you can see at the arcade are pasalubong worthy. From kitschy keychains to cool shirts with The Great Wave Off Kanagawa, you'll definitely be able to find something amazing to bring back home to people you love- or even just for yourself, given that there are also stalls that sell amazingly fresh mochis and melon pans amongst the myriad of merch. My personal favorite would be the watercolor post cards of Sensoji temple that are sold at around 100+ yen a piece, but if only I have enough spare cash I would have bought the mask above hahaha!

By the way, a quick note, given that Sensoji is a popular tourist attraction, you might as well expect that some items sold in the arcade tend to be pricier than in lesser known places around the area, so it's best for you to look around first before you hand over your Yens💴💴💴

Amazing subway art

Since we really had no clear itinerary at that time, we have somehow stumbled upon a Sega in Akihabara. Given that I am in the company of 3 boys who love gaming, we gave in to the crane games, and even the Initial D racing game-which we had a bit of "lost in translation" moment. You see, arcade games in Sega don't have English translations, so you can just imagine how lost we have been- but good thing, Imman's sister, Julz can speak Japanese, so we were able to make sense of things HAHA!

After spending as much as 3,000 yen on trying to get Lufi from the crane game, we have finally gave in to our hunger and gave in to this nice Tonkatsu resto within the area.

Pretty manhole covers everywhere!

Ultimate regret of the trip: Not buying this!

Hi Julz!

From Akihabara we headed over to Ikebukuro to visit Julz's humble abode. I find it enjoyable to visit houses in other countries, given majority of the time we either stay at hotels or Airbnbs. Majority of Japanese homes are small, and very quaint, which I really find weirdly endearing! I have always been a fan of tiny homes, so being in a little Japanese home brings joy to my kokoro- I know, I am weird.



 After a quick visit to Julz's home, we head out to the malls in Ikebukuro, and end up eating sushi, complete with the conveyor belt! Here's something I realized while I was enjoying a plate of sushi🍣🍣🍣:
1. All sushis have wasabi in it. I'm not sure if this is a common knowledge already HAHAHA, but every plate of sushi has wasabi inside the sushi itself, so if you are not a fan of wasabi you better learn appreciating them prior to your trip hahaha!
2. The best way to eat sushi is by hand. I have seen quite a handful of people popping a sushi, as if  they are just eating fries.
3. Eat the full piece of sushi. Noooow, this one is a common sense, given that if you tried biting only the half, it'll disintegrate - DUH!
4. Not sure if it applies to ALL sushi places, but the most convenient way for the restaurant to know how much sushi and how much you'll be paying for your plates without checking the menu is via RFID. The waiter in this sushi place placed this pokedex-like device, then scanned the sides of each plate, and before we know it the price of all the plates are shown in the monitor. They probably put chips under the plates which made it easy to be read by the pokedex-like device.






After finishing our dinner, we decided to go home already, and visit the nearest grocery to buy food for breakfast- in my case, to buy all the icecreams and cheese that will keep me snug inside the toilets the next day HAHAHA! OH WELLZZZ🍦🍧🍦🍧🍦🍧🍦

And that's it! Day 2 of our Tokyo trip! 7 more blogposts to go hahaha!

Cheers~🙃🙃🙃

Love Always!

Nicole

A few years back, I remember having this convo with my older cousin, Lot, about wanting to go back to Hong Kong as soon as possible. Hong Kong was (yes, was) my favorite destination back then, and would always tell my cousin, with glimmering eyes, how much I want to go back as soon as I can. As soon as I finish gushing about having all the Mochi Ice I could devour, she would always reply with, "Oh, you'll stop saying that once you've been to Japan. You'll only want to go to Japan after going there." At first I thought this was an overstatement... and oh boy, how wrong I was!

Food is good, but was actually hoping for 🍣🍙 haha!

Huhu July why can't you come sooner???

Sadly, these aren't dubbed :(

The first thing that welcomed us. Hi Crystal Jemmy!

KALOKA ANG DAMING LINYAAAA!

I figured I wouldn't be able to use Miss Saigon references anywhere else, so might as well go full ham until the well has dried up, much like the Yakult references



... and since I no longer remember all of the happenings that day, let me just dump all the photos here, and end it with a list of things that I have either learned while in Vietnam, or things I badly miss there a.k.a. food ☝🖒🤔😂











Unlike other Asian cities, I noticed that Hanoi doesn't have über-modern and sleek skyscrapers; instead, they have French-inspired mid-rise buildings, most of which look a bit worn out, which in turn gives it an old-worldly charm. Like its neighbouring countries, it has such a rich culture that is abundant in the city of Hanoi.

For those who are thinking of going there, I have a few musings that might help you out ☝😘
1. Things in Hanoi are very affordable. Now, now, I am not a loaded gal, but during my stay in Hanoi, money wasn't my biggest worry. If you are from the PH (like me!), your 5k will go a loooong way-but of course, better bring some spare for shopping!
2. Their food is magnificent!!!! I remember when we were there, I always found myself wondering why the Vietnamese are so thin, and I suppose I sort of got the answer when I was able to have a bite of authentic Vietnamese cuisine! My absolute fave is Banh Mi with different kinds of fillings!
3. While on the subject of food, if you are quite a picky eater (or found comfort having a westernised palate), don't fret because they have Burger King and KFC there- but c'mon, why not try at least a bite of some Bun Cha! Don't knock 'til you try it.
4. Vietnamese coffee 👏👏👏 but a little PSA, they are quite strong! So if you have an acidic stomach, or worse, GERD, better stock up on antacids ☝
5. Accommodations are fairly affordable, but don't expect having a spatial abode... but then again, it's not as bad as budget hotels in Hong Kong 🤔🤔🤔
6. You must go to Ha Long Bay! It is a UNESCO site for a reason, and I am certain you won't regret seeing all of its magnificence with your own eyes.
7. While motorcycles are their ultimate go-to transpo, that doesn't mean you can only go to places via a bike. They have taxis, but I prefer Grab more, so you'd better install Grab before going there.
8. Their malls aren't as spectacular as the ones we have back in Manila- I mean, they do scrimp out on air conditioning 🤷‍♀️🤦‍♂️
9. Not everyone speaks English, hence the need for the Google Translate app on your device... but if you know how to speak French, you have a fighting chance to survive here hahaha!
10. Vietnam is actually pretty humid, even during September to November, you might as well bring along clothes that are lightweight, and breezy.

Lastly...

HAVE FUN AND EAT ALL THE DELICIOUS FOOD!

Love Always,
Nicole ❣🧚‍♀️