Another Year in Tokyo

And sometimes elsewhere.

Favourite

June: places to go in and from Tokyo

Best with: plum sake (umeshu, or 梅酒), and non-stop rainy days.

June has not been my favorite month of year. It is after the golden-week vacation, it gets hot and sweaty easily, it marks the start of the rainy season in Tokyo area, and the worst of all: it has no public holidays in it – all makes it a bit hard to plan any getaways in this long month.

However, when I was checking my old pictures over the years, I realized I did travel around quite a lot during this month. Those were all little day trips, or one night, tops; but there are many beautiful pictures of this particular season when one of my favorite flowers blooms in the area of Tokyo: the hydrangea, or Ajisai (紫陽花) in both Japanese and Chinese.

Where to see hydrangea blossoms in Tokyo area

Interestingly, my first blog here is about this flower, and you can review that one for some old picture. It is about my favorite town near Tokyo as well, Kamakura, where I have been millions of times.

In the city of Tokyo, my favorite spot for seeing this flower is Hakusan shrine (白山神社). I used to live very close to it, so maybe that is also why. I found some old pictures again, some featuring a younger version of me. 🙂

Outside of Tokyo… green looks the best after rain in Nikko (日光)

By the end of June, or even beginning of July, the entire east Japan is in the middle of the rainy season. Every year, it has been difficult to decide where to go to celebrate P’s birthday, which is on July 1st. Actually, there are quite some gems that shine even better after a good rain.

This is where people visit during summer, the sacred mountain area north to Tokyo: Nikko (日光). I have been to it numerous times, including in summer when it brings coolness and autumn when the leaves are just beautiful. You would imagine in June it may be less beautiful, but actually the greenish nature after rain is just like a fairytale coming true:

Or, go north to get a good dip in the Onsen (温泉) in the northern prefectures

The north part of east Japan can be difficult to get there, as it is not like the big cities such as Tokyo where you have dozens of lines at each train station. Nontheless, I always imagine it is how Japan should look like behind the curtains.

To escape the heat, I would travel north to wander in the nature, or in the “ghost” towns. The trip to Iwate prefecture, Ichinoseki city (岩手県一関市) and the nearby Hanamaki town (花巻) was one of such memories. The views are amazing. And nothing beats a good night rest in a cozy Onsen Ryokan (温泉旅館) near some mountain stream with rain in the background, where you can both warm up after a long day and enjoy a traditional and less pricy Kaiseki Ryori (懐石料理), sometimes with quality Japanese beef, or Wagyu (和牛).

This year, where should I go (if possible at all..)?

One dish: green, green, green

Seasonal treat means seasonal color, smell, and the joy.

And of course the taste. 🙂

Simple and refreshing is the name of this season.

End of May and before the beginning of June is my favorite season in Tokyo. It is not too hot, but warm enough to wear only one layer of clothes; it has some humidity in the air, but not too much as in the rainy season to come; and most importantly, all the green colors around the corner are starting to flourish, and it always brings me joy.

This salad is not a fixed recipe. I just add the greenish items I like/have at the moment, and add a little other colors on top of it. Boil them if necessary, or eat raw if you are good with fibre. 😉 The seasoning is very simple – I almost only use sashimi soysauce (light and good for umami) and a little sesame oil, with optional sugar. It is low calorie, high fibre, and stimulates a good appetite.

For a more special and “Japanese” taste as an accent, try adding some “Shiso” or 紫蘇 in Japanese.

That is the mood of today!

Quarantine in Style #2: White Shirt with Skirt, with Pants, or with Itself

See all its expressions in the color of sheer white.

Here, as promised, my excited self portrait with some new white shirts from Zara. Collar and collarless, linen and cotton, just-fit and oversized… so many options to explore. Too bad it is still under lockdown here in Tokyo, so all the photos are produced inside my apartment. Excuse the bed, the door, and the stand mirror!

Oversized shirt with skirt

I think this is completely a ZARA look. It is technically true, though, as both the shirt and the skirt are from my recent ZARA purchases and the floral skirt is really convenient to style up with.

Collar shirt to ease off some feminine accent from the skirt.

Or with pants, casual or a little bit suited up

Most of the days I am a pants person. I wear a lot of denims, and when it warms up, I like to wear wide pants that have an accent shape and suit pants that can show the body curve naturally.

I thought wide pants can be a challenge with oversized shirts; but it is actually quite nice. It can be called a “ゆるコーデ” in Japanese, which basically means “loosened up coordination” as a very common style here.

Ultimate conservative with collarless shirt.

I recently bought a pair of pants from Theory. I was lucky; it was on sale because of the lockdown, and I saw this one that has nice shape as Theory always does, and a dark yellow color which can be nice addition to my grey/navy usual suits from Theory.

Handsome look with collarless shirt.

As an single item of ultimate romance

When talking about items that are romantic, usually we think about long floral dresses, on a sunset beach, with a big hat perhaps. Actually I found withe shirts are quite a romantic single item, especially with oversized “boyfriend” style and basically any design if it is linen.

It can be a little too intimate, though. It has to be styled up with items that can bring out its character, such as a simple trench coat or a straight denim. Maybe I can try that combination sometimes.

Quarantine in Style #1

Then you realize you style up for yourself, no one else, although some audience would certainly be motivating.

The Other Side of Oneself.

It has been a half way “lockdown” in Tokyo for more than one month. Coming from a highly disciplined family background, I myself, however, have been practicing social distance since I got back here in early March. And as you can imagine, because you have probably been there as well, more than two months of solitude is not easy for a camera girl (or wannabe, for accuracy).

In a peaceful afternoon, I finally gave in to my inner urge, and started to try out my new spring/summer collections even I don’t have plans to go out at all. It was amazingly satisfying – not that the staring from the opposite building was nice as I was shooting on the balcony, but that I could be even more audacious about what to wear, what to go with that little black lace camisole… oh well.

Mastering the Tank Top

I like tank tops. They are flattering when you have nice and firm arms and shoulders. It is, however, difficult to appeal to the feminine side of oneself, which is why I tend to wear it with skirts.

Both the color of the tank top and the pencil skirt can be categorized as Beige, and that makes them go together nicely. The pink tone connects naturally with white shoes in general.
It is rare to see such a floral skirt from ZARA. I like the effortless overall style which comprises a calming daily look, that you can even wear going to the 7-11 next door.

Playing with Color – Green

Green is in the spotlight this year. Or even it is not, it is just such a warm color for an effortless look that is refreshing, feminine, and a little French with an Asian accent when paired right.

This green floral one piece dress is not new. The handbag, though, is. Look how this French dress paired in harmony with the Japanese traditional leather handbag.
This is just too feminine, that I cannot even wear going out either by myself or with my boyfriend. But I like the turquoise color print of the dress, and it shows different characters with and without the cardigan. Maybe I wear it not in Japan. hmmm.

Playing with Color – Black

Black has always been the color that I like the most. Not that I am a dark person, but from a young age I found myself most attractive to the mysterious atmosphere created by different layers of this color. It is a little tricky to wear it, though, as my natural hair color is also black, and that could bring out too much heaviness. My trick is to use another accent color.

White is always a good friend of black. But I actually think I could have survive without the cardigan but only the shoes, as the black lace camisole already softened the overall heaviness.
This is what my killer look would be like. I like it! But it is so heavy, that I had to put on my red heels to take away some focus and in a complete look I would perhaps use a pair of red lips, too.

Playing with Color – Blue

It is not that I am going through all the colors we know. I used to buy my clothes in the blue palette a lot, as it is safe and it goes well with everything. The downside of that would be it is sort of a boring color series. Certainly, some blues have more characters, but I say use its versatility and go match-up.

The blue shirt is the center of this look. Pairing it with plead pants in blue-ish grey and to bring out the light, I chose no-color sandals and the purple hair accessory is the accent.
This is one of my more characteristic blue dress. Still, blue is the calming part of it, and accessories and shoes matching the white component make it more naturally harmonized.

So, this is what I have been playing around during this difficult time period. I hope I don’t have to have #2, and even worse, #3 coming up, as I really hope things can get back to normal soon… but none the less, I found staying home becomes more entertaining with such experiments, and taking notes of it.

I am not a stylist at all, but I enjoyed coordinating my imaginary outfits going out, and I hope you enjoyed it as well! 🙂

Restaurant review: The never ending summer, Bangkok, Thailand

Some party layout being arranged when we were leaving. Dec 2018.

By the end of last fall, I had become rather anxious. Yes I had landed my dream MBA program, and I had just returned from an exotic trip to Israel and Jordan, but something was missing; something that always drove me more than anything else – the great food experience in a foreign land. (No offense to Israel and Jordan; we will talk later. )

So my friend and I decided to take actions. We both needed a getaway from working in Japan (you know what I mean) for the past year, and especially for me – I wanted an advanced reward before starting the busy MBA year; so here we were, the land of smile – Thailand.

It would take so many words to talk about Thailand, and I don’t think it is fair to use just one post to record my experience with this magical country. So, I have decided to start a series; restaurant reviews, coffee shops and pubs, and perhaps something else. Although this is my first time there, I have a strong feeling that I will definitely go back again and again, every now and then. We will see.

Today, it is just about this one restaurant, a pleasant discovery in Bangkok.

To be honest, the name of it didn’t strike me as a quality restaurant, to begin with. The never ending summer. Hmm. You see too many fancy-slash-high end names for restaurants that cannot provide the food worth the name. Naturally, I hesitated when my friend suggested to go in the first place. I guess this also helped with the perception.

Anyhow, the first thing that I liked is the location. Of course it is. It is almost in the center of Bangkok – the old part, not Sukhumvit. It is nicely located in a quiet corner, very close to the river bank. It is very chic and very Bangkok; we actually spent a lot of time posing and taking pictures outside of it – I would say too much time since our ice tea almost became warm.

You can find many places to do your professional photo shooting in Bangkok, I am sure of that; but why not doing it time-efficiently with a location that is also accessible to a good restaurant. 🙂

OK, to get back to topic. The food.

Some would argue that you can never go wrong with any restaurant in Bangkok. Well, that might be true by large. But with limited amount of time we have as travelers, it is rather important to secure the very best ones on the list. And since most of them are good ones, why not going a little off-track and try something new-ish and stylish?

The never ending summer has all the typical Thai food options you would want to check off your list: Pad Thai, red/green curry, Tom Yum soup, and everything else. But they do it not only correctly, but also with a hint of raw creativity.

The very Thai spices combined with raw tropical leafs that make your flavor palette on fire and ice at the same time, and the hidden sweetness and sourness will comfort you in surprise; the scrambled eggs and rice noodles blended in with each other in harmony with the help of the rich flavors brought by the right amount of oil, fish sauce, and certainly all kinds of spices; the perfect for anything combination of salt and sugar, which almost tripled the sweetness of the most delicious watermelon I had ever had… I just wished I had nine stomaches, like a cow or something.

Overall, very decent place with great food and ambience, not to mention its access to the river bank and being in the central area of Bangkok. I am definitely going back again.

Like they said, you can never go too wrong with any restaurant in Bangkok; I totally stand by it. That is why, beyond the quality food, it is such a nice surprise what this place can offer which makes your impression of food in Bangkok just more colorful, and more chic.

Recommending 5 star (out of 5) 😉

Trip report – Kanazawa, the golden city in silver

In January I went on my first trip this year, to a part of Japan that was completely new to me, and possibly to many of the foreign travelers as well – Kanazawa (金沢市), the capital city of Ishikawa prefecture (石川県) of the Hokuriku (北陸) area.

For most travelers, when speaking of Japan, many think of Kyoto (京都) immediately, and then perhaps the other famous ancient city nearby – Nara (奈良), and young people especially may think of Tokyo (東京) first instead. Even for Japanese, the Hokuriku area is not a typical place that they consider for vacation or something (to my best understanding). One thing is, it used not to be very convenient to be there for Tokyo dwellers to begin with. But it all changed with the opening of Hokuriku Shinkansen the first year I came to Japan, and then the promotion of this area to remind people of its beauty and charms.

During my visit, it was just in time for a series of heavy snows. People may think: Oh what a bad luck! But actually, quite the opposite. The golden city by name was so lovely in white with the snows, and the sea urchins and Japanese sake just got even more delicious under the snowy atmosphere, not to mention soaking in the outdoor onsen while appreciating the falling snow flakes… I felt very lucky. And I felt wise to have carried my camera all the way during the trip. Therefore, although there are some must-go places which should be introduced in a typical trip report, after struggling for 2 days, I decided to tell the story mainly using pictures; so, here it comes, my not-so-useful-but-fully-pictured trip report –

A corner in Kenrokuen (兼六園); one of the must-go places in Kanazawa. I just liked the small teahouses by the ponds.

Have some hot matcha tea with fried rice balls. There are even gold foil flakes in the tea.

While P was checking how to get to our hotel, I wandered around the gift shops to see what to bring back this time. It was no wonder why the city is called Kanazawa (金沢, golden swamp by the name); there were so many products made of gold foil – gold foil mask, gold foil coffee, gold foil icecream, just to list a few. I am sure you will find your favorite gold foil product here.

Gold foil soft cream.

Let me do my due diligence to give some introduction after all. Kenrokuen garden (兼六園) is one of the Three Great Gardens in Japan (三大名園). It is a large garden with beautiful ponds here and there, and different bridges and trees arranged with good sense – if you are very into the Japanese gardens, Kenrokuen is like a collection of such beauties. Not to mention all the tea rooms (茶室) there are overlooking the ponds, that could bring you into a picture. I liked the hot amazake (甘酒, sweet Japanese sake) a lot, and I actually sit outside by the pond and had a cup of it.

Next to Kenrokuen is the Kanazawa Castle (金沢城). It was a cool Castle, and perhaps the most stunning moment we had over there was when we dared to try out the gold foil ice cream in a coffee shop close to the Castle. Spoiler alert! Gold foil actually tastes like, nothing – not really a flavor anyway, but it does do a good job in shining up your lip!

 

When we arrived the East Teahouse Street (東茶屋街) it was still of dim light. Two Japanese girls checking their pictures just taken.

The main street of East Teahouse Street in the dark.

When visiting the northern part of Japan, be it Hokuriku, Tohoku, or Hokkaido, it is recommended to pay a tribute to the local Japanese sakes while having the crabs and fishes harvested from the nearby sea of Japan for dinner in any restaurant or izakaya (居酒屋). A very recommended place is Omi-cho Market (近江町市場). There are fresh vegetables and seafood on sale, delicious food stand, and small izakayai open until late in the night.

I was all for the sea urchins. Unlike in Tokyo, sea urchins here are more common and even come with such a small plate of assorted Sashimi.

 

unluckily, the more famous crab ran out of stock that day. But this one was also delicious! Usually Japanese don’t eat female crabs, unless for this kind of crab.

 

Oyster is also one of the famous food here. It says “raw eating OK”. We were in time for the oyster festival (牡蠣祭り) and had some free oysters on the first day.

It says “loach”, well, to me it tastes close to Unagi (鰻), sea eel.

 

This is my favorite! Sea urchins. You can actually eat rawly right here, they provide sauce – but I don’t really need it.

 

Yummy!!

 

Kanazawa Oden (おでん) is kind of famous, too. It goes well with Japanese sake.

Besides the beautiful garden and castle, Kanazawa is also an elegant city to wander around. We had too compact a day on our first day there, therefore on the second day, we decided to simply get lost in this silver world – at least this was what I thought. We didn’t use the public transportation but walked aimlessly, and when the snow got heavy we just hid and waited, had some tea or just got ourselves.

Near the Nomura Samurai House (野村家　武家敷跡) area.

 

Lovely chinaware in a lovely Japanese styled house. Kaburaki-shop (鏑木商舗).

Take a random rest with rice cake and a cup of tea.

 

The tea room on the top level of Nomura Samurai House. I was sitting there having a moment of myself, while taken picture by a Japanese gentleman passing by.

After two full days touring around Kanazawa, I spent my second night at a onsen hotel in Kaga (加賀). Kaga is on the west of Kanazawa, with a 40 minutes rail riding, close to Fukui prefecture (福井県). As usual, I had a restful night with the fancy kaiseki ryori (懐石料理) and some good Japanese sake.

Outside the window of our room is the view of a creek in a narrow valley.

The Japanese sake we had for dinner. It is said to be served in Nobel award reception before.

 

In the morning. It was still snowing in the mountains with thin flog.

Walking around the small onsen town. The town in the far background looks like in a fairy world.

 

Before leaving for home, let’s have a bowl of hot kani shiru (蟹汁, crab meat miso soup), and get warmed up.

And, until the next time, we will be back to home, in Tokyo. 🙂