If I had to name all the types of Japanese noodles I know, it would pretty much be udon, ramen and soba. Embarrassingly, that’s about the extent of what I’ve been exposed to living in Australia. It’s kind of like how my sushi knowledge stops at tuna and mayo. But when I was in Lake […]
In the middle of Melbourne’s never-ending lockdown in 2020, I found myself missing the simple ritual of brunch. I missed those weekends spent catching up with friends over the comfort of an overpriced breakfast and a strong oat milk latte. With nowhere to go and too much time on my hands, I finally pulled out
When I first started searching for accommodation around the Fuji Five Lakes area, I had my sights set on Lake Kawaguchiko. Mostly because I didn’t know much about the other four lakes, and Kawaguchiko seemed the easiest to get to without a car. As I browsed through different options, I decided I wanted to stay
When I was planning my visit to Hakone, there was one must-do thing on my bucket list: to visit the iconic Hakone Shrine Torii. Also known as the Floating Torii Gate or Heiwa no Torii (“Torii of Peace”), this stunning structure gracefully sits over the waters of Lake Ashi. The bright red gate, framed by
Now that we’re at the tail end of April, I can really feel the autumn temperatures starting to kick in. It’s been a pretty warm season here in Perth — up until last week, I was still living in my t-shirts and shorts! But over the weekend, I finally found myself reaching for my oversized
It was a warm and humid Sunday evening in late October, and our final night staying in Asakusa before moving over to Shinjuku. After spending the morning at teamLab Borderless and the rest of the day shopping in Ginza, we exhaustedly returned to our hotel, OMO3 Asakusa, around 9 p.m. The day had been rainy,
During my second trip to Japan, I discovered the joy of collecting eki stamps—cute rubber and ink stamps found at train stations across the country. In a world of digital apps where everything is pretty much on your smartphone, the ability to engage in a manual creative activity is a breath of fresh air. As
If you had mentioned Ba Na Hills to me before my trip to Vietnam, I wouldn’t have had a clue what you were talking about. Before heading to Da Nang, I had a quick scroll through Instagram and was flooded with posts of selfies and poses on a bridge with two giant hands. I soon
I thought I’d share my recent experience flying internationally to Da Nang with Vietnam Airlines, since I wasn’t able to find much information on it prior to travelling. In particular, transiting at Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN) in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC). While I can’t guarantee this process is the same for other
Mmm…what could possibly be better than a scrumptious cream puff? One shaped like Totoro, of course! And that’s exactly what you’ll find at Shirohige’s Cream Puff Factory in Kichijōji. This charming patisserie is owned by the sister-in-law of Studio Ghibli’s founder, Hayao Miyazaki, and currently operates two locations in Tokyo. We visited the smaller, cosier