Momiji!

With winter is coming closer, it will be the perfect time for autumn leaves sightseeing, or as the Japanese would say, Momiji. Autumn leaves will be so beautiful to admire once it’s approaching the end of fall season. This reddish color only can be seen once every year, just like sakura (hanami). You can visit parks such as Shinjuku Gyoen, Yoyogi Gyoen, Ueno Gyoen, and many other places to enjoy these autumn leaves! Not only you get to enjoy the view, but you can feel the breeze while chit-chatting with your beloved friends. The best time for Momiji is usually around the end of November until the first week of December. During those times, gather around with your friends and go to a park because that’s probably the best way to end a fall season.

Baked Cheese Tart

In Saigon, my hometown, there is a Takashimaya building where we can enjoy the amazing Japanese cuisine. Walking down to the B3 floor, I always saw the long queue of people waiting to buy a Bake Cheese Tart (BCT)’s cheesecake. What leads to such worldwide popularity of a seemingly normal cheesecake? I have no reason to deny that once you try, you have no reason to try it again, and again. Its flavor is just out of this world. Queues in the Ikebukuro store are usually shorter than those of Saigon Takashimaya, but that does not mean its cheese tarts are less delicious. If you come back home from an exhausting day of work, you may just wish to enjoy an interestingly butter-rich, crunchy cheese tart from BCT while watching a Netflix movie! At least that works for me!

My Favourite Curry!

This is personally the best curry I’ve ever tasted in Japan. Curry House CoCo Ichibanya (CoCoICHI) is one of the best place to have curry in Japan. In fact, they already have a lot of chains in different countries such as America, Indonesia, China, and many others. It is that famous! With a decent price, you can get an unforgettable taste of Japanese curry. They also have different toppings, varying from cheese, egg, tonkatsu, and a lot of things that will make your curry sing for itself. CocoICHI is really easy to find in Japan, no matter where you are. So, every time I’m craving for curry, this is my place to go. Hirekatsu curry is so far my favourite one, and it costs less than 1000 yen.

Maxell Aqua Park

Who does not love marine creatures? I am sure that you guys have been to an aquarium at least once in your lifetime. However, this aquarium that I went to is exceptional! Located in Shinagawa, Tokyo, Maxell Aqua Park showcases wonderful world of marine creatures which is going to be breathtaking for their visitors. It is huge, full of attractions, and has many amazing water and light displays. It is also famous for their dolphin shows that is displayed several times each day. Maxell Aqua Park utilises cutting-edge technology in their water attraction, and I can guarantee you it is going to be an unforgettable moment! Besides dolphins attraction, rare underwater creatures also displayed in this aquarium. They let their visitors explore the marine world without even having to go underwater, which makes this place crazy with visitors every year.

Christmas is approaching 🤶🎄🎅

Winter is my favourite time of the year! I love this season especially because of Christmas time and Christmas is my favourite holiday for many reasons!

1, First of all I love the decorations!! Everything is so colorful and cheerful. I always put some ornament on my windowsill, which helps to put me in a better mood 😉😊

2, Besides, it’s also the holiday of hot chocolate! Watching a movie in your PJs while drinking hot chocolate ( preferebly in a Christmas mug makes everything better). If you are sweet-toothed you can also try to put marshmallows in it.

3, Christmas aslo gives you a good opportunity to buy and make presents for your friends&family. Although, sometimes it gives me a headache to think of the perfect present for everyone the smile on their faces always proves to be a good compensation :)

 

🎓 Todai, the Japanese equivalent of Harvard university 🎓

So, yesterday, I visited Todai, which is a contraction of “University of Tokyo” (=Tokyo daigaku).

Not many foreign know about Todai, unless they are students themselves or had been introduced to this prestigious university thanks to the mangas and animes (like me). Let’s take for example : “Love Hina” which is a manga relating the story of two young people working hard to realize their dream to get into Todai. I have been introduced to this university for the first time thanks to this manga.

Todai campus is SO BIG, it was like I entered a new district in Bunkyo. You can find combini, cafés, restaurants, shops , there is even a lake inside the university. This is worth the detour. I really liked the atmosphere there.

What about you ? Have you ever thought of visiting some universities in Japan ?

Tapioca Fever →

Recently, in Japan, there has been a trend that goes around the society involving not only teenagers, but also adults and children. Tapioca, or bubble tea, or boba tea - whichever you would like to call it - is a drink that has edible chewy black balls in it. The drink can be in any form: milk tea, chocolate, coffee, tea, etc. Tapioca has actually been in Japan and many other countries for many years now, but for some reason, the trend is suddenly high these days. A week ago, I tried a new tapioca in Nakano. It was just open not long ago, and since I live near there, I felt like I have to try it. It tastes pretty good, and it costs around 400-600 yen. I tried the chocolate flavor, and my friend tried the seasonal pineapple flavor.

Hey Everyone ☺️!

Hi there! Nice to meet you! My name is Fafa and I’m from Hungary. I’m a university student majoring in international realtions. So if you enjoy talking about culture and politics, history or literature than you are my person :)

Kagurazaka - A small town of amazing festivals

If you always love festive events, you might have known about Kagurazaka, a small town in Shinjuku District where you can enjoy many unique and fun festivals throughout the year. Festivals include many themes - from a cute cat costume festival, to a full scale summer festival in July every year. Also, during the festivals, you can watch many wonderful performances and enjoy a lot of delicious food. If you are a fan of upbeat festivals, why don’t give Kagurazaka a visit this year?

Enjoy a tremendously beautiful autumn in Tokyo

It is nearly the mid-autumn of the year, when you can view leaves turning yellow and dyeing a whole large area. This wonderful view can be seen in many spots around Tokyo this December. If you are thinking about visiting spots on holidays with your family or friends, many parks in Tokyo and even Tokyo Station can offer you a great view for falling leaves. Let us spend some time visiting these spots and enjoy the vibe of autumn. 

🍡 My love for dango 🍡

If I had to chose one sweet from Japan , I will definitely chose DANGO !

There is something very interesting about the taste and the texture, although it is really simple. But simple is the best sometimes. When it’s simple, you can easily customize with different flavors it and make it a unique, which is the case with dango. The base is made from rice flour only, so the taste is kind of plain. To make it tasty, you will need to add some seasonings !
Ma favorite one is the one you see in the picture : Mitarashi-dango 😍 It’s made with sweet soy sauce and it tastes amazing !

Which one is your favorite ?

My favorite bakery

Recently I’ve been travelling a lot. It’s a nice thing to be able to tour different places but at the same time, my body got tired from constantly being on the road. That’s why this week, my friend and I decided to have a break and treat ourselves to some good food. One of the places we went to was The Little Bakery Tokyo, located in Shibuya. I love everything there, from the tasty bread to the cool interior design. It’s definitely popular among young people, so everything often sells out very quickly. As I went there a little later in the afternoon, there was already a pretty long queue of people. However the wait was definitely worth it as we very much enjoyed our food!

Performing at My Dormitory's Festival →

On Sunday, 10 November 2019, I did a performance for the second time in my dormitory’s festival. The festival is called WISH Festival (WISH stands for Waseda International Student Housing), which is held once a year, and there are various booths, culinary, games, and performances from students all over the world. This year, I sang a duet with my friend. In total, we sang three songs: one Indonesian, one English, and one Chinese song. I was pretty surprised to know there were more friends coming to watch me than I thought. My friends from circle, church, other dorms, and also classmates. I had so much bliss when I performed. The duet song also went well, and our performance was well received as everyone gave us a warm applause at the end. Lastly, we took many photos together with the stage decorations. This was a very unforgettable moment for me.

Hi everyone!

I am Thao, nice to meet you all!

Godzilla

I am pretty sure none of you never heard of Godzilla before, right? This is a famous movie created in Japan back in 1954. Afterwards, it became a worldwide pop culture icon. Godzilla was illustrated as a monster that was awakened by nuclear radiation, that being said, it was a metaphor of nuclear weapons in the 20th century. Until now, there has been 35 Godzilla movies released by Japan and Hollywood combined. This pop culture is so popular that there is a statue in Shinjuku built to commemorate the history of Godzilla, that statue is called the Godzilla Head. You can stand right next to it by entering Hotel Gracery Shinjuku and go to the eighth floor, where you can also see the progress of Godzilla movies and culture from time to time. If you are on the right hour, you will see something amazing from this majestic piece of art. Lasers and steam will come out from its mouth, eyes flash red, and it makes roaring sounds.

2020 is near!

Time flies fast, so fast that apparently 2020 is only 2 months away! Isn’t that crazy? Every new year in Japan, bells are going to be rang in several temples to symbolise that a new year has come. One of places that’s going to be crowded with people is the Sensō-ji (浅草寺), or also known as Asakusa Kannon Temple. Originally build to commemorate the goddess of mercy, Sensō-ji is the oldest temple and probably the most majestic temple in Tokyo. A lot of tourists visited this temple everyday and it never gets empty, in fact, it gets even crazier when celebrating new year. Not only can you enjoy the view and experience the culture, but also you can enjoy foods from various stalls around the temple. The architectural design is one of the greatest, exposing its charming and intriguing historical background. No wonder, why a lot of people came to this place for the 2019 new year celebration. I was shocked seeing how many people actually willing to spend their time, including tourists, in this temple. I would definitely go again to this temple for new year!

MY MOST FAVORITE FOOD IN JAPAN IS OKONOMIYAKI

One of the most amazing Japanese foods, to me, is okonomiyaki (or Japanese pancake). Of course I also love sushi and ramen, but if I have to choose one, I would definitely choose okonomiyaki. The wonderful flavor of pork can go very well with cabbages and the sauce, making me want to eat over and over again. Although I have been trying okonomiyaki in many places, the most delicious one is in a small shop in Osaka. I will take my parents with me when they come to visit me in Japan.

Learn Japanese History

It is interesting how we can learn Japanese cultures and past history through museum. Edo-Tokyo museum, located in Sumida, is one of museums in Tokyo that offers ways to experience history of Tokyo during the Edo period starting from 1603 until the present Tokyo. The museum is separated into two parts, for times when Edo was still the capital city of Japan, and when it changed to Tokyo. They way it represents Tokyo history is so interesting, since they use miniatures, models, and sometimes real-life scale of houses back during war period. It showcases the development of Tokyo until the current Tokyo that we know. With a lot of amazing exhibitions to offer, this museum is one of many places to visit in Tokyo. In fact, it only costs 600 yen per person, and is cheaper for students, juniors, or seniors.

The Dessert King

I have been staying in Japan for more than a year, and from what I saw dessert is one of Japan’s specialties. You can literally see a lot of dessert shops scattered around cities in Japan, doesn’t matter what they sell. Ice creams, crepes, pancake, parfait, cakes, and many other types of dessert are available for you anywhere and anytime. It is not only a matter of flavour, but also the presence of the dessert itself. Japanese people really excel in decorating foods to make it more appealing and attract people to give it a try. My point is, Japanese desserts are undoubtedly perfect no matter from what aspect you are trying to judge it. Would you rate Japan as the Dessert King of all time?