One of the many things I appreciate about Japan is that for such a geographically small country, how diverse and distinctive each prefecture is. Since I started working in Japan a year and a half ago, I have started to talk to colleagues originally from different parts of Japan and have been learning about where … Continue reading Japanese regional cuisine highlight: Okinawa soba
2021 Hanami 🌸 Last year around about now, covid-19 was slowly spreading infections and fear around the world. We decided not to go to 花見 (hanami, cherry blossom viewing) as I killed my longing to enjoy the traditional Japanese event so that we and people around us can live. This year, covid-19 is still spreading … Continue reading Sakura 2 ways: view at hanami and taste with wagashi
teamLab is a multidisciplinary art collectives that offers an immersive art experience. They have many exhibitions in Japan with some in overseas including Singapore, Shanghai, New York and Macau to name a few. One of their exhibitions in Odaiba has been well featured and I have been meaning to go since I moved to Japan … Continue reading Only in Tokyo: Body detox and art appreciation at teamLab Reconnect
The perks of working from home for over a year are freshly cooked meal for lunch, enjoy watching my tulip grow and wearing comfy sweatpants for work. The downside, especially living in a house without a tv 📺 and not having many (...ok hardly any) Japanese friends in Japan, is that I don't really know … Continue reading Record slayer ⚔️ the mega hit Japanese manga, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
One of the benefits of the pandemic has been that I've been challenging myself with new recipes. I would have dismissed recipes that will take more than 2-3 hours in total. Recently, I made 夏みかん (natsumikan) citrus peel. Depending on which recipe you follow, it takes somewhere between 2- 11hours 😳. 11 hours sound like … Continue reading How to make a citrus peel using natsumikan
In the last week's Tokyo weekend getaway: Karuizawa, Nagano post, I shared the highlights from Karuizawa part of our 3 nights 4 days trip and in this post, I’ll share the highlights from Hakuba part of the same trip. About Hakuba Hakuba is located in the Northern Alps region in Nagano prefecture and people have enjoyed skiing … Continue reading Tokyo weekend getaway: Hakuba, Nagano
February 23 is Japanese emperor's birthday which fell on a Tuesday in 2021 and is a public holiday. Many people decided to take Monday off to make a longer weekend.My husband and his brother did so; I were not so lucky but we decided to take this opportunity to explore beyond Tokyo and enjoy the … Continue reading Tokyo weekend getaway: Karuizawa, Nagano
The coronavirus number has been going down and although we are still in a state of emergency, many people we know have been traveling or making travel plans. I have wanted to go strawberry picking since we moved to Tokyo 2 years ago (I've mentioned about it in one of my early posts) but haven't … Continue reading Tokyo weekend getaway: Charming Chichibu Saitama
February 11th is National Foundation Day and a public holiday in Japan 🇯🇵 (more about its history in my previous year's blog post).It is a day to love and appreciate Japan where last year, we enjoyed Japan's beautiful nature in Hakuba for skiing. Bell Tower on the left hand side of the ski resort, ring … Continue reading Sushi & Sumida art strolling
I’m not clumsy but I have broken ceramics and mugs in the last 2 years since I moved to Tokyo. They were items that I am fond of so I couldn’t throw them out. I was aware of the Japanese art of 金継ぎ(kintsugi) where new life is breathed into broken ceramics and glasses through care … Continue reading Appreciating flaws with the art of Kintsugi
Native Expat 