walking on the streets of tokyo: harajuku

There's a lot to love about Tokyo and with the weather so good, walking around Tokyo is a joy.

Harajuku is a great place to shop and people-watch. There's loads of Japanese street wear brands here and High Snobiety has a great list if you're interested.

Walking past a hotel on our way to Harajuku; loving the brutalist architecture and cherry blossom tree

Sticker art everywhere

I can't count them all

Singaporeans will get this

Space Invader invades a Harajuku parking lot

One of the many quirky shops in Harajuku

Plenty of indie bookshops in Harajuku; this shop owner was so nice and patient with directions

I'll be posting on Ayoyama and Shimokitozawa tomorrow, come back soon!

meiji shrine in shibuya-ku

From just watching films about Tokyo, one would think that it's a neo-punk modern metropolis a la Blade Runner. In some ways, it sorta is; when you're shopping in Shibuya, giant electronic billboards are blasting all manner of ads in Japanese at you. But despite the crowds and noise, you can still find pockets of tranquility at the heart of the city. One of these pockets is the Meiji Shrine in Shibuya-ku. 

The torii

Walking into the shrine early in the morning

The colours of autumn

Japanese maple trees in autumn are a vibrant shade of orange

Sake barrels on display

Entrance to the main shrine

Close-up of the torii

Beautiful architectural feature on the door

Japanese lamps adorn the shrine

Shinto weddings are frequently held at the Meiji shrine

Close-up of the couple

Leaving the shrine

Have you been to Meiji Shrine? If you have, please share your photos with me in the comments section below.

trainspotting in tokyo

Trains are a great way to get around the Tokyo. It's much cheaper than taxis and buses are difficult to take for non-native speakers. All train stations in Tokyo have signs in English and Japanese and most of the station masters we spoke to could speak enough English to give us directions.

Get ready for a picture-heavy post...

Heading to Shibuya Crossing

View from inside the train not during rush hour

The Japanese are very civic-minded, if they're not feeling well, they cover their mouths with masks so germs don't get spread around

Even when it's not rush hour, people still rush

I think the Japanese are very literary; they are always reading

See what I mean?

Waiting to cross the tracks

Crossing

Looking up

Oh, if you're planning a trip to Tokyo and have an iPhone, download the trains.jp app. It's free and works offline. Basically, you key in where you are and where you want to go and the app tells you what trains to take, where to change, etc. Best of all, the data is stored on your phone, no need for wifi or a 3G connection.

Has anyone reading this been to Tokyo? What was your experience like on trains?

i dream of tokyo

Tokyo has got to be one of my favourtite cities in the world. I stopped flying for many years because of anxiety but when I finally decided to do it again, the first place I chose to visit was Tokyo.

I visited Tokyo in December 2012 and spent a week there. Personally I don't think there's ever a bad time to visit Japan, but it can get hot and humid in summer. In winter, the weather was really quite perfect for me, aside from being a little chilly. I was there for a week and I think it only rained on the last day I left. It was clear blue skies for almost the entire trip!

The view from Park Hotel with Tokyo Tower in the middle and Mount Fuji in the distance

I stayed at Park Hotel Tokyo, which is in Minato-ku. It's located near in the central business district surrounded by news stations and big ad agencies. Because Tokyo is so densely populated, this hotel was actually built on top of the 25-storey Shiodome Media Tower.

Park Hotel Tokyo is a hotel geared towards businessmen and every morning when we had breakfast in the lobby lounge, I could hear the American businessmen talking about their deals. One of them said that if we can see Mount Fuji on a clear day from Tokyo, it's a sign of good luck.

To give you an idea of the area I was staying in was like, here are some photos I took while walking to the train station every morning. As you can see, we were surrounded by towering office blocks. It may not be the most picturesque place to stay in Tokyo but I loved staying here! There was an energy that I like about this area that just made me want to wake up every morning and explore the city.

I wasn't kidding about them blue skies!

Catching some rays in winter

There are so many reasons why I love Tokyo; the Japanese are so polite, service is always excellent, food is great, there's a vibrant arts scene, loads of shopping from street wear to luxury boutiques. I can't capture all the reasons why I love Tokyo in one post, so I'm going to split it over the next few days.

I won't be focusing on shopping or some of the prominent tourist attractions. I'm sure there is a lot of information online already but for me, I wasn't there for the shopping or sight-seeing. I just wanted to go somewhere very different from Singapore.

View of Tokyo at night from the 50th storey of the Mori Tower

More about Tokyo will be up on the blog tomorrow!

january 2014 favourites

This month, I spent most of my time shopping for bargains during the post-Christmas sales and didn't do much vlogging, hence no vlog this month. Sorry about that! But there are some stuff I've really been loving this month and would like to share them with you.

Favourite app: Buddhify
I want to meditate more regularly and I find that apps are really useful in helping me focus or relax. Only problem is that I've got to make sure I've got enough power in my phone for the entire session.
After using Headspace for a while, I've switched to Buddhify and I love it. It's got loads of different meditation topics and I like it because you can meditate on-the-go, at work, at the park, if you've got insomnia, when you get up in the morning, etc. And it also keeps track of how often you meditate, how much of the content you've accessed, etc. Each session is between 5 to 11 minutes so it's not daunting for a beginner like me.

Favourite website: The Kitchn
Now that I find myself cooking so much, I often turn to The Kitchn for inspiration. The Kitchn is a sister website of Apartment Therapy and focuses on recipes, cooking tips, kitchen organisation. Basically a lot of kitchen-related porn, but not quite the kind that you're thinking of... 

Favourite YouTube channel: Healthcare Triage
Since I'm not gainfully employed, I spend a copious amount of time online, usually watching cute baby animals sneezing or falling sleep. Anyway, recently I've been hooked on Healthcare Triage which is a channel that focuses on healthcare issues pertaining to America. Some of the topics are American-centric (like Obamacare and insurance) but what I like about them is that they break down research into bite-sized chunks that are easy enough to understand. Did you know that sugar doesn't actually make people hyper? If you're a hypochondriac or just really into science stuff (like me!), please check out their awesome channel.

Favourite tv show: The Mindy Project
Mindy Kaling, are you my spirit animal? I watch waaay too much tv for my own good and I'd like to think that because of this, I have discerning tastes. And The Mindy Project is just so funny, and even though it's not reality, Mindy finds herself in loads of situations that I've gotten myself in. Another reason why I love this show? Chris Messina! 'Nuff said.

Random favourite: Pukka Tea
Since I have problems falling asleep, I've been trying to avoid caffeine, so I've switched to caffeine-free teas. With the weather so cold in Belfast, I've been basically surviving on hot tea to stay warm. I really like the Pukka Tea range but this month, my favourite has got to be Lemongrass and Ginger, try it if you can get your hands on it. I drink it both on its own, or with sugar sometimes.

I hope everyone's had a lovely January and that February's going to be awesome of you all! 

sir thomas and lady dixon park

We had a bit of sunny weather this morning so we decided to visit Sir Thomas and Lady Dixon Park on Upper Malone Road. It was too far for a walk so we hopped on the Metro bus 8A from Stranmilis towards Erinvale Avenue. Alighting at Finaghy Road, we walked towards Upper Malone Road till we got to the park. 

Walking along Upper Malone Road

The park is really pretty and well known for its roses, but because it's winter, no roses were in bloom.

Walking into the park

Still some greenery remains despite the cold weather

A Japanese-style garden within the park

There was an area in the park where there were plaques dedicated to the beloved pets formerly owned by Sir Thomas and Lady Dixon. We also popped into The Stables Coffee House. The food was not great but as it is the only place to grab a bit or coffee, but the service staff were really nice and friendly. We sat next to a sweet, old couple who kept smiling at us the whole time we were there.

I do like this park, but I prefer Barnett Demesne and Lagan Meadows. But I do want to come back for Roses Week in July. I'm sure it's going to be beautiful.

2014 to-do list

I'm not really one for new year resolutions. If you really want change, I think you can start right now. Starting on 1st January is more ceremonial than anything. That being said, I decided that I want to come up with a To-do List of what I want to do this year. Not so much because I want to change my life, (change is a process, there is no beginning and no end. It just happens.) but because I want a report card of how I did this year. So without further ado (cringe), here is my list:

1. Unplug
Every morning when I wake up, the first thing I do is check Facebook, then Instagram, then my emails. And I do this constantly throughout the day. I am obsessed with how many people are reading my posts or responding to them. It is just not healthy and I am just stressing myself out for no good reason. I am going to try to avoid doing that until I've at least had my morning cup of tea :)

2. Meditate
Okay, I've been meditating on and off for a couple of years now. I started about 8 or 9 years ago and I would go through these periods where I'm very good for a few weeks then fall off the wagon. I always give up because I thought it wasn't working. But I realise now that I never did it long enough to gave it a chance to work. So, I'm going to try to do this every other day.

3. Envy
This has got to be one of my worst habits. I am constantly envious of the people around me. I am envious of people who are happy, going somewhere (whether traveling or being successful), people who look like they have their shit together, etc. And it really sucks. Often, the people I am envious of are people I love, and I should be happy for them, instead of indulging in envy. So from now on, I am going to try to be happy for someone, instead of envying them. I've also got to work on being less judgemental, but hey, one thing at time ok?

4. Learn
You know, I always thought to myself, "someday when I don't have to work, I'm going to have time to do all the shit that I always wanted but never had time." Well I left my job in May last year and it is still not happening. I just realised that my time is limited (our time, for that matter), especially my time away from work, and I just want something to show for it. And also because I don't know what I should do with my life. I have spent the last two decades figuring it out. That's right, figuring, not doing. So how the heck am I going to figure it out if I'm not doing anything? So, this year, I'm going to try to learn something new every month.

5. Go
This is related to point 4, my time in Europe is limited. I have about 30 months in Belfast and I already spent 6 of them feeling sorry for myself. That shit has got to stop. So, I'm going to try to go somewhere else every month. Yay to new experiences!

So what is on your To-do List in 2014? No one is more surprised than me to say that this post was inspired by Lauren Conrad's 2014 Resolutions. I mean, seriously, she used to be on Laguna Beach and The Hills! I don't know if she has a team of magical elves churning great posts on her website or what, but I have to say, I really enjoy her posts. (Even though I think she's trying to dethrone Gwyneth Paltrow and her Goop empire)

Oh man, so here is my 2014 To-do List, cast in stone. Check back with me on how it's going ok?