Last weekend we planned a little Toronto getaway with friends Justin and Andrea. Our main objective was to see our friend David playing Romeo in the musical & Juliet.
The show was fantastic and exceeded our expectations. It was charming and funny, weaving in lyrics from Brittney Spears and The Backstreet Boys to enhance the story. Knowing one of the leads + watching him sign autographs afterwards = priceless!
We had the chance to meet David and wife Faith for lunch at the St. Lawrence Market for some good eats and had a pre-show Greek meal that did not disappoint.
We rounded out the weekend with some Toronto wanderings, including a trip up the CN tower and lots of fun at the Hockey Hall of Fame.
One of our favourite things was people watching from different coffee shops.
A rainy night was the perfect time to tour the Steamwhistle Brewery, followed up by nachos at a pub with another MH local.
This last section of our holiday had us moving up the Dalmatian coast. Our first stop was the city of Split. We arrived in the early evening a started doing all of the things we typically do: get settled into our flat, go out for dinner, and find a grocery store to get supplies for the coming days. As we were walking I told RobO we were going to do a slight detour, which was to have a look at Diocletian’s Palace during the perfect golden hour light. It was so fun to see RobO’s surprise and excitement to explore another Game of Thrones filming location.
We wandered the Roman ruins and old town a little more as the cruise crowds were back on their ships.
The next day I led us on a walking tour in the city and up to the views from Marjan hill.
We walked the coastline for miles, people watching at the local swimming spots before we landed at our next destination: a cafe/bar called ‘Tennis’ that a friend had been to a couple of years ago. It is located in the centre of a group of clay tennis courts, so we enjoyed iced coffees while watching what looked like a junior tournament. It definitely reinforced our desire to try playing on clay one day (but not against any of those kids, who would totally kick our a$$es!).
We moved further north via bus to a city called Zadar. It has a very interesting history as it (like all of Croatia) went through different occupations (Romans, Ottomans, Venetians, Austria/Hungarians) but this city specifically was rewarded to Italy after the 1st World War. Because it was Italian territory it had the snot bombed out of it during World War II, then like the rest of Croatia it continued its journey to independence (Yugoslavia, Austria/Hungarian, etc). It definitely has a more Italian feel than other places in Croatia.
I was so excited to visit the Sea Organ, which is an installation on the sea wall that uses the movement of waves and transforms them into music. The waves push air into pipes that create organ harmonies. The instrument gets louder and plays higher tones when the waves are more forceful. It absolutely met our expectations and we found ourselves sitting on the stairs listening to the music numerous times throughout our stay. The best was at sunrise when we had it all to ourselves.
Plus a rainbow!!!
Sunset was really nice as well because, despite the crowds of people, this is the site that Alfred Hitchcock labeled as ‘the best sunset in the world’.
After dark the same architect (Nikola Bašić) created another installation called ‘Monument to the Sun’, which is a solar powered light show. Along the promenade are solar powered planets that are represented to scale (both size and distance from the sun).
RobO was craving Croatian seafood so one night we shared a plate of mussels and black ink risotto with calamari. We were so hungry and it was so good that all you get is a pic of RobO with the pile of empty shells!
We had an incredible day tour to Plitvice National Park about 2 hours from Zadar. The road went under the Mala Kapela mountain range through a 5km long tunnel. Our tour guide said that they call this tunnel Narnia because the weather can be so different on each side of the range. At 8:00am the digital sign said it was 14 degrees when we entered the tunnel and 5kms later we exited to a brisk 3 degrees with sections of pea soup fog. The sun had come out by the time we reached the park but I definitely could have used another layer!
Plitvice is a UNESCO world heritage site and boasts 16 terraced lakes joined by waterfalls. We walked a 9km hiking trail that had a boat trip in the middle of it.
The autumn leaves were in full display. At home we only see the yellows and oranges so it was a treat to see so much red foliage.
Croatia lived up to the hype and was a top 10 destination for us. It has great history, food, nature, and variety, plus it is an easy place to travel.
As always, while we’ve been travelling real life has been continuing on back home. We have had heavy hearts when hearing about our teachers striking, the impending healthcare strike, and especially the tragic passing of our friend Tyler Johnson. These things give us reminders to keep living our best lives and to hug our people. Hope that you will do the same. ❤️
We have spent the better part of this week in the valley below Slovenia’s Julien Alps.
The day we drove in it was raining cats and dogs. Having seen this in the forecast I booked us into a spa for the local specialty: a warm honey massage. One of us had some trepidation going in.
I’m pleased to report that the massages were lovely and our skin felt great for days afterwards.
By the time we left the spa the skies had cleared and we hit golden hour just right as we walked around the famous Lake Bled.
We saw the island church from all of the different angles, each offering a unique and ever beautiful view.
While admiring a photo stop we met a family with roots in Medicine Hat. They told us that when they arrived to Bled the day before there was no snow on the mountains!
We enjoyed a hike through the Vintgar Gorge that ended with sweeping views of the valley.
Our fantastic AirBnB had views of the Bled castle and it lured us out for some nighttime views.
Of course we had to taste Blejska Kremšnita, the famous Lake Bled cream cake. We even managed to find a gluten free version (which was the better of the two!).
The next morning was a perfect bluebird morning for a short but steep hike up Ojstrika, which boasts the best views of Lake Bled. Yep, we can confirm that these were some of the best views we could imagine.
We moved to the Bohinj area, where our accommodation highlighted some of the reasons that Slovenia is a leader in sustainability: solar panels, an apiary (bee hive), garden, and focus on recycling. Our host treated us with homemade Blueberry Schnapps as a welcome drink.
The apiary
We rented bikes and cycled a loop of the valley, including a stop at Savica waterfall.
The Slovenian food has been delicious, with lots of hearty soups, stews, and meat & potato options. I also enjoyed a taste of traditional Slovenian dumplings.
Slovenia has definitely exceeded our expectations. Tomorrow we will be heading south to Croatia again. Stay tuned for some special foodie adventures. I’ll sign off with one more of our thousand pictures from Lake Bled, this one complete with sunbeams.
One of the things that I have loved about travelling in South Korea has been how easy it is to access hiking. 70% of the country is mountainous and in each place that we have stayed we have easily taken the local bus to trails. We’ve hiked almost every 2nd day, always with great signage, views, and attractions. I read an article that said that Korean people value fitness and time in nature and it shows, given all of the hiking opportunities and the number of locals on the trails. It is not unusual to see elderly Koreans kitted out in hiking gear, often passing people on the trails.
We stayed 3 nights in Sokcho and explored Seoraksan National Park. We ended up doing 2 hikes one day, both of which had more than 600 stairs to reach the summits. We were shattered after all of that stair climbing!
Since we were on the coast we decided we wanted seafood. Our guesthouse host suggested a place that specializes in seafood hotpot. When it arrived to our table the abalone were still moving! I was way out of my comfort zone, but the waiter pushed them under the boiling broth and told us they’d be ready in 5 minutes. Can’t get more fresh than that!
Purple yam latteLocal craft beer
We made our way to Chuncheon and explored the Samaksan area. We were rewarded with great city and mountain views at the top. The way down we took a different route that required a lot of crab walking, using ropes, and careful manoeuvring to descend.
This city is known for its Dalgalbi, which is a chicken stir fry that happened right at our table. I ranked it as a close second to Korean BBQ. So good, especially after a long hike!
How excited (and hungry) do I look?
We made our way back to Seoul for our final couple of days before flying home. We caught the changing of the guard at the Gyeongbok Palace and wandered the vast grounds.
The Bukchon Hanok Village was a great spot to explore art shops, cafes, and do some people watching.
We had to have one final Korean BBQ and spa visit before heading to the airport. I’m on standby to fly home, so fingers crossed that I get there in time for closing night of RobO’s musical (9 to 5). What an incredible couple of months of exploring our world. Now I have some time to enjoy good weather at home before I return to work mid-July. Thanks for following along.
Final meal was perfect: dumplings and pickled radish.
On our final day in Gyeongji we wanted to go out for the famed Korean BBQ. I looked up some reviews and found a restaurant called Judon that boasts a rare perfect 5/5 score from 39 reviews. We used Google translate to let the waiter know that we were newbies and he set to work on showing us how to grill our pork belly, cheek, and neck, then which sauce combinations to use. Even though I am not a big meat eater it was so good that we had to order another round of pork belly. Suffice it to say that the restaurant now has 40 perfect reviews.
We made our way south to the metropolis of Busan, Korea’s 2nd largest city. It is a sprawling city with a good metro system. We enjoyed exploring the skinny walkways and streets of the colourful Gamcheon Culture Village.
The Igidae Coastal Walk was a great way to spend a sunny afternoon. We had great views of the turquoise ocean and the city skyline.
My highlight of Busan was Samgwangsa Temple, which was lit up with 40,000 lanterns in preparation for Buddha’s birthday.
Because of the birthday holiday weekend we didn’t see any accommodations in Seoul that matched our shoestring budget, so we decided to do something from my bucket list that wouldn’t really appeal to RobO… stay at a jjimjilbang. These are public 24 hour bath houses that have a variety of hot pools, saunas, scrub-down options, and resting/sleeping areas. If you’ve been a longtime blog reader you may remember that RobO and I are not newbies in the bath house experience, but Korea adds another layer (or maybe I should say ‘takes off another layer’??) from my previous experiences. The place is divided by gender and the baths are FULLY naked. It only took a few minutes for Dee and I to shed our prudish cultural upbringings and feel pretty normal about hanging out (literally) in our birthday suits… for like, 5 hours.
We had no idea what to expect with the sleepover part of it, but it was… an experience. We were given these orange pyjamas that made us feel like we were on Orange is the New Black, and we laid on the heated floor of the sleeping room with a hard foam block for a pillow. When we went to ‘bed’ it seemed pretty organized, with women laying around the outside of the room, but when I woke up in the night I quickly realized that it had become a free-for-all, with people EVERYWHERE! There were women on either side of me like sausages in a pan and if I stretched my legs out straight I was kicking someone. I’m sure you can deduce that it wasn’t my *greatest* sleep, but I sure felt better after some early morning naked hot tub/sauna/scrubbing time with Dee! You’re welcome, RobO, for checking this one off the list without you!
We’re in wall-to-wall traffic (holiday weekend!), heading to the coast for some more hiking and eats. I’ll leave you with some more delicious food pics, as it has been so great to taste so many different dishes.
Jjajangmyeon: black bean noodles that are often ‘comfort food’ hereHotteok: a sweet fried pancake filled with honey and either seeds or cheese. One of the best desserts we’ve tried.Japchae: stir fried glass noodles with veggiesSpicy Bulgogi (braised pork)
I arrived to Seoul late at night and met up with my OT friend Dee, who had been in Seoul for 5 days prior to my arrival. We hit the ground running, as she had booked us on the 6:30am bus headed south. One of the only things we had pre booked was a 3 day temple stay at Golgulsa Temple.
We chose this temple stay because it had a lot of activities, one of which being twice per day training in Sonmudo, a Korean martial art that includes a combination of yoga, meditation, qi gong, and zen martial arts. I fell in love with the training: the amount of concentration, balance, and power required, the slow movements to engage all of our tiny muscles, and the amount of improvements we saw after just 5 sessions. Since Dee and I were doing the moves and couldn’t take pictures of ourselves, I’ll post some shots of what we looked like.
We were given outfits to wear during our temple stay and, of course, one of the first things we did was a photoshoot posing in them!
We got to go to the beach one morning (in our outfits, plus a hat!) to do our training on the rocky beach.
We also practiced 108 prostrations (a difficult bowing technique), chanting, different types of meditations, yoga, and ate delicious Korean vegetarian food. It was a great start to my Korean adventures.
The temple was all dressed up with lanterns for the upcoming holiday of Buddha’s birthday (May 5 this year). We’ve seen this at all of the temples that we’ve visited.
Next up we visited Gyeongju, which is an ancient capital city and has been described as a ‘museum without walls’. It has ancient tombs throughout the city, which actually look like huge mounds of grass.
There is a palace and wooden bridge that are must-sees when lit up at night.
It also has lots of quirky little tourist things like themed cafes, scooters dressed up like Snoopy, and novelty foods.
Ice cream s’more on a stick!!Soooo good!
After a long day of walking we went to a brilliant cafe… soak your feet in an epsom salt bath while drinking your beverage, followed by a foot massage.
We spent a day at the UNESCO World Heritage village of Yangdong, which has been around since 1459.
This dog was so friendly. Notice how his dog house even has the Korean roof lines!
We hiked the Namsan Historic Trail, which took us past sculptures and carvings that were 1000 years old.
And finally… food. We have had some delicious eats, with highlights being dumplings, cold noodles, and bipimbap. We stood in line at a very busy place to try the famous egg bread stuffed with red bean paste, which was ok but not a ‘need to go back’ snack.
One night Dee wasn’t feeling well, so I went out on my own for dinner. I’ll admit it, I was a little too cocky. I thought that after all of this travelling I could go into a local restaurant without an English menu or pictures and order something that I would enjoy eating. Somehow I ended up with mystery meat/organ meat soup. The worst part was that the cook was so kind and was watching me for signs of enjoyment. After a couple of meaty bits and all of the side dishes I feigned being too full from all the deliciousness.
I felt so bad because it was beautifully presented, but I couldn’t eat it.
I’ll leave you with some other shots around town, as well as other temples that are all decked out for the birthday celebrations.
My hike ended in a town called Kii-Katsuura, which is famous for its hot springs and tuna. I went to the largest tuna market in Japan and it blew my mind that this many fish are auctioned off every morning.
There are numerous free foot soaks around the town and it was delightful to sit with my feet in hot springs water while people watching one afternoon.
Where I live the only tuna I get to eat is out of a tin can, so I made sure to get my fill of fresh tuna. For supper I went to a tiny ma&pa shop with great reviews. Another specialty here is rice balls wrapped in pickled mustard leaves, which was part of my set meal.
Getting my breakfast tuna felt like an Amazing Race experience. Outside of the tuna auction the market sells only 20 set meals for breakfast. It was lined up and there was definitely some sketchy queue behaviour going on so I started out 14th in line but was closer to 18th when the doors opened. There were 2 automatic machines that we had to run to and punch in our orders. I was at a severe disadvantage as the machine was mostly in Japanese. Somehow I managed to figure it out and get my tuna bowl. It is now officially my ‘death row meal’. I will dream about this tuna for years I’m sure.
I made my way via 3 trains, a cable car, and a bus to the World Heritage Site of Koyasan. Since the year 806 this mountain town has been the central hub of teachings of Shingon Buddhism and has 117 temples dedicated to teaching these Esoteric Buddhist traditions.
It was rainy one of the mornings which added to the mysticism of the place.
I was in awe of the spruce trees, many of which are 800 years old. I also met an umbrella cherry tree that was planted 600 years ago.
The monk who brought Shingon Buddhism to Japan was named Kobo Daishi and his Mausoleum is at the end of a 2km long cemetery that is the most memorable cemetery that I’ve visited.
It is a thing to go to the cemetery at night. The night I went was rainy and foggy, which made it capital F Freaky! At one point an owl started hooting and I decided it was time to get outta there.
Scared of my own shadow!
There are 52 temples that offer lodging to visitors. I stayed 2 nights in one of the oldest, called Shojoshinin. Each morning I could attend the morning chanting ceremony and one day I participated in a ‘holy fire ritual’. I was given a wooden ‘goma-ki’ on which to write a wish. During the ceremony I placed it in the fire, where it is said that ‘your troubles and disasters will be burnt down, leaving peace and happiness in the world, and making your dreams come true’.
The God of fire has a sword in one hand to represent wisdom and a rope in the other to represent compassion. This is because you need both to be a good leader.
At the temple they serve guests the same meals that the monks receive, which is a called Shoujin Ryouri. According to my guide, ‘this elaborate vegetarian cuisine incorporates authentic preparation of the five flavours, colours, and seasonal delights which are not only good for the body, but for the mind and soul as well’. I found the food to be delicious apart from a few textures that my mouth rejected!
I’m thankful that I’ve had the chance to spend time in such a special, sacred place. I hope to carry some of the simplicity and peacefulness with me as I continue my travels. Next (and final) stop: South Korea!
This week I’ve been hiking the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage in a mountainous region of Japan called the Kii Peninsula. I first heard about the hike because it is the sister hike to the Camino de Santiago in Spain.
There are many similarities between the 2 hikes:
They are the only two UNESCO world heritage hikes in the world.
They are thousands of years old and started as religious pilgrimages, the Kumano Kodo being a route taken by everyone from commoners to emperors seeking healing and salvation through the Kumano faith (contains elements of Shinto, Shugendo, mountain worship, and Buddhism).
There are a network of hikes that can be done with the goal being the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela for the Camino and the Kumano Sanzan, the 3 grand shrines of Kumano.
Along the routes one can collect stamps as proof of completion. Though this may not appeal to everyone it is one of the things that I love the most about both routes. I really enjoy having the goal of finding the stamps and a meaningful souvenir to look back on.
At Kii-Tanabe, the starting point of the hike, it is tradition to do a Shiogori salt-water purification. I washed my hands in the ocean here as has been done for thousands of years.
Less than 1km into my hike I encountered another tradition. There is a tiny opening in a grouping of rocks. Pilgrims are encouraged to squeeze through the opening as a symbol of going through the birth canal. It was so small that the average sized man ahead of me could not fit through. If he hadn’t pulled my backpack through for me there would have been no way I could have jammed it through. Japanese people are typically small framed, but this was extreme. Re-birthed, I continued on.
I travelled the Nakahechi route, which is about 70kms with significant elevation gain and loss as it travel over mountain passes. There were times when I thought that the natural stone or root steps were never going to end! The last day in particular was a grind; 1000m of elevation gain in the first 4 kms.
I hiked through cedar forests, bamboo groves, and areas where the Japanese maples were almost glowing in the sunlight.
At this viewpoint the signpost reads “Please take a moment to enjoy this panoramic view, as pilgrims have been doing for over 1000 years”.
There were shrines all along the route, from carved rocks to small statues, to larger temples.
I stayed in tiny guesthouses along the way. I splurged more than usual and had most of my meals included. What a luxury it was to arrive to a feast for dinner, a filling breakfast, and a lunch box packed for me to take along the way. Though I had no idea what I was eating most of the time, I really loved all of the different flavours and textures, with one exception of some mystery meat that I avoided.
Wearing my provided Japanese PJs
When I reached the first grand shrine, Kumano Hongu Taisha, I was able to participate in something very special. Those who have proof of completion of a Camino and the Kumano Kodo can register to become a Dual Pilgrim. This includes a pin, special stamp, certificate written on Japanese rice paper, a golden shell with a three-legged crow on it (symbol of the Kumano Kodo), AND the chance to participate in a drum ceremony at the temple.
Receiving the certificate and then having the drum vibrations reverberating through me was a more emotional experience for me than I would have predicted. It reminded me of all of the friends, experiences, and lessons that I have learned through the 3 pilgrimages that I have done.
I took advantage of many onsens (Japanese hot baths) along the way. One of my guesthouses had a wood fired onsen… melt!
I had a ‘rest day’ at Yunomine Onsen, which is a tiny village around one of the oldest hot springs in Japan. There is a world heritage onsen called Tsuboyu that is a tiny cabin by the creek in the middle of the stream running through town. Legends report many stories of healing from soaking in these waters. My hostel also has its own onsen and you better believe I spent time soaking there.
Legend says the water changes colour 7 times throughout the day.
I decided to ‘double down’ on my medicinal hot spring exposure. I drank coffee made from the hot spring waters and for supper I cooked eggs and sweet potatoes in little mesh pouches set in the stream. Heck, I even ate onsen porridge for breakfast!
The three shrines are all different and beautiful in their own ways.
Kumano Hongo Taisha
Kumano Nachi Taisha, set beside Japan’s highest waterfall
Kumano Hayarama Taisha
You may be wondering how I’m feeling after all of this cleansing, re-birthing, eating/drinking/soaking in medicinal waters, and spiritual pilgrimage. I am experiencing a profound feeling of gratitude. I’m grateful for our planet and the opportunities to be in nature. I am so grateful that my body is able to participate in these adventures. I am grateful that RobO supports and encourages me to do these activities, and sometimes comes along too. I am grateful that I have a career that I am still passionate about and a workplace that allows me this time off to pursue other passions. And I am grateful for family, friends, and those who I meet along life’s path.
Almost 30 years ago I had the chance to participate in a school exchange program to Japan. I spent my 18th birthday camping at the base of Mount Fuji! It was the 90s and pre-internet so I had never eaten Japanese food and I had no understanding of Japanese culture. I’ll never forget being with my host family at a sushi restaurant when, not knowing what it was, I ate a huge spoonful of wasabi. I tried so hard to ‘play it cool’ and not alert my host family that I was dying but obviously they figured it out really quickly.
I believe that my first trip to Japan was the start of my insatiable desire to see the world through the lens of other cultures. I have been wanting to come back to Japan for a long time (cancelled twice during Covid) and these days are exactly what I hoped they would be. Now I can’t wait to come back again with RobO, so I’ve given him notice that the first seat sale that I see I am booking (KerryV… are you on it?!).
In Osaka my flowers and food frenzy continued. The Mint Museum opens their gardens to the public for only 1 week of the year: peak Sakura bloom. According to their website, “For over 140 years ever since the lane was first opened in 1883, this annual event has been cherished by people as a poetical spring-time feature of Osaka”. I was lucky enough to score a free ticket on the complicated Japanese-only website. There are 140 different varieties of the trees which are carefully labelled. They also choose 1 variety to be the ‘flower of the year’. This year’s choice is called Ranran and is named in memory of the death of a giant panda. The flowers bloom in almost-white clusters like the fur of the panda.
Just before my time to go into the gardens the sky got very dark and it started pouring.
I took refuge in a nearby mall and found a great spot for an udon lunch.
My wanders also took me to Osaka castle for both day and night sights.
I had a very serendipitous experience while looking for a park. I was walking by a concrete, non-descript building when I noticed that there was a long lineup inside. As I watched I could see that people were receiving matcha tea and mochi balls but the process was an intricate art. It turned out to be the cafe outside of an art museum. It was a very powerful statement that there were no pictures on the walls or colour to distract: the art was the way they were serving the tea and sweets. After my treat I visited the gardens behind the gallery which were private and peaceful.
Osaka is a big, vibrant city known for its nightlife and food scene. The markets and shopping streets make Las Vegas feel like a library. To be honest, as a solo traveller I felt quite overwhelmed and preferred the less-busy side streets.
The famous Glico sign
I spent one morning at the Sumiyoshi Taisha Shrine, which was a stark contrast to the night streets. I was excited to collect a stamp from the shrine, which is foreshadowing to what I will be doing over the next week.
According to my research there were 2 must try foods here:
Takoyaki, which are octopus filled batter balls. I had the variety pack, which included 4 flavours. YUM!
Okonomiyaki, which is a type of savoury pancake. Also delicious, though would have been better to share as I got a little tired of the same flavour.
I had booked a special activity as an early birthday present to myself: a kintsugi class. Kintsugi is the process of repairing cracked or chipped pottery using gold. To do the full process takes at least a month because of the time that it takes for the lacquer (made from sap) to cure. In this workshop we were shown each of the steps, but we only did 2 of them: painting on a thin coat of the lacquer, the sprinkling it with 24 carat gold powder. After a few more days Josuke will do the final coating and polishing to our pieces.
I loved that kintsugi has many similarities to pottery: it requires full concentration so it is meditative and easy to enter flow-state, there are many steps along the process, and my hands were occupied and dirty so there’s no desire to reach for my phone. Josuke also drew parallels between kintsugi and life: we all have scars and cracks and it’s part of what shapes us to be beautiful. It’s part of our history.
I’ve had enough big city time, so it’s time to head to the mountains to do some hiking. I’ll leave you with some final pics from Osaka.
After a series of flight delays I arrived in Tokyo close to midnight and with my lack of sleep, long customs lines, phone problems, and transit closures I had a near meltdown. Everything, it seemed, was opposite in Japan to what I was now used to from Sri Lanka. Everything is so quiet you could hear a pin drop. It is extremely clean and orderly, almost sterile. It is so easy to be ‘anonymous’ here that I felt like Bruce Willis from The Sixth Sense. Even crossing the street, which is like a game of trust in Sri Lanka, is safety extreme because there is no jaywalking. I might as well been on the moon! After a reasonable night’s sleep I got my bearings and set off. I started off with some delicious 7-11 breakfast.
I headed on foot to Ueno park. When booking this trip I was sure that I would be too late to see the cherry blossoms (Sakura), but with the late spring they were at peak bloom just 3-4 days ago. It was so peaceful to sit and eat my breakfast with the delicate petals falling like gentle snow around me… until I heard the jarring sound of shouting. A Japanese man was screaming at an idiot tourist, “Do not touch the blossoms!! Do you understand?!?!”. I have learned that the Sakura season is very beloved by the Japanese.
RIP sandals
As I continued my wandering I came across a tiny park where I had some Sakura all to myself. It was a very special feeling.
Eventually I arrived at the area called Jimbocho which is well known for used and antique bookshops, coffee shops, and small galleries. It was a great wander and find a woodblock print for our tiny art collection.
I had heard that I had to try the egg salad sandwiches here and the rumours are true. It was a little pocket sandwich with a hint of sweet. Delicious.
One of the things that I had reserved prior to coming here was a ticket to Teamlab Planets. It is an interactive art exhibit that truly has to be experienced to describe it. Some highlights for me:
A room filled with real orchids that move up and down creating walkways and areas to move through.
A place where you can colour a picture of a butterfly/dolphin/airplane. It is scanned and then ‘comes alive’ around the room. I watched my butterfly soar on 360 degree screens around me.
A mirrored area filled with long strips of LED lights that would change colour.
A large room filled with water almost to my knees. There are projections of Koi swimming and flower petals floating in the water.
I headed back to Asakusa where I’m staying and got the best recommendation for dinner. I wish I would have trained my stomach to be able to eat more because all I want to do here is eat!
Asakusa is an area that maintains the traditional vibe of Japan. It is filled with tiny shops, cafes, restaurants, and is book-ended by the Sensō-Ji temple and Kaminarimon Gate.
The next morning I visited Asakusa in the daylight and enjoyed a birds-eye view from the tourist centre.
I had read about a food here called Melon Pan, so picked one up from breakfast. I don’t know how a simple bread filled with whipped cream can be so melt-in-your-mouth. It tasted like a cloud. No, a cloud with a silver lining. Nope, a cloud with a silver lining and a care bear living on it.
I took the metro to the famous Shibuya Scramble Crossing, the world’s most popular pedestrian crossing. It was just as imagined, really.
Nearby I found a conveyor belt sushi place for lunch. It was so fun to order a dish on an iPad screen and minutes later have it arrive via conveyor belt. Yum!
Tokyo has lots of beautiful green spaces and I made my way through Yoyogi Park on my way to Shinjuku. Many Japanese families set up picnics under the Sakura in the parks.
I took a free tour of the Tokyo Government Metropolitan building before heading up to the 45th floor for views of the city. Here’s my cute tour guide standing under the world record high jump height.
I loved the 3D cat billboard and food alleyways in this area.
I was considering skipping the Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden but was so glad that I went, and even more glad that I was there for golden hour.
I picked a supper spot based on how many locals were eating there and ordered random things, all of which were delicious.
I found the famous Godzilla head on my way back to the Government Metropolitan building for their nightly light show. It’s in the Guinness Book of World Records for largest light projection.
This morning I lined up early for the reputed best breakfast in the area. I’ve always been ‘take it or leave it’ with miso soup, but this one with spinach and sweet potatoes I would take every time. I had no idea that something as simple as a hard boiled egg could be so exquisite. I joked that it tasted like Jesus had laid it himself.
After packing up I was off on the bullet train to Osaka. Unfortunately the picture on my bento box was my only view of Mount Fuji as it was clouded over. Don’t ask me what the items were in the bento: I have no idea! In fact, I saved the bottom right area thinking it was dessert, which it wasn’t.
Hopefully you like looking at pictures of Japanese food because I guess that’s my photo focus right now. Tokyo has left me wanting more… I will definitely be back!
