Tokyo, Tokyo 🗾🇯🇵

Everybody (atleast in the Philippines) is going to Tokyo lately. Lol. I think it’s because of a budget airline's recent promos (imagine our airfare is cheaper than my coming trip up North here in PH :P).  But anyway, if you’re travelling to Tokyo for the first time, Japan guide offers a very good itinerary plan which made me think why I didn’t consult it on my first trip to Osaka 3 years ago. Here’s what our what to do/ see was able to afford in our short 4-day stint:

We arrived Sunday morning and met Felix at Shibuya and asked to meet him where Hachiko is. The whole day entailed a lot of walking covering the ffg:

Shibuya crossing. 🚸 Though I’m such a doglover, I found it too “touristy” to have a pic with Hachiko. Lol. But since I love pedestrian crossings so much, there’s no shame in this shot - the busiest pedestrian in the world. Haha.

Love hotel hill at Dogenzaka. 🏩 This was sure not part of the itinerary but the sushi place we ate at (yes to sushi-go-rounds) is located somewhere close to this place. For some reason, I always end up visiting red light districts in Japan just like last time in Osaka. Haha. But I liked this place. 😛

Omotesando. 🛍️ My Japanese students used to tell me that I will enjoy it a lot here. Lol. What makes them think I could afford a single stitch of designer bags or clothing here? Haha.

Meiji shrine. ⛩️ This is a shrine complex in a forest of about 70 hectares and we covered only what our already tired feet could take us. It was indeed lucky that we witnessed a traditional wedding procession during the visit. 👰

Harajuku.👺 Sadly, we didn’t see any cosplayers because it was almost night time when we reached the place. Luckily, we did find the yummiest cotton candy in here and this is where I bought the pink earmuffs and fur ball keychain (very Kendall, lol!) that matched my gloves in Mt Fuji and Kawazu festival look. :P

Moreover, it’s a pure coincidence that I bumped into Marc and James, who I made friends with during my trip to Maldives. Hi to both of you if you’re reading. Lol. 

Roponggi/ Tokyo Tower. 🗼 On our 2nd night, John wanted to check out the night scene at Roponggi but it seemed like we took the wrong side of the district. It was unexpected however that we spotted the Tokyo tower at night from there and walked our once again tired selves towards the lighted stature. We decided not to climb it up.

Mori Art Museum. 🖼️ Thanks to several celebrities who featured this museum in their stories prior to our trip, there were a lot of  cool stuff we saw in the museum and of course the city view was fantastic.

So many places still missed out but at least it's not impossible to go back again.😊 Arigato Gozaimasu, Tokyo. 🙏

Fuji-san 🗻

Three days before the trip and Japan is already teaching me a lesson. Like I already don’t have an idea on how disciplined this country is. Just a little bit of a background, I spent a little over three years teaching English online to Japanese students. :) You see the problem is not that “critical”.  As it’s already been established that one day of our trip will be spent in Mt Fuji, the thing is we couldn’t get a JR pass in time.

The very same T minus 3 days before leaving, just when I found time to finally sit on it and plan the itinerary (because who else isn't busy these days duh), somebody introduced me to Hyderdia and I.WAS.HOOKED. I was never that obsessed in budgeting and planning transportation routes to the point of creating a spreadsheet of our departures and expenses but there I was flourishing the Google doc to my travel buddies and proving that indeed we need a JR pass to save on expenses if we are also to visit the cherry blossoms in Shizuoka Prefecture. See post here.

Agitated, I consulted my friend Glenn around midnight (haha!) and asked for some workaround. For someone who’s been familiarized with the Japanese system, he also aired his frustration about the “old-school” methods of this country. The root cause of the problem was that: a JR pass can only be delivered 3 to 5 days upon purchasing online via postal system which means that my fault was not being an “early planner” aka not being able to but it ahead of time.

But I’m sure you’d agree with me here, it doesn’t make sense for a transportation ticket to be used in another country to be delivered in a different one. Like why can’t I just purchase it online and receive it in Japan where I'm gonna use it hello? Or even better, make it available in their railways. Not letting this concern pass, I contacted their customer service and brought up this suggestion. Apparently, they are already making changes in the system and will make it available in Japan itself but sadly it will be 3 weeks after our trip. OWWWWW.

As this post is already long enough (haha!), I’ll cut it short and say that yes we did reach Mt. Fuji but it was too moody then and it didn’t show up. Boo hoo. We lingered around the very pretty Lake Kawaguchiko (one of Fuji’s five surrounding lakes) and waited for the clouds to clear up to no avail. We then proceeded to visit Fujiten Ski Resort in the afternoon only to find out that first timers like us need instructors but unfortunately they’re all booked and it’s freakin’ raining. Haha. Seriously, on a scale of 1 to 10, how much of a losers were we that day? Haha. Atleast the Hoto Fudo veggie ramen (a ramen specialty in Fuji) was comforting enough before we retreated back to Tokyo. 

Coat: Zara; Pants: H&M; Shoes: Chinese Laundry

🌸🌸🌸 Sakura Season 🌸🌸🌸

"Everyone feels grief when cherry blossoms scatter." - Otomo no Kuronushi

One of the world’s most impressive sights truly is a city coated in pink in spring time. And Japan is one of those places where this natural sight is highly anticipated. The cherry blossom season by now is underway which typically occurs late March to early April in mainland Japan. It's one of those itineraries where tourists really need utter care in planning because of the brief nature of the blooms.

Last month, however, we were lucky enough to catch the blossoms in the southern side of Japan in Kawazu, Shizuoka. Actually, we had to revise our itinerary on the last minute just to accommodate this side trip. Haha! Granted, I had the chance to observe them too in one of best viewing points in Kyoto in the Philosopher's Walk three years ago, but if the Japanese venture out each year to see them then why wouldn't I?

Actually, there's a deeper concept for the Japanese when they do this yearly appointment of viewing them. And it's something that we all could learn from. You may be wondering why a 9th century poet could quote such thing written above this post? You see when they picnic under the cherry blossom trees in this most revered tradition that is called Hanami, it's kind of a bittersweet rejoicing of the fleeting nature of the flowers and of life's impermanence in general. Yep, that's the depth of feeling this tree can produce. And for them the beauty of the flowers depends on its transiency. That such beauty could never be appreciated if the delicate blossoms were a permanent feature of the landscape is embodied in the Japanese phrase called Mono no aware. 

The blossom is a visual reminder of the fleeting nature of life, of its heartbreaking quickness. If only we could all see the world through such eyes as the Japanese, perhaps it could elevate our appreciation of all things that are dear to us.

Jacket: Topshop; Skirt/ Shoes: H&M

Romantic Red

Can color really influence men's physical attraction to women? Since the time of the ancient Egyptians, red is already being used  as lipstick by the women to heighten their attractiveness. And the ultimate proof is this study from the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, red indeed enhances male's attraction to females. And men seem unaware of this color effect. Read it here.

Of what use is it then? Lol. Well, while it's given that physical characteristics like facial symmetry and waist-to-hip ratio are factors for being alluring too, those are things that we can't control anymore. So for me, I find it comforting that somehow your clothing choices can sort of help you in this dating department. *grin* Try to wear red on a date? Why not? It's hard to resist these tips from cold hard facts. :P

I've been using this red gown in this blog for so many times now but the effect is still the same. It's such a striking color that I chose to bring it with me to Tokyo when I found out about this luxurious hotel. It is one of the oldest hotels in the city with a rich history  that dates back to 1915. Come to think of it, in a city full of skyscrapers, this landmark stands out too with its domes and it's three-storyprofile. But I think what makes it really iconic is it's red-brick Victorian facade. ;)

Jacket: Topshop; Dress: Mango; Shoes: Chinese Laundry

JapanCakes 🇯🇵🍰

Apologies for the utter lack of posts this week. Here's a preview of my looks in Tokyo since I know that it will take time for me to post  them in detail. Haha! Enjoy the gallery below 😁