Thursday 19 December 2013

A Few Places

If you love food, Tokyo is probably the place for you. Here's a selection of places and food I recommend to try! If you are in Aoyama try the Teyandei Izakaya - it's hard to find, the entrance looks like this,


Experience a Japanese tea ceremony at Happoen or Hama-rikyu gardens.


Have a drink and maybe grab some dinner at Two Rooms Grill & Bar in Omotesando


Try ningyo-yaki (filled with red bean) at Asakusa. There are some good sukiyaki restaurants in the area too.


Head to Ukai-tei in ginza for a unique Michelin teppanyaki experience.



Eat fresh sushi and sashimi at Tsukiji fish market.


Grab a coffee at Omotesando Koffee (photo).



Finally, one of my favourite restaurants was Tsubameya Wagyu Grill by Tokyo Station (food was too good for photos). If you happen to go to this restaurant, try the set menu. 



Marie 

Thursday 5 December 2013

Kyoto

Last Sunday my friend and I jumped on the Shinkansen to Kyoto. We had been wanting to visit for a while, so we decided to book a day trip to get a glimpse of the former imperial capital of Japan. We joined a tour in the morning and visited the Nijō Castle, the Golden pavilion (Kinkakuji Temple) and another temple. 

Around lunch time, the tour bus dropped us off at Kyoto station. It took us about half an hour to figure out how to get to the museums we had passed by with the bus. After taking the train and walking along the Kamo river, we sat at the Museum of Modern Art's café for a late lunch. Our day trip ended walking along the famous Shijo-Dori shopping street with traditional shops - visit the tiny books & things shop located on a side street if you are into second hand art and architecture books.

We loved Kyoto and were sad to leave so soon. However, we managed to see a lot in one day and managed to eat a lot of Yatsuhashi, a traditional sweet from Kyoto made with rice flour and cinnamon. We were lucky to visit Kyoto in late autumn, when the city is covered by red, orange and yellow leaves.





Marie