Category: Food
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Coco Ichibanya Curry, Den Den Town, & Ippudo
This place . . . if you are a hobbyist, a nerd, a geek, a crafter, a gamer, a manga collector, and/or an anime enthusiast . . . prepare yourself! This place will make you spend your money. The streets are lined with hobby stores, arcades, maid cafes, and electronic stores. But before you go and…
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Nara Deer Park & Temples
Nara is one of the old capitals of Japan. You certainly get that feeling visiting the many World Heritage sites here. From Osaka, it is about an hour train ride via Yamatoji Rapid Service. Once there at the JR Nara Station, I was panicking because Google map indicated that it’s about a 30 minute walk to…
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Osaka Castle
The first year we visited Osaka we didn’t get the chance to visit Osaka Castle. I remember riding on the subway at night and catching a glimpse of the castle all lit up. It was magnificent! This time I wasn’t going to miss the chance again. But first, girl gotta eat! The first time we…
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To Osaka! Dotonbori
For our first week, we picked Osaka as our base to explore Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, and Kobe. I love the Shinkansen, aka the bullet train! The ride from Tokyo Station to Shin-Osaka Station was smooth and scenic. My favorite thing is eating ekiben; “eki” means train and “ben” is short for bento or traditional Japanese…
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Touchdown Tokyo, Japan
Finally going on vacation! I’ve been looking forward to my 2 weeks in Japan. This time we flew from Washington, D.C. area to Toronto, Canada and then to Haneda International airport via Air Canada. It was a beautiful day and I got to sit by the window to Toronto. Look at this view! Toronto International…
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2016 Taipei Taiwan: Traditional Chinese Breakfast, Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall & Garden
On day 6, Sunday, the main attractions we planned to check out are Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall, Longshan Temple, and Ximending shopping district. It will be another long day of walking. Let’s do this! Ding Yuan Soy Milk (鼎元豆漿 Dǐng yuán dòujiāng) First, I was really excited to find an authentic hole-in-the-wall traditional Chinese…
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2016 Taipei Taiwan: Pingxi & Shida Night Market
After Jiufen we headed to a place called Pingxi (平溪 Píng xī) to set our wish-written lanterns into the sky. Every year there are several lantern festivals here in Pingxi. The sky is lit by thousands of lanterns with messages to love ones, prayers, and wishes. It is a magical sight that I still have…
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2016 Taipei Taiwan: Jiufen
The third place that the driver took us to after the big seafood lunch was Jiufen (九份 Jiǔ fèn). This place is a cultural foodie paradise! Jiufen is a small town northeast of Taipei. It takes a little over 45 minutes to get to from Taipei. Jiufen, historically known as Chiufen, was a gold mining…
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2016 Taipei Taiwan: Yehliu, Taiwanese Fruits, & Seafood
Okay, I officially cannot feel my feet and I have been passing out as soon as I hit the bed at night. The night before, I was talking to my sister in her room and the next thing I remember was waking up and saying “Why am I still here?”. Signs of a weary traveler!…
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2016 Taipei Taiwan: Beitou, WuFenPu, Songshan Ciyou Temple, & Rainbow Bridge
First full day in Taiwan felt like two days in one. My itinerary didn’t seem that ambitious but turns out there were a lot too see, eat, and do. Here is what happened… 1. Breakfast: Liu Mama Rice Balls (劉媽媽飯糰 Liú māmā fàntuán) – these are glutinous rice balls that are stuffed with fried cruller (youtiao), pork sung…