• japanese fan
    Travel

    Japan and South Korea Haul

    Although I aim to live somewhat minimally… I do fall prey to amazing finds abroad. However, I try to be mindful about what I purchase. I do my best to find items that are handmade, unique to the region, consumable, and/or from small shops. Here’s what I picked up from my trip to Tokyo, Kyoto, and Seoul! (The only items not included here are the billion Kit-Kats in different flavors that I picked up for friends!)

  • Travel

    Tokyo Travel Guide

    Tokyo was our last spot after our trips to Seoul and Kyoto. It was nice in a way, because, compared to Kyoto, we felt like there was less that we HAD to do beyond enjoy good food, see some sites, and walk around/take in the neighborhoods. I know everyone tends to really focus on Shinjuku and Shibuya but ultimately, I preferred the quieter neighborhoods that we visited. We did go through the Harajuku neighborhood (which had great vintage shopping AND crepes!) but we also got to explore a bit of Ginza and, my favorite, Daikanyama (aka the Brooklyn of Tokyo). My recommendations:– Afternoon tea at the Park Hyatt – A…

  • Travel

    Kyoto (& Nara) Travel Guide

    ?I loved the quiet places in Kyoto, the places that held the world within a windless moment. Inside the temples, Nature held her breath. All longing was put to sleep in the stillness, and all was distilled into a clean simplicity.” ? Pico Iyer, Video Night in Kathmandu and Other Reports from the Not-So-Far East After our weekend in Seoul, we took a short flight over to Osaka and then the train over to stunning Kyoto. As soon as we entered the city, a sense of calm took over. Kyoto is all about nature, beauty, and aesthetics married with ancient traditions and an underlying current of spirituality. It was wonderful. We spent…