I used to enjoy my daily walks to school and weekly island adventures with my homie. But ever since I moved here, I feel like I've been trapped in air-conditioned rooms 24/7. I tried walking a few times, but my neighborhood isn't the safest place and there's no proper walkway for pedestrians so it was a hassle trying to stay alert and not fall into mud holes at the same time.
Point is, previous months have been emotionally draining for me and I felt like I needed a break from this routine, this place, this life. I was suffocating. Someone marvelous up above must have heard my prayers, cause before I know it, I was on a plane heading to Taiwan and Japan! Ah, I'm so so blessed!
So I first flew to Taiwan to meet up with my cousin and aunt before we departed for Japan. The plane ride was somewhat awkward since other passengers seated around us were middle aged businessmen all dressed up in suits and ties; and there we were, three girls all relaxed and joyful. Anyhow, this is my second experience in business class, woot! The meal wasn't that great but we had Haagen-Dazs for dessert, which made up for everything, really.
First day, we headed to Ginza. After having a huge bowl of ramen for lunch, we visited a 11-floored Abercrombie! Crazy huge but I like! Next stop was Uniqlo. Then, we hung around Hermes waiting for my aunt to complete her ultimate mission for this trip---shop! We were exhausted by the time we got back to the hotel so we decided to order room service: a first for me! Oh, and did I mention that the view from our room is amazing? It took my breath away :)
Next day, we headed to a restaurant at our hotel, Khishiki, for a buffet breakfast. Ah, I think I'm overwhelmed with feelings of joy and satisfaction. The food was so so good! I had croissants, fruit yogurt, salad with salmon, bacon, sausage, Nakamura eggs, and more fruits! Mm I suppose it doesn't sound that impressive but trust me, it was! And the view equally breath-taking. Today was shopping day. We went to Omotesandou, Shibuya, and Shinjuku. I love how lively and full of persona the city is. The most interesting part of the day was lunch! We went to this little self served ramen store where we had to order and pay at a vending machine and ate at little cubicles where food was served through a tiny window situated in front of you. It was so cute! I've always wanted to try slurping ramen and so I finally did! I was a total failure though. I promised my cousin I'll master the art of slurping in the near future :)
We visited Asakusa on the third day. Went to Kaminarimon where they prayed while I had a good time observing people and taking pictures. That afternoon, we had the most amazing lunch at Tofuya Ukai (http://www.ukai.co.jp/english/shiba/)! Famous for their tofu, as the name of the restaurant implies, I was particularly impressed with their fried tofu and tofu dunked in soya bean. Usually, I'd stay away from tofu and red bean but today's lunch totally changed my mind. In addition to our delightful meal, we also had a magnificent view from our room since the restaurant's located at the foot of Tokyo tower and surrounded by beautifully tended zen gardens. Later that evening, we took the subway back to Kaminarimon to pick up a few things and headed back to Nihonbashi, where our hotel's situated. We picked up some fruits from Sembikiya, which apparently is the best fruit store in town, then walked over to Mitsukoshi, where we had the most amazing melon juice. Dinner was solved with another day of room service and I finally understood why the fruits were crazy expensive! They were so mouth-wateringly sweet I could shed tears of joy!
Last two days were dedicated to DisneySea and Disneyland! I felt like a little kid engulfed in overflowing joy :) I can't describe how much fun we had. Even the smallest thing, starring at a bottle cap for example, made me smile from the depths of my heart. Boy am I in love with life :)
Our last dinner at Tokyo was the best ever. We went to a restaurant at our hotel, Sushi Sora, for the most amazing sushi course. The chef that served us that night had the coolest slicing skills. Mm, I may be slightly biased though cause I think everyone who cooks is genius. But I must say I'm not quite impaired in food tasting. I'm hardly impressed with food, but our entire trip was drowned with amazing meals! It was such a rare but enjoyable experience for me to be excited about food!
Besides Japan, I had an equally good time at Taiwan. Not much exploration, but I got to catch up with my grandma and cousins from Hawaii. Alrighty, I suppose I shall end here for now cause I feel extremely long-winded. This must have been the most pampering trip I've ever been on. I feel like a spoiled kid but I'm so so happy :D I can't thank Him enough for this wonderful and much needed vacation. I feel rejuvenated and ready to work again.
As I always say, traveling is my source of inspiration :)
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