More silliness in Japan (mostly food)

The greatest hamburger-themed stickers Disney has ever produced.

 Delicious izakaya in Tokyo with Merrick, Leo & KB. My favorite dishes were the kimchi udon pasta & the tofu cheesecake. YUM.

 Gion Kitana, as recommended by Tara (formerly) of Sweet Breams. Make sure you get the dekitate, their fresh ice cream. So good.

 Yakisoba at Mizuno, Osaka. Their okonomiyaki is out of this world. I discovered the restaurant by following two people in Osaka who seemed to be on a mission to eat. I do that when I travel. Not creepy.

 Sushidai in Tokyo.

 

Matcha green tea paste at Ippodo Tea, recommended by Yoko of Homako.

Kaboucha fried goodness.

Thanks to the lovely friends who sent suggestions and made our trip that much more delicious and delightful. Special shout to Merrick for housing KB & me, and teaching us some key Japanese words. Good host. Arigatou gozaimasu.

Temples & Totoro in Japan

In Kyoto, Kevin took me to Kanga-an Temple, a temple with a hidden bar once the sun goes down. 

We sipped on Japanese whiskey (finally!!).

“The pace is slow here so it calms you down,” says Yamada [the bartender]. “It’s not the drinks, it’s the garden that relaxes you” (from the Japan Times).

After Kyoto, Kevin & I stayed in Eko-in Temple in Koyasan. The train ride was so pretty.

 Dinner.

Best tofu ever.

The view! It was nice to wander the halls and find random rooms and studies. The best parts were the fire ceremony in the morning, relaxing in the onsen, and the table in the room with an electric blanket as the tablecloth. Glorious. We basically lived under the table.

And then there was Totoro! I happened upon him many times before actually saying hello at the Ghibli Museum.

Sketches of Japan: Part 4

Hanami at Himeji Castle

Hanami at Shinjuku National Garden. Old people getting wasted off of sake and good times

Passing scenes from the shinkansen window

Harajuku folk

International Manga Museum, Kyoto. They have the most amazing collection of manga that you can check out and read in the grass. I wish I could read Japanese!

folks on the train & subway.

Sketches of Japan: Part 3

I was mia from the computron this weekend. I spent it with Kristen & her family in Las Pinas touring around malls and all of metro Manila. It was fun! We even crafted while watching Glee :). We watched Shutter which made me soo snervous but I enjoyed it because it took place in Tokyo. Oh genki-ness, I miss that city...

Saethang section in my sketchbook like whoa.