Tokyo Sakura 2014

Hello guys!

I'm so so sooooo sorry for the lack of posts lately!
I've been too bombarded with stuffs surrounding me lately, and I literally didn't had the inspiration or mood to write a new post. I know, i know, it's about the consistency problem again.

So before marking an end to May, and welcoming the even-more-hectic june, I'll be sharing with you guys something very beautiful, and so precious that it blooms only once in a year!


The blooming season of Sakura are usually around late march to mid april. Or sometimes if you're lucky, you'll also have a chance to see this gorgeous baby blooming in early May too!

The exact dates differs each year, so you might wanna check out dear mr. google before your visit!

Or, let me provide you with a link: http://www.jnto.go.jp/sakura/eng/index.php

This was at Ueno park（上野公園）. It was sooooo crowded (obviously you could see) that day. But the sight of smiling people, happy faces, it's all so worth it! 

花見(Hanami) is a very big thing in Japan. Co-workers would gather under a Sakura tree and have a picnic! I guess, because of how workaholic they are, this were one of the best times that they could enjoy and relax with their co-workers. 

Of course, good view gotta come with good food right?

You'll find vendors selling foods and drinks inside the park.

What do I recommend? 日本酒(Nihonshu), which is Sake!

It is stored in that little fridge-like-thingy which I currently have no vocab running in my mind to describe it, to keep it warm. Warm Sake is the best! But also, you gotta watch it. Apparently, you don't really taste the strong alcohol taste as much as the normal cold ones, and you tend to drink more. As a result, you'll become one of the 酔っぱらい(Yopparai), which literally means a drunkard. 

おでん！! If you love Japan, you gotta love Oden! It's usually eaten in winter because it makes you feel warm and fuzzy! :3 What's in an Oden? So, basically, it's like a stew which consists of, boiled eggs, daikon, or you call it radish, konjac, and processed fishcake. It is cooked in soy-flavored dashi broth. The best thing about oden? It's sooo low in calories and yummy as crazy! Oden is most definitely one of my best favorite Japanese dish! You really should try it! 

And next, my sis-in-law and I headed to Sumida park（墨田公園）!

As my phone battery was running low, I didn't manage to capture much picture.

But, here, this video right here will do justice on how beautiful Sumida park was. Personally, I prefer Sumida park better than Ueno. It's more serene. I'm a person who matters serenity more than anything, so this got my biased vote. 

Can you see the petals of Sakura snowing? It's too too too beautiful!

And lastly, to end this post, this was me wearing a furisode!

Pictures were taken in Funabashi! ^-^

No, those weren't Sakura. Lol. 

But these definitely are. :)

Good luck, Have a sweet day!

                                                              ☆*･゜ﾟ･*\(^O^)/*･゜ﾟ･*☆

Instagram: @hachidiane

Twitter: @Hachihachiko323

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hachihachiko323

Harajuku Days

Hold my hand and run away with me,  we'll set off to somewhere fun. ☆

 But first, let me take a #selfie. *inserts song The chainsmokers- Selfie* XD

                                                     
                                                  JR電車なう ♪   ＃自撮り

   

blogs.yahoo.co.jp

Harajuku原宿 is a district in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan.

hanjapa.blogspot.com

It is immensely known as the center of the youth culture and fashion.

Check out this ig account. They post very fashionable people in the streets of Harajuku.

   Takeshita Street (竹下通り Takeshita-dori)

Heaven's gate to a shopping spree to fulfill all you fashion-hungry beasts. Protect your wallets! 

The famous Marion Crepes

I forgot what I ordered. It's banana with cheese cake and whipped cream with chocolate sauce drizzled on top. I would rate it 2.5/5.   It's not that bad, but it's just not really worth the hype.

I prefer Santa Monica's crepe WAY better. Theirs are reeeaaaally yummy.

pinterest

Mine was green tea ice cream, with vanilla curd and cherry blossom ice cream. Super yum!

Unfortunately, my iphone died on me just as I was about to capture that delicious beauty. T.T

flickr.com

       I'm definitely going back for my crepes cravings next time. 

       And plus, the design is even cuter!

       I promise i'll take a good picture by then. 

                                                                   What's next? 

Snack food maker Calbee serves the freshest potato crisps you'll ever taste at this Harajuku outpost.

http://www.timeout.jp/

Mine was cheese tomomi's was ebi-sakura. 

They.tasted.just.like.the.normal.chips.

Ok, i admit. Eating it freshly-made served straight from the fryer while walking along Harajuku does make a difference!

At least, you can show off to your friends la. Saying "ehhh, I ate it right straight from the calbee store! It's in Harajuku! Been there before? No right!"

Purikura (Japanese sticker photo booth) 

No girls simply leave Japan WITHOUT taking purikura(s). 

Come on!

These machines are SUPER FAST. Pose at your own risk.

Don't tell me I didn't warned you.

Oh,  btw, did you guys know that McDonald's in Japan serves Sakura burgers?

I'm amazed by how they put effort into EVERYTHING. This is why I love you, Japan.

#IFUCKINGLOVEJAPAN

                        The limited edition McDonald’s ‘Sakura Teritama’ burger. This pink burger are made     up of a teriyaki patty, egg, lettuce and a mayonnaise-based, a little teeny bit cherry blossom-ish pickle sauce. This meal is more to the sweeter taste-bud. 

cheeserland.com


My Sakura burger

A set for ¥680 #onlyinjapan

You can find it anywhere in Japan's McDonald's. But make sure it's still spring time.

With my frizzy Sakura float. ♡

I'm not a soda person. I hate sodas. But I can forget about that if it's Sakura-related.
And it's PINK. #Neversaynotopink

Did my nails at リトルハピネス(Little Happiness)

It's a 3-minute walk from Harajuku station.

Japan, 151-0051 Tokyo, Shibuya, Sendagaya, 3 Chome−60−6, B1

東京都渋谷区千駄ヶ谷3-60-6

第一宮庭マンションB1F

【原宿駅から徒歩3分】
電話：03-5772-0225（予約優先）
営業時間：12:00～21:00 
定休日：無

http://www.littlehappiness.com/

                     

Feel like flying to Japan already?
See you in my next post!
Do leave some comments for me!♡

Good luck,

Have a sweet day!

                                                              ☆*･゜ﾟ･*\(^O^)/*･゜ﾟ･*☆

Instagram: @hachidiane

Twitter: @Hachihachiko323

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hachihachiko323

Ikebana

Good day to all you flowers lover,

this post is specially made for you.♡

 Ikebana (生け花）is a Japanese art of flower arrangement. 

生(Ike), comes from the word ikeru(生ける), which means living, or keeping alive,  

while 花(Hana) means flower. So to put it simple, you're basically arranging the flowers to keep it alive, beautifully! But, it's not just a simple act of putting them into containers. 

"Ikebana is a disciplined art form in which nature and humanity are brought together. "Oh, how I love the Japanese ♡

keithstanley.com

To know more about ikebana, you may want to visit:

 http://www.ikebanahq.org/whatis.php

So one morning, before my appointment with my Japanese friend, I followed Okaasan to Shin-Okubo(新大久保) to her ikebana class. There's alot of Ikebana schools around Tokyo. You might want to do a little research on the location that is the closest to your accommodation.  

During our walk to the Ikebana school, I found a Chinese restaurant with my name on it. How interesting! 

When we reached the school, I received a warm-hearted welcome by the Oba-chan(s) who were the regular students. Japanese Moms are super duper nice and friendly! You will never feel pressured because of the pleasantness they'll give you! 

I managed to capture a few pictures of the Ikebana I did!

It was my very first time, but I think I did pretty well? :P

 Each person's masterpiece is then shot with a professional camera and then shared with everyone in class through a slide-view during the end of the lesson. You will also get a hard copy of the photo for reference when you do your ikebana at home.  

I'm super bad at remembering names, so I can't remember the name of the flowers.. #guilty

After class, Okaasan and I went to a nearby restaurant for lunch. I had hamburg steak and it was 

SUPER YUM!

 美味しいかった！

Have you ever  tried Ikebana/ flower arrangement?

Leave some comments! ♡

xoxo

Good luck,

Have a sweet day!

                                                              ☆*･゜ﾟ･*\(^O^)/*･゜ﾟ･*☆

Instagram: @hachidiane

Twitter: @Hachihachiko323

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hachihachiko323

Japanese breakfast

Good Morning!
おはようございますー！(Ohayo-gozaimasu)


    Rise & shine, i'm ready for breakfast!


The feeling of waking up to a table of sumptuous breakfast?  You can't beat that.

Are you a breakfast person? Well, I am!
[Even though i'm a (-)morning person.]

Well, according to the I-know-everything-Mr. wikipedia, apparently,
Breakfast is the first meal taken after rising from a night's sleep, most often eaten in the early morning before undertaking the day's work.Period.
Who says waking up in noon means you can't have breakfast?
So I grant you the wish of waking up late and still enjoying your beloved breakkie. 

Okok, maybe I overdone it. But I was doing justice for the (-)morning person! #uselessreasons 

 So what's your idea of breakfast?                                     
                                                 

I know I know, the smell of crispy bacons and maple syrup overflowing your perfectly done pancake which was just tossed out from a pan with an extra humongous scoop of nutella/peanut butter at your own pleasure for that extra gazillion calories, two sunny side eggs with a dash of salt right on top of that runny yolks that just oozes out as you fork it without mercy,  now, lets try something different, something healthy, something asian! 

Have you ever tried Japanese breakfast? 

A traditional Japanese breakfast usually consist of:

Miso soup 味噌汁

Steamed riceご飯 or gohan

Natto納豆 (fermented beans)

bookmice.net

Tamagoyaki卵焼き (grilled omelette)

creativevegan.com

a kind of fish (grilled/steamed)

shizuokagourmet.com

Tsukemono漬物 (pickles)

jalna.blogspot.com

   and many others depending on the person's who's making it! :)

Let me share with you a couple of my breakfast back in Japan prepared by le okaasan♡!

                                          You can never go wrong with natto.

 When eating natto, place it in a bowl and season with some soy sauce. Add various toppings if you would like and stir well. Place the natto on top of steamed rice and eat with rice.

Well well, some of you might go like "ewww, natto!?" or like "How could you possibly let those slimy substance be lingering in your mouth?!" and all that drama. 

Quoted from cheesie's blog that I read a longgg time ago and till now it can't stop me from laughing:

"It tastes like a bowl of raw bean (slightly gone off/bad) being frozen for years until you take it out, blow your nose and cough up thick phlegm and then proceed to spit/dribble both the bodily fluid into the bowl, mix it up well, then pass it to an eighty-year-old toothless lady (who is willing to take up this part-time natto making part-time job) to chew for a good 5 minutes, and regurgitate back into the bowl whereby it is then ready to serve.

KY also has a shorter description of it, which includes two different bodily fluids that are being discharged from two different lower-body orifices which i prefer to not talk about here. " HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

But trust me laaa, it's not that bad. Seriously, if you conquered the smell already, you can't stop asking for more. Sure, tell me you don't trust me, or you're never gonna try natto ever or simply you just can't accept it, there's one more thing that is almost as good to eat with the gohan too, which is:

Mentaiko明太子 

Don't you think this resembles the Japanese flag? ^-^

it's like a topping for plain white rice.

Mentaiko (明太子) is the marinated roe of pollock, and cod including is a common ingredient in Japanese cuisine.

But of course, breakfast isn't always rice and all.  Sometimes, we do have a little westernize breakfast, too!

Like this:

Can you ever say no to bread? NEVER!

Because most Japanese are health conscious people, vegetables and fruits plays very important role in each meal. 

Even when you're eating a meal that's not usually served frequently, a plate of healthy greens will still appear on the table. Talking about being healthy :)

Now, embrace yourselves, fellow strawberry lovers....

these are Japan's most, amazeballs, awesome strawberries

     
                                                  Omg. I just can't. #stahp

Mmm I like it big. #thatswhatshesaid

Are you hating me for making you hungry with all the food pictures already?
Okay, come, i'll heal you with my shameless selfie before I continue my kiss with my prince in my dreamland. Zzz

                                                #shamelessselfie

                                                        Ok, bye!

See you on my next post! ♡

Leave some comments for me please, love?

Yes, you. :)

Good luck,

Have a sweet day!

☆*･゜ﾟ･*\(^O^)/*･゜ﾟ･*☆
Instagram: @hachidiane
Twitter: @Hachihachiko323
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