asia

A Lazy Saturday

8:23:00 AM,0 Comments


Guess what I found in Jiyugaoka today! I saw pictures of this bridge and little canal on guide books about Jiyugaoka, but I was never able to find it until today. It is a lot smaller than I had anticipated, but it looks like a small slice of Europe in my backyard. Once again, I'm reminded of just how thankful and blessed to be living in this neighborhood. 






One of the most interesting things about this neighborhood is the juxtaposition between the trendy, European influences and the reminder of old, traditional Japan. The canal shown above is right next to the Kumano Shrine. 






I also tried Nana's green tea for the first time~ I had the　白玉あんずき抹茶ラッテ. It costed about 600 yen for this. Quite expensive, but I think it's worth the value, especially if you like green tea. 



There's also a shop that specializes in nuts and beans. I bought this strawberry- flavored cashews. It's so good! The shop itself is also extremely trendy with samples of the products hanging down so you can see what's inside the package without opening it.  


Today, I woke up, did my chores. Afterwards, I just strolled Jiyugaoka, taking my time to really take in everything this neighborhood has to offer to me. Jojo and Lei met up with me a little later and I took them to see the shrine and the canal. Afterwards, we walked to this store called Accent Style where they had funny looking bunny dolls and stuffed animals. Jojo bought a Fuku- bukoro- a big bag of mystery products. The things inside were extremely cute and I kind of want to buy one of my own! 
Then, they came over to my place. I love playing host and I would like more people to come over so I can host them ^-^.

Later, Emma joined us and we had Thai food. It's deemed authentic and judging by the 40 mins we had to wait, it's super popular. Although I was not terribly wowed by the food, it was pretty good. The music there was also great. 



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asia

Random Things from the Weekends

5:13:00 PM,0 Comments

Tokyo usually have everything that I crave for. But one thing I noticed was that bubble tea was not very popular... I have a hard time finding good, tasty bubble tea with soft, chewy tapioca pearls. So I was ecstatic when I came across this jem.  

In Jiyugaoka, there's this gorgeous street call Green Street that's lined with trees and trendy shops and cafes. Among the trendy shops, there's a food cart that serves crepes and bubble tea! It was too cold that day for me to order the crepes but they had a ton of flavors- sweet and savory. Instead, I ordered the Coconut Milk Bubble Tea. It was much better than I expected! I was genuinely surprised. The prices are a little bit high- around 300- 400 yen for the bubble tea. 



 


Another great thing about Japan is the quantity of 100 yen and 300 yen shops. I bought this fake flowers from a 300 yen shop call Cou Cou filled with cute items, aimed to young women. You'd be surprised at some of the things they offer. The quality of their products exceeds the price. 
These flowers are now adorning my genkan. 



 Wait! Can we talk about the existence of Sakura flavored Ice Cream?? This is so good! The ice cream was interlaced with vanilla and jam. It did not taste woody as some of my friends claim Sakura- flavored items to taste like. 


Oh, this 100 kcal soup rice is also much better than I expected. All you have to do is microwave it. You don't even need to take it out of the box. After you microwave it, you just have to put it on top of rice and you have your dinner! Low calorie and fantastic!


Ok, so I've been raving about what I love. Let me tell you what I was kind of disappointed about. In Tokyo, there's this cosmetic store call RanQueen and RanKing that sells products that makes it to the top ranks of popularity. They also have a short description of each product, explaining its benefits and the reasons behind its popularity.

I came across this eyeliner. It immediately caught my eye because one end is a regular eyeliner while the other end is powder. What you do is line your eyes and then use the powder to smudge it out for a smoky, soft look. The powder is consisted within the cap so you'd have to twist it a little bit before uncapping it. It sounded super convenient and it was ranked Number 1 in Cosme so I bought it.

I was utterly disappointed. =[ The liquid end did not dry fast enough so when I try to smudge it out, the powder end would rub off the liner, leaving shards of eyeliner around my eye. Maybe I'm just bad with make- up, but even so, I expected more from this.  



On another note! I went to the farmer's market nearby Aoyama Gakuin, in front of the United Nations University. You can access it from Exit 12 of Shibuya Station. After you get out from the exit, you'd have to walk down a street, but it's not very hard to find as it's smack- dab in front of the United Nations University. 

I love going to the farmer's market. The food is usually much tastier and fresher than what they sell in the supermarket. The price is not so bad for a farmer's market! They're super reasonable. An added plus is that you get to interact with the farmers and get to know about the food's origin. I've been to this farmer's market a handful of times already and I find myself having a great time every time. ^-^ 

My friend, Terasa recommended me to try this Hinako Mochi. I bought this pack for 300 yen and I can't wait to try it out! 


One farmer brought her pet goat. This dog was super interested in the goat. lol



Oh! Almost forgot to mention this. They also have tons of food trucks that offer really yummy, mostly organic dishes. I ordered this vegetable bowl- contained of fake meat, scrambled tofu, multigrain rice, lettuce, cabbage, and other healthy goodness. This was super filling. I felt stuffed after finishing this. I would definitely recommend stocking up on your groceries and then try the food trucks when you come to the Farmer's Market. 



Yesterday, after I went to the Farmer's Market, my friend Akihiro invited me to his friend's place for a house party. I've never met them before so I was extremely nervous. However, everyone was so nice and so courteous that I felt bad for being so nervous and quiet. 

One of the fun parts of the night was that we decorated Kumamon cookies! Can you tell which one I decorated? lol 



They're so cute. 


The host and hostess made this amazing dish. I was like is it ok for me to eat this?? We've just met and everything, is it really ok? D=

But I ate. It was absolutely delicious.



~drumroooll~ My Kumamon.... xD poor Kumamon 


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asia

A Rainy Day in Jiyugaoka

3:50:00 AM,0 Comments

I woke up this morning to dreary, gray clouds. I always tend to oversleep on days like this. It started raining and I just laid in my kotatsu for a good 30 mins hoping for the skies to clear up.

I don't know how much the weather affects your moods, but I'm just like, "what's the point of even moving~". I'm always reduced to an unproductive, lazy bum on rainy days.
But I eventually got up, ate my yogurt with granolas and grapes. After that, I bummed around some more until I mustered up enough energy to put together my bookcase.
Soon afterwards, my parents texted me on WeChat and we started talking for almost an hour! I was able to talk to my mom, dad, and my brother. Usually, it's just one or the other, but today, they were all together. We video chatted and I showed them my apartment and reassured them I live in a safe, comfortable place. I really think they worry too much. But I think one day when I become a parent, I will worry just as much about my future kids.

I finished up putting together my bookcase. Puji kindly informed me on the correct ways to arrange books lol. I put them down with the label facing up. He noted that the normal way to place books is so the labels are clearly visible. It's a bit hard to explain, but it was so funny at the time xD.

Afterwards, I invited Emma to lunch and we had some delicious Thai Lunch Buffet at this place call Bangkok Kitchen. I saw a few of this Thai restaurant throughout Tokyo. The food there is absolutely delicious and their spicy dishes are actually spicy. Japanese people don't normally eat spicy food so a lot of the "spicy" food are just mildly tingly, hardly spicy. So I am very pleased with the spice level here.

For appetizer, we had spring rolls sprinkled with tangy & sweet chili sauce, summer rolls stuffed with crunchy veggies, and vermicelli that's packed with flavor.


For the entree, we both chose Spicy Seafood Rice Noodles. While eating this, I've noticed just how low my spicy tolerance dipped. I had to make trips to the water counter at least 5 times. 


I forgot to take a picture of dessert, but I had lychee, cream puff, and a tiny chocolate cake. So scrumptious!

After parting with Emma, I used a coupon to buy a book into my Kobo. It's a book call "Delivering Happiness" by Tony Hsieh, a Taiwanese- American Internet entrepreneur. It's about his journey establishing Linkexchange and becoming the CEO of Zappos.com. Lately, I have been lacking inspiration to do something that I really like or enjoy. I feel like I'm letting everyday pass by so easily without living to my fullest. Therefore, I wanted to glimpse into his passion for his work and his life. Hopefully, after reading this, I will be inspired to start something that I am passionate about.

After downloading this book, I headed to Starbucks to read it where I bumped into Emma! I was so surprised! I thought she went home already haha. But she saved a table upstairs where we were able to read and ponder over some thoughts.
Oh btw, I ordered the Limited Sakura Chocolate Latte- the first few sips were really good! It's just a little too sweet for me. I needed a cup of water in order to drink the whole thing. Also, I think I've been in Japan too long. The Grande size I ordered looked wayyy too big. I was like, was this always the size?? lol


It was a dreary, rainy day today that had me in low spirits, but by the end of the day, my mood has lifted and I feel a strong sense of thankfulness for life and for the people around me. 



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anko

Taiyaki + Croissant= Taiyaki Croissant!!

5:16:00 AM,0 Comments

Trains that actually come on time, bustling streets laden with attractive shops and restaurants, amazing food... there are so many perks that comes with living in Tokyo. And did I mention amazing food??

One of the best perks is the easy access to creative and wonderful food hybrids. Today, I went to Shinjuku to try one of the latest culinary inventions-  Taiyaki Croissant!

My friend, Emma, and I met at JR Shinjuku Station East Exit. It's literally one minute away from the East Exit. Once you head outside of that exit, in front of your eyes should be a big shopping mall- Alta Studio.


As you walk towards Studio Alta, you will see Croissant Taiyaki right in front of the entrance. You cannot miss it. Aside from the big "Croissant Taiyaki" across the banner, there are those side- flags indicating what's sold there. The moment you step near the store (which is located outside btw), you can smell the powerful scent of the sweet pastry. It smells amazing!



The Croissant Taiyaki is by Gindako, a popular chain takoyaki restaurant. The Croissant Taiyaki are also sold at certain Gindako spots- you can check the website here http://www.croissant-taiyaki.com. 







I bought one for 200 yen and it was worth every yen. You can also purchase a set of them to bring home and share with your friends and family or eat them all by yourself! 
The Croissant Taiyaki is made from croissant puff pastry sheets and pressed in Taiyaki mold. On top, you can see sprinkled drops of hard, crystalized sugar. 


The inside is filled with warm Anko (red bean) filling. The crispy outside and the soft filling complements perfectly. It's sweet, warm, and delicious! 
I recommend this to everyone who loves sweets and food in general~ 





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Welcome!

1:57:00 AM,0 Comments

I figure it was about time to start this blog. This blog is primarily for jotting down the exciting, mundane, and everything in between events that is occurring in my everyday life. After months of living in one of the world's most exciting cities and yet not having anything substantial to share with my family and friends, I refused to let my everyday life slip away and fade from my memories.

So here I am, after two failed attempts at blogging, ready to keep you all posted about what it's like living in Tokyo. 

For those who don't know me, my name is Maxie. I graduated from university last year and moved to Tokyo, Japan in late September 2013 to work for a Japanese company. While I have met ups and downs throughout my time here and had difficulty adjusting to the work culture here, the majority of my time has been extremely eventful and fun. With the support of my douki (co-workers who entered the same time as me), my friends, and my family, I feel so fortunate and blessed every day. 

I know that many people are interested about what it's like to live in Japan. Although I can't cover many aspects, I will share my perspective as a 22- year- old girl balancing work and life, living in one of the top 3 most coveted places to live in Tokyo. 

So welcome to my blog and I hope to see you here for the long run. 

(Picture added June 25th 2016 as commemoration of my one year anniversary in SF!) 

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