Category Archives: Personal

{  Fall in Kyoto  }

Fall in Kyoto
Fall in Kyoto
Fall in Kyoto

Kyoto is one of my favorite cities in Japan and I love visiting during the Autumn time. Since the foliage season is right around the corner, I decided to put together some of my favorite spots to visit and places to eat on this 3-part special post. Hope it will make you want to visit Kyoto :)

As you might already know, Kyoto is a very popular place to visit amongst both locals and foreigners during the Cherry Blossom season in the Spring and the foliage season in the Fall. However, people here say it’s pure “LUCK” if you get to go during either of these two special times since the peak bloom for the cherry blossoms and the foliage pretty much change every year and only last for about 2~3 weeks each. (Also some places bloom slower/faster so it’s good to check out foliage reports before you go.)

The pictures above are from:
– Komyoji (光明寺) : Famous for their “Momiji-sando”, which is a walking path full of Momiji trees.
– Yoshiminedera (善峯寺) : Hard to get to (located all the way up in the mountains) but it’s one of my favorite spots!
– Kodaiji (高台寺) : Famous for their breathtaking night lit foliage.

Stay tuned for some of my favorite restaurants to dine at when I’m in Kyoto.

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Related Posts on Kyoto:
1) Fall in Kyoto
2) Iyemon Salon
3) Shoraian 松籟庵
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{  Hello from Nagano  }

Hello from Nagano
Hello from Nagano
Hello from Nagano
Hello from Nagano

Went to Nagano a few weeks ago and had a nice relaxing time there with wonderful farm-fresh food. Do you see how large that daikon is in the last photo? It’s so hard to find fully grown daikon with green leaves still left on it at local supermarkets here. I also got to try the kinoko soba (all sorts of wild mushrooms) that were hand-picked from the farm that morning and it was delicious. It’s nice to have an Inaka (countryside) to visit :)




{  Fun Info  }

Thought I’d share some fun info for my dear readers!

As of today,
— The Top 3 Most Popular “Posts” are:
1) Maison de Reefur
2) Hacienda Del Cielo
3) Mother’s Shokudo

— The Top 3 Most Accessed “Categories” are:
1) Japanese
2) Street Food
3) Bakery

Beyond these, here are some of my personal recommendations for you:

— If this is your first time traveling to Japan,
1) Go to Soramachi and check out Tokyo Sky Tree.
2) Go to Ginza. While you are there, shop at Uniqlo and take a break at Rose Bakery which is connected via a walkway on the 7th floor.
3) For ramen lovers, eat at Ippudo. For tsukemen lovers, eat at Warito.

— If you’ve been to Japan more than once and you want to explore something new,
1) Climb the 3-star michelin-rated mountain Takaosan.
2) Take a day trip to Kamakura.
3) Go to Tokyo Disney Sea.

— If you just want some of the best food in town regardless of the cuisine, go to:
1) Frey’s Famous Pizzeria or Pizzeria Da Isa
2) Blacows
3) Ondoru

— Some of the places my friends have loved the most:
1) Aoyama Flower Market Tea House
2) Aila for lunch
3) Udon Yamacho

— Recommended for couples:
1) Aila for dinner
2) Shared Terrace
3) Ivy Place and Tsite

— For everyday meals you want to go back to (and which are kid/baby cart friendly):
1) Green in Daikanyama
2) Muji Cafe in Yurakucho/Ginza
3) Green Grill in Shibuya

— For vegetarian options:
1) Brown Rice Cafe in Omotesando
2) Grano Delicatessen in Ebisu
3) Midorie Organic Cafe in Gakugeidaigaku

— For anyone with a sweet tooth:
1) Quil Fait Bon
2) Melon pan 
3) Ginza Tatsutano

I can keep going but I’ll stop here for now. It’s interesting to see what posts are getting the most hits and what people are searching for on my site. It’s been fun sharing my favorite places to eat around Tokyo and these are just some of what I recommend but hope this helps you explore this awesome city just a little better ;)

In case you didn’t know, “Summary of All the posts” has a list of everything I’ve posted from the past in a glance.

PS: I’m off on vacation so I will return posting in about 2 weeks.
PPS: Show some support by liking the tokyoeats.jp facebook page!

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{  Tokyo Skytree from Above  }

Tokyo Skytree from Above
Tokyo Skytree from Above

I had the opportunity to fly over Tokyo on a helicopter last year and fly right next to Tokyo Skytree before it was done building! It was my first time on a helicopter and it was amazing. As you can see, Soramachi was heavily under construction and I had no idea what it was going to turn into. This is a fun way to explore Tokyo if you’re not scared of heights :)

xo,
Maki