For families considering a Singapore international high school, academics are naturally a major consideration. Of course, in any school, the overall student experience involves much more than daily coursework. School culture, extracurricular opportunities, and the diversity of the student community all play important roles in shaping a student’s high school years. Expatriate families often place […]

After our morning at the Toyota Commemorative Museum, we took a quick 5-minute walk over to AEON Mall Nagoya Noritake Garden. I really wanted to check out the Tsutaya Bookstore there — you know, the one with that magical optical-illusion wall of books that’s all over Instagram. Once we were done admiring the viral book […]

If you’ve been doom-scrolling travel reels lately, you’ve definitely seen that staircase. You know the one. A towering wall of books that looks like something out of a movie. I was recently in Nagoya checking out the Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology, and since it was just a quick 5-minute walk over to AEON Mall […]

Say the word Toyota, and your mind probably jumps straight to sleek hybrids, rugged Hilux trucks, or that bulletproof Land Cruiser your uncle swears by. But here’s a fun fact that genuinely surprised me: this multi-billion dollar automotive giant actually began its life with a single wooden handloom. Yes, a loom. I only discovered this […]

If you’re staying in Nagoya like we were and want a proper taste of old-world Japan, sorting out transport to Gujo Hachiman, Hida Takayama, and Shirakawa-go on your own is honestly a logistical nightmare. These three gems are all tucked away in Gifu Prefecture — think historic water channels, bustling merchant streets, and snow-capped fairytale […]

After our full-day tour to Shirakawa-go, Gujo Hachiman and Hida Takayama, the coach dropped us back at Nagoya Station just before 8pm. We were absolutely famished—we’d survived the day on snacky bits and sake. So we made a beeline for Ebidote Shokudo (海老どて食堂), a spot I’d bookmarked on my Nagoya to-eat list after seeing those […]

The first time I had proper Hong Kong milk tea – the silky, bronze-coloured, tea-first kind – was at a tiny cha chaan teng in Jordan, about six years ago. I went back two more times that trip just for the drink. When I got home I spent the next eight months trying to make […]

After enjoying a delicious mont blanc soft serve at 栗りん Kurin and exploring Osu Shopping Street, the sky turned dark fast. Sunset hits around 5pm during Nagoya winters, so we called it a day, grabbed some food from Lawson, and headed back to Comfort Hotel Nagoya Shinkansenguchi for check-in. Spoiler alert: this little hotel near […]