Sensoji Temple sits at the top of almost every Tokyo itinerary. Arrive mid-morning and you’ll understand why that’s both a blessing and a curse. When my hubby and I turned up, the crowd near the main hall was already shoulder to shoulder. So we did what any hungry couple would do — we skipped the […]

While everyone raves about 7-Eleven, Lawson and FamilyMart, seasoned travellers know one golden rule: a local Tokyo supermarket (supa) is where the real food magic and savings happen. During our stay at Sotetsu Grand Fresa Takadanobaba, we found ourselves heading over to Peacock Store Takadanobaba almost every single evening. From ready-to-eat meals and bento boxes […]

After lunch at Nihon Yakiniku Hasegawa Ginza, we strolled towards Shimbashi Station to catch the metro to Shibuya. The portion sizes of our kaiseki meal at the yakiniku restaurant were unfortunately on the smaller side, so we still had quite a bit of room left in our stomachs. Perfect timing then, when we spotted Taiyaki […]

During our recent Tokyo escapade, we had a mission: burn through Hubby’s global dining credits on his AMEX Platinum Charge card before they vanished into thin air. Much like our Tempura Shinjuku Tsunahachi Tsunohazuan outing, we turned to Pocket Concierge—the AMEX-owned booking platform that makes snagging high-end reservations across Japan ridiculously easy. Our pick? Nihon […]

If you followed my last post, you’ll know we spent the morning exploring Tsukiji Outer Market, sampling everything from fresh uni to tamagoyaki. By 11:30am, we were happy, full and in desperate need of a walk before our 2pm reservation for yakiniku in Ginza. So, we decided to go check out the Imperial Palace East […]

Even though the wholesale tuna auctions shifted to Toyosu back in 2018, Tsukiji Outer Market (築地場外市場) is very much alive and kicking. We kicked off our Sunday morning early to make our first return trip since the relocation—curious to see how the atmosphere held up and, more importantly, what delicious bites awaited us. Spoiler: Tsukiji […]

After a jam-packed day of wandering through Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, soaking up the skyline from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building South Observation Deck, and demolishing a proper tempura feast at Tempura Shinjuku Tsunahachi Tsunohazuan, we dragged our tired feet back to Sotetsu Grand Fresa Takadanobaba. And honestly? This little gem turned out to be […]

After soaking in those jaw-dropping 360-degree skyline views at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, we hopped over to our dinner spot just a stone’s throw away — Tempura Shinjuku Tsunahachi Tsunohazuan. Hubby had prepaid the reservation via Pocket Concierge (an AMEX-owned platform for booking Japan’s finer dining spots), putting his AMEX Platinum Charge dining credits […]

If you’re planning your Tokyo itinerary, chances are you’ve come across skyline experiences like Shibuya Sky, Roppongi Hills or Tokyo Skytree. They’re super popular with tourists and all require admission fees. But did you know you can also get a 360-degree panoramic view of Tokyo for absolutely free? That’s exactly what hubby and I did […]

When most people picture Tokyo, their minds immediately jump to the neon-drenched crossings of Shibuya, towering skyscrapers, and bustling train stations. While Tokyo’s dynamic pace is thrilling, there are moments when you need a quiet retreat to slow down and breathe. On our recent winter trip to Japan, we found that exact escape at Shinjuku […]

Our shinkansen pulled into Tokyo from Nagano right on schedule, and we hauled our luggage to the hotel by 1pm. Problem was, official check-in wasn’t until 3pm, and we weren’t about to fork out a surcharge for the sake of two hours. So we dumped our bags and headed out, absolutely starving. Beef had been […]

Time to say goodbye to Hakuba! It has been a really amazing winter trip filled with so many memorable firsts—snowboarding for the very first time, sipping hot Milo by a cosy fireplace in a lodge while snow fell quietly outside, and waking up to fresh snowfall every single morning. (We even got screamed at at […]

Here’s a fun little discovery from our Hakuba trip: Nabura Hakuba. My hubby stumbled upon it on Google Maps when meeting his colleague for drinks (no driving, obviously!). It’s just 600m from Il Bosco, where we were staying. He spotted people tucking into burgers and flagged it as a potential dinner spot. So back we […]

There’s an unwritten rule in the snowboarding community that no matter how freezing cold it is outside, eating ice cream or gelato after a day on the slopes is strictly mandatory. Haha! So when hubby and I finished carving down the powder at Hakuba Goryu Snow Resort, we stepped back into Escal Plaza hunting for […]

Some meals stick with you—not just because of the food, but because of the whole experience. That’s exactly how Hubby and I feel about マンガ喫茶 COM, the little manga café in Hakuba we now fondly refer to as “the place with the grumpy boss”. Spoiler: he’s not really that grumpy. But the story? Oh, it’s […]

Remember in my Cafe Cubanos Hakuba post when I said I’d rather go to Starbucks? Well, we did exactly that. We hunted down the one and only Starbucks Hakuba, tucked inside the Snow Peak Land Station complex. Turns out it’s less than a 10-minute drive from where we were staying at Il Bosco. Easy peasy. […]