I remember London has always been on the top of my list of places to visit before I die. I remember having this little notebook filled with collages that reminds me of London. Pictures of the stores I want to visit, the foods I want to try, the bands that actually one of the biggest reasons why I want to go there -- that book was like a visualisation media for me. However, when I went to Japan for a family holiday last January, the thoughts about having London on the top of my list just flew away. It happened the second I landed in Haneda Airport.
It was winter > spring back then. The weather app in my phone showed 8 celcius, it was crazy cold. Thankfully my cousins and I are prepared, we have already worn a coat. Although it's not the first time I went to a country that has winter for their seasons -- because I have already went to Hong Kong a couple of time, this was the first time I visited a country that feels the falling snow each year. So it was very exciting. I still remember how cold the blowing wind was, making my nose and ear hurt. But that was all gone when we decided to eat at a ramen kiosk, right beside our hotel at Ginza (Unizo Ginza). And this is the first reasons why I replaced London with Japan: the weather and the food.
Japanese food has been my favourite since I was a kid -- I love sushi, takoyaki, ramen, everything! But tasting the authentic food is a whole new level of satisfaction. So this is the first of many, many bowls of ramen I ate in Japan. The portion looked big, but it was actually perfect enough for one person. The broth is so thick in flavor, you just couldn't get enough. After eating ramen in Tokyo and Osaka, I still think this one is the best.
Another must-eat in Japan is, of course, sashimi! We went to Tsukiji market, because everybody told us to do so. We had to wake up super-duper early in the morning on holiday just to enjoy plates of really fresh sashimi that melts in your mouth for breakfast, and it was all worth it. I even bought some take outs (look at the red maguro and fresh salmon!!), because again, you couldn't get enough of it.
Other food and beverage that made me super excited on my last trip to Japan were the Sakura-infused everything. I came to Japan in March - April, so it was indeed the sakura season. I went to a Starbucks in Harajuku just to try their Sakura drinks and cakes. Ordered their hot Sakura Latte and Chiffon cake. The soft pink chiffon cake is made from real cherry blossom, topped with sakura petal, while the warm sakura latte contains sakura strawberry sauce and topped with sakura strawberry shaved chocolate. They are very delicate and delicious looking dessert! And really, too cute to be eaten. Because the latte was so good, I even bought more from Family Mart (turns out they sell the Starbucks' Sakura Latte here too!)
When I visited Sensoji Temple in Asakusa, I also tried some desserts. Pictured below are the fried sakura mochi and matcha ice cream. The sakura mochi is made of sweet glutinous rice and vanilla cream, I think, and is fried to perfection. Eating the warm sakura mochi in 4 degree weather was indeed the best decision.
Oh, and if you are a matcha lover, you should try to visit this matcha store around the temple. They sell mochi, ice cream, anything matcha inspired, really. I tried their ice cream and it's quite bitter and pretty strong, but very rich in taste. As a matcha lover, I really like this one.
The sad part from my trip to Japan is that I didn't get the chance to try the Takoyaki and Crepes at Takeshita Street in Harajuku. The rain was just so bad everytime I visited Harajuku, so it was such a hassle to queue under the big rain, having your hands filled with shopping bags, umbrella, etc. What I thought that time was I am going to visit Japan again soon, so I'll try them next time. But thankfully when we were in Osaka, I happened to try their Takoyaki in a small restaurant under my hotel. It was really good, so I can imagine the taste from the small kiosks on the street will be amazing.
Overall, everything I ate in Japan is top notch. Even the burgers at Mc Donald's. I got this limited edition burger that contains top-middle-bottom bun with onion relish, beef patty, cheddar cheese, bacon slices, and a scoop of buttery mashed potatoes from Hokkaido, and it tasted hella good. The mashed potatoes was TDF. So happy that I got the chance to eat this limited edition burger. Again, so so good. I ate this like three times. You can also find hidden gems inside the vending machines on the streets or at the trains stations. I got this cherry milk tea, that was very cute and tasty!
So yeah, two of the reasons why I love Japan is because of the food and the weather. I've been to HongKong many times in winter, but I think the lowest point I've reached when I was there was like 11 degree celcius? It's really cold for people like me who actually lives in tropical area, but it's not as cold as Japan.
I will definitely talk more about the weather and the places I visited when I was in Japan on my next blog post. Even after a year, I am still very excited to talk about it. So, if you've been to Japan, what is your most favourite thing that still sticks in your head even for years?
