Playing Dress Up

I love traditional Asian outfits and one of my favorites has to be the kimono. I've always wanted to wear one and was excited when my friends recommended Okamoto, a kimono rental shop, in Kyoto. There were numerous kimonos, obi, hair accessories, etc. to choose from. I went with Plan 3 which gave me the most selection. It costs around $60 to rent it for the day and getting my hair done was only an extra $5! I really love the whole process. It was interesting to see the amount of work that goes into wearing a kimono. It was beautiful to watch how they put the kimono on me layer by layer. There were many layers and each had to be folded and tied in different ways. It really is an art in itself. 

Btw, I love that my obi has the same pattern as the bottom layer of our wedding cake! I may or may not have chosen it because of this reason ;)

James was my photographer for the day and he did an amazing job! I'm usually the one behind the lens so it was strange to be in front of the camera for that long. It was a nice treat though :) Kyoto is beautiful and so picturesque. I'm happy to have these fun photos to remember our wonderful time there.

Nara

Nara, like many places in Japan, is very magical. As we walked around, I can't help but feel like we were in a mythical place. Walkways are lined with hundreds of moss-covered lantern structures. The temple and shrines are grand yet understated. Friendly deers roam freely around the city. They are loved by the locals because they are believed to be messengers to the gods. It is definitely one of my favorite places in Japan. 

I was in awe as we approached Todaiji. It is beautiful and serene. I especially love the golden horns on the rooftop. 

The deers are used to people petting and feeding them. This one followed me for a while :)

Large ornaments on the temple's door.

Todaiji's main hall is the largest wooden building in the world. (This picture is the view of the ceiling.)

(left) One of Japan's largest bronze statues of Buddha (Daibutsu) sits in Todaiji's main hall; 

(right) Lantern structures outside of Kasuga Taisha.

I felt like I was transported to a different time...so magical. 

Hanging lanterns' silhouettes

(left) Taking a small break from all the walking; (right) Deers going shopping ;)

Cuteness

We saw cute signs, logos, and displays everywhere we went in Japan. Looking at them makes me feel so happy. Here are just some of the photos. Aren't they cute? Happy Friday everyone!

Heavenly Parfait

We're having quite the heat wave here in Boston. It's going to remain in the mid 90s for the rest of the week. Hot days like these make me yearn for the cool fall weather. I find myself daydreaming about my favorite season and the wonderful honeymoon we had last year. I'm very late in sharing these pictures but I hope you'll enjoy these upcoming posts about the Japan portion of our trip :)

The hot weather is making me think of ice cream so I'll start our Japan recap with our trip to Gion Kinana :) Michael aka Kyoto Foodie wrote a great post about it. I knew we had to make a stop there. We got the seasonal chestnut autumn parfait and it was amazing! There was a beautiful balance of textures and flavors from all of the components of the parfait - the candied chestnut, the chestnut mousse, the biscotti, the cake pieces, the ice cream, and the mochi. Only twenty of these are made daily. James and I went to the shop right when they opened at 11am and all of the seats were filled within 30 minutes. (So remember to get there early if you want one of their seasonal parfaits!)

I love the presentation with the teacup and pot...so simple and pretty. 

We also ordered the highly recommended kinako (roasted soybean flour) dekitate ice cream. Dekitate ice cream are ice cream that are just made. Since they haven't been frozen yet, they are very creamy and super smooth. The flavor is delicate and unlike anything I've tasted before. Oh what I would give to eat it again!

The shop is easy to miss if you're not looking for it ;)

Thank you Michael for the wonderful recommendation. I agree that it's definitely a "do not miss" if you are in Kyoto :)

Perfect Simple Sandwiches

Hi everyone! I'm happy to start blogging again after the tough week we had (Boston Strong!!!). I still have a lot of photos to share from our honeymoon and today I want to talk about our favorite breakfast place in Seoul. Almost every morning, James and I bought sandwiches at this place call Isaac which was just a few steps away from our hotel.

They were simple sandwiches with just ham, egg, and cheese but they were delicious! They were made to order so the sandwiches were nice and warm. The bread was perfectly toasted with a bit of butter. There was some sort of sauce on it too. I'm not sure what it was but it was slightly sweet and made the sandwiches extra tasty. We looked forward to eating them every morning. (Don't worry, we still ate plenty of yummy Korean food!)

We really love finding little places like this when we travel. The funny thing is that we both thought this was a mom-and-pop business because it was tiny and the same nice lady made our sandwiches every time. It wasn't until a few weeks ago when I watched Eat Your Kimchi that I found out that Isaac is actually a very popular chain in South Korea with thousands of stores! So weird that we didn't see any other one the entire time we were there. (Maybe it's a good thing because I would've been tempted to eat it all the time! lol)

Happily waiting for our sandwiches :)

James tried a "VIP" toast one morning while I stuck with my regular order :) The VIP had a burger patty, a fried egg, shredded cabbage, pickles, and a different type of sauce. It was good but we both like the classic one better. 

They are known as toasts in Korea and they are so satisfying. The best thing is that they only cost about two dollars! I highly recommend them :)

Btw, I love watching Simon and Martina's videos on Eat Your Kimchi. They are such a cute and fun couple. Their videos were helpful and fun to watch when I was planning our trip.

Banana Milk

Banana Milk is one of Korea's most popular drinks. It's not too sweet and has a nice subtle banana flavor. The container is super cute too. Disco Bob is a huge fan but he always needs help finishing it! Not that I'm complaining :)

Btw, you can read more about this drink and its history here. Happy Friday!

Insadong: Shopping & Eating

Insadong is one of my favorite areas in Seoul. Here you can find many shops selling traditional Korean arts and crafts. It is also within walking distance (about 10-15 minutes) to Gyeongbokgung and the Cheonggyecheon Stream. Although it is a little touristy, it is a great place to buy souvenirs (like these cute wooden rings above) and eat delicious street food.

(left) Cute display outside of a coffee shop; (right) Heading to a small mandu place for lunch

Fresh steamed mandu outside of the shop

James and I had a delicious lunch at a tiny mandu shop. All the locals were there so we knew it was going to be good. The mandu (Korean dumplings) were so fresh and delicious. Our favorite were the fried ones :)

We did a little shopping after lunch. I love these door knockers but they were too heavy to carry around!

It's so hard to resist buying souvenirs when I'm on vacation. It's not just me, right? hehe

These poo-shaped cakes are really popular there! They're a pancake filled with sweetened red bean and pieces of walnuts. They're quite good if you can get over the fact that it is suppose to mimic poo. Kids love them. Don't they always love things that are slightly gross? lol

Hello Kitty Cafe

This post is going to delight all the Hello Kitty fans out there. My friends, Judy and Carrie, visited Seoul back in May and I knew I had to make a stop at this cafe when I saw their trip photos :)

The preview of what's to come.

Hello Kitty's face was everywhere. I love the dusting of her face on all the drinks and desserts. 

It started to get really pink as we headed upstairs. I love these little paintings of her!

James' expression is so funny in this picture. He looks a little frightened, doesn't he? He must have felt like he was in a Hello Kitty twilight zone. I remembered him saying, "It's really pink in here." lol