Checked.

My 25th prefecture in Japan. 22 more to go.

We wanted a snowy holiday that’s not too far from Tokyo, so we decided to visit Niigata prefecture, also nicked “Snow Country”. Niigata is most famous for two things – skii resorts with soft, powdery snow and Koshihikari rice. And we were gonna enjoy both to the fullest 😛

Junya’s entertainment for the 2-hour shinkansen ride. And the toy was a… shinkansen lol. And the name of the Shinkansen is… Sakura lol. read more

While I was compiling the post for Niigata with 70 over pictures, here’s a short video on our shinkansen and snow adventure in Niigata prefecture! ♥

Update again soon! ^^

This post is about Tokyo Station. Yes there’s a railway station called “Tokyo Station” in Tokyo, and it is the busiest train station (with most trains – the one with the most people is Shinjuku Station) in Japan with over 3,000 trains operating everyday! How crazy does that sound!

Well, Tokyo Station is more than just a station. It is a small city on its own. Even if you are not using it to move to another city/prefecture, it is worth traveling all the way to Tokyo Station just to spend an afternoon eating and shopping. read more

Junya turns 2 years 8 months today, and Sakura is 9 months old now.

I think they are looking more and more alike in pictures!

Here’s the regular monthly update!

For Junya

(Also read Junya’s  1st month , 2nd month , 3rd month , 4th month , 5th month , 6th month , 7th month,  8th month, 9th month , 10th month , 11th month , 12th month , 13th month , 14th month , 15th month , 16th month , 17th month , 18th months , 19th month , 20th month ,21st month , 22nd month , 23rd month , 24th month , 25th month , 26th month , 27th month , 28th month , 29th month , 30th month and 31st month here.) read more

All parents with toddlers will know the pain. The pain when your toddlers fall down, knock into things, get scratched… the headache when you see them hurt… and we can’t help it because it is a natural process as they grow.

Maybe it is really a boy thing, but Junya gets minor scratches almost on a daily basis. He falls down so often while running that his knees are forever scratched. A new wound happens before the previous one is healed. T__T

This happens so often that I’m stocking up bandages in our home. read more

December last year, our family took a short trip to Niigata Prefecture from Tokyo.

Born and raised in a tropical country, I was always fascinated with winter and cold climate, because that was what sounded exotic to me. I think a lot of my Malaysian peers feel the same. A lot of my friends preferred to visit Japan during winter to have an entire different travel experience from our usual hot climate.

And Niigata is the perfect destination because, well, Niigata is also lovingly called the “Snow Country” across Japan. Other than the famed skii resorts with powdery snow, Niigata has many other attractive charms, surrounded with splendid nature, clean coasts with beautiful sunsets, hot springs, friendly folks and the best thing for us – absolutely delicious rice. read more

Yeap yeap yeap, we have all heard of the hipster cold pressed juice that are selling everywhere which are also often ridiculously priced. Just how different these juices are compared to all the traditional juices we order from hawker center?

I had a traditional juicer at home, but admittedly I have used it maybe like, twice. 5 years ago. It is soooooo much work to prepare and such a chore to clean and the amount of wastage of fruits is quite a pain. In the end I decided that buying boxed juice is much more cost-effective and convenient. read more