Last summer in August 2017.

A new prefecture conquered – Aomori, 青森 in Kanji, which means “green forest”.

I don’t know why but there’s something mysteriously romantic about the name Aomori, maybe because of the image of deep, mystical wildwoods, maybe I have remembered the mesmerizing photos I have seen of Aomori in the past… But it has always been very high on my visit list!

We took the Hayabusa Shinkansen to Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture. The ride took only around 2 hours 45 minutes! read more

While I am busy discovering more #lazymama hacks, it is worth noting that it requires skill and effort to be “lazy”, as you keep yourself updated with new technology and innovations, which eventually sets you free from spending too much time to fuss over unnecessary things.

For skin care, I choose to go fuss-free too.

So everyone comes to Japan for cherry blossom viewing during spring seasons. Summer seems to be a less popular period when it comes to getting in touch with the nature, especially under intense heat.

But that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t come to Japan during summer time!! (<start of brainwashing session> lolol) If you happen to visit Japan in the sunny season, other than Hanabi Taikai (fireworks shows), Natsumatsuri (summer fest), beach and sea, you may also want to go sunflower viewing! read more

This was last July 😳.

Although not a popular tourist area, if you have been to Tokyo, you have most probably been to Chiba before.

Narita airport is in Chiba. So is Tokyo Disneyland and Disneysea. Other attractions worth visiting include Inzai Moff Animal World and Mother Farm.

This time around we visited Kamogawa in Chiba. What’s fun to do there? Honestly, probably nothing much, haha. But the danna wanted to surf, and Chiba has some of the best surf spots nearest to Tokyo.

Continue reading read more

Onomichi (尾道) read more

Do you know that the humble kitchen towels in your home is actually a lot more useful that you thought, other than cleaning up the mess in the kitchen?

A while ago I posted a video on IG about cutting a block of butter with kitchen towel so that you get to slice your butter effortlessly without the butter sticking to your knife, and the best part is that the knife won’t get greasy either!! I love this hack so much because as a #lazymama #busymama, you want to save as much time and trouble as you can. read more

In my previous blog post on Hiroshima I have covered the city and Miyajima, the most popular tourist destination in Hiroshima. But that barely scratched the surface of what Hirshima has to offer.

During my visit, I also visited a few lesser-known attractions, which I will be sharing today. I think if you have an extra day or two, it is definitely worth exploring these more unfrequented spots.

The trip was back in Oct 2017 and it was the beginning of autumn in Japan. I really need to catch up with the travelogues!

The trip was made possible with SilkAir, the regional wing of Singapore Airlines, who launched their first ever Japanese destination. Yes! Now Singaporeans can all fly directly to Hiroshima!! 😀

This is a blog post on tips to self-drive in Japan!

Last December, our family went on a road trip and toured around Kyushu. I received lots of questions asking me about renting a car in Japan. Japan’s public transport is beyond amazing, and to be honest, I would pick a shikansen ride anytime because it’s super relaxing.

We did consider whether we wanted to rent a car or take public transport to move about in Kyushu. For me I wanted to take the train because I didn’t want the danna to be too tired driving (he’s not very good with sitting for long hours considering his job requires him to be standing most of the time). But he insisted driving because it was the best option for our family. read more

My love for Japan needs no further explanation (as this entire blog is made of it, haha), and I believe that a lot of you reading this probably also relate to things that write about Japan, be it travel, culture, food, etc.

Many Malaysians too have an affinity to Japan since a long time ago, even if some don’t realize it. We have put our trust in Japanese brands and technology for decades, we have Japan-made products in our home probably since we were born, and many of us would love to continue using and buying Japan-quality goods to better improve our lifestyles. read more

To continue my Tobu Nikko Pass journey! Read the first post on the passes ,the second post on Tobu World Square and the third post on Nikko.

This post is about Oku-Nikko, a region located in the northwestern part of Nikko in western Tochigi. If that sounds a little confusing, just know that Tochigi is a biiiiiig prefecture.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record (on this blog, on social media, on my sharing sessions at JR cafe), I must repeat again that Tochigi is full of sightseeing wonders. On just Nikko area alone it took me 4 blog posts to complete, and I have YET to cover many other nearby attractions and popular spots like the famous onsens in Kinugawa, Edo Wonderland, and other parts of Tochigi such as its capital city Utsunomiya, and also the one place I really really wanted to go – Nasu Alpaca Farm! read more

To continue my Tobu Nikko Pass journey! Read the first post on the passes and the second post on Tobu World Square.

Don’t miss out the nostalgic steam locomotive SL Taiju train ride on your way to Nikko!

Yuba Lunch – ZEN (日光湯波巻き)

A cute store front with a unique entrance!

Beautiful autumn scenery in Nikko.

This yuba specialty restaurant ZEN is located pretty close to the famed Toshogu, you can take a leisure walk to visit after lunch.

ZEN is a cosy, stylish restaurant renovated in modern taste from a traditional farm house. If you love Japanese tea such as matcha and sencha, they serve a variety of really premium tea selections. read more