Author: yaoifest
-
An afternoon at Setagaya
Getting to Setagaya is easy. For this trip, in particular, our main destination was Todoroki Valley. It takes about 40 minutes to travel from Central Tokyo via train, including a couple of stops and transfers. Google Maps is very reliable to use in Japan. When checking train schedules in the evening, make sure to set…
-
Starbucks Reserve Roastery Tokyo 📸
Starbucks Reserve Roastery Tokyo, a photo dump. By commute, Starbucks Reserve Roastery Tokyo is more accessible by bus since the train station is about a 20-minute (brisk) walk away. There are no parking spaces available. Even on their website, it states that taking public transportation is more recommended. The building has four floors: 1F: Starbucks Reserve, 2F:…
-
Itamae Sushi
For sushi and sashimi, you can’t go wrong with Itamae Sushi. I go to their Akasaka branch since it’s near the apartment. It is in a bustling area with many bars and restaurants, and it looks the most accommodating and safe choice, especially for foreigners. The menu prices are reasonable, and I particularly enjoy the…
-
Ueno Zoo, an hour and a half before closing
I visited the Ueno Zoological Gardens last summer. I had been to several places before the zoo, so I arrived about an hour and a half before closing. (To be honest, I just didn’t want to be roasting under the sun for hours—LOL!) To my delight, the zoo was still bustling with activity. Many animals…
-
Lunch at DO-ZO
My first time at DO-ZO was for lunch with my mother. We arrived a little after lunchtime, so the restaurant wasn’t crowded. We were promptly seated and given the option to choose our table. DO-ZO, located at Basement 1 of Akasaka BIZ Tower, has a wide variety of food options. It looks the same for…
-
Shibuya’s 3D calico cat
My last post has been over 2 years, and it was when I updated and fixed my blog’s theme. It has been that long, and I’m still undecided if I want to quit blogging. A part of me thinks I should keep it for archival purposes until the contents aren’t relevant anymore (as if I…
-
Exploring Asakusa, Tokyo: A Photo Diary 📸
Asakusa is a major tourist destination, or one of popular ones, in Tokyo. Sensō-ji, Tokyo’s oldest and most significant Buddhist temple, is a popular destination in Asakusa. To be honest, Asakusa was near the bottom of my list of places to visit in Tokyo because I felt like I’d already seen enough of it through…
-
A Snoopy Day in Harajuku: PEANUTS Cafe SUNNY SIDE kitchen
A friend and I briefly talked about themed cafes, which we believe are currently non-existent in Metro Manila. It made me think back to whether I’d been to any in Tokyo, and yes, I have. 🙂 Just one, if memory serves. PEANUTS Cafe SUNNY SIDE kitchen Themed cafes aren’t usually high on my list of…
-
Sohoton Caves and Natural Bridge Park
Sohoton Caves and Natural Bridge Park is an 841 ha protected natural park in Basey, Samar (Philippines) consisting of caves, waterfalls, limestone formations, and a thick forest. The Sohoton Caves must be my first caving ever, and hopefully not my last. We had a day trip to Samar on the second day of our weekend…
-
A weekend in Leyte
Friends and I used to wait for local flight promos, and we picked Tacloban so we could go to Samar for caving. Tacloban, an autonomous urbanized city, is the provincial capital of Leyte. I’ll save our caving in Samar for another post. For now, I’ll share highlights of our weekend-long vacation in Leyte. I don’t…