This is Setagaya Line. The train was a rare kind! It’s one of the 2 tramways in Tokyo. The other one is Toden Arakawa area.

This light rail only has 2 tramcars, and very connected to each other unlike regular trains. The seats are also unlike regular trains and I like it because it’s good for people who are alone like me. At the back though I think there were more seats that are connected. Though there were many people who prefer standing.

You enter the tram on the front door, swipe your card and that’s it. I was relieved I can use my regular IC card, I really thought I’ll have to use a special card or pay in cash. When I swiped my transportation card, I was surprised it said bus when I was riding a train. I guess this is Setagaya’s version of a bus. It’s so cute for a bus though!

I heard that this tramway had a cat design in the past. It was to celebrate their anniversary that they were showing off their cat designed-train. I wanted to ride that too! I wonder if the straps have those cat hands on it. Meow!

This light rail goes around the neighborhood of Setagaya. I’ve only been a few places around here but they made a map of what to see around the stations this line is serving. Next time, I’ll try to visit a temple around here which I saw on the map.

When I came back, I rode a blue tram which seems to be the same as the orange one I rode. Aaarrghh, I really wanted to ride the cat train!

Happy HPUD! Here’s me powering up a little.

Thanks for reading!
See you around! じゃあ、またね！

With love,

^{All photos are taken using my phone unless stated otherwise.}

_{Uploaded using 3Speak Mobile App}

In Japan, 7/11 is just one of the many convenience stores that you can find anywhere. The one nearest my home is a 4-minute walk. I usually go there when I want to get snacks but you can also get many things in this establishment.

I purposely went to one because it's 7/11 day! Maybe they have some special promo or discounts or whatever but when I went inside, I only found the coffee discounted. It's 22 yen off for all 7/11 coffee sold in their cafe. Lately, I've been taking a coffee break so it's a no for me.

Their seasonal corner was filled with new stuff for the summer. New instant ramen and yakisoba were there but at the bottom of the shelf was something really summer-y - fireworks! In Japan, summer is filled with festivals and fireworks. You can do it in the beach and parks, but be careful - not all parks allow fireworks. Seeing fireworks like this usually means your summer isn't complete without fireworks - just my thinking though. I can't wait to have fireworks!

I've mentioned that there were also other stuff in 7/11, not just food. Well, this is an example.

They also have a small manga corner here. You might be wondering why there's no One Piece - because I was wondering the same thing. Well, that's because only a few mangas left and now they're at the cash register area. I was in dilemma for a few seconds if I should get the newest manga or not but in the end, I chose not to.

7/11 has been collaborating with Daiso, a 100 yen shop famous in Japan so in most 7/11 convenience stores, there's a small section for Daiso items. And yes, still the same price of 100 yen (without tax).

Because I couldn't find any other discounted stuff that day, I just went to buy my dinner and some snacks.

Should I get noodles? They have a lot of cold noodles though, since it's summer.

Or should it be from here? Salad or small side dishes?

This salad seems to be rich in protein and only a few kcal. Good for dieting.. hmm..

Or should I get anything from this frozen meals section? Their pasta is really good esp bolognese and carbonara. I usually get one from here when I need a quick meal fix. Their frozen ramen is also good, and so are the frozen rice meals.

But tonight I don't feel like eating heavy..

The bread section was almost empty when I got there. Probably because it's already almost midnight and they haven't refilled yet.

Since I only have limited choices, I got this melonpan sticks with chocolate chips. I've shared what a melonpan is before but if you forgot about it, it's a round bread shaped like a melon. It's sweet at the top. There are variations that has cream inside but my go-to melonpan is just the normal kind, nothing inside. By the way these melonpan sticks was close to the normal melonpan and it's very addicting because it's in stick form.

Seems like a new flavor of popcorn was out. Would you try this strawberry and chocolate popcorn? I didn't get it though but maybe it's like eating strawberry chocolates.

Oh no, there are a lot of desserts I want to eat! There's tiramisu, apple pie and, a milk roll cake! Waaa!

There's also this frozen section where you can get smoothies and frozen fruits. The smoothie is not yet the actual product though, you need to pay for a cup filled with fruits in the cash register first then use their machine to make the smoothie. Then it's ready!

In my video, I bought a melon-filled cup because I've tried the other ones already. So perfect for a hot summer. I got them when I went out one lunch break. It was so good and I needed more!

Since the nearest Starbucks is a 15 minute walk away, I usually buy their coffee in bottles like this. It's cheaper and the taste isn't so compromised, it's still good for a quick coffee. I'm actually surprised they also have these new variations - not just coffee anymore. Maybe only for summer time.

I checked the alcoholic drinks section too because I've been wanting to try the newest trending Lemon Sour that has an actual lemon in the can but I still couldn't find a stock here. I found an interesting flavor though. It's a Mango flavored alcohol, just perfect for summer. I've been seeing pineapple and many more seasonal drinks too. Next time, I'll get this mango drink.

And here's my shopping bag for tonight. I got the seafood salad, strawberry yoghurt, yakult (the Y1000 drink that's said to kill stress), shortcake in a cup and a lychee tea drink.

Looks healthy? Nah, you didn't see the chips I bought. 😂 So pretentious?! 😂

And at home, I was enjoying my salad! Then later, I opened the chips I bought. Oops, so much for trying to be healthy! 🙃

Happy #MarketFriday by @dswigle! We miss you already!
Make sure to check out the community!

Thanks for reading!
See you around! じゃあ、またね！

With love,

^{All photos are taken using my phone unless stated otherwise.}

Friday night and my partner wanted to eat out since it’s his day off and we didn’t want to cook anything. I was so busy at work too so I wasn’t in the mood for groceries so I was okay with eating out.

There are a few restos nearby but we’re tired of eating the same “fast food” options. Then he decided yakitori - the one in the neighborhood. We’ve been there before and I even posted about it here. I wanted to try a different one so I told him, why not toriki?.

Toriki, the slang for Torikizoku, is a yakitori chain famous in Japan. They have branches all over the country. They’re known for being affordable, and a place where friends can gather and hangout for a few drinks while munching the skewers.

We found a branch nearby. Actually there were 3 near us, so there was no problem. I reserved a table for the 2 of us before coming to make sure we would be seated. The last time my friends and I went to their branch in Shinjuku, we were not accomodated because it was full and they only accept people who had reservations. I learned from that incident.

Upon settling in our little private-like space, we immediately ordered a bunch of skewers and drinks. I got cocktails while boyfie got oolong, no alcohol for him tonight.

Our orders came one by one and it was fast. They even have limited edition items, just for the season. Most of it were sold out already but I was lucky to be able to order the beef skirt skewers in cabbage. I wasn’t sure if I ate it right (there was a guide on how to enjoy eating certain items but not sure if it was this item) but I didn’t bother with formalities anymore. I just ate it as is and it was so good! The sauce was just so perfect.

Another notable yakitori (skewer) was the liver. It was so delicious and cooked to perfection, just the right heat.

There were a few more yakitori that we ordered - chicken with green onion, chicken heart, pork belly, beef and many more. I also liked the chicken in mentaiko (spicy pollack roe) but some people don’t really enjoy mentaiko. Not for everyone so be careful when ordering. The meatballs with cheese on top was surprisingly big in size. I thought they’ll give us only a small meatball.

Aside from the skewers, we ordered chicken skin chips, and sliced cucumber. Well, I was the only one eating it though. My partner ordered rice and it came with an egg and soup. There were different kinds of rice meals in the menu like rice with chicken or something flavored but he chose the plain rice.

All items are priced at 360 yen (tax inclusive) so it was an easy computation. We ordered a lot so we paid around 8,000 yen (~54 USD). They offer eat all you can too but it’s only available for 4 people and above.

We enjoyed our dinner date. The place was also clean and not packed and not too noisy so we liked it.

If you’re looking for yakitori, next time try toriki!

Thanks for reading!
See you around! じゃあ、またね！

^{All photos are taken using my phone unless stated otherwise.}

Is this the 1st ramen we had for the year? Probably! I couldn't recall when the last time I had ramen was, especially with my partner.

Since I promised we'd be having ramen on a Saturday, I didn't eat anything hours before, determined to finish every last bit of the ramen. Guess if I finished all? 😂

My partner was craving ramen from Kamukura but the nearest one I could recall was in Kabukicho in Shinjuku. My partner didn't like to go there though, especially with me, for certain reasons I cannot disclose. Nothing worrisome though, don't worry.

He found a new branch nearest to where we live. So now, the nearest Kamukura isn't the one in Shinjuku but the one in Nakano. We're happy that it finally arrived in Nakano, and is very near to Nakano Broadway at that.

It seems they just opened half a year ago so everything's clean and great. It may seemed like a small store but there were actually a few seats. And it's located on the covered shopping street just outside Nakano station.

Unlike usual ramen shops which only accept cash in their machine situated outside, this one accepts credit cards and e-money. I like that it's so modern! I don't usually carry cash with me so this is a lifesaver. After getting our tickets from the machine, we went inside and we were immediately guided to our table.

We ordered the usual. My order was a chashu ramen with egg and a gyoza. My partner got chashu ramen with egg too but it was paired with rice and karaage (fried chicken). We like different things in our sides but in ramen, usually, we like the same.

The service was fast. The crew was so attentive too. My partner thinks because this branch is new, their staff are experienced. Maybe he's right because it seems like they're really good.

The food? Of course, it was delicious! And not because I was hungry, but the taste was just perfect for the cold night. Actually, we think it's better than the Kamukura in Shinjuku.

I was so full though I couldn't finish everything. At least I finished the noodles. 😄 See? How much more if I ate beforehand? I think I'll only be eating 1/4 of my ramen.

Anyways, we like the place and the food and it's convenient for us. We'll surely be getting our ramen fix in this store from now on.

Thanks for reading!
See you around! じゃあ、またね！

^{All photos are taken using my phone unless stated otherwise.}

Back then, when the 3D billboard of Shinjuku's calico cat was out, it was such an uproar in my feeds. Almost everybody had paid the cat a visit but I hadn't even located its whereabouts. Later on, I found the cat - and I was happy finding it like a treasure when it's just in a visible and crowded location.

Now, there are 3 3D billboards in Tokyo. The first I mentioned was the cat in Shinjuku, and now there are 2 additional 3D billboards in Shibuya.

The 1st one in Shibuya is the Akita Inu, which should be on the billboards all over Shibuya Crossing. You'll be familiar with this one as this is the same breed as Hachiko, which has a statue nearby. To be honest, I haven't seen the 3D billboard of this Akita Inu yet. I guess I haven't been paying attention or probably I haven't been to Shibuya a lot of times.

The 2nd one in Shibuya is this playful Panda. Its location is just near the Shibuya crossing. I saw him on a rainy Saturday morning, and no one was actually paying attention except me - who's taking a video. Because I was looking up and taking a video for too long, some people noticed me and wondered what I was doing. I probably looked like dumb to them at that moment. But when they saw the 3D billboard, they took out their phones too and did the same thing as me.

It's such a gem that I found the Panda! I normally don't pass by this street because of the crowd but that morning, I felt like roaming around and this street wasn't yet full of people. Probably because of the rain that day.

This adorable fellow was playing, eating, and staring at people passing by. It will show up when a slot machine video shows up, and hits the jackpot. That's your cue! Don't hesitate to enjoy his performance.

I really thought I wouldn't be seeing this Panda here in Shibuya because it's like the home of Hachiko the dog. The Panda is more suited to be in Ueno, where the zoo is and where people go when they want to see the panda. So Ueno is like its base.

The location of the Panda 3D billboard in Shibuya doesn't stand out that much, in my opinion. I think it's more fitting for this to be in Ueno. But oh well, it's here.

So whenever you are in Shibuya, give this fellow a view. The key is to look up!

Thanks for reading!
See you around! じゃあ、またね！

^{All photos are taken using my phone unless stated otherwise.}

It's been weeks since we last came to our favorite Korean restaurant in the neighborhood. This place is called Ojandon and they serve great Korean food and of course our favorite, yakiniku!

Ojandon is always crowded and I heard there are a lot of people related to showbiz that come here. My partner told me there was one popular comedian who used to come here because this was his favorite restaurant.

It's like we're doing a pilgrimage because we're almost going here every month. Recently though we're stuck on home-cooked meals so our latest visit was something we truly both cherish. Every time we come here, we would order a lot and in the end, it would make us 120% or more full. This time, we were careful not to spend too much so we ordered only a few.

Ojandon serves the best yakiniku. Compared to when you're eating at an all-you-can-eat yakiniku (grilled meat), Ojandon is a bit on the pricier side. But if you compare this price with non all-you-can-eat restaurants, this price is not expensive and you'll be served delicious meat!

We would always order beef harami (skirt), beef loin, gyutan (beef tongue), and all other beef, including the hormone (ホルモン) that I'm not a fan of but my partner is. We seldom order samgyeopsal (pork belly) and I also wonder why. I can always associate samgyeopsal with Korean food but you will rarely see that on our table. Their meat is mouth-watering kind of delicious by the way, definitely recommended!

I was craving for bulgogi so we got one for sharing. They serve it in something like cast iron so it's always hot when it arrives. They also gave the lettuce so we could make a wrap. I don't usually make a wrap but I was too guilty for not eating a lot of vegetables because there's a lot of meat we ordered. We didn't order namul (ナムル or seasoned vegetables) that night and I was also wondering why we had forgotten about it.

My partner would always order yukke (ユッケ or seasoned raw beef with egg) but tonight he stopped himself. He didn't want to get past 100% being full. 😅 If you haven't tried yukke, you should! It's that good.

Our bill usually is over 10,000 yen (~69 USD) so I was surprised tonight it was less than that. We even ordered one drink each. Mine was cassis orange (カシスオレンジ), a cocktail while my partner ordered iced oolong tea. They have barley tea as service water.

This wasn't definitely our last dine-in here but it was the last for 2023. For 2024, we haven't visited yet. Maybe soon?

If you wanna go, it's located in Nakano City, just next to Shinjuku. They close on Wednesday and on some days usually after a holiday. When you go, make sure to empty your tummy, and don't forget to order yakiniku and other Korean dishes! Best to go with friends and family, and have a great time there.

Thanks for reading!
See you around! じゃあ、またね！

The festival happened at Tenso Shrine, just a few minutes walk from home. To be honest, I wasn't sure of the Japanese reading of the festival name and when I asked my partner to read the kanji for me, he said he wasn't sure of the reading as well. So yeah, let's just say it's a festival for now.

When we arrived, there were lots of people already but they were busy in the yatai (屋台) corner. Yatai in English means shop stand which is basically what you see selling food and other items at festivals in Japan. The crowd was heavily focused on filling up their tummies, which was understandable because it was already almost 7 PM - dinner time.

The prices of the food were surprisingly so cheap! In big festivals, you'd probably be seeing a minimum of 400 yen (or 2.7 USD) for a food item. Since this festival was local, and not so huge, the lowest price I saw was 150 yen (or 1 USD). There was a 100 yen (or .68 USD) food item I think but it was already sold out so I wasn't able to confirm properly. This was surprising because this is still Tokyo - where everything is expensive.

We were hungry so our first order of business was to eat. While we were falling in line and waiting for our turn, we were checking the food they were selling. There were so many kinds: yakisoba (fried noodles), yakitori (grilled chicken skewers), karaage (fried chicken), and a lot more. You would probably see the popular and typical Japanese festival foods here.

We couldn't decide on what to buy because my partner wanted to try them all. 😂 In the end, we got small yakisoba, 4 sticks of yakitori, 2 sticks of (a small) frankfurt, and karaage. We wanted to buy fried potatoes too but maybe we were already ordering too much for both of us. 😂

Because the vicinity is small, you'd have to eat standing or sitting on the edge of the road.

The other stalls were for kids. There was a game corner where you could try your luck and get a prize. And there's a cotton candy corner too! Too bad there was no catching fish or getting balloons but well, this was understandable - it's a small festival.

After eating, the taiko drum blasted. That's the cue for the start of the dancing. I figured this festival was a Bon Odori festival because of the dancing, encircling the small stage. There were old ladies and an old man gracefully swinging to every beat. The steps of the Bon Odori dance were actually very easy, and repetitive. For sure, after careful observation, you would already get it. If you're wondering if I joined them, nope, I didn't but I wanted to.

I remember attending Nakano's Bon Odori Festival, a large festival in Nakano City. There were so many people and there were so many performers. Of course, the public participated in the dance (including me!) not just in the Bon Odori music but also in modern songs. Actually this Tenso Shrine is located in Nakano City but it's really a local festival. It's nothing like the performers of the large Nakano Bon Odori Festival. Still, it's so intimate. I could feel they knew each other.

There would be breaks in between. And when it's breaktime, the old ladies would be served water. It was such a heartwarming and cute act. That's why I didn't want to join the dance. I'm such an introvert in this kind of situation.

We got tickets in exchange for buying the food items in the yatai. We were looking at how to exchange them but it was closed at that time. We figured we wouldn't be able to exchange it at other times or the next day and guess what, we didn't. It's just here sitting at home. LOL We didn't have time to come back.

Yesterday was a Monday and the lanterns and the traces of the festival were already gone. It was so fast. It felt like that weekend in the festival was just a dream.

Thanks for reading!
See you around! じゃあ、またね！

^{All photos are taken using my phone unless stated otherwise.}

Upon hearing the news that we will be having takopa for Friday's dinner made me rejoice! It's been a while since I had takoyaki. The takoyaki in Tokyo doesn't delight me, and I've been craving takoyaki in Osaka, where I think has the best takoyaki all over Japan. Making homemade takoyaki is another story.

It's my first time having a takoyaki party at home. In my 5 years in Japan, this was my first. I know, I was surprised too. 😅 I'm talking about making the takoyaki batter and cooking these hot octopus balls. It's been on my bucket list. Glad I could tick this off now!

My desire to have takopa probably stemmed from watching too many animes. In the TV shows I've watched, a group of friends would have a takoyaki party, or takopa in short, in their homes and they would enjoy talking and drinking and just having fun. I want to do it too but I've been hesitant in buying a takoyaki pan for a lot of reasons - no space to cook at home and I don't know how to make the batter or cook it.

I didn't take lots of photos because I was preoccupied with learning how to make the batter. My partner's sister was in charge of making the batter. Well, she's also in charge of cooking, but it's not a party if only one is cooking.

You can surely google for many recipes of how to make the batter and you can customize it too according to your liking. The main ingredients are flour, baking powder, dashi (Japanese soup stock), and eggs for the batter. My partner's sister added cabbage to make it healthy, and that's all I could remember. So much for being the apprentice for tonight's dinner. 😅

The first few balls were hard to cook, especially since we're using an electric pan - the heat wasn't distributed properly. That's one thing to note when I buy my own takoyaki pan - not the electric ones. After the first round, I kinda discovered the secret to making the takoyaki balls look nice.

My partner's family was so generous to give me the nicely made balls. It was delicious, especially since we made it together. Even without the sauce and the katsuo (dried bonito flakes), it was still flavourful.

Funny we started making the takoyaki at 6 or 7 in the evening, and we finished the whole thing at midnight. Actually, it was past midnight. 😁 Couldn't count how many rounds was it. We made so many!

I learned how to make takoyaki on that day, and enjoyed the takopa with them. My partner was sleeping the entire time, he missed the takopa and the talks that we had! They said every household in the Kansai region has a takoyaki pan, it's like it's a must. We're living in Kanto now, but I think I must get the takoyaki pan too!

Til next takopa!

Thanks for reading!
See you around! じゃあ、またね！

_{Music by Music_For_Videos from Pixabay}

It was a very careful thought. I'm the impulsive type but I didn't want to add it to the gadgets I haven't used for a while at home. I kinda learned my lesson.

It's 4,780 yen (or around 34 USD) for one and 15,980 yen (or around 115 USD) for 4. Getting 4 is quite a deal so I thought of getting them. The problem was 4's too much for me so I told my partner he could get one since he kept on losing stuff even at home. I got a nicer deal from Amazon saving me a few hundred, and with my Amazon points, I now paid 12,391 yen (or around 89 USD) in total. Nice save!

Funny thing is, months before buying the Air Tag, I bought myself holders. It's been piling up dust in the house because I didn't have the Air Tag yet. It's such an excuse so I would really buy them. 😁

Setting up was simple. You gotta pull a plastic and when you hear it ring, your Air Tag is ready to connect. Bring your iPhone closer and it will automatically detect. You can then set it up right away or you can choose to set it up later by opening the Find My app > Items > + button to add AirTag. You can choose from a predefined list of names to label the AirTag or you can make a custom name. And that's it! You just need to put it wherever you want. When you want to find it, you can make it ring.

At that time, I was about to go to the Philippines so I had it in my 2 big checked-in luggage. I felt safe knowing where my things were. The entire travel, I've been checking where they were. 😄 Luckily I didn't lose my baggage. I kept them in my sling bag and backpack when I was traveling around the Philippines, and now that I'm back in Japan, I've been using them in my bags.

The last one I reserved it for my wallet. There are a bunch of designs for its holders, and I got a slim card type for my wallet. The AirTag can be quite bulky for my wallet so I moved it from the card slot to another compartment.

Things like these may be quite pricey and a luxury for some but for me, I feel at ease knowing where my things are. Plus, if I misplace my wallet, I can just ring the AirTag and I'll be able to locate my wallet. It's the security and convenience for me. If you're a traveler, you might want to get one.

Thanks for reading!
See you around! じゃあ、またね！

_{All photos and videos are taken by my phone unless stated otherwise.
Music by raspberrymusic from Pixabay}

We went there on a Sunday afternoon, and boy, there were so many people. I could imagine the crowd on Fridays and Saturdays as well, probably more than this day.

Kabukicho is so alive at night time. What do you expect? It's the red light district. So having a live hall and a club in the basement of this tower should not really surprise you. Zero Tokyo and Zepp Shinjuku Tokyo are both located on basement floors and I heard it's pretty huge. I'm not a party girl so I wouldn't know. I suggest you go see it for yourself if you're into this scene.

The first floor doesn't have anything special because it's like the lobby and reception of the hotel located at the top of this building. Facing Kabukicho, there's like a little staircase that I heard can be transformed into a red carpeted walkway. At that time, people were just sitting on the stairs, resting from the afternoon heat and people watching I guess.

The Kabukicho Yokocho is located on the 2nd floor. It's a gourmet paradise! Shops from north to south of Japan can be found here, so whenever you're craving the curry ramen of Hokkaido or the kushikatsu from Osaka, or the Okinawan soba, you can get them all in this place. This area is known as the Kabuki Hall - Kabukicho Yokocho. I'll probably come back here to dine because we just passed by at that day.

There's also Starbucks on the other side, kinda 騒がしい (sawagashii), hmm, I don't know how to translate this properly in English, but it's something along the line of noisy and boisterous.

The 3rd floor houses a lot of gacha and crane machines. There's even a huge crane machine there, occupying a wide section of the floor. There are few taiko (Japanese drums) and racing games. There's also a place to play a VR game. If I remember it right, it's in collaboration with an anime. Kinda embarrassing though because it's not secluded, everybody can really see what you're doing. This floor is courtesy of Namco Tokyo. There's also a rest area where you can rest after having fun in this amusement section.

The 4th floor is the most interesting because it's where the Tokyo Matrix is located. It's an interactive play, but max is only up to 3 players. You can read more about it here. Kinda expensive especially if you want to level up, so you need to play more, and pay more.

The next floors were premium cinemas. I'll probably try it next time so please sponsor me a ticket I'll share my experience til then.

The last floor that we can reach is called JAM17. We're not sure what's inside because we didn't want to enter. It's a restaurant and it's expensive. So yes, now you know why we're just outside. LOL

Views of Tokyo can be seen from this floor but very limited area. I was a bit disappointed not to find an observatory floor. Probably on the upper floors?

So yes, the upper floors are hotel rooms. Actually, there are 2 hotels in this tower. One catered for business, one for pleasure? Kidding, just for leisure. Since this is Shinjuku, and this tower is so new and promising, expect expensive prices for the hotel rooms. They're luxury hotels after all.

To be honest, we were kinda disappointed because we were expecting a big amusement center and a wide variety of games to be played. Only the 3rd and 4th floors have those. We wanted to have more fun, this tower is labeled as the new entertainment hub of Shinjuku after all. We weren't expecting that "entertainment" to be of a different and vast meaning. I should change how I think of "entertainment" because it's not just limited to games. 😄

Thanks for reading!
See you around! じゃあ、またね！

^{Video is edited using Capcut, music: Japanese techno japan dance drum}