tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34850886476109641562024-11-01T06:37:50.870-04:00Blog about the lights and shadows of Japan and my experiences in the Land of the Rising Sun.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger57125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3485088647610964156.post-79037974638406950212016-04-23T11:37:00.001-04:002016-04-23T11:51:52.740-04:00

After a whole day of travelling and sightseeing it was finally time to rest. We chose a capsule hotel, to experience this unique form of accommodation. Here’s the whole review of this interesting place! Finding a hotel was not as easy as it may seem, since most of them are male only (to the point that when my friend tried to enter the hallway of a place her boyfriend stayed in, the

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3485088647610964156.post-81170424150442966552016-04-02T10:00:00.000-04:002016-04-02T10:00:01.751-04:00

I've wrote about adventages of sightseeing alone, but it also has this downside of being alone, nobody there to help you - you’re on your own and nobody would notice you’re gone longer than you should be. That’s why it’s good to remember to be extra careful. Here are some things worth knowing: Don't look like a tourist Tourists are the easiest pray for thieves and other criminals. After all

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3485088647610964156.post-62871284820496385342016-03-27T08:00:00.000-04:002016-03-27T08:00:13.715-04:00

To all my Dear Readers, I wish you a Happy Easter!  May this day be full of love, peace, and happiness shared with people clostest to you :)

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3485088647610964156.post-11488736609703257012016-03-19T09:00:00.000-04:002016-03-19T09:00:15.866-04:00

Am I the only one who now wants to watch an anime about McDonald's employees? So cute!

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3485088647610964156.post-33978029883082517822016-03-08T10:00:00.000-05:002016-04-19T06:31:55.391-04:00

It’s International Women Day and I decided to write about something every women going to Japan should know. The stalking problem. Something that a two week turist haven't probably paid attention to in such extent as a long term resident. Remember how in anime sometimes there is this creepy stalker girl/guy character who is usually a harmless comic relief? Well, it’s not just writer’s

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3485088647610964156.post-86808197065393414122016-02-28T12:00:00.000-05:002016-02-28T12:00:35.845-05:00

Usually people try to find a group to do something: whether it's clubbing, going to a concert or travelling. It's natural and understandable: the more the merrier after all! But sometimes during my stay in Japan I had some free time while all my friends were busy so I had to choose: sit in my room by myself, or go out and do something. Every now and then I went sightseeing on my own. After a

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3485088647610964156.post-13087755611804007712016-02-22T18:00:00.000-05:002016-02-22T18:23:45.330-05:00

In the evening we decided to cut on actual sightseeing and have some fun. There was only one landmark left on our list: Tsūtenkaku, the “Tower Reaching Heaven”. Tsūtenkaku After seeing Osaka’s panorama from Tempozan Giant Ferris Wheel during day and Umeda Sky Building during the early evening, we weren’t really feeling like going all the way up to see the same landscape from a different

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3485088647610964156.post-28145491576437275382016-02-10T17:00:00.000-05:002016-02-10T17:00:02.025-05:00

Valentine’s Day in Japan is a day full of chocolate -  that’s what girls give to boys they like. Here’s a nice recipe for the cutest Valentine Chocolate!

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3485088647610964156.post-29907467816921708712016-02-04T08:00:00.000-05:002016-02-04T08:15:57.055-05:00

A short humorous video "explaining" history of Japan in 9 minutes. "More art!"

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3485088647610964156.post-45320140744223666912016-01-30T10:00:00.000-05:002016-01-30T10:00:01.844-05:00

Restaurants in Japan are the same as in Poland in their main purpose - they serve food. But they serve food in a slightly different way. Here’s a short list of few things that I absolutely love about Japanese restaurants.  #1 Wet towels  O-shibori (おしぼり) - a thing that’s in every single restaurant, whether it’s a small sushi bar or a continental theme fancy place, is a wet towel.

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3485088647610964156.post-39833794754742039652016-01-27T08:00:00.000-05:002016-01-27T08:00:18.396-05:00

Very interesting recipe for okonomiyaki variation. With addition of recipe for home-made okonomiyaki sauce!

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3485088647610964156.post-79397406740716229342016-01-24T10:00:00.000-05:002016-01-29T17:14:18.399-05:00

Evening was getting close, but there was still so much to see in Osaka! Next stop: Umeda Sky Building and the amazing Floating Garden Observatory. By then I’ve been in a few observatories and towers in Tokyo, but this one is still my favourite.  Not only the view is great, it also looks amazing from the outside - like two tall skyscrapers connected at the top with observatory

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3485088647610964156.post-29005961574061013562016-01-17T10:00:00.000-05:002016-01-17T17:04:32.276-05:00

The second step in my Kansai trip was a big wheel close to Osakako subway station. Opened in 1997, it’s 112.5 meters (369 ft) high and has a diameter of 100 meters (330 ft). It was the World’s tallest ferris wheel until 1999. The ride gives a great view for Osaka, including the bay, Akashi Kaikyō Bridge, Kansai International Airport (that’s where I came from!) and, if the weather is nice, also

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3485088647610964156.post-64653031752860834012016-01-03T14:30:00.000-05:002016-01-03T15:07:54.052-05:00

New Year has come and with it - New Year’s resolutions! One of the most popular one is “I’ll lose some weight/ go on a diet”. Which is a great opportunity to talk about Japanese diet, which is said to be one of the most healthy diet in the world. Now, I’m not a specialist when it comes to diets or nutriment values and so on, so I just wanted to point out a few things I, personally, think

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3485088647610964156.post-33830739483229688102015-12-24T06:00:00.000-05:002015-12-24T06:00:14.034-05:00

To all my dear readers, I wish you a Merry Christmas, full of love and happiness that you can share with your family, friends and loved ones! I hope this time will be filled with joy for you all :)

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3485088647610964156.post-52516172485384636022015-12-23T10:00:00.000-05:002015-12-23T17:33:39.778-05:00

Recently I posted two cooking-related posts so maybe third one is not a good idea, but Christmas is coming and those few days before it were always a time I spend mostly in the kitchen - preparing meals and cakes for this special time to share with my family. So in this spirit, for anyone who needs some last-minute help and inspiration, here’s another nice video from Ochikeron Youtube Channel,

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3485088647610964156.post-57641186370151767322015-12-20T10:00:00.000-05:002015-12-23T17:25:50.734-05:00

Pocky is something I wanted to try long before I came to Japan - it was something easy to spot in manga and anime, where characters were always eating those as snacks and soon it became on top of my "to do" list: "try Pocky". While you can buy them literally everywhere in Tokyo, they are not so easy to get in other countries. Even if they are imported, they do have the "imported" price too. So

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3485088647610964156.post-9213951798435942232015-12-12T14:30:00.000-05:002015-12-12T14:30:01.157-05:00

There are two big problems with making sushi at home outside Japan. The first one: ingredients. Where in Poland can I find fresh yellowtail? Natto? (Not that I’d want to find it, but just in case...) Raw salmon or tuna that I wouldn’t be afraid to eat? Not easy. Second problem is technique. No matter how hard I try, it will never be as good as something prepared by a person who makes it every

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3485088647610964156.post-83136729881063233332015-11-22T10:00:00.000-05:002015-11-22T10:00:01.820-05:00

Why would someone start a trip with going to a shopping complex? There’s so much to see after all! But it's not just an ordinary department store. What realy pushed me to go there? As I mentioned before (Kansai trip #1: How to get there?) I took a plane to Osaka. The flight was not long (1,5 hour), but I had to be at the airport a while before it, and to be there I had to drive

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3485088647610964156.post-3237953067685357002015-11-15T15:00:00.000-05:002016-04-23T14:33:55.766-04:00

Kyoto is a place everyone should see while in Japan, but that’s not the only place worth seeing in Kansai region. That’s why during my stay, just after spring semester was over, I went for a one week “road trip” there. The idea was to see as much as I could in a week and not limit myself to one city. Before I’d start talking about all the things and places worth visiting, the question is: how

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3485088647610964156.post-55053957772988526502015-11-07T10:00:00.000-05:002015-11-07T10:34:14.239-05:00

There are things everyone miss after coming back from Japan. Some are obvious things like sushi, ramen, konbini, politeness, friends you made there, 100 yen shops, okonomiyaki and so on. But there are also things that are not so obvious and more personal. So, here's my list: #1 Cheese chicken from Lawson This is a memory of rushed snacks and joy of not expensive, tasty and filling food. It

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3485088647610964156.post-46411292185172775482015-10-31T10:30:00.000-04:002016-02-23T03:57:49.457-05:00

Japan is a nice place. Same goes for Tokyo. But no place is 100% positive and sometimes even after lots of preparing something surprises you and there are some tiny irritating details that were never mention in any guidebook that make you go all “Arrrrgh! Why?”. Here’s a list of things that I just didn’t like in Japan. Not even a tiniest bit. #1 “Thank you for staying here so long” Do

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3485088647610964156.post-56487525434905674912015-10-24T15:45:00.001-04:002015-10-31T14:29:02.737-04:00

Okonomiyaki is on the absolute top of my list of best Japanese meals. Just after I tried one, I knew I have to learn how to do this, because I will miss it terribly after coming back home. Okonomiyaki is at the same time super easy and hard to make. It’s easy to make a basic version, since it doesn’t require many ingredients and work, but it’s very, very hard to make it look and taste

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3485088647610964156.post-37874618973049061542015-10-21T08:00:00.000-04:002015-10-21T08:00:01.481-04:00

When I came to Tokyo and asked my Japanese friends "Can I cook rice without a rice cooker?" all of them said "impossible". Since I was definitely not buying a cooker for a few months of stay, I was cooking it the same way as I do back home. So, as you can see, it is possible ;)

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3485088647610964156.post-35680271702822990262015-10-17T14:00:00.000-04:002016-08-10T07:50:44.384-04:00

The most common question I had after coming back from Japan was “are things there expensive?”, “how much bread costs?", “is rice cheaper there?”. I had exactly the same questions before I went there. Now, That I’ve seen it with my own eyes (and made extensive notes) I can share my experience with all of you and answer those questions! Here are some prices of “basic” cooking ingredients. But

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4