The sound of 2019 is the voice of one of my Thai trainers as he shrieks “我慢!” at me from within the ring. He does this in a way that is both serious and jovial, and often when I complain about the pain of being …
tokyo
Yakiniku Daichi, Roppongi
It always surprises people when I tell them I have no yakiniku recommendations for Tokyo, or Japan in general, because I’ve hardly ever had yakiniku in my life. Case in point, it’s been seven months since I moved to Tokyo and I’ve only had it …
Goop Café, Tokyo Midtown
Goop has arrived in Tokyo! It’s the brand’s first foray into Asia. The main section is the lifestyle store where the brand stocks everything from rose quartz face rollers to athleisure to charcoal bath soaks. Whatever your take is on Gwyneth Paltrow’s controversial brand, you …
Madosh! Cafe, Jingumae and Shimokitazawa
I’ve been to Madosh Café a few times since I moved to Tokyo, but the very first time it caught my eye was two years ago, because of its huge avocado signage out the front. I have been to both its Shimokitzawa branch as well …
Hida-Takayama, Gifu
Journeying into Hida-Takayama takes one deep into the woods of your last Studio Ghibli film. When I’m stressed, I typically drift off into mindless scenery viewed from the vantage point of a moving train. But on this day, I visited my day dream in real …
Of Butterflies and Trail Running
There are any number of folk beliefs, developed through Chinese history and culture. Some of these superstitions have manifested in different ways, tapered off, interlaced with the rituals of other communities, or born anew as would happen when our brand, Chinese-Malaysian, branched off from the …
Portraits of Sushi Tokami
イカ Ika Squid I consider myself extremely fortunate for many reasons. One of them is the number of times I have been able to dine omakase. In Japan alone, I believe Sushi Tokami would be my fourth or fifth experience. If you are interested in fine dining, …
A Love Letter to Tokyo
In Japanese culture, when you are meeting for the first time, the phrases ‘初めまして／hajimemashite’ and ‘どぞよろしくお願いします／dozo yoroshiku onegaishimasu’ are used. The literal translations are ‘I am meeting you for the first time’ and ‘Please take good care of me’. People are always shocked when I …
Tokyo Snack Blog 1.0 (2017)
If you’ve been following my Instagram stories, you’ll know that I’m currently in my favourite city in the world, Tokyo! The is my 5th time in Tokyo and 6th time in Japan overall but I still get giddy with laughter as soon as the plane …
Nara
This is me writing about Japan but before you close your window, this is the last one to conclude my 2014 trip. Nara is a town located 45 minutes from Osaka by train. If you happen to be in Osaka there really is no reason …