Shibu Onsen - Nagano, Japan

A quaint, traditional Japanese onsen village with as long as 1,300 years of history, famous for its 9 public baths with different sources and medical effects. It is traditionally said that good fortune, such as protection from evil, safe delivery as well as perpetual youth and longevity, comes to those who complete all 9 bath house tour.
Cosy cobblestone lanes are surrounded by traditional wooden ryokan (Japanese inns). At night, it was quiet, with light and fluffy snow falling, we went onsen hopping in the yukata and geta the hotel provided us with.

Accommodation: Kokuya

Our room. It's my first time seeing a kotatsu (an electric heater attached to the underside of the table, covered by a futon, or heavy blanket). I could let my legs stay in there all day during winter! 

The key to all 9 public baths along with a map which indicates the location of the baths. 

The map. 

Our private dining room (which breakfast & dinner were served)

Snapshots strolling on Shibu Onsen Street:

If you're a fan of Spirited Away, this bathhouse in Shibu Onsen called Kanaguya very much resembles the famous Bath House in the movie!

Snowing all day errrrday

A few baths:

Bath no.7

Bath no. 9, which located just a stone's throw away from our ryokan. 

As quiet as it was; so quiet I thought I could hear the sound of 'em fluffy light snowflakes falling. Okay, jokes.

After public bath, we head back to sleep. It was a little tiring to be frank - to take off and put on your clothes (before and after onsen) repeatedly. However it was definitely rejuvenating and a very memorable experience!

Our private outdoor bath in the day

Seating area which we did not have the chance to sit and chill outdoor since it was freezing cold! 

Street in the day

Kokuya's entrance.

It is worth dropping by if you're on the way to Jigokudani Monkey Park. If you do not have time for all 9 public baths, there are 2 foot baths in town too! Great after a whole day of walking or, just stroll along the cobblestone lanes surrounded by traditional Japanese buildings. You'll definitely be mesmerized by the rich Japanese atmosphere.  

Rainbow Pancake - Tokyo, Japan

During my 24 hours of stay in Tokyo, I insisted to make time for pancake because pancakes I had on the land of rising sun NEVER once disappoint me.

I arrived at 10am, to this:

They're opening at 11am, and why were these people in line an hour earlier, or even earlier? Do they not need to go to work / school? The demographic at a glance: 98% female. 

Ryozanpaku 京・百万遍 梁山泊 - Kyoto, Japan

Our host is the 2-star Michelin Chef: Kenichi Hashimoto, a very humorous and humble man. We were greeted by Mrs Hashimoto dressed in kimono at the wooden craved entrance, entering a Japanese garden, a small pathway under a canopy of beautiful pastel pink cherry tree in full bloom, leading us to the doorstep of the restaurant. There's a big hand-crafted communal table in the centre, wooden racks on the wall and we were seated at the counter bar, facing the open kitchen.

Yotaro Honten 与太呂 本店 - Osaka, Japan

On our hunt for Michelin restaurants in Japan, we've decided on Yotaro Honten solely based on our curiosity. I was wondering how good can tempura be to make it a 2-star restaurant?

Yotaro Honten - A 2-star Michelin restaurant, specialized in Kansai style tempura, serving since 1921. A restaurant full of integrity, serving their local style tempura fried to precision, with impressive service. 

Ryokan Hanaikada - Arashiyama, Sagano Kyoto, Japan

Arashiyama is a pleasant town with mountains and river located in the western outskirts of Kyoto, offering very beautiful natural setting and relaxed atmosphere. It's a masterpiece of natural scenic beauty, while it's a small town without too many attractions, many tourists go there for a day trip. It takes about half an hour ride on Randen Line from Kyoto. On my first visit, I had a day trip too but I've decided to stay a little longer this time. This area is especially popular among tourists during Autumn, when the Japanese maple (momiji) - which takes up to 70% of Arashiyama add grace and beauty to the season. 

There are a few beautiful ryokans in Arashiyama, my favourite was Hoshinoya unfortunately it's fully booked by the time I started to do my planning. I've only made all my hotel bookings 1-1.5 months before I departed. Bad bad idea to check out hotels 1-2 months before departure, furthermore it's the cherry blossom season, left aside the steep prices, many hotels were already fully booked and I've only left with a few choices. I've settled down with Hanaikada Ryokan, a traditional ryokan with natural hot springs. 

Ryuhei-Soba - Kyoto, Japan

Ryuhei-Soba

A 1-star Michelin restaurant located in a tranquil town slightly away from Kyoto city. It took us quite a while to get here; the map we printed online plus the one we got from the train station didn't help much but thanks to the pocket wi-fi I rented and Google Maps, after almost 15 minutes of walk from the train station, we finally arrived at Ryuhei-soba's doorstep. It's a petite restaurant sat between local houses. I was a little grumpy already, having to walk at a relatively fast speed as it's passed our reservation time due to our earlier journey in Nara (I got a little too obsessed with the deers in Nara haha), my grumpiness disappeared the moment we were welcomed by the hostess. The genuine Japanese greetings and welcome never failed to put a smile on my face. 

Cafe Cheka 菓子・茶房 - Kyoto, Japan

Cafe Cheka - A petite cafe hidden among a row of housing area, located on the street that runs along the north wall of the zoo, and a stone's throw from the beautiful Heian Shrine. This cafe caught my attention from its Tiramisu images I got from Google results. There weren't many reviews available (while most of it were in Japanese) and I was really glad that from the very minimal reviews of this cafe, they led me to this ethereal cafe.