It’s no secret that I love traveling specifically to attend festivals and different cultural events around the world. Times when hotels are notorious for overcharging or selling out at record speeds. When I announced my impulse decision to visit the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington DC a mere two weeks before the festival, people seemed amazed that I […]
Ilove taking people to eat dim sum for the first time. Most people in the US, have no idea what dim sum actually is or the etiquette behind it. It’s fun to watch their eyes glaze over at the million tapas-like choices laid out before them. Smiling and nodding as they look over the menu […]
The great thing about Chicago summers is that they’re filled with all sorts of festivals. I guess since we really only get a few weeks of great weather here, we have to make up for it by packing it all in come summertime. On any given week you can find at least four festivals going on. My favorite […]
Living in Osaka, I became well-acquainted with one of the region’s specialties– okonomiyaki (お好み焼き). We’d often eat this for lunch and dinner whether at home with my host family or when out with friends. Like a pancake of sorts, okonomiyaki is made from batter mixed with cabbage. Sure, that might not sound all that exciting (or tasty), but […]
Every Friday I’ll be sharing a photo from someplace in my travels. This week’s photo is of Strawberry Fields in Central Park, NYC! Running through Central Park to get to Japan Day, I made it a point to stop by the famous Strawberry Fields. As someone who greatly appreciates The Beatles and grew up listening to […]
Every Friday I’ll be sharing a photo from someplace in my travels. This week’s photo is of New York from the Empire State Building! My first ever visit to New York was pretty packed. From spending the day at Japan Day to running around exploring as much Asian culture around the city as I could, my […]
Every Friday I’ll be sharing a photo from someplace in my travels. This week’s photo is of Hello Kitty in NYC! When I first arrived in New York, my ride was driving me through the city to drop me off at my hotel. On the way we passed by a giant Hello Kitty, which took me […]
Every Friday I’ll be sharing a photo from someplace in my travels. This week’s photo is of delicious donuts downtown Chicago! Today is National Donut Day (also known as the best holiday ever), and I’m happy to finally be able to celebrate my favorite food this year after not being able to the past two years while living […]
Some people go to therapy, others prefer going to cuddle cats. Thanks to small apartment sizes, many of which aren’t even allowed to have animals, and the exorbitant price of pets, cat cafes (or animal cafes in general) have been a popular phenomena for the last couple of decades in Asia. I was no stranger […]
One of the places I was most looking forward to visiting in New York City was the Japan Society. Holding over 100 different events each year, the Japan Society is one of the leading U.S. organizations fostering a mutual understanding and appreciation between Japan and the United States. Founded in May of 1907 by a […]