Every Friday I’ll be sharing a photo from someplace in my travels. This week’s photo is of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. The Golden Gate Bridge is the icon of the city and no trip is complete without seeing it. That being said, we almost didn’t get to see it because it was so […]
Spanning over 3,000 years, the Mayan civilization is amongst one of the original cultures of the world. As one of the most sophisticated ancient civilizations, I would argue them to even be one of the most important. I remember learning bits and pieces about the Mayans throughout grade school, but some education that was because I didn’t even know […]
Every Friday I’ll be sharing a photo from someplace in my travels. This week’s photo is of the busy Yamanote Line in Tokyo, Japan. People often joke about the crowdedness of Tokyo trains. There are all these visions of people being pushed on by conductors and the so-called “train pushers”. While that does still happen on […]
Kyoto Prefecture (京都府; Kyoto-fu) is part of the Kansai Region (関西地方; Kansai-chiho) on Honshu, the main island of Japan. For most of history, Kyoto played an important role as Japan’s capital. As you can imagine, being the capital for over a thousand years means Kyoto is filled with ancient artifacts and cultural treasures. Once the government head moved to Tokyo, Kyoto’s economy became […]
Christmas may not be a national holiday in Japan, but that doesn’t mean people won’t be celebrating! Only around 1% of Japanese people consider themselves Christian, so to most Japanese, Christmas is celebrated more like a Valentine’s Day of sorts, with young couples or groups of friends going on strolls through fancy displays of holiday decorations and […]
I can’t believe it’s about to be Christmas already! Maybe it’s because despite being home in Chicago for the holidays for the first time in three years, there’s still a lack of snow. I know, no snow in Chicago yet? Trust me, I’m just as surprised. We might as well be back in Hong Kong– it’s even […]
Chicago is known for having one of the best art museums in the country, complete with a large Asian art wing. However, from now until January 4th, 2015 guests can enjoy the exhibition Ghosts and Demons in Japanese Prints, which features some of the celebrated collection of Clarence Buckingham. This special exhibition showcases prints depicting the supernatural, a popular motif in […]
You know, despite traveling all over the world, I’m honestly o ot much of an adventurer. Sure I may try eating the occasional weird thing or take part in an off-beat festival from time to time, but you’ll never see me bungee jumping or sky diving. No sir, not me, not ever! I’m the girl who’s afraid […]
Osaka Prefecture (大阪府; Osaka-fu) is part of the Kansai Region (関西地方; Kansai-chiho) on Honshu, the main island of Japan. Despite being one of the smallest prefectures area-wise, it boasts an impressive amount of cities. Thirty-three to be exact; with the most famous being it’s capital city of the same name– Osaka. Daitō Fujiidera Habikino Hannan Higashiōsaka Hirakata Ibaraki Ikeda Izumi Izumiōtsu Izumisano […]
Mochi (餅), which is a sweet sticky rice cake, has been eaten in Japan since ancient times for special celebrations and festivals. The practice of hand-pounding mochi, known as mochitsuki (餅つき), is now rare even in Japan as most people would rather buy machine-made mochi sold at stores instead of making their own. Yet still, whether store-bought or […]