🦆🍚 Gion Duck Rice | Kyoto eats

Have you ever craved a dish from a specific time? For me, it's the Gion Duck Rice at Kyoto, Japan, that I had two years ago. It was a unique dining experience in an underground, small and cozy 7-seater open kitchen restaurant serving up just one dish that they specialise which is their duck hitsumabushi, located on the busy streets of Gion. 

Best Sushi in Kyoto 🍣 | Gion Mametora [祇をん 豆寅]

Today marks the first day of Sydney's stage one of restriction eases, where cafes and restaurants can allow customers of up to 10 people to dine-in. What better way to celebrate this moment than to share another restaurant I recommend when visiting Japan. While I was in Kyoto my friends and I went out early to rent our kimono for the day before walking around Gion Hanamikoji Dori to find our next meal. Hanamikoji Dori is a popular spot for tourists and locals as this is where tea houses and restaurants are lined up and you might even catch a glimpse of Maikos or Geisha's heading off to her next appointment. 

Snacking around Sapporo 😋

Harry Hedgehog Cafe 🦔

As most of my uni friends were leaving a little earlier on our Japan trip, one of the last activities we did was visit a harinezumi cafe or more commonly known as hedgehog cafe. We decided to go to the Harry Hedgehog cafe located in Roppongi as it would be easier for my friends to head towards the airport right after. 

Beginners Guide to Tokyo Disneysea 🎢

Today I'll be sharing my adventure and itinerary guide to Tokyo DisneySea as I've managed to recovered almost all my data from my broken hard drive. Around this time last year I went to Tokyo DisneySea for the very first time with my uni friends, where we booked our 1-Day Passport ticket through the official website. I applied the usual tips and tricks when planning for a full day at a theme park but since I've only ever been to Disneyland and my friend, Florence, who has been to DisneySea, we made sure to get the full experience out of this day.

Universal Studio Japan 🎠 // Purchase your Express Ticket

Universal Studios Japan (USJ) is always on the top of my "to go" list whenever I'm visiting Osaka, Japan as I love going to theme parks and playing on the rides. The last few times I went to USJ I would book my theme park tickets prior to travelling to Japan as I didn't want the hassle of queuing up early on the day to purchase the 1 Day Studio Pass and Express 7* pass which are limited for purchase each day. 

A short food trip to Nagoya 🍣 🍨

En-route to Toyko from Takayama, we decided to spend half a day in Nagoya, which is the largest city in the Chubu region and is the capital of the Aichi Prefecture located on the Pacific coast. Once we got to the station we were surrounded by massive shopping centres connected all around the station. I even found an official Studio Ghibli store so I had to check it out and purchase some merchandises. After shopping my friends and I went our separate ways and split into two groups, the group that continues shopping at Nagoya station and my group, where we were on the hunt for good food! Food is always my priority, which is why Ardi, Florence and I took the train and travelled two stops away to Hisayaodori for fresh sashimi and sushi! 

MORI BUILDING DIGITAL ART MUSEUM - TEAMLAB BORDERLESS REVIEW 🎡

The most popular and interactive digital art museum in Tokyo, Mori Building Digital Art Museum - Teamlab Borderless, has attracted attention worldwide and was on the top of my "To do" list when visiting Tokyo this time round. The museum was created between Mori Building and TeamLab where the interactive artworks have no border separating them from one another and some even extend beyond their own zone and into corridors to create a new experience for visitors which can only be found at this museum. 

WAZUKA - Japanese Tea Town 🍵

Happy Owl Cafe Chouette 🦉

KAN | a restaurant without a signboard 🍣

Our last night in Tokyo my friend Florence and I made our way to the largest Starbuck Roastery in the world but failed as the queue was way too long so we headed back towards the station instead. As it was getting pretty late we decided to dine out at Nakameguro since we both didn't feel like eating convenient store food for our final night. We came to a stop in front of the restaurant, KAN, which does not have an noticeable sign out the front but had a very simplistic and modern look. 

🌸 Starbucks Reserve Roastery Tokyo | The Biggest Starbucks in the World ☕

While I was in travelling in Japan earlier last month I heard that the biggest Starbucks roastery in the world located in Naka-Meguro had just opened not too long ago so of course I had to pop by! My first trip there was a Friday night however the queue was 3 hours long! It was already 8pm and we were told that they close at 11pm so we decided to give it a miss that night and try again the next morning, which so happen to be my last morning in Tokyo. To avoid disappointment my friend, Florence and I decided to get there when the doors open in the morning and left our hotel bright and early to arrive at 7:10am (10 minutes since they opened their doors). Although we were quite early there was already a crowd but luckily no queue so we walked right in. 

CALIA COLLECTIVE // Japan Air Flown A5 Wagyu (●♡∀♡)

When I was in Melbourne last month I visited the cafe called Calia Emporium not once but 3 times! The first time was for a cake break and the other 2 times were for lunch. I've been following their Instagram account religiously to check their amazing dishes and I must say it just leaves me drooling for more! I finally went to the cafe and I loved how they had a little grocery store on the side when you're waiting for a table or waiting for your food to come out. There were so many imported products to look at and purchase. This place is extremely popular and gets pretty pack during the lunch hours daily so be sure to come in early to get a spot.

Japan Culture // ホワイトデー [ White Day ] ٩(♡ε♡ )۶

Happy White Day! So what is White Day?? Well today I'll be explaining that very question! In Japan, White Day is consider the Valentines Day that we traditionally understand today where men pamper and shower women with gifts, flowers and chocolates. Although times have changed and now, so expressing love can be from either party. 

Guide to Japan // Basic Travel Tips 101 ヾ(๑’౪`๑)ﾉﾞ

In 2015 I got the opportunity to travel to Japan twice and the experiences from my earlier Winter trip have made it so much easier to get around Japan when I went again, for their Summer. 

Throughout both trips there are a few basic tips and tricks that I picked up along the way to make a more smooth sailing adventure, so below I've put together my guidelines which hopefully you will find helpful when you plan a trip to Japan. Also read my generalised [Travelling the World //Preparation] guide. 

What to pack for Japan // Winter & Summer edition o(*>ω<*)o

It has been a while since I last did a travel packing list as the last one was for "Summer in New Zealand". Today I'll be sharing both my Summer and Winter packing list for Japan, but there are a few things to keep a note of. One of them is whether you have access to a washing machine at your accommodation. The last 2 trips to Japan I stayed with AirBnB accommodations and we had a washing machines in most of our accommodation. This helped minimise my packing and allowed more room for my shopping!

✦• COSME contact, BeeHeartB series in #5.Olive, 1 Day Lens Review •✦ o(*^▽^*)o

Well it has been a while since I last did a colour contact review and I still have so many to share with you guys too. Anyway, finally reviewing the next pair which is by COSME contact, called their BeeHeartB one day soft contact lens in the shade Olive. 

When I purchased these in Japan, the olive shade was the newest and most unique shade so I decided to pick a few up. Which is why I bought a box of 30 lens (15 pairs) with this brand so I have more to play with. Also I couldn't find much information on this brand as I'm guessing it is not super popular online. 

Once again these daily contact lens come in their own individual capsules to ensure they are hygienic and safe. Also, here is just a little information about the lens themselves.

Brand: Bee Heart B

・Diameter: 14.3mm

・Base Curve: 8.6mm 

・Coloring Diameter: 13.3mm

・Power Range: 0.00 to -10.00

・Water Content: 38% 

・Life Span: 1 day

The lens design has a simple two rippled ring effect where it blends a softer olive-brown with a darker chocolate brown. It creates a subtle glittery yet natural appearance. 

I love how they naturally enhance my eyes by making them a bit bigger and brighter. These are great for everyday wear because they are so comfortable and soft on the eyes, I sometimes forget that I have them on. 

The olive shade lightens up my natural eye colour but because of the design and the different blends of colours it creates a soft girly natural eye look. 

Overall Rating: ★★★★★

I'm extremely pleased with all the lens I have purchased so far, especially these one-day lens. These are great for everyday wear if you just need a little eye boost for that brightened appearance and they go very well with heavy or light makeup. Highly recommend this brand if you're ever around in Japan or if you see them online. 

♥♥♥♥♥

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I miss blogging about beauty stuff, which is why I am going to try get a beauty review or beauty related blog post coming up at least once a week! Hope this will bring you beauty lovers some entertainment too!

Remember to like my facebook page, subscribe to my youtube channel, follow my instagram:"lazypandah" & LOOKBOOK:lazypandah for daily updates! 

Comments are love ♥

-LAZYPANDAH

 

Universal Studios Japan (❁´▽`❁)*✲ﾟ* // Last night in Japan Summer 2015 (｡•́︿•̀｡)

On our final full day in Japan, Steph and I headed off to Universal Studio. We left our place quite early in the morning and we rushed to get the ticketing for the Harry Potter site. It was super hot that day so as we lined up under the sun, we used out hand towels to shelter our faces. 

The first ride we did was the JAWS ride. Can you see the fin!! The tour was in Japanese so if you're unable to understand it is still okay! You can pretty much guess what is happening anyway~

 So many people and new restaurants and cafe around the place. The cafes and restaurants were mostly One Piece themed, I believe there was a movie or something coming out during that time. 

 Can you see the marine sign too! Super busy busy day!

 As we moved along to our next ride, we saw the minions performing! So we had to stop by and watch!! Look how cute they are. 

 As we turned around we saw the minion buns! So both Steph and myself bought one bun each and a drink to refresh ourselves. 

Look how cute this bun is!! Inside is filled with anko (red bean paste!), it was surprising quite nice~ 

Too cute to eat, but we are hungry so bye bye minion buns! 

Next, we headed towards Hogsmead! It definitely is a bit off seeing the snowy scene of Hogsmead in summer. 

And there is the express Hogwart train! There were also performers, re-enacting the scene where two other wizarding schools come to Hogwarts. 

  

 In summer they also have butter beer, but frozen!! Which actually taste much better than the hot one (because it gets way to sweet!!). 

Steph and I got a frozen butter beer each, in a normal cup, since I didn't really needed the souvenir cup anyway. 

After the performance and butter beer stop, Steph and I quickly moved towards the Hogwarts castle to line up for the main attraction there. During my winter trip I didn't go because the wait was 3 hours long and it was raining too. 

Since we came early we should be able to avoid such a long queue right...NOP! No matter how early you are there will still be a queue, it says 3 hours (again). However, we lined up for about 1hr 45min, which is still a long wait but the ride was quite fun! It is really interesting how the took scenes from the Harry Potter movie and popped it into the ride itself. 

 Next we moved onto the souvenir shops! I found Fluffy the 3-headed dog headpiece! Look how big it is!! It also comes in a mini version too~

My hero~ Spider Man is one of the heroes that my boyfriend likes. So kiss kiss and make him jelly~ (He didn't get jelly at all, infact he wanted to hold Spider Man too!). 

Next I tried on Luffy's sun hat! HELLO!!!! 

For lunch we went to the Pirate restaurant by the younger version of Luffy's brother? Usually theme park foods are not that great, but this was actually really good! Really impressed with the quality and flavors!!!

We literally stayed at Universal Studio's till the end. We caught a glimpse of their night float show. 

Look how pretty this peacock float is!!

 Whose dress are the birds making???

 After the night float parade it was time to head back. Until next time!!!

Once we got back to Shinsaibashi, we went to have dinner at the same place, Isomarusuisan, for dinner again!

First off we ordered ourselves beer and cider! The refreshing feeling from drinking, after a long day is just wonderful. 

 Moving onto the seafood, we ordered clams, squid, salmon sashimi (Steph's favorite!). 

We also got their seafood salad, which has salmon, tuna, squid and seaweed in it!! Super light and refreshing to have during the summer. 

 Got some tofu too! It was smooth and delicious! 

And of course, the famous miso crabs!! Super good good good stuff! I had two of these for myself!!! My cholesterol level just shot up the roof that night! 

After dinner, we went to Don Quijote which is opened 24 hours in Osaka! So of course there was quite a lot of tourist buying like crazy and we shopped until 2am. 

I guess the reason why we shopped so late was because we were also fooling around with the stuff there too! There is so much to see, observe, try and buy at Don Quijote which is why I highly recommend dedicating a few hours to get through all the levels in the shop! 

Once we finished shopping we headed back to our apartment and started the huge task of packing everything! We packed until 4:30am in the morning so we slept in the following day for a bit. We then headed back out to Osaka to do some last minute shopping and visited places we wanted to see before heading to the airport. We then took the plane back to Hong Kong. 

It was an amazing trip I cannot wait to come back again! Hope you guys enjoyed reading all my adventures in Japan during the summer last year! Next up is to finish off my Hong Kong adventures before I blog about my more recent trips!! 

♥♥♥♥♥

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I finished packing most my stuff for New Zealand today, the only things I need to pack away are my chargers, camera & laptop. I'm also super excited for Chinese New Year Eve as I will be spending it with my relatives! YAY!! 

If you do celebrate the Lunar new year how are you guys spending Chinese New Year Eve this year?? 

Remember to like my facebook page, subscribe to my youtube channel, follow my instagram:"lazypandah" & LOOKBOOK:lazypandah for daily updates! 

Comments are love ♥

-LAZYPANDAH