I <3 Tokyo Disneyland

There's something magical about Disneyland. It somehow manages to transform adults into little children again. Seeing happy families, loving couples & cute chubby babies just brightens up your day. Here are some of the food to much on inside Tokyo Disneyland.

(From top left: Fish burger set meal, thick fish patty with generous vegetables, not so crispy fries, push cart stall selling the piping hot Smoked turkey leg, it's nice packaging, the Smoked turkey leg sneak preview, Winnie the Pooh popcorn machine, Winnie hard at work producing popcorn, our special takeaway Winnie the Pooh popcorn 'honey pot)

I <3 Tokyo

If you love Japanese food & their assorted ramen, you MUST visit the Shin Yokohama Ramen Museum. A modern facade with a time traveling ability of bringing you back to the earlier days of Japan. The entire interior of the building has been transformed into a make believe world where shops selling delicious ramen from different prefectures offer you a satisfied stomach & a better understanding of the iconic string like delicacy.

Chose this beautiful rustic ramen shop with their famous broth. Sat at the counter to observe & soak in the authentic 'ramen' experience.

Someone to watch over me while I eat.

A cute portrait of a family illustration on the walls.

Clear broth ramen that is full of flavor & refreshing. Another bowl please!

History lesson after the meal. The different kitchen utensils that were used in the past to the current version.

For lunch, we visited this restaurant near Asakusa Kannon Temple where it was traditional tatami seating while we had our meal. Can you guess what is this picture below?

The answer is a 'keyless' shoe cabinet! As no shoes are allowed inside the dining area, guests have to deposit their shoes into these boxes. Simply open the door, put in your shoes & remove the wooden tag to lock it. Trust the Japanese to create such a simple yet amazing method of security.

Our lunch spread.



Next up to digest away our satisfying meals so far was the Ameyoko Flea Market. Here you can find rows of shops selling trendy fashion wear, fruit stalls, arcade parlours & many more. It could take an entire day just to finish visiting all of them.

One of the stalls selling super fresh crabs & seafood from Hokkaido.

Ramen shop at Ikebukuro


Miso ramen with Char Siew (thick pork broth with pork bits)

Spicy miso ramen (not as tasty as the Dotonbori one)


After our ramen meal, I had a sudden craving for a sweet snack & guess what came to my rescue? 'PaPa Crepe' mobile at Ikebukuro! Now what can an incredibly cute mini vehicle like this possibly sell? Hot crispy crepes with sinful sweet fillings! Don't let the size of the vehicle fool you, with the back door flipped up, it revealed a pretty lady boss & her 'kitchen'. Skillful & fast, there she was taking orders & creating yummy crepes all at once. The best-selling (Also my choice & what I ordered): Banana Chocolate Crepe at 400yen.



Skillful & fast, people received their huge crepes at affordable prices.

I <3 Nagoya Marriot Hotel

What did Nagoya Marriot Hotel have in store for me for their breakfast? Plenty! With a European style to their restaurant decor, I was up for something different this time for my breakfast. It was only 7am but was already near full capacity. Was greeted by an extremely talented & friendly chef (he apparently speaks up to 5 languages fluently!) whose voice echoed through the restaurant with his assorted langauges of good morning.

Breakfast at the very cosy & warm Nagoya Marriot Hotel.

Had a mixture of penne pasta with vegetable tempura, grilled fish, tomatoes, steamed peanuts & honey coated sausages.

Hijiki with Tamago.

Lightly marinated Bamboo shoot slices.

Shishamo fish (disappointingly dry) & grilled soy sauced saba fish.

Ice cold lychee & melon to digest the meal.

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Our next destination brought us to the beautiful Jiragonno Fuji No Yakata Hotel located near Mount Fuji. With it's wooden walls & flooring, high ceiling & carefully placed lights & endless rows of tall trees surrounding the hotel, it successfully projected a very cosy winter lodge atmosphere that was simply scenic & memorable.


Dinner at Jiragonno Fuji No Yakata hotel with a visit to their onsen after the meal.


Spicy ham & bacon Aglio Olio spaghetti.

I <3 Osaka Hyatt Hotel

After a wonderful day at Dotonbori & shopping spree at Shinsaibashi yesterday, I started off my day with another hearty breakfast at Osaka Hyatt Hotel that was both fulfilling & nutritious to keep my energy levels up.

Beautiful breakfast at Osaka Hyatt Hotel

Grilled Saba fish that was moist & warm.

Hot Miso soup.

No time for small talk.In utter bliss.

Grilled mushrooms with tomatoes & fresh Saba fish. The vegetables were simply so fresh and delicious that I kept going back for seconds.

I <3 Osaka

I always look forward to the breakfast spread whenever I'm on my trips. I was especially looking forward to my first Osaka morning meal with all the good things that I've heard about their fresh produce & culinary methods. Here is what I had at the restaurant Nikko Hotel @ Kansai Airport.

Breakfast at The Brasserie @ Nikko Hotel Kansai Airport.

Extremely delicious Red Snapper dish. (Voted my best fish dish for my trip)

Hijiki. It's seasoned seaweed mixed strips of Tamago, carrots & sesame seeds.

Lunch at Universal Studio, our Snoopy Set Meal.


Snoopy custard bun.


Located in Minami (South of the city centre & adjacent to Ebisubashi & Shinsaibashi) is the legendary Dotonbori in Osaka. Also known as 'The Kitchen of Japan' where the birth place of Takoyaki, Okonomiyaki, Kaiten-zushi etc became a household name, the streets are lined up with restaurants serving the best in Japanese grub of every kind gather & light up the night with their robotic food mascots (giant crabs!), colorful neon lights & friendly animated service staff welcoming you with their infectious warm smiles.


This is the famous 'Glico' man neon signboard located at a cross junction of a bridge that has been a massive landmark for people visiting Dotonbori & Shinsaibashi.

This is the Sammy Ebisu Plaza entrance. A world of early 1900 Japanese culture awaits you here.


"Si Tian Wang (Four Heavenly Kings)" Ramen shop at Dotonbori

My Spicy ramen, 780yen.

Mr K's miso ramen, 980yen.

Another famous ramen shop called "Jin Long" (Golden Dragon) just next to "Si Tian Wang".

What's a good cure for beating the cold weather at night? Piping hot Takoyaki straight from the pan! People were buying this yummy snack & eating them hot by the streets.

6pcs takoyaki (squid ball) for just 300yen.