jesychen 
As mentioned previously, for the past few years, we have almost always visited Miaobang Calla Lily Garden Restaurant a few days before Chinese New Year to enjoy our family reunion dinner in advance. This year, 2026, was no exception. Since we came during the daytime this time, it was much brighter, and the weather was … Read more
After spending the final few days of our 12-day self-guided road trip through Hakone, Lake Kawaguchi, and Hokkaido walking around and exploring Tokyo, it was finally time to leave Japan. On the morning of our departure, after packing our luggage, our family left the hotel and headed to HARBS Ueno for breakfast. HARBS Ueno is … Read more
The 12-day independent and self-driving trip through Hakone, Lake Kawaguchiko, and Hokkaido was coming to an end. On the night before leaving Tokyo, we returned to Hidakaya Asakusa Kaminarimon Branch for dinner. We had first eaten at this restaurant nearly nine years earlier, in 2017, and visited it once again in 2018 before the pandemic. … Read more
After finishing lunch at the Edo-style restaurant Sakurada in Asakusa, our afternoon itinerary was to explore KIRAKIRA Tachibana Shopping Street and take a look at the nostalgic streets and shops around Tokyo Skytree. We walked to Tower View Street (タワービュー通り), located near the north exit of Kinshicho Station in Sumida. Because this street offers a … Read more
After having breakfast at Pelican Cafe, a directly operated cafe of the long-established Tokyo toast shop Pelican in Asakusa, we spent the morning strolling around Asakusa and shopping. Besides browsing the shops along the Kaminarimon Shopping Street, we had planned to enjoy a Wagyu sukiyaki set meal for lunch at Edo cuisine Asakusa SAKURADA, an … Read more
After spending one night at Hotel Sunroute Asakusa during our three-day, two-night stay in Tokyo, we decided not to book breakfast at the hotel. Instead, we walked to a nearby cafe called Pelican Cafe for breakfast. Pelican Cafe is directly operated by Pelican, a long-established bakery in Asakusa, Tokyo, famous for its thick-sliced bread and … Read more
Our 12-day self-drive journey through Hakone, Lake Kawaguchi, and Hokkaido was coming to an end. After flying back to Tokyo from Hokkaido on Japan Airlines, we checked in for a two-night stay at Hotel Sunroute Asakusa. Since this was our first visit to Tokyo after the pandemic, it had been several years since we last … Read more
I’ve been to Tokyo many times, but I had always admired Tokyo Tower from a distance. This time, I specifically planned an evening visit to see it up close. After enjoying a delicious Thick-Cut Pork Loin Cutlet Set at Iwai Tonkatsu (とんかつ屋 いわい 大門), we took a leisurely walk through Shiba Park toward Tokyo Tower. … Read more
In the morning, we spent several hours exploring Asahiyama Zoo and finally got to see the enormous polar bears up close. With that, our six-day journey through Hokkaido came to an end. After returning our rental car at the ORIX Rent a Car Asahikawa Ekimae Branch near Asahikawa Airport, we boarded a Japan Airlines flight … Read more
On the morning of Day 6 of our Hokkaido self-drive trip, our family planned to visit Asahiyama Zoo before taking a Japan Airlines flight back to Tokyo in the afternoon. After enjoying breakfast in our room at the Toyoko Inn Hokkaido Asahikawa Station Higashi-guchi, we drove about 30 minutes to Asahiyama Zoo. The free parking … Read more