Starring the Land of the Rising Sun

Kon'nichiwa, I'm back! :) It's been quite a long time since I've been able to share what I've been up to on the blog. But not to worry! SS is ready to take you on another exciting journey. Where are we off to this time? Yup, you guessed it - Japan!

My family and I spent 9 days of the semestral break exploring the food, shopping, and tourist sights of Tokyo. Because it would be too dense to fit in more than a week's worth of adventures, I decided to split this trip into three posts. I'm hoping this first post will keep you on your toes until the next one is out! :)

Before getting into the details, let me give you an overview about what the Japanese people are like. Not for anything, but they are probably the kindest, most sincere and most helpful human beings I have met. EVER. If I found myself staring blankly at a train station’s fare matrix, a local would willingly offer a helping hand. If he or she did not know how to speak English, he or she would take me to my desired destination without expecting anything in return. It was like all they wanted to do in life is help others. The Japanese people made finding my way around Japan so much easier! :)


日本へようこそ (Welcome to Japan), SS Readers!

Ootd for day one! It doesn't hurt to wear all black on cold afternoons. :)

This is the front view of the Hanazono Temple. Unfortunately, it was under construction when we visited, so I could not take too many photos of the whole structure. It was still so beautiful though.

Take a look at the bells hanging in front of the photo. To make a wish for good fortune, the Japanese would ring the second bell twice, then clap their hands twice and finally, take a bow. It was nice seeing a few locals stop by and still venerate their god despite having such busy schedules. :)

As evening came, we found our way to a street known as Omoide Yokocho, which translates to "Memory Lane". Lines of food stalls filled the streets on both ends. We stopped by one of the little restaurants which served Japanese barbecue because we were all so hungry. There were two floors and only around 10 people could fit, so we all had to squeeze ourselves in! :) It was quite expensive for such a small area but the experience was priceless. I remember seeing my dad and mom carefully climbing up the narrow steps so as not to trip and fall over. It was really funny seeing them so serious about going up and down the stairs! :)

Come inside and see the Imperial Palace! :)

Close by the palace was the outer garden. But before we got there, we stopped by this empty street, perfect to take outfit shots. 

This is the Double Bridge found in the Outer Garden of the palace. :)

Inside the garden, you'll see this 300-year old pine tree. A kind old man even approached me and informed me about the differences between a male and female pine tree. He said that if you touch a leaf of the male tree, it would be sharp, but the female one would be soft. Interesting, don't you think?

I felt like Aurora exploring the forest when I saw this. As I stood on the bridge, the trees leaned in towards me with such welcoming sways!

The lake seemed so calm against all the wind-blowing. I could stay here all day! 

Shoutout to my little sister for agreeing to be fierce with me! Isn't she gorgeous? <3

This ends my first post. Don't forget to check out the next one soon! :) 

For more photos and updates, follow me on Instagram @beaarboleda <3

Photos by Sonny, Angeli and Margaux Arboleda