Blog, Katricia Barleta.

Unparalleled GREEN in Oahu and Maui, Hawaii - throwback Saturday to that time we took an ATV tour of Kualoa Ranch, and got stuck there for hours, but didn’t really mind. Oh, then we biked up to Manoa Falls from Waikiki beach, which jump started our appetite for The Pig and The Lady! Oh, and that time we dipped our toes in mossy waterfalls on the road to Hana, while the rainbow eucalyptus trees made for a pleasant yet muddy detour. Not gonna say traveling is life and all, but not gonna not say it.

All that BLUE in Oahu and Maui, Hawaii - if blue isn’t your favourite color, it definitely will be once you step onto the endless shores of this paradise island. I can’t say that Hammad and I are the most confident swimmers, but a couple days amongst all that aloha, and we were jumping off rocks into the ocean and swimming in fresh water caves. We did all the water things from surfing to snuba = snorking + scuba + dorkiness, and a crap ton of fun. Those memories are definitely keeping me warm this winter. And oh yeah, did I mention double rainbows?

KIYOMIZUDERA - a beautiful buddhist temple up in the hills of the Higashiyama district

BAMBOO GROVES at ARASHIYAMA - our shelter from the April rain. To avoid other tourists, we snuck in from the riverside and were rewarded with beautiful views.

KAISEKI at KIKUNOI HONTEN - if one could capture all of Kyoto in a meal, this should be it. Hammad and I aren’t fancy eaters. We occasionally treat ourselves to a nice restaurant to celebrate something special, but otherwise we are totally content eating ramen, pizza and tacos err'day. But this is Japan - THE food paradise, and a must-try is the Japanese kaiseki: a multi-course meal carefully made with local ingredients from that prefecture, and presented in a way that more closely resembles art. This is where Kikunoi comes in. This three Michelin star restaurant has deep roots in the history of the Higashimaya area, which definitely adds to the novelty. Everything was perfect, from the seasonal decor to the serene private rooms overlooking a peaceful garden. Bonus points for the clearest glass window ever - it was like a windex commercial. I loved how much care and thought was put into all the small details, including how the kimono-clad lady would enter the room, carry the food, and very eloquently present it to us. It was kind of like watching a dance, but in the end, I get to feast! At times the wait between dishes was longer (not that we minded really), but it was neat how they also left us a book called Kaiseki that described the chefs’ creative process behind the food. The food itself was of epic status. I’m not one of those super refined foodies - like most things are rated in mehs, awesomes, and super amazings, so I’m gonna save you from the vivid description of the fresh red sea bream sliding down my throat (sounds icky innit). But yeah, things of note: lily bulbs with salmon roe are surprisingly the best thing ever. Sticky rice wrapped with steamed Wakasa tilefish and submerged in a thick clear ginger sauce is genius! I was obsessed with the play of colours in the pea soup and prawn dumpling - tasted pretty super amazing too! And lastly, pistachio ice cream and mango juice?!!! They’re my new favourite IT couple. Tldr, Kikunoi is the Kaiseki king of Kyoto, k!

Fushimi Inari Taisha and Senbon Torii - a popular Shinto shrine with thousands of gates that crawl up and around a mountain. At the sound of our 6am alarm, my eyes snapped open excitedly, and I threw on my warmest gear in order to get ready for our visit to the sacred Mount Inari. We wanted to get there as early as possible in order to avoid the hoard of tour bus self-stick tourists that can ruin even the most beautiful photo ops! The result was totally worth it. When we finally got to the start of the thousand torii gates, there were only a handful of other DSLR-clad early risers on the prowl. Our ascent began. What impressed me about this network of trails was how well integrated it was to its natural surroundings. As you start climbing, the gates start to stand further apart from each other so we could peak out into the lush forest and gaze down at the city rooftops below. We didn’t get our green on in Mount Fuji cause of that darn April fog and rain, but this was definitely a satisfying alternative! I was feeling quite good about myself (working off all that ramen we have been eating) until I met my hero, the lady in picture 5 and 6. Here was this elder, petite Japanese lady with an umbrella walking cane, climbing up the same mountain of steps! You could feel her determination in her heavy pants and her sweat lined forehead. What a lady! As we passed by, I wanted to give her an enthusiastic thumbs up or a cool pat on the back, but settled on reassuring nods and smiles. I hope she didn’t find it creepy.

MARUYAMA PARK - a popular spot in Kyoto to drink and eat under the stars. Yozakura is the evening version of hanami (cherry blossom viewing). It involves people of all ages gathering outside and laying down mats to sit on under the lit up trees. It was definitely an amusing sight, especially since drinking in public spaces in Toronto is generally illegal. One of the nights, we even tried joining the fun with our daily raid of Japanese beer and random convenient store snacks! Even if you didn't bring your own munchables, Maruyama park also has a lot of brightly coloured stalls selling street eats like oden, takoyaki, and all kinds of different fried foods. So if you are into cheap street eats, this is the place to go!

Yoshimizu Ryokan: http://yoshimizu.com/english/kyoto/

Robots and Tokyo just makes sense.

TOKYO NIGHTS - bright lights, good eats in the big city 🌙 shibuya - our home for a week and a popular spot for young locals to take on the night and end up in a love hotel maybe, omoide yokocho - the yakitori alley of my dreams where people enjoy their cooked entrails shoulder to shoulder, kabukicho in shinjuku - late night eats, bars, pachinko slots, and just a whole lot of everything a weary salaryman and the likes would need to let off some steam, hambey yakitori in kabukicho - great food, great company in a sweet retro setting Stay tuned for my post on our robot restaurant experience.

Despite all the random April rain and cloudiness, we are so fortunate to have experienced the magic of the cherry blossoms in Tokyo.

When I look back, I was riding a wave that was soon going to take over everything. It's cool though. I do love the Internet and what it has grown up to be. I too have grown up a bit, I think, but some things don't change - like right now, I'm am totally going to go and watch some Buffy the Vampire Slayer.