japanese gummy bears are the best

a few weeks ago my sister and her hubby bri came to visit shanghai and we did a tour of beijing and tokyo. in predictable fashion, here is a list of highlights for fear i might bore you (read: make you jealous) with the fabulously luxurious details of said trip.

beijing

1. da dong. boom shakalaka. traditional peking duck in a very modern setting. the coolest part is they let you in the oven room where all the ducks are roasting and where they platter them up for carving. pics are a bit blurry in here bc of all the heat or my unsteady hands as i was more focused on not drooling on the equipment. 

-crispy duck skin dipped in sugar. boom.

-duck 'hamburger': crispy duck stuffed in those little delicate sesame pillows. omg.

 2. raffles hotel. extremely nice and dare i say cute concierge. amazing location, right smack in the middle of forbidden city and wanfujing. perfect place to stay with only 2 days and 3 meals in beijing! 

we also toured the great wall and summer palace (my first times) despite the downpour and cloudy vision. sadly they were not as majestic as hoped but very cool nonetheless, and more importantly, we got to rock these awesome colored ponchos the entire day. what up fashion blog!

tokyo

if there was a sentence that could sum up my experience in tokyo it would be: :D

haha. yes, this is an azian sentence. 

our days were more filled with fun exploration then guided tour, which was a nice break from our packed days in beijing. the weather cleared up and it was pretty much sunny and 75 each day. hen hao. 

1. ritz carlton in roppongi. i am graciously indebted to my sister for her magnificent 'choice' in hotels...those of you who know her know what i mean. this room was insane. maybe 4x my apt size with private walk-in closet, insane views of tokyo, separate bath and shower, pjs (see below pics in said pjs), fluffy slippers, candy jars at the lobby, and your own LOOFAH. what up!! life doesn't get any better than this my friends.

2. harajuku - duh. anyone who knows me knows three things, 1. i am weird, 2. i like a deal, 3. i am weird. can we say "harajuku"? obsessed with the tiny streets, hipster peeps, stalls of sweet treats, cray fashion deals and fawning over celebrities. this seriously is up my alley. could have spent days and days there except a 'deal' in tokyo is like ordering a steak because the lobster is too expensive. alas i acquired a lot of nautical inspired fashion pieces, a necklace with my name in japanese, a 'bomb' churro, a new backpack and some nail art inspiration.

3. food food food. i mean we could go on for days. but seriously.

-north japanese style ramen. clear clam broth, tender pork, fresh noodles...

-fried gyoza. what is the fried goodness on top? don't ask, just eat. 

-sukiyaki udon. omg. 

-yakitori joint: tasty skewers but cooler is the hipster crowd at 9 pm on a monday, downing pints and gobbling up chicken liver skewers, fried chicken, potato salad...nom nom nom. 

-on our last day we went with a tokyo friend to this peaceful teahouse in the middle of a lake. sipped some delicious green tea and had a dainty japanese dessert. 

-teppanyaki. what an experience. after moving to the four seasons in chinzan-so neighborhood, we asked the concierge for a good teppanyaki place near our hotel. it was my birthday dinner and our last dinner in tokyo. we specifically asked for a local joint, nothing too fancy. well we were in for a treat. down the street in a small alley sat a small family joint plastered with photos of the one and only mariah carey!!! yes, she too dined at this very spot, in the very same seat! my trip to tokyo was complete! after, of course, many courses of simple melt in your mouth beef, veggies, fried garlic and hibachi sauteed apples with caramel and ice cream...happy birthday!

4. the people. many friends have told me that they are obsessed with tokyo but that no one really speaks english so you have to get around yourself. not a problem my friends! after living in the shang for 6 months, i have mastered the 'bu hui shuo yingwen' situation. from my perspective, people in tokyo are fluent in english. like, can you re-teach me english because it's better than mine. very nice, helpful people who genuinely think about others when doing things. i.e. pedestrians have the right of way, no means no, customer service, clean bathrooms, etc. below is a photo of bri's good friends who live in tokyo and graciously took us to their local spots - including an evening of fine karaoke. 

5. public bathrooms! haha it became a quick running motif that my sister and i visited every public bathroom in each district of tokyo. we have pictures to prove it. but i'm not sure they're appropriate for my public blog. ha...ha. jk. 

and that my friends is the best trip this year! great food, great sights and great company! here i am back in shanghai about 8 lbs heavier and slightly tired. success.