Eai galera, tudo bom? faz tempo que nao dou as caras por aqui mas como eu gastei todo dinheiro que eu achei que ia ganhar com o halving do bitcoin em lamen semana passada, ta na hora de fazer um merchan dessa epopéia que foi comer todos os melhores lamens da cidade.
Se você não sabe quem eu sou, eu sou um dos fundadores da ceia clandestina (evento e página de review) e 3 anos atrás eu fiz um review dos melhores lamens da cidade
Eu já comi em praticamente todos os lamens de SP então o briefing só pra falar que não estou fazendo tirando isso daqui do cy.
A idéia dessa vez foi: ir em cada ramen, pedir o carro chefe, o mais vendido ou o rámen que o estabelecimento tem mais orgulho e daí a gente analisou cada um baseado em:
caldo (peso2), macarrão (peso2), chashu(carne) (peso2), toppings (peso2) e localização (peso1)
Inclusive se você leu até aqui, esse post é sim um anúncio escondido para o meu evento de lámen que acontece dia 27 de abril em SP-pinheiros, você pode comprar o ingresso aqui . Perdão pelo merchan mas como você pode imaginar, não foi barato fazer isso aqui.
Enfim.
Os estabelecimentos que escolhemos foi baseado nos resultados do teste que eu fiz 3 anos atrás e incluimos alguns novos restaurantes, os 11 lámens que fomos foram:
Jojo, Torico, Tamashii, Ikkousha, Momo, Shindo, Barikote, Misoya, Bimyia, Izakaya Toki, Hidden by 2nd floor
Os resultados foram tabulados de uma maneira comparativa a estrelas michelin. Todos aqui eram ótimos, mas alguns eram (bem) melhores que outros.
1 estrela: Jojo 8.44 (misso ramen), Momo 8.22 (shoyu), Bimyia 8.43 (shoyu), Izakaya Toki 7.92 (misso tonkotsu) 2 estrelas: Barikote 8.71 (tonkotsu), Hidden by 2nd floor 9.04(shoyu), Ikkousha 9.03(tonkotsu), Shindo 8.55(vegano tucupi) 3 estrelas: Tamashii 9.44(shio), Misoya 9.43(misso hokaido), Torico 9.51(shoyu)
Se você discorda, acha que fomos injustos, não incluimos o lamen que você acha gostoso a gente tem 2h de podcast divididos em episódios para cada lugar onde provamos eles ao vivo.
Se você tá com preguiça de ouvir podcast a gente tem 4 vídeos que fizemos sobre os lugares onde tem um resumo mais claro do que aconteceu:

FT: TSG Hoffenheim 4-3 Borussia Monchengladbach

Venue: PreZero Arena
Auto-refreshing reddit comments link
LINE-UPS
TSG Hoffenheim
Oliver Baumann, Florian Grillitsch, Tim Drexler, Ozan Kabak (John Brooks), Andrej Kramaric (Finn Becker), Grischa Prömel (Anton Stach), Umut Tohumcu, Robert Skov (David Jurasek), Pavel Kaderábek, Maximilian Beier (Ihlas Bebou), Wout Weghorst.
Subs: Kevin Akpoguma, Marius Bulter, Bambasé Conté, Luca Philipp.
^{____________________________}
Borussia Monchengladbach
Moritz Nicolas, Nico Elvedi, Maximilian Wöber, Marvin Friedrich (Nathan N'Goumou), Kou Itakura (Shio Fukuda), Julian Weigl, Rocco Reitz (Tomas Cvancara), Luca Netz (Lukas Ullrich), Stefan Lainer (Joe Scally), Robin Hack, Alassane Pléa.
Subs: Florian Neuhaus, Patrick Herrmann, Jan Olschowsky, Fabio Chiarodia.
MATCH EVENTS via ESPN
36' Goal! TSG Hoffenheim 1, Borussia Mönchengladbach 0. Wout Weghorst (TSG Hoffenheim) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the centre of the goal. Assisted by Andrej Kramaric.
39' Goal! TSG Hoffenheim 1, Borussia Mönchengladbach 1. Robin Hack (Borussia Mönchengladbach) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Alassane Pléa following a fast break.
49' Ozan Kabak (TSG Hoffenheim) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
58' Goal! TSG Hoffenheim 2, Borussia Mönchengladbach 1. Grischa Prömel (TSG Hoffenheim) right footed shot from outside the box to the top left corner. Assisted by Robert Skov.
66' Goal! TSG Hoffenheim 3, Borussia Mönchengladbach 1. Ozan Kabak (TSG Hoffenheim) right footed shot from outside the box to the top left corner. Assisted by Wout Weghorst.
69' Substitution, Borussia Mönchengladbach. Joe Scally replaces Stefan Lainer.
70' Substitution, Borussia Mönchengladbach. Nathan Ngoumou replaces Marvin Friedrich.
70' Substitution, Borussia Mönchengladbach. Tomás Cvancara replaces Rocco Reitz.
71' Substitution, TSG Hoffenheim. John Anthony Brooks replaces Ozan Kabak.
75' Ko Itakura (Borussia Mönchengladbach) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
78' Goal! TSG Hoffenheim 3, Borussia Mönchengladbach 2. Robin Hack (Borussia Mönchengladbach) header from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Joe Scally with a cross.
82' Julian Weigl (Borussia Mönchengladbach) is shown the yellow card.
82' Tomás Cvancara (Borussia Mönchengladbach) is shown the yellow card.
82' Maximilian Beier (TSG Hoffenheim) is shown the yellow card.
84' Substitution, TSG Hoffenheim. Anton Stach replaces Grischa Prömel.
84' Substitution, TSG Hoffenheim. Finn Becker replaces Andrej Kramaric.
84' Substitution, TSG Hoffenheim. Ihlas Bebou replaces Maximilian Beier.
89' Goal! TSG Hoffenheim 3, Borussia Mönchengladbach 3. Robin Hack (Borussia Mönchengladbach) right footed shot from a difficult angle and long range on the right to the centre of the goal. Assisted by Julian Weigl following a corner.
90'+1' Goal! TSG Hoffenheim 4, Borussia Mönchengladbach 3. Anton Stach (TSG Hoffenheim) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Ihlas Bebou.
90'+2' Substitution, Borussia Mönchengladbach. Shio Fukuda replaces Ko Itakura.
90'+2' Substitution, Borussia Mönchengladbach. Lukas Ullrich replaces Luca Netz.
90'+4' Substitution, TSG Hoffenheim. David Jurásek replaces Robert Skov.
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FT: TSG Hoffenheim 4-3 Borussia Monchengladbach

Venue: PreZero Arena
Auto-refreshing reddit comments link
LINE-UPS
TSG Hoffenheim
Oliver Baumann, Florian Grillitsch, Tim Drexler, Ozan Kabak (John Brooks), Andrej Kramaric (Finn Becker), Grischa Prömel (Anton Stach), Umut Tohumcu, Robert Skov (David Jurasek), Pavel Kaderábek, Maximilian Beier (Ihlas Bebou), Wout Weghorst.
Subs: Kevin Akpoguma, Marius Bulter, Bambasé Conté, Luca Philipp.
^{____________________________}
Borussia Monchengladbach
Moritz Nicolas, Nico Elvedi, Maximilian Wöber, Marvin Friedrich (Nathan N'Goumou), Kou Itakura (Shio Fukuda), Julian Weigl, Rocco Reitz (Tomas Cvancara), Luca Netz (Lukas Ullrich), Stefan Lainer (Joe Scally), Robin Hack, Alassane Pléa.
Subs: Florian Neuhaus, Patrick Herrmann, Jan Olschowsky, Fabio Chiarodia.
MATCH EVENTS via ESPN
36' Goal! TSG Hoffenheim 1, Borussia Mönchengladbach 0. Wout Weghorst (TSG Hoffenheim) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the centre of the goal. Assisted by Andrej Kramaric.
39' Goal! TSG Hoffenheim 1, Borussia Mönchengladbach 1. Robin Hack (Borussia Mönchengladbach) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Alassane Pléa following a fast break.
49' Ozan Kabak (TSG Hoffenheim) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
58' Goal! TSG Hoffenheim 2, Borussia Mönchengladbach 1. Grischa Prömel (TSG Hoffenheim) right footed shot from outside the box to the top left corner. Assisted by Robert Skov.
66' Goal! TSG Hoffenheim 3, Borussia Mönchengladbach 1. Ozan Kabak (TSG Hoffenheim) right footed shot from outside the box to the top left corner. Assisted by Wout Weghorst.
69' Substitution, Borussia Mönchengladbach. Joe Scally replaces Stefan Lainer.
70' Substitution, Borussia Mönchengladbach. Nathan Ngoumou replaces Marvin Friedrich.
70' Substitution, Borussia Mönchengladbach. Tomás Cvancara replaces Rocco Reitz.
71' Substitution, TSG Hoffenheim. John Anthony Brooks replaces Ozan Kabak.
75' Ko Itakura (Borussia Mönchengladbach) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
78' Goal! TSG Hoffenheim 3, Borussia Mönchengladbach 2. Robin Hack (Borussia Mönchengladbach) header from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Joe Scally with a cross.
82' Julian Weigl (Borussia Mönchengladbach) is shown the yellow card.
82' Tomás Cvancara (Borussia Mönchengladbach) is shown the yellow card.
82' Maximilian Beier (TSG Hoffenheim) is shown the yellow card.
84' Substitution, TSG Hoffenheim. Anton Stach replaces Grischa Prömel.
84' Substitution, TSG Hoffenheim. Finn Becker replaces Andrej Kramaric.
84' Substitution, TSG Hoffenheim. Ihlas Bebou replaces Maximilian Beier.
89' Goal! TSG Hoffenheim 3, Borussia Mönchengladbach 3. Robin Hack (Borussia Mönchengladbach) right footed shot from a difficult angle and long range on the right to the centre of the goal. Assisted by Julian Weigl following a corner.
90'+1' Goal! TSG Hoffenheim 4, Borussia Mönchengladbach 3. Anton Stach (TSG Hoffenheim) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Ihlas Bebou.
90'+2' Substitution, Borussia Mönchengladbach. Shio Fukuda replaces Ko Itakura.
90'+2' Substitution, Borussia Mönchengladbach. Lukas Ullrich replaces Luca Netz.
90'+4' Substitution, TSG Hoffenheim. David Jurásek replaces Robert Skov.
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I had originally drafted my trip report in one post and had to separate them due to the character limit but the formatting got a bit messed up, apologies! Part 1 can be found here
DAY 8: Kichijoji, Tokyo
While walking to breakfast we were tempted by the smell of donuts at PIECE OF BAKE. They were fluffy and filled with cream, this style seems to be trendy as we saw it a few times. Recommend! We continued to get in a line that we thought was for Satou Kichijōji, but actually was for a sweet shop next door, Ozasa. After getting in the correct line we bought their famous beef croquettes. They'd been sold to me as extraordinary and while they were really good they weren't able to live up to the hype for me personally.
After the croquette we walked to Inokashira Park and began heading to the Ghibli Museum. The walk was lovely, I really love this park, with lots of flowers and many ducks. I especially loved passing all the people sitting in the sun reading books on park benches. We stopped at Inokashira Benzaiten, a Buddhist temple in the park by the lake. I don't know if they normally write goshuin stamps directly into your book but when I handed my book to them they spoke to someone in the back and told me to come back in a few minutes.
My husband has never seen a Ghibli movie and isn't into anime so I had just gotten a ticket for myself while he could do some exploring on his own. I lined up around 15 minutes early for my 12pm time slot, at which point there was already a fairly substantial queue. I think the people behind me had a later slot and after showing the attendant their ticket he pulled them out of the line.
To get my ticket I had three devices open, two phones and one computer, and signed into the website 30 minutes early. One of the phones randomly disconnected and had to be refreshed, for some reason that was the device that got the best number in line (7000 something). The other two devices got 13000 and 15000 if I remember correctly.
I've loved Miyazaki movies since discovering a VHS copy of Kiki's Delivery Service at my library as a child but the museum was not for me. I'm not upset about my visit since the cost was very low and I'd wanted to go for awhile, but I doubt I'll go back. As other people have reported it was very noisy and crowded with long lines for everything. It's a lovely space and with fewer people it would have been fantastic, people with a higher tolerance for crowds may enjoy it more. I think the short film alone was worth the price of admission (adorable sumo mice!) but I didn't stay long.
My disappointment was lifted when upon leaving from the museum I was greeted by several cherry blossom trees in full bloom. I'm fairly confident they were cherry blossoms since the flowers had the notches in the center of the petals, I'm no tree expert though. The trees were full of birds eating nectar, it was magnificent. We were too early for full cherry blossom season so I felt very grateful to be able to take photos and enjoy the ambiance.
After meeting back up with my husband we grabbed a drink at Craft Beer Market Atre, which had an excellent selection of Japanese craft beers, and then went to Nakano Broadway for shopping. I had read you could buy used watches there and wanted to get one for him as a present. Unfortunately I know nothing about watches and did not realize that even the cheapest ones were several THOUSAND dollars, which was more than I had to spend. Instead we window-shopped, looked at a bunch of anime figurines, and played a confusing quasi-gambling game with coins.
For dinner we walked to my favorite izakaya, Bakawarai Junsui. I went here on my first trip to Japan and it's now a staple of any visit, it is the absolute best. The staff are incredibly welcoming and the food is amazing. I swear the friendliness is infectious as I always end up laughing and joking with the other patrons, if you do come here definitely sit at the bar if you can. There isn't an English menu but if you tell the staff what you like they make great recommendations. We ate our way through sashimi, steak, this amazing cheese-honey thing, curry potatoes, and their signature omelet. After a lot of laughing and joking we ended the night taking tequila shots with the staff. At first my husband was a little confused why this was a required excursion, but by the end of the evening he was converted. If you're going to be in Kichijoji in the late afternoon/evening for the Ghibli Museum I highly recommend this place for dinner.
STEP COUNT: 19,220
DAY 9: Asakusa, Tokyo
We said goodbye to Kichijoji and headed to Asakusa View Hotel to drop off our luggage. An imposingly large hotel with fancy lobby, it was surprisingly cheap (something like $80 per night). It had a checkout time of 12pm, the latest of our trip. We were upgraded to an executive suite on the 24th floor, the room was narrow but the view was impressive. They also offered the most bonus amenities like a bunch of skincare samples and bath salts, and when we accidentally left some things they held them for us, I'd recommend this place.
The train ride was fine but at some of our transfers we weren't able to find elevators and had to carry our luggage up several flights of stairs. It could have been worse, we only had a backpack and small roller bag each, but still wasn't ideal. We also noticed that it is the custom to flip your backpack around to your front to make sure you don't accidentally knock into anyone.
To my surprise I did not like Asakusa as a whole. It was crowded and had restaurants that seemed to have inflated prices. The hotel was neat and it was really cool to spend a night so high up, but if I could do it over I would have skipped staying there and added an extra night in Kichijoji. Even when we walked around at night or early in the morning it was already busy. I had heard Asakusa was nice to stay in because it's quieter than Shinjuku or Shibuya, and I guess by comparison it probably is, but if you want things more mellow I'd stay elsewhere.
We first went to a sushi restaurant to meet our guide for a food tour I booked through AirBNB. On the tour we had sushi, soba, taiyaki and matcha ice cream, and for the first time on a tour we were paired with other tourists. It's slightly more geared for first-time travelers to Japan but I think it was worth the cost, at the sushi place we tried selections we would not have picked on our own. Tuna head meat is shockingly tasty! The guide also made an effort to make recommendations for things to do around Tokyo which I appreciated.
After the tour we picked up shichimi togarashi at Yagenbori and some lovely pottery at Dengama, my favorite being a crescent moon and bunny chopstick rest. In the evening we checked out ALL (W)RIGHT -sake place-, a sake brewery that makes doburoku. Doburoku is a very traditional style of sake where the rice and rice molt are fermented but not strained. I consider myself a fan of sake, and while this is not my favorite style it was really cool to try it. They have other styles as well and you can tell they experiment (for instance they had an IPA sake with CBD).
For dinner I had put "find something good on hoppy street!" in the itinerary which not the correct choice. Places were full, the ones that had space seemed overpriced, so we wandered back towards our hotel getting increasingly hangry. We settled on a teppanyaki place with good reviews. They almost turned us a away for being full but after deliberating for a minute said they could squeeze us in. I'm not going to call them out by name as I don't think we had a fair experience to judge them. The food was fine, not terrible but not really worth the price in my opinion, but what really colored the evening was how stressed all the staff seemed.
Our server American, and while I appreciate that he explained they were having a really tough night we probably wouldn't have noticed so it mainly served to make us feel really guilty for inconveniencing them. He also said they partially took us because he had had so many negative experiences being turned away at restaurants for being a foreigner even though he spoke fluent Japanese, and he didn't want us to think that's why they said they were full. Honestly we wouldn't have thought that way, and everywhere that turned us away on our trip appeared legitimately full, but still a nice gesture. Both him and the hostess apologized a bunch and gave us multiple gifts as we left, including a neat fold-out card with a hanging crane that is now displayed in our room, but I still feel guilty for adding to their stress and wish we had just made a reservation or gone to a different area.
STEP COUNT: 19,920
DAY 10: Ebisu, Tokyo
I was up earlier then my husband and decided to try Cafe Tomorrow Asakusa as I was craving a traditional Japanese breakfast. I should have been wary after I saw it only cost 880 yen, but it was still a letdown after how spectacular our breakfasts were at the ryokan and in Yakushima. It did, however, fill me up and was extremely cheap so I'm not upset. It opens at 7am and when I got there at 730 it was already pretty full, but the time I left at 815 there was a line down the stairs. If you're looking for a budget breakfast option this would be a good place.
My husband wanted a large meal before playing soccer later so we packed our things and walked to Suke6 Diner. We had a short wait but it wasn't bad, and the diner is in a nice location by the river. He had a "full English breakfast" which didn't quite live up to the name but was still good, and I had a chocolate croissant. Croissant was 10/10, I wish I had ordered a bunch to go.
Feeling reticent to schlep our luggage on the trains again we opted to take a taxi to our AirBNB in Ebisu. I picked the location for it's price and because I'd heard Ebisu is a nice area, somewhat close to Shinjuku but not too close. On my first trip I had exclusively stayed in AirBNBs and found I enjoyed the experience of pretending to live in Tokyo so I wanted my husband to have that too, but I think AirBNBs have changed in the last 6 years. This one was nice but really just felt like a slightly larger hotel room, with the added benefit of a very fancy washedryer in the room. It was a single machine that does both! I'm sure that technology exists in the US, and there's probably a reason they aren't common here, but I thought it was super cool and want one. On the plus side the host let us check-in three hours early and I loved how quiet and residential the area was.
My husband left to play soccer with a group he found on Meetup (an experience he really loved and recommends) while I went to IBREW EBISU. I love craft beer, especially IPAs, and found this to be a cool place. It did take me embarrassingly long to find as it's two floors down from street-level, and I struggled to open the heavy metal doors and thought they might be locked, but those minor hurdles made finding the bar more satisfying. Great selection, various price points, shockingly good falafel. I read my book and had a few beers before heading back.
My husband is a diehard Arsenal fan so after resting we left to check out HIGHBURY -THE HOME OF BEER- in Shinjuku. While trying to navigate we got terribly lost in Shinjuku station and spent a good 20 minutes attempting to locate our transfer. There were lots of signs but I think because of the construction that is happening they aren't always accurate. After exiting to the street and walking a few blocks we did manage to find the connection and get to the bar. The theming of the bar is very cool but we unfortunately happened to go on a night where someone was doing an unrelated presentation on Chinese beer so it wasn't the 'meet local Arsenal fans!' experience I was hoping for. The staff was polite and answered his questions about the memorabilia, the bathroom is especially themed, so we stayed for one beer and left.
We strolled to Shinjuku station, admiring the bright lights and party atmosphere, before making our way home. I had put "find something at the Ebisu yokocho!" for dinner but by the time we made it back most places were last-call or closed. While walking to the apartment we came across Taihouki Gyoza and picked it mostly because it stayed open until 3am. The place was packed with people, the food was hearty but nothing extraordinary, we had a nice time.
STEP COUNT: 23,930
DAY 11: Ebisu, Tokyo
My husband was feeling rather sore from soccer so I walked to Sarutahiko Coffee for coffee while he rested. The weather was perfect, I passed a small pond filled with aquatic plants and fish, it was just one of those lovely Tokyo experiences you get from just wandering through residential neighborhoods. Sarutahiko was pretty busy despite being quite literally next to a Starbucks and Blue Bottle Coffee, the coffee and the guava cake were both good.
In the early afternoon we went to Takeshita Street in Harajuku which was completely packed to the gills with people. We did a bit of shopping and then walked to Oreryu Shio-Ramen for spicy fried chicken and cheese ramen. They are cash only and at this point of the trip we were getting low, but we managed to pay with a bunch of leftover coins. The ramen was quite good, I'd put it below Seiyoken but above Ichiran.
We started walking to Meiji Shrine, this area was also pretty packed. We ended up paying to go into the gardens hoping for more quiet, something similar to Sengan-en, but I think March might be the worst time to visit. Everything was brown, very few flowers, and any tranquility was overshadowed by a loud concert happening in Yoyogi Park. We turned around before reaching the shrine, I think we either should have gone there first before shopping or visited early in the morning.
We had 2pm tickets to TeamLab Borderless so we headed there next. I had decided on Borderless instead of Planets because I don't love getting my feet wet, and I thought it would be cool to check out Borderless right after it reopened. The space is located inside a mall so be mindful about giving yourself time to navigate, it's not a standalone building. I had heard there were long lines to get in but there weren't any for us, we were able to drop off our shopping bags at complimentary lockers and walk straight in.
Borderless was excellent, if you go make sure to take your time with the different rooms. I wish we had been slightly less tired when we went, by this point in the trip our feet were pretty sore. I recommend the experience but wouldn't necessarily go again unless it was changed significantly.The previous day I had made a dinner reservation for Mizunotori (previously GEM by moto). It was easy to make one through Google, but don't be like me and tell yourself that the reservation was for 630 when you had actually made it for 6! They graciously still sat us and were nice about my error. This was an awesome restaurant, really delicious food and a great place to get exposed to different types of sake. My husband is not a sake guy and they were able to find one he liked. We felt a bit underdressed so I'd wear slightly nicer clothes if you come here. The staff was attentive and chatty, they educated us about sake and we stayed until closing.
STEP COUNT: 23,000
DAY 12: Asakusa, Tokyo
Our last day(s) were centered around staying at cyashitsu ryokan asakusa, which I had seen recommended on this sub. It's has a minimalist tea house aesthetic, since it was our last night I had booked the room with a private outdoor bath. If you book this room they will warn you that the bathroom is not inside the room, but it's quite literally one door over and we never ran into anyone in the hallway, honestly two of our other hotel rooms had bathrooms that were further away. It was lovely but I don't think it's necessary to get the room with it's own private bath, they have a larger outdoor bath that you can reserve that seemed empty most of the time.
After dropping off our luggage we went to The Burger Craft, picked mostly because of the reviews and proximity to where we were. Service was slow, there was just a cook and a waitress and they were handling both dine-in and take out orders, and my husband and I are split on the food. I loved my Quattro Cheese Burger, he got the BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger and disliked the buns and found it under seasoned. You do have to order a beverage other than water so keep that in mind if you're budgeting.
After lunch we decided to check out the Asakusa Don Quixote and SkyTree. Don Quixote was a zoo but fun, we picked up gifts for people but actually found a better selection with cheaper prices at Asakusa ROX the following day. At SkyTree my husband attempted to get a ticket to the observation deck but saw the line and decided to skip it, I hate heights and had Starbucks while he investigated.
We explored for a bit, I swear it looked very different in 2017 but that could just be my mind playing tricks on me. While adding money to our IC before getting on the train a solo tourist in front of us in line tried to add money using a credit card but all the charging stations were cash only. She seemed really stressed so we lent her some cash, but another good reason to always carry a bit of cash with you if you don't have Suica on your phone!
We left early to get to Saitamaya Yakiton as it opened at 4pm and I had heard the lineup starts as early as 330pm. It's a bit out of the way to get to, and on this particular windy Monday there was only one person waiting when we got there at 345 so that information may be outdated. We were seated at 4 and they began service, by the time we left around 6 the place was full and there was a line.
If I could only recommend three restaurants to people it would be Umi-no Cottage Tida, Bakawarai Junsui, and this place. You have to order at least one alcoholic beverage, it's also not a great choice if you're a picky eater, but if you're open to trying new things and want a fun night this is the place for it. You get 9 grilled meat skewers, what they are varies but you don't get to pick them, there are also additional small plates you can purchase.
This was the first time I've ever enjoyed liver or intestine, if they normally tasted like this I'd eat them all the time. Also the pig cartilage was unreasonably good?? It's a family run business, no phones or photography is allowed so you get to know your seatmates (we did use our phones to communicate through google translate which was fine), the man on our left has been coming here once a month for 20 years. We showed him our pictures from Yakushima, he showed us pictures of his hometown, it was a nice conversation.
I consumed many lemon sours, my husband found he loved the lemon hoppys, and when we told the owner we were on our honeymoon he grilled us some special wagyu beef which was probably the best single bite of our trip. The owner and his family speak a bit of English but we mostly used our phones to communicate which worked fine.
After resting at our hotel we decided to search for a karaoke bar to finish our trip. I can't find the name of the place but while it was fine I don't think you'd need to add it to a trip plan. There was a sign outside that said 'karaoke!' so we went in, but after sitting down we found out the karaoke started at 9 which was in about an hour and a half. We decided to stay, had a few more drinks and some snacks, only to discover at 9 that the karaoke was in a separate small space down the street that you rented by the hour.
I wasn't thrilled with this turn of events, we had really enjoyed singing with others in Yakushima and if we wanted to rent a space to ourselves we could have done that earlier in the night. Looking back I wish we had just said this wasn't what we were looking for and left, but at the time I was worried about coming across as rude so we went along with it. It was fine but the sound quality was worse than the bar in Yakushima. On the bright side it did make me appreciate how nice that place was!
STEP COUNT: 19,880
Day 13: Asakusa, Tokyo
Our flight wasn't until 9pm so I had set aside this day for shopping. The breakfast at cyashitsu was very nice although probably ranked lowest of the ryokan breakfasts (Umi-no Cottage Tida first, Anraku Onsen Shumine second), but it was still better than any hotel breakfast I've had in the States. They also very sweetly gave us a special plate wishing us a happy honeymoon and took a polaroid picture of us in our yukata.
I had paid to check out late but we were still almost even more late after I lost track of time in my bath, but we made it downstairs at 11 on the dot. They very nicely agreed to hold our luggage while we went shopping, and made some suggestions on places to go.
We first went to Asakusa ROX, a multi-story shopping mall with a bunch of small shops, mainly to get some children's books for my friend's children. It took us awhile to find the bookstore but while searching for it we found a ton of other rad souvenirs. The bookstore had several bilingual books, which is what I was searching for, so all in all an unexpectedly successful excursion.
We then went to B-Side Label, a really cool sticker store, in Harajuku. I love this store and have been every trip since discovering it, but I usually go to the Kichijoji branch. If you have the option I'd recommend that branch over the Harajuku one as it's a larger store and less crowded. Their other merch is also really neat and the stickers make great gifts.
We started getting hungry around 3, which is no mans land restaurant-wise as many places close after lunch and reopen later for dinner. I had a bunch of restaurants pinned but they all fell into this category so we ended up at Gyukatsu Kyoto Katsugyu Harajuku. There was a short wait but this place was excellent! Instead of pork katsu it's beef, and you grill it at the table over these small pots. Maybe too many options for dipping, it was kind of overwhelming, but that's not a really a complaint per se, and the beef was excellent. When we went to pay there was a group of tourists ahead of us that got frustrated with the staff when they couldn't split their bill three ways so maybe keep that in mind if you're a larger group.
After our late lunch we went back to the hotel to pick up our luggage and decided to get to the airport early since we were checking bags. The least amount of walking had us taking a bus to Nippori Station and then transferring to the Narita Skyliner, we briefly panicked when the bus took slightly longer then estimated and our transfer window was only 8 minutes but we made it in time!
The Narita Airport is nice, something I read said the food options were better before security so we went to grab dinner and did some last minute Uniqlo shopping where I found the best pair of workpants, I wish I had bought 3 more. Security took roughly 2 minutes, afterwards we did a bit more shopping and loaded up on snacks at the Family Mart.
I liked ZipAir, it's a budget airline but the katsu sandwich was surprisingly good and the service was attentive. We got lucky and there were multiple empty rows so we both moved and slept most of the flight.
STEP COUNT: 18,310
FINAL THOUGHTS: If you've gotten this far I hope you'll find some of it helpful for planning your own trip, my husband and I had an amazing time and are hoping to return soon. If you have any questions please let me know, I'm happy to answer!

Previous First Chapter Next
Kari wailed in pain, as the three cores began to eat away at her mind. Machia seemed to be having a strange seizure in midair since it was fine-tuned to copy Kari's exact movements.
Although she had not swallowed them herself, Machia was designed to share all of its experiences with its user, without any drawbacks. However she was walking into uncharted territory, something Hadoron had only theorized to her, but never tested. Yet she claimed it as her ace, and with that confidence, she descended on a path for destruction.
Large whips of electricity burst forth from the giant robot, simultaneously with a cloak of flames. Violet vein marks, streaked around Machia and Kari's bodies, making them even more dangerous than they were before.
Frost started to build up on the mech, dissipating almost as quickly as it appeared, while Machia exhaled out a cloud of steam. Its massive blue and silver ringed eyes, rotated within its socket until it fixed its gaze on them.
"Ahhh..." Kari's voice came out in multitone. "My first guests at my welcoming party! I'm so honoured. Nice to meet you...my name is Drakarna. You may bow before me now."
Amaara gritted her teeth, then gave her a confident smirk. "Sad excuse, for your last party. We'll be sure to light it up for you."
Koji gripped his hilt, bracing. "Her power has skyrocketed. They've become a much bigger threat than we came to deal with."
Simon started to sweat, as the heat became more intense, even for him. "I might have to agree with Koji on this one... We have to retreat. This might be too much for us to handle."
Amaara calmly looked back at the both of them. "To do what? Call for reinforcements? Go back to the group, we left back there and tell them, that the enemy was too strong?"
Her words washed a bit of shame over them. She clasped her hand into a fist, before her. "I'm sure you can feel that. Nur is actually getting serious over there. They already have a lot on their hands. We can't let this monster interfere!"
Simon shook himself out of it, hearing Amaara's pep talk and shifted into second gear, gathering all of the energy, he could muster forth. "That's right. We're Nova's!"
Koji sighed and did the same. Dark clouds gathered, then struck him with small supercharged bolts of lightning, as seven electric orbs rotated in place by his back, charged with billions of volts.
"Static: Raijin Yoroi." He said as he looked in Drakarna's direction. "We'll have to hit her with everything we've got and more. You know that right."
Amaara closed her eyes and took a deep breath, going into second gear, with a light blue, flame armour settling over her. "She's got, max 30 minutes. We just have to hold out till then and strike her when she's down." She noticed Drakarna's head twitching, disturbingly. "I don't think she's stable. If we hit her joints and find a weak spot, we might be able to break it down."
A faint blur broke their thoughts. "Move!" Koji yelled as he dropped down below, to the ground, while Amaara escaped to the skies.
Simon was rocked, by a punch delivered from Drakarna, too quick for him to see. His entire body reverberated from the impact, as he hurdled, crashing down into the planet.
Koji was shocked. "I barely noticed her move." He observed as he watched her shake, laughing out loud.
"Did you see how far he flew?!" She asked, turning her attention towards Koji. Disappearing almost as soon as her eyes settled on him and reappeared in front of him before he could blink. "I can't have my new toys, breaking so quickly." She placed her leg back, lacing it with purple fire and violet electricity.
Koji braced, as he quickly unsheathed his sword striking it with lightning to lessen the impact. She followed through, by kicking him with bone-shattering force and knocked him out, seconds into flight, as he soared into the sky.
She tried to finish him, appearing above, just before he was about to dip back down, when a blue beam of fire, crashed into her and pushed her back. It distracted her, but she waved it off with a quick flare of ice.
Amaara didn't hesitate, as she saw an opening. With quick reflexes, she unsheathed her sword and struck at the glass-like cockpit, Kari was visibly in. However instead of it breaking open, her sword chipped,
Leaving her speechless, as she looked up at Drakarna's giant face, smiling maliciously. The Nova panicked while striking at the cockpit as many times as she could until she was forced to stop. Not by her own will, but because the massive hands, holding her tight, continued to squeeze the life out of her.
Drakarna gave her a reassuring smile. "I commend you for your efforts. Let's have some more fun if you can survive this."
Amaara braced herself, not knowing what was coming. Drakarna flew up and backflipped to fly back down, calling a lightning strike, as a ride to take her back to the planet. She stopped less than ten kilometres in the air, only to throw Amaara down and cause a devastating earthquake.
"Amaara!" Koji called out, heaving and shuddering with visible wounds from the last attack.
He looked at the deformed princess, who was already eyeing him, with malice. 'So this is how I go out.' The thought crossed his mind as he charged up all of the electricity he could produce, blue volleys of fire whizzed from under him, crashing into Drakarna.
She turned to face Simon, taking no damage from the barrage, but watched him barely hold himself together, as he joined his comrade. Then gave him the most sinister grin, before darting her eyes back to Koji, who charged at her with a lightning-fast strike.
"Static: Namiutsu Shio!" He yelled, placing his full might into it, but was pushed back, barely making a dent in Drakarna's arm.
Her head spun in a weird angle, trying to keep up with Simon, sneaking up from behind her. "Ignite: Caelum Claver."
A wall of blue flames escaped his short sword, aiming to cut her down. Yet it was still unable to make a dent. He noticed, then opted to concentrate his flames to a razor point. However, to his despair, the blade froze and crumbled in mid-air, followed by a purple lightning strike, dropping him back down below. Simon was taken down in the same moment, it took Koji to turn around and strike the two drums behind his back, to follow up with a clash with Drakarna's fingers.
She was toying with him. "Oh my god, you're so adorable."
The Nova panicked, but that didn't stop her from grabbing him and throwing away his sword. She squeezed him for a second, as he yelled out, struggling to get free.
"Hold on a minute, I want to try something. I used to love doing this to birds and other creatures." She said, curiously.
He wondered which side of her, that came from from but was relieved to see that she had let him go a moment later. Celebrating too soon, as he dropped out of the sky, like an anchor.
Koji looked down at his body, seeing glacial blue, ice restraints, holding his body together. He tried shocking and burning them off of him, but they redirected the pain, back and amplified the elextricity.
Koji's parachute deployed, but was ripped apart, by his restraints, before it could function. There was nothing he could do, as he plummeted out of the sky, landing nearby Simon.
The princess let out a coarse laugh echoing across the land. "Now you gotta admit. That was hilarious. Anyways..."
Her expression turned serious. "Playtime is over."
She placed her right palm in front of her, as her head twitched. Manifesting a bright, condensed, electric purple star, twice her size and condensed to her limit. "Royal Star!"
Drakarna's attack's shadow, woke Simon up, as he & Koji looked up dazed, while chuckling and accepting defeat. Suddenly someone dropped in front of them, facing certain death.
Simon struggled to get up, seeing Amaara standing strong, with fire still burning within her eyes. "Ignite: San Ray!"
She placed her hands forth, as the beam of blue fire she had been preparing shattered forth, colliding with the massive ball of death. Slowing down its rate of descent.
Koji's restraints, broke free, from the heat and he shot up, looking over at Simon, who didn't look too well. They nodded at each other. Thrusting forth their palms into the sky, and letting off their strongest attacks in their arsenal.
"Ignite: Hyacintho Ignis Maxime!"
"Static: Raijin no Nagare!"
They poured every drop of power they could muster, reaching for more, wherever possible. Until they reached that wall, which only revealed the end.
Life began flashing before their eyes, as Drakarna's star, seemingly looked bigger and bigger as it got closer. Koji thought of all of his regrets, while Simon couldn't help, but think about all the people he loved and would never see again. A tear fell down Amaara's cheek, as the feeling of unfulfillment washed over her.
They assumed it was a twist of fate, but time seemed to have stopped for the three of them. A voice, feeling like it was speaking in unison, with millions of other people, spoke to them at the same time.
"What if, this isn't the end?"
Notes:
Raijin Yoroi means thunder deity's armour in Japanese.
Namiutsu Shio means roaring tide in Japanese.
Caelum Claver means sky cleaver in Latin.
San Ray means Sun Ray in Krio.
Hyacintho Ignis Maxime means maximum blue fire in Latin.
Raijin no Nagare means lightning flow in Japanese.
Previous First Chapter Next

Previous First Chapter Next
Kari wailed in pain, as the three cores began to eat away at her mind. Machia seemed to be having a strange seizure in midair since it was fine-tuned to copy Kari's exact movements.
Although she had not swallowed them herself, Machia was designed to share all of its experiences with its user, without any drawbacks. However she was walking into uncharted territory, something Hadoron had only theorized to her, but never tested. Yet she claimed it as her ace, and with that confidence, she descended on a path for destruction.
Large whips of electricity burst forth from the giant robot, simultaneously with a cloak of flames. Violet vein marks, streaked around Machia and Kari's bodies, making them even more dangerous than they were before.
Frost started to build up on the mech, dissipating almost as quickly as it appeared, while Machia exhaled out a cloud of steam. Its massive blue and silver ringed eyes, rotated within its socket until it fixed its gaze on them.
"Ahhh..." Kari's voice came out in multitone. "My first guests at my welcoming party! I'm so honoured. Nice to meet you...my name is Drakarna. You may bow before me now."
Amaara gritted her teeth, then gave her a confident smirk. "Sad excuse, for your last party. We'll be sure to light it up for you."
Koji gripped his hilt, bracing. "Her power has skyrocketed. They've become a much bigger threat than we came to deal with."
Simon started to sweat, as the heat became more intense, even for him. "I might have to agree with Koji on this one... We have to retreat. This might be too much for us to handle."
Amaara calmly looked back at the both of them. "To do what? Call for reinforcements? Go back to the group, we left back there and tell them, that the enemy was too strong?"
Her words washed a bit of shame over them. She clasped her hand into a fist, before her. "I'm sure you can feel that. Nur is actually getting serious over there. They already have a lot on their hands. We can't let this monster interfere!"
Simon shook himself out of it, hearing Amaara's pep talk and shifted into second gear, gathering all of the energy, he could muster forth. "That's right. We're Nova's!"
Koji sighed and did the same. Dark clouds gathered, then struck him with small supercharged bolts of lightning, as seven electric orbs rotated in place by his back, charged with billions of volts.
"Static: Raijin Yoroi." He said as he looked in Drakarna's direction. "We'll have to hit her with everything we've got and more. You know that right."
Amaara closed her eyes and took a deep breath, going into second gear, with a light blue, flame armour settling over her. "She's got, max 30 minutes. We just have to hold out till then and strike her when she's down." She noticed Drakarna's head twitching, disturbingly. "I don't think she's stable. If we hit her joints and find a weak spot, we might be able to break it down."
A faint blur broke their thoughts. "Move!" Koji yelled as he dropped down below, to the ground, while Amaara escaped to the skies.
Simon was rocked, by a punch delivered from Drakarna, too quick for him to see. His entire body reverberated from the impact, as he hurdled, crashing down into the planet.
Koji was shocked. "I barely noticed her move." He observed as he watched her shake, laughing out loud.
"Did you see how far he flew?!" She asked, turning her attention towards Koji. Disappearing almost as soon as her eyes settled on him and reappeared in front of him before he could blink. "I can't have my new toys, breaking so quickly." She placed her leg back, lacing it with purple fire and violet electricity.
Koji braced, as he quickly unsheathed his sword striking it with lightning to lessen the impact. She followed through, by kicking him with bone-shattering force and knocked him out, seconds into flight, as he soared into the sky.
She tried to finish him, appearing above, just before he was about to dip back down, when a blue beam of fire, crashed into her and pushed her back. It distracted her, but she waved it off with a quick flare of ice.
Amaara didn't hesitate, as she saw an opening. With quick reflexes, she unsheathed her sword and struck at the glass-like cockpit, Kari was visibly in. However instead of it breaking open, her sword chipped,
Leaving her speechless, as she looked up at Drakarna's giant face, smiling maliciously. The Nova panicked while striking at the cockpit as many times as she could until she was forced to stop. Not by her own will, but because the massive hands, holding her tight, continued to squeeze the life out of her.
Drakarna gave her a reassuring smile. "I commend you for your efforts. Let's have some more fun if you can survive this."
Amaara braced herself, not knowing what was coming. Drakarna flew up and backflipped to fly back down, calling a lightning strike, as a ride to take her back to the planet. She stopped less than ten kilometres in the air, only to throw Amaara down and cause a devastating earthquake.
"Amaara!" Koji called out, heaving and shuddering with visible wounds from the last attack.
He looked at the deformed princess, who was already eyeing him, with malice. 'So this is how I go out.' The thought crossed his mind as he charged up all of the electricity he could produce, blue volleys of fire whizzed from under him, crashing into Drakarna.
She turned to face Simon, taking no damage from the barrage, but watched him barely hold himself together, as he joined his comrade. Then gave him the most sinister grin, before darting her eyes back to Koji, who charged at her with a lightning-fast strike.
"Static: Namiutsu Shio!" He yelled, placing his full might into it, but was pushed back, barely making a dent in Drakarna's arm.
Her head spun in a weird angle, trying to keep up with Simon, sneaking up from behind her. "Ignite: Caelum Claver."
A wall of blue flames escaped his short sword, aiming to cut her down. Yet it was still unable to make a dent. He noticed, then opted to concentrate his flames to a razor point. However, to his despair, the blade froze and crumbled in mid-air, followed by a purple lightning strike, dropping him back down below. Simon was taken down in the same moment, it took Koji to turn around and strike the two drums behind his back, to follow up with a clash with Drakarna's fingers.
She was toying with him. "Oh my god, you're so adorable."
The Nova panicked, but that didn't stop her from grabbing him and throwing away his sword. She squeezed him for a second, as he yelled out, struggling to get free.
"Hold on a minute, I want to try something. I used to love doing this to birds and other creatures." She said, curiously.
He wondered which side of her, that came from from but was relieved to see that she had let him go a moment later. Celebrating too soon, as he dropped out of the sky, like an anchor.
Koji looked down at his body, seeing glacial blue, ice restraints, holding his body together. He tried shocking and burning them off of him, but they redirected the pain, back and amplified the elextricity.
Koji's parachute deployed, but was ripped apart, by his restraints, before it could function. There was nothing he could do, as he plummeted out of the sky, landing nearby Simon.
The princess let out a coarse laugh echoing across the land. "Now you gotta admit. That was hilarious. Anyways..."
Her expression turned serious. "Playtime is over."
She placed her right palm in front of her, as her head twitched. Manifesting a bright, condensed, electric purple star, twice her size and condensed to her limit. "Royal Star!"
Drakarna's attack's shadow, woke Simon up, as he & Koji looked up dazed, while chuckling and accepting defeat. Suddenly someone dropped in front of them, facing certain death.
Simon struggled to get up, seeing Amaara standing strong, with fire still burning within her eyes. "Ignite: San Ray!"
She placed her hands forth, as the beam of blue fire she had been preparing shattered forth, colliding with the massive ball of death. Slowing down its rate of descent.
Koji's restraints, broke free, from the heat and he shot up, looking over at Simon, who didn't look too well. They nodded at each other. Thrusting forth their palms into the sky, and letting off their strongest attacks in their arsenal.
"Ignite: Hyacintho Ignis Maxime!"
"Static: Raijin no Nagare!"
They poured every drop of power they could muster, reaching for more, wherever possible. Until they reached that wall, which only revealed the end.
Life began flashing before their eyes, as Drakarna's star, seemingly looked bigger and bigger as it got closer. Koji thought of all of his regrets, while Simon couldn't help, but think about all the people he loved and would never see again. A tear fell down Amaara's cheek, as the feeling of unfulfillment washed over her.
They assumed it was a twist of fate, but time seemed to have stopped for the three of them. A voice, feeling like it was speaking in unison, with millions of other people, spoke to them at the same time.
"What if, this isn't the end?"
Notes:
Raijin Yoroi means thunder deity's armour in Japanese.
Namiutsu Shio means roaring tide in Japanese.
Caelum Claver means sky cleaver in Latin.
San Ray means Sun Ray in Krio.
Hyacintho Ignis Maxime means maximum blue fire in Latin.
Raijin no Nagare means lightning flow in Japanese.
Previous First Chapter Next

Watch as I curse this fandom with a Crossover idea I am desperate to write but might take forever to write and be satisfied enough with to post anywhere XDDDD!!
So basically, this version of Asahi Kobe from Happy Sugar Life is Mei Chang's big brother (and whether or not he's a reincarnation of Canon!Asahi is up for debate). But he's also not; he has Canon!Asahi's purple hair and eyes, and the paler skin. To explain this a bit, this Asahi was also stillborn, so he was "brought back" as an FMA 2003-style Homunculus a la '03 Wrath (basically, the only way to make a Homunculus in this fic other than the shit done to Hohenheim to make Father and the shit Father did to himself, and to Ling and the Brotherhood!Bradleys; transmute from the human remains and have a strong enough will to at least create a Homunculus of the poor soul you're trying to bring back), the Homunculus of Izumi's stillborn child (and yes, the original Asahi's a Child By Rape like his Canon self. This version of his poor mother was still going to raise said child for a bit either because it was mandated by her rapist the Emperor or because she wants to see some good in her King in some way). He's force-fed at least one human soul somehow, in some way, likely when he's still a baby or toddler, in a failed attempt by his mother to turn him into a picture-perfect copy of what his mother thinks her original son would've looked like.
Eventually, just after Mei's born and Homunculus!Asahi gets to hold her in his arms, the Xingese Emperor finds out about Homunculus!Asahi and the poor kid's handed over to him for experimentation. Experimentation which the Emperor concludes to be a failure because he doesn't want to die and then be "brought back" as a clone with lifelong existential angst that can still age. Homunculus!Asahi is still kept around for Hellish "training" to eventually become Mei's bodyguard (considering his condition, he has no claim to Xing's throne himself and he wouldn't want any such thing anyway. Also, he still gets his Canon self's physical scars due to the fact that he'd almost NEVER willingly eat souls).
Homunculus!Asahi thinks of human souls as both the best food he's ever tasted, and -because of his morals- the WORST food he's ever tasted. He's also just as obsessed with being Mei's big brothegiving her some kind of happiness as Canon!Asahi was with being Shio's big brothegiving her and their mother Yuuna some kind of happiness. This is out of genuine care for Mei, but those who even know the RUMORS, and Asahi himself, have different interpretations of that care and obsession. The prevailing outside interpretation is that Homunculus!Asahi is desperately trying to convince himself that he's already human when he fundamentally isn't. Asahi himself would tell you that he knows he's not human, but that maybe he's trying to convince himself that he's not some kind of monster or fragmented ghost.
I currently think that Asahi's own Homunculus power would be a very watered down/incomplete version of Envy's; specifically, he can shapeshift partially or completely into nonhuman animals and nothing else, and the usage of this power exhausts him. As for why I'm still thinking of this, Canon!Asahi clearly would've tried to become almost ANYTHING for his mother and sister. Keyword: Tried.
I think Homunculus!Asahi's Ouroboros tattoo would probably be right on his neck, normally hidden by the bandages there.
As for the rest, well, the above is thrown into Canon FMA Brotherhood. Watch carefully, and stir.
For anyone wondering, this is absolutely self-promotion (and wanting to give a little love to the FMA 2003 Fandom), but it's specifically because of that that I'd love discussion/commentary; I'd like to know what people think of this idea.
Email: [delgadoaaron20@gmail.com](mailto:delgadoaaron20@gmail.com)
Discord, AO3, and Tumblr: shadowswithineverything
HSL Reddit Post: https://www.reddit.com/HappySugarLife/comments/1bth1nk/homunculusasahi_in_fma_brotherhood_setting_title/
FMA Reddit Post: https://www.reddit.com/FullmetalAlchemist/comments/1btk0a0/03homunculus_asahi_kobe_in_fma_brotherhood/
AO3 Post: https://archiveofourown.org/works/54955831/chapters/139309321#workskin
I've finally started plotting this idea out, too, btw. So if anyone's curious I just need an email and I can send you the Google Doc for the plot.

Watch as I curse this fandom with a Crossover idea I am desperate to write but might take forever to write and be satisfied enough with to post anywhere XDDDD!!
So basically, this version of Asahi Kobe from Happy Sugar Life is Mei Chang's big brother (and whether or not he's a reincarnation of Canon!Asahi is up for debate). But he's also not; he has Canon!Asahi's purple hair and eyes, and the paler skin. To explain this a bit, this Asahi was also stillborn, so he was "brought back" as an FMA 2003-style Homunculus a la '03 Wrath (basically, the only way to make a Homunculus in this fic other than the shit done to Hohenheim to make Father and the shit Father did to himself, and to Ling and the Brotherhood!Bradleys; transmute from the human remains and have a strong enough will to at least create a Homunculus of the poor soul you're trying to bring back), the Homunculus of Izumi's stillborn child (and yes, the original Asahi's a Child By Rape like his Canon self. This version of his poor mother was still going to raise said child for a bit either because it was mandated by her rapist the Emperor or because she wants to see some good in her King in some way). He's force-fed at least one human soul somehow, in some way, likely when he's still a baby or toddler, in a failed attempt by his mother to turn him into a picture-perfect copy of what his mother thinks her original son would've looked like.
Eventually, just after Mei's born and Homunculus!Asahi gets to hold her in his arms, the Xingese Emperor finds out about Homunculus!Asahi and the poor kid's handed over to him for experimentation. Experimentation which the Emperor concludes to be a failure because he doesn't want to die and then be "brought back" as a clone with lifelong existential angst that can still age. Homunculus!Asahi is still kept around for Hellish "training" to eventually become Mei's bodyguard (considering his condition, he has no claim to Xing's throne himself and he wouldn't want any such thing anyway. Also, he still gets his Canon self's physical scars due to the fact that he'd almost NEVER willingly eat souls).
Homunculus!Asahi thinks of human souls as both the best food he's ever tasted, and -because of his morals- the WORST food he's ever tasted. He's also just as obsessed with being Mei's big brothegiving her some kind of happiness as Canon!Asahi was with being Shio's big brothegiving her and their mother Yuuna some kind of happiness. This is out of genuine care for Mei, but those who even know the RUMORS, and Asahi himself, have different interpretations of that care and obsession. The prevailing outside interpretation is that Homunculus!Asahi is desperately trying to convince himself that he's already human when he fundamentally isn't. Asahi himself would tell you that he knows he's not human, but that maybe he's trying to convince himself that he's not some kind of monster or fragmented ghost.
I currently think that Asahi's own Homunculus power would be a very watered down/incomplete version of Envy's; specifically, he can shapeshift partially or completely into nonhuman animals and nothing else, and the usage of this power exhausts him. As for why I'm still thinking of this, Canon!Asahi clearly would've tried to become almost ANYTHING for his mother and sister. Keyword: Tried.
I think Homunculus!Asahi's Ouroboros tattoo would probably be right on his neck, normally hidden by the bandages there.
As for the rest, well, the above is thrown into Canon FMA Brotherhood. Watch carefully, and stir.
For anyone wondering, this is absolutely self-promotion (and wanting to give a little love to the FMA 2003 Fandom), but it's specifically because of that that I'd love discussion/commentary; I'd like to know what people think of this idea.
Email: [delgadoaaron20@gmail.com](mailto:delgadoaaron20@gmail.com)
Discord, AO3, and Tumblr: shadowswithineverything
HSL Reddit Post: https://www.reddit.com/HappySugarLife/comments/1bth1nk/homunculusasahi_in_fma_brotherhood_setting_title/
FMA03 Reddit Post: https://www.reddit.com/FullmetalAlchemist03/comments/1btk55i/03homunculus_asahi_kobe_in_fma_brotherhood/
AO3 Post: https://archiveofourown.org/works/54955831/chapters/139309321#workskin
I've finally started plotting this idea out, too, btw. So if anyone's curious I just need an email and I can send you the Google Doc for the plot.

Watch as I continue to curse this fandom with Crossover ideas I am desperate to write but might take forever to write and be satisfied enough with to post anywhere XDDDD!!
So basically, this Asahi is Mei Chang's big brother (and whether or not he's a reincarnation of Canon!Asahi is up for debate). But he's also not; he has Canon!Asahi's purple hair and eyes, and the paler skin. To explain this a bit, this Asahi was also stillborn, so he was "brought back" as an FMA 2003-style Homunculus a la '03 Wrath (basically, the only way to make a Homunculus in this fic other than the shit done to Hohenheim to make Father and the shit Father did to himself, and to Ling and the Brotherhood!Bradleys; transmute from the human remains and have a strong enough will to at least create a Homunculus of the poor soul you're trying to bring back), the Homunculus of Izumi's stillborn child (and yes, the original Asahi's still a Child By Rape like his Canon self. This version of his poor mother was still going to raise said child for a bit either because it was mandated by her rapist the Emperor or because she wants to see some good in her King in some way). He's force-fed at least one human soul somehow, in some way, likely when he's still a baby or toddler, in a failed attempt by his mother to turn him into a picture-perfect copy of what his mother thinks her original son would've looked like.
Eventually, just after Mei's born and Homunculus!Asahi gets to hold her in his arms, the Xingese Emperor finds out about Homunculus!Asahi and the poor kid's handed over to him for experimentation. Experimentation which the Emperor concludes to be a failure because he doesn't want to die and then be "brought back" as a clone with lifelong existential angst that can still age. Homunculus!Asahi is still kept around for Hellish "training" to eventually become Mei's bodyguard (considering his condition, he has no claim to Xing's throne himself and he wouldn't want any such thing anyway. Also, yes, he still gets his Canon self's physical scars due to the fact that he'd almost NEVER willingly eat souls).
Homunculus!Asahi thinks of human souls as both the best food he's ever tasted, and -because of his morals- the WORST food he's ever tasted. He's also just as obsessed with being Mei's big brothegiving her some kind of happiness as Canon!Asahi was with being Shio's big brothegiving her and their mother Yuuna some kind of happiness. This is out of genuine care for Mei, but those who even know the RUMORS, and Asahi himself, have different interpretations of that care and obsession. The prevailing outside interpretation is that Homunculus!Asahi is desperately trying to convince himself that he's already human when he fundamentally isn't. Asahi himself would tell you that he knows he's not human, but that maybe he's trying to convince himself that he's not some kind of monster or fragmented ghost.
I currently think that Asahi's own Homunculus power would be a very watered down/incomplete version of Envy's; specifically, he can shapeshift partially or completely into nonhuman animals and nothing else, and the usage of this power exhausts him. As for why I'm still thinking of this, Canon!Asahi clearly would've tried to become almost ANYTHING for his mother and sister. Keyword: Tried.
I think Homunculus!Asahi's Ouroboros tattoo would probably be right on his neck, normally hidden by the bandages there.
As for the rest, well, the above is thrown into Canon FMA Brotherhood. Watch carefully, and stir.
I know this can easily be expanded on to include the other HSL characters. I also sort of hope this might inspire others to expand like that because I have no intention of doing so.
For anyone wondering, this is absolutely self-promotion (and wanting to give a little love to the FMA 2003 Fandom), but it's specifically because of that that I'd love discussion/commentary; I'd like to know what people think of this idea.
Email: [delgadoaaron20@gmail.com](mailto:delgadoaaron20@gmail.com)
Discord, AO3, and Tumblr: shadowswithineverything
FMA Reddit Post: https://www.reddit.com/FullmetalAlchemist/comments/1btk0a0/03homunculus_asahi_kobe_in_fma_brotherhood/
FMA03 Reddit Post: https://www.reddit.com/FullmetalAlchemist03/comments/1btk55i/03homunculus_asahi_kobe_in_fma_brotherhood/
AO3 Post: https://archiveofourown.org/works/54955831/chapters/139309321#workskin
I've finally started plotting this idea out, too, btw. So if anyone's curious I just need an email and I can send you the Google Doc for the plot.

So like, when Hatchkey confronts Shio about his past in [Book 2, chapter 3, Copycat](www.stellarparadigm.com/ch3-copycat) , there's this one specific scene where he reads one of Shio's murders and says the following.

"Oh, I’m surprised you had a gun before, too? That’s not nice. What about that other guy you shot? What’s his name? Ki-"

and I went absolutely crazy over it- and got frustrated that Dasu just straight up cut him off :(
Since there's no evidence of Shio having any relations with this... Ki- I racked my brains and considered all the possibilities
Possibly, he could be a co-worker, or a friend, or jist a random stranger maybe
personally I feel like "Ki" might've been Shio's older brother i dunno
There's also a possibility of the other person in enemy (Dasu's second song in yt) being "Ki", the one with the scarf that Shio repeatedly harms, though well it could just be Hira's beta design or shio before the whole tail thing but like
I wanna see how you guys think of this, first post here and stuff so like yea
VERY HAPPY TO BE HERE JOINED REDDIT JIST SO I COULD JOIN THIS COMMUNITY-

I just returned from my latest trip to Japan. Similar to the last time I went to Japan in November 2022, here's another long writeup of my experience.
BACKGROUND

• This was my fourth time overall in Japan, and once again I traveled to Japan alone. My primary focuses when traveling are photography and trying out local food.
• I did not get a JR Pass because of the price hike last year. Even with how many trains I needed to take for this itinerary, it did not add up to be enough to be worth it. Plus almost every one of my trains were shinkansen or limited express requiring reservations, so the convenience value of the JR Pass was basically zero anyway.
• I got an eSIM from Airalo, which was much better than getting a pocket WiFi. I used the 10 GB plan for 15 days and it was enough.
• I brought a large suitcase on this trip, but did not take it to all of my stops since my itinerary involved lots of one night stays. I shipped it from Sapporo to Kanazawa, then again from Kanazawa to Tokyo. In between those, when I was staying at hotels for only one night at a time, I just had a duffel bag. My suitcase carried all the clothes I didn't need and all the souvenirs I bought.
• Like all my trips, I had an itinerary all written out but had lots of flexibility. I didn't make any restaurant reservations this time around because of how much intercity traveling I had to do.

REPORT
2/9 SAPPORO

• Landed at New Chitose at 7:45am. I took a bus that stopped a block away from my hotel, Hotel Tokyu Stay Sapporo Odori. At this point it was 10am, and I dropped off all my luggage and headed back out to explore the city.
• First thing I did was visit the Sapporo Beer Museum. The museum itself wasn't all that interesting, but the tasting set from the beer hall was a nice start to the trip. I tried going to the restaurant here but they were full.
• Headed back downtown to get lunch. I tried going to Soup Curry Garaku, but they weren't accepting walk-ins. Down the street was Soup Curry King, and after a short wait in line I was seated. I ordered the pork curry which was a great filling meal to begin my trip with.
• After lunch I headed to Odori Park for the Sapporo Snow Festival. At this point the snow was really coming down and I was still adjusting to the temperature, so I couldn't take many photos without my hands freezing up. I walked a few circles around the park to see what I could. I decided to come back to the park later at night. I headed to Sapporo Government Building but it is under renovation. Then I saw the Clock Tower. Finally I went to a Rokkatei shop and picked up a few cookies there. At this point it was snowing hard so I decided to take a break at the hotel.
• I rested in my hotel for two hours before heading out to the Snow Festival to see it at night. The snow stopped and it wasn't windy so it was a lot more comfortable walking around. I checked out a few more sculptures and food stalls, and also went up to the top of Sapporo TV Tower.
• I wanted to get jingisukan for dinner. I considered going to one of the many Daruma branches but as I walked in that direction there was a restaurant across from my hotel, Hiratsuka, that had minimal wait so I just settled on that. I ordered a set with different cuts, plus green onion rice with egg, and a ridiculously really large lemon sour.

2/10 SAPPORO

• First thing in the morning I went to Hill of the Buddha. Spent about an hour at the park to see the Buddha statue and the moai statues, then got on a bus back to downtown.
• I went to Kani Honke near Sapporo Station for lunch. I got there just as it opened so I didn't have to wait even without a reservation. I ordered a variety of snow crab and king crab dishes including sashimi.
• After lunch, I walked around at Maruyama Park and Hokkaido Shrine. I walked back toward the train station after and took a bus to Sapporo Fushimi Inari. Not as impressive as the one in Kyoto, but still interesting to see in the snow. It's a hill, so walking to the top was a pain with the ice. It's interesting that they have so many signs here telling people not to take photos, but there's absolutely no enforcement for it so everyone does anyway.
• From that shrine, I walked over to the Mt. Moiwa Ropeway. The plan was to see sunset from the observatory. However just as I ascended the mountain and sunset was approaching, it began snowing and clouded the famous view from the top. Since there wasn't anything to see from the observatory at that point, I just bought some stuff from the gift shop. I headed back down the ropeway, and once below the snow clouds the view of the city was visible but it was difficult to photograph in a crowded cable car.
• I went to Ramen Alley for dinner, and checked out the ice sculptures in Susukino along the way. I initially considered Haruka but it closed its line as soon as I got there. I decided to go for Teshikaga. The only issue here was that the lines here were really unorganized because of how crowded every shop was, and I ended up lined up for a different ramen shop. After an hour of waiting in the wrong line, I shifted over to the correct line and waited another 30 minutes. Food was worth it though! I got the miso ramen and some zangi (fried chicken).

2/11 ASAHIKAWA AND OTARU

• The snow was coming down hard in Sapporo this day but I had planned on doing day trips this day, and it wasn't snowing outside of Sapporo. I took a train to Asahikawa at 8am. Once in Asahikawa I took a bus to the Asahiyama Zoo. The line for the bus was pretty crazy and I didn't get to the zoo until about 10:45am.
• Got to the zoo in time to see the 11am penguin march. It's really cute! But it happens really quickly, and it's a struggle against other tourists trying to give themselves the best view. The rest of the zoo is pretty interesting too so I'd recommend staying to see at least a few other animals. I had lunch in the cafeteria area and then went to see the polar bears, wolves, tigers, and red pandas. After a few hours at the zoo I headed back to Asahikawa Station and got onto the train around 3pm back to Sapporo.
• I then headed to Otaru. First thing I did there was the local branch of Popura Farm to try "Santa Claus' beard" i.e. ice cream served on top of melon. Was expensive but pretty good!
• Next I walked down to the Otaru Canal to see the Snow Light Path Festival. There isn't as much to see here compared to the Sapporo Snow Festival obviously, but it's really pretty when lit up at night, and not nearly as crowded. Definitely worth checking out if you can overlap your trip to see both festivals.
• Final stop of the night was dinner at Naruto. They are most famous for their fried chicken so I got that, as well as some sushi and grilled squid.

2/12 SAPPORO TO NOBORIBETSU

• This morning was also the Super Bowl back home! I had to follow it on my phone as I went around in the morning. I began by visiting Ohiso in Nijo Market and getting kaisendon and a grilled mackerel. After, I walked around in the market to try to buy some last minute famous Sapporo foods including a small box of fresh melon chunks. Then I went back to my hotel to finish packing and continue watching the game. At checkout, I had the hotel ship my luggage to Kanazawa.
• Around 11:45am I decided to get another meal, so I stopped by another jingisukan restaurant near my hotel called Matsuo. The jingisukan here was done differently than the one I had previously because they added sauce to the vegetables rather than just let them grill with the meat. Throughout all of this I was watching with my hopes up of a 49er victory in the Super Bowl.
• I had a reservation for Ryotei Hanayura in Noboribetsu, and they have a shuttle for customers arriving from Sapporo that meets at Sapporo TV Tower. It was still a bit early, plus the Super Bowl went into overtime, so I sat in Odori Park with my eyes glued to my phone. The game ended with a Niners loss, and, very appropriately, a bunch of snow from the tree branch above me fell on me as we lost.
• Got on my shuttle bus depressed about the outcome of the game, intent on boiling in my misery once I got to the onsen. Around sunset I walked over to Jigokudani, and then checked out some local shops before heading back to the hotel. I spent the rest of the night in the hotel, from eating the kaiseki meal to using the private onsen.

2/13 NOBORIBETSU TO HAKODATE

• I woke up early so I tried out the public onsen in the hotel with no one else around, then went to the breakfast buffet. Before I checked out of my room I used the private onsen once more as I finished packing.
• Next stop was Lake Toya. From Toya Station I took a bus to the lake. By the lake, I went to a popular but cozy restaurant called Boyotei and ordered a Hamburg steak. After lunch I walked over to the lake. I walked back to the bus stop after and took the bus back down to the JR station to take the train to Hakodate.
• I got to Hakodate just after sunset. I dropped off my stuff at the JR Inn Hakodate just next to the station, then caught a bus to try to go to Goryokaku Tower. I thought that the tower would still be open because the star shaped park had an illumination event that was advertised as ending at 7pm daily. However I got to the tower at 6:15pm and the signs said it had closed at 6pm. Seems kinda ridiculous that the illumination event goes on until 7pm when you can't even get into the tower with the viewpoint past 6pm. So I headed to the ropeway up to Mt. Hakodate. View from up top was amazing, though a little cloudy.
• I finished off my day by taking the tram back to the JR station and eating at Shinano across the street. Hakodate is famous for their shio ramen so I ordered that along with gyoza.

2/14 HAKODATE TO TOKYO

• Started the day at Hakodate Morning Market. First I went to a stall that allowed you to catch your own squid from a tank, then the chef chops it up into sashimi for you. Then I went to Ikkatei Tabiji to try the famous dancing squid bowl. It's pretty amusing, and I guess worth buying it one time for the novelty, but wasn't as good as other seafood donburi I've had.
• Following this I walked toward Motomachi, and checked out Hakodate Meijikan and Kanemori Red Brick Warehouse. I walked up Hachiman-Zaka Slope and saw some of the historic buildings here. The only one that was closed was the Orthodox Church. After checking out the buildings I walked back down the slope to the warehouses and stopped by Pastry Snaffle's and bought some treats.
• I got lunch at the Lucky Pierrot branch next to the bay, across from the warehouses. I only ordered their famous Chinese chicken burger but in retrospect I should have also ordered their omurice or curry rice because I didn't eat much for the next couple hours.
• I went back to Goryokaku Tower so I could finally go up to get the view, then took a bus back to the JR station and got all my stuff from my hotel, ready to take the shinkansen down to Tokyo.
• I took a train to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station, then transferred to the shinkansen to Tokyo. What made this ride bad was even though I had a window seat, I was seated by a Thai family with a toddler and a baby. The baby would not stop crying the entire ride, so I couldn't sleep during the ride. The toddler was out of control, constantly running out of her seat around the train, forcing her father to get out of his seat to chase her when she was bothering other passengers. Whenever the toddler wasn't running around, she was in her father's lap in the seat next to me, and she would occasionally kick me or hit me with her toys.
• My hotel for the night was the Century Southern Tower, and since it was just for one night I booked a nice room with a panoramic view. Since I couldn't sleep at all on that train ride, I was really exhausted by the time I got to Tokyo. I just gave up on my plans for that night and grabbed a bunch of food and drinks at 7-11 and crashed in my hotel room for the night and enjoyed the view.

2/15 KANAZAWA

• The next morning I took the shinkansen to Kanazawa. It was still morning when I got to the city so I couldn't check in to my hotel (The Hotel Sanraku Kanazawa) yet but I dropped off my duffel bag along with the suitcase which had arrived from Sapporo. Down the street from my hotel was Kourin Sushi which only had a short wait for it. I ordered a sushi set and added on a piece of uni and nodoguro.
• Next I walked over to Higashi Chaya District. I tried out the gold leaf ice cream at Hakuichi. The gold leaf doesn't really add anything to it, it's just for show. It started raining around this time so I went into Shima Teahouse and had tea. After walking through this district I walked back toward my hotel, passing through the Kazuemachi Chaya District on the way.
• After taking a break, I went out for dinner. I wanted to try hanton rice since it's a Kanazawa specialty. Every site online said to try it at Grill Otsuka. However when I got there, they had a sign on their door that they were closed that day on top of their regular weekly closure. Disappointed, I looked for another option nearby and found it at a restaurant called Guernica.
• I could still eat but needed a break first, so I walked through the Nagamachi District. Not much to see at night, but it was a peaceful walk since no one else was around. Afterward I walked over to Miyuki for oden. It took about 20 minutes of waiting. There were so many options on the menu and didn't really have any preferences so I asked my waiter to give me his recommendations, and I just went ahead and got things he suggested. I added on a few pork skewers.

2/16 KANAZAWA, SHIRAKAWAGO, AND TAKAYAMA

• The hotel had an awesome breakfast buffet. Not only did it have typical buffet food and Japanese offerings, but they had lots of Kanazawa specialties including hanton rice, curry rice, oden, and grilled nodoguro.
• Before checking out of my hotel, I walked through Kanazawa Castle Park and Kenrokuen. I ended up on the other side of the park, and was near Nagamachi again so I decided to walk through it again. I didn't have time to really go to the open houses though. I caught a bus back to the hotel and checked out and shipped my luggage to Tokyo.
• I walked from my hotel through Omicho Market, and then to Kanazawa Station for my bus to Shirakawago. I booked a bus at 11:10am from Nohi Bus and it was completely packed. When we got to Shirakawago I left my luggage at a store behind the bus station, since the bus station's coin lockers were all full. Shirakawago was quite a sight, even if the temperature had been warming up lately and a lot of the rooftop snow had melted. Tried a variety of snacks at different vendors, including Hida beef skewers, Hida beef franks, beef buns, churros, and gohei mochi. This place was also probably the most chaotic one I went to with the sheer volume of tourists here. I think it would have been nicer to see at night with the house lights on but my schedule couldn't fit that.
• I had booked the 3:45pm bus from Shirakawago to Takayama. Once again this bus was completely packed. My hotel, Takayama Ouan, was down the street from the station.
• My initial plan for dinner was to go to Maruaki. However when I got there, they already had three sheets filled on their waiting list and the hostess said they weren't taking any more parties for the night. So I walked a few blocks to Suzuya. I had to wait outside for about 40 minutes but it was worth the wait - this was the best meal I had on my trip. I ordered two Hida beef dishes - the hoba miso and sukiyaki. Definitely oriented toward tourists but the service was exceptionally helpful and friendly, and the waiter was very energetic. I walked back to the hotel afterward and passed out from all the food. The hotel makes free ramen for all its guests around 9pm each night which I originally planned on attending but I ended up knocked out in my room.

2/17 TAKAYAMA TO MATSUMOTO

• Because of how early I fell asleep the previous night, I woke up around 5am the next morning. The hotel has private onsen rooms on the top floor, so I went up there in the morning to grab a private room without having to wait in line. The rooms are all partially open air facing east, so I watched sunrise from there.
• After getting breakfast and checking out of my hotel, I left my stuff at the JR station and bought a round trip ticket to Hida. The ride between Takayama and Hida is scenic. I went there to get a view from the overpass above Hida-Furukawa Station, made famous a few years ago by Your Name. I didn't have much else planned in Hida but since I had to wait for the return train, I wandered into town, saw the canal, then returned to the station for the train back to Takayama.
• Back in Takayama, I went to Menya Shirakawa for to get Takayama ramen for lunch. I was in line for about an hour. From here I continued to the Sanmachi district. I did some souvenir shopping here. Along the way I ate lots more Hida beef skewers and dango, and also tried the beef sushi from Kotte Ushi. I also walked through Takayama Jinya. The last thing I did in town was walk to Takayama Matsuri Yatai Kaikan to see the festival float exhibition hall. The ticket to see the hall also includes another museum with miniature models of buildings in Nikko, which I visited in 2022.
• I had to go to Matsumoto and the last bus out from Takayama leaves at 4:50pm. Since it is first come first serve, I didn't want to take any chances, so I got to the bus stop at 4pm to beat the crowds. Turns out that I didn't need to do that since there were probably only ten people total on that bus. The bus got to Matsumoto around 7:30pm, and then I took a local bus to my hotel, the Matsumoto Hotel Kagetsu.
• I wanted to visit Matsumoto because I wanted to see their winter illuminations at the castle. I booked my trip before a schedule was released, but I made an assumption based on past years' schedules. After I booked my trip the event was slated to end on 2/14. I kept my plans anyway. Once I arrived in Matsumoto, at the front desk of my hotel there was a sign stating that the event was continuing until the 18th. I dropped off my stuff in my room, walked over to the castle (only 5 minutes away) and spent the next hour watching the displays, relieved that I got to see it after all.
• It was 9pm and I still had to get dinner. I walked back towards the city center and ate at a small shop called Banrai and was seated at the counter next to a local old man. This place had lots of local foods on like basashi. I went with just the basashi and 6 yakitori skewers. I also wanted to order sanzokuyaki (local version of fried chicken) but the old man sitting next to me kindly offered me half of his since it was too big for him so I didn't have to order it myself. He also showed me which condiments to mix together to dip the basashi in.

2/18 MATSUMOTO, NAGANO, AND YAMANOUCHI

• Got breakfast in the hotel, and then headed to Matsumoto Castle again to see it during the day. After checking out of the hotel I walked toward the station, passing through Nawate Shopping Street. Nothing was open at the time but I saw all of the frog statues. I continued to the JR station but unfortunately missed the train to Nagano by two minutes, so I had to wait an hour for the next one.
• Once in Nagano, I bought round trip tickets to get to Togakushi Shrine. The bus takes an hour to get to the middle shrine (Chusha), so I got there around 1:40pm. Since I got here later than expected, I had a time limit because I needed to catch the 3:20pm bus back to Nagano Station in time to take the Nagano Dentetsu to Yamanouchi by 6:30pm for dinner at the ryokan. I could only realistically get to Zuishinmon Gate and then have to turn back around, and wouldn't be able to make it all the way to Okusha. I made it to Zuishinmon where the cedar trees began. Then I had to rush back toward the bus stop. I did make it back to Chusha just as the bus made it to the stop, and I was the last one able to board the bus and had to stand the whole way back downhill to Nagano.
• Once back in Nagano, I headed over to the Nagano Dentetsu and went to Yudanaka Station. Unfortunately I still had to get to the hotel which was a 30 minutes walk from Yudanaka, and I also didn't want to wait around for the very infrequent bus. I got a taxi that got me to the hotel in time to be able to get dinner there that night.
• My hotel that evening was Sakaeya. I had kaiseki dinner shortly after arriving in the hotel since I hadn't eaten all day. Since this hotel was in Shibu Onsen, I was given access to the nine public onsen in the area. I planned on going to all nine and collecting a stamp from each one. I was able to get to three of them before 10pm. I went back to my hotel room and just used the private onsen until I went to sleep.

2/19 YAMANOUCHI, NAGANO, AND TOKYO

• I woke up early the next morning and tried out the remaining six public onsen before my hotel breakfast was ready. After breakfast I used the private onsen in my room one last time and then checked out. Then I waited for a bus to the snow monkey park.
• Once at the parking lot of the snow monkey park, I walked down the trail to the main hot spring area. It hadn't snowed in a few days so the snow here was slushy and brown. It takes about 30 minutes along the trail to get to the area where all the monkeys are. I got there around the time they fed the monkeys, so they all gathered near the hot spring, but only a few of them actually jumped into the water while the rest sat at the perimeter. It was still pretty fun to see. After spending some time photographing the monkeys, I headed back out so I could catch the bus back to Shibu Onsen.
• I got back to Shibu Onsen around 2:30pm and got lunch at a small noodle shop called Yariya and ordered some soba and fried chicken. The shop had lots of toys, figurines, and posters for decorations. After lunch I still had some time to kill before the next bus to Yudanaka so I went back to my hotel to get my luggage and sat in their lobby for about half an hour. Then I was finally able to head back to Yudanaka and take the Dentetsu back to Nagano.
• I had to get to Tokyo that night but still had plenty of time to get there, so once back in Nagano I hopped onto a bus to Zenkoji. It was already late in the day so there weren't many visitors at this point and all the shops were closing up, so I was able to walk around the temple with barely anyone else around. Shortly after, I returned to Nagano Station so I could take the shinkansen back to Tokyo.
• This time in Tokyo I stayed at Royal Park Hotel Iconic Tokyo Shiodome. It began raining once I got there, and I was pretty tired from waking up early this day and all the walking, so I again just grabbed conbini food and ate in my hotel room and decided I would just sleep in.

2/20 KAWAZU

• I slept in until about 10am this day. When I woke up I checked the weather report and it said this would be the only clear day left on my trip, with the remaining days having rain. The original plan was to just explore parts of Tokyo I hadn't done before, but since it was going to be the only day left on my trip with sun, I decided to make this the day to go to Kawazu instead.
• First I went to Yokohama to transfer to the limited express train. But while waiting for that train I went to the restaurant avenue in Yokohama Porta next to the station. I had tsukemen at Sharin. The JR Odoriko train to Kawazu takes quite a while, but it's quite scenic. It's got views of the ocean all the way until you get to Kawazu. I got to Kawazu a little before 3pm. Seeing the huge crowds of tourists already there, I didn't want to take any chances with not getting a seat back so before I went out to explore Kawazu I bought my return ticket at the station.
• Cherry blossoms in Kawazu were in full bloom and was pretty amazing. I walked up and down the river and also checked out lots of the food stalls. I tried the pink colored taiyaki, as well as lots of meat skewers and other treats. The stalls began shutting down around 4:30pm so that was my signal to head back to the station.
• I took the same train back from Kawazu around 5pm back to Yokohama, and then transferred to another train to get back to Shiodome. I got back close to 8pm. Two weeks of travel was finally wearing me down and I was exhausted, so once again I picked up some things from the conbini on my way back to the hotel. The hotel bar has a pretty good view so I stopped by for a drink before turning in for the night.

2/21 YOKOHAMA

• I began my day with some cheap noodles at Shimbashi Station, then got on the train to Yokohama. It rained the entire day and the rain clouds made it hard to see the top of Landmark Tower so I decided not to go to the top of the tower.
• First I rode on the Yokohama Air Cabin. My first stop was the Cup Noodle Museum. There were hundreds of schoolchildren already there lined up to do the activities so I opted not to try making my own cup noodles. I checked out the rest of the museum which is more about Momofuku Ando than about noodles themselves. I went to the fourth floor dining area which offered different types of noodles from around the world. Interestingly, no actual cup noodles served.
• From here I walked to the Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse. The Yokohama Strawberry Festival was happening here so I decided to try some strawberry treats. You have to pay a small fee to enter the main area but there are lots of vendors here with different kinds of strawberry desserts.
• I continued through Yamashita Park to the Gundam Factory. I didn't have the ticket for the platform so I just had access to the main ground area. I got in just in time to watch one show, and stuck around for a few additional shows. In between each show I got some food from the cafe and checked out the shop. I bought the exclusive master grade model here.
• Next I went to Chinatown. It was still raining outside which made it difficult to try out the different street vendors. I really needed to rest my feet so I went into one of the restaurants that advertised all you can eat dim sum dishes for under 3,000 yen. I think the waitresses here were pleasantly surprised that I was Chinese and able to order food in Chinese. Ironically it seems like Chinatown is the one place in all of Japan that you don't find any Chinese tourists.
• I walked back toward Yokohama Station, but I wanted to stop by the Ferris wheel in Cosmo World first. There were still rain clouds, so it was hard to see much, but I liked looking out at the city lights from here. My final activity in Yokohama was taking the Air Cabin once again, this time at night. The cable car goes above Kisha-michi Promenade so you get the same view, and it's below the rain clouds so you still see lots of the city lights in the rain. The cable car stops at a JR station and I was able to easily get back to Shimbashi afterward.
• Once back in Tokyo, I felt like getting yakitori for dinner. I picked a small shop called Siri in an alley near my hotel. I ordered the ten piece yakitori set here. The waitress saw my bag from Gundam Factory and asked me about it - I told her I bought a gunpla from Yokohama and she was fascinated that tourists were also interested in gunpla. I also had my camera out so she asked me about my travels and what places I thought were most scenic and what my favorite foods were.

2/22 TOKYO

• It was still raining this day. I started the day in Nakameguro and got coffee at Onibus Coffee. This shop is famous because trains pass by its second floor seating area. I headed over to Shinjuku next and got lunch at Fuunji. It had just opened for the day so the line wasn't long. I got tsukemen again here. Next I walked over to Artnia Square Enix Cafe. I bought some merchandise here including a plushie and some music boxes.
• I decided to make a reservation to the Eorzea Cafe at 3pm. I'm a big FFXIV fan and went to the location in Osaka on my previous trip, so this time I thought it'd be fun to try the one in Tokyo. I took the train to Akihabara and made it to my reservation. This shop was bigger than the one in Osaka, but it doesn't have as much merchandise because it shares its shop space with other cafes. I ordered a few drinks here, plus some buns and spaghetti.
• I went back to my hotel to drop off stuff, but I ended up taking a nap instead. I got up in time to do one more thing so I went to check out Tokyo City View at the Mori Art Museum. I last went to this observation area in 2010, and I always liked the view from here the most out of the various vistas I've been to. It was raining so you couldn't see too far out but it was still a great view.
• I was again pretty tired and I had to do lots of packing, so again I bought some conbini food for dinner. I think it was a nice change from my previous trip where I went to multiple expensive restaurants. This time I had some instant udon and some instant yakisoba. I just consumed all of that while organizing my luggage and packing.

2/23 TOKYO

• My flight was at 5pm, so I could only do things in Tokyo until 2pm. After checking out of the hotel I went to Toyosu Market. I didn't go super early like other tourists did, so I couldn't go to Sushi Dai, but there were plenty of other good options. Tourists were lined up at a bunch of other stores already. I chose to go to a place around the corner from Sushi Dai called Sei. Still had great reviews and didn't have to wait at all, and I got the 12 piece omakase set. After Toyosu Market, I checked out the new Toyosu Senkyaku Banrai next door. It just opened this past month so there are still lots of Tokyo locals who are checking it out. There are lots of food vendors here, and the buildings are designed like Edo era buildings. I got matcha ice cream and some meat skewers.
• After checking out that market, I headed over to the Unicorn Gundam. I wanted to buy the exclusive master grade model from here but they were sold out at the store. I didn't have enough time to go visit the bigger gundam store at the 7th floor of the mall, so that will have to wait until next time.
• I returned to Shimbashi around 1pm. I had enough time for one more stop so I went to Cafe de l'Ambre for coffee. I ordered two drinks here - the house blend coffee, and the "Queen Amber" which is their sweet cold coffee served in a champagne glass. It was a nice way to cap off my time in Tokyo.
• I got my luggage from the hotel, then went down to the station to take the train to Narita. I had been told this train ride would only take about 1:15 to get to the airport, but when I got to the station they said the next train wouldn't be until 2:50pm, and would get me to Narita around 4pm. At 2:30pm a train arrived at my platform, also stating that it was a rapid train for Narita. I chose to board this train instead of listening to Google which was a mistake. The train did go to Narita, but the reason it wasn't showing up on Google was because it was a different line and would make a lot more stops. I didn't get to Narita until 4:25pm. I had to run through the terminal until I got to the ANA desk and check in to my flight. The ANA staff were very accommodating even though I showed up so late - they hand delivered my suitcase to the plane, and another attendant put me through the fast lines at security and immigration. Overall I got to my gate within 5 minutes (peak Japanese efficiency) and even got there before my boarding group was called. When I got on board my flight, I found out I was actually on the Pokemon plane too!

CONCLUSION
It was interesting to see these cities in Japan. Even though I visited Japan three times in the past, I had only visited the typical tourist trail of Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto with a handful of day trips to the smaller nearby towns. Hokkaido was absolutely amazing, both in terms of food and the scenery. Kanazawa and Nagano were a lot more peaceful than the other places I've visited.
I found it interesting how limited IC cards actually are. I was always under the impression that they had much more range. I still had my IC card from my last trip to Osaka and it worked fine in Sapporo and Hakodate. But it didn't work for local transportation in Gifu or Nagano. Kanazawa had its own IC card but I didn't purchase it.
The middle portion of the trip was hectic with having to switch hotels every night for seven nights. But at the same time I think spending just one night in each of those towns was the right amount. I think with luggage forwarding it went pretty well. If I had more time on this trip I would have added more time in Sapporo or Kanazawa but with having gone to Japan so many times now, I can see myself returning those places again anyway.

FT: Borussia Monchengladbach 5-2 VfL Bochum

Venue: Borussia-Park
Auto-refreshing reddit comments link
LINE-UPS
Borussia Monchengladbach
Moritz Nicolas, Maximilian Wöber, Marvin Friedrich, Joe Scally, Stefan Lainer (Tony Jantschke), Julian Weigl, Florian Neuhaus (Rocco Reitz), Kouadio Kone, Jordan Pefok (Patrick Herrmann), Robin Hack (Franck Honorat), Nathan N'Goumou (Christoph Kramer).
Subs: Fabio Chiarodia, Jan Olschowsky, Shio Fukuda, Grant Leon Mamedova.
^{____________________________}
VfL Bochum
Manuel Riemann, Keven Schlotterbeck, Ivan Ordets, Bernardo , Cristian Gamboa (Philipp Förster), Kevin Stöger, Matus Bero, Erhan Masovic (Philipp Hofmann), Moritz-Broni Kwarteng (Lukas Daschner), Takuma Asano, Moritz Broschinski (Gonçalo Paciência).
Subs: Agon Elezi, Noah Loosli, Maximilian Wittek, Andreas Luthe, Felix Passlack.
MATCH EVENTS via ESPN
28' Goal! Borussia Mönchengladbach 1, VfL Bochum 1848 0. Nathan Ngoumou (Borussia Mönchengladbach) with an attempt from very close range to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Maximilian Wöber following a corner.
30' Erhan Masovic (VfL Bochum 1848) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
35' Goal! Borussia Mönchengladbach 2, VfL Bochum 1848 0. Julian Weigl (Borussia Mönchengladbach) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the top left corner.
45'+1' Stefan Lainer (Borussia Mönchengladbach) is shown the yellow card.
45'+3' Manuel Riemann (VfL Bochum 1848) is shown the yellow card.
45'+4' Florian Neuhaus (Borussia Mönchengladbach) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
45'+4' Kevin Stöger (VfL Bochum 1848) is shown the yellow card.
58' Substitution, VfL Bochum 1848. Lukas Daschner replaces Moritz-Broni Kwarteng.
58' Substitution, VfL Bochum 1848. Philipp Förster replaces Cristian Gamboa.
64' Keven Schlotterbeck (VfL Bochum 1848) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
67' Substitution, Borussia Mönchengladbach. Rocco Reitz replaces Florian Neuhaus.
67' Substitution, Borussia Mönchengladbach. Franck Honorat replaces Robin Hack.
69' Substitution, VfL Bochum 1848. Philipp Hofmann replaces Erhan Masovic.
69' Substitution, VfL Bochum 1848. Gonçalo Paciência replaces Moritz Broschinski.
72' Goal! Borussia Mönchengladbach 3, VfL Bochum 1848 0. Rocco Reitz (Borussia Mönchengladbach) header from very close range to the centre of the goal. Assisted by Nathan Ngoumou with a cross.
75' Goal! Borussia Mönchengladbach 3, VfL Bochum 1848 1. Philipp Hofmann (VfL Bochum 1848) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Gonçalo Paciência.
78' Goal! Borussia Mönchengladbach 4, VfL Bochum 1848 1. Jordan Siebatcheu (Borussia Mönchengladbach) header from very close range to the centre of the goal. Assisted by Franck Honorat with a cross.
82' Substitution, Borussia Mönchengladbach. Christoph Kramer replaces Nathan Ngoumou.
87' Goal! Borussia Mönchengladbach 4, VfL Bochum 1848 2. Keven Schlotterbeck (VfL Bochum 1848) header from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Matús Bero with a cross following a corner.
89' Substitution, Borussia Mönchengladbach. Tony Jantschke replaces Stefan Lainer.
89' Substitution, Borussia Mönchengladbach. Patrick Herrmann replaces Jordan Siebatcheu.
90'+6' Goal! Borussia Mönchengladbach 5, VfL Bochum 1848 2. Franck Honorat (Borussia Mönchengladbach) right footed shot from the right side of the box to the top right corner.

FT: Borussia Monchengladbach 5-2 VfL Bochum

Venue: Borussia-Park
Auto-refreshing reddit comments link
LINE-UPS
Borussia Monchengladbach
Moritz Nicolas, Maximilian Wöber, Marvin Friedrich, Joe Scally, Stefan Lainer (Tony Jantschke), Julian Weigl, Florian Neuhaus (Rocco Reitz), Kouadio Kone, Jordan Pefok (Patrick Herrmann), Robin Hack (Franck Honorat), Nathan N'Goumou (Christoph Kramer).
Subs: Fabio Chiarodia, Jan Olschowsky, Shio Fukuda, Grant Leon Mamedova.
^{____________________________}
VfL Bochum
Manuel Riemann, Keven Schlotterbeck, Ivan Ordets, Bernardo , Cristian Gamboa (Philipp Förster), Kevin Stöger, Matus Bero, Erhan Masovic (Philipp Hofmann), Moritz-Broni Kwarteng (Lukas Daschner), Takuma Asano, Moritz Broschinski (Gonçalo Paciência).
Subs: Agon Elezi, Noah Loosli, Maximilian Wittek, Andreas Luthe, Felix Passlack.
MATCH EVENTS via ESPN
28' Goal! Borussia Mönchengladbach 1, VfL Bochum 1848 0. Nathan Ngoumou (Borussia Mönchengladbach) with an attempt from very close range to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Maximilian Wöber following a corner.
30' Erhan Masovic (VfL Bochum 1848) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
35' Goal! Borussia Mönchengladbach 2, VfL Bochum 1848 0. Julian Weigl (Borussia Mönchengladbach) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the top left corner.
45'+1' Stefan Lainer (Borussia Mönchengladbach) is shown the yellow card.
45'+3' Manuel Riemann (VfL Bochum 1848) is shown the yellow card.
45'+4' Florian Neuhaus (Borussia Mönchengladbach) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
45'+4' Kevin Stöger (VfL Bochum 1848) is shown the yellow card.
58' Substitution, VfL Bochum 1848. Lukas Daschner replaces Moritz-Broni Kwarteng.
58' Substitution, VfL Bochum 1848. Philipp Förster replaces Cristian Gamboa.
64' Keven Schlotterbeck (VfL Bochum 1848) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
67' Substitution, Borussia Mönchengladbach. Rocco Reitz replaces Florian Neuhaus.
67' Substitution, Borussia Mönchengladbach. Franck Honorat replaces Robin Hack.
69' Substitution, VfL Bochum 1848. Philipp Hofmann replaces Erhan Masovic.
69' Substitution, VfL Bochum 1848. Gonçalo Paciência replaces Moritz Broschinski.
72' Goal! Borussia Mönchengladbach 3, VfL Bochum 1848 0. Rocco Reitz (Borussia Mönchengladbach) header from very close range to the centre of the goal. Assisted by Nathan Ngoumou with a cross.
75' Goal! Borussia Mönchengladbach 3, VfL Bochum 1848 1. Philipp Hofmann (VfL Bochum 1848) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Gonçalo Paciência.
78' Goal! Borussia Mönchengladbach 4, VfL Bochum 1848 1. Jordan Siebatcheu (Borussia Mönchengladbach) header from very close range to the centre of the goal. Assisted by Franck Honorat with a cross.
82' Substitution, Borussia Mönchengladbach. Christoph Kramer replaces Nathan Ngoumou.
87' Goal! Borussia Mönchengladbach 4, VfL Bochum 1848 2. Keven Schlotterbeck (VfL Bochum 1848) header from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Matús Bero with a cross following a corner.
89' Substitution, Borussia Mönchengladbach. Tony Jantschke replaces Stefan Lainer.
89' Substitution, Borussia Mönchengladbach. Patrick Herrmann replaces Jordan Siebatcheu.
90'+6' Goal! Borussia Mönchengladbach 5, VfL Bochum 1848 2. Franck Honorat (Borussia Mönchengladbach) right footed shot from the right side of the box to the top right corner.
^{Don't see a thread for a match you're watching? Click here to learn how to request a match thread from this bot.}

Welcome back to the Throwback Thursday Supervote!
As a reminder of the format, each week we'll be revisiting a past contest from Malmö 2013 to Malmö 2024, sharing fond memories and voting on our favourites as a reddit community. The top 8 countries from each vote will advance to the next round, where they will join the top 8 of our regular 2024 ranking thread. These votes will run weekly until the end of April, when finally we will crown the subreddit's favourite Eurovision entry ever!
Last week we voted on Kyiv 2017, and these eight countries qualified to the semi-finals.
EDIT: This vote has now ended, thanks to everybody who submitted their ranking! Stay tuned for the qualifiers announcement!

~Heat Six: Lisbon 2018~

Having participated in the contest since 1964, Salvador Sobral's record-shattering victory brought Eurovision to Portuguese soil for the first time in 2018. The cool aquatic theming gave the design a distinctly Mediterranean feeling. With 43 participating countries, this busy year equalled the record for most participants from 2008 and 2011. Where Ukraine the previous year opted for three male hosts, the Portuguese presentation team chose four female hosts! The stage itself was stripped back compared to previous editions, with a variety of coloured lights replacing the typical LED screens - this minimalism kept focus on the music itself.
And musically, this year did not disappoint. The first semi-final remains one of the strongest semi-finals in the contest's history, with an absolute bloodbath of a qualification battle leaving many of the usual heavy-hitters in the semi-final, including Greece, Armenia and, for the first time ever, Azerbaijan. Romania and Russia also both saw their perfect qualification records fall in the second semi. In the final, the results showed a clear divide between televoters and juries, with the likes of Italy, Czech Republic and Denmark surging into the top 10 thanks to strong televoting support, whilst jury favourites Austria and Sweden received far less televote support. In the end, televote winner Israel's Netta took home her country's fourth Eurovision victory, ahead of Cyprus' Eleni Foureira who achieved the island nation's best every result.
What are your thoughts on the contest? Please share them in the comments!
Missed it the first time around, or want a trip down memory lane? If you've got time to spare, why not watch the final?

~How to Vote~

To vote, please submit your ranking as a top-level comment in this thread. You can either submit your top ten or your full ranking of all 43 entries. Your ranking will then be transformed into a Eurovision style vote - 12 points for your #1, 10 points for your #2, and so on. The vote will be open until Sunday 25th February 23:59CET; the results will then be posted in a separate post at the start of the next week.
u/TrollHunter87 will very kindly be using his automated script to collate these rankings. If you want to ensure that your vote counts, make sure that:

1. You provide your ranking in a top-level comment
2. You write the countries in separate lines, and the lines start with a number (example: "1. United States")
3. You either use the Country name, the song name or the flag emoji of the country.
4. You can't have a tie between songs
5. Don't just put "1." at the start of every row and let reddit do its thing. Actually put the all the numbers from 1 to 10 in the markdown
6. If you're unsure, just look at the other comments. Almost all of them are valid.

Country	Artist	Song	Performance
Albania	Eugent Bushpepa	Mall	Link
Armenia	Sevak Khanagyan	Qami	Link
Australia	Jessica Mauboy	We Got Love	Link
Austria	Cesár Sampson	Nobody but You	Link
Azerbaijan	Aisel	X My Heart	Link
Belarus	Alekseev	Forever	Link
Belgium	Sennek	A Matter of Time	Link
Bulgaria	Equinox	Bones	Link
Croatia	Franka	Crazy	Link
Cyprus	Eleni Foureira	Fuego	Link
Czech Republic	Mikolas Josef	Lie to Me	Link
Denmark	Rasmussen	Higher Ground	Link
Estonia	Elina Nechayeva	La forza	Link
Finland	Saara Aalto	Monsters	Link
France	Madame Monsieur	Mercy	Link
Georgia	Ethno-Jazz Band Iriao	For You	Link
Germany	Michael Schulte	You Let Me Walk Alone	Link
Greece	Yianna Terzi	Oniro mou	Link
Hungary	AWS	Viszlát nyár	Link
Iceland	Ari Ólafsson	Our Choice	Link
Ireland	Ryan O'Shaughnessy	Together	Link
Israel	Netta	Toy	Link
Italy	Ermal Meta and Fabrizio Moro	Non mi avete fatto niente	Link
Latvia	Laura Rizzotto	Funny Girl	Link
Lithuania	Ieva Zasimauskaitė	When We're Old	Link
FYR Macedonia	Eye Cue	Lost and Found	Link
Malta	Christabelle	Taboo	Link
Moldova	DoReDoS	My Lucky Day	Link
Montenegro	Vanja Radovanović	Inje	Link
Netherlands	Waylon	Out in 'em	Link
Norway	Alexander Rybak	That's How You Write a Song	Link
Poland	Gromee feat. Lukas Meijer	Light Me Up	Link
Portugal	Cláudia Pascoal	O jardim	Link
Romania	The Humans	Goodbye	Link
Russia	Julia Samoylova	I Won't Break	Link
San Marino	Jessika feat. Jenifer Brening	Who We Are	Link
Serbia	Sanja Ilić and Balkanika	Nova deca	Link
Slovenia	Lea Sirk	Hvala, ne!	Link
Spain	Amaia and Alfred	Tu canción	Link
Sweden	Benjamin Ingrosso	Dance You Off	Link
Switzerland	Zibbz	Stones	Link
Ukraine	Mélovin	Under the Ladder	Link
United Kingdom	SuRie	Storm	Link

​