Seaweed in sushi

New Pen/Ink/ And State of the Collection
In case you can't read my handwriting, my bestie and I both turned another year older this month, and we celebrated by giving each other pens and pen-related items. We both love fountain pens! The fountain pens I bought, and they are really surprisingly good, They are made by a company called Amabro, and have Fine points on them, though they are thicker than the fine points I am used to, they write SOOOO SMOOOOOTH. And they have a little bit of flex to them! Not a bad buy for about 6 USD per 2 pens! She bought me some purple ink, and I got her some green ink, and she bought both of us pen cases. The pen cases hold 12 pens inside the case and came with 5 notebook clips so we can clip a pen to any notebook or journal we are using at the time!
Current fountain pens:
1&2: Amabro Metal Fountain Pens in Blue and Red; 3&4: 1948 Double Jewel Parker 51 Pen and Pencil Set; 5&6: Pilot Metro in Orange and Red; 7: Pilot Kokano in Grey and Red; 8: Jinhao Unknown Model in Light Green; 9: Sailor Green Demonstrator; 10: Jinhao Clear Demonstrator - No longer writes, belonged to my late son, so I can't part with it, even though it no longer works; 11: Manjohn S5 Clear, currently equipped with a bent/fude nib
Current Inks:
1: Thornton's Luxury Goods - Purple; 2: Wearingeul - Cowardly Lion; 3: Wearingeul - Queen of Hearts;
4-12 are all Jane Davenport Inkredible Watercolor Inks. They are scented to if you are sensitive to perfumes and the like, I wouldn't buy them, but they are great colors! What they smell like is in (parenthesis). 4- Fairy Floss (cotton candy); 5 - Violet Syrup (violets); 6 - Tinsel (kind of like a snickerdoodle); 7 - Hot Cocoa (tootsie roll chocolate); 8 - Blueberry (blueberries); 9 - Limeade (limes); 10 - Berrylicious (mixed berry); 11 - Watermelon (watermelon!); 12 - Frida (cherry)
13 is a hodgepodge ink. It started as Mermaid Tail from the Inkredible line, and was a med blue-green and has a artificial sea water smell. I had some generic black ink that came with my dip pens but was definitely not thick enough for them, but worked well in my fountain pens. I wondered what the two inks combined would look like, and so... I mixed them! It became a lovely dark green-black.... or a black with a green tint, depending on your view point lol. I call the color 'Seaweed' because it remind me of the seaweed they wrap around sushi!
Edit: oops didn't know the pound sign made text bigger lol

Hi all. I’m seasoned in these medications and am now on Wegovy due to the Zepbound shortage. I was on Mounjaro in 2022/2023 and my insurance changed due to me getting a new job and the coupon expiring, so I ended up going off it and gaining some of my weight back. Now that I have learned my lesson, I am on Wegovy now and making more lifestyle changes. I was on .25 and my doc had me skip a dose. Holy. Crap. Took my shot last night and I have felt like garbage all day. Super nauseous, and I even threw up. To put into perspective, I haven’t vomited in 5 years. I very very rarely vomit.
Due to the antidepressants I take, I sadly cannot use the zofran as I don’t want to end up with serotonin syndrome (look it up, it’s has some scary symptoms).
I got some protein shakes and some very light snacks. One of my favorites is sushi nori (seaweed). I had some of that and a handful of raspberries today (which came back up). I have been slowly sipping the shake and the sushi nori isn’t super filling, so it’s very easy for me to eat with minimal discomfort.
Anyone else have suggestions to help with the stomach pain and to eat regular, albeit small meals? I try to have 3 meals a day. Even if breakfast is a piece of toast and dinner is a piece of chicken, I need some calories for energy as I am a bigger guy (6’0”) and have lots of things to do in a day!
Any tips appreciated. I forgot to add that I also took some Dramamine which has already helped.

I know this has been asked often, but I’m looking for something specific. I’m looking for an upscale sushi place, or at least something we can dress up for, have a nice meal in a nice environment for my fiancé’s birthday in June. Bonus points if there’s something like this on the menu, tuna is his favorite (we lived in Charlotte and this was his favorite thing at our sushi place): Premium Tekka Don- Bluefin tuna, chu-toro, negitoro over rice, garnished with scallions and seaweed.

Has anyone tried sushi or just plain seaweed during a flare up and it didn’t cause stomach pain? I need help finding good stuff that help reduce inflammation but also just food in general that won’t upset my stomach and that isn’t liquid😭. I’m so hungry and just want some real food.

Spicy tuna roll anything but spicy, tuna was 25% puffed rice fillers. Squid pieces were good sized but the single tuna sushi was dinky. The seaweed salad was propped up by a giant pile of inedible starchy noodle things and garnish. Is this place a rip off? I might be spoiled because in the past I only ate sushi from legit Japanese places in Boston and San Francisco where I was the only white guy in the whole place.

Revised cecklists of all favorite foods and the ingredients needed for them. I would have loved something like this when I was just starting!
Fav foods
Amira
-Fesenjan
-Jeweled rice
-Zeytoon parvadeh
-Oatmeal raisin cookie
-Honey mint cooler
—
Angus
-Whiskey
-Rumbledethumps
-Skirlie
-Black pudding
-Pierogi
—
Aryel
-Caipirinha
-Malasada
-Brigadeiro
-Pacoquinha
—
Bruno
-Beer
-Schnitzel
-Fried flounder sandwich
-Sauerkraut
—
Cameron
-Pumpkin spice latte
-Sweet potato and coriander pizza
-Avocado toast
-Sweet potato fries
-Pumpkin bread
—
Cleocatra (cat)
-Tuna
-Milk
-Salmon
—
Damon
-Sweet potato vodka
-Cape Malay curry
-Bobotie
-Chakalaka
-Slap chips
—
Emmi
-Chocolate cupcake
-Chocolate milkshake
-Fish fingers
—
Eury
-Pikliz
-Praline cookie
-Jambalaya
-Chicken fricassee
-Spanikopita
—
Finn
-Strawberry shortcake
-Strawberry milkshake
-Spaghetti bolognese
—
Francis
-Pina colada
-Flan
-Arroz con grandules
-Empanada
-Asopao
—
Giva
-Chai
-Prawns koliwanda
-Chicken tikka masala
-Vada pad
-Pad bhaji
—
Gloria
-Apple Martini
-Coconut rice
-Capricciosa pizza
-Lemon square
-Truffle mac and cheese
—
Juliet
-Tiramisu
-Banana smoothie
-Lasagna
-Mushroom pizza
—
Kai
-Blue Hawaii cocktail
-Haupai
-Poke bowl
-Loco moco
-Managua
—
Kim
-Rice wine
-Ramen
-Buddha’s delight
-Sushi
-Miso soup
—
Lina
-Apple cider
-Pumpkin pie
-Snickerdoodle
-Lobster roll
-New England chowder
—
Marty
-Banana bread
-Carrot cake
-Danish
-Hot chocolate
—
Natalia
-Vodka
-Syrniki
-Beef stroganoff
-Chicken Kiev
-Golubtsi
—
Mayor Otto
-Cheese souflee
-Fruit punch
-Lobster Thermidor
-Beef Wellington
—
Parker
-Coffee
-Pepperoni pizza
-Bagel
-Cream cheese bagel
-Chopped cheese sandwich
—
Peri
-Baklava
-Persian love cake
-Turkish delight
-Honey lemon tea
—
Sebastian
-Pancakes
-Orange juice
-Cheese pizza
-Peanut brittle
—
Shelby
-Bread pudding
-Goulash
-Fish stew
-Tomato soup
—
Sophia
-Strawberry daiquiri
-Precipizi
-Seafood Fra Diavolo
-Smoked salmon bagel
-Chicken soup
—
Thomas
-Lemonade
-Succotash
-Three sisters stew
-Corn bread
-Cabbage soup
—
Vanessa
-Fruit salad
-Spinach smoothie
-Quiche
-Fennel salad
—
Violet
-Rice pudding
-Churros
-Berry smoothie
-Spanish omelet
-Arroz con huevos
—
Westley
-Wine
-Roast beef
-Roast pork
-Roast salmon
-Scottiglis
—
Zephyr
-Mint julep
-Coconut macaroon
-Nougat
-Texas brownie
-Carmel popcorn
Ingredients (items in parenthesis are already included in the item totals)
-Almond 4
-Animal fat 6
-Apple 6
-Avocado 1
-Banana 2
-Beef 8
-Blackberry 1
-Black tea 2
-Blueberry 5
-Bread (flour, yeast) 8
-Butter 14
-Cabbage 6
-Carrot 6
-Cauliflower 1
-Cheese 13
-Chicken filet 7
-Chili 10
-Chocolate 7
-Cinnamon 7
-Coconut 6
-Coffee 4
-Coriander 7
-Corn 8
-Cream cheese (milk) 1
-Egg 34
-Fennel 6
-Fish 3
-Flounder 1
-Flour 51
-Grape 5
-Green bean 4
-Honey 5
-Hops 1
-Italian sausage (fennel, pork) 3
-Lemon 7
-Lime 3
-Lobster 2
-Maple syrup 1
-Meat 4
-Milk 22
-Mint 4
-Mushroom 5
-Noodles (egg, flour) 5
-Oats 3
-Olive 4
-Olive oil (olive) 1
-Onion 8
-Orange 3
-Paprika 4
-Parsley 3
-Peanut 2
-Pineapple 5
-Pistachio 3
-Pizza dough (flour, sugar, yeast) 5
-Pomegranate 3
-Pork 6
-Potato 13
-Pumpkin 4
-Rice 16
-Rose water 2
-Rum (sugar) 5
-Saffron 3
-Salmon 2
-Seaweed 2
-Shiitake 2
-Shiner 1
-Shrimp 2
-Soybean 9
-Soy milk (soybean, soybean) 3
-Spinach 4
-Strawberry 6
-Sugar 38
-Sweet potato 4
-Tofu (soy milk) 3
-Tomato 21
-Truffle 1
-Tuna 1
-Vodka 1
-Walnut 5
-Wheat 4
-Whiskey (wheat, wheat) 3
-Wine (grape) 2
-Yeast 17

Two separate checklists for all favorite foods, and all ingredients needed to make the foods. having something like this would have been so helpful for me, so I wanted to pass it along! I just copy paste into the notes app, adding the checklist feature
Amira Honey mint cooler Fesenjan Jeweled rice Zeytoon parvadeh Oatmeal raisin cookie
Angus Whiskey Rumbledethumps Skirlie Black pudding Pierogi
Aryel Caipirinha Malasada Brigadeiro Pacoquinha
Bruno Beer Schnitzel Fried flounder sandwich Sauerkraut
Cameron Pumpkin spice latte Sweet potato and coriander pizza Avocado toast Sweet potato fries Pumpkin bread
Cleocatra (cat) Tuna Milk Salmon
Damon Sweet potato vodka Cape Malay curry Bobotie Chakalaka Slap chips
Emmi Chocolate cupcake Chocolate milkshake Fish fingers
Finn Strawberry shortcake Strawberry milkshake Spaghetti bolognese
Francis Pina colada Flan Arroz con grandules Empanada Asopao
Giva Chai Prawns koliwanda Chicken tikka masala Vada pad Pad bhaji
Juliet Tiramisu Banana smoothie Lasagna Mushroom pizza
Kai Blue Hawaii cocktail Haupai Poke bowl Loco moco Managua
Kim Rice wine Ramen Buddha’s delight Sushi Miso soup
Lina Apple cider Pumpkin pie Snickerdoodle Lobster roll New England chowder
Marty Banana bread Carrot cake Danish Hot chocolate
Natalia Vodka Syrniki Beef stroganoff Chicken Kiev Golubtsi
Mayor Otto Cheese souflee Fruit punch Lobster Thermidor Beef Wellington
Parker Coffee Pepperoni pizza Bagel Cream cheese bagel Chopped cheese sandwich
Peri Baklava Persian love cake Turkish delight Honey lemon tea
Sebastian Pancakes Orange juice Cheese pizza Peanut brittle
Shelby Bread pudding Goulash Fish stew Tomato soup
Sophia Strawberry daiquiri Precipizi Seafood Fra Diavolo Smoked salmon bagel Chicken soup
Thomas Lemonade Succotash Three sisters stew Corn bread Cabbage soup
Vanessa Fruit salad Spinach smoothie Quiche Fennel salad
Violet Rice pudding Churros Berry smoothie Spanish omelet Arroz con huevos
Westley Wine Roast beef Roast pork Roast salmon Scottiglis
Zephyr Mint julep Coconut macaroon Nougat Texas brownie Carmel popcorn
Ingredients needed The items in parenthesis are included in the item totals already
Almond 3 Animal fat 6 Apple 5 Avocado 1 Banana 2 Beef 8 Blackberry 1 Black tea 2 Blueberry 5 Bread (flour, yeast) 8 Butter 12 Cabbage 5 Carrot 5 Cauliflower 1 Cheese 11 Chicken filet 6 Chili 9 Chocolate 7 Cinnamon 7 Coconut 5 Coffee 4 Coriander 7 Corn 8 Egg 32 Fennel 4 Fish 3 Flounder 1 Flour 47 Grape 5 Green bean 4 Honey 5 Hops 1 Italian sausage (fennel, pork) 1 Lemon 5 Lime 3 Lobster 2 Maple syrup 1 Meat 4 Milk 18 Mint 4 Mushroom 4 Noodles (egg, flour) 4 Oats 3 Olive 3 Olive oil (olive) 1 Onion 7 Orange 3 Paprika 4 Parsley 3 Peanut 2 Pineapple 5 Pistachio 3 Pizza dough (flour, sugar, yeast) 4 Pomegranate 3 Pork 4 Potato 11 Pumpkin 4 Rice 14 Rose water 2 Rum (sugar) 5 Saffron 3 Salmon 1 Seaweed 2 Shiitake 2 Shiner 1 Shrimp 1 Soybean 9 Soy milk (soybean, soybean) 3 Spinach 3 Strawberry 6 Sugar 35 Sweet potato 4 Tofu (soy milk) 3 Tomato 19 Walnut 5 Wheat 4 Whiskey (wheat, wheat) 3 Wine (grape) 2 Yeast 16

This trip is basically me bringing 2 first-timer friends to Japan. As it is their first time, I've decided the typical golden route is the best way to go. However, they mentioned they are less interested in urban tourism, so I've decided to do the Three Views of Japan, and planned for a sakura viewing session in Tohoku as we were reaching Japan way past Kansai and Tokyo's peak. I've also introduced them to Goshuin, so quite a portion of our time is spent visiting temples and shrines for the stamps.
I wouldn't go too much into details on the exact places we traveled to everyday as the Golden Route is pretty extensively covered by many people here. However, I will put emphasis on certain things I feel is worth covering, particularly on notable restaurants and our accommodation.
Leg 1 - Kansai & Hiroshima region [13/4 to 18/4]

• Base: Kyoto, Hotel Vischio Kyoto
  • My personal preference is to stay near the Kyoto station, since I like the convenience it brings. The hotel is very accessible from the main station and the bus station, which was great whenever we returned to Kyoto at night via buses.
  • The hotel had the best service of all the hotels (excluding ryokans) we've stayed at during the trip, but the rooms are kind of small. Luggage forwarding was a breeze as they did all the paperwork and hotels confirmation.
  • One huge plus point is that it has a sentou, making it a great place to unwind after 20k to 30k steps sessions in the day.
• 13/4 (arrival, Kyoto Train Museum)
  • Had unagi course meal dinner at Jisai Kyouman, which was pretty amazing. The unagi claypot rice was the main dish and it was a visual and taste spectacle. The unagi was all grilled to perfection with a delectable crisp at the skin. It was a back-up option for my failed booking at Unagi Hirokawa, but I dare say the overall taste of the food is better than Hirokawa's. Need reservation, can be done via Tabelog.
• 14/4 (Kiyomizudera, Nishiki Market, Ginkakuji)
  • Nothing eventful.
• 15/4 (Kinkakuji region)
  • Had breakfast at Honke Daiichi-Asahi, which was a stone throw from Kyoto Station. A queue was already forming even though it was early in the morning. The bowl of shoyu ramen was hearty, but I'm not sure if it was worth the queue. Tip: the 特製ラーメン version is just ramen with bigger portions of meat and noodles (there's no special ingredients), so don't go for that if you're not a big eater.
• 16/4 (Fushimi Inari Taisha, Uji, Nara)
  • Went to Nakatanidou in Nara. The live-pounding was a cluster fuck of tourists gathered at the window. If you're not interested in that, you can just buy the mochi from the window at the side. The seaweed senbei at the right was pretty great as well.
  • Kofukuji Nan-endo has a pretty great paper cut-out goshuin with the deer motif, making it a great goshuin to remember the region by.
• 17/4 (Arashiyama region)
  • Daikakuji has great paper cut-out goshuin. Flashy goshuin is kind of rare for the temple variants, so Daikakuji is a good place to visit. Their goshuincho is nice as well, and I regretted not getting one there.
  • Lunch at Shigetsu in Tenryuji. We are not into vegetarian cuisine, but was thoroughly impressed by their course meal. Every dish was packed with flavours. It's easy to make reservations, and I strongly suggest you to as there is limited sitting. We've seen many getting walk-ins getting rejected as the restaurant was booked out for the rest of the day.
  • Dinner at Kuishinbo Yamanaka. This would be the most expensive meal for the whole trip. The #1 steak place on Tabelog is no slouch. We made reservations for the course meal, and the meat dishes were all impressive. At the end of the day, wagyu's a Japanese breed, and it's best eaten when cooked in Japanese western style. The owners well versed in his meat, and you'd get to see and take photos of the raw cuts of meat before he cooked it. The beef consomme is a pleasant surprise and the clear soup was delicate and meaty in taste. Choose it over the other options of soups when they asked you for your choice. I've booked via My Concierge Japan, their default option for English reservations. However, I think it'll be cheaper to reserve via Tabelog instead.
• 18/4 (Himeji Castle + Miyajima)
  • The free English guide for Himeji castle is strongly recommended if you're visiting the place. I've learned so much as compared to when I visited the castle without any guides. However, do only engage their services if you're interested in the history of the castle. We had a sweet lady as our guide, and she mentioned it was disheartening to introduce the castle to disinterested participants.
  • Dinner at Tatsu, a restaurant specializing in Hiroshima-styled okonomiyaki. One of the higher rated okonomiyaki restaurants in the region. Small place, no English menu. Food takes time to cook as the chef put in his all into cooking the okonomiyaki, but the effort shows in the taste of the food. The tontoro and pig stomach side dish is delicious and highly recommended.

Intermission 1 - Amanohashidate + Kinosaki Onsen [19/4]

• Motoise Kono Jinja is surprisingly packed with Japanese visitors as compared to my last visit a few years ago. You can feel the importance of the jinja considering the number of visitors vs how out of place it is. Collecting goshuin here takes a long time, and we nearly missed our connection transport to Kinosaki Onsen due to it.
• Onsen Ryokan: Onishiya Suishoen
• Onishiya Suishoen is a relatively new onsen ryokan located a short distance away from the main street. The amenities and rooms are really fresh and new, so if that is what you're after, this ryokan is probably the place to go. Personally, my preference is on a more dated and traditional experience, so (spoiler) I prefer the other onsen ryokan over this. Their service is great though, providing you with a shuttle van service that brings you from the ryokan to the main street, invalidating one of the major cons it has (which is it being away from the main street). Just arrange for them to bring you to the main street, do your onsen hopping and give them a call (can be done via Line or Whatsapp, no need for local numbers) and they'll fetch you back to the ryokan.
• The dinner and breakfast is decent, but nothing noteworthy otherwise
• Rooms are spacious and more than suitable for 3 person
• It has a small outdoor bath for the males bath (not sure about female), so that is one plus. Had a great chat with an ojisan there. The baths are not that busy, but that is kind of expected since many tourists will be onsen hopping.
• For what its worth, you'd be having dinner and breakfast at a separate room instead of the one you're sleeping at.

Leg 2 - Tohoku [20/4 - 22/4]

• Base: Daiwa Roynet Hotel Sendai-nishiguchi
  • The biggest 3-pax room we ever stayed in for a hotel during the trip. There's actually enough place to open up our luggage in the room
  • Great distance from Sendai station
  • 7-11 and Starbucks is right below the hotel, if that is ever your thing
• 20/4 (Arrival)
  • Traveled from Kinosaki Onsen to Itami Airport, then took a flight to Sendai
  • Introduced my friends to Zunda, which they loved. Zunda shakes are awesome and very unique to Sendai, so try it.
  • We wanted to have dinner at Gyutan Kaku - Vlandome, but the wait was too long, so we skipped it and tried another gyutan restaurant instead. Will probably need to go outside of lunch/dinner hours if you want to skip the queue.
  • We went to Aji Tasuke Honten instead. The taste is great especially if its freshly grilled, but they served up long slices of the gyutan instead of thick horizontal cuts. The two surfaces of the gyutan are scored in opposing diagonal cuts on each side. If you're biting at the wrong places, the gyutan can come off as chewy. I don't think it's a great introduction into gyutan for first-timers, but "veterans" will probably enjoy the way it's cooked. Price is cheap compared to franchises like Rikyu, but I'd recommend Rikyu for first-timers.
• 21/4 (Shiogama + Matsushima)
  • Shiogama Jinja is surprisingly packed. Obtaining goshuin here will take time, but the jinja is worth the visit. Just be prepared for the long climb up the stairs
  • Lunch at Kameki Sushi. Not gonna lie, it's my third time to the Matsushima region, and my main reason for going here again is for the sushi. I've tried Kameki Sushi once, and decided to bring my friends here to try it. It's a banger the first time, and it didn't disappoint the second. Shiogama's known for its sushi, so do try it out of you're visiting Matsushima. I'd recommend the course meals if you can afford to, as the taste punches way above its price point.
  • If you like oysters, the oyster curry bread is quite good at Pensee Matsushima.
• 22/4 (Hirosaki Castle)
  • Contrary to Kansai and Tokyo, spring came much earlier in the Tohoku region. Even though it was listed to be in full bloom at around 21st Apr, the leaves have already started appearing on the sakura trees, though it's thankfully little compared to post bloom leaves. I wasn't expecting to visit Hirosaki Castle in full bloom when I was planning the trip, so it's a pleasant surprise and an item crossed off my Japan's to-do-list. Mt Iwaki decided to grace us its presence on that day with a clear sky, granting us unimpeded view of Hirosaki castle and Mt Iwaki together in its full glory.

Intermission 2 - Aizu-wakamatsu + Higashiyama Onsen [23/4]

• Having been to Aizu-wakamatsu once during its full bloom, the plan was to revisit again during the sakura season while visiting the onsen in the area. Unfortunately, its way past its peak and most sakura trees at Tsuruga-jo has shed its petals. I've came to know of the existence of Gojyoin (御城印) here, which is a less formal and fun activity of collecting castle stamps. RIP wallets.
• Lunch at Unagi Ebiya, which its English name got wrong and should technically be 6th instead of 5th (it's under its 6th generation owner). Excellent unajyu, the meal fully explains how the restaurant is able to survive for so many generations. Order the grilled eel liver if you can, that thing is delicious. You can only do so if the meal you order is of medium-sized portions or above.
• Onsen Ryokan: Mukaitaki
• Where do I even start? Out of the handful of onsen ryokans I have visited so far, Mukaitaki is easily the best onsen ryokan I've ever stayed at. Higashiyama Onsen easily loses out to more famous onsen towns like Kinosaki, Ginzan and Kusatsu, but Mukaitaki hard-carries it with its rustic charm and excellent service. Its designated as one of the cultural properties in Japan, and it's not hard to see why, considering that it has been around since the Edo ages and has served royalties of the past and politicians in the present. The building is especially stunning at night.
• Booked the room with the garden view, and the lone sakura tree in the garden is still hanging on with its blossoms, although it is past peak. Still a great view to relax when sitting at the balcony. The room I reserved is spacious for 3.
• Service is excellent, no complains. Meals are served in rooms, so that's another great experience for me as that is my preference.
• The meals are prepared using local seasonal ingredients. One of them is a local fish dish using traditional cooking methods. The portion is huge, so prepare yourself accordingly. No complains about the meal however, everything is scrumptious.
• It's just a fking 5/5. I've never revisited any onsen ryokan so far, and Mukaitaki may be the first one to make me break my rule.

Leg 3 - Tokyo [24/4 - 27/4]

• Base: Sotetsu Grand Fresa Takadanobaba
  • No complains about the hotel itself. The room is the smallest out of the 3 hotels we stayed at, but that is to be expected for Tokyo. Have to do some decent planning to use your luggage in the room. It's right next to the Takadanobaba station, but I kind of disliked its heavy dependence on the Yamanote like to travel to different destinations
  • Applying for its membership (free) and using it during your stay will net you some refunds when you check out, making your stay slightly cheaper.
• 24/4 (Aizu-wakamatsu to Kitakata to Tokyo)
  • Made a detour to Kitakata to try its famous ramen, upon the enthusiastic recommendation from the ojisan at Kinosaki Onsen. Checked out Shokudo Namae and I gotta admit, it's fucking good. Simple noodles and broth, but the taste is much deeper than it looks. Do go early as they may close way earlier than indicated on google. We were the 2nd last customer there and it's only around 2pm.
• 25/4
  • Typical Tokyo stuff
  • キッチン谷沢 caters to the locals and dishes up some pretty mean Japanese-western fare. No English menu here, so you'd have to wing it with translation programs if you can't read Japanese. Great food at a great price.
• 26/4
  • Decided to leave my friends to do their shopping while I collect more goshuin. Went to Kamakura and Enoshima and visited the usual suspects.
  • Goryo Jinja in Kamakura is pretty interesting with its goshuin, as it has a shrine cat which is featured in all 3 styles of its goshuin (normal handwritten, handwritten with drawing of the jinja, the passing Enoden train and the cat, and paper cut-out version of jinja, Enoden and cat). Do visit it if you're a cat lover collecting goshuin.
  • Enoshima Jinja's double-paged paper cut-out goshuin with miko is my most fav goshuin so far for the trip.
  • Negishi Hachiman Jinja, located at Yokohama, has different goshuin designs every month, and is worth collecting if you're passing by.

All in all, a great trip, if not slightly crazy in the 2nd/3rd leg. For first timers who are doing visiting Japan without any old-timers, I'd not recommend to do it this way as it may be a bit overwhelming. For travelers making repeated trips, I'd recommend exploring Tohoku as I feel is really underrated.

Hi everyone. I am in the reintroduction phase of the low fodmap diet, and I have found some surprising findings. However, my mom has a lifelong friend visiting and invited us all out to eat and I feel obligated to go even though realistically it wouldn't be my choice. The only thing I have found I can eat out is sushi where it's just rice, seaweed, and fish pretty much. I tried chipotle even and it made me very very sick (can you eat the chips at chipotle??) there is so much false information online that I don't trust websites anymore. I want to hear how you all handle eating out. They're thinking they want Indian food, so I'm going to call the place later and ask if they have options without garlic and onion ... Any other ideas??
Edit: fructose does not seem to cause intense reactions and neither does galactan. My biggest problem is fructans so far.

My husband and I just got back from a 7 day stay at Beloved in Playa Mujeres. We chose this resort due to the overwhelming reviews of how quiet and peaceful it is, on top of AMAZING service. I will discuss a few key things that we felt were important for others to know.
Check in/check out: Very seamless. Staff there are amazing and go above and beyond to make you feel special. Loved talking to the staff here. Lobby is gorgeous and we adored the welcome drink.
Room: We had the Junior Suite with the round jacuzzi. Our room shockingly had an ocean view and a great view of the marina. The room never got hot (you can adjust the thermostat too) and we loved the fan in the room. It was huge! The room itself is very big and spacious. The jacuzzi was alright. We brought Oh Yuck! jacuzzi cleaner and thank God we did…. It looked like it had never had a deep cleaning. We brought 2 travel size packets and used both. Housekeeping was very hit or miss. Some days they restocked towels, other days they didn’t, sometimes they would restock the towels and leave old ones. It was odd.
Food: We felt the reviews for food on this place were stellar. We were super excited to try out the different restaurants. Please note, I can be a picky eater at times but do love to try new foods! El Mar was hit or miss. La Isla was very good! Le Bisou for dinner was decent and the breakfast buffet is nothing special. Lupita Steakhouse was awful. Sushi bar was okay at best. Bocadito (Guadalupe’s taco truck) was the most frustrating…. I may be stepping on some toes but it was not that great. There is a menu right where you order and don’t even bother ordering off of it. Guadalupe will “make you something special” and they will be very greasy, subpar tacos. There is only ONE sauce that he uses despite the menu saying there is more. I asked for the pastor tacos several times and got chicken or steak instead. Furthermore, an hour or two went by and I would be rushing to the bathroom! I stopped eating it after this. My husband loved everything he made (he is not a picky eater lol) and he has a stomach of steel so he never got sick. Husband thought he was amazing though. Caffeto was very good!! Loved the employees working there. Extremely friendly and quick service. We went multiple times a day for coffee, ice cream, a treat, or the fresh juices :) Beach Snacks were good as well. Loved the pizza they had! Guac was also VERY good. We loved it! Another thing to keep in mind is that the restaurants opening/closing hours. Restaurants open for dinner always opened at 6 PM. El Mar and Bocadito were the only restaurants consistently open for lunch. There are also no reservations and sometimes if you came late, you would have a 40-60 minute wait. Dinners typically were about an hour and a half.
Service: Hit or miss… Definitely depended on the waiter. The employees that have name tags stating they’re in training were the BEST. Others… not so much. All of the employees at the beach concierge were amazing. So friendly and we loved talking with them. Beach concierge was definitely understaffed and we felt for them. Services at dinner were again, hit or miss.
Bar: Drinks on the beach were weak. Drinks at dinner were significantly stronger. Service at the bars were great! We loved talking to them as well.
Beach/Pool: Beach is gorgeous, but be aware of the seaweed. Lots of string rays and people also got stung. You have to walk a little ways down to have clearer water. Pools were very clean!! Now the chairs…. A big part of us choosing this resort was that there are plenty of reviews of there being no towel game. There definitely is. Got down there most days at 8 AM and majority of the beds or chairs at the front were taken. The private cabanas also block the view of the water in some areas. Pool is the same way as well, but by 3:30/4 PM most people were gone and you could snag a chair or bed. Towels were also readily available too!
Tipping: Not required but you can tell it is definitely appreciated. We did tip heavy but didn’t notice any change in services. There are Facebook groups for Beloved that kinda scared us about tipping. Stating that they tip heavy because they are so understaffed and that they got better service. We noticed that a lot of people did not tip and still were treated the same.
Other: The grounds and hotel are beautiful well kept!! During the day it is very quiet but at night… Good lord. Lupita lounge is VERY loud until about 10:30 PM with live music. Just something to keep in mind if you were hoping for a quieter evening you won’t have it lol.
Overall, not sure if we’d come back! Supposedly they’re starting renovations soon to the rooms. Feel free to ask me questions if you have any questions :)

when i click to load my save it loads for a while then the stardew valley cursor apears and then the game turns off here is my SMAPI log [SMAPI] SMAPI 4.0.4 with Stardew Valley 1.6.4 build 24110 on Microsoft Windows 10 Home Single Language
[SMAPI] Mods go here: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Stardew Valley\Mods
[SMAPI] Waiting for game to launch...
[SMAPI] Loading mod metadata...
[SMAPI] Loading mods...
[SMAPI] Loaded 16 mods:
[SMAPI] Console Commands 4.0.4 by SMAPI Adds SMAPI console commands that let you manipulate the game.
[SMAPI] Content Patcher 2.0.2 by Pathoschild Loads content packs which edit game data, images, and maps without changing the game files.
[SMAPI] Custom Farm Loader 2.0.7 by DeLiXx Improves farm related UI, loads custom farms, manages farm specific features and fixes vanilla bugs.
[SMAPI] Custom NPC Exclusions 1.6.0 by Esca Allows modders to exclude custom NPCs from quests and events via Content Patcher.
[SMAPI] Easy Farm Switcher 2.0.1 by DeLiXx
[SMAPI] Farm Type Manager 1.18.0 by Esca Allows custom spawning of content from each farm type: forage, large objects, ore, and monsters
[SMAPI] Happy Birthday 3.18.1 by Alpha_Omegasis Adds the farmer's birthday to the game.
[SMAPI] Json Assets 1.11.3 by spacechase0 Lets content packs add custom content to the game.
[SMAPI] Noclip Mode 1.3.11 by Pathoschild Press a key to enable noclip mode (which lets you walk through anything).
[SMAPI] NPC Map Locations 3.0.1 by Bouhm Shows NPCs and farmers on a modified map page for accurate tracking.
[SMAPI] SAAT.API 1.1.3-unofficial.1-p1xel8ted by ZeroMeters Audio API for SMAPI
[SMAPI] SAAT.Mod 1.1.3-unofficial.1-p1xel8ted by ZeroMeters Custom Audio Loader & Management for SMAPI
[SMAPI] Save Backup 4.0.4 by SMAPI Automatically backs up all your saves once per day into its folder.
[SMAPI] SpaceCore 1.21.1 by spacechase0 A framework mod used by some of my other mods.
[SMAPI] Stardew Valley Expanded Code 1.14.37 by FlashShifter, Esca, super-aardvark, and kittycatcasey Adds coded elements to the game
[SMAPI] StardustCore 3.0.0 by Alpha_Omegasis A core mod that allows for other mods of mine to be run.
[SMAPI] Loaded 12 content packs:
[SMAPI] (CP)Dinosaur clothing 1.0.0 by Will_Tatum for Content Patcher Add the dinosaur clothing for farmer.
[SMAPI] Grampleton Fields 1.14.6 by FlashShifter for Content Patcher Adds Grampleton Fields to the game, expansive flatlands residing between Pelican Town and the city of Grampleton.
[SMAPI] Grandpa's Farm 1.14.36 by FlashShifter for Content Patcher The recommended farm map for Stardew Valley Expanded.
[SMAPI] Grandpa's Farm Forage Locations 1.14.36 by FlashShifter for Farm Type Manager A farm map for Stardew Valley Expanded.
[SMAPI] Happy Birthday en-US Translation Content Pack 1.4.1 by Omegasis for Happy Birthday A content pack that contains English translations for the mod, Happy Birthday.
[SMAPI] New Objects for Stardew Valley Expanded 1.14.17 by FlashShifter for Json Assets Adds new fish, objects, weapons, crops, and decorations.
[SMAPI] Seasonal Cute Characters 4.0.3 by Poltergeister with assets by various artists for Content Patcher Seasonal outfits with the slightly cuter character aesthetic.
[SMAPI] Seasonal Cute Characters SVE 2.3.3 by Poltergeister for Content Patcher Makes the characters of Stardew Valley Expanded slightly cuter and gives them seasonal outfits.
[SMAPI] Stardew Valley Expanded 1.14.37 by FlashShifter for Content Patcher An expansive fanmade mod for ConcernedApe's Stardew Valley.
[SMAPI] Stardew Valley Expanded - Shop Tile Framework 1.14.17 by FlashShifter for Adds vendors to Stardew Valley Expanded.
[SMAPI] Stardew Valley Expanded Forage Locations 1.14.37 by FlashShifter for Farm Type Manager This FTM pack is for SVE!
[SMAPI] Stardew Valley Expanded Music 1.14.17 by FlashShifter for SAAT.Mod Adds soundtracks to the game
[SMAPI] Found 10 mods with warnings:
[SMAPI] Skipped mods
[SMAPI] --------------------------------------------------
[SMAPI] These mods could not be added to your game.
[SMAPI] - Expanded Preconditions Utility 1.0.1 because it's no longer compatible. Please check for a new version at https://smapi.io/mods
[SMAPI] - ModUpdater 1.0.4 because it's no longer compatible. Please check for a version newer than 1.0.6 at https://www.nexusmods.com/stardewvalley/mods/6338 or https://smapi.io/mods
[SMAPI] - Shop Tile Framework 1.0.9 because it needs the 'Expanded Preconditions Utility' mod, which couldn't be loaded.
[SMAPI] Changed save serializer
[SMAPI] --------------------------------------------------
[SMAPI] These mods change the save serializer. They may corrupt your save files, or make them unusable if
[SMAPI] you uninstall these mods.
[SMAPI] - SpaceCore
[SMAPI] Patched game code
[SMAPI] --------------------------------------------------
[SMAPI] These mods directly change the game code. They're more likely to cause errors or bugs in-game; if
[SMAPI] your game has issues, try removing these first. Otherwise you can ignore this warning.
[SMAPI] - Custom Farm Loader
[SMAPI] - Custom NPC Exclusions
[SMAPI] - Easy Farm Switcher
[SMAPI] - Farm Type Manager
[SMAPI] - Json Assets
[SMAPI] - SpaceCore
[SMAPI] - Stardew Valley Expanded Code
[SMAPI] Launching mods...
[Stardew Valley Expanded Code] Starting Installation Checker...
[Stardew Valley Expanded Code] (Installation Checker provided by shekurika and moe)
[Stardew Valley Expanded Code] Installation check completed. Everything seems fine!
[SMAPI] Mods loaded and ready!
[SMAPI] You can update SMAPI to 4.0.7: https://smapi.io
Setting breakpad minidump AppID = 413150
SteamInternal_SetMinidumpSteamID: Caching Steam ID: 76561198837849816 [API loaded no]
[SMAPI] You can update 13 mods:
[SMAPI] Content Patcher 2.0.6: https://www.nexusmods.com/stardewvalley/mods/1915 (you have 2.0.2)
[SMAPI] Easy Farm Switcher 2.0.2: https://www.nexusmods.com/stardewvalley/mods/16873 (you have 2.0.1)
[SMAPI] Expanded Preconditions Utility 1.0.2-alpha.20240225: https://www.nexusmods.com/stardewvalley/mods/6529 (you have 1.0.1)
[SMAPI] Farm Type Manager 1.19.0: https://www.nexusmods.com/stardewvalley/mods/3231 (you have 1.18.0)
[SMAPI] Grandpa's Farm 1.14.40: https://www.nexusmods.com/stardewvalley/mods/3753 (you have 1.14.36)
[SMAPI] Happy Birthday 3.18.2: https://www.nexusmods.com/stardewvalley/mods/520 (you have 3.18.1)
[SMAPI] Happy Birthday en-US Translation Content Pack 1.5.0: https://www.nexusmods.com/stardewvalley/mods/11148 (you have 1.4.1)
[SMAPI] Json Assets 1.11.7: https://www.nexusmods.com/stardewvalley/mods/1720 (you have 1.11.3)
[SMAPI] Seasonal Cute Characters 5.0.2: https://www.nexusmods.com/stardewvalley/mods/5450 (you have 4.0.3)
[SMAPI] Seasonal Cute Characters SVE 2.4.2: https://www.nexusmods.com/stardewvalley/mods/5969 (you have 2.3.3)
[SMAPI] Shop Tile Framework 1.0.10-alpha.20240227: https://www.nexusmods.com/stardewvalley/mods/5005 (you have 1.0.9)
[SMAPI] SpaceCore 1.22.1: https://www.nexusmods.com/stardewvalley/mods/1348 (you have 1.21.1)
[SMAPI] Stardew Valley Expanded Code 1.14.41: https://www.nexusmods.com/stardewvalley/mods/3753 (you have 1.14.37)
[SMAPI] Type 'help' for help, or 'help ' for a command's usage
[Content Patcher] Some content packs haven't been updated for Stardew Valley 1.6.0. Content Patcher will try to auto-migrate them, but compatibility isn't guaranteed.
Affected content packs:

• (CP)Dinosaur clothing
  
• Grampleton Fields
  
• Seasonal Cute Characters
  
• Seasonal Cute Characters SVE
  

For mod authors, see how to update a mod: https://smapi.io/cp-migrate.
[Json Assets] Loading content packs...
[Json Assets] New Objects for Stardew Valley Expanded 1.14.17 by FlashShifter - Adds new fish, objects, weapons, crops, and decorations.
[Json Assets] Exception injecting cooking recipe for Baked Berry Oatmeal: System.ArgumentException: An item with the same key has already been added. Key: Baked Berry Oatmeal
at System.Collections.Generic.Dictionary`2.TryInsert(TKey key, TValue value, InsertionBehavior behavior)
at System.Collections.Generic.Dictionary`2.Add(TKey key, TValue value)
at JsonAssets.Framework.ContentInjector1.InjectDataCookingRecipes(IAssetData asset) in C:\Users\space\Programming\StardewValley\StardewValleyMods\JsonAssets\Framework\ContentInjector1.cs:line 215
[Json Assets] Exception injecting cooking recipe for Big Bark Burger: System.ArgumentException: An item with the same key has already been added. Key: Big Bark Burger
at System.Collections.Generic.Dictionary`2.TryInsert(TKey key, TValue value, InsertionBehavior behavior)
at System.Collections.Generic.Dictionary`2.Add(TKey key, TValue value)
at JsonAssets.Framework.ContentInjector1.InjectDataCookingRecipes(IAssetData asset) in C:\Users\space\Programming\StardewValley\StardewValleyMods\JsonAssets\Framework\ContentInjector1.cs:line 215
[Json Assets] Exception injecting cooking recipe for Flower Cookie: System.ArgumentException: An item with the same key has already been added. Key: Flower Cookie
at System.Collections.Generic.Dictionary`2.TryInsert(TKey key, TValue value, InsertionBehavior behavior)
at System.Collections.Generic.Dictionary`2.Add(TKey key, TValue value)
at JsonAssets.Framework.ContentInjector1.InjectDataCookingRecipes(IAssetData asset) in C:\Users\space\Programming\StardewValley\StardewValleyMods\JsonAssets\Framework\ContentInjector1.cs:line 215
[Json Assets] Exception injecting cooking recipe for Frog Legs: System.ArgumentException: An item with the same key has already been added. Key: Frog Legs
at System.Collections.Generic.Dictionary`2.TryInsert(TKey key, TValue value, InsertionBehavior behavior)
at System.Collections.Generic.Dictionary`2.Add(TKey key, TValue value)
at JsonAssets.Framework.ContentInjector1.InjectDataCookingRecipes(IAssetData asset) in C:\Users\space\Programming\StardewValley\StardewValleyMods\JsonAssets\Framework\ContentInjector1.cs:line 215
[Json Assets] Exception injecting cooking recipe for Glazed Butterfish: System.ArgumentException: An item with the same key has already been added. Key: Glazed Butterfish
at System.Collections.Generic.Dictionary`2.TryInsert(TKey key, TValue value, InsertionBehavior behavior)
at System.Collections.Generic.Dictionary`2.Add(TKey key, TValue value)
at JsonAssets.Framework.ContentInjector1.InjectDataCookingRecipes(IAssetData asset) in C:\Users\space\Programming\StardewValley\StardewValleyMods\JsonAssets\Framework\ContentInjector1.cs:line 215
[Json Assets] Exception injecting cooking recipe for Mixed Berry Pie: System.ArgumentException: An item with the same key has already been added. Key: Mixed Berry Pie
at System.Collections.Generic.Dictionary`2.TryInsert(TKey key, TValue value, InsertionBehavior behavior)
at System.Collections.Generic.Dictionary`2.Add(TKey key, TValue value)
at JsonAssets.Framework.ContentInjector1.InjectDataCookingRecipes(IAssetData asset) in C:\Users\space\Programming\StardewValley\StardewValleyMods\JsonAssets\Framework\ContentInjector1.cs:line 215
[Json Assets] Exception injecting cooking recipe for Mushroom Berry Rice: System.ArgumentException: An item with the same key has already been added. Key: Mushroom Berry Rice
at System.Collections.Generic.Dictionary`2.TryInsert(TKey key, TValue value, InsertionBehavior behavior)
at System.Collections.Generic.Dictionary`2.Add(TKey key, TValue value)
at JsonAssets.Framework.ContentInjector1.InjectDataCookingRecipes(IAssetData asset) in C:\Users\space\Programming\StardewValley\StardewValleyMods\JsonAssets\Framework\ContentInjector1.cs:line 215
[Json Assets] Exception injecting cooking recipe for Seaweed Salad: System.ArgumentException: An item with the same key has already been added. Key: Seaweed Salad
at System.Collections.Generic.Dictionary`2.TryInsert(TKey key, TValue value, InsertionBehavior behavior)
at System.Collections.Generic.Dictionary`2.Add(TKey key, TValue value)
at JsonAssets.Framework.ContentInjector1.InjectDataCookingRecipes(IAssetData asset) in C:\Users\space\Programming\StardewValley\StardewValleyMods\JsonAssets\Framework\ContentInjector1.cs:line 215
[Json Assets] Exception injecting cooking recipe for Void Delight: System.ArgumentException: An item with the same key has already been added. Key: Void Delight
at System.Collections.Generic.Dictionary`2.TryInsert(TKey key, TValue value, InsertionBehavior behavior)
at System.Collections.Generic.Dictionary`2.Add(TKey key, TValue value)
at JsonAssets.Framework.ContentInjector1.InjectDataCookingRecipes(IAssetData asset) in C:\Users\space\Programming\StardewValley\StardewValleyMods\JsonAssets\Framework\ContentInjector1.cs:line 215
[Json Assets] Exception injecting cooking recipe for Void Salmon Sushi: System.ArgumentException: An item with the same key has already been added. Key: Void Salmon Sushi
at System.Collections.Generic.Dictionary`2.TryInsert(TKey key, TValue value, InsertionBehavior behavior)
at System.Collections.Generic.Dictionary`2.Add(TKey key, TValue value)
at JsonAssets.Framework.ContentInjector1.InjectDataCookingRecipes(IAssetData asset) in C:\Users\space\Programming\StardewValley\StardewValleyMods\JsonAssets\Framework\ContentInjector1.cs:line 215

Last night I decided to treat myself to some sushi takeout and ordered an 'assorted plate', consciously relinquishing power to choose which rolls I want in the name of a better deal.
It was a gamble, I am aware.
I ended up with six rolls of smoked salmon and cream cheese. Yuck. 🤢
Whoever thought the idea of cream cheese rice roll saturated in SOY SAUCE with a dabble of horseradish was a good idea is beyond my belief. I tried to salvage what I could by unraveling these detestable makis into modest seaweed rice strips. Even then, I could still taste a bit of cream cheese and it was really gross.

For my 2nd visit to Japan in June/July last year, I went with my partner who was seeing Japan for the first time. My goals were to 1) see brand new places and 2) not melt!
Everything I’d recommend to others is bolded below.
Day 1:
We landed at Haneda around 3PM and made it to our hotel, Prince Smart Inn Ebisu, by 5. I still had my old Pasmo card from 2016 and had no problems topping it up and using it to catch the train from the airport. My partner purchased a Pasmo Passport.
After checking in at the hotel, we went to the Montbell store in Ebisu (now a Uniqlo, RIP) to pick up a few things we wanted that were cheaper in Japan. We met up with a friend at Udon Yamacho for dinner. Staying in Ebisu was great; we really liked how central it was to the rest of Tokyo and how many things there were to do in the immediate vicinity.
To fight jet lag we walked to Daikanyama and along the Meguro River after dinner. I think most people visit T-site in daytime, but it actually had a nice, romantic vibe at night. Daikanyama was probably my favorite neighborhood in Tokyo.
Day 2:
My partner visited the Meiji Shrine, Zojoji Temple (they were having an event for Shinzo Abe at the time 🥴), and Tokyo Tower, went shopping at Loopwheeler and Uniqlo in Harajuku, grabbed lunch from 7/11, and got coffee at Onibus and Mameya.
I went to Bricolage for breakfast in Roppongi, visited the Mori Art Museum and Tokyo Sky Deck, checked out 2 stores for souvenirs that were a bust (The Cover Nippon and Nakagawa Masashichi), window shopped at Found Muji and bought incense at Lisn in Aoyama, then went to the Nezu Museum. The exhibit at the time wasn’t the most interesting but the museum building and the garden were beautiful enough to justify the visit.
Met up with my partner for ramen at Jinruiminamenrui in Ebisu (the Tokyo outpost of the #1 Osaka ramen shop on the Hyakumeiten), went shopping for Japanese denim at Dry Bones in Daikanyama, and got Miyazaki mango desserts at Da Cafe.
Day 3:
We got breakfast at Sawamura in Hiroo - their kouign amann was a standout - then went to the Hamarikyu Gardens to walk around in the relative cool of the morning. We saw a stingray in the water there (!) and enjoyed the air conditioned teahouse. We spent the rest of the morning in Ginza window shopping at Beams, Kapital, and Takumi. We had the truffle ramen at Kagari for lunch which was a top meal of the trip and well worth the queue.
In the afternoon we did TeamLab Planets. I’m not a huge fan of manufactured attractions but it was interesting enough, and something to do indoors with AC. The whole place smelled like feet so avoid if you have a strong aversion. Since we were in the vicinity, we visited the Gundam Base afterward and played DDR at the arcade there.
We bought some really gorgeous cookware at the Iga Mono shop in Ebisu, then went out for pork offal skewers at Rukuma Tokyo Shibuya. Grilled pork tongue and barely cooked liver are amazing, turns out.
Day 4:
My partner took the bullet train to Shizuoka for a tea farm tour with Tea Cup Trips. He raved about the tour and a cafe he visited in Shizuoka called Chagama. I don’t drink tea but he found someone to go with from the subreddit Discord whose partner also didn’t drink tea.
I went to Gotokuji (small and boring, a definite skip) and former Marquis Maeda Teahouse (not bad if you’re already in the area). I really wanted to go to the Mingeikan/Japan Folk Crafts Museum nearby, but sadly they were in between exhibitions and closed.
I met up with a friend for kaiseki lunch at Asuka in Shimokitazawa. (We had to run into Donki before eating because it was a traditional place that requires you to remove your shoes and he didn’t have socks!). We checked out some shops afterward, most notably Fog Linen Work. Afterward I toured the Kyu Asakura house in Daikanyama, then went shopping at the Discover Japan Lab store in Shibuya. I highly recommend this place, it has real deal artisanal pottery and glassware among other things.
Met back up with my partner at Matsuya Ginza where there is a soy sauce counter selling varieties from all over Japan in affordable 3-ounce bottles. We bought a bunch to bring back and stocked up on Japanese tinned fish too.
Dinner was the best meal of our trip at Sushi Kuriyakawa in Ebisu. Holy shit. My face hurt from grinning for 2 hours straight. The chefs spoke some English and were very kind and explained every single dish. They also didn’t mind us taking pictures of the nigiri. Sushi omakase in Japan can be really uptight but this wasn’t. Also, I don’t drink and I was a little worried that not ordering any sake or beer would be an issue. Wasn’t a problem here.
Day 5:
Last day in Tokyo! We got sandwiches at Lawson and gesha coffee at Leaves, then went to Akihabara for the morning. My partner got the new Zelda game for cheap at Bic and admired all the vintage games and comics at Mandarake. Also hit up another arcade for more DDR.
We waited in line for an hour for lunch at Tonkatsu Marugo and it was 100% worth it. The pork cutlet and shrimp were out of this world.
To walk it off we went shopping in Nihonbashi at Yagicho Honten, a dashi shop that’s been open for 9 generations, and 85 Hachigo, a fermentation specialist inside of the Coredo department store (they also have an outpost in Osaka). We got supplies there to culture our own soy sauce. If you’re a fermentation nerd, definitely check out both stores.
In the afternoon, we walked around Jiyugaoka which was incredibly cute. Got coffee at the Onibus there which is gorgeous inside, peeked into Yanaka Coffee (you have to like a really dark roast), got desserts at Mont Blanc (mid) and Bake Cheese Tart (fire), and bought knick knacks at Today’s Special.
My partner got heat rash so we ran into Uniqlo for arm sleeves that saved the day.
After the huge fried lunch and the sweets I wasn’t too hungry, so we just got Famichiki before going home lol. My partner did end up stepping out later that night for takoyaki to knock it off his bucket list. (I had gone to Gindako on my last trip and learned I don’t love them.)
Day 6:
Woke up really early to take the Alpico bus to Kamikochi for the next few days.
The bus stopped at a really nice rest stop right on Lake Suwa that had a viewing platform and onsen, plus specialty local snacks.
Once we arrived in Kamikochi we hit the trail immediately to start our multi day hike up to the top of Mt. Yari. We hiked about 4 hours from the bus terminal to Yarisawa Lodge for our first night. You must arrive by 4-5pm at mountain huts in Japan, and it’s strictly lights out by 8! It was an amazing experience to stay there; I think a Japanese mountain hut should be on everybody’s bucket list.
Day 7:
Today was the hardest day. We hiked from Yarisawa Lodge all the way to the top of Mt. Yari. It was extremely rainy and windy, and my legs were shaking with fear during the steep, icy, snow covered crossings near the top. The Yarigatake Sanso hut, just below the summit, was otherworldly, though. We huddled around their kerosene heater reading books all afternoon and tried our best to dry our rain and snow soaked clothes and boots in the drying room. Since it’s so remote, they don’t have showers and you can only plug in your devices for a few designated hours. The food at both huts was shockingly good considering the surroundings. We fell asleep in our bunks to the sound of the wind howling outside and rain pelting the hut.
Day 8:
We had planned to hike from Yarigatake Sanso down to Shinhotaka Onsen, but the storm made the river crossings along that route impassable. The staff at the hut were pretty adamant that we not risk it. We had to go back down the way we came - disappointing, but better safe than sorry. Once we reached Kamikochi we took a bus to our ryokan for the next couple days, Shinhotaka Onsen Yarimikan. The Hirayu Onsen bus stop had a foot bath - I almost cried with relief at that thing.
Yarimikan was incredibly beautiful. They had like half a dozen outdoor baths with stunning views of the alps and a rushing river close enough to dip your toes in.
The meals there were so decadent. We splurged on the Hida beef option since we were in Gifu after all and really recommend that you find a way to try it. Our room was enormous, too.
Day 9:
In the morning the ryokan had an interactive mochi making demonstration which was hilariously corny. Can’t argue with fresh mochi covered in syrup and kinako though.
We spent the whole day at the ryokan just cycling between the different baths. We had udon and tempura for lunch and then another gigantic kaiseki dinner. Every long vacation needs at least one day of total rest, IMO.
We would have liked to ride the Shinhotaka Ropeway but it was closed for maintenance during our trip.
Day 10:
We took the bus to Matsumoto and stored our bags at the station so we could walk around. Got coffee at Alps and Five Eleven, milk bread (sort of like a maritozzo) at Marunaka, and soba that wasn’t memorable (I’m still chasing the high of a yuba soba I had in Nikko last time.) We spent a couple hours shopping for pottery and vintage clothes. Our favorite shops were ChuPa and 陶片木.
I wanted to go to Komatsu Bakery and the *Matsumoto City Museum of Art, but both were closed the day we went. FYI Amex Concierge will help you reserve a milk bread at Komatsu!
We visited the Matsumoto-jo castle grounds then took an early afternoon JR train back to Tokyo. There’s definitely enough in Matsumoto to fill a day trip. I would have liked to visit Takayama as well, but didn’t have enough time.
In Tokyo we met up with our friend for dinner at Ebisu Yokocho. I loved the seafood skewers stall - tuna cheek skewers, grilled mentaiko, and crab croquette were our favorites. The stalls do require you to order a drink, but if you don’t want alcohol, soft drinks count. They also have a cover charge to discourage you from hopping between stalls.
We got ice cream afterward at Japanese Ice Ouca. I still think about their hojicha milkshake! Well-deserved 3.72 on Tabelog.
Day 11:
Flew to Ishigaki. We took only what we needed to Ishigaki and used a luggage transport service to deliver the rest of our bags to a locker at Haneda.
Got lunch at Coco Curry, coffee at Klatch, desserts at Ishigaki Labo bakery, and walked around Euglena Mall. Went to Maesato Beach at sunset (not the most scenic for a walk, but closeby to Ishigaki city) then had dinner at Eiko seafood izakaya. Can’t beat $3.50 for a 15-piece plate of sashimi!
We stayed at Hostel SunTerrace and would recommend it. The location wasn’t amazing but it was inexpensive, really clean, bright, and modern, and we had a private room that was big for Japanese standards. They had cold sanpin cha on tap that I quickly became addicted to.
Day 12:
My partner went scuba diving with Viking Scuba Kabira. The reefs were not in great shape but he saw a shark, turtles, sea snakes, and manta rays.
While he was gone I went to Euglena Mall for local Royce chocolate souvenirs (Ishigaki shio and kokutoh flavors) and got lunch at Yaeyama Soba. I ate an entire box of these amazing Royce spicy cheese cookies by myself!
When my partner got back from diving we drove up to Ishikawa Farm for the BEST Okinawan tropical fruit smoothies, Hirakubozaki lighthouse for amazing views, and Hirano and Hirakubo beach. Ishigaki reminded us a lot of Hawaii. We saw lots of Japanese tourists around with tote bags and stuff from Hawaii so it definitely attracts the same crowd.
We got dinner at the same izakaya since the place we had planned to go was unexpectedly closed.
Day 13:
We picked up breakfast pastries at Seven Bells and spent the morning snorkeling with Viking. Seeing giant manta rays up close was a major bucket list item for me and the reason I chose to come to Ishigaki in the first place. We saw so many!
In the afternoon we drove around the island in our rental car and hit a bunch of stops:

• Yonehara beach
• a roadside stand to try Okinawan pineapple
• ice cream at Miru Miru Honpo. They have a gorgeous hill out back covered with shimmering Ghibli grass.
• Arakawa falls, a waterfall with a swimming hole, shady with cool water!
• a bunch of local pottery shops, though nothing stood out.

For dinner we went to Sumiyakiniku Ishidaya where we had made a reservation the night before. Ishigaki beef was just as awesome as Hida. This place was “only” a 3.55 on Tabelog so I’m sure you could do even better.
Day 14:
Got breakfast at Seven Bells again, went to the Adventure Pi Pi office to book our Iriomote tour for the next day, then took the ferry to Taketomi. There was a mad rush for bicycle rentals as soon as the ferry alit, so if you go, don’t dawdle! We biked around the island, stopped at all the main beaches, got really good Yaeyama soba and Spam musubi at Takenoko for lunch and then ferried back. Taketomi is an absolutely gorgeous and charming little island. This was my favorite day of the whole trip. I can’t overstate how beautiful the beaches were.
In Ishigaki we went to Funakura no Sato for dinner. Overpriced and mid. That’s what I get for looking at Google Maps and not Tabelog!
Once it was fully dark we went up to Banna Park to stargaze. For seriously good stargazing you need to spend the night on Iriomote, but this was nice enough for something to do close to town. A spooky one-way winding road to get up there at night though.
Day 15:
Day trip to Iriomote. The ferry from Ishigaki was quite expensive - 72 US roundtrip. We met up with our tour at the ferry dock and spent the day hiking and “canyoning” with them. Beware if you are not a fan of high jumps, their canyoning tour is literally just jumping into rivers from increasingly higher rocks.
We got taco rice before getting back on the ferry which was…interesting.
For dinner we went to せんべろ風土 izakaya in Ishigaki and loved it. Everyone was so friendly, probably because it was a senbero lol. Our seatmate even shared dishes with us. I developed a real love for sea grapes while in Ishigaki and everywhere seemed to have them. Mozuku seaweed on the other hand, was not a fan.
We tried getting Beni imo tarts from Okashi Gouten afterward but they were sold out unfortunately. We did pick up some Hi Chew made with shikuwasa (local Okinawan citrus).
Day 16:
Flew back from Ishigaki to HND.
Haneda was absolutely mobbed so I ditched my original plans to venture into Tokyo during my layover. I got udon at Tsurutontan while my partner got Setagaya ramen which was better, cheaper, and had a shorter line. I also went to the Delta Sky Club after security but didn’t get the hype about the food there. Just go to Rokurinsha!

I just started this show ik it’s quite old but it is my first watch. I’m at the part in s2 where Josie and Landon split him into two versions of himself. I’ve seen a lot of sentiment here of how Josie and Landon are really healthy and they communicate well etc etc but I just don’t see that at all. She meddled (that might be a bit dramatic) her way into his life when he was in a very vulnerable state, constantly killing himself, they form a connection that—as a friendship—I did find nice but it seemed she just needed another person to attach herself to since Lizzie was gone. The whole healthy communication angle I don’t get for a couple reasons. I mean she even ate sushi despite being allergic to seaweed and ik that was supposed to be a cute funny haha moment but it just proved her codependency problems and inability to speak up for herself. He even asks what’s wrong bc she was off the whole date and she insisted she was fine and tried to run to her dorm, even stating everything would be fine tm so there was no need to talk. I mean she gave that one girl a nosebleed. When hope came back (pre memory restoration) she danced around all her feelings, did not actually communicate anything and instead just acted out of jealousy etc. I mean even the whole “will I won’t I” of giving everyone’s memories back just to keep Landon. No part of that gave healthy communication. I don’t ship Landon with hope at all either so this isn’t biased, I actually don’t ship Landon with anyone I find him incredibly annoying 🤣

Time to give back. I am not a medical professional. Please consult one if required, etc. WARNING - You should not consume Seaweed everyday. There are limits, please research or ask your doctor what is right for you.
Me: Methane SIBO, Small Hiatus Hernia
Seaweed will clear gas from my stomach. I first saw the idea here in relation to COWS (there are links online about farmers using Seaweed to clear Methane gas).
Link to a related article but there are lots more, “Research in Australia and the US identified a red seaweed variety that saw an 80% reduction in methane emissions”.
This Reddit post states that the cow in question is being drained of Methane. (DO NOT ATTEMPT TO DRAIN YOURSELF!) -You never know, this is the internet.
In my experience, Seaweed will not stop a full blown flair-up but it will remove immediate gas (and bloat) from everyday bloating.
It works especially well on an empty stomach, needing only a small amount to be effective.
What Seaweed and how much? Basic high street Seaweed. My brand of choice is, YUTAKA SUSHI NORI - ROASTED SEAWEED.
This Seaweed is normally used to make Sushi Rolls. Real simple, commonly consumed, stuff.
The pack I purchase is 11g and has 5 large sheets inside.
I will tear off a corner from a sheet and consume that with nothing else. Soon enough, I will be burping up the gas and the tension in my stomach will ease.
I will eat about half a sheet in the day (when needed), then try not to use it again for a day or 2 (because I’ve read it’s not a great idea).
This may not work for everybody but may be worth a try. Also, be careful with these things and don’t take it too far. Just knowing that a commonly consumed Asian food might naturally regulate against Methane could benefit your personal battle in some way.
Finally, none of this is tested on humans for this purpose, at least not by me. I’m just a sufferer like you, sharing something relatively simple that has helped me reduce bloating (anecdotal evidence). I also have no idea about whether Seaweed feeds Methane or not.
Seaweed is not a cure in any way for SIBO (to my knowledge). This post is about symptom control.
Good luck on your journey.

just as the title says. I just want a classic spicy tuna roll that doesn’t cost more than $10. Ideally between $5-$7 per roll but this is a city after all. Lakeview/Lincoln Park/Roscoe or anywhere that can deliver to lakeview!
Some specifics: - good filling to rice ratio- more filling than rice! - not insanely spicy. a kick is okay, but I wanna be able to dip in spicy mayo without my mouth being on fire - I prefer the tuna to be chopped up finely, no big chunks - rice on the outside, not the seaweed on the outside (I know there’s a name for it i’m blanking)
Some places i’ve tried that are fine but don’t hit all the marks: - sushi mura - kai sushi - big bite sushi - rollapalooza (I liked everything about it except how spicy it was)
I enjoyed rotary sushi, but my boyfriends stomach is in shambles every time we order from there lol. edited to add that I like Sakura teppanyaki but still just slightly misses, my roll was kinda dry somehow?

Just came back from Japan last week. I wanted to write this trip report to 1) journal my experience and 2) give back and share my experience with others so their future trip to Japan can be more amazing. Happy to answer questions!
Background:

• First time in Japan. Originally was going to go with an ex in March 2020... finally got to go this year due to strong dollaweak yen, 2 weeks off from work, and using my United points to pay for the flight.
• Flight booked Nov 2023 using 110k points via United website. direct to HND, layover in YYZ on return to IAH.
• Hotels booked Dec 2023. Checked roughly once a week to see if there was anything cheaper. Saved a few bucks 1) changing hotels in Osaka, and 2) choosing another, but same room layout for Kyoto hostel.
• 34M Chinese American. Big foodie. When it comes to sights, I am more of a 'checkbox' traveler. I'd rather spend more time on the restaurant experience, and learning about products, such as origins, etc. As such, I wanted to pack a lot more sights in this trip, and walked a fair amount everyday. I didn't use a step counter. Just reporting the miles walked via Google Maps timeline (I would +10% just in case).
• When planning this trip, I put more emphasis on 'older' restaurants/stores, e.g. established in 1600s, or credited with creating a special product.
• Wanted to check out the Tokyo antennae stores, which sell the regional/prefecture goods. They have mostly food, but also have crafts, sake, and some even have a restaurant. 99% of customers were Japanese, hardly any foreigners.
• No interest in anime/manga products so I breezed through Akihabara/Den-Den Town, though I did buy the volume 1's of a few popular manga. Difficult to find Jujutsu Kaisen Vol 1.
• For food, I put more emphasis those with high ratings on Tabelog, aka Japanese Yelp.
  • 3.0 - average.
  • 3.5 - very good.
  • 3.6 - you'll start to see lines, and prior to opening. Start checking online to see if reservations are required.
  • 3.8 - very tough to get in these. The ones that didn't have reservations, had insane lines, like 3.86 donut shop in Kyoto, I waited almost 2 hours in the rain, and that's arriving 40 minutes early.
  • 4.0 - seemed to apply mostly to high end sushi/kaiseki, e.g. you gotta know someone to get on the list.
• For sights, I will assign a priority number (P1, P2, etc). Use this as datapoints for figuring out where to visit on a quick trip.

Resources

• My Google My Map for points of interest, shopping
  
• My Google My Map for food
  
• My Google Sheet with prices of gifts, food, and ratings
  
• ~80 select highlights from my trip, with comments, mostly copied from my trip report. Photos were taken with the Pixel 8 Pro, no edits/filters.
  

Monday, March 18 - Houston:

• Arrived 7am at IAH, boarded 10:45am for 11:15am flight. While waiting, an ANA employee already mistook me for Japanese; confused, what little Japanese I prepared for this situation left my brain. Knew this won't be the last time I get mistaken as Japanese.

Tuesday, March 19 - Tokyo Osaka (1.9 miles) - Just a travel day:

• Land in Haneda around 3:20pm. I stupidly went through the door to the other Terminal 3 gates instead of going through customs, because I wanted to go by gate 108B to grab the special edition Pikachu plushies. Only the flight attendant plush was left. Then I realize I couldn't get out. It took ~20 min to explain to the Info desk and wait for the person they called to escort me to customs. When I got to customs, it looked like there were two flights worth of travelers in front of me.
• Once past customs, activated my Ubigi eSIM with no problems, got my Welcome Suica card (machines to the left when facing towards the exits to the stations).
• Took the Keikyū line to Shinagawa, then took the Shinkansen to Osaka. At first I was going to buy the ticket via the counter at Shinagawa station but there was a line so I figured I would give the SmartEX app a chance. It was pretty easy to buy tickets via app. I linked it to my Suica card. Took the 5:46pm Nozomi, it looked like I was the only foreigner on my car.
• Food - Dinner: Fukutaro Main Store (3.74 Tabelog, 4/5 rating, 20 min wait @ 9:30pm) - Ordered the triple negiyaki (recommended by staff) and beef okonomiyaki. Freshly made at the front grill, and placed on your grill to keep warm. Very bold flavors due to the okonomiyaki sauce (using Worcestershire), dried seaweed flakes, and pickled ginger. Great for drunk people. The worst thing about solo traveling is not getting to try a little bit of everything. Two entrees was way too much for me, despite eating closer to 10pm. I recommend getting okonomiyaki in Osaka, especially since many open late very late, I've seen some open until 3am.
• Sight: Dotonburi (P2) - Very bright and lit up, lots of young people walking around. Felt like a mini Times Square.
• Hotel: Tabist Hotel ASIATO Namba (5/5 rating, $39/night) - Business hotel. 10 min walk to station. Next block was Kuromon Market. Mix of Japanese and foreign guests. Pretty good for the price, and I had my own room and bathroom. The bathroom was a little tiny even for someone 5'10", particularly the space between the toilet and the opposite wall. Would stay again!

Wednesday, March 20 - Osaka (5.9 miles) - Food & Aquarium:

• Sight: Kuromon Market (P2) - Pretty dead at 8am, many shops are closed, some are setting up for the day. Would recommend sleeping in. Or you could get your shopping in early at the Don Quijote in Umeda (only Osaka Donki that's open 24 hours).
• Food - Pastry: Rikuro’s Namba Main Branch (3.51 Tabelog, 5/5 rating, 45 min wait @ 8:20am) - The famous jiggly cheesecake. Was 3rd in line 45 minutes early. Turns out there are two lines, one for the cafe, one for just cake, the two people ahead of me were 3 hours early for the cafe. Line was about 20-30 people when it opened. Not sure how long it'd be middle of day or on weekend. Not as jiggly as the IG posts, but damn good. Note, there are raisins at the bottom. I had to save half for later, it's a good size for 2-4 people. Another note, cheesecake is take-out only, unless it's bought at the cafe (with possibly a more ridiculous line).
• Food - Appetizer: Fukahiro Honten (3.5/5 rating, no wait @ 10am) - Saw a Youtube vid that said the scallops were very good here. Pretty fresh, No line. Note, most of the scallops at the market will grill it all, ovary included. So you'll get an orange sac to eat. The muscle part was juicy and delicious grilled, the ovary part I could do without.
• Food - Appetizer: 満福 / Manpuku (1/5 rating, no wait) - AVOID! Figured I'd try a wagyu on a stick, price seemed okay ~¥2000. One of my worst food ordered this trip. It was microwaved in plastic wrap before being put on a skillet, not grill. Then he added lots of salt/msg and lastly torched and sauced. Terrible quality meat, super sinewy and I could not chew down. Seems to be Chinese-run, only the cashier was Japanese as the other staff were talking in Chinese but spoke Japanese to her. I don't have high hopes for the other stuff.
• Sight: Osaka Castle (P2) - Beautiful up close. This area was super windy. Pretty long lines to go in, so I skipped the interior.
• Food - Lunch/Dinner: Kadoya Shokudo (3.84 Tabelog, 3/5 rating, 60 min wait @ 2:30pm) - Late lunch since the original place I had in mind for some reason was closed. This was the highest-rated ramen in Osaka, which explained the line at 2pm. Shoyu ramen was very solid and rich but wasn't salty like many of the ramen in the US. However, I didn't think it was necessarily 'memorable'. I also ordered the stamina rice bowl. Delicious and well-braised, but still not worth the wait time.
• Experience: Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan (P1) - Reservations recommended. Though when I went, there wasn't a line to buy tickets. Good amount of people @ 4pm. You may have to wait 15-60 seconds each exhibit for the people in front to finish up. The main twin whale shark exhibit is huge, there are many many many angles to view them, so if you are pressed for time, you have plenty of chances. At first I thought the aquarium was less impressive than the Atlanta one, considering Osaka only had 1 river otter, but the later themes were pretty impressive/unique such as the twilight/jellyfish one, artic waters/Japanese spider crabs, and coral. Gift shop was pretty neat, much better than Atlanta's. Picked up some ceramics with otter designs for the girlfriend.
• Shopping: Don Quijote Namba Sennichimae - The original plan was to buy my Donki haul in Tokyo since I didn't want to lug it to Kyoto/Uji/Tokyo. But I saw some sign that said the Biore sunscreen was the cheapest in the region and all reason flew out the window. Oops. I had a shopping list from the girlfriend, so much of what I bought was to fulfill that. It's somewhat organized, categories I remember: food on 1F, cosmetics on 2F, alcohol, electronics, suitcases, pharmacy on 3F. There's a fairly long line for the tax-free counter on 3F. You can get an extra 5% off ¥10,000 purchase if you use the coupon, not sure if it's tied to your passport, e.g. if you can use it on more than one purchase. Check my link at the beginning with what I bought and prices.

Thursday, March 21 - Osaka Kyoto (2.8 miles) - Travel to and shopping in Kyoto:

• Sight: Sumiyoshi Taisha (P2) - Neat iconic bridge. Lots to see and free to enter. Worth a visit in the morning!
• Food - Lunch: Men-ya Takei - Hankyu Umeda (3.73 Tabelog, 5/5 rating, 10 min wait @ 12pm) - Inside Umeda station, this was my favorite ramen/noodle dish I had. Ordered item #11 on the vending machine, rec by staff. Insanely fragrant due to the yuzu on top and green onions. Comes with pork and grilled chicken. Apparently the tsukemen is top class too.
• Experience: Kobo-san Market at To-Ji Temple (P2) - once a month on the 21st. Got lucky it was happening during my trip. Went straight here when I landed in Kyoto. Packed with stalls all over the grounds, all very diverse. Had a more farmer's market/antique shop feel to it. Food looked very homemade. I wish I had more time to explore it! Random note, I got takoyaki at a stall near the entrance, the guy shortchanged me.
• Shopping: Horaido Tea Stall - outer area of Nishiki market. Established in 1804. The guy who runs it is very knowledgeable and has pretty good English. His family's shop is credited with creating genmaicha (tea and roasted rice). Bought hojicha and genmaicha. I wish I had bought matcha here. I got a nice sakura-pattern bowl as well.
• Shopping: Takashimaya - fairly high-end department store chain, considered a purveyor of kimono to the Imperial household. Lots of international brands. I went to check out the ceramics section on the 6th. I bought a mini flower vase and nice ceramic chopstick holders.
• Shopping: Nintendo Kyoto - Same floor as the tax-free counter in the Takashimaya building. Not crazy packed. Lots of folks of all ages. No Pokemon items here. Photo booth upstairs. Not tax-free.
• Shopping: Pokemon Center - Lots of recent gen Pokemon stuff.
• Shopping: Hands - DIY/lifestyle chain located fairly close since they're all along the shopping street. Got stickers for the gf.
• Food - Dinner: KARA-KUSA curry (3.54 Tabelog, 4/5 rating, 5 min wait @ 8pm) - Bib gourmand by the Michelin Guide. As the name indicates, they're known for offering a red and black curry. Red is vegetable-based with chicken, black is beef. Solid 'fusion' curry. ¥1150 for combo with med/large rice. I got the large rice and paid ¥100 more for extra curry Crazy good value!
• Hostel: THE POCKET HOTEL Kyoto-Shijokarasuma (4/5 rating, $63/night) - Pricey, but it was still the cheapest for a place centrally located with your own room. Wasn't a 5 because you had to go to 1F for the shower. Room is tiny, not great if you have to organize your luggage. Otherwise, it's literally part of Nishiki Market. They have a free self-service luggage-locking tool; it's great for leaving luggage before check-in, or after check-out.

Friday, March 22 - Kyoto (5.5 miles) - Gion:

• Sight: Kiyomizu-dera (P1) - Not too crowded at 7:45am. Definitely check this out!
• Sight: Ninenzaka (P2) - Iconic street. A few shops were open at 9:45am.
• Food - Snack: Starbucks Coffee - Kyoto Nineizaka Yasaka Chaya (3/5 rating, 20 min wait @ 930am) - The only Starbucks in the area and right on Ninenzaka. THe upstairs is fairly basic, and not particularly photo-worthy imo. Matcha scone was pretty tasty, good with a sweet drink. It seems if you order a Venti, you get a special paper cup with a sakura design. Got a Japan 'Been There' tumbler, which came with a free drink, which I used for a Yuzu Citrus Tea. Note, you need to stir up the yuzu that's at the bottom!
• Food - Snack: 月下美人 (3.00 Tabelog, 2/5, no wait) - I saw it was open after leaving the Starbucks. They have dango, sweet potato chips and sticks. I got the sweet potato sticks. They were cold and didn't taste particularly fresh.
• Sight: Yasakanoto (P2) - Iconic structure. I didn't enter.
• Sight: Kennin-ji (P2) - fairly large complex, gigantic dragons painting on ceiling. Built 1202 and is claimed to be the oldest Zen temple in Kyoto.
• Sight: Zenkyo-an (P4) - small sub-temple of Kenninji, honoring a guardian boar. Lots of cute little piggy ceramics all over. Worth checking out if you're already visiting Kenninji.
• Food - Lunch: Gion Uokeya U (3.64 Tabelog, former 1 Michelin star, 4/5 rating)- Reservations strongly recommended. Had a friend reserve this for me. Saw this was highly recommended for unagi in Kyoto. Staff recommended the unadon, grilled eel on rice with eel liver soup and pickles. Also ordered a skewered eel. Both eels were perfectly cooked. Unfortunately it only confirmed that I don't enjoy eel very much. The eel liver soup was delicious, until I ate the liver, tasted just as I should've expected: liver but seafood-y.
• Food - Dessert: Gion Tokuya (3.86 Tabelog, 5/5 rating, 5 min wait @ 12:40pm) - Large menu of traditional Japanese sweets. Grab a ticket and wait until you're called. I got lucky and got a private room to myself. Staff recommended the pure warabimochi & green tea pure kuzumochi. Both are sweetened with wasanbon, Japanese traditional sugar. You get black syrup and kinako powder for the warabimochi and red bean paste and green tea flavor kinako for the kuzumochi. At the end, you can use leftover flavorings to mix with the iced used to chill the mochi to create a mini shaved ice. Highly recommend!
• Sight: Yasui Konpiragu Shrine (P3) - interesting shrine with a fairly long line, ritual is to go through the hole in the stone to end a bad relationship.
• Sight: Ryozen Kannon (P3) - war memorial with a giant Buddha.
• Sight: Kodai-ji (P2) - Has lots of maki-e objects, rock garden, and a bamboo garden in the back (great if you don't have time to check out Arashiyama)
• Sight: Kodaiji Sho museum (P4) - neat tiny museum with objects from the temple, a lot of tea ones. 5-15 minutes to go through it all.
• Shopping: 岡林院接待所 - Kind lady selling local goods, apparently married to an Uji tea farmer, surname Hasegawa. Had a few matchas and tea stuff for sale.
• Sight: Maruyama park (P2) - apparently a great place for cherry blossoms, only a few trees had flowers at the time I went.
• Sight: Yasaka Shrine (P1) - Built in 656. Very large grounds area, LOTS of people here.
• Shopping: Nishikisatake Florist - The first florist I found with ikebana scissors under ¥4000 and kenzan.
• Shopping: Ichihara Heibei Shōten - Founded in 1764, supposedly a historical purveyor of the Imperial family. Has chopsticks of all types of woods, shapes, and prices. Limited English. Super authentic stuff. Bought a very nice pair of maki-e chopsticks among others.
• Food - Dinner: Soba-no-Mi Yoshimura (3.69 Tabelog, 5/5 rating, 30 min wait @ 7:50pm) - Ordered the set menu, Moriawase-Zen. ¥4000 got me an appetizer, sashimi, assorted tempura, soba, oroshisoba, and dessert. Good deal, you get a lot of variety, tempura is perfectly crisp and light. Soba was wonderfully aromatic and had this amazing texture. Towards the end, you get the starchy water, leftover from cooking the soba, to mix with sauce and drink. Delicious!

Saturday, March 23 - Kyoto (9 miles) - Spending big money:

• Sight: Fushimi Inari (P1) - Wasn't too busy at 8am, though it was a little rainy that day. Even fairly early on the trail, you can get a photo without too long of a wait for people to clear out. Lots to explore, I did not opt to go to the peak/loop, and ended my trek at the 'crossroads'. On the way down, it definitely got more crowded.
• Shopping: Zohiko - high-end lacquerware, founded in 1661, purveyor to the Imperial court. Bought a very nice plate and tray. Some pieces are quite expensive. Note, some of the pieces will use lacquer mixed with urethane so the piece doesn't scratch as easily, e.g. trays.
• Food - Snack: Hitsuji Doughnuts (3.86 Tabelog, 5/5 rating, 95 min wait @ 10:40am) - Insane wait in the rain. I didn't think the line was that bad, but there was a sign on building wall later that said it would take 5 minutes per person, assuming they're making it fresh for person. Also only 5 per person. Since it took a lot longer than I expected, I opted to pick up my donuts at 4pm as I had to make it to my kaiseki reservation (which I had to ask my Japanese friend to call them to push back to 12:45pm from the original 12pm). Even reheated that night, these were the best donuts I've ever had. It's almost insulting to call them donuts. There's no oiliness to them, they're light, they have a mochi-like texture that just melts in your mouth, and the flavors offered are subtle. Got the cinnamon, cream cheese, earl grey and cream cheese, chocolate, tanba black soybean and kinako. Honestly, they were all amazing. Would I wait that long again? Probably not. But I'm glad I got to try it. I think "i'm donut ?" in Tokyo (was comparable, maybe 90% of the power level, (I go there on the 28th). Donuts ranged ¥280-400.
• Food - Lunch: Kiyama (4.37 Tabelog, 1 Michelin star, 5/5 rating) - Reserved in December when the slot opened via Pocket Concierge. Sat on the far left side of the 9-person counter. Chef Kiyama did not like me taking photos (forgot that was mentioned in the reservation page). Food was presented beautifully. Very delicate, light flavors. New tastes and texture combinations that I haven't had before, and I've been to quite a few Michelin-starred restaurants. Everything very purposeful. Lots of use of dashi. While chef was not at the counter often, he did come to make the dashi in front of us. Menu was a little crude, but had English. Towards the 2nd half, they give you the option to choose the serving size, from bite-sized to entree-sized, for 4 dishes. Being the greedy, value-driven bastard that I am, I got 'large' for all 4. Normally I can devour these no problem, but it was straight-up too much food. On the 3rd one, marinated maguro on rice, I had to leave rice in my bowl (literal crime in Asia) or else I couldn't finish the rest of the meal, then meekly asked a chef to reduce my 4th to a medium. At the time, I didn't know if the price would be the same no matter the serving size, it was in fact the same :). I wholeheartedly agree with the insane Tabelog score of 4.37. At ¥14,520 gratuity/tax included, (a little under $100), it's fairly approachable and possibly even underpriced. Easily a $250 meal back in the states, not including tax/tip...
  *hopping on my soapbox* Kiyama has mixed reviews on Reddit, I thought it was perfect. Yes, there are no big bold flavors, but no one dish outshone the others, each has their place. You can go straight to the next dish with no interference from what you previously had. Each dish was cooked perfectly (though the after-meal matcha could've been better whisked). The bonito is shaved fresh right in front of you. Beautiful dishware. Kiyama has been a refreshing fine dining experience, wonderfully memorable from the other restaurants I've been to. *hops off soapbox*
  
• Sight: Kyoto Gyoen National Garden (P2) - very large area with plenty of early blooming sakura. Did not go inside Imperial Palace.
  
• Food - Dessert: Toraya Karyo - Kyoto Ichijo (3.52 Tabelog, 5/5 rating, 5 min wait @ 3:15pm) - Tearoom, operating since 1628, purveyor to the Imperial court. Has English menus. Ordered the sweet azuki bean soup (ogura), kinako anmitsu, and sakura mochi. A nice woman at the table next to me that explained that you can eat the pickled sakura leaf but some find it too bitter so you can also skip it. I thought the mochi was perfect with the leaf as it balanced the sweetness and provide complementing texture. Excellent cafe-vibes, with an inner garden area with outdoor seating. Perfect for the cloudy day. Seemed like a popular date spot. There were plenty of other desserts to try, alas it was just me.
  
• Shopping: Ippodo - Founded in 1717 and a favorite of Prince Yamashina. Approximately 30 tea products, with some Kyoto exclusive at this store. Very knowledgeable staff. Fairly crowded with lots of foreign customers. Cafe/barista behind the shopping counter.
  
• Shopping: 古裂とよ - Older grandma was running the shop. Walking back to the hostel, I was attracted to the various cheap ceramics outside the shop, thinking I can find a good chawan here. It has lots of vintage stuff, but in the back there's lots of old kimono's, for what I'd suspect, is very cheap. I found a beautiful chawan for ¥1000.
  
• Shopping: Standard Products Kyoto Shijo-dori Store - Premium brand of Daiso. Store reminds me of Muji. I got a decent travel neck pillow for ¥300 (note, this was at least ¥1500 elsewhere).
  

Sunday, March 24 - Kyoto Uji (9.2 miles) - All-the-temples:

• Sight: Heian Jingu Outemmon Gate (P2) - Large open court area, I opted not to check out the garden given the current state of blooming in Kyoto.
• Sight: Okazaki shrine (P4) - cute shrine with the rabbit as the symbol of fertility and safe childbirth. Lots of ema's (wooden plaques) with messages on a future child. Worth checking out even if you're not expecting.
• Sight: Manganji temple (P4) - small temple, can skip. I just walked by and took photos of a blooming sakura tree.
• Sight: Keage Incline (P1 if blooming, P4) - nothing was in bloom here, every tree was bare, so you're just walking along old railroad tracks. Fortunately this was the 'scenic route' to Nanzen-ji, so it wasn't too much of a detour. If it is blooming when you visit, HIGHLY recommend you walk this path, though it might be crowded.
• Sight: Konchi-in temple (P4) - small temple complex with a rock garden. Nothing spectacular but worth a visit if you have the time.
• Sight: Nanzen-ji (P1) - decent sized temple complex, has a rock garden, and a more recent European aqueduct. I paid an extra ¥500 for the tea experience, which I thought was quite worth it. You get matcha, a piece of wagashi, and sit on a tatami facing a little waterfall and pond, very relaxing. You can pay extra to go to 2F of the Sanmon entrance gate for a city-view.
• Sight: Eikando-ji (P1) - also a large templex complex, has a rock garden, and a pagoda you climb up to with decent city-views. Has a pond and a very impressive hall with beautiful golden objects everywhere.
• Shopping: Aoki Hanaten Co. - Saw a little shop selling ceramics right when I stepped out of Eikando-ji, so I took a look. It's mainly a flower shop but sells stuff they buy from auction/wholesellers. I actually recognized a Zohiko lacquerware 6-piece mini plate set for about 50% off MSRP so bought that (still expensive lol).
• Sight: Philosopher's Path (P1 if blooming, P3) - Similar to the Keage Incline, the Philospher's Path was bare all along the whole route. Interesting way to make your way to Ginkaku-ji than walking the regular streets.
• Food - Lunch: Omen Ginkaku-ji (3.56 Tabelog, 5/5 rating, 5 min wait @ 12:15pm) - This place serves udon with broth to dip it in, similar to tsukemen. You choose whether you want the dashi broth hot or cold (hot was rec by staff), and you also get seasonal fresh vegetables and sesame seeds to mix in the broth for extra flavor. Pretty unique style, highly recommend. They make their own chili powders, which you can buy, which I did.
• Sight: Ginkaku-ji (P2) - relatively small complex, you can easily do a quick loop in 5-10 minutes. I wasn't too impressed by the pavilion. There's a neat sand garden and sand cone. Has a neat observation area. Personally would skip in a 1-day Kyoto trip.
• Food - Dessert: Kazariya (3.61 Tabelog, 5/5 rating, 15 min wait @ 3:10pm) - Sells aburi-mochi, mochi rolled in kinako then grilled and covered in white miso paste. Very tasty, and pretty affordable. You get ~9 skewers of it and a hot tea for like ¥600. Operating since 1656, though its competitor 10 feet away, Ichimonjiya Wasuke, has been operating since 1000 with a 25th generation owner. Ichiwa had a higher Tabelog score, but the line was slightly longer there when I visited. Eat this on the way to Imamiya shrine, both stores were established for travelers to the shrine.
• Sight: Imamiya shrine (P4) - Shrine founded in 994, moved 1001, to protect against epidemics. Went here since it was right next to Kazariya.
• Sight: Kinkaku-ji (P1) - The famous Golden Pavillion. A little bigger than Ginkaku-ji, but similar structure. Much better looking in person. Crowds were noticeably larger compared to other sights.
• Sight: Ryoan-ji (P3) - Has a famous rock garden and a rather large pond, otherwise not particularly outstanding imo. If you're already visiting Kinkaku-ji and you have time, check it out.
• Food - Dessert: Nanaya Kyoto (3.20 Tabelog, 4/5 rating, no wait @ 5:55pm) - Popularized due to the 7 levels of matcha ice cream. I got the hojicha, sakura, and level 7 matcha. I thought these were an excellent combination, and all different. The sweeter hojicha and sakura balanced the bitter matcha. I would not recommend the level 7 matcha ice cream by itself. They do not offer sampes/tasting spoons.
• Other: Yamato Transport - Since I had prematurely bought a whole bunch at Don Quijote in Osaka, and a few more items in Kyoto, I had enough souvenirs to fill up my 100L duffel (see tips further below regarding why I chose duffel bags). So I brought it to the Nishiki location, bought 3 boxes there for ¥680, packed the stuff in the boxes, which I then put in the duffel, and shipped it straight to Haneda for ¥2630 + 660 airport fee.
• Food - Dinner: Gyukatsu Kyoto Katsugyu (3.23 Tabelog, 2/5, 50 min wait @ 8pm) - Chose these since I wanted to be flexible on when I'd eat before leaving for Uji. Unfortunately this place had a huge line given it's pretty close to Tokyo Station. It's also the highest-rated branch. I opted for the Premium Wagyu Sirloin Gyukatsu Zen for ¥5379. Honestly I don't think it was worth it. Having wagyu as katsu kind of masks the reason why you're eating wagyu. You can get the regular American sirloin katsu for less than half that price. Yes, it was good, but not ¥5000-good. Also, the center of my wagyu was actually cold(!!), so I had to use hot plate to further cook mine, no bueno. Tiny bowl of rice, extra rice costs more. 3/5 for food, 2/5 accounting for price and wait.
• Hostel: トラベラーズ道 麒麟舎 / Travelersdou Kirinya (4/5 rating, $38/night) - Didn't find a lot of places to stay in Uji that was near the bridge/Byodo-in, I did get lucky and found this hostel that offered a room with two sets of bunks for $38/night, which seemed wrongly-priced. I thought perhaps it was for a single bed in the room, but after I booked it, that room was taken off Expedia. You had to take stairs up to the 3rd floor, a little scary with my roller and duffel. There's a traditional Japanese toilet, so that wasn't great. Otherwise there was a traditional shower room with tub.

Monday, March 25 - Uji Tokyo (4.9 miles) - Tea & travel:

• Sight: Byodo-in (P1 if going to Uji anyways) - The centerpiece is definitely Phoenix Hall, which is quite impressive. I would cough up the extra ¥300 for the 15 minute guided tour of the hall. Note, they only spoke in Japanese during the tour. Get here EARLY and queue in line to buy the ticket to the tour. Otherwise, your tour time might be much later, and you don't get free re-entry (not sure how it works if you have a tour much later). The museum is neat, with plenty of signs in English!
• Shopping: Nakamura Tokichi Honten - I checked out their shop after I got a ticket for the line to the restaurant. Lots of tea available to buy. Famous tea shop started in 1854 and purveyor to the Imperial family. Has tea ranging from affordable dailies to expensive. Tax-free! One of their employees is white, so I was able to easily converse and figure out which teas I'd want.
• Food - Lunch: Nakamura Tokichi Honten (3.56 Tabelog, 5/5 rating, 60 min wait @ 10am) - famous for their matcha parfait and cha soba (soba infused with tea). I ordered the uji tencha buckwheat noodles set. Can have it hot or cold (hot was rec by staff). The set, an extra ¥550, came with A) tea rice and small matcha jelly bowl or B) large matcha jelly bowl. The jelly bowl was pretty close to their popular 'matcha namacha jelly' minus the matcha ice cream. Since I got the set, I opted not to get the namacha jelly. The noodles were great, and you layer in additional flavors through use of the tencha, citron, and special usucha oil. Super satisfying! Their other famous and more IG-worthy dessert is the 'matcha maruto parfait', inside of a bamboo 'bowl'. For an extra ¥200 at ¥1850, I got the seasonal sakura version. There's like 11 ingredients used to create this parfait. Very tasty, and you can create all sorts of combinations with each spoonful.
• Sight: Ujikami shrine (P4) - small shrine, can check out on the way to Kosho-ji.
• Sight: Uji shrine (P4) - small shrine, can check out on the way to Kosho-ji.
• Sight: Kosho-ji (P1) - Established in 1645, it's still being used as a training monastery. There's a beautiful garden in the inner court area. A few things to see, though two features that I wanted to experience was 1) the nightingale floors, which make a chirp when stepped on, and 2) the blood-stained ceilings. The ceilings are right above the main hall. They have a pamphlet explaining where, also it's circled in chalk when you look up.
• Food - Dinner: Katsukura Shinjuku Takashimaya (3.54 Tabelog, 4.5/5 rating, 25 min wait @ 7:30pm) - Met up with friends of my GF. Got the 160g kinkaton rosu (pork loin) cutlet set for ¥3300. Juicy, crispy, hot (unlike the gyukatsu...). Also got shrimp to share. What's neat at this restaurant is you grind your own sesame to mix it fresh with the sauce to dip your tonkatsu in, delicious!
• Sight: Kabukicho (P3) - Went here around 8:45pm with the husband of my GF's bestie. Actually felt pretty safe, though not sure how it'd be solo and perhaps much later. A few guys asked if we were interested in anything, just a quick no and kept walking. No eye contact is key!
• Sight: Golden Gai (P3) - Just a few alleyways with lots of hallway-sized bars. Most were full and full of foreigners at that.
• Sight: Hanazono shrine (P3) - Pretty interesting to see a shrine right in the middle of a city and next to Golden Gai/Kabukicho. It has a somewhat unique shape and is quite colorful.
• Shopping: Mega Donki Shinjuku - Straight up smelled like raw sewage all over the store. Prices are about the same as those in Osaka. Lots of people. If you do shop here, since it's open 24 hours, I would aim for the less popular times (great if you need to pass the jetlag!)
• Hostel: Lucky Hostel (4.74 Airbnb, 4.5/5 rating, $46/night) - Got lucky and found the 4.74-rated listing on Airbnb, which came with my own room, on the outskirts of Shinjuku, 4 minutes from Okubo station. I didn't see anything under $50/night after taxes/fees in the central Tokyo area, even after checking periodically leading up to my trip. Looking now in deep summer (lol), I see Lucky Hostel, then a few in Asakusa area. If it's available, I'd recommend this hostel, otherwise the Asakusa ones seem pretty good, decent location. Other guests were foreigners, fairly respectful, enough showers and western toilets for everyone. My hostel experience has been pretty good! Though walking to/from the larger Shin-Okubo station sucked, it smelled like sewage in that area (and one of the only areas in Japan with lots of trash on the ground).

Tuesday, March 26 - Tokyo (3.3 miles) - Asakusa & Kappanbashi:

• Sight: Senso-ji (P1) - Very impressive 'Thunder Gate' at the entrance, with a line of folks taking photos with it. After that, there's a street leading up to the temple with lots of shops, most were not open at 8:40am. The pagoda on the left is neat, and you can kind of see the Skytree to your right as you move forward.
• Sight: Sumida River / Park (P2 if blooming) - No blossoms here. There's a good view of the Skytree.
• Food - Dessert: Choumeji Sakuramochi (3.74 Tabelog, 5/5, no wait @ 9:30am) - Credited as the creator of the sakuramochi in 1717. Great tasting wagashi, I love the pickled sakura leaf that balances the red bean paste. ¥250 each. I had been scarred by Kyoto, I thought there would be a line, perhaps it was the fact it was Tuesday or it was a pretty rainy day. Must take to-go.
• Shopping: Yagenbori - His family's shop is credited with creating shichimi togarashi in the 1600s. He displays all 7 spices and you can see him mixing them. He speaks pretty good English. He actually lets you sample any of the furikake (and he has a lot to choose from!). Highly recommend giving it a look!
• Shopping: Tatsumi (Office Senju) - Shop near Senso-ji. Lots of cheap kimono, not sure what the high-end of the price range is. I happened to find a nice unused haori for ¥3300.
• Food - Lunch: Tempura Shimomura (3.80 Tabelog, 5/5) - Originally wanted to book Tempura Fukumachi but that was much more famous and a Michelin Star, thus incredibly hard to reserve. Shimomura still had a great Tabelog rating, could book easily through Pocket Concierge (no fee!), and was cheaper for roughly the same menu (at least at the basic level), ¥7150 vs ¥12650. This was tempura at a whole other level. Crispy, insanely light, and each ingredient was amazing. It's hard to choose a favorite because everything was so good. A few things to highlight would be the prawns, tilefish, and anago (conger eel). It's just one guy, so the pacing will slow down if the counter is more full. You can order more a la carte. At this price point, I would do it monthly. Having had this experience, I ocassionally think about quitting my job, training at a place like this, and bringing it back to the US. Reservations recommended.
• Shopping: Nakamura Tea Life - Expensive tea, but a rec by my Japanese friend.
• Sight: Kappanbashi (P2) - Great street for anything kitchen supplies. If a more common/generic item, would recommend keeping track of prices before buying. If more unique item like ceramic or knife, unless you love that specific design, I would go through a few shops before deciding, there's so many shops to go through, I spent 3.5 hours there and that was just looking at matcha-wans and a nakiri knives. Note, all the stores below have been mentioned on Reddit several times, maybe not the Tojiro one.
• Shopping: Dengama - The first shop at the southern end of the street, right side. Lots and lots of ceramics, higher-end stuff on 2F. Picked up a tokuname tea pot and a few plates/bowls/matcha-wan.
• Shopping: Hashitou - High-end chopsticks shop, lots of signage with English.
• Shopping: FU WA RI - Ceramics and wooden stuff.
• Shopping: Union Commerce Cutlery - Kitchen knives, most nakiri ¥15000+, there were a few right at ¥11000 but they had blemishes and I didn't like the design.
• Shopping: Cutlery Tsubaya - Pricey knives, no nakiri under ¥14000.
• Shopping: Utsuwazoshi - Wooden stuff
• Shopping: Kama-asa - Nice shop, same as the others, though they did have one that looked great at the right price-point but it had sold out. I asked about the Tojiro-brand, which they had one but the staff said a new Tojiro store had opened up and to check it out.
• Shopping: Tojiro Knife Gallery Tokyo - Finally found nakiri's within my budget. They had a basic version for a great price (forgot the price) but I opted for a better handle and construction at the ¥10000 price point (excluding tax, they're tax-free!). Interesting story, the saleswoman who answered my questions in rough English, when she saw name on my passport, asked if I was Chinese and we chatted in Chinese, apparently she moved her 7 years ago.
• Shopping: 伊藤又右衛門之商店 - half a block away from Kappanbashi, the owner had lots of wares for sale, picked up 3 mini plates to give as gifts.
• Shopping: Sotei Yabukita - Ceramics, but didn't see anything I wanted.
• Food - Dinner: MENYA SHO (3.78 Tabelog, 4/5 rating, no wait @ 6:40pm) - Ordered the special ramen which had chicken and possibly duck (possibly smoked), ¥1600. Very delicious, but didn't particularly stand out from the other noodles I had, beyond that duck.

Part 2 here.