On the Road | 在路上

Category: Asia

  • Culture Day in Yingge

    Culture Day in Yingge

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    by

    jz
    in

    Yingge (鶯歌) is a small town on the outskirts of Taipei known for its ceramics. I met up with my friend Sharon and we arrived on a empty, old street on an almost sunny afternoon and was not too impressed by what we saw first. We passed by a few pottery shops with very cute…

  • May All Your Wishes Come True

    May All Your Wishes Come True

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    by

    jz
    in

    We had breakfast on the second day at the corner stand that sells delicacies from Taichung. The bowl on the top left is Taichung meatball (台中肉圓). The dough is made from corn starch and sweet potato starch and is gooey and chewy, The inside is filled with meat, bamboo shoot and shiitake mushrooms. The bowl…

  • { Taipei } Day 1

    { Taipei } Day 1

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    by

    jz
    in

    I planned a side trip to Taipei to meet up with some friends and attend their engagement party. The last time I was in Taiwan, I was traveling by myself and super sick, so although I got to see some awesome sights, I didn’t really get to enjoy the food as much. So this time…

  • Long Time No See, Tokyo

    Long Time No See, Tokyo

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    by

    jz
    in ,

    Even though I’ve never lived in Tokyo, coming here gives me a strange sense of familiarity. I’m glad I got to revisit a few of my favorite spots in my few days here. { Yoyogi Park } Yoyogi Park is pretty much the equivalent of Central Park in New York. It’s where the locals like…

  • The Train’s Coming!

    The Train’s Coming!

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    by

    jz
    in

      Of all the public transportation systems I’ve had the privilege of utilizing in my travels, I still love the Japanese subway system the best. Yes, it’s crowded, and yes, sometimes you might get groped (have not personally experienced it though), but have you seen their awesome signs?!  If you are a fat penguin you…

  • Food [Part 2]

    Food [Part 2]

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    by

    jz
    in

    { izakaya } Although I like pretty much all Japanese food, my absolute favorite type of restaurant is the izakaya. This is typically where Japanese salary men (and now women) go after work for a drink or ten (the name izakaya actually means “house where you stay and drink”). Since my visit coincided with my…

  • Something Smells Fishy

    Something Smells Fishy

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    by

    jz
    in

    Tsukiji Market (築地市場）is a wholesale fish market on the outskirts of Tokyo that provides the freshest fish to the city’s best sushi restaurants (even Jiro’s!). It’s always been one of the top tourist destinations in Tokyo, but I’ve always managed to miss the opportunity to go. So this time I looked up the schedule, set…

  • Niko Nikko

    Niko Nikko

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    by

    jz
    in ,

    Nikko is about 2 hours outside of Tokyo and known for the mausoleum and shrine of Tokugawa Ieyasu, who founded the Tokugawa shogunate in 1603. The 200 years for which his family ruled also became known as the Edo period, a time of great economic and intellectual development that ended with the Meiji Restoration and the…

  • Food [Part 1]

    Food [Part 1]

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    by

    jz
    in

    I must make it clear up front that I am not a foodie. I will generally enjoy all kinds of food, but won’t go out of my way (and empty my wallet) for a world famous meal. So sadly I won’t be taking you to Jiro’s sushi on my trip, but I still managed to…

  • An Evening at the Ghibli Museum

    An Evening at the Ghibli Museum

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    by

    jz
    in

    I’m slightly sad that I didn’t plan for a longer stay in Japan, having forgotten how much I love this country. The clean city streets and trains that are always on time, the dichotomy between the suited up salary men standing next to the wildly dressed Harajuku girls, the politeness of every single person you…