All posts tagged: travel

travel journaling.

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Whenever I go on a big trip I bring along a notebook to do some journaling. I usually go for a watercolor book because the paper is dreamy and textured. Sharing a little of my Japan travel journal today! I try to journal everyday on vacation to document highlights and everything we did during the day. And I decorate with things I find on my trip. In Japan, I found Kitta washi tape books and sakura washi paper stickers. These were perfect for adding accents to my journal pages. I also save all receipts, booklets, and little paper finds in case I want to include additional decorations. I add these at the very end, usually when I get back from my trip. Some of the local travel guides had cute images of places we visited; I liked including these, too. I sometimes create pockets in my journals to store small booklets, too. And I do lots of doodling (mostly food doodles). Do you journal on vacay? Share your journaling tips and habits below.

food of DC.

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I can’t recap a trip without a food posts! Here’s a food overview for my DC trip plus links to my in depth Yelp reviews. Jinya Ramen My coworker friend and I stayed in the Logan neighborhood, and after a day of traveling, we decided on Jinya Ramen, just a few blocks from our lodging. I had the Slurp up Cilantro Ramen and we shared the cripsy chicken with garlic and pepper. Compass Coffee Before the conference started, we adventured to the U.S. Botanic Garden, then stopped for a quick bite at Compass Coffee, conveniently located near the Convention Center. The iced jasmine green tea was perfectly steeped and perfectly perfect for the hottest day of our trip. Poke Papa Fish for dinner! This place has sakura-shaped radish and unlimited fried garlic toppings. Milk Bar There’s a Milk Bar in DC! I went for my fill. National Portrait Gallery Cafe We went to the gallery to see the Obama painting plus lunch. You might choose to go for wine by the glass! A Baked Joint …

art of DC.

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Washington DC is full of art, too! I visited the National Portrait Museum, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, and spotted murals and neighborhood art all over town. National Portrait Museum When I go to art galleries I like to get up close with the art and see all the textures in the paintings. At the National Portrait Museum I got to see Barack Obama’s portrait. It was even more amazing in person – so colorful and grand. Blagden Alley I love, love, love alleys with murals! I enjoyed reading about Blagden Alley’s history, too. It made walking through so much more meaningful. Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden At the Hirshhorn I spotted a Pollack and a Mondrian! There was a special Manifesto exhibit and in the video room they timed it so the 13 character monologues were at one point in sync and almost chanting with each other. Art! Also at the Hirshhorn, a sculpture series which I didn’t quite understand, but I had to photograph all the pieces. Watermelon House We spotted the …

landmarks of DC.

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In addition to touring gardens, I did some touristing to national monuments and historic sites! Everywhere you look there’s a piece of history and a story. I enjoyed walking everywhere because you could stop and discover places and hidden gems. Apple Carnegie Library Logan Circle Park Major General George Henry Thomas Statue U.S Department of the Treasury The White House and the National Christmas Tree Pershing Park / John J. Pershing General of the Armies Dupont Circle Fountain Lafayette Square / Major General Marquis Gilbert de Lafayette Statue United States Capitol World War II Memorial Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and Washington Monument Famous Homes: John Logan House, Richard and Agnes Dolph Nixon’s Home, House Where Lincoln Died, Duke Ellington’s Childhood Home Chinatown Friendship Archway National Museum of African American History and Culture United States Department of Agriculture From the road – Thomas Jefferson Memorial and Potomac River Have you been to DC? What are some of your must see historic sites?

moxy.

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I had big dreams for our last day in Japan, but let’s face it – we were so tired from all the non-stop adventuring. Plus, we arranged to stay in a fun hotel on our last night in Tokyo and all I wanted to do was hang out there! First off, they let us check in early – yessss, more time for relaxing. This room was my favorite out of all the places we stayed in Japan. It reminded me of Basecamp in South Lake Tahoe. The bed was so comfy, and we got two pillows each – every where else gave us one tiny pillow each. The style minimalist, but way cute, and a lovely light shined in. Also, I finally got to watch some Japan TV. The best part though – the bed has a built-in night light that senses when you get up when it’s dark. It lights up at the foot of the bed and then automatically shuts off. Gimme one of those! When there is foosball, we play! I love …

bike | bloom

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This is a simple post. It’s about Tokyo bikes and flowers. We visited in the Springtime so all the blooms were majorly beautiful, and I was fascinated by all the bikes parked outside without locks (it’s honest there). Here are a few snaps from our stroll through Taito City and Sumida City in Tokyo. Enjoy. Shoutout to the simple things in life! Do you stop to photograph flowers, too? 🙂

temples and towers.

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I’m not one for crowds, but sometimes you just have to see something. I wanted to visit at least one temple in Japan because they are a big part of the culture (and also because I wanted a goshuin temple book!) and at least one trip to the top of a tower to get panoramic views of Tokyo. We visited the Sensoji Temple, the oldest temple in Tokyo. The buildings are massive, and so are the crowds. I enjoyed admiring all the architectural details and taking in the history. Plus, learning about temple traditions, like the chozuya where you purify yourself with a water ceremony before approaching a shrine. My favorite part though was finding where they stamp your temple books and getting my first stamp! Each temple or shrine has their own custom mark. At Sensoji Temple they take your book to the back for stamping. Mysterious… The only other temple we visited was in Nagano. We passed through the Zenko-ji Temple en route from sakuras to miso ice cream. We weren’t planning to …

shopping culture.

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The shopping culture in Japan is like whoa. Gifting and packaging play a key role. Shops often provide additional bags and tissues for gift giving. And if you’re lucky, your items will be wrapped with pretty paper and you won’t want to open them because the wrapping will be too lovely to mess up. Everywhere you go – a shopping plaza! Train stations had stories of shopping, too. In Toyko, the Ginza shopping district has big brand shops. It also has Itoya, an eight-story categorized shopping experience. It was on my must-see list. A floor for planners, a floor with cards, a floor dedicated to craft and one for fine papers… I visited an origami shop. Calligraphy and paper stores were also popular – I loved stumbling across these shops; the workers were always so friendly and curious where I was visiting from. My favorite crafty shop find: Wrapple Wrapping & DIY Cafe, a small boutique DIY bar and cafe with co-working space filled with washi and paper and decor items. We also visited the …

itadakimasu.

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I travel for the food. How about you? Drool with me now; it’s time for my Japan food recap! Itadakimasu! Sushi for breakfast, Tsukiji Fish Market, Tokyo This is what dreams are made of. We woke up at 11:30PM Friday and waited until the Tsukiji Fish Market opened at 7AM Saturday. Yaa, we had reverse jet lag. Before breakfast we strolled the Kachidoki Bridge for some just-after-sunrise views. I had the maguro salmon don (left) and Hubby had a kaisen don (right), plus miso soup with a big helping of seaweed. That’s wassup. That fish was fressssh. And I am obsessed with sushi rice. Noodles for breakfast, Rokurisha, Tokyo I’m a big fan of being able to eat out somewhere I can have rice or noodles for breakfast. And if there’s a place open by 10AM in the States I am a super fan. It took Hubby and I a while to find the tsukemen (dipping ramen) restaurant on our must-list because buildings in Tokyo are confusing. I saw a line and no English restaurant …

tennis tuesday: sectionals.

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This week on Tennis Tuesday: Sectionals! Sectionals were held at a few locations in the Monterey Bay Area. We hadn’t been in the area in a few years so we were excited for tennis and to do some exploring in between matches. Hubby and co played at Chamisal Tennis Club in Salinas and at the Carmel Valley Athletic Club in Carmel. Chamisal had a ‘by the water’ feel; I admired all of their landscaping and spectator seating areas (including the lawn where you could view up to four matches at once). Carmel Valley Athletic Club felt more ‘woodsy’ – like a log cabin in Tahoe feel and they had signs throughout the facility that said ‘members only’ – basically ‘keep out.’ I preferred hanging out at Chamisal; I felt more welcomed there. Also, Chamisal had really good fries in their cafe (so good we ate them twice…) and better-at-their-job tennis officials. Chamisal for the win! 😉 Like Districts, there were four matches in three days. Competition was tough, but this made for some exciting matches! …