Having been spoiled by the calmest winter I've ever experienced in my life since moving to New York City at 8 years old - I was really itching to see some snow this year in Japan. Upon a quick search, it was easy to locate a bunch of snowy destinations and snow peaks perfect for a day of snowboarding, skiing, or any other winter-related activities within hours away from the center of Tokyo. But I was looking for something a bit more relaxing. Of course, there is no shortage of onsens and ryokans that are available in Tokyo but finding one that was close to some snow took some digging. I came across Takaragawa Onsen and I was immediately mesmerized by the open-air bath. So alas, I dragged my boyfriend here for a weekend get-away to celebrate our monthnaversary (no idea why we still do this after like 6 years, but I know there are others doing this still, so I don't feel too cheesy sharing).

During the booking process, we quickly learned that this onsen actually boasts the largest open-air bath onsen in all of Japan, making us even more excited to see it in person.

Getting to this onsen was a bit of a journey though. Instead of using the JR/Shinkansen trains, we got a package that provided a kaiseki-style dinner and breakfast along with roundtrip bus rides from Shinjuku Station. Taking the train would have saved us about 2 hours from the entire journey, but, it would mean that we would have to trek our way to the location of the onsen without their shuttle service. Compared to taking the train, the bus ride lasted about 4 hours total, with stops several times throughout at some pretty cool rest stops. My boyfriend and I agreed that this was probably just as fun as the stay at the onsen to be quite honest. It's not every day that you can take a long drive through rural parts of Japan without worrying about driving and just catching up and stopping for snacks. Plus we actually went on a weekday (Thursday) meaning there was no tourists in sight and only 6 other guests on a 40 person bus with us.

Using the hotel's mode of transport ensured that we would arrive on time for check-in. Meaning we didn't have much time to really explore the grounds before our dinner promptly at 6:30 pm.

Sleeping early allowed us to wake up pretty early the next morning to go soak in the onsen, finally. To our surprise, there are actually 4 open-air onsens in the vicinity. One each specifically for each gender, and two co-op baths (I believe). The photos above are of me in the gloriously acclaimed "biggest open-air bath onsen" in all of Japan. It was such a cool experience to be able to float around in warm water with snow and a river surrounding me. It was also really calm and peaceful since there weren't many people in around (hence being able to take these photos despite being in an onsen). It is also worth noting that you are given a yukata to wear for walking around and between the baths when you check in. Girls are given a short dress to bathe in the co-op baths too!

Alas, my snow cravings were satisfied and I didn't even feel that much burdened by it - instead, it made me even more relieved. If you're looking for a close to nature experience in Tokyo the next time you visit, then I highly recommend this little gem. I can only imagine how pretty it is during the foliage fall season.

For more of my Japan adventures, click here.

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Camera Gear Used: Nikon D600 (body only) with 50mm F1/4 and 24-70mm F3.5 lens.

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Onjuku Beach, Chiba, Japan

I haven't exactly figured out what it is that attracts me so much to the ocean during the off-season. Back in my teenage years, living in New York, I would often take the D train from the Bronx all the way to Coney Island in the middle of winter, whenever my heart was heavy and my mind was cluttered. I didn't exactly get on the beach. I preferred to watch it from the train platform until my face was cold enough to make me want to go home.

A lot of things have been on my mind as of late, so a trip away from the hustle and bustle of Tokyo was much needed.

I stumbled across a photo of Onjuku Beach a couple of weeks ago by chance. Not knowing that it was so close to the center of Tokyo, I still wanted to just be basking in the sun here so badly. A quick search for hotels by the beach led me to this resort featuring rooms with huge windows that face the ocean. I knew exactly that's where I wanted to be.

It's been a mild fall/winter as of late in Tokyo, so the weather was pleasant enough to stroll around the beach comfortably with a light jacket. The boyfriend and I spent most of the time by the window admiring the drop-dead gorgeous sunset and sunrise, though. Oh and also cheering for tiny people surfing as well. I personally hate getting sand in my shoes and how sticky the salt water makes my hair.

At night, we got picked up by a local fisherman for dinner at his restaurant that probably doubled as his home. The food was good, the drinks hit the spot, but it was his gentle smile and the first thing he said to Shun and me that touched me.

We were walking down from our hotel, and though we were already a couple of minutes early, he was already waiting. We hurried down the steps, just to be greeted with a 'take your time.'

It's such a simple phrase, but something that's rare to hear.

It's something that struck me, in trying to come to terms with all of the losses and changes that I've faced recently. It was a good reminder to take it easy sometime.

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Camera Gear Used: Nikon D600 (body only) with 50mm F1/4 and 24-70mm F3.5 lens.

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042018 / Spring Things

As April passes, it now feels appropriate to start exclaiming how fast the year is going by while everyone eases from "oh beautiful Spring" to "omg can it be Fall already?". But really, it doesn't even feel like May -- and for some reason, I've been telling everyone I'm 25 already but my birthday isn't until August.

Springtime in Japan was honestly the blossomest Spring I've ever experienced in my life. I don't remember the last time I've seen this many different flowers, and being excited about it, if anything, is what was honestly shocking about all this. Somehow, I feel like I've lost all sense of time and its relevance to me. I'm growing up and slowing down while letting go of any control I ever had of life altogether. Just like that, the cherry blossoms trees all sprouted leaves and turned completely lush green even before the second week of April. Rapeseed turned wild fields golden yellow for a short period of time until they faded like the nemophila covering the hills at Hitachi Seaside Park too. For once, someone as uninterested in the circle of life as much as I was intrigued, by the nature of it all, looping me wherever I am, 365 days, at a time.

This month, I really feel like I've gotten to know Tokyo a little better. I managed to make a couple of friends and visited a few prefectures that even my Japanese boyfriend has never been to before. Of course, there were ups and down, as I was already mentally prepared for while moving to a completely foreign country, and still, I managed to pull it together for at least 50% of the month. With the weather warming up, I'm starting to run out of outfit options since there really isn't anything that exciting about sweaters and pants/skirt (so please bear with me for now). Promise it'll start to look up in May (but don't hold me too harshly against this since chances are, you'll see me wearing the same top at least five times on my Instagram stories).

Jacket: Alpha Industry Bomber
Top: Asos
Skirt: Black Crane Linen Skirt Similar
Shoes: Common Projects
Bag: Staud Clothing PVC Tote Bag
Floral Stud Earrings: Similar

Photo by Shun S.

Travel / Chiba Prefecture, Tokyo / Sawara

April 7, 2018

If you ever visit Tokyo on a limited time constraint and really wants to see Kyoto or the traditional vibe of Japan, I highly recommend spending a half day or a whole day in Sawara, Chiba. It's actually on the Narita train line so it's perfect if you have a layover in Japan or something too.

The specialty here is eel (unagi), so make sure to get it for lunch or dinner when you visit. If you walk around, there's even a shop that sells soy sauce gelato (which in my personal opinion tastes like salted caramel).

Outfit

April 8, 2018

Dress: Keepsake The Label / FSHNBNKR (c/o)
Shoes: Acne Studios Jensen Boots (25% off on Shopbop)
Bag: J.W Anderson Velvet Pierce Mini (new season)
Earrings: Faeber Studios

Photos by Shun S.

Outfit

April 9, 2018

Top: Tibi
Pants: GRLFRND Denim
Shoes: Acne Studios
Bag: Proenza Schouler PS11 Mini Classic
Earrings: Pearl Studs Similar

Self-timered

Outfit

April 13, 2018

Having a lot of time and a quiet neighborhood gave me no excuses to slack on honing my self-timer skill. Most days, even if I'm my usual bummy self, I'll try and get a shot or two just to keep myself busy. As usual, repurposing my boyfriend's sweater.

Sweater: Acne Studios
Pants: GRLFRND Denim
Shoes: Acne Studios
Bag: Proenza Schouler PS11 Mini Classic
Earrings: Faeber Studios

Self-timered

Travel / Ibaraki Prefecture, Tokyo / Hitachi Seaside Park

April 15, 2018

Hitachi Seaside Park has been on my list of places to see after stumbling across photos of the hills covered in Kochia bushes in the fall. I was pretty bummed to have missed it last November when I was in Japan, but was pleasantly surprised to discover that other beautiful things bloom here all throughout the year. For example, in the Spring, about 4.5 million nemophila (who's responsible for counting anyway) cover the same hills to pretty much paint the ground blue, making it pretty much one with the sky.

Unfortunately, or fortunately for me, I came on a gloomy day and there weren't nearly as many tourists. The skies were grey, but honestly, it was one of the prettiest sights I've seen so far in Tokyo.

Fashion

Anouki

It's been a while since I've gotten fascinated with a brand/designer. Anouki is a brand that I recently came to learn about while acquainting myself with Pinterest (I am so late to the game, I know). Taking a step back from much of the mainstream fashion icons/brands/designers/labels that are pretty much plastered all over the majority of well-recognized Instagram handles - I've pretty much been seeking out what else is new and interesting out there - and my eyes hyper zoned into Tbilisi-based designers/labels.

In Anouki's case, I'm obsessed by Anouki Kaladze's eccentric use of silver sequins in every wardrobe's stables like trenches, button-ups and even undershirt garments which of course only elevated her latest collections of asymmetrically cut white dresses and layered able tops and skirts. Let's also not take her line of footwear lightly too.

Outfit

April 24, 2018

Moving to a new country was rough enough but finding work and dealing with starting over in a sense have been giving me quite the anxiety. Even so, I know that things will work out because it definitely isn't my first time being in this position. At the end of the day, I would rather prefer to dress up like I have a 9-5 than actually work a 9-5. Speaking of working - can't wait to show you more photos of a quick photoshoot that I did with WYETH Eyewear. Full outfit post was published earlier here.

Suit Jacket: Boyfriend's
Belt: Madewell
Shirt: Uniqlo
Denim: GRLFRND
Shoes: Nicholas Kirkwood
Bag: Staud Clothing

Self-timered

Coveting

Fresh Spring Things

I've been all about fresh whites and beige tones for Spring and into Summer. It helps that PVC and transparent pieces are now prominent in a lot of brands' collections and I'm more and more intrigued by clear accessories and small bags.

Outfit

April 26, 2018

Top: Cecilie Copenhagen
Pants: J Brand / Shopbop
Shoes: Common Projects
Bag: Staud Clothing PVC Tote Bag

Photos by Shun S.

Fashion

Cecilie Bahnsen

If you've been keeping up with fashion, then you've already seen the brand Cecilie Bahnsen floating around although it's only been showing for a few seasons previously. It makes me even more sure that you'll be seeing more of this brand popping up for coming fashion cycles. I came across this brand through Copenhagen Fashion Week for their Fall/Winter 2018 collection and was instantly drawn to pretty much all of the pieces featured on the runway (which is rare for me).

Cecilie Bahnsen's take on volume and texture is what I admire most about her collections since I strongly believe these are two aspects that really makes it difficult for adapting wearability for the everyday fashion enthusiastic (including myself). But hand me a random dress or skirt from her line and I can easily throw a sweater on with sneakers or boots for pretty much any occasion.

Wearing

All Pieces In This Post

And that's a wrap for April. Looking forward to what May has in stored.

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A Night in Ine No Funaya, Kyoto, Japan

It was in 2017 that I visited this quaint little fishing village duped as the "Venice of Japan." Given my personal bias for hidden gems slash off the beaten path kind of travels; Ine No Funaya remains one of my favorites quiet places in all of Japan, thus far. I've written quite extensively about this town in a previous post so, I won't bore you too much with the same details again.

This seaside fishing village lies North of Kyoto, roughly 3 hours away from the actual city center. Within its name, 'Funaya' is what the boathouses in this seaside fishing village is made up of. They are a traditional type of wooden boat houses that's special due to their architecture featuring two floors, with the first floor being a docking for the boats and the second floor as a living quarter. Upon talking to some more locals during this trip, we learned that the original intended usage of the second floor of the 'Funaya' was actually for storage and the living space of a fisherman family would be in a separate building close by. You can differentiate the usage of the boathouse by looking at the orientation of the roof. If you look closely, in all of the photos you'll notice that all of the roofs of the boathouses that face the waterline have the roof open up to the front. Behind the boathouses, all other homes have roofs that turn to the side. It's learning about how a collective group of people meticulously commit to these small details that always blows my mind when it comes to Japan. To be quite honest, I don't really remember much of my first visit here asides from the fact that getting there was such a struggle, and wishing that I could have spent a night here to experience waking up to a fisherman either going out or coming back from the sea. Three whole years later, and that wish finally came true for me.

Although it's been 3 years since I've been back here, I can safely say that not much has changed. Asides from the trip being a little smoother (less random transfers along the way) it still took us roughly 3.5 hours from Kyoto Station. It's one of the biggest reasons why I think if this is somewhere that you're planning to visit, you should stay the night. I've already covered the basics of my trip to visiting Ine No Funaya in an older post, so I'll just breakdown where I stayed and ate, and what I did and wore.

Where To Stay

In my past trip, I had my eyes on staying at a boathouse called the WATERFRONT INN. Unfortunately, this time, they were fully booked during the time that I planned on visiting Ine. Instead, I used the local Ine Town Tourism Association and found another local boathouse that was newly renovated to stay at. Beyond looking for an accommodation, this site will also guide you to book local activities that you can do such as biking, fishing, and boat tours. I ended getting to stay at Funaya no Yado Maruichi, which was slightly further away than the rest of the accommodations (which is probably another reason why it didn't get booked out) but the views from there was so worth it. Other than the views, the bed were comfortable, and it felt much more secluded from the rest of the town-which only gave it much more charm.

Due to this boathouse being quite away from everything else, we ended up getting a ride from our host to and from our dinner (otherwise there was nothing to eat nearby). This is something else to keep in mind when you visit. While Ine No Funaya is a well-known town, it's actually not a tourist destination. You won't find a lot of cars driving back and forth, let alone cabs should you need to go somewhere. It's also important to have cash handy, and stock up on some snacks from the convenience store before you arrive for the night. Of course, since this is Japan, you'll always have a vending machine somewhere for your choice of beverage.

Where To Eat

On my first night, I ate at a local fisherman's home with Shun. I don't really recall the name, or if it even had one since it was a recommendation from our host. Some accommodations will come with dinner, but definitely check before you arrive. The next morning, we had some coffee and bread from the comfort of our beds on the tatami floor, facing the open sea. Watching the sun come up was actually beyond my expectation even with the on-and-off drizzle that took place. After a slow and quiet morning, we got ready at our leisure pace and checked out of our boathouse just in time for lunch.

Back into the busier part of Ine, we found ourselves at WATERFRONT INN since other than being just an accommodation, they also have a restaurant that serves lunch and dinner to outside guests. As you might have guessed, being this close to the sea obviously, meant fresh and delicious seafood- but I literally never expected a roughly 15$ lunch set to come with 3 different types of fish, prepared 4 different ways. Infact, it was so good that Shun and I ended up ordering a huge beer to go along with this set (haha, this is why we can never do road trips together). The last time we were in Ine, we had a really good omakase lunch at Wadatsumi, which I still would have loved this trip if we had the stomach to eat a second lunch.

We didn't want to leave Ine right away, despite it being quite a trek back to Kyoto, then Tokyo- so we decided to grab coffee at the Ine Cafe, which is just as quaint and lovely as I remember when we first came.

What To Do

While having our coffee, we saw that the boat tours were starting to operate, so of course, we walked down to the dock and asked if any were free to take us. As mentioned before, these boat tours can be reserved in advance, and the boat drivers can even coordinate with your accommodation to pick you up from the actual boathouse that you're staying at. Otherwise, these tours take place pretty much anytime at a 30 minutes interval for a price of roughly 10$ per person. On our boat tour, we got to learn so many little cool facts about Ine from a grandpa that's been living here all his life. These are things that you probably won't read about online (such as the roof facts that I mentioned above), so I highly recommend it. Towards the end of our tour, the grandpa handed our shrimp crackers to all of us, and we got the chance to feed all of the seagulls that were flying by. It was so exhilarating and fun that I forgot about all my worries of possibly falling over and drowning (since I can't swim) for a whole 10 minutes.

Other than taking a boat tour, you can also take water taxis around to different docks throughout the day. There is also a bigger boat that you can take as well at the entrance into the town that will go even further out at sea, close by to one of the small island that you can see from the inner shore. If you decide to stay longer, there are so many activities that are available, including going fishing, biking around town, getting dressed in a kimono for a photo tour and learning how to cut sashimi or cook with local fresh fish too.

With everything that's taking place this year, I am grateful that I was able to take this trip and spent some quiet and reflective time in Ine with the boyfriend. There's a saying "it's not about the destination, but it's the journey" or vice versa, to some, but when it comes to Ine No Funaya, for me, it's totally both.


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Camera Gear Used: Nikon D600 (body only) with 50mm F1/4 and 24-70mm F3.5 lens.

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