Tag: strawberry

Traveling to Namba Yasaka Shrine and Osaka’s Most Aesthetic Cafes

The Lion’s head at Namba Yasaka Shrine is a sight that you won’t soon forget!

After spending two days seeing Ginkakuji and eating aesthetic food in Kyoto, I decided to make my way to Osaka for the final leg of the trip. Osaka is another iconic city that I’ve been to countless times, but there are always new things to experience there. This time I made a reservation to a planetarium-themed bar that I had always wanted to go to, and also discovered the wonders of pizza takoyaki at Takotako King. I also stumbled upon a very cool shrine in the heart of Namba and made a day trip to Kobe to see friends the next day. I was happy to see that tourism was finally picking up here after the covid emergency state. If you go to Osaka, definitely be sure to check out all of the street food stalls and hidden shrines around the city!

Here is my latest article on Namba Yasaka Shrine and my top gourmet recommendations for winter 2023:

Namba Yasaka Shrine

Located in the heart of the city close to Nankai Namba Station, Namba Yasaka Shrine has a very iconic design that blends retro with modern culture. The lion-shaped head (that is actually a stage) is believed to swallow evil spirits and bestow the shrine with good luck. The shrine is small but has a lot of neat characteristics, especially considering the fact that it’s located in one of Osaka’s flashiest districts. I enjoyed seeing the lion ema with various wishes written on them hanging near the shrine’s main building, plus all of the visitors staring in awe at the lion’s head. I’ve been to Osaka many times, but never knew that this shrine existed until I researched local shrines with a map application. I would say this is one of the most unique city shrines I’ve ever visited, not to mention it has very easy access, so I would recommend it to all of my friends!

Address: 2 Chome-9-19 Motomachi, Naniwa Ward, Osaka, 556-0016
Admission Fee: Free

Tables Coffee Bakery Diner

While searching for recommended sweets cafés in Osaka, I stumbled upon the best strawberry shortcake I’ve ever had in my life at Tables Coffee Bakery Diner. This restaurant has both full meals and flavorful desserts alike. I loved how the cake was coated in creamy frosting that resembled wax burning off a candle. It was thicker than most frosting I’ve eaten in the past and was definitely one of a kind. The fresh strawberries on top and strawberry syrup surrounding the cake were also fine details that enhanced the taste of this already delicious cake. I can’t stress enough how much both the sweet flavor and aesthetic appearance of this cake blew my mind!

Address: 2 Chome-9-10 Minamihorie, Nishi Ward, Osaka, 550-0015

Star Café Spica

Star Café Spica is a planetarium-themed bar that has been on my list for quite a while, but I haven’t had the chance to visit it until this trip due to its crazy popularity. This bar requires a reservation in advance due to its timed planetarium shows that are projected on the walls to make you feel like you’re stargazing. On top of that, it also has a galaxy-themed cocktail menu and and planet lamps that create the perfect atmosphere. I ordered two meteor shower drinks that come with konpeito candies. When you drop the sugary candy in the champagne-like cocktail, it produces an effect that truly does look like a little meteor shower or falling stars! I also ordered caramel ice cream that came with a moon-shaped cookie. All of the food and drinks were great quality. It was fun learning about the galaxy in Japanese and the staff were very kind and professional. If you decided to come here, be sure to make a reservation at least a few weeks in advance.

Address: 4-18 Matsuyamachi, Chuo Ward, Osaka, 542-0067

Space Station & Takotako King

Of all of the gaming bar I’ve visited in Japan, Space Station has got to be one of my all time favorites. I love the retro neon aesthetic and all of the interesting travelers I run into here. I also really enjoy talking with the owner, Matt, because he’s also from the US and has lived in Japan multiple years so we have a lot in common. This bar has an extensive collection of not only games and consoles, but also insanely rare gamer-themed alcohol. I enjoyed seeing the Pac-Man anniversary sake and the Level Beer on this visit, and ordered a lot of cocktails with Dr. Pepper in them. I also tried the cream cheese bagel for the first time since a mini blue Donkey Kong figure was advertising it! The bagel really slapped because I was hungry after wandering through the city.

Another amazing food that I tried on this trip was pizza takoyaki from Takotako King (recommended to me by Matt). This takoyaki place is conveniently located about two buildings down from the bar so it was easy to locate. I loved the tomato sauce and creamy cheese on the takoyaki because it was savory. Last time I was in Osaka, I tried takoyaki topped with egg, so I’m excited to see what the next big topping trend is here when I visit next!

Address: 2 Chome-13-3 Nishishinsaibashi, Chuo Ward, Osaka, 542-0086

CBD Cafe 4:20

CBD Café 4:20 is a small café that I visited during a previous trip, but I decided to revisit it with some friends to see what new products they had in stock. Unfortunately unlike last time, this time they removed their food menu and only had shisha and CBD smoothies on their side menu. However, I was delighted to see that they had CBD suckers and “Green Crack” with a hilarious design that resembled kush. Though these products are more expensive than what you’d find in other countries, they have a sense of originality and novelty to them making them unique to Japan. I enjoy visiting CBD shops just for the meme and seeing what crazy products they have. My CBD sucker definitely relaxed me and I felt a sense of ease while walking through Namba and Shinsaibashi. I would say this is still one of the best centrally located CBD places in Osaka even without its full menu.

Address: 3 Chome-2-15 Minamikyuhojimachi, Chuo Ward, Osaka, 541-0058

Dining Bar Shape Beach (aka the Sand Bar)

Dining Bar Shape Beach is a beach-themed bar with real sand in it, so you are prompted to take your shoes off before entering to preserve the “beach”. Like Space Station, I really enjoyed the neon retro aesthetic of this bar, not to mention the the all-you-can-drink menu you can have access to for a cheap price. The cocktails at this bar are fruity and light, so you can drink a lot while feeling like you’re on vacation in Hawaii or Okinawa. You can also choose to order stronger drinks with vodka and tequila in them to your liking. The bartenders are pretty chill and laidback here. I went here with one of my Japanese friends for a quick drink, but coming here with a group and smoking shisha together would be a more ideal choice for this bar. In the future I hope to come back with friends because as a beach girl, I really like this place’s atmosphere.

Address: 2-2-8 Higashi-Shinsaibashi, Chuo-ku, Osaka, Japan

Day Trip to Kobe

Before taking the shinkansen back to Tokyo, I decided to stop at Kobe to see some friends. First I went to the Harborland and took a nap under a palm tree in the bright sun, the I wandered over to Greenery for a fresh mermaid-themed smoothie bowl. The mermaid tail and shells look real, but they’re actually made out of white chocolate! I would recommend trying this place to everyone because they have the best smoothies in Kobe. Afterwards I wandered around Kobe Tower, which was sadly under construction, but there was some awesome graffiti art drawn by children that I really enjoyed. Though this was my third time to Kobe, I am happy that I was able to discover new things!

If you are interested in more in-depth activities that you can do in Kobe, please see my previous Kobe article.

Thank you for reading my latest three part article series on Nagoya, Kyoto, and Osaka! This was an amazing trip since I got to spend it with so many people that I love. At this moment I don’t have any further travel plans as I am going to Europe for a month in April, but I may decide to cover small events and cafes in Tokyo in the meantime.

I appreciate you all for reading and hope that I stumble upon more aesthetic food in my travels so I can write about it. Hope that everyone is having a fantastic new year, and thank you once again for supporting my writing.

Journey to Ginkakuji and Kyoto’s Cutest Cafés

A brisk walk through the gardens of Ginkakuji (also known as the Silver Pavilion).

After spending two relaxing days in Nagoya going barhopping and indulging in some amazing Japanese food, I decided to take the shinkansen to Kyoto for yet another fun two day adventure. Though I’ve been to many temples in Kyoto, such as the Gold Pavilion and the Heart-shaped Temple, I had yet to see Ginkakuji (The Silver Pavilion) in Higashiyama, which is located fairly central in the city. It’s a place that has always been on my bucket list but has had lower priority compared to other places in Kyoto. However, after visiting the temple and strolling through its gardens, I realized it is probably one of my favorite temples in Kyoto. There are actually a lot of places I hold dear to my heart here, which is why I recommend visiting Kyoto multiple times throughtout the seasons.

Here is my latest article on Ginkakuji and my top gourmet recommendations for winter 2023:

Ginkakuji (The Silver Pavilion)

Ginkakuji (The Silver Pavilion), which has the official name “Higashiyama Jishoji”, is more commonly referred to as its proceeding name to serve as comparison to Kinkakuji (The Gold Pavilion). This temple is a popular tourist destination due to its circular gardens (which consist of both sand and moss) and hike up a hill that leads to a beautiful view of Higashiyama. You can also see a figure of a bird on top of the main building if you look close enough. Though the Pavilion itself does not consist of any silver material itself, it is said when the moonlight hits its dark exterior, it gives off a silver glow. If you visit, be sure to stop at the gift shop and try the Ginkakuji chocolates!

Address: 2 Ginkakujicho, Sakyo Ward, Kyoto, 606-8402
Entrance Fee: 500 yen

Kiyomizudera Street Food

Two new street food stands I discovered on the path that leads to Kiyomizudera include a fish cake stand and an official Sumikkogurashi sweets and souvenir shop. Fried kamaboko (fish cakes) are pretty standard foods that you’ll find at festival stalls and around temples, but the momiji leaf one is unique to Kyoto. I thought the leaf would give the cakes more of a maple flavor, but it actually tasted pretty normal as far as fish cakes go. If you like baked fish then you definitely need to give kamaboko a try! Just up the hill was a Sumikkogurashi sweets stand so I decided to try the vanilla and strawberry ice cream with an edible cutout of the characters. It was definitely better than average and had a cute flair to it. Kyoto street food never fails to impress.

Suba (Soba)

Suba is a tiny standing soba shop that is steadily gaining popularity with both tourists and locals alike. All of the bowls here contain eye-catching ingredients such as jumbo nameko mushrooms, mussels, and oversized tempura. You have the option to add other toppings such as egg, tempura bits, and chili sauce too. The soba here was so mouthwatering that I actually came here twice during my trip! I am excited to see what other types of seasonal soba they add to their menu in the future. Please note that the entrance to this shop is somewhat hard to find, so look for a sliding door with the tiny word “suba” printed on it to enter!

Address: 182-10 Minoyacho, Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto, 600-8015

February Treats

While looking for Valentine’s Day exclusive menu items, I decided to revisit two cafés that I had previously visited and written about before. The picture on the left is the limited edition year of the rabbit parfait and tea set from Café Cherish, and the picture on the right is a cake from the Valentine’s Day menu from Cocochi Café. The year of the rabbit parfait contained both chocolate, cream, and what tasted like ramune ice cream, so it was not only unique but also delicious! There were many flavors of tea that you could choose from as part of the set. The adorable poodle pastry was made out of whipped cream and had chocolate cream in the middle of it. I thought it was adorable that it was holding a mini piece of chocolate. Both of these cafés change their menu items every month, so be sure to check frequently for new items.

Conveniently, both of these places are walking distance from each other, so you can hit them both in one trip:

Address (Cherish): 4-6 Tojijicho, Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto, 604-0956
Address (Cocochi): 4-8 Dojocho, Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto, 604-0001

The Roots of all evil

While looking for bars near Kyoto Station, I stumbled across one with a hilarious name: The Roots of all evil, most famous for its gin cocktails. This bar is actually located in the bottom of Kyoto Tower and is surrounded by other small indoor shops with food and drinks. Though the menu had quite the list of craft cocktails, I decided to order the most aesthetic and tropical ones since that’s what I was in the mood for! The cocktail on the left is a fruity tropical gin cocktail with coconut bits and edible flowers served in a circular glass. I ordered it mostly for the photo op, but enjoyed how flavorful it was too. The cocktails on the left are apple and citrus flavored, and the yellow one has black pepper on the side of the glass. Sometimes I don’t always like having salt with my drinks, but this time it really complimented the flavor! I highly recommend this place to people who like bars with intimate atmospheres because while no reservations are required, the space is very intimate.

Address: 〒600-8216 Kyoto, Shimogyo Ward, Higashishiokojicho, 721-1 京都タワービル B1F

Nikenchaya

Nikenchaya is a small teahouse located inside of Kyoto’s Maruyama Park. I actually went to this same park for cherry blossom season last year, but never noticed this teahouse until they added this limited edition strawberry mochi dessert set to their menu. I ordered a drink set with strawberry milk so I could experience the maximum strawberry flavor. The dessert comes with fresh strawberry syrup that you can drizzle on your strawberry mochi and fresh cream. This was the first time I had tried a strawberry dessert so unique so I really enjoyed it! I am curious to see what other seasonal desserts this teahouse adds to its menu.

Address: 〒605-0074 Kyoto, Higashiyama Ward, 605-0073 京都市東山区祇園八坂神社 鳥居内

Kitten Company Café

Kitten Company Café is one of my favorite vegan restaurants in Kyoto due it its adorable cat-themed décor and delicious vegan curry. Last time I was here I ordered curry that had its rice in the shape of a cloud, but I was delighted to see they had a cat design available now too! I like their curry because it’s very light on the stomach compared to other curries I’ve tried. I also bought so Koneko Biscuits to support the business. Walking around the café is fun because in addition to seeing cats, you can also see various symbols and art from around Southeast Asia. Due to the unique variety, I always enjoy the atmosphere of vegan restaurants in Kyoto.

Address: 〒600-8170 Kyoto, Shimogyo Ward, 五条烏丸西入る上諏訪町294-1

Thank you for reading my article on my latest recommendations in Kyoto! My next article will detail my latest recommendations in Osaka.