The road to Heian Jingu

The Maruyama Koen park in Gion

Two girls in kimono buying ice cream

The only negative thing about visiting Kyoto during the Koyo-season is that you might find yourself literarily stuck in the crowd of Japanese tourists. Especially if you go during the weekend, like we did (working in Japan doesn't leave you that many options when it comes to available days). We tried to visit Kiyomizudera, but in the end we just gave up because there was simply too many people. So my number of koyo-photos was quite limited.

The road to Kiyomizudera

A store where you can make your own ceramics close to Kiyomizudera

Lately I haven't had a lot of time to writing my blog, and this post also is quite lacking in information. Sorry about that.. There are however web pages dedicated to helping you find the best koyo-spots in Kyoto, so if you're planning on visiting the city you can get some inspiration there! In addition I have some koyo-posts from previous years that might be worth checking out (or so I hope at least).

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• 紅葉 Red-Leaf Season in Kyoto 2014!
• Kansai International Airport to Kyoto: Easy Access by Airport Shuttle
• Sightseeing in Kyoto: Kitano Tenmangu Flea Market
• White Pigeon Wedding Modeling in Kyoto! 
• Modeling for Kyoto Weddings: My Japanese Wedding, or the day I (Almost) Married a Stranger
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• Nikko Astraea Hotel in Oku-Nikko - Nikko National Park
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• Saitama: Heiseirou Onsen Health Center 
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• Tokyo's First Robot Hotel - Henn na Hotel Maihama Tokyo Bay
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• Smarter Hotel Booking: Agoda Secret Deal
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• All blogposts from Japan 

A little while ago I had the chance to do some modeling for the hair salon Charman in Daikanyama.! I just got the pictures from the shoot from my hair stylist Aco-san this week, and here are a couple of them:




Charman's mission statement:

“SHAMAN” - the guide leads your way out to
“CHARMAN” - to inspire and bring out your “Charm”.
CHARMAN
Named after the spirit inside us.
Our missions are
to help you find your style to be yourself,
to help you bring out your charm and aura,
and to help you brighten your life and your future.
We will listen to your concerns and understand your desires,
and propose the hair style that matches to you.
Styles do not stay the same, styles change over time.
This is why we are here to offer you a relaxing atmosphere and
build a long-lasting relationship with you.
We hope to spend a precious moment together and create a trusting friendship with each one of you.
We hope we can help you find a fascinating future.
We truly hope so.
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Yuichi ENZAKI

Inside the hair salon (picture borrowed from Charman's home page)

Charman also offer other services in addition to haircuts. You can check out their prices on the list below:

By the entrance to the hair salon (picture borrowed from Charman's home page)

● Cut ￥6400〜

● Color ￥8000〜

● Cut & Perm ￥13500〜

● Treatment ￥4000〜

● Head Spa ￥3500〜

● Hair & Make up ￥5600〜

● Yukata ￥3000〜

If you're looking for a nice and oshare (fashionable) hair salon in Tokyo to change your hair style or perhaps to do some modeling you might want to check out their homepage. The hair salon is situated in Dairiyama, which is located on the Tokkyu Toyoko line, only one station away from Shibuya. Good luck!

+CHARMAN+

Good company

A chocolate sponge cake with some fruit

Close up photo

Chocolate Tiramisu Waffle

You can also buy chocolate to bring with you home, or give to a friend as a gift: By the counter, they sell 56 different varieties of chocolate squares in small colorful packages. In addition to plain chocolates made by Meiji's original receipt from1926 and chocolate made by cocoa beans from a wide range of countries, there is also a range of unique chocolates for the more adventurous tasters out there. Some examples of the exotic varieties you can buy are chocolate with azuki (red bean), basil, yomogi (Japanese mugwort), goma (sesame seeds), ginger, red chili, jasmine, cheese, and maccha (Japanese green tea) flavor.

Chocolate Cafe

Meiji's Chocolate Cafe is located only 5 minutes away from Tokyo Station by foot. The cafe stays open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. during weekdays, and from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m on weekends.

Address:
〒104-0031 東京都中央区京橋２丁目４−１６
Kyobashi 2-4-16, Meiji Seika Honsha Bldg 1F.

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• Bon Odori Midsummer Festival in Ebisu (恵比寿駅前盆踊り)
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• The Ultimate Secret Karaoke Place in Shibuya: Rainbow Karaoke
• Tokyo hotels: Meeting Hachi the Owl at WISE OWL HOSTELS TOKYO
• Tokyo hotels: Hundred Stay Tokyo Shinjuku Serviced Apartments & Hotel
• Tokyo hotels: Remm Roppongi - A night in the Town that never sleeps
• Tokyo hotels: Futakotamagawa Excel Hotel Tokyu - A Suburban Choice
• Tokyo's First Robot Hotel - The Strange Henn na Hotel Maihama Tokyo Bay
• Tokyo Cherry Blossom Spots: Nakameguro's Meguro-gawa River (目黒川)
• Tokyo Hot Spring Theme Parks: Back to Edo with Oedo Onsen Monogatari
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• Tokyo Cafes: The Usabibi Bunny Cafe (うさびび)
• Tokyo Cafes: Meiji 100% Chocolate Cafe
• Tokyo Cafes: Cafe Fuglen - Norwegian style Coffee & Vintage Furniture
• Tokyo Cafes: Rakuten Cafe in Shibuya
• Tokyo Cafes: Aoyama Flower Market Tea House
• Toko Cafes: Tokyo Dome City Moomin Bakery & Cafe
• Theme Cafes: The Beauty and the Beast Cafe in Yokohama

Henn na Hotel ★★★★ → review .

The Centurion Classic Akasaka ★★★★ → review

Hundred Stay ★★★★ → review ,

Kaisu Hostel ★ .

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Kawagoe city in Saitama prefecture is a good alternative if you're looking for an historical place to visit for a day trip from Tokyo.
The city is known under the nickname "Little Edo" (小江戸 Koedo) and has even been referred to by CNN as the 'most Japanese' destination of all. The reason for the nickname is the influence that came through the financial and cultural ties the city held to the Japanese capital Edo (the former name for Tokyo) back in the 17th to 19th centuries and the architecture left from this period.

As a girl growing up in a developed country I often took my opportunity to go to school for granted. Although I had periods where I studied really hard there were also times when I unfortunately got influenced by the attitude of other classmates who were just "too cool for school". As many of you also might have experienced, being a hard-working student didn't really equal to popularity or admiration among the other kids.

I guess it was after I started traveling abroad that I truly began to realize how lucky I was that I could get a proper education. Without having an education I would never have got to experience all the things I have to this date, which includes being a student and even a full-time employee in a foreign country. And this is just the beginning.

But there are so many girls out there who never get the chance to have the education they deserve. This year's Nobel Peace Prize is a reminder to all of us of the importance that girls (and boys) everywhere get the chance to learn and to grow, that they get the key to follow their own dreams. I believe education is the key not only to build a brighter future for individuals, but also for the society as a whole.

Malala is the youngest person ever to receive the Peace Prize, and she is truly an inspiration to all of us. She reminds us not only why education is worth fighting for, but to those of us who already have the privilege to get educated it is a reminder about how lucky we are to be able to go to school without having to fear for our lives.


To wrap it up, here are some of my favorite Malala quotes:

“One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the world.” 

“Education is education. We should learn everything and then choose which path to follow." Education is neither Eastern nor Western, it is human.”  

“I raise my voice not so that i can shout, but so that those without a voice can be heard”  

Malala shares the prize with the Indian child rights campaigner Kailash Satyarthi. Together the two laureates take a strong stance in the "struggle against the suppression of children and young people", to quote the Nobel Committee. You can read more about this year's Peace Prize here

Yokohama's Minato Mirai

The city of Yokohama has been collaborating with Rakuten Travel to create a Yokohama 特集 (feature) to promote Yokohama abroad! The result is a number of good hotel deals in the Yokohama area, and you can find both hotel deals and additional tourist information on this page.

Yokohama Chinatown

From the page:
"Yokohama is a prominent city in eastern Japan and Japan's most populous municipality, boasting rich economic development second only to Tokyo. Yokohama is easily accessible in about a 30-minute train ride from Tokyo or via Shinkansen from Osaka, Kyoto, or Kobe to Shin-Yokohama Station. A convenient direct bus to Yokohama from Haneda Airport is also available.

 One of Japan's leading port cities, Yokohama is full of noteworthy experiences, from the city's somewhat mysterious and exotic atmosphere, evident of Yokohama's unique history, to a multitude of culinary points of interest. It is a city where to say that everything started here would be no exaggeration.

Wide, open, and free--and yet cozy and intimate at the same time--no matter when you visit, there is a profound and characteristic comfortableness in Yokohama which cannot be easily found in neighbouring Tokyo. An elegance both old and new pervades every pore of the city, where it is easy to get caught up in moments of bliss and tranquillity.

Lose track of time in a cozy cafe or enjoy refined cuisine along with scenic views; there is a seemingly endless list of places to explore and discover. Furthermore, the essence of Yokohama style can be found concentrated in retro-modern shopping districts that have remained unchanged through the times.

Visit Yokohama and treat both your heart and your taste buds with a special deliciousness that exists nowhere else."


Thank you for reading! Please feel free to leave any comments or questions below
Anette

• All blogposts from Yokohama
• Yokohama: Christmas Market at the Red Brick Warehouse
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• Yokohama World Porters: Norwegian Skolebolle in Cafe Be LL Be 
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• Yokohama, Shibuya & Night @ an Internet Cafe
• Visit Yokohama: Entertainment Gourmet City
• Yokohama Kannai: The Norwegian Bar - Bar Norge (バーノルゲ)
• [Hotel Review] Yokohama Royal Park - The Landmark of Yokohama

Hotel Yokohama Garden

Hotel  New Grand

Hotel Associa Shin-Yokohama

Yokohama Royal Park Hotel

                                   Thanks to Just The Flight for the infographic!

If there's one thing Norway is known for (besides salmon) it must be beautiful nature. I recently stumbled across this video showing some of the amazing landscape that Norway has to offer, and decided to share it here on my blog. Details about the movie can be found below!

Please watch in HD with good speakers for the optimal experience. 
You can watch it in 4K here: youtube.com/watch?v=Scxs7L0vhZ4

This is a time-lapse video resulting from a 15,000 km (almost 10,000 miles) long road trip and tens of thousands of images taken along the way over the last 5 months. The journey has covered all of Norway’s 19 counties, from the far south to the Russian border in the Northeast.
The aim of this 5 minute short film is to show the variety of Norway, everything from the deep fjords in the Southwest, to the moon landscape in the North, the Aurora Borealis (Nothern Lights) and the settlements and cities around the country, both in summer and wintertime. The video shows some of the most scenic places in Norway, such as Lofoten, Senja, Helgelandskysten, Geirangerfjorden, Nærøyfjorden and Preikestolen.
If you are interested in reading the tales, seeing behind-the-scenes photos from the journey and a map of the route driven, head over to rustadmedia.com
The soundtrack is custom-made for this film by the very talented fellow Norwegian Jogeir Daae Mæland.
You can buy the song on iTunes: bit.ly/1pCQSLd
Listen to more of his music here: soundcloud.com/j-daae-maeland
All the locations in the video is to be found at rustadmedia.com/locations
The project is supported with gear from Syrp syrp.co.nz
Special thanks to:
Ole Rustad - for great DIY gear
Jogeir Daae Mæland - for the soundtrack and critics along the way
Sunniva Husby Høyning - for, as always, being my most honest and best critic.
rustadmedia.com
facebook.com/RustadMedia
twitter.com/RustadMedia

I had gotten myself a ticket along with a group of friends for the first day of the festival, and we met up at Odaiba all psyched up and ready for a whole day of partying already before noon. It seemed that a lot of people had gone out of their way to come up with fancy dress ideas and coordinated outfits, so there was a lot of interesting things to see.. We (especially Yuma and I), on the other hand, hadn't prepared that much.. Just brought some flags to represent our respective countries x)
Although it was nice to be able to go inside the venture during the evening I have to say that the first part of the day it was probably just as nice (perhaps even nicer) to stay outside on the lawn where it was less crowded and easier to talk with others. It was also kind of amusing to look at the people time to time walking by in really weird costumes.

Slightly crowded in front of the stage....

The main stage

• All blogposts from Tokyo
• All blogposts about seasonal Kanto events
• Spring
• Hiking in Tokyo: Sakura viewing (花見) at Mount Takao
• Tokyo Cherry Blossom Spots: Nakameguro's Meguro-gawa River (目黒川)
• Summer
• Bon Odori Midsummer Festival in Ebisu (恵比寿駅前盆踊り)
• Pikachu Outbreak in Yokohama - Pikachu Tairyou Hassei-Chu
• Summer in Tokyo: Ultra Japan at Tokyo Odaiba!
• Autumn
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• Chiba: Winter Illumination at the Country Farm Tokyo German Village
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Royal Park Hotel The Shiodome

Bunka Hostel Tokyo

Sotetsu Fresa Inn Nihombashi

Ryokan Asakusa Shigetsu Hotel