day 10 in tokyo: ramen street, character street and whiskey at tokyo station, teddy bear ice cream and afuri ramen

(Tokyo, Japan).  On our last full day in Tokyo, we had very little on our agenda.  The list was simple - (i) eat ramen at Rokurinsha - the famous dipping ramen joint located on Ramen Street in Tokyo Station, (ii) buy some Yamazaki Whiskey, (iii) get a cute teddy bear ice cream and Japanese Ice Ouca in Ebisu and (iv) meet up with an artist friend for happy hour.

restaurant review: port sa'id in tel aviv

When the hubs and I started telling friends that we were visiting Israel to research its cuisine, we received worried glances due to multiple reports of unrest and stabbings that started in Jerusalem and spread to other parts of the country and to the West Bank. The terror threats in the general Middle East region didn't assuage our friends' fears either. Interestingly, my parents, who've visited Israel a few years ago, were not so concerned. So, I figured that if then-70 year olds were adventurous enough to visit the country, my middle aged self should go ahead and check it out. So, off we went to experience this dynamic country's cuisine. Our first stop was Tel Aviv and our first dinner was at Port Sa'id, a restaurant recommended to us by the bartenders at the Imperial Bar.

Port Sa'id.

The Scene 

This place was crowded. Located off Allenby Street and across from the Great Synagogue, this place was jumping on a Thursday night. Almost all seats were taken (we had no reservations but luckily snagged two seats at the bar) by a decidedly college-aged and young professionals crowd who were enjoying dinner in a covered but open air patio. 

travel zen on friday: fushimi inari-taisha shrine

A glimpse of traditional garb amongst the famous red pillars of Fushimi Inari-Taisha Shrine.

Happy Friday!

rokurinsha - popular dipping ramen at tokyo station's ramen street

(Tokyo, Japan).  I normally prefer tonkatsu ramen (soupy noodles in a milky pork based broth), but after reading David Chang's glowing review of the dipping ramen at Rokurinsha (located on Tokyo Station's Ramen Street), I had to give it a try.  On our last full day in Tokyo before heading to Kyoto, we trekked over to Tokyo Station early because we had heard that the lunch line would be crazy long.

The rumors were correct - here's the line around the corner.

views from the yangon circular train (video)

If you have a few hours to spare and see the area around Yangon, I suggest a trip on the Circular Train.

Below is a short video of the views from my seat:

travel zen on friday: dusk in the dead sea

Aside from being very salty, the Dead Sea is also very reflective. 

This is a picture of the Dead Sea around dusk. Happy Friday, everyone!

The Dead Sea.

day 9 in tokyo: searching for hakuhodo brushes, shopping on omotesando, tea at aoyama flower market and discovering harajuku gyoza lou

(Tokyo, Japan).  After multiple days on the go, I was looking forward to a day of leisure with no real plans other than buying some souvenirs.  We slept in and had a lovely breakfast at the Westin Hotel buffet.  After last night's kobe beef meal, I needed to be "healthier" and have some green juice.  But good intentions quickly flew out of the window when I got sidetracked by the mini french toast ... so tasty!

Someone told us these parades/festivals are quite common in Tokyo.

I had planned to nap after breakfast but unfortunately the housekeeper was cleaning our room so we decided to go out for a quick stroll around the hotel in the Ebisu area.  We ran into some sort of celebration or festival - there was lots of praying, drumming, chanting, etc.  Very cool even though we didn't understand what was happening.  During our stroll, my husband said he wanted to visit the Yamazaki Whiskey distillery when we get into Kyoto, but as usual he forgot that reservations were required.  Fortunately our concierge was able to get us in.  (Tip - if anyone wants to visit the Yamazaki Whiskey distillery in Kyoto - remember to make reservations or you won't get to do the tour.)

 

So how did I miss this sign more than 10 times???

Since we had free time today, I decided to continue my search for hakuhodo makeup brushes.  I had thought they would be very easy to find since they are relatively famous brushes - however, I struck out at almost every department store.  I had heard they had a flagship shop near Omotesando so I set out in search.  Oddly enough my husband said he would accompany me - which turned out to be a good thing since it took me over an hour to find it based on the faulty directions I received.  At least we were lost together.  Several lovely Japanese people tried to help me, but to no avail.  I did ultimately find it and realized that I literally passed the shop (which was on the 3rd floor) 10 times!  During our run-around, I noticed a lot of New York / California eateries opening up in the area - Clinton St. Bakery (from New York), Blue Bottle Coffee (from Oakland, CA), Luke's Lobster Rolls (from New York), etc.  It's crazy how global everything is becoming.  Later on I heard Shake Shack was also opening up in Tokyo!

 

Blue Bottle in Tokyo!

But I digress... back at the Hakuhodo shop - when the elevator doors opened, we entered into a clean, pristine shop of white.  Everything was minimal - almost like a gallery - and the only things on display were makeup brushes.  The shop clerks were very helpful and spoke a little bit of English, but they were clearly nervous as I - once again - stomped around like a bulldog in a porcelain shop.  I ended up buying three brushes - they were really soft and well made.  In fact they are all handmade with the utmost skill.  However, they are kind of expensive and there's really no need to buy such expensive brushes.  It's not like I end up looking like Jessica Alba because of these brushes.  But regardless, I am really glad I got them, and everytime I use them, I remember my visit to Tokyo. 

Feeling very victorious we headed to the main Omotesando Street where there was a good mix of highend-luxury and boutique souvenir shops.  My poor husband had had enough of shopping just from my makeup brush adventure so he decided to head out to look for some other museums and/or antique book stores.  One of our tour guides had recommended Oriental Bazaar on Omotesando for quality Japanese souvenirs, so I headed over there first.  I'm so glad I took his advice - the items here were beautiful.  There were ceramics, silk purses, kimonos, stationery, towels, fans - all lovely and well-made.   After a big purchase, I decided to just take my time enjoying the cool window displays etc.  I was quite tempted by the Commes des Garcon T-shirts (which are a lot cheaper in Japan), but alas, I restrained myself. 

I was feeling rather exhausted again and I had read about a lovely flower and tea shop called Aoyama Flower Market.  I had seen it earlier when I was walking around and noticed a line to get into the cafe, but fortunately when I headed back over the line was gone.  The cafe is hidden inside the flower shop and it's absolutely lovely.  I ordered a tea and dessert set (rose jelly) and happily relaxed there for a bit while waiting for my husband. 

 

Totally adorable!

So pretty and yummy!

He arrived an hour later after purchasing a beautiful antique print.  It was so carefully wrapped and sealed that I didn't get to see it until we returned to the U.S. a week later.  After discussing our options, we decided to stay in the area and explore some more and pick a random place for dinner.  I went onto yelp and found a restaurant called Harajuku Gyoza Lou which seemed perfect for what we were looking for.  And in fact it was!  What a splendid find - we absolutely loved it!  (See review here)

 

I wish I could have gone on eating forever...

Anyways as we headed towards the restaurant we found more amazing boutiques and my husband got lured by the siren call of the Burton store.  I knew he would take forever there so I left him to check out the vintage shops nearby.  If I had known there were so many treasures in Japanese vintage stores, I would have done this earlier in my trip.  Now, aware and wary of the diminishing space in our luggage, I couldn't justify buying much more...  So I controlled myself and went back to find my husband, but he was still awash in a sea of indecision.  I left again to explore some more but I told him I didn't want to keep going in and out of the store because in Japan - the shop clerk have to bow to you when you enter and exit the shop.  I didn't want to be the jerk who kept going in and out repeatedly .. not that they care, but I felt very weird about it.

 

Fabulous vintage shop.

Finally my husband called me and said he was done, but he needed my passport for the tax free benefit.  I returned to the shop and sheepishly went past the bowing clerks again.  My husband insisted he had to buy new snowboots and a backpack because these were the "newest" things and they were not available in the U.S.  This coming from a man with at least 3 pairs of snowboots and 15 backpacks at home.  But who was I to deprive him of his joy?

Fed and happy, we returned to our hotel ... and yes, we had more snacks.

 

These were quite spicy .. and no, they did not go well with red wine.

Tomorrow was our last full day in Tokyo.  I can't believe we've already been traveling for 9 days!  And each day I find something new to love about Japan! 

Omotesando in the sunset - so pretty!

cocktail bars in bangkok: lebua sky bar and maggie choo's

View from the Sky Bar at the Lebua Hotel.

This post is a study in two cocktail bars: the Lebua Sky Bar and Maggie Choo's.

I must admit that when Mr. Sazy Rock and I visited Bangkok and met up with our chum, Lex, I insisted on going to some rooftop bar. I suppose, the whole thing was my fault.

After an early night of enjoying the offerings at Jaekoy, my group decided to explore the Bangkok cocktail scene. After all, it was Mr. SR's job to know about global cuisine and beverages. So, off we went with a lot of optimism in our eyes.

travel zen on friday: funny warning sign in a tokyo subway

OK, this isn't so peaceful or zen, but it does make me laugh.  Happy Friday and Be Safe!

restaurant review: harajuku gyoza lou

So close and yet so far....

(Tokyo, Japan).  While shopping along Omotesando (near Harajuku) - and getting carried away by all the awesome stores - I was suddenly hit by a feeling quite foreign during my trip to Japan thus far ... namely hunger.  I had not planned for a meal since this was one of my "spontaneous" days so I decided to go onto yelp and see what was nearby.  Out of the choices that popped up, I quickly noticed that Harajuku Gyoza Lou had an amazing amount of reviews and lots of stars - always a good sign.  The written reviews were all quite glowing and consistent.  This restaurant served a very simple menu of gyoza (fried or steamed) and cucumber salad, and by all accounts, it was delicious and cheap.

Refreshing sake and cucumber salad

exploring the night market in trang, thailand (video)

Someone once recommended to Mr. Sazy Rock that we visit Trang in Southern Thailand because it was supposed to a food haven. So, on our last visit, we did.

Below is a short video of our night market excursion. I hope you enjoy it.

travel zen on friday: wadi rum

T.E. Lawrence was a British officer whose legendary exploits around World War I was immortalized on screen as Lawrence of Arabia. The real Lawrence likely hung around Wadi Rum in Jordan. Many parts of the film were definitely filmed in this beautiful desert area.

This is a picture of a massive rose colored sand dune, blue skies and Mr. Sazy Rock. Happy Friday, everyone!

Wadi Rum.

day 8 in tokyo: akihabara ("electric town"), donki, beef bowl, ebisu beer hall and kobe beef

(Tokyo, Japan).
 

Good morning Tokyo!

On our 8th day in Japan, we were startled from our bed by a small earthquake.  Fortunately, it ended rather quickly and there was no damage.  After calming our nerves and feasting on more snacks from Family Mart or 7-eleven (I can't remember which since we stop by one and/or the other every day), we took the subway to Akihabara (otherwise known as "Electric Town").  We had decided to take it easy today - after almost a week of non-stop activity and eating.

These were pretty good, but the best ones are the pancakes from 7-eleven.