fall cravings: pumpkin

Not that it feels like fall yet in sunny Southern California, but with Halloween coming up, I've been seeing orange everywhere. Pumpkin spice lattes are popping up in all the coffee shops, pumpkin spice candles in the drugstores...so naturally, I've been dreaming of pumpkin pie. Last year, while I was still in Japan, I tried to make pumpkin pie myself, but...that was a disaster. Pumpkin puree doesn't exist in Japan...they have this squash called kabocha, or Japanese pumpkin, and although it is delicious, it's just not the same.

This is really old, but Smitten Kitchen never fails, so here's a link to her silky smooth pumpkin pie recipe. Love!

pocket full of poetry

Mindy Gledhill's new album is out! You can check it out on Youtube and buy it on Itunes or Amazon. One of my favorite songs so far is Picture Show:

nothing but blue skies

I've been back in California for a month now, and I've forgotten what clouds look like! I thought nothing could beat the humidity of Asia, but this incessant dry heat is also a force to be reckoned with. Now begins the job search!

My sister also just got engaged, so I'll probably be writing about that a lot, since I'm the (I think) maid-of-honor!

2 more weeks

Sorry I've been m.i.a. recently; I'm getting ready to move back to California and leaving Japan in two weeks! It's unreal. I can't believe my time here is almost at an end.

Of course, I'm giving it one last hurrah and checking off the bucket list, so I may not post for a while. Hope you're having a lovely summer so far! Despite the unbelievable humidity, I certainly am!

summer haul

Stopped by Uniqlo to pick up some basics...

and these scarves were on sale for only 500 yen!

I went to donate a bunch of my old clothes to H&M and got a coupon for 500 yen off 3000 yen. Picked up a dress, skirt, necklace, and shirt.

Last, I have a couple of summer weddings to go to; one is on a beach, so I thought this blue chiffon midi dress would be perfect! As for the other dress, I don't have anything in this hot pink color, so I thought I would branch out of my comfort zone a bit.

There are so many good sales going on in Japan right now, but I'm trying not to buy too much since I'm moving back to the States soon and I don't want to over stuff my luggage!

skytree and shinkansen

The last part of our trip was spent on the Shinkansen, or bullet train, back to Tokyo to see Skytree, the tallest radio tower in the world.

 

We stopped by The Sweet Shoppe and bought these huge macarons for a snack!

Skytree was really crowded; I definitely recommend going on a weekday, as with any other tourist place in Japan. It's impossible to avoid the crowds, especially during Golden Week! We had a lot of trouble with getting seats on trains, so definitely try not to come during Japanese holiday seasons.

kyoto, take five

In the 2 years I've lived in Japan, I've gone to Kyoto five times. My favorite area of Kyoto has to be Arashiyama.

There's a beautiful river lined with wonderful restaurants and other shops.

The bamboo forest is another must-see in Arashiyama. If you're lucky, you can also catch a glimpse of maiko!

Kyoto is also famous for their kaiseki ryori, a type of multi-course meal that incorporates seasonal ingredients. I took my sister to the same place I took my boyfriend last time and although they had a completely different menu, it was just as good and just as beautiful.

It was a little pricey (we paid 8000 yen per person, roughly $80), but it was worth every penny.

I only have a month left in Japan! Then back to California...