[Kyoto] - sights

Shots from my walking around Kyoto, taking in the cool early autumn air while enjoying its sights and sounds. 

Kyoto will charm your pants off. 

[Fukui] - Cafe Mare

My travel posts cannot be without any cafe related posts. Well, on this trip, I visited one with a view so magnificent, I don't think I will ever quite forget it. 

Care Mare sits along the Echizen Coast and it's as close as you can get to the raging waters while still enjoying some heating and glorious food. 

Still waiting to exhale...

[Fukui] - I Love Thee

(continuing)

4. Simple everyday life Japan

It is more than charming. 

When surrounded with all that I love about Japan, I am reminded of what’s truly important and how little we actually need.

[Fukui] - I Love Thee

(continuing)

2. I love the friendships forged

Meeting my friends again after such a long time, we share our lives and laughter over delicious home-cooked meals, and consumed more beer than we should have, 

When I think about how we met, I can’t help but smile at how wondrously life works and paths meet. It’s so heart-warming to know some things don’t change despite time and distance. But I’m still glad I visited because I believe new memories need to be made.

3. Japanese festivals

Especially those that celebrate or mark the changing seasons. So simple, so delightful.

(to be continued)

[Fukui] - I Love Thee

I recently visited my Japanese “hometown”. Truthfully, counting down to the trip filled me with a lot more anticipation and excitement than any other of my travel. You see, I love that place to bits. 

1. I love it for its proximity to nature.

Walking on moss carpets,

 watching the changing colours of cascading trees on the mountains,

playing in the cool spring water,

witnessing the ferocity of the roaring waves,

 enjoying the vastness of the land, 

admiring the clouds that dot the clear blue sky... 

these sights I find I never tire of. 

Transfixed because these truly are the greatest work of art. 

(to be continued)

Updates

The past couple of weeks felt like a whirlwind, but in a good sort of way. If you follow Cookie Cutter's Facebook Page, you'll probably know why. I was involved in The Book Show, an exhibition on arts and craft inspired by books. I made a set of plushies inspired by Alice in Wonderland, met lots of people on the opening day and had lots of fun. The exhibition has moved to another venue. It's currently at Lomography Gallery Store Singapore. So if you haven't checked it out, you can do so. It runs till 18 Nov.

Thanks to the exhibition, my plushies and I made a little appearance in the local broadsheet and I found out about this while I was visiting my Japanese "hometown". I was thrilled to share the news with my wonderful friends whom I haven't seen for a while. The week or so in Japan was like an emotional roller-coaster, filled with the highs of meeting after such a long time and also the lows of goodbyes very soon after. But I'm still very happy to have seen them  as I believe new memories need to be made. 

So, I guess there will be a few Japan posts coming up soon! Happy Monday, folks!

Aurora Borealis

I can’t remember what book it was I read that planted the wild idea in my head of catching the aurora borealis one day. It’s not something which comes to mind right away when planning a holiday but it’s there at the back of my mind. Let’s just say, if I were to write a bucket list, it would feature in the list.

Guess what? Hotel Kakslauttanen in Finland offers you the opportunity to lie in a beautiful glass igloo and watch the northern lights. How awesome is that?!!

[images: Hotel Kakslauttanen (via Black Eiffel)]