Who would have thought...
...that we would be able to coordinate across six families and make our way to one of our most yearned-after vacation spots? When one of our friends found an amazing deal on flights to Japan, it didn't take long for many of us to jump on board. From late night Qamaria planning sessions, to luggage shopping, and lots and lots of research on sites to see, we got ourselves ready for what ended up becoming one of our most memorable vacations.
Tokyo - big in every single and unabashed way. I loved how Tokyo is bright and vivid, stimulating, innovative, and everything all at once without giving a damn. There is Takeshita Dori where my kids had the best unigiri (twice), and Shibuya Crossing where we crossed the street shoulder-to-shoulder with the Japanese... and probably a lot of tourists, haha. We met some friendly restaurant owners who served us halal ramen in Shinjuku and we received our fortunes in Senso-ji Temple, where Sumon managed to get the worst kind of fortune (I think he's doing fine though!).
Kyoto was a different vibe all together. Quiet and serene, our hotel overlooked the mountains on one side, and the city on the other. It seemed like a relic of time's past, with older generation cars and structures untouched by modernization. Be sure to catch the Kiyomizu-dera Temple - this was by far my favorite place. It felt like an origami temple that quietly unfolded itself for us - as we made our way to each part, we discovered another temple, another path, another pond, and so on.
We also flew to...
... nearby Seoul in South Korea for a memorable few nights. Our family stayed in Myeongdong at the Royal Hotel, which I highly recommend given its location in the heart of late night shopping (yes, Olive Young stores abound), street food, and live music well into the wee hours of the night. Seoul was a vibe - my vibe. I loved the balance of the big city, with moments of quiet at a local bakery, sipping some coffee and people watching as folks made their way through their morning commute. If you go to the Onion Cafe (you should check out the Anguk location - it really is nice!), definitely grab their salt bread, which was my favorite. Their snow pastry was... overrated. However, shopping at Olive Young was worth it - go there twice. Once to be overwhelmed and in awe, and the second to do some strategic shopping. Visiting Gyeongbokgung Palace and watching ladies glide in their varied hanboks was ethereal. My favorite photo of the entire trip was of two ladies in hanboks while chatting on their phones - I was waiting for quite some time for them to drop their phones, but they wouldn't. So I just snapped the photo and enjoyed their beauty... with a healthy dose of the modern. A reflection of the city itself!
