My Packing Essentials

As I am flying to Manchester soon, I am writing this post
:- My Packing Essentials.

4 more days to go...

Not an interesting post, but more likely a reminder for packing so I can refer it whenever I go travel in the future.
I always do packing a week in advance so I know what I lack of so I have time to get it.

Clothes 
Check the weather of your destination before packing.
It is easy to pack when I go back to Malaysia because of the hot weather throughout the year. But this time, a little different.
I just checked the weather forecast of Manchester and it is slightly lower than London and Tokyo.
So, I need to pack some long sleeves, jackets and cardigans.
And since I am going for an academic conference, most of my clothes are smart casual.
I packed 3 dresses which looks formal but not so formal, casual but not so casual LOL
And I packed 2 pairs of comfortable wedges instead of sneaker.
I just wanna to look pretty at all time....LOL

Weather Forecast of Manchester


Weather Forecast of Tokyo


Hygiene and Beauty
I am very fussy on shampoo so I will bring my own shampoo.
I love to bring facial mask and bath salt too.
And perfume is an essential item too.
Not forgot to mention about cleanser, lotion, essence, cleanser etc.

Technology 
My iPhone , iPad, DSLR, earphone, mobile battery and chargers.
(And universal adapter too)

In-flight Essentials
Long haul flight might be uncomfortable and tiring.

I usually will bring along my neck pillow and eye mask from MUJI.
I don't like ear plug though.
I fell in love with this neck pillow after watching this video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIIsk_CcseA

And I have a good product from MUJI to recommend.
It's a bag in bag Organizer which comes with a strap.



So I will pull it out from my backpack when checking in flight, passing through the immigration until boarding the plane.
It is very convenient so I wont feel miserable digging /searching for my passport or flight ticket.
The quality is good , comes  with many compartment, handy and light in weight.



The detachable strap.

That's all for this post.
4 more days to departure day...

Cheese x BAUM

Hybrid sweets are new eating trend.
The most significant one is the cronut- croissant donut which is now a boom in States, Japan and other countries.
http://dominiqueansel.com/cronut-101/

And today, I tried Cheese x BAUM -baum kuchen with baked cheese in the middle. This was so nice.
The baked cheesecake were soft , moist and rich in taste.
The baum was buttery and good too.
Overall, the sweetness was just nice.

I bought this from Diamond, Yokohama.
A new stall called Strasbourg.
http://stras.jp/

ストラスブール横浜ザ・ダイヤモンド店
〒220-0005横浜市西区南幸1-4（B1フロア）
Tel.045-620-5735営業時間／10：00～21：00
（横浜ザ・ダイヤモンド店の定休日に準ずる）

There are few newly opened sweets stall, cafes and restaurants.
Shall review about others soon.

Gontran Cherrier - June's new product

June's new flavor from Gontran Cherrier Tokyo- 

Matcha Croissant Aux Amandes. 

http://gontran-cherrier.jp/

My favorite Artisan Boulangerie!

When Japanese meets French.
I love how the bitterness of Matcha blends so well with the almond cream.
And the outer layer is so crispy.
This is a perfect combination.
Matcha lover shall love this.

And their quiche was good too.
There are many chunks of bacon in it.
Only that the outer layer is not so cripsy.
But I think it tastes nicer if reheat in the oven.

Breadworks

Had my lunch at Breadworks while transferring at Shinagawa Station.

I usually go to Paul Bakery, but today I decided to try Breadworks.

http://ojyousama74.blogspot.jp/2015/03/paul-bakery-again.html

Breadworks
https://www.tysons.jp/breadworks/
http://tabelog.com/tokyo/A1314/A131403/13155677/

From top left, bacon bun, custard bun and bottom is Chestnut danish.
Since they were small in size, I picked three instead of two.
Because I am a foodie lover.
I love the round custard bun.
The sweetness is just nice.
The chestnut danish is good too.

Is there any bakery lover like me?
Seriously, I can eat bread for every meal. 

Papa's Birthday

I mean my Japanese Papa.
Me and my 2 sisters gave Papa a birthday Surprise.


Had a splendid lunch at Outback Steakhouse.


My Queensland Salad.
The portion was big and taste was good.


Since it's Papa's birthday, the shop took a picture of us and gave us as a present.
And they also served free ice-cream too.


Me and Papa.


This is what we gave him as present.
Caricature drawing.
So lovely!!
And he loved it so much.

Toyama : Kurobe Gorge Railway

A famous spot in Toyama.
From Toyama Station, it takes about 90 minutes to reach Unazuki Onsen Station via local train.


http://www.kurotetu.co.jp/en/index.html

The Kurobe Gorge is located in the eastern part of Toyama and lies between the Tateyama Mountain Range and the Ushiro-Tateyama Mountain Range. The gorge is the deepest V-shaped valley in the entire country. If you take a trolley ride (the Kurobe Kyokoku Line), you can view the beauty of the valley between Unazuki-onsen Station and Keyaki-daira Station. The trolley ride takes 1 hour and 20 minutes, a distance of 20.1 kilometers, and includes going through 41 tunnels and over 22 bridges.

Source from: 

http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/location/regional/toyama/kurobe_unazuki.html

Before the ride, I had Toyama Black Ramen for lunch.
The soup is black because of the strong soy sauce flavor and black pepper. 

Quite nice and I love their cha-shu (sliced pork) so much.

Since there is still some time before my ride,
I had foot onsen at Cafe Bonfino.


They are selling ice-cream from Blue Seal too.
http://en.blueseal.co.jp/
Blue Seal was borned in America and raised in Okinawa.


I ordered Okinawa Ta-imo with cheesecake flavor.
FYI, Taimo is a kind of taros grown in Okinawa.This is so so so so nice!!!
There are big chunks of cheesecake in it.
Soaking my feet into onsen while enjoying my ice-cream.
Hot on foot and cold in mouth - what a great combination.


And my journey begins....


Nice scenery along the ride.


Kurobe Dam.


Reached the last stop, Keyakidaira Station after 80 minutes.
The nice red bridge.


There were so leftover snow....hehe


And my way back to the 1st station.


Selfie.




The old concrete bridge.


It was a fun ride.
Was quite cool when passing through the tunnels.

I am suck in writing article, to whom are interested in this,
please refer the website below for more information.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e7575.html

Toyama : The Most Beautiful Starbucks in the World

Fugan-unga Kansui Park, located around 10 minutes walk of Toyama Station.


And the catch phrase-
The most beautiful Starbucks store in the world, which was awarded "The Best Store Design" award out of all Starbucks stores worldwide in 2008.

The sunset


Getting dark...


And the view in the evening...


Had my dinner at the most beautiful Starbucks in the world...



And I was so lucky to see fireworks from the shop.


The night view of the park was great.
It will be a good dating spot i guess.
The light up of the park changes every season.
http://www.kansui-park.jp/lightup/


Nation’s first full-scale LRT Toyama Light Rail
Toyama Light Rail Co. Ltd. started operation of the Toyama Port Line on April 29, 2006, with the aim of offering safe, convenient, comfortable, and passenger-and eco-friendly public transportation. http://visit-toyama.com/en/entry.php?nid=10008


While waiting for local tram....


My ride.
200yen per ride.


Less people at night....
You may see reflection of me on the window.
Hehe.

Kanazawa Trip : Higashide Coffee

Had my very simple lunch at a local coffee shop in Kanazawa called Higashide Coffee.
http://higashidecoffee.amsstudio.jp/
http://tabelog.com/ishikawa/A1701/A170101/17002820/

It is located near to Ohmicho Market, Kanazawa. 20 mins walk from Kanazawa Station.

The environment is clean and nice.
You may see coffee beans nicely arranged on the shelves.
They roast their own beans,
and you may choose various kinds of beans from light roast, medium roast and dark roast from the menu.
I ordered Costa Rica coffee (medium roast)



This coffee shop mainly serves only coffee.
The food they selling are toast and desserts.
So I ordered their toast as I was quite hungry.


While having my toast, I was kept staring at their dessert menu.
Their cheesecake looks very good so I decided to try.
It was so rich and moist. I love this so much.

I had a great lunch here.
I think this will be a great place for afternoon break too.


They have their own coffee roaster in their shop.
Highly recommended for coffee lover.
Do stop by Higashide Coffee when you come to visit Kanazawa.