founder of this website; Jamie is in her final year of university and is very passionate about Japan and Korea.

[Tokyo: Roppongi] Matsurokuya Wagyu Lunch

Posted on by Jamie Liew

so what is living in Japan without having tried wagyu? well.. I had (the cheaper) Kobe beef before and I still think (medium priced home-cooked) Hanwoo beef from Korea tastes better =X. but the thing is, after going to Hidenori at Tsukiji and had their 2000yen a piece of raw wagyu beef sushi, I am now hooked onto wagyu. can’t say I prefer it over Hanwoo but I am definitely digging the raw wagyu beef in Japan. but I am a poor student and very unfortunately cannot afford to eat such luxurious food often. so what do I do?

I look for affordable places!

but with a catch, because Matsurokuya only serves 30 portions of this A5 Kurogewagyu everyday. I arrived 40minutes before (10:50) the shop opened at 11:30am and I was already 10th in line. but however, people who arrived just 10minutes before it opened were at like number 20-25. but just to be safe, arrive earlier. as this place is near some university, there may be many Japanese university students lining up for this in the morning.

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but well, fortunately in Japan, cheap does not always mean bad. I searched online before university even started and found this place far out in Roppongi where you can devour a bowl of rice topped with lightly seared A5 Kurogewagyu beef for only 1,500yen! and the best of all? it is served in Hitsumabushi style (will blog about this famous Nagoya eel dish sometime later!) which means you get to enjoy one dish in three ways! Continue reading “[Tokyo: Roppongi] Matsurokuya Wagyu Lunch” →

[Tokyo: Tsukiji] the BEST sushi in Tsukiji: Shutoku 秀徳

Posted on by Jamie Liew

I’ve always thought to myself, the best sushi in Tsukiji must be Sushi Dai since I queued 3-4hours for it. but to my surprise, there is actually something even better. though a different style, I definitely preferred this sushi bar over Sushi Dai. there is something about the way they prepared it which makes every piece pretty much perfect. PLUS there was completely no wait. well unless if you have a big group. I think this place is pretty local since up till now I have not found any blogs about this place in English and it is not infested with them English speaking foreigners (yet.) but since my blog ain’t that popular, I hope this place wouldn’t be crowded with foreigners the next time I go there. if you’re a famous blogger, please do not blog about this place HAHAHAH. PLEASE. also, because there’s 3 shops, there SHOULDN’T be a queue =X. and what is this unknown (to English speaking foreigners) sushi bar called?

しゅうとくにごうてん or Shutokunigouten or Shutoku.

the specific shop I went to was 秀徳 1号店 Shutoku Shop no.1.
(update 2017: went back and dined at shop no.2, it’s very similar but I still prefer shop no.1!)

don’t ask me why are there so many names. there are just so many names when I searched for it in Japanese :S. but I generally call it Shutoku.

I was actually recommended by a friend living in Japan whom had been to Jiro’s and since he strongly recommended this place, I decided to give it a shot when my sister comes (because I wanted to go to exclusive places with people whom are important to me ^_^.)

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the downside of this place is that it does not have an English sign so finding it will be tad more difficult but don’t worry. I got you. hence here are some pictures to help you. hahaha. Continue reading “[Tokyo: Tsukiji] the BEST sushi in Tsukiji: Shutoku 秀徳” →

[Tokyo: Shinjuku] Menya Musashi, best Tsukemen in Shinjuku

Posted on by Jamie Liew

Tokyo is known for its variety of different ramens which embarrassingly, I’ve yet to try many. among the ones that I would love to try are the ice cream ramen, the Michelin one star ramen and the blue soup ramen. but other than ramen, I have a love for something else which is difficult to find outside of Japan. and that’s something called the Tsukemen. Tsukemen are noodles that are normally thick like udon but with a ramen texture, and is served separately with the soup so every bite will seem like the first bite. no more soggy ramen! (I guess because I eat pretty slowly too hahahaha. you’re really supposed to finish your ramen under 10 minutes until the taste changes.)

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so I was touring a friend around and he wanted to eat ramen. so I searched a little and stumbled across this place called Menya Musashi, which is apparently the best ramen shop in Shinjuku. Continue reading “[Tokyo: Shinjuku] Menya Musashi, best Tsukemen in Shinjuku” →

[Tokyo: Kichijoji] Autumn in Japan

Posted on by Jamie Liew

so apparently, Kichijoji is one of the best places to live in Tokyo. according to many of my Japanese friends at least! and I also heard that many celebrities live here! hence, although this is not down-town Tokyo, the rent here’s crazy I heard. well, I can kind of see how this place is so popular since.. it has a lot of good food, a lot of hipster cafe’s/shops, and a huge, beautiful park; Inokashira park.

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where you’d see many people jogging or strolling around. and the best of all? it looks absolutely beautiful during Autumn. hence there are loads of (old) people taking pictures of birds, autumn leaves and even animals since there’s a zoo there! I heard the zoo’s just meh. =X. and I think there’s a shrine at the back of the lake too! Continue reading “[Tokyo: Kichijoji] Autumn in Japan” →

[Shingawa: Fuji] Fuji Q Highlands

Posted on by Jamie Liew

I don’t know if it’s me but I’ve never heard of Fuji Q until friends here told me about it. at first I thought it’s just another small theme park found in every state but.. to my surprise it is a super famous theme park near Fuji Mountain (which means it’s near Tokyo) which is built literally mainly for adults and a fun fact? this theme park holds a few world records for having the fastest, tallest and even a roller coaster with the most spins!

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the weather plays a big role so be sure to pick a less windy day with absolutely no rain. because even when I went, some games were closed for a few hours due to strong wind despite the day being so clear! Continue reading “[Shingawa: Fuji] Fuji Q Highlands” →

Halloween and my awesome dorm, ISDAK.

Posted on by Jamie Liew

one thing I really love about my exchange here in Japan is actually the dorm. and why you ask? well.. fortunately I was placed in this dorm called the ISDAK. it’s basically like.. a “club” where you need to pay a membership fee. which is totally worth it because they have a lot of cool and fun events from time to time. so far I’ve been here for a month and there are 3 welcome parties, 1 Halloween party and a lot of private floor parties. again, I’ve only been here for ONE MONTH. maybe it’s common in Europe or USA but it is definitely not it in South Korea where we have to RENT a whole apartment/hall just for MT and probably a lot of drinking in bars.

okay so first let me talk about the Halloween party which happened.. yesterday.

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I dressed as a mummy, if you can’t tell. not a post-plastic surgery patient. I’d need a super swollen face for that xD.

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everyone dressed up so well! Continue reading “Halloween and my awesome dorm, ISDAK.” →

1st week of Uni in Hitotsubashi.

Posted on by Jamie Liew

notice: this post is only useful to foreign students who wish to go for an exchange in Japan. but if you’re bored you may read it to learn a little about the living expenses and MY EXPERIENCES! ^^.

okay, I have been.. quite 정신없어 (so hectic that I can’t concentrate..?) for the past one week because the first week of Uni’s just.. super tiring. more so for students traveling from Europe, Scandinavia or America because of the time difference. despite the jet lag, they had to wake up early in the morning AFTER dragging their heavy suitcases to the University that’s located pretty far away from the heart of Tokyo. but it’s still INSIDE Tokyo. never knew Tokyo was this huge T_T. Continue reading “1st week of Uni in Hitotsubashi.” →

[HK: Tai O] SEEING PINK DOLPHINS!

Posted on by Jamie Liew

SO! I was supposed to go “touch cockles” which means to collect cockles at the beach but the weather was crazy so at a last minute change of plan, we went to Tai O which is at Ngong Ping, where the big Buddha is! except you need a LONG bus ride to Tai O. one way costs around 20HKD but it is cheaper on the weekdays. haha.

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so the thing is, I wasn’t really there for there Pink Dolphin because according to the internet it costs over 400HKD but HERE, it costs only 25HKD (got mine for only 20HKD though!!). probably because it’s a small boat and they don’t stop for a long time to watch the dolphins but trust me, it’s long enough. Continue reading “[HK: Tai O] SEEING PINK DOLPHINS!” →