Kamakura - Giant Buddha and Hasedera

About a month ago we were lucky enough to have a short trip back to Japan. It had been almost 2 years since we moved back to Melbourne from Okinawa, and as always, I never stop missing Japan.

This trip, we kept short, only 8 days so just centered ourselves in Tokyo and hung around there. It was such a great decision because we found ourselves the perfect Airbnb in Shibuya and although we walked a ton everyday, we managed to get really comfortable long sleeps in at night so the holiday was incredibly relaxing. I swear i was getting 10 hours a night, which basically hasn't happened in about 20 years!

Once thing I did notice, however, when we were looking for a place to stay, is that since the Japanese government regulated Airbnb and required people to get a licence before they can let an apartment, the number and variety of places is much less, as well as being more expensive! We ended up finding a place on Homeaway which was cheaper than anything we saw on Airbnb, but it felt like slim pickings compared to a few years ago. This is the place we stayed at, which I would definitely recommend for the bed alone. It was probably the most comfortable bed i've ever slept in!

Anyway, on to our adventures. Seeing as both H and G had never been there before, we decided to head to Kamakura for a day trip. We splurged and got Green Car tickets and took the short (1 hour) trip from Shibuya to Kamakura. Although i've been to Kamakura numerous times, I had never been to see the giant Buddha, so we headed there first. After checking that out, we wanderd to Hasedera, which has to be one of my favourite temples (aren't they all). It had heaps to see, lots of gorgeous blossoms out, and to top it off, there was a buddhist vegan restaurant at the top!




Giant Buddha Daibutsu Kamakura



Entrance to Hasedera













The restaurant at Hasedera



Vegan restaurant at Hase-Dera Kamakura









Plum blossoms at Hase Dera

McLaren Vale Wineries

A couple of months ago, my lady gave me an awesome birthday present! A trip to South Australia to visit the wine region. Neither of us had ever been to Adelaide or South Australia, so it was exciting to go somewhere new, and also get to try some of my favourite wines in their natural habitat!

We stayed in Adelaide, but hired a car and set out for McLaren Vale stopping first at Paxton Wines, which was the perfect start to the day. They are organic and biodynamic winery and the wines are so delicious! The staff there were so down to earth and lovely.

Next we headed to Angove, which is another winery with some organic wines. We seemed to be avoiding the rain and clouds all day, and when we arrived at Angove it was sunny and gorgeous. Again, the wines were so goo!

Finally we headed to the motherland, Wirra Wirra. This is one of the first wines H and I bonded over and she introduced me to. It was so great to visit their winery. We also had lunch at Harry's Deli, which I would definitely recommend if you're in the area.

When we were trying to decide whether to visit the Barossa Valley or McLaren Vale while we were in Adelaide, it was a really difficult decision, but i'm really glad we decided to go with McLaren Vale. It's home to some of our favourite wineries, it was close to Adelaide, and absolutely gorgeous! Next time I can't wait to check out the Barossa.





Paxton Wines








Angove winery in McLaren Vale has a great range of wines including some organic options.



The amazing array of goods from Jamface in Adelaide
It was sooo hard to choose from Jamface!
Jamface by Poh is at Adelaide Farmers market every sunday and has a drool-worthy display of cakes and treats, making it almost impossible to choose what to get!

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McLaren Vale in South Australia is a short drive from Adelaide and the perfect place for a day trip, tasting wines and eating delicious food!



An Afternoon in Lincoln Park, Chicago

Continuing on with my series of posts that I never posted. I have one from my trip to the USA in October 2016. I got to visit Chicago, rural Illinois and Miami.

While I was in Chicago for one day, I not only wanted to see the city, but I also wanted to have a look at the inner suburbs, as I feel like these are usually where "real life" happens. I basically just Googled which neighborhoods were cool, and made a random pick. This is how I ended up in Lincoln Park.

I wandered around, looking in the cute shops and just enjoying the architecture and the Halloween decorations on the doorsteps.
The architecture in Lincoln Park, a suburb of Chicago, was lovely!
Lincoln Park

Sport pumpkins

Gorgeous fall decorations in Lincoln Park Chicago
This doorstep <3











Dotonbori - Osaka

Continuing on from my long lost draft blog posts I never published, we have Osaka!

about a year and a half ago, we had one of our best trips in Japan, when we went to Kyoto and Koya-san over a week in November. It was a gorgeous time of year with the autumn colours! We spent the first night of our trip in Osaka, before catching the train to Koya-san early the next morning.

Because we were only there for one night, we chose a hotel in the Dotonbori area, which is definitely a must if you want to be right in the nightlife and action of Osaka. We basically walked out of our hotel, straight into a busy shopping arcade!

Enjoy the photo highlights below:



Side streets

PUPPIES!

I can't resist a UFO catcher.







Can't go to Osaka and not see the Glico Man!

Family selfie lols

Fugu

So many lights
If you want to look back over the rest of the posts from this trip, feel free:


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The perfect way to spend one night in Osaka is in Dotonbori. The liveliest and most fun area of Osaka, whether travelling alone or with family, you will never get bored!