Tokyo Imperial Palace Dec 2014

Including the Imperial Palace is definitely a-must when planning your Tokyo itinerary.

Aside from learning about the historical background, the tour is free! hehe

You have the option to go on your own or take the guided tour.

I think you'll only get to see limited places if you don't take the tour.

But if you want to get the guided one, you need to book an appointment first!

You can make a reservation online at the Imperial's Household Agency website :)

The guided tour is open from Mon-Fri with a 10am slot in the morning and 1pm in the afternoon.

Remember though, the Japanese are notorious for being strict with time so be sure you'll arrive before your preferred schedule ;)

Overall, there are 11 buildings that's included in the tour. 

One of which is the 80 year old Imperial Household Agency Building.

Unfortunately, it's not allowed to go inside so here's a pretty pic of the exterior.

It's no surprise that there's a lot of security personnel in the palace grounds.

How lucky we were to catch a glimpse of their drill for the New Year!

Kyuden Totei Plaza

This is the area where people gather to see the Imperial Family during the Emperor's birthday and New Year's Day.

Kinda like this...but a hundred crowds more!hehe

The balcony of Chowaden Hall where the Imperial Family stands,smiles and waves at the people outside the plaza !

My fave, Fushimi -yagura Keep.

So pretty!

Interestingly, this structure was originally from the grounds of Fushimi Castle in Kyoto.

It was dismantled and reassembled in Tokyo during the period of Shogun Iemitsu.

Can you imagine?!lol

View of the city from Nijubashi bridge.

Yea, this is another angle of the first pic haha

This is called Fujimi-yagura Keep or Mt. Fuji View Keep.

What's interesting is that this structure has been restored despite being destroyed by fire and earthquake on two separate occasions. Wow!

Yamashita dori Street.

After the tour, we just roamed around the gardens.

Surprised to see autumn colors on winter season!hehe

Oh hi there Koi fishies!

Not sure what these are but looks like a grave LOL

Fall foliage~

Me and the tree! haha

Sapporo Dec 2014

Finally time to post first of the many parts of my Japan trip last December!

It's really difficult to manage all the photos but I'll be dividing everything by "tours/location" 

I guess that will be easier  =P

So first stop, Sapporo!

For this trip, we were able to squeeze Hokkaido, Tokyo, Nagano, Nara and Gotemba in 15 days! More about that on my next posts ;)

We stayed in Susukino which to my surprise is actually considered a major "red light district" in Japan lol.

True enough, it is congested with a looooot of bars and "host clubs".

You could see a lot of billboards lined up showcasing their popular male/female entertainers and several promoters would flock up the streets at night.

You can also find the Sapporo Streetcar which is very convenient if you're planning to visit Mt. Moiwa or if you just wanna do some sight-seeing around Susukino hehe

Heavy snowfall on our last days in Hokkaido :))

#winterwonderland

not sure what tree this is but it's soooo pretty!

selfie while snowing

What I love about visiting Japan during December/Winter season is that they have a lot of Illumination in different cities!

Here's the Sapporo illumination in Odori Park <3

Sapporo TV tower

~Odori also celebrates "German Christmas Market". 

It's held every Christmas season wherein Sapporo and Munich celebrates its sister city relations.

There are various German delicacies..

and cute Christmas decors!!!

There's even some lovely mini Christmas villages too huhuhu *Iwant*

Anyway, our main plan for that night was to visit Sapporo Tv Tower lol

So here's the overlooking view of Odori city from the observation deck :)

empty Sapporo station O_O

Sapporo station is also a good sight-seeing place as it's very big! like every main station in Japan ;)

It houses several fashion brands, designers and is even connected to a department store and supermarket!

One thing you shouldn't miss though is Kinotoya Bake's Cheese tart!!!

OMG, it's the best ever!!!

they also have a store in Shinjuku btw ;)

Also try out Milkissimo gelato <3

They have several unique flavors like Apple Pie, Orange Chocolate, Soybean etc

Purple sweet potato and Pumpkin!

soooo creamy <3

On our next visit, I got the Black Sesame, Milk and Blueberry Cream Cheese.

The Cream Cheese was to die for! OMG.

snow situation haha

Little Red Riding Kaye =P

Before coming to Japan, I've learned that Hokkaido Milk is the best milk out there.

To my dismay, I couldn't find it anywhere lol I searched convenience stores and even supermarkets but luck wasn't with me that time :( too bad huhu

So I just settled for these lol

You could find the strangest things in Japan including these vegetable sherbet =P

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my favorite convenience store find was this cheese chocolate snack!

It's sooo good! It's like literally eating Blue Cheese or Parmesan with a bar of chocolate!

Goodness, I need to have this again!!!

Ending this post with my last meal in Hokkaido ~authentic Katsu yo!

nomnomnom....