09/27/2025 on the plane, i watched

• the korean remake of you are the apple of my eye with dahyun and jinyoung
• dolls (2002) – i initially watched it for yohji yamamoto's costume design, but i didn't expect to connect with the characters so much
• crazy rich asians – 0394 said it was his comfort movie for flying, and the first time i saw it in 2018, i hadn't lived in nyc or been to singapore (i also fell asleep...)

i also slept with a blanket over my head like a ghost and it was very comfortable. ​

​ 09/28/2025

​ today we spent the whole day shopping in tokyo. i happened to see so much art i'm a fan of! it struck me that this wouldn't typically happen in nyc, but so many of the artists i follow on the internet are based here and have a huge presence. ​

• beco+81, yumyumyamq, llnuit, and more prints and trinkets spotted inside laforet harajuku, at shed by acg and sheep
• daisuke kondo gacha machine spotted on the street – we got two!
• syozo taniguchi exhibit, "to you, who are far away" at shibuya parco

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​ my favourite items

• trinh t-shirt: the first coyseio store in japan opened at shibuya parco a few days ago! i really wanted to visit, a while ago i tried to buy this exact shirt online when it came out... i even set an alarm, but it went out of stock too quickly. everything in the store was my style, but i decided to just get the shirt.
• mint chocolate kirby: since we were already at parco, we went to the nintendo store. the mint choco combination is just perfect, how could i not get kirby?
• blythe t-shirt: this was my first time visiting the junie moon store and i loved everything about it, except that i wish it was bigger.
• sgt. frog: i was keeping my eyes peeled for sgt. frog items! i found a sleeping gacha and a finger puppet.

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​ 09/29/2025 today we took the train to kyoto with 0399. first we ate matcha desserts at itoh kyuemon, then we went to nishiki market. on the way, i bought ON running shoes because my feet were hurting. at snoopy cha-ya, i tried to find a replacement for 0385's broken bowl, but they didn't have it anymore, so i bought a similar one. we also looked at stationery in kyukyodo. ​

​ later, we ate obanzai and shabu shabu while facing the river and people-watching. there were several large stones in the water that you could step on to get to the other side. as the sun was going down, i was getting itchy from all my mosquito bites. we went to a pharmacy, got muhi anti-itch, and then stopped for bubble tea. we were the only ones there and sat inside for a while before going to back to the hotel. ​

​ 09/30/2025 something i've been noticing here is that when people get off the bus, the driver says thank you to them. whereas in america, usually the passenger is the one saying thank you and the driver doesn't say anything.

in the morning, we went to miho museum. it is located in the mountains and known for its architecture, designed by IM pei. we probably spent more time in the tunnel, the bridge, and areas surrounding the museum, compared to inside the building itself. ​

​ then we decided to go to shigaraki, which we referred to as the "ceramic village." there was one bus that went from miho museum to shigaraki, and it only came twice a day at 12pm and 2pm. we were the only people waiting, and it was a few minutes late, so we thought we missed it. as we were standing around, trying to decide what to do, an employee noticed us and told us that it would arrive soon!

we were also the only people on the bus. 0399 was talking to the driver in japanese. she said that he kept asking us things like, "do you know where you're going? do you know how to get back home? are you sure?" but in a genuine way, like he wanted to make sure we didn't get lost.

we had lunch at a chicken specialty restaurant, 鶏料理専門店 鶏陶, and were the only ones there again. the chickens were personally raised by the restaurant owner themselves! after eating, we went outside to explore. ​

​ we came across many studios, and the roads were filled with ceramic figures, especially tanuki. the first one we visited was miharu pottery, みはる窯. upon entering, we looked around a room with the majority of the wares. i think they noticed that we were spending a lot of time there, and told us that we could go to the shed in the back. it felt like a behind-the-scenes work area – there was a kiln, makeshift light fixtures, various storage materials, and narrow rooms displaying different works upon a sloping hill. i purchased a small dish with a slightly iridescent, pearly finish. later, we returned a second time, for 0399 who wanted to buy something.

in another shop, rengetsu, 器の店 蓮月, a man poured us tea so that we could experience the ceramics as intended, and explained that the goods in the shop were made by his sister. i got a gift for my parents, a cup that came with a lid. i thought it was practical since it would prevent your drink from getting cold. he asked if i was going to take it on the plane, so that he could pack it with special care. as we left, he gave us a full 90° bow.

the shops were starting to close, so we decided to stop at a cafe and then head home. we went to マルポタ舎, me and 0399 both got pudding which came in handmade ceramic bowls. i also had a matcha latte in a mug with whipped cream on top. it goes without saying that we were the only ones there. ​

​ then we missed the train and the next one was in an hour and a half, so we decided to go on a walk. we passed by a forest and talked about bears. everyone agreed that shigaraki was the best part of our trip and that kyoto was too tourist-y – 0399 said it felt like "japan world," akin to a disney world, where locals mainly work in tourism or supporting fields, as the primary economic driver.

when we were back in kyoto, it was dark. i was so sleepy that i debated going back to the hotel first, but 0399 and 0427 convinced me to eat with them at a nearby bar, enoteca irodori. the ochazuke and umeshu was really good, so i don't regret it. ​

​ 10/01/2025 i usually don't eat breakfast, but in japan it's one of my favourite things to do. i love picking something out from a convenience store or stopping by a bakery. it's the best. ​

​ the train was super fast, all of the trees outside were a blur. there were three girls sitting in front of us. they looked like chinese university students taking a vacation. they were talking to each other, taking pictures, and wearing casual qipao style dresses in different colours. it was like each person had their own signature colour. ​

​ we went to kibune because 0399 wanted to try a famous experience where you sit on the water and catch noodles that flow down a bamboo. unfortunately, it only runs from may to september, so we had just missed it by one day. we even saw staff taking things down. it reminded me of working at wonderland at the very end of the season, when the park had already closed, and we came in just to clean and pack up.

at kifune shrine, we got our fortunes. at first, the paper is blank, but when you float it in water, it reveals the characters. i wondered how the material was engineered. it was referred to as "water omikuji" or 水占みくじ.

on this trip, i wore a lot of the new clothes i had purchased in tokyo on the first day. except for my bag, which i got earlier this year from hyein seo. it fits my passport perfectly, which is necessary for carrying around in case you want to do tax-free shopping. for some reason, i also felt nervous about leaving it behind in the hotel, even though i thought the area was very safe. ​

​ after, we went to uji and ate lunch at a curry restaurant called wocca rocca. we talked about the pros and cons of living in japan, and moving around compared to living in one place your entire life. we also tried some more matcha desserts, and i had ginger tea at a cafe.

i was thinking about how i've become desensitized to eating out because in nyc we get uber eats everyday, and how i feel like i've developed the ability to imagine what food tastes like without actually having to eat it. for instance, if i don't have room in my stomach, or the line is too long. earlier, i saw a sweet potato sandwich at a convenience store, just thought about eating it, and felt satisfied.

in the afternoon, we visited the byodo-in temple, the chazuna tea museum, and sat in the grass across from the uji train station. we started playing lily chou chou songs and i lay down while 0399 and 0427 were taking pictures. ​

​ 10/02/2025 going to a world expo in osaka is something i have wanted to do for a long time – it was one of the main reasons for this trip! they usually take place once every few years, but the last time osaka hosted an expo was in 1970.

i didn't take many pictures because there was an overwhelming amount of people, but it was worth going just to see the architecture up close. every country's pavilion had a really long line, without an advance reservation you'd probably only be able to visit one or two in a day. we heard that if you show your passport to the staff at the pavilion you're a citizen of, you could go in a "fast lane," but the construction of canada's pavilion looked so embarrassing that we didn't bother.

circling the entire expo site was the grand ring, which held the record for the largest wooden architectural structure in the world. walking underneath, it shaded merchandise pop-ups and resting areas with vending machines. taking the escalator up, it was the path that took us around, getting a view of everything going on in this "world."

the official mascot, myaku myaku, is a fusion of cells and water, fitting with the sustainability themes of the event. there were a lot of collabs too, we got a myaku myaku mametchi, kuchipatchi, and mimitchi! i wanted a rare all black myaku myaku keychain that i saw a couple of people with, but it appeared to be sold out. the japan pavilion also had a special collab that transformed hello kitty into 32 different forms of algae! ​

​ 10/03/2025 yesterday was pretty tiring, so me and 0427 took it easy and walked around the area we were staying. in the morning, we went to a taiwan soymilk cafe. they gave us complimentary sunflower seeds that you could drop inside a machine shaped like a character's head, it would get automatically peeled and spit out from the "mouth." they also had a raffle event and we got themed postcards.

then we went to bookoff and i took some pictures of albums and movies that looked interesting. i always enjoy going to physical stores and getting recommendations based on what catches my eye.

0427 wasn't feeling well, so we found a store and purchased eve quick dx. i also got an apple marshmallow snack. he went back while i decided to go shopping on orange street. i really liked the area – there was a lee denim store, sneaker shops with good selections, and the thisisneverthat osaka flagship. afterwards, i also checked out shinsaibashi parco.

at night, me and 0427 ate at a nearby matsuya and talked hypothetically about what life would be like if we lived here for a few months. ​

​ 10/04/2025 today i had a family mart pizza bun for breakfast and we said bye to 0399. our flight to singapore was in the evening, so we decided to go to parco. i bought the sacai x carhartt jacket which i had my eye on since yesterday. we passed by the kirby cafe and saw that you could take a ticket to queue without reservation, so we gave it a try.

the peach aviation website said that check in started 90 minutes before flight departure, so my plan was something like this:

• 3:30pm: go to hotel and get luggage
• 4:30pm: leave for KIX airport
• 5:30pm: arrive and check in
• 7:05pm: flight departs

by 3, it still wasn't our turn at the cafe, so we left. the shinsaibashi subway station was more crowded than usual, and no one was going through the gates. then a girl was carried out on a stretcher by firemen, one of them was holding a white handbag that looked like something had exploded inside. (i later found out her portable charger had overheated and caused a subway fire.) as we exited to look for a different station, we saw news reporters with cameras. ​

​ after getting our suitcases, we debated whether to uber to the airport or take the subway. 0427 was feeling sicker and didn't want to subway, especially since we had to transfer. but an uber was $150 USD and would take 10-30 minutes longer, so we decided not to. getting on the first train was no problem, but we barely made the second train – the station was huge!

on the platform, i saw a sign that said only the first four cars were going to the airport. but the train came too fast for me to process which direction to go in. i realized we were inside the 6th car, and they even made an announcement that the train cars were going to be decoupled. luckily, at the next stop, we ran to the 4th car and made it, watching the car behind us get farther away. ​

​ when we got off the subway, it was 5:46. i started feeling like we were cutting it close because we still had to take a shuttle to our terminal. at 6:08, there were so many people at the terminal. a poster said the check in time for our flight was from 5:35 to 6:15, so we only had 7 minutes left... we squeezed past all the people and entered our information on the kiosk. by the time our boarding passes printed, it was 6:12.

the bag check lines were organized by flight, and the singapore line was the shortest. there were still people in front of us, with the same boarding pass. i wondered if we were all going to miss the flight. we were last in line for a while, until another came. then the airport staff took down the check in poster for our flight. the line wasn't moving, and i started looking up the next flight from osaka to singapore.

"have you ever missed a flight?" 0427 asked. i looked down at our boarding pass, which said "flight closes 30 minutes before departure time – NO EXCEPTION." it was 6:20, so we had 15 more minutes until flights close. i apologized to 0427 a million times, because it was my fault we were in this situation, but i think he felt too sick to be mad.

at the counter, they were still taking bags. the weight limit is 20 kg – mine was 17, and 0427's was 20.4. (when we checked earlier, it was 19 kg!) the staff didn't say anything, though. we ran to security check and i grabbed 0427's half full pocari sweat from the side of his backpack. a man was emptying the garbage and he graciously took it from me as we sped on.

the security line wasn't long and i watched our trays go through the machine. my very last tray stopped... and moved to the other side where there were two or three trays in front, waiting to be inspected. at that second, i thought it was game over for me. there was one more check before the gates, with a long line.

0427 said, "i'll go first." while i waited for the trays ahead of me to be inspected, i looked at the back of his head in the next line. there were already people piling up behind him. then it was my turn. i was thinking, is it my lighter? am i about to miss this flight because of vivienne westwood? should i let them keep it?

i showed the agent the note inside that read "empty" in japanese, and held down the trigger to prove that it wasn't lighting up. she checked with another guy and let me go. i grabbed all my things and shoved them into my pockets and half-open bag. i felt like i could've even forgotten something on the tray, but i had to keep going.

i was in the next line at 6:38, which was barely moving. it was three minutes past 6:35, when the flight was supposed to close. someone passed me and cut in line, so i looked ahead and saw 0427. because of the other guy, i gained the courage to excuse myself and speedwalk to 0427, who was just about to go up and scan his passport. he told me to go first, and finally we were both through.

the gate was just to my left and there were still people boarding. phew! we both had to use the washroom, but everything was going to be okay because we were making this flight. it was the kind where you have to walk outside and see the plane, and then get on. after sitting, we also saw the people from the first line come inside. ​