Japan: Kamakura Day Trip from Tokyo

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Daibutsu, The Great Buddha of Kamakura

Kamakura is a coastal city about an hour away from Tokyo – perfect for a day trip! Lonely Planet introduces Kamakura:

The glory days of Japan’s first feudal capital (from 1185 to 1333) coincided with the spread of populist Buddhism in Japan. This legacy is reflected in the area’s proliferation of stunning temples. Kamakura also has a laid-back, earthy vibe complete with organic restaurants, summer beach shacks and surfers – which can be added to sunrise meditation and hillside hikes as reasons to visit.

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Japan: Hamarikyu Gardens (Tokyo)

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Teahouse

The Hamarikyu Gardens in the Chiyoda Ward of Tokyo, offer a bit of peace in the middle of the busy city. In stark contrast to the skyscrapers surrounding the garden, Hamarikyu is a beautiful oasis where you can enjoy a stroll along the pond or a bowl of matcha with sweets at the traditional teahouse.

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Japan: Akihabara (Tokyo)

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Akihabara at night

Akihabara, aka Akihabara Electric Town, is the otaku cultural center of Tokyo. What is otaku? A Japanese term for people with obsessive interests, commonly anime and manga. Akihabara is also a shopping district for gamers and gadget enthusiasts with many shops selling video games (like Super Potato) and consumer goods. We couldn’t wait to visit and end our evening with the best tonkatsu in Tokyo!

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Japan: Tsukiji Fish Market (Tokyo)

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Entrance of the Tsukiji Fish Market

 

The Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo is the largest and busiest fish market in the world. The market opens most mornings at 3AM, so it’s recommended to visit when you first arrive and are still jet lagged. So we headed to Tsukiji for a sushi breakfast on our first full day!

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Birthday Dim Sum at Fong Mei

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Fong Mei

 

To celebrate my birthday a bit further, I organized a Dim Sum and tea brunch at Fong Mei with family and friends on Sunday. Dim Sum is especially fun with a big group, ordering a lot of dishes you can share with everyone! We’re lucky to have such a great Chinese restaurant closeby – Antwerp is actually the only city in Belgium with an official Chinatown.

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Fong Mei, Linkeroever, and Tropicos

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Fong Mei for Sunday dim sum!

 

So excited to have Christina and Rafaël in Anwerp for a few days! Sunday Rafaël had to be in Brussels, so Christina, Koen and I planned a day in the city.

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Bij Lam en Yin

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Bij Lam en Yin

We’re lucky to live in Antwerp because there are so many great restaurants including 20 Michelin star restaurants! One that we’ve been wanting to try for years now is Bij Lam en Yin – a Cantonese restaurant with a small menu that puts the focus on quality ingredients and dishes.

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Scotland Day One: Glasgow

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Bagpipes at George Square

 

For our May vacation, Koen and I headed to Scotland with our friends Chris and Hannah. Our main destination was the Isle of Islay, but to start and finish the trip we spent some time in Glasgow.

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