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I made a super cute pair of pants out of my baba’s old wool kimono she gave me on my recent January trip to Japan! I used the @daughterjudypatterns #coetrousers and as someone who has never made pants before I am hugely impressed with myself 😜

Do we like them?? I think I like them a lot !

just two cousins cooking lasagna. watch the full video and get the recipe on YouTube!

just two cousins cooking lasagna. watch the full video and get the recipe on YouTube!

Ten-don for lunch and then a quick trip down memory lane with my Baba at Irodori Cafe. Was a fun time to sip on royal milk tea in a converted Showa era house and to hear about my grandmother’s time as a young girl learning how to sew just a few blocks away from where we sat. She would walk the 40 minutes across town (literally over rivers and streams and hills and fields) with her friends to class every morning and then home every night. She said the tiny local train station was there then, but not much else. Mostly farmland and old houses that have since been torn down and replaced. The whole area feels like it’s become a completely different city 75 years later.

Happy that I’ve been working hard on my Japanese as an adult so I can have these conversations with her and my aunt now!

My aunt and I ventured deeper into Shizuoka and visited Shiraito-no-Taki, the Shiraito Falls, and the amount Fuji World Heritage Site. We parked the car for a mere ¥180 and then got to walk around the beautiful waterfalls with very few people around. Was a crazy warm day for January and the mist from the falls felt fresh and threw rainbows everywhere. I felt like I was in a fairy glen! Truly breathtaking.

Stopped by the Sengentaisha shrine and got omikuji and I even pulled the BEST fortune for the new year. Luck be on my side!

We went to Marugame Seimen for lunch! It’s basically an udon fast food chain in Japan and I was thoroughly impressed—why can’t we have this kind of fast food in the states??? Fresh noodles, toppings as you like it, efficient and delicious. In and out and very full and happy in 30 minutes. 10/10!

My grandmother made me a samue out of a yukata she had made for my grandfather a while ago that was still in really good shape. The great thing about yukata and kimono is you can take them apart and remake them easily. Everything can have a second or third life/use. Mottainai! Don’t waste!

Was cute, when Baba finished (after a mere day and a half) she and my aunt said, “oh, it’s almost like Jiji is going to go visit New York! He’s going to look around and be so surprised at where he is!” Very happy to bring a little bit of both of my grandparents back to the city with me next week 😊🥹

Went to a new ramen shop that just opened here in Numazu that makes ramen with Golden Eyed Snapper dashi (fancy!)(delicate!)(delicious!) (from the bay!) It’s honestly so good. Original location is in Atami, glad they’re here now too. What a treat! うまいズラー！

Walk with me to Goyotei, the imperial summer palace in Numazu. Smells like pine trees and sea salt and I love it so much. I even had a close encounter with a big tombi that straight up STOLE my famichiki from my hand, brushed my fingers with its talons (gently) too!! Nature always has the last laugh, you feel me?

Come with me for a hike up Kanukiyama! It was super windy and Fuji-San was a little shy today but, was fun anyways 🗻💕🇯🇵

lol I even did a voiceover @farideh so please enjoy my mini adventure and be nice to me 😜

A strawberry afternoon! Did you know that winter is peak strawberry season in Japan?? They’re grown in greenhouses and there’s so many kinds. Juicy, shiny, delicious! Definitely the best strawberries I’ve ever had.

A funny concept—¥2500 and all you can pick and eat for 30 minutes! We feasted 😋 🍓 ☀️

This years Misogi in Numazu! Caught a lot of mochi, I hope my wishes for 2026 come true 🤞🏻🎊 🙏🏻

Making some hang dried daikon pickles with kombu, dried squid, yuzu, and a little bit of carrot. So crunchy and delicious!