The Chewys’ Outdoor Maternity Photoshoot 2016

Posted on August 9, 2016 by missuschewy

HELLOOOOO! Just in case you guys are wondering, I have not delivered yet! Chewy Junior #2 is already overdue by a few days! Who says second one will come out earlier? Obviously not true! Haha. Ahlamak, both kids also find my womb too comfy! Shall keep this post short and sweet because it’s my bedtime! We had our outdoor maternity photoshoot with Dphotofolio when I was 37 weeks pregnant. Alvin was our photographer back then so we decided to contact him again. Enjoy the photos! 🙂 In the meantime, I will be updating my Instagram @missuschewy and Facebook www.facebook.com/missuschewy so see you guys over on the other side!

Rakuichi Japanese Restaurant at Dempsey Hill

Posted on July 26, 2016 by missuschewy

There is a possibility that I might go into labour on my birthday, so my in-laws and family celebrated my birthday in advance over the weekend. I had dinner with my family at Raikuichi Japanese Restaurant at Dempsey Hill on Sunday and decided to take some photos to share here because their menu is pretty extensive. I have dined at Rakuichi on a number of occasions, for lunch and dinner but mostly at the Far East Shopping Centre restaurant. I usually order their lunch or dinner sets.

Tuna salad appetizer.

We ordered four different dinner sets except for my mum who doesnt take raw food, and the sashimi was placed together and served to us for sharing. There were only two types of raw fish.

Sumiyaki Moriawase ($32)

Rainbow Sashimi set ($40.60)

Rakuichi Bento set ($48.60)

Gindara Teriyaki set ($40.60)

Didn’t take any photos of my brother’s mini course as the dishes were not served together and I was too busy eating already. Lol. As usual, I’m pretty satisfied with the Japanese food standard at Rakuichi. Have yet to visit their two other branches at Oasia Hotel and GreenWich V. Rainbow cake from parents while the fruits and ice cream platter was on the house.

When we were looking for a parking lot, I knew I just had to take an OOTD with this Ben & Jerry’s ice cream van to match my Rainbow Printed Nursing Dress from Jump Eat Cry! I’m starting to foresee that I will be getting the most mileage out of this dress because I’m so in love with its bright colors and bold prints! From now till 30th Sept 2016, quote “MISSUSCHEWY” upon checkout and enjoy $10 off minimum $60 spent! 🙂

Rakuichi Japanese Restaurant
Dempsey Hill
10 Dempsey Road #01-22
Singapore 247700
Tel: +65 6474 2143

Opening Hours:
Daily
Lunch: 11am – 3pm
Dinner: 6pm – 10pm

Brasserie Les Saveurs Afternoon Tea at St Regis Singapore

Posted on July 21, 2016 by missuschewy

Ticked another afternoon tea place off my list! We met up with Mag to give her a belated birthday celebration and I suggested Brasserie Les Saveurs at St Regis Singapore since she chose afternoon tea over lunch. There was a small hiccup before we were whisked off to our table because there was no record of my email reservation but luckily, I didn’t delete the confirmation email so at least got proof la.

The interior of the restaurant feels a little chichi, but then again, it’s a French restaurant right? Haha. Perfect place for afternoon tea with the girl friends! Afternoon tea is served from 3pm to 5pm from Mondays to Saturdays, and 4pm to 6pm on Sundays.

While waiting for our afternoon tea tiers to be served to our tables, most of us got up to check out the buffet items near the entrance. This side of the buffet featured items such as scones, smoked salmon, pork terrine, pies, etc.

Classic scones, chocolate chip scones, orange scones, cranberry scones and pesto scones. So many types!

From the quintessential three-tiered silver stand, we nibbled on classic finger sandwiches from the bottom tier, savoury treats from the middle tier and a variety of sweet delights from the top tier. It was a little disappointing that we were not allowed to try out different teas and also, our tea was refilled with hot water only. I had the Grand Wedding Tea, which is black tea blended with sunflowers and breathtaking exotic fruits.

Smoked salmon, egg & mayonnaise and tomato, cucumber & cream cheese sandwiches. Good if you need to load up on carbs, but nothing to shout about really.

Items from the middle tier were more interesting. The Duck Foie Gras ‘Profiteroles’ tasted pretty subtle, so some people might like it. I also enjoyed the Asparagus and Smoked Salmon Quiche.

For obvious reasons, the Prawn, Lobster & Tarragon Cup Pie had to be served separately. We thought it might be French onion soup, given this is a French restaurant and all. So Mag asked the server what soup was this and the reply was a curt one, “This is not soup. This is a pie.”

Ok I know it’s a pie but tell me this isn’t soup as well? The soup was pretty rich tasting and if only we could go for seconds!

Desserts! My favourite of the lot was the Creme Caramel with Orange Compote. The other sweet delights were Raspberry Tarts, Classic Mocha Eclairs, and Homemade Chocolate Praline.

The other side of the buffet had a nice spread of desserts consisting mainly of cakes, pastries and a chocolate fondue fountain.

I feel that the afternoon tea at Brasserie Les Saveurs is quite reasonably priced. SPG members are entitled to 15% off but since we went on a public holiday, there wasn’t any discount. Nice ambience for romantic dates and hen parties.

Brasserie Les Saveurs
29 Tanglin Road
Singapore 247911
Tel: +6565066860
Email: bls@stregis.com

Afternoon Tea:
Mon to Fri
3pm – 5pm
SGD49++ per person

Sat
3pm – 5pm
SGD53++ per person

Sun
4pm – 6pm
SGD53++ per person

*One complimentary parking coupon for every $100 spent*

Sheraton Towers Singapore Staycation 2016

Posted on July 8, 2016 by missuschewy

We booked a two-night stay with Sheraton Towers Singapore on a whim recently because I’m due in about a month! Thought we should enjoy as much as we can now before the new baby arrives! Also, SPG is having a Triple Up promotion till end July for Sheraton properties so it was something we didn’t wanna miss! Our first time staying at Sheraton was last Valentine’s Day, and I had blogged about it briefly here.

Since I had my camera with me, I took a few photos of our room. I think it’s still the same as last year, but we got a room on a much higher floor this time. Very simple but spacious and comfortable room.

If I’m not wrong, the Handy smartphone is new. Didn’t see this last year. It is a complimentary smartphone service for guests to enjoy unlimited 3G internet and local calls. How awesome is that, especially for overseas guests!

I’m not sure who what where when why and how BUT we were so surprised when someone sent up a platter of desserts and a framed photograph taken during our Japan holiday. Coincidentally, it’s the photo that I use for my laptop’s wallpaper!

I was wearing the Lace Overlay Dress from Jump Eat Cry. The color and design are just so unique!

We wanted to enjoy one day of peace and quiet, so Little misschewy joined us only on the second day. LOL. After brunch and looking at some rabbits in the East, we basically nua-ed the whole day in our room and ordered food via Deliveroo.

So engrossed in the cartoon!

It will be a party of four for our next staycation! 😀

10 Scotts @ Grand Hyatt Singapore Afternoon Tea

Posted on June 28, 2016 by missuschewy

The hubs and I recently went on a triple date afternoon tea session with our fellow foodie friends at 10 SCOTTS, located at the lobby level of Grand Hyatt Singapore. Phoebe, Elaine and Daniel were the first few people we befriended back when I started blogging about food in 2010! Omg we go a long way back and all of us are happily married now. 2016 seems to be the year of afternoon teas for me! Anyway, I’m gonna eat as much as I can before I pop really soon! Wheeee! 😀

The first time I had afternoon tea at 10 SCOTTS was sometime around the end of 2014 and that was with a group of mummies from my EDD group, as well as some of their babies. It’s quite an ideal place for babies and young children even though the number of baby chairs might be limited, there are low couch seats which are pretty comfortable and you can simply have your little one seated next to you.

Let me just say that I highly recommend 10 SCOTTS’ afternoon tea because of the fact that the food items are REPLENISHABLE and they are served on two-tiered stands, which make everything seem so much more aesthetically pleasing. While the coffee and tea are refilled with hot water upon request, you are not obliged to stick to the same beverage throughout your afternoon tea session.

There is a double-seating policy at 10 SCOTTS which does not only apply to weekends but weekdays as well. Also, afternoon tea is slightly pricier on weekends.

Besides the replenishable items from the two-tiered stand, there is also a buffet line of cold cuts, main course and desserts! Aren’t you excited already?! The menu changes on a weekly rotational basis, so you will always have the chance to try something different on your subsequent visits.

Cold cuts, cheese and bread.

A humble assortment of Sushi

Hot savoury live station featuring one type of main course.

During our visit, it was Peppered beef fillet with brandy and green peppercorn sauce gravy. Tiger prawns and chicken fillet are offered on other weeks.

The freshly baked Raisin scones from the buffet line were warm and crumbly, but only if they were more buttery! Besides clotted cream and raspberry jam, 10 SCOTTS also serve their scones with kaya jam!

Smoked salmon wrap with avocado, cream cheese and dill.

Borsch (cold beetroot soup) with sour cream foam.

Curry fish balls.

Mustard leaf rolls with rice noodle, tofu and laksa leaf.

Curry puffs.

Crab cakes with remoulade sauce. These were da bomb and we each had quite a few servings. I think misterchewy ate like four crab cakes.

Berries crumbles.

Caramel choux buns.

Cassis yoghurt mousse in shooter glass.

10 Scotts at Grand Hyatt Singapore is definitely one of the places that I will recommend for a leisurely afternoon tea date! Till then, stay connected with us on Facebook and Instagram!

10 SCOTTS
Grand Hyatt Singapore
10 Scotts Road
Singapore 228211
Tel: + 65 6416 7118
Email: 10scotts.sg@hyatt.com

Afternoon Tea sessions:
12pm to 2.30pm (First seating)
3pm – 5pm (Second seating)

Weekdays
S$43.00++/ S$50.61nett per person
S$75.00++/S$88.27nett per person with free-flow perrier-jouët champagne

Weekends & Public Holidays
S$53.00++/ S$62.38nett per person
S$85.00++/ S$100.04nett per person with free-flow perrier-jouët champagne

*One complimentary 4 hours parking coupon for every $100 spent in a single receipt.

Seafood & Champagne Afternoon Tea at The Westin

Posted on June 15, 2016 by missuschewy

Amidst all the craziness over the past two weeks when Little misschewy was hospitalised, misterchewy and I managed to spend some well-deserved couple time relaxing over afternoon tea after an appointment with our gynae. After all, we had cancelled some of our plans but a pregnant mother still has to carry on eating for two! LOL.

Taking advantage of the Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) Twice as Nice promotion (which ended on 15 June), where SPG members get to earn double Starpoints whenever they dine with SPG outside of a stay, it was my perfect excuse to experience having afternoon tea on the 32nd level of The Westin, at Lobby Lounge.

The husband and I were at The Westin on a Friday and afternoon tea is served from 2.30pm to 5pm on weekdays. There are two seatings for afternoon tea on weekends. We reached slightly early, so we took some photos around the area.

For our afternoon tea date, I specially chose this Sequin Flare Dress from Jump Eat Cry, which is now one of my top favourites in my wardrobe! I seldom wear white and was secretly surprised when the husband complimented that white looks good on me 😀 Jump Eat Cry is currently having a GSS Mega Sale till end June, with selected pieces going for up to 50% off! Quote ‘MISSUSCHEWY15‘ to enjoy additional 15% discount! Super good deal! I’m so in love with their maternity wear because it really flatters the bump! Just an update that I’m past 30 weeks now! Kinda lost count if I’m 31 or 32 weeks! Or is it 33?! LOL.

We strolled in at 2.30pm and chose one of the seats by the window. Actually, majority of the seats were next to the window so it wouldn’t be difficult to snag one especially on a weekday. Not sure if I can say the same for weekends! Anyway, we were told that food will only be served around 2.45pm which wasn’t really an issue for us since afternoon tea is supposed to be a slow and leisurely affair. Haha.

Instead of a nice full view of the South China Sea and the Marina Bay, construction works also came into the picture. Pun intended. Not exactly the most amazing view, but nevermind.

Lobby Lounge at The Westin serves the most indulgent and luxurious afternoon tea in Singapore! How does having lobsters, oysters and crab legs with a glass of bubbly sound? That’s The Westin’s Seafood and Champagne Afternoon Tea for you! We found ourselves rubbing our hands with glee when the first course, which comprised of Lobster Thermidor and Fresh Oysters, was served.

Cooked lobster in creamy white wine sauce, topped with Parmesan cheese and broiled till golden brown, this spells perfection! There were three kinds of dipping to go with your lobster – champagne dressing, lychee bourbon and lime, and shallot vinaigrette. All three were equally good, but eating the lobster on its own works fine too! There were fresh oysters as well but they weren’t exactly very meaty.

The second course was served on a three-tier stand. Items from the bottom two tiers are actually the same as the portions are meant for two.

Lovely sight, isn’t it!

Really like the presentation of the afternoon tea items!

On the top tier, we have the Blini Alaska crab salad topped with salmon roe, garnished with chunks of grapefruits, pomelo and grapefruits jelly. It was small enough that we could pop the entire thing into our mouths. Very crunchy and somehow, the taste reminded us of McD’s Fillet-o-Fish. LOL.

There were more fried items from the bottom tiers. We started with the Alaska crab tempura with avocado, apple, pine nuts and tuna tartar, followed by the Lobster cake with tomato and avocado salsa. The taste wasn’t exceptional but I like how avocado was incorporated here. Seared butter oyster with horseradish cream and grilled lemon was quite good but I still prefer my oysters raw. Spicy scallop salad with apple and pear walnut salad was a little over done and not too memorable. The husband liked the Chard salmon sushi which had an interesting presentation where we got to inject soy sauce into the sushi.

After all the savoury items, we were happy to be greeted by this plate of desserts of carrot cake, strawberry lemon tartlet, salted caramel chocolate finger, green tea cheese cake, raspberries lime profiteroles and assorted chocolate crunch! It’s so hard for me to pick a favourite because I have a sweet tooth but misterchewy claimed that the salted caramel chocolate finger was the best of the lot. If I really had to choose, it would be either the strawberry lemon tartlet or raspberries lime profiteroles.

We really enjoyed The Westin’s jazzed-up interpretation of a leisurely afternoon tea. It was definitely a first for us, indulging in seafood and champagne, and ending afternoon tea off with a platter of sweets. Priced at $85++ for two persons inclusive of two glasses of Veuve Clicquot Brut Yellow Label, we reckon that the Seafood and Champagne Afternoon Tea is one of the best afternoon tea in Singapore! To make your afternoon tea experience sweeter, you can also have the afternoon tea set with a whole bottle of champagne at just $130++.

Note that reservations are required.

Stay connected with us on Facebook and on Instagram!

The Lobby Lounge
The Westin Singapore, Level 32
12 Marina View
Asia Square Tower 2
Singapore 018961
Tel: +65 6922 6988
Email: lobbylounge.singapore@westin.com

Afternoon Tea sessions:
Mon to Fri
2.30pm – 5pm
Sat & Sun
2pm – 4pm (1st seating)
4.30pm – 6pm (2nd seating)

Priced at SGD85++ for two persons inclusive of two glasses of champagne.
To enjoy a bottle of champagne, the afternoon tea set is priced at SGD130++ for two persons.

Handlebar: Biker-themed Restaurant and Bar

Posted on June 9, 2016 by missuschewy

A couple of weeks back, I was tasked to come up with a dinner place to celebrate my brother’s birthday. You must be wondering why me and not the birthday boy. I have no idea too LOL. Anyway, I gave a number of suggestions and we finally decided on Handlebar at Sembawang. I came to know about this biker-themed restaurant cum bar quite some time ago when I still had the time to catch up on food and lifestyle blogs. The place looked pretty interesting and if you wanna find out more prior to visiting, Handlebar has a badass website. Haha.

Handlebar is undeniably ulu, located along Jalan Mempurong. It was kinda scary when we drove along the small road because it was so dark! Had to park our vehicle outside and walk into Handlebar.

Modified parts of cars and motorcycles were turned into bar counter seats.

Definitely a highlight.

We were seated outdoors, near the kitchen but could’t see any action lol.

All of us had the usual boring drinks except for misterchewy who ordered a bottle of Fucking Hell ($12). Haha.

Cocaine Wings ($14) are named as such because they are supposed to be addictive. Out of the three spiciness levels, we tried medium. Ehhhh.. No kick la. Just a slight tingling sensation on the lips. The wings tasted a little sweet too.

If you like onion rings, you will enjoy the Blossom Onion ($12). I’m not a fan though.

I had the Righteous Ribs ($28) which was slightly pricey but the portion was so huge that I only managed to finish slightly more than three quarter of the ribs. Ribs were juicy and tender.

Didn’t try the Beer-battered Fish & Chips ($18) for myself but I dont think anything could go wrong here!

My parents and brother had the Grilled Pork Chop ($26). Imagine two thick slabs of pork chops.. How to finish?! Big eaters rejoice!

On the overall, Handlebar is quite a nice place but I would recommend going earlier before the sun sets. Food is mediocre, nothing to shout about but great for sharing given the large serving portions.

Handlebar
57 Jalan Mempurong
Singapore 759057
Tel: 6475 9571

Opening Hours:
Tue to Thu
5pm – 1am
Fri
5pm – 2am
Sat
3pm – 2am
Sun
3pm – 1am
(Closed on Mondays)

Afternoon Tea at Pollen, Gardens by the Bay

Posted on May 27, 2016 by missuschewy

Since Little misschewy had not been to Gardens by the Bay, we went there recently with the intention to check out Tulipmania at Flower Dome. Somehow, reading up on Tulipmania online led me to discover that Pollen, housed within Flower Dome, serves afternoon tea! Our previous visit to Pollen was way back in 2012 and we had celebrated my birthday by having their set lunch. If you are keen to have a laugh at our old photos, here’s the link lol. Fast forward 4 years later, we are back with Chewy Junior #1 and a little bun in the oven! 😀

Anyway, back to afternoon tea! Contrary to what is stated on some blogs/websites, I have managed to confirm that Pollen serves afternoon tea from 3pm to 5pm daily, except on Tuesdays as the restaurant is closed. Reservations are required for afternoon tea and charges are based on the number of diners. Complimentary access to Flower Dome is provided to all guests at Pollen. You can visit Flower Dome before or after dining at Pollen at your convenience, but entry to The Dome has to be made through the restaurant.

Some of the beautiful blooms spotted at Tulipmania!

Love this belly bump shot captured by misterchewy. I have lost count of the number of weeks I was when we visited Gardens but one thing I knew for sure, I can no longer fit into any of my clothes! :O I really like this Pastel Lace Dress from Jump Eat Cry, which is very light and comfortable! They have a wide collection of maternity and nursing wear which is very versatile for various occasions! Here’s a special discount code for our readers! Simply quote MISSUSCHEWY15 to enjoy 15% off your order! No minimum purchase is required but take note that the code expires on 30th June 2016.

Afternoon tea is served at Pollen Terrace, on the second level. If you are lucky, you might get one of the tables overlooking Flower Dome.

Pollen’s Afternoon Tea Menu is priced at $38++ per person which includes 5 types of savouries and 5 types of sweets, including a choice of coffee or tea. The food items are non-replenishable, while the hot drinks are only refilled with hot water.

An assortment of open-faced sandwiches are served as savouries.

Norwegian salmon, crème fraiche, dill and pickled cucumbers – Quite good; it was one of our favourites.
Braised chicken and avocado butter – Another favourite of ours.
Focaccia with mozzarella, confit tomatoes and black olive crumbs – Tomatoes were very sweet and refreshing.
Hummus dips with dukkah spices and toast – Didn’t really like this.
24 hours short ribs, mustard, pickles, alfalfa – Replaced with braised chicken as we don’t take beef.

On the overall, the open-faced sandwiches were rather tasty, except that the bread slices were a little hard and crusty.

Chocolate and macadamia brownies – Dense and moist. Chanelle’s favourite.
Banana tea cake with salted caramel chantilly – Went well with my Lavender Harmony tea!
Vanilla cream puff – Vanilla bean specks spotted!
Passion fruit meringue tart – A mix of sweet and tart. Very nice!
Macaron – Had the right amount of chewiness!

The sweets fared pretty well too!

At $38++ for 10 types of small bites and a choice of tea or coffee per diner, I personally feel that afternoon tea at Pollen is slightly on the pricier side. However, it was a lovely experience having afternoon tea within Flower Dome!

Have a great weekend everyone! Stay connected with us on Facebook www.facebook.com/missuschewy and on Instagram @missuschewy 🙂

Pollen
Flower Dome, Gardens by the Bay
18 Marina Gardens Drive, #01-09
Singapore 018953
Tel: +65 6604 9988
Email: info@pollen.com.sg

Main Dining Room – Level 1
Lunch 12pm to 3pm (last order 2.30pm)
Dinner 6pm to 10pm (last order 9.30pm)
CLOSED ON TUESDAYS

Pollen Terrace – Level 2
9.30am to 9pm daily
Afternoon Tea 3pm to 5pm (except Tuesday)

POLLEN Privileges
Personalised buggy service exclusively for POLLEN’s guests, the service runs every five minutes during service times.
Complimentary access to the Flower Dome

Kyoto Kimono Rental and Photoshoot by Yumeyakata

Posted on May 22, 2016 by missuschewy

Hello chewys! This will be our last post documenting our Japan trip and we have saved the best for last! Apart from our visit to Shirakawa-go which we had blogged about previously, another highlight of our holiday would be..

The Chewy’s very first kimono wearing experience and outdoor photoshoot in Kyoto!

Kyoto is the best place in Japan to explore traditional temples, shrines, gardens, as well as for tourists to immerse themselves in Kyoto’s rich culture. Over the years, it has become very common and increasingly popular for tourists visiting Kyoto to go sightseeing in a kimono.

There are so many kimono rental shops in Kyoto so it’s highly advisable that you do sufficient research before your trip to ensure that everything goes according to your plan!

I was initially overwhelmed by the various recommendations provided online and began to shortlist based on two factors: 1) Price and 2) Provision of photoshoot services.

Yumeyakata was the best choice because it offers one of the lowest kimono rental rates at ‎only ¥3500/person (~S$44) upon reservation. Please note that all prices mentioned from here on excludes 8% tax. Female and male couple kimono rental rates are quoted at ‎¥6500 – ¥7000 (~S$81.50 – ~S$88) and I reckon it’s a really good deal considering you get to wear the kimono the entire day, as long as you return to Yumeyakata by 19:30! If you wish to make a reservation, you may fill in an online form via Yumeyakata’s website or email info@yumeyakata to have your enquiries answered. Sisca was our main contact person and she was very prompt in all email communications, at times going out of the way to make sure our needs were met!

Apart from the really affordable price, Yumeyakata is one of the few kimono rental companies in Kyoto to offer both indoor and outdoor photoshoot services, which Yumeyakata terms as “Location Photo Plan“. Photoshoots are carried out by a team of professional photographers, some of whom can converse in Mandarin and English! Their profiles and photography works can be found on Yumeyakata’s website and you can even designate your desired photographer at ‎an additional ¥2000 (~S$25).

Depending on the location(s) chosen, the photography package price starts from ¥‎22000 (~S$276) and you get to receive over 200 beautifully captured photos from a 2-hour photoshoot! Yumeyakata also offers a “One-Day Location Photo Plan” where you can hire their photographer for an entire day! This is definitely a good choice if you are touring Kyoto with a group of friends!

A photoshoot usually starts at 10:30 or 14:30 and since it takes about 1.5 hours to get ready, we chose to have our photoshoot in the afternoon to avoid being late as we had to travel from Osaka. As we had a bit of time upon reaching Kyoto, we visited Kiyomizudera and subsequently took a train and alighted at Gojo station. From Exit 1, we only had to walk straight for a couple of minutes before reaching Yumeyakata’s store!

Not surprisingly, the place was packed; a good sign that business was brisk. I had to fill in a form indicating our heights, along with some other information and we were handed recyclable bags to store our shoes and clothes. We were first ushered to one of the floors to pick our kimono, which is estimated to take about 30 minutes. I almost hyperventilated at the vast array of kimonos available! One tip would be to first browse through some of Yumeyakata’s kimonos collection online to get a rough idea about your preferences. I knew I wanted large bold prints against bright colors like pink. Knowing what you want right from the start makes the picking process a lot easier! For ladies, we also had to pick an obi and sash, and you are advised to choose contrasting colors to make your outfit stand out.

Due to privacy reasons, there are different levels that cater to female and male customers exclusively. Also, photography is strictly prohibited when getting dressed as there are other customers around. A professional dresser helped Little misschewy and I into our kimonos and it took only 15 minutes.

Hairstyling is optional but I highly recommend it if you want to at least look like the real deal at the end of the day! Depending on the type of hair styles chosen, prices range from ‎¥‎1500 – ‎¥‎5000 (~S$19 – S$63). Hairstyling will take another 15 minutes.

Our photographer, Yang Suhao, is a Taiwanese, so we communicated easily in Mandarin. From Yumeyakata, we took a short taxi ride to Gion, our location of choice and commenced our photoshoot. Suhao put us at ease with his warm smile and good naturedness, which made us enjoy the photoshoot. When Little misschewy got tired and became cranky towards the end of the photoshoot, Suhao remained very patient and encouraging.

Even though we only spent two hours in Gion, we had a fun and memorable time posing for photos in our traditional kimonos. Some of the passers-by went, “Kawaii-neh!” while trying to take photos of Little misschewy. We were also very lucky that there were beautiful cherry blossoms to serve as a nice backdrop in some of our photos!

The two hours passed by very quickly and we cabbed back to Yumeyakata after the photoshoot as we had no intention of wearing our kimonos till late evening. We received a link via email to download close to 300 photos the very next day! Our family photos were really well taken thanks to Suhao and these will serve as wonderful memories for us to keep!

This is one of my favorite photos, which I have selected as my iPhone’s wallpaper!

For more information on Yumeyakata and a complete overview of its services available, please head to http://www.yumeyakata.com/english/. Alternatively, there is an e-brochure http://www.yumeyakata.com/english/images/top/en.pdf for the more important and condensed information.

Kyoto Kimono Rental Yumeyakata
600-8103
Hosai Bldg, 353, Shiogama-cho, Nishiiru sakai-machi, Gojo-dori, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto, Japan

Tel: +81-75-354-8515
Special phone line for Chinese & English: +81-75-354-9110
Fax: +81-75-354-8506
Business hours: 10:00 ～ 19:30 (entry by 6 pm) *Subject to changes depending on the season*
Closed on Dec. 31 until Jan.3 every year.（Return by 17:00 on Dec. 30.）

Stay connected with us on Facebook www.facebook.com/missuschewy and on Instagram @missuschewy 🙂

THE CHEWYS’ MARCH 2016 JAPAN 10D9N ITINERARY
(Tokyo – Osaka – Kyoto – Kanazawa – Shirakawago)

Day 1: Singapore to Narita Airport > JR Narita Express to Tokyo > Check into Airbnb at Kita-Ikebukuro > Asakusa Temple & Shopping Street > Shopping and dinner at Sunshine City

Day 2: Tokyo Disneyland

Day 3: Tsukiji Fish Market > Ueno Park > Shopping at Ameya-Yokocho Market > Tea at Fujiya Peko-chan Milky Restaurant > Pokemon Centre at Sunshine City > Dinner at Ichiran

Day 4: Tokyo DisneySea

Day 5: Fujiko•F•Fujio Museum (Doraemon Museum) and Doraemon Cafe > Shopping and dinner at Harajuku

Day 6: Shinkasen from Tokyo to Shin-Osaka > Check into Airbnb at Shin-Osaka > Osaka Castle > Dinner at Dotonburi (Namba station, Midosuji line)

Day 7: Shinkansen from Shin-Osaka to Kyoto > Kiyomizu-dera Temple > Kimono rental and outdoor photoshoot > Dinner at Kichi-Kichi Omurice > Shinkansen to Shin-Osaka

Day 8: Thunderbird Limited Express from Shin-Osaka to Kanazawa > Check into Hotel Nikko Kanazawa > Kenroku-en Garden > Kanazawa Castle > Lunch at Sushi Zanmai > Omicho Market > Higashi Chaya District > Tonkatsu dinner at Tomikinton (富金豚)

Day 9: Nouhi bus from Kanazawa to Shirakawa-go > Sightseeing around Shirakawa-go > Nouhi bus from Shirakawa-go to Kanazawa > Thunderbird Limited Express from Kanazawa to Shin-Osaka > Dinner at Dotonburi (Namba station, Midosuji line)

Day 10: Kansai Airport Limited Express “Haruka” from Shin-Osaka to Kansai Airport > HOME SWEET HOME

Travelling around Shirakawa-go during winter!

Posted on May 19, 2016 by missuschewy

I had not heard of Shirakawa-go until one night, as we were having our me-time after completing the household chores, misterchewy casually mentioned that he came across some photos of this village in Japan. He went on to rave about how beautiful the entire village was captured in photos, especially during winter, but also remarked that Shirakawa-go would be totally out of the way and inconvenient to be included in our itinerary. I merely listened because I wasn’t so keen initially and less than two weeks before our trip, misterchewy decided to try his luck again. I figured it would be a nice change to include a small village in our itinerary, since we had planned to go to Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto.

We tried searching for a ryokan in Shirakawa-go that could accommodate us for a night, via Japanese Guest Houses, but we were informed that all the ryokans were fully booked for the second half of March. As mentioned in our previous post, we stayed in a hotel in Kanazawa instead. From Kanazawa station, we boarded the 8.40am Nohi route bus. We had reserved our seats the day before at the Nohi Bus Reservation Centre located at Kanazawa station. A round trip ticket costs ¥3290 (~S$30). Prior our trip, misterchewy checked the Nohi bus timetable online and planned our itinerary accordingly. We reached Shirakawa-go at around 10am.

Of all the places in our itinerary, Shirakawa-go was the coldest! Little misschewy was already dressed in numerous layers of thick clothing, so we made her don a knitted owl beanie. Hehe.

Declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 1995, Shirakawa-go is famous for its traditional gassho-zukuri farmhouses, some of which are more than 250 years old. If you notice, the farmhouses’ thatched roofs actually resemble the hands of Buddhist monks pressed together in prayer, and that is exactly what Gassho-zukuri means — constructed like hands in prayer.

Most of the beautiful photos we saw online were of gassho-zukuri farmhouses covered in thick snow during winter. In fact, Ogimachi Village in Shirakawa-go typically gets covered by one to two meters of snow during the peak of the white season. However, we were there in March and although it was still very cold, all of the snow had already melted by then and we got to see a different side of Shirakawa-go instead.

Myozenji Temple from afar. It has the biggest thatched roof in the village, which when covered in snow, is simply magnificent.

Breathtaking, isn’t it? This is the Shiroyama Viewpoint, which offers nice views of Ogimachi Village and its farmhouses. We took a shuttle bus at about ‎¥200 (~S$2.50) per adult and we were glad we did because even though the viewpoint can be accessed via a walking trail in about 20 minutes from the centre of the village, the walking trail is a steep upslope!

We strolled back to our starting point, which was the place where we alighted the Nohi bus, and had lunch at this small cafe. The place was packed with cold and hungry tourists like us!

Curry udon to warm ourselves up!

Since we had plenty of time before our scheduled bus back to Kanazawa, we decided to walk around and take more photos.

We were so surprised when it began to snow! :O

Little misschewy was also very thrilled and she even tried to ‘catch snow’ (in her own words) with both hands. 😀

Here’s one of the videos we took!

We spent about 4 hours in Shirakawa-go which we felt was more than sufficient. However, if you prefer to explore every nook and cranny of Shirakawa-go, it is highly recommended that you stay in a ryokan. I would definitely love to visit Shirakawa-go again and witness its idyllic winter landscape!

Stay connected with us on Facebook www.facebook.com/missuschewy and on Instagram @missuschewy 🙂

THE CHEWYS’ MARCH 2016 JAPAN 10D9N ITINERARY
(Tokyo – Osaka – Kyoto – Kanazawa – Shirakawago)

Day 1: Singapore to Narita Airport > JR Narita Express to Tokyo > Check into Airbnb at Kita-Ikebukuro > Asakusa Temple & Shopping Street > Shopping and dinner at Sunshine City

Day 2: Tokyo Disneyland

Day 3: Tsukiji Fish Market > Ueno Park > Shopping at Ameya-Yokocho Market > Tea at Fujiya Peko-chan Milky Restaurant > Pokemon Centre at Sunshine City > Dinner at Ichiran

Day 4: Tokyo DisneySea

Day 5: Fujiko•F•Fujio Museum (Doraemon Museum) and Doraemon Cafe > Shopping and dinner at Harajuku

Day 6: Shinkasen from Tokyo to Shin-Osaka > Check into Airbnb at Shin-Osaka > Osaka Castle > Dinner at Dotonburi (Namba station, Midosuji line)

Day 7: Shinkansen from Shin-Osaka to Kyoto > Kiyomizu-dera Temple > Kimono rental and outdoor photoshoot > Dinner at Kichi-Kichi Omurice > Shinkansen to Shin-Osaka

Day 10: Kansai Airport Limited Express “Haruka” from Shin-Osaka to Kansai Airport > HOME SWEET HOME

missuschewy

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Travelling around Shirakawa-go during winter!

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