Kyoto was so magical!  This beautiful town was full of life and happiness. I felt like I was in Disneyland because there was magic everywhere you went. The people were so nice and helpful. We spent 4 days in Kyoto and loved every minute of it. It only takes two hours to get from Tokyo to Kyoto if you take the bullet train and it is worth the trip.

Below are five things to add to your  Kyoto itinerary.

Nishiki Market: Nishiki Market is the main food market in the city. They sell both groceries and ready-to-eat cuisine. It is close to Gion-Station and a very convenient place to visit. If you are a foodee then you must visit Nishiki Market. Here you will find delicious sashimi (including fatty tuna and fatty salmon), lots of mocha ice-cream, doughnuts, Japanese candy, and Snoopy cafe. 

Cherry Blossoms: If you are in Kyoto during cherry blossom season, which is in April, you need to check out the Cherry Blossom Trees. You will be absolutely mesmerized. Everywhere Dan and I walked we got the chance to see the blossoming flowers that make Kyoto so magical.

Gion District: Gion District is the old town of Kyoto. It is so beautiful that I would highly recommend just walking around and exploring the area.
Ninen-zaka and Sannen-zaka: Ninen-zaka and Sannen-zaka are two famous streets in Kyoto. Since all the tourists know about these streets; be prepared for it to be very crowded when you visit. And don’t forget to bring your camera because this place is very picturesque! I recommend a late afternoon stroll because there are lots of little shops selling all sorts of things.

Arashiyama Bamboo forest: The Arashiyama Bamboo forest is so beautiful as you walk through the bamboo groves. You will see so many bamboo trees while you are hiking the Arashiyama forest. There are also many other trails that you might want to explore. Dan and I did a 20 minute hike that led us to the Monkey Park. We got to feed bananas to the monkeys and we had a great time! We also walked the trails through Okochi Sanso garden. The garden was so green and beautiful and the city view of Kyoto was extraordinary. You won’t want to miss this wonderful and magical place!

On our last day in Kyoto we spent the morning exploring Fushimi Inari Shrine. We loved this place so much that definitely recommend spending the day here. This place is the most popular tourist attraction in Kyoto similar to the Bamboo Forest in Arashiyama; it can get very busy. Get ready to hike through the red tore gates which can take 2 to 3 hours to get all the way down.We didn’t hike the entire way because I was so exhausted from everything we had done throughout the week; so we hiked for an hour and then we checked out the food stalls nearby.

All of these places that I have suggested are places that you won’t want to miss. Kyoto is a beautiful city that we will always remember. Thank you for stopping by! I hope that you enjoyed this post.

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Hello Friends,
I am so excited to write this blog post about the amazing country of Japan! The cherry blossoms, people, mannerisms, food(especially the desserts) and the cleanliness of this country is something that I have never experienced while traveling. Dan and I love to travel; but the trip to Japan is a trip that we will always cherish in our hearts.
We travelled to Japan during cherry blossom season which is from the end of March until mid-April. This time of the year, Tokyo is extremely busy with tourism; and the reason for this are the cherry blossoms and the Spring season.  Everyone told me that I would love Tokyo and Kyoto and they were right!

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Tokyo is a great city to stay and experience the beautiful cherry blossoms. It was our first time seeing the sakura trees in their most glorious state, which was breathtaking beyond belief. I had the biggest smile on my face. I highly recommend visiting Chidorigafuchi Park, Kitanomatu Garden and the Imperial Palace for the surreal scenery that you will encounter. You will see people on boats, beautiful paths with trees full of cherry blossoms and friends laughing and eating while they are having a picnic. The moment becomes even more spectacular when you see the temples. The construction of these temples is so remarkable. Dan and I have never seen anything like this in our lives.

Tokyo has incredible restaurants and sushi. One of my favorite spots to eat sushi was in Shibuya. Genki Sushi was a cute restaurant where your sushi comes to you on a tray. The entire experience was so fun. Another spot that I really loved going to was Aoyama Flower Market Tea House. The inside of this restaurant has green plants with pink flowers everywhere. It’s such a cute place to eat.

While we were in Tokyo, Dan and I stayed near a subway station. As it turns out, the subway was the best way to get around Tokyo. Since Tokyo is such a big city it would be wise to pack comfortable shoes because you will walk a lot.
If you are planning a trip to Japan, here are some tips that I think will help to make your trip more enjoyable.
     1. Download google translate-it will help you to communicate with the Japanese people. People in Tokyo are really nice and helpful.      

2. Google Maps-Our google map helped us so much when it came to taking the subway. This will help guide you on what train you need to take so that you can get to your destination.     

3. Trains are ALWAYS on time. This was amazing. The trains come every 10 min. Everyone on the trains is so quiet that you feel like you are in a library.     

4. There are no trash bins in sight. If you eat or drink on the go, be prepared to carry your own trash. We put a plastic bag in our backpack so that we could put our trash in the plastic bag and carry our trash until we got back to our hotel.     

5. Japan is very safe! I accidentally left my purse on the seat in the park. A very nice lady ran toward me and brought me my purse.     

6. Use of convenience stores is a must. 7-Eleven and Family Market are two convenience stores that Dan and I used. They both have ATMs  and you can pick up food and water to take  back to your  hotel.

I also suggest going to the famous crossing street in Shibuya. It’s insane how many people cross the street at the same time. Dan was trying to get a photo  of me there; but it didn’t come out that great. We probably crossed Shibuya at least 10 times. It was fun  doing it.

The desserts in Tokyo are incredible! Dan and I travelled to Harajuku, which is 10 minutes away from Shibuya to sample the Santa Monica Crepes. The line was insanely long so we decided to go somewhere else. We found the cutest ice cream stand that was close to the crepe place. It had the cutest characters that you can pick and I chose Miss Piggy. The ice cream was so good. Harajuku is not only a famous street to go to but I think it is famous for its variety of desserts as well.
Five days in Tokyo was the perfect amount of days to stay there. I hope you all enjoyed this post. I’ll be working on the Kyoto blog post next. So stay tuned…!  

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Who’s loving all the animal print that is currently in style. As you all know I was in New York with #nordstromlive and I had the opportunity to view all of their Spring and Summer collection. Animal print is still going to be a huge trend for the season. I just finished putting together 6 outfits to help you with your wardrobe. All of the outfits are perfect for any cold and warm weather and still look stylish.

Look 1: Pinky Leopard Look- This look is still casual but chic. I love the color pink and why not mix leopard print with pink. Isn’t this look fun?

Look 2: The Kitty Look- This casual style is so effortless. It’s a easy look to style. A animal print tank with a cute off white cardigan gives this look a effortless feeling.

Look 3: The Autumn Look- I love mixing autumn colors with animal print. I like wearing a crop sweater with a long skirt. It still makes this look very stylish.

Look 4: Taking all the fur out- Snake print is so fun to wear especially when you add a little fur to your look.

Look 5: A easy layer- I think adding a fun layer piece such as a pom pom cardigan makes this outfit look pretty.

Look 6: A simple basic- I really like wearing a pink sweater with leopard to compliment the look I’m wearing. Any pop of color will look great with animal print.

I hope you all enjoy this blog post as much as I did writing it.

Happy Tuesday!

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