Visited Kyoto! (Pt 2) International Manga Museum

On our second day of experiencing manga-anime culture in Kyoto, we were brought through a guided tour in the Kyoto International Manga Museum. I really liked this place. In fact I think I might have enjoyed it a bit more than Kyomaf haha.

At first I was like "pfffft another gaijin attraction. I want to go to a real manga place that real Japanese people go to..." But the amount of effort they put into introducing how manga is in Japan really shows, and it not just fun but also very impressive. And actually probably like 80% of the visitors there were Japanese lol.

What's cool about this place is that it actually used to be a Japanese elementary school. So the staffroom has been converted into a ごろごろ space where people can just lay around inside, chill and read manga. The hallways were decorated with drawings from 100 different mangaka's of how they pictured a "maiko" (geisha-in-training). And the field where children used to run about is now also a big open place for people to just enjoy reading manga.

From the name of this place you'd think this was some old and dusty place with moth eaten manga or something, but it wasn't anything like that! Kyoto's  houses more than 300,000 manga and comics from all over the world and 50,000 of that is shelved all over the museum so you could just pick one off the shelf any time! The rest of the 250,000 manga are actually archived for research.

Researching manga. How cool does that get. That was like my childhood dream haha.
 There were also hands on exhibits and displays about the manga industry, from the process of creating a manga to how manga is sold overseas. (A newbie mangaka earns as little as only about like 1000USD a month for all that hard work!) And then the bit I enjoyed most -- students who graudated from the manga academy conducted daily workshops on how to ink the draft of a manga for printing, and also did manga illustrations for only 1000y!

Look at that whole set of copic markers *q*

...Guess which one all rushed to HAHAHA. We're a self loving bunch! XD (Except Iman, who went for the manga-inking workshop at first... and then went back again at night to get a portrait hehe XD)

Pictures of us with our mini protraits. They only took about 15minutes each!

Group picture with Alodia! :D

There was also a small cafe that served some simple food with illustrated walls! 

The manga museum was a really enjoyable place and I think anyone who loved reading manga at any point of their lives would love this place as well. Wish they would let us take more pictures inside so I could show you how cool it was though. Definitely worth a visit if you're in Kyoto!

Visited Kyoto! (Pt 1) Manga Anime Festival!

Okay I am guilty. I haven't written a single thing for 3 months I think! hahaha. But CoFesta events are now on full throttle and I've already been to a couple of super fun events I really had to post these! So first up is this overdue post about my trip to Kyoto for KyoMAF! Kyoto Manga Anime Festival.

I have to confess that I haven't been reading or watching any anime/manga in ages so I was afraid I wouldn't be able to enjoy the event. But it was so fun just being at such a huge event and seeing all the booths and really dedicated cosplayers.

Kyomaf stands for Kyoto Manga Anime Festival. Manga and anime in one of the most culturally rich cities of Japan. Doesn't get more Japanese than that!!

We got up at like 6 am to get to onto the Shinkansen by about 8.

By the way, this trips' members consisted of Edgar (Mexico), Iman (Malaysia), Olfa (France), Pochen (Taiwan), Anitha (USA), Gift (Thailand queen of selfies), Vin Sen (Indonesia), Moha (Egypt), Anna (Poland), Alina (USA) and Me! 11 Super 元気  CoFesta Ambassadors off to Kyoto!!

But after a while...

Zzzzzz on the shinkansen lolol.

And then we finally arrive...

At Kyoto!! It was really kind of surreal. 

Kyoto!!! First thing I did was stuff myself with a meat bun from 551. yumz. And then off we went to Miyako Messe where Kyomaf was being held!

When we arrived at about 1 there was a super long queue outside. But thanks to METI giving us a special guest pass, we went straight pass the queue hehe.

どや。

The highlight of Kyomaf for me was definitely CLAMP's exhibit of original illustrations! I didn't get to see it on the first day but when I finally did on the second day it was so... amaizing... ;o; Unfortunately, no photos were allowed inside. There were also workshops and things like that but we didn't sign up beforehand so we couldn't attend thouse.. oh well!

But it was still a super cool event. I also got to help translate for Alodia who is a professional cosplayer from the Philippines and actually also working in Japan now, and also really sweet -- so amazing lah. 

Hehe got a picture with her before we went to tour the place! Omg need to diet.

Alodia was cosplaying as Madoka from Madomagi (gosh I wish I knew more anime) on the first day! And that's the mascot of Kyoto City with her. But as soon as she stopped to take one photo....

-surrounded-

But I must say, Japanese people are really very well mannered. Something I think people really need to learn from. Everytime someone wanted to take a photo, they would ask so politely! And when she agreed to they would be like "Thank you!!" and then quietly snap a few photos... though that's before they form a circle around her haha.

Okay, on to more pics! There were all kinds of booths selling goods, and anime-related exhibits, and I was so busy looking I didn't take many photos... so here are some I stole from edgar and friends XD

Attack on Titans... by Edgar? haha

A Japanese cosplayer came up and had a picture with Alodia too :) omg pretties overload. There were a lot of displays and booths selling goods. But they were goods/things that you could see if you visited shops and I kinda wished there were more event-only things, besides workshops that only a number of people can participate.

Outside, there was a red carpet area for events in the open. Very interesting visually because it was right in front of a Temple (Shrine? Can't remember the name of it ><) and it was such a cool contrast between traditional and pop culture. The weather was kind of overcast on the first day though...

(gundam pics from Olfa!)

Huge gundam being lifted up! Everytime they did so they would sound the alarm like in the anime! So cool haha.

Moha photobombing my Tori-i selfie D:

And then there were also performances by Japanese cosplayers.

Kuroshitsuji musical performance

Edgar picking a fight with Naruto hahaha.

Kakashi!! ♥

Super cute yurukyara!! Someone please tell me the name of this character... I can never know who is what lol.

And then our Japanese Salaryman Representative Yone decided to join in the fun! XD

He and Edgar got their pictures taken a few times too lolol.

After we messed around on the red carpet for a while, the real performance began! There was a yosakoi performance and they had such beautiful costumes and dance.

 There was a total of like 3 costume changes and they were all so synchronized and quick I don't even o_o

At the end of everything, we were invited to a dinner reception where we got to meet and talk to the president of Tezuka Productions (Astro boy!!) and the mayor of Kyoto City (who is so friendly and cute (with all due respect) )

And so that was the end of day one. We all went back to the ryokan super tired but still ended up playing Werewolf and random games anyway hahaha. But this is not the end! And I will continue with Day 2 where we becamse manga characters. I promise!!! :D

Kinotoya Cheese tarts from Hokkaido

Last December when I went to Hokkaido with my parents, the one thing we were craving daily was the cheese tarts in Sapporo Station. Our hotel was near the station, so we would buy one each everyday on the way back haha. I quickly snapped a few photos of the shop so I could go back the next time :'D -bad excuse for bad photos w-

Me: -staring at the cheese tarts coming out of the oven- omgggg. omg ma, looks damn good! can we buy a few? hehe.

Mom: eh don't take so many pictures of that already! (I took like 10 or something w) Take the name of the shop then can come back next time!

Me: oh yeah hor!

The shop was called Kinotoya BAKE.

-takes one more just in case- #kiasusingaporean

I had it fresh out of the oven in front of the store the first day. The cream cheese filling inside was so fluffy and gooey!! You can see the top of the tart fluffing up there yum yum. 

Apparently, they make it with a blend of 3 kinds of cream cheese; from Hokkaido, Hakodate and France. -mindblown- Japanese people sure pay attention to detail.

Second day, I brought it back to the hotel before eating. Cooled down a bit but still good nonetheless. Yummy buttery crust :D

As you can tell from the pictures, these tarts are freshly baked while they are being sold. So nice and caramelised outside and soft and gooey inside! Imagine eating these toasty warm babies on a freezing day. Can see why they are so popular in Hokkaido. 

Since then, I have been recommending it to all my friends who visit Hokkaido, but sad because they weren't available in Tokyo. So imagine how happy I was when they opened a store in Tokyo march this year! (Shinjuku east exit for kabuki-cho, after you go up the stairs. It's in Lumine near the donuts! You can probably smell it after coming up)

Just a small kiosk with lots of freshly baked tarts.

But then I felt like the ones I had there were not as good D: I don't know if it's because it wasn't as cold as it was in Hokkaido, or because it was different, or because I had glorified it too much in my memory haha.

I wanted the ones fresh out of the oven but the girl at the counter was like,"the cooled ones are better" talk rubbish lah. The filling was also not as gooey though still delicious. Maybe it would have been better if I brought it back and microwaved it a bit.

A lot of people know about Pablo Cheesetarts in Shibuya. I've tried that too, but I like this one better because the crust is crispier and it comes in a smaller size. Pablo's cheese tarts are yummy also but I can't finish a whole 15 cm tart by myself! And also you can't eat those on the spot because it comes in a box and you have to cut it up and sit down and eat it. Both are good, but if you could only try one, I would say go for the Kinotoya tarts :3

Anyway, the point is these tarts are awesome so I tried to replicate them back in my kitchen hahaha. Will post tomorrow!

Kinotoya BAKE
Lumine Est Shinjuku 1F
〒160-0022 東京都新宿区新宿3－38－1

http://www.bake.co.jp/

Finding the best Strawberry Shortcakes

I cannot tell you how happy it makes me when I run into someone and they tell me that they enjoy my reading this blog! Which is really just me being a glutton and fooling aroud in Tokyo lol.  I get so encouraged keep on updating (more often haha). I ran into Cory the other day during the school festival and she was telling me how she liked seeing the cakes on some of my posts so I was instantly motivated to get writing on this visit to French Pound House. Thanks Cory! hehe.

In my previous post I mentioned that I thought that HARBS had the best strawberry shortcakes I had ever tasted. I still stand by that actually. But when dear Yonghui visited she was that impressed! Which led me to think that maybe there were better shortcakes around waiting for me to find them.

So, I consulted google-sensei again.

I searched for '日本一美味しいショートケーキ' which literally means best shortcakes in Japan.

And I found something really exciting.

The place rumoured to have the best strawberry shortcakes in Japan was only a 5min walk away from my house in 巣鴨 (Sugamo)!!!

So I went to check it out with Fay a while ago before she left to return to Hong Kong (actually this was just a day before I went to HARBS with her but yeah lol we can never have enough strawberry shortcakes!)

The place is called French Pound House and it is located just about 5min walk from Sugamo Station.

Outside. When I got there I realised that I had walked past this place a few times before! lol. So cute and countryish :3

Look at all that cake!! Excited ttm. I want to try every single cake here ;o;

As I read online, there were two types of strawberry shortcakes here. One with liqour and one without. We decided to go with the one without and get one of the other cakes to try. 

We ordered our cakes and took a seat. The place was pretty crowded for a weekday afternoon and... let's just say we were the youngest ones there lololol.

The blue printed table cloth and curtains were so pretty <3 Not to mention it was super photogenic haha. 

I'm not an expert but here's my two-cents on the cake. It's slightly denser in general than the one in HARBS (the cream and the sponge). It was also slightly sweeter I think cos they spread a thin layer of jam on each side of the yummy moist sponge, but still very delicate. I love Japanese cakes because they are all just the right amount of sweetness! Also, this cake is about 600y. It is 200y cheaper than HARB's cake, it is also smaller hahaha. I am a glutton so I love a bigger cake :'D

The other cake we ordered was a mascarpone mousse cake with a pistachio cream filling a few small slices of cake inside. Yummy! And looking at it already made me very happy hahaha. 

The shortcake here was really good but in the end I still prefer HARB's strawberry shortcake, because HARB's cream really is just da best and the satisfaction from eating a huge slice of that delicious cake cannot be beaten haha. But now I want to try to one here that has liqour in it too haha.

People always laugh when I tell them I live in Sugamo because it is also known as the おばちゃんの原宿（obachan no harajuku; Harajuku for old ladies). It's true, because there is this whole street filled with fashion, food, variety goods all for the old ladies. But now it also has super yummy shortcake rumoured to be the best strawberry shortcake in Japan!!! Take that you all!!!

French Pound House
http://www.frenchpoundhouse.com/
〒170-0002　東京都豊島区巣鴨1-4-4
170-0002 Tokyo-to Toshima-ku Sugamo 1-4-4