After a whole day of travelling and sightseeing it was finally time to rest. We chose a capsule hotel, to experience this unique form of accommodation. Here’s the whole review of this interesting place!
I've wrote about adventages of sightseeing alone, but it also has this downside of being alone, nobody there to help you - you’re on your own and nobody would notice you’re gone longer than you should be. That’s why it’s good to remember to be extra careful. Here are some things worth knowing:

Don't look like a tourist

Tourists are the easiest pray for thieves and other criminals. After all what can be easier that a person not knowing their surroundings and busy with looking around and enjoying the view? Add the bonus if not knowing the language and where the police station is. That's why it's so important to avoid the label by not looking the part. It’s easy to do on a day trip, a little harder when you’re on road trip. How to do it? Dress the way you would if it was a normal day, not a trip - the most popular tourist outfit are jeans/shorts and top paired with comfy shoes, jacket hanging as a belt. So change something, put your jacket in your bag or take umbrella instead, wear a nice blouse or a dress, take shoes that are comfortable without screaming who you are (trainers are for training, people). I did lots of my trips in comfortable ballerina flats or even wedge sandals - not a typical tourist choice, right? Here's (x) a good article about what not to wear when travelling. 
But more important thing: accessories. No camera hanging on your neck. Take a picture and put it back in your bag. Women, a hat is less touristy than a baseball cap. Bag is better than backpack and if you insist on backpack take a small one, an elegant one, or any other type than the big “backpacker with lots of stamps” one. Don’t wear flashy jewellery too. 

Don’t let other know you’re alone

Don’t answer the “are you alone?” questions. Say you’re going to meet your friends (I mean, you are going to meet them at some point of your future... Nobody has to know it will be in a few weeks not in five minutes). Walk with purpose and look busy, like you’re now where you’re going and you’re already ten minutes late. 

Women 

There are some countries where alone women are in more danger so it would be wise to check it before going. How to stay safe there? If a place is known for dubious safety, reconsider if seeing it is worth your wellbeing. It’s best to stick to places where other women are. It’s always safer in a group and if you can’t spot any women in a bar/restaurant maybe find some other place. If there are no women then stick to places where families with children are. 
Don’t accept help, ask for it. When asking, chose the same patter as for places: women or families with children - don’t go to a group of men for directions, that’s how many sad stories of female travellers in Delhi started. 

Don’t use maps

“Easy for you to say!” you might think, but actually, it’s very easy to do too. Nothing screams “tourist!” as much as a person trying to find themselves on a giant map and struggling to keep it open. Don’t do that. How? 1) Check your route back home and try to memorise it or write it down on a piece of paper. 2) Download the map to your phone or make a photo of it. This way if you’re checking the map, you’ll look like a local texting friends. 3) Use google maps. It’s really good for navigation in most of places and it has an added bonus of showing you you’re exact location and direction you’re heading.

Keep your money close.

First the obvious: don’t carry a lot of cash on you, don’t put all your money in one place and don’t show off how fat your wallet is. Men, don’t carry your wallet in the back pocket of your trousers (actually don’t do this even back home, it’s like Christmas for thieves). If you have a backpack take it off when you’re standing and keep in it sight. Use hotel safe for valuable things. 

Trust your instinct when it makes your anxious

One of the best and most important rules of self defence according to Krav Maga is  to stay out of dangerous situations. When you see a street that looks bad to you don’t try to convince yourself that it should be fine and you’ll be all right and you’re not a spooky baby. If it looks bad, don’t go there. When you go somewhere always be aware of your surroundings.

Sighstseeing alone might be fun but you must remember to be more careful. There's lots of other tips all over the Internet so remember to be prepared and stay safe!

To all my Dear Readers, I wish you a Happy Easter! 
May this day be full of love, peace, and happiness shared with people clostest to you :)



Am I the only one who now wants to watch an anime about McDonald's employees? So cute!
Is stalking an issue in Tokyo?
It’s International Women Day and I decided to write about something every women going to Japan should know. The stalking problem. Something that a two week turist haven't probably paid attention to in such extent as a long term resident. Remember how in anime sometimes there is this creepy stalker girl/guy character who is usually a harmless comic relief? Well, it’s not just writer’s imagination, it’s an actual problem. One I unfortunately saw a glimpse of myself.
5 pros of travelling on your own


Usually people try to find a group to do something: whether it's clubbing, going to a concert or travelling. It's natural and understandable: the more the merrier after all! But sometimes during my stay in Japan I had some free time while all my friends were busy so I had to choose: sit in my room by myself, or go out and do something. Every now and then I went sightseeing on my own. After a while I realised that while sightseeing in a group has a lot of perks, doing it alone has some advantages too, and I learned how to enjoy it to it’s fullest. In the end, it’s all about the attitude. 
Osaka in the evening - Kansai trip #5

In the evening we decided to cut on actual sightseeing and have some fun. There was only one landmark left on our list: Tsūtenkaku, the “Tower Reaching Heaven”.

Valentine’s Day in Japan is a day full of chocolate -  that’s what girls give to boys they like. Here’s a nice recipe for the cutest Valentine Chocolate!

A short humorous video "explaining" history of Japan in 9 minutes. "More art!"

Restaurants in Japan are the same as in Poland in their main purpose - they serve food. But they serve food in a slightly different way. Here’s a short list of few things that I absolutely love about Japanese restaurants.


Very interesting recipe for okonomiyaki variation. With addition of recipe for home-made okonomiyaki sauce!

Evening was getting close, but there was still so much to see in Osaka! Next stop: Umeda Sky Building and the amazing Floating Garden Observatory. By then I’ve been in a few observatories and towers in Tokyo, but this one is still my favourite. 

The second step in my Kansai trip was a big wheel close to Osakako subway station. Opened in 1997, it’s 112.5 meters (369 ft) high and has a diameter of 100 meters (330 ft). It was the World’s tallest ferris wheel until 1999. The ride gives a great view for Osaka, including the bay, Akashi Kaikyō Bridge, Kansai International Airport (that’s where I came from!) and, if the weather is nice, also Mt. Ikoma!

New Year has come and with it - New Year’s resolutions! One of the most popular one is “I’ll lose some weight/ go on a diet”. Which is a great opportunity to talk about Japanese diet, which is said to be one of the most healthy diet in the world.
To all my dear readers, I wish you a Merry Christmas, full of love and happiness that you can share with your family, friends and loved ones! I hope this time will be filled with joy for you all :)
Recently I posted two cooking-related posts so maybe third one is not a good idea, but Christmas is coming and those few days before it were always a time I spend mostly in the kitchen - preparing meals and cakes for this special time to share with my family. So in this spirit, for anyone who needs some last-minute help and inspiration, here’s another nice video from Ochikeron Youtube Channel, this time with an easy recipe for quick to make Christmas cake. 
Pocky is something I wanted to try long before I came to Japan - it was something easy to spot in manga and anime, where characters were always eating those as snacks and soon it became on top of my "to do" list: "try Pocky". While you can buy them literally everywhere in Tokyo, they are not so easy to get in other countries. Even if they are imported, they do have the "imported" price too. So here's a short movie from Ochikeron Youtube Channel with an easy recipe for homemade Pocky. Sure, it's not the same, but it's a nice taste of popular snack ;)

There are two big problems with making sushi at home outside Japan. The first one: ingredients. Where in Poland can I find fresh yellowtail? Natto? (Not that I’d want to find it, but just in case...) Raw salmon or tuna that I wouldn’t be afraid to eat? Not easy. Second problem is technique. No matter how hard I try, it will never be as good as something prepared by a person who makes it every day (for years). So I gave up a long while ago on making nice looking and delicious sushi. But one day my friend from the dormitory had her birthday and we were throwing a party and the dorm’s manager wife prepared some sushi for us - and taught us how to do this really easy type of sushi that can be made absolutely everywhere and without some super skills. So here it is: the easiest, yet tasty, maki! (Friendly reminder that this is the cooking 101, “I haven’t burned anything, that’s great!” type of recipe)

Ingredients:


  • sushi rice
  • rice vinegar (would be great if that was the special type for sushi)
  • nori
  • cucumber
  • carrot
  • lettuce
  • mayonnaise 


Preparation:


  1. Cook the sushi rice the way it’s described on the product. (most product description make it look quite complicated, but it is also fine to just cook it the normal way, as shown here)
  2. Cool down the rice and add rice vinegar (not much - a tea spoon is enough for a small bowl of rice)
  3. Cut carrot and cucumber into thin, long pieces. 
  4. Put nori on the mat (rough side facing down)
  5. Put rice on the nori, covering 3/4 of it. Press it firmly along the edges. Make sure it’s not too thin- you shouldn’t be able to see through it. Making it too thick will make rolling harder though.
  6. Put the vegetables and mayonnaise on the rice, starting about 2 cm (1 inch)  from the bottom of it. The more filling the better!
  7. Slowly, carefully and tightly roll the sushi. Look out so as not to break the nori.
  8. By the end of rolling put your fingers in the water and then smooth them over the last bit of nori. Moisture will make it more sticky and it will be easier to close the roll.
  9. Using the mat you can give nice shape to the roll.
  10. When the roll is ready, make sure that the ending is facing down, so it will close under its own weight. 
  11. Cut into slices - any size that works for you!

Of course you can change the filling to anything you like. This is just an example of the thing I’ve eaten;)

Why would someone start a trip with going to a shopping complex? There’s so much to see after all! But it's not just an ordinary department store.
Kyoto is a place everyone should see while in Japan, but that’s not the only place worth seeing in Kansai region. That’s why during my stay, just after spring semester was over, I went for a one week “road trip” there. The idea was to see as much as I could in a week and not limit myself to one city. Before I’d start talking about all the things and places worth visiting, the question is: how to get there?
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I'm Aleksandra, an ordinary student, and this is my blog about Japan. I will write about various things I've experienced in the Country of Cherry Blossoms during my student exchange.


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