This was a good year for travel ^-^
2014 started in Honolulu (I think each year should always start with family)…
…and then back to NYC…
…and off to Chicago for a freezing first half of February.
Honolulu for the second half of February…
…with a little trip to Kauai.
There was a long weekend in Miami…
…and then it was April. Which means…Paris!
And Champagne!
And Monaco!
May in NYC and Boston for my sister’s college graduation.
In June, a three-part trip to San Diego, Los Angeles…
…and Yountville. Back to NYC for two hot weeks in July…
…and then off to even hotter weather in Bangkok!
And Chiang Mai!
And then Phuket.
In September, a crazy three months that started in Charleston and Kiawah Island…
…followed by Thailand (again!) This time to Krabi in the south.
And then Hong Kong.
Two days in NYC, and off to Bordeaux…
…and Cognac.
Two more days in NYC. Next stop, Tokyo!
And Kyoto!
And Hokkaido!
From Japan to Taipei for a week.
And then it was off to Beijing…
…Shanghai…
…Wuxi…
…Chengdu…
…and down to Pu’er/Simao in Yunnan…
…and up to Baisha…
…and Lijiang.
Hong Kong for just a few days…
…and back to NYC. November, already!
Two weeks later, Napa Valley…
…and San Francisco.
NYC once more and back to Honolulu by mid-December. May 2015 bring even more adventures ^-^
If you visit 
They did a beautiful job with photography and layout…
…and I’m especially happy to see a macro shot of the chasen on the cover.
Words flow most easily when writing about something right after it happens (“it” being a trip, an unforgettable tea or moment). But there’s also something magical in reliving a memory by writing a post. So today, let’s head back to Hokkaido.
Straight from the airport, we devoured Hokkaido uni by the tray…
…followed by milk cream soft-serve and a late night snack of gyoza with plenty of beer.
We took a day trip to Otaru in search of more uni…
…including this uni and squid dish at Masazushi. The squid is sliced into super thin noodles…
…mix with uni and dip into the shoyu/raw egg/sesame sauce. Bliss.
There was lots more uni…
…lots and lots ^-^
…followed by a break at LeTAO for brûléed custard tarts…
…and fluffy steamed cheesecakes.
Then we found soft-serve at Patisserie Kitakaro. How could you say no?
Five minutes later we walked past another branch of LeTAO that offered camembert soft-serve. Yes, please.
…like this bowl of uni and ikura over rice. It took just an hour to get back to Sapporo…
…just in time for a nap and dinner. Hokkaido wagyu!
And Hokkaido crab…
…and Hokkaido potato! Could it be that everything from Hokkaido is just that much more delicious?
We had more Hokkaido crab for breakfast the next day…
…alongside an uni, ikura, crab, and salmon bowl.
And then it was off to Plantation Cafe. Here’s what it looks on the outside…
…and the inside.
Orange and chocolate, a full menu of seasonal drinks and…
…this boozy tiramisu.
And an affogato!
We had half a dinner at one restaurant known for Hokkaido corn tempura with matcha salt…
…and there’s always room for saba.
Picchu was just a block away…
…so we stepped in for a dish garlic and anchovy laced-dressing over raw vegetables…
…and then stayed for the uni pasta and champagne. Couldn’t ask for a sweeter evening.
For lunch the following day…a Hokkaido specialty of spicy soup curry.
And Nana’s for matcha soft-serve with giant cubes of warabi mochi…
…iced hojicha with a scoop of hojicha ice cream…
…and matcha. Next stop, Taipei!
Hello from Honolulu ^-^
Making matcha. Three ways at 
First. Hot. Powder…
…water…
…whisk…
…and serve.
Second. Iced. Powder…
…water…
…and ice. Shaken…
…and serve. (Super thank you, Jeff!)
Third. My favorite. The pre-shift iced matcha…
…and more to devour over the course of service. Most brillant ^-^