Tokyo「東京」 : Mandarake「まんだらけ」

Anime is often the trigger for many of us to start loving Japan from early age. I grew up with Ranma 1/2, Sailor Moon, Marmalade Boy, Evangelion and decided that my dream was to visit Japan. Still, neither anime nor manga are dead, but consumed by people of any age, gender and taste. From porn, through fantasy to gay thematic, there is something for you - provided you have the patience to browse the store and the ability to read Japanese. You can buy manga in many places, but what made Mandarake famous are the vintage and second hand items for sale. From last year's anime to 50 year old Godzilla figures, there are cheap and very expensive things. Even if you buy nothing, even if you are not into manga... Mandarake is a pretty cool stop on your walk around Shibuya.

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Green Taipei

I am a big fan of walking the city simply because it is a good way to unveil the different sides of a metropolis as you discover the place step by step. There are scary, strange, crazy and charming places that may not make it to the top 10, but will always have a special place in your mind. Simply because the unexpected is often the most memorable.

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Taipei : Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall「國立國父紀念館」

Travel often unveils how ignorant we are about the history that happened far away from us.

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Seoul「서울시」: Doota「두산타워」

De vuelta en Doota, mi lugar favorito a la hora de comprar ropa en el Mundo. No me tachéis de snob, que explico a qué viene esta exageración.

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Seoul「서울시」: Dongdaemun Design Plaza「동대문 디자인플라자」

Sometimes you come back to a place to realize a huge - yet somewhat sudden - change. This was more or less my feeling the day I jumped off the train on a shopping spree mission. At the exit of the train station there is this map of buildings, featuring Doota, Migliore and other malls I've heard of. But then, what is that humongous blob that is taking over an entire block? Dongdaemun Design Plaza?

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Seoul「서울시」- Subway「수도권 전철」

El metro de Seúl es el más grande del mundo, si comparamos por metros de vía. En términos de pasajeros se queda segundo, ya que en Tokyo viaja más gente pero no lo hace bajo tierra, sino usando los múltiples trenes de JR (Japan Rail) que suelen ir sobre la superficie (e.g. JR Yamanote). Es muy nuevo, muy fácil, muy cómodo. Tiene pantallas por todas partes y buena conectividad (ya en 2010 iba la gente con tablets enormes viendo vídeos), es una forma muy eficiente y económica de desplazarte por la ciudad.

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Seoul 「서울시」 - Bulgogi「불고기」

Korea is a land of meat. If you are into fish, this definitely not the best place for you - even though alternatives like my beloved Bibimbap「비빔밥」can definitely help you out there. During our first night in Seoul, the guys told me to bring them to a place with "local food" so we landed on a korean barbecue place, obviously.

I used to believe that Bulgogi - literally fire meat - was a generic term referring to Korean barbecue (same as yakiniku in Japanese) but the reality is that it refers to marinated beef (excluding ribs that are called Galbi 「갈비」) which is often cooked in steel structure placed on top of the table grill. It is typically served along rice, soup and banchan「반찬」- a variety of side dishes, often vegetables with a twist of sesame oil.

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Seoul「서울시」: Bongeunsa「봉은사」

I remember the first time I visited Seoul with somewhat scary clarity. Guess it was such an important experience, that my brain recorded it with full detail. Sunday morning and I started walking away from Renaissance and getting lost in Gangnam. Among the skyscrapers and fancy malls, old temples, royal parks and mausoleums mushroom along the way, with the same charm experienced in Central Tokyo. Modern and old, new wave and tradition, the city is packed with contrast so I guess that is what makes it so attractive.

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Seoul「서울시」: Conbini「편의점」

Gangnam Style drink in Gangnam.

What can I say, it's been a shaky Q2. Moving into a new apartment, having Byakko and myself going to the hospital (nothing serious if you wonder... I had a nasty cold and an allergy attack, he ate some rubber sole and eventually manage to get it out of his body without surgery), welcoming family and friends in Malaga and ending up with a 3-week "route of the spices" around my favorite side of the World.

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Korean Beauty : Etude House is now global

I usually make the most of the time when I come to Asia - read either Korea or close to Korean influence area, to do the bulk of my beauty shopping. Why? Because good skin is one of the key elements of Asian beauty, so the brands here have to compete in quality, price and packaging - the latter is the most probable cause of my weakness from anything coming from this side of the world. The thing is that I have been talking about all these products for years, about how fun it is to try uber cheao yet good sheet masks and my never ending love story with ETUDE House. But then what? Should you buy a plane ticket to try, or? Not anymore because...

ETUDE HOUSE IS NOW SHIPPING GLOBALLY!!! I just discovered today, when browsing their site trying to prioritize what to get tomorrow... Not only that, they are going global for real. ETUDE House started their own youtube channel where Korean girls teach you all their best tricks - subtitles available thanks god (see some videos below). Personally, I love how they explain their "basic 4-step beauty routine" (seriously, I read this in a magazine on the way to INCHEON airport in Seoul . what is basic about 4 steps?), the "tear drop eyes" and finally the "gradation lips". Some may suit our gaijin faces better than others but hey, If we don't try, we we'll never know!!!

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Tokyo shopping : Shibuya 109

After a while back in Europe, I realized we were missing a post on Shibuya 109 - the institution for Japanese gals and teenage shopping and must visit for anyone interested in fashion. Regardless you like it or not, it is the perfect introduction to the Japanese Teen scene (aka Junior High School) that beats at the very heart of my beloved Shibuya.

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Taipei streets: The walk

Los que me seguís en instagram sabéis que desde mediados de Abril, llevo un año muy ajetreado. Familia de visita, mudanza, viaje a Estambul, boda y de repente... Me veo tres semanas en Asia, dos por trabajo - Seoul y Taipei - y una por placer, en Tokyo.

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