SF x Japanese Tea Garden

Ah, it's been quite a long time since my last update!
Apologies, this fall semester was easily the busiest and most exhausting semester of college. Seriously, I've never felt so pushed to the edge on deadlines and attending to a ton of "adult" responsibilities. 

However, near the end of the semester I couldn't deal with constant reminders of school anymore, on November 11th, I took my favorite cousin and her husband to the Japanese Tea Garden! Actually, I just recommended the idea and they both agreed, the only actual part I was showing them was Japantown. I was practically their tour guide, which was very pleasant, this blog entry isn't too long because her husband got called into work around 5:30 PM. . Ironically enough, as we rushed back home, he received a call saying the restaurant was too slow and that he didn't have to come in. A real shame, I had wished that I could of showed them much more. 

I quite like the Japanese Tea Garden, it's very relaxing and carries a breathe of fresh air atmosphere. It's not a sight that'll have you blown out of your mind, however, you'll certainly admit that it's quite a breathtaking experience.

My favorite cousin and her husband walking the entrance of the Japanese Tea Garden. 

Ah, this photo speaks louder than any caption that I could come up with. 

The very unique bridge, many individuals had to be extra careful as to not fall down. My cousin's husband was hesitant to climb it, lol. 

＼(￣▽￣(

Ah, I wonder what would happen if I brought Han (my kitten) to the garden. . I probably wouldn't ever end up finding him. lol. 

Mini Pagoda! ( ﾟ,_ゝﾟ) 

Interesting, too much kanji for me to read accurately though. 

Ah, everything is very graceful in the Japanese Tea Garden. Naturally, we would associate anything graceful with the ability to move, however. . I beg to differ in this case, it's certainly a sight to behold yourself.

Zen Garden, I've always seen those mini versions that people buy at Daiso. But, I've never seen one of this size in person, the very sight had all my worry and troubles dissipate. 

Koi fish, sadly at the time there wasn't beside these two out for the morning sunshine.

We all decided to order a cup of traditional tea, I chose the Hojicha tea, unique because it's roasted in a porcelain pot over charcoal. . delicious, the view accompanying made it that much more pleasant.

Hmm, come to think of it. . I consume so much tea, most people would assume I would get tired of it. No, not in the slightest, rather I couldn't live without it. ヽ(゜∇゜)ノ

Ah, when will I be able to proficiently read kanji? One day, someday soon. . 

谢谢

For some reason, I can't help but feel very drawn to this photo. I love everything about it, certainly feels like they're walking to paradise. 

Ah, so many Quickly opening all over, especially in San Francisco. . Goodness, you'll be able to locate a Quickly almost anywhere. 

Kiehl's! Ah, quite disappointed in myself, have been long wanting to try out the raved about product, Midnight Recovery Concentrate! (▰˘◡˘▰)

Skin Food! I actually purchased the Black Sugar Foam cleanser, super love the effectiveness and overall gentle cleansing. Was fortunate to pick up some Glacier Water Hydrogel masks too! Last time I came with Rina, the store had actually sold out because the popularity of the item. 

Peach Sake pore line! I've always been tempted to try, although I've seen far too many mixed reviews leaving me undecided on whether to purchase it or not. However, the scent is very tempting, one day. . Perhaps.

Peach.

Interesting. . sample, please? Haha, I wish.

Brown Sugar line! A variety of interesting products, I've tried the Black Sugar mask wash off and I quite enjoyed it. However, the strawberry x black sugar mask wash off has an irresistible scent, certainly a must have for the near future!

Tokyo Express! The quick go to spot in the food court of Stonestown mall, cannot tell whether this lady was looking at the camera or . . (″･ิ_･ิ)っ

ユニクロ

Ramen! Ah, tasty. . Certainly should of made a vlog entry, although we were in such a rush that there wasn't enough time. 

Quick stop to Mitsu Teahouse, as many of you know, I've been a long supported since the Cherry Blossom festival early in the year! Delicious, as always. .
Was sad to leave abruptly, especially since an hour later we discovered we could of stayed much longer.  (￣。￣)～ｚｚｚ

It was such a humble experience to visit the Japanese Tea Garden, I truly can't wait until the day that I step foot in Japan. Ah, with each passing year, I can't help but wish there was more free time to travel. As well, you know, additional money would be nice to cover the expenses.

I hope to offer a variety of new content very soon!
On my main blog, as well my 2nd blog: Taohyun-review.blogspot.com

Thank you for reading, as well the continued support, I'm wishing you all the absolute best.

If i could give any advice from what I've learned through the amount of stress this fall semester, I would warn of overworking your mind and body, you've worked hard and certainly deserve a break.

Please take care of your health too, as this is a very important aspect that plays a major role in our lives.

Until next time,

Tao

SF x Tonymoly Grand Opening

Ah, if you've been following my previous blog entries, you may be under the assumption that my life has been quite a mess. However, I am here to tell assure you that it's the farthest from the truth. 

[Mini Update x Japantown]

A wonderful evening spent in Japantown, ending off at the delicious cafe open midnight in San Mateo. Although, at the end of the blog entry, I mentioned that upon arrival to my car, someone shattered the window and stole my belongings.

[Lies] 

A text post entry that briefly discussed a group of individuals and their lies, lies and more lies. The conclusion was ending the friendship with each individual, one by one.

If you've been following my blog since February, you may be familiar with my blog entry [Enough] which is closely related to the the description of the individuals in the blog entry, Lies.

To sum it all up, it was just a minor inconvenience and was quite a drag.

With the upcoming fall semester quickly approaching, Rina and I decided to make a trip to San Francisco that we so desperately were in need of. As always, there was so much to catch up on and it really was quite a festive time! During my prior visit to San Francisco, I noticed that the Tonymoly was coming soon to Japantown! Was damn excited, I told Rina about it and she felt the same towards their grand opening.

Upon arrival at San Francisco, we made our first stop at Westfield San Francisco Centre, an upscale, urban shopping mall that is widely known. We had unfortunate luck because on the same day, August 11th, they decided to restrict turns on Market Street. . This mall is located on Market Street, so we had to drive past about four different parking structures until we finally found the closest one, fortunately it was superior among the rest, safe and secure.

We began to walk towards the mall, unfortunately the walking (GPS) function was a complete mess and we kept going off the route, we ran into a UNIQLO and decided that the mall could wait. LOL. 

The last UNIQLO we went to was during the day of the Tofu Festival, as mentioned in the blog entry [Chinatown x Japantown x Tofu Festival]
Although in this blog entry, we went to the UNIQLO in Stonestown mall, both are damn nice! 

Similar layout, although I quite like the lively ambiance of this UNIQLO store, it was filled with customers. 

Ventured downstairs and went over to the socks section, if you've read the blog entry (Tofu festival) then you would know that I purchased three nice pair of socks last time! Ah, I was actually very close to purchasing these socks, although I couldn't decide because there was another pair of socks that I wanted. Oddly enough, UNIQLO only sells their socks in sets of three, sadly cannot be bought individually. If I'm given the chance to purchase them once again, it's very likely that I will, would be damn nice for winter apparel. 

waaaaah! I didn't even notice the stairs, the colors appear when you're going back to the 2nd floor from the 1st floor.
Honestly, looking back at it. . I should of seriously stopped and taken a photo on the steps. 

Was damn funny, Rina and I actually made sure to set a time limit on how long we shop at UNIQLO, we both ended up purchasing very nice lightweight jackets! Mine is actually navy blue, and it's damn nice because it can be worn reversed, revealing a very nice charcoal! I usually don't like clothing that is in a charcoal shade, although it's something you've definitely have to see for yourself. We ended up walking around for what felt like forever, with all honesty we probably walked in a massive circle for 20 minutes because the GPS wasn't working properly, eventually we found the mall ourselves and rejoiced in happiness! Haha, although we started mirroring the undead, seriously. . We were both unbelievably tired, and both agreed that food comes first. 

Out of all the food stations available, we chose to eat at Ajisen Ramen! It was our first time there, and we were quite confused because it's more of a restaurant then any ordinary food station at the mall, there was even a waiting list because it was very busy. At this point, we're both feeling damn tired, and both stand eager for an opening.

Ah, finally! We both ended up taking our jackets off, you couldn't believe how humid it felt in there. It was unbelievably hot, we even began to fan ourselves with our own hands. LOL. The menu was quite nice too, I believe Rina ordered the Fried Chicken Ramen. I ordered the Pork cutlet ramen, both were very inexpensive and set at a reasonable price.

☆ ラーメン ☆

Ah, the pork cutlet and fried chicken arrived promptly! We both agreed it was very tasty, it's now my go-to whenever I visit Westfield mall. 

Ah, we actually didn't even make it to one store by the time we went upstairs, we both just sat down for a bit. Our entire body was completely drained, we almost convinced ourselves to just leave the mall because we were just so tired. It's odd because in our past trips, we usually don't get tired, even in Chinatown . . I don't recall us being this tired, probably the heat outside! 

Our view from upstairs! Ah, I'm actually not scared of heights so taking the photo was no problem.

Honestly, I took this photo because the color of the sign was damn nice, it actually reminds me of the color on my blog. It peaked my interest, and I decided to go see what the store has to offer.

It's a tea store! Waaah, I didn't expect that at all. The packages are quite nice and it seems interesting, definitely wish I could sample their tea. 

Stunning to say the least, I really like the decor and it seems like they offer an interesting range of tea, would definitely consider worth purchasing sometime in the near future.

Ah, this is usually our go-to store in the mall, although it's been quite a while since I found anything worth purchasing at H&M. I hope they offer new apparel soon, it feels like the same clothing has been offered there year round. 

I've never seen an Ugg store for men, was quite a sight to see, although I can honestly say that the appearance of the store had me wondering. My only regret is not entering the store, at the very least, I should of checked what they had to offer.

Ah, you like my Panorama shot? Well, I hope you would, I'm such a novice at using that function and it took about five minutes to capture this photo. I was taking so long that Rina actually offered to take it for me, lol. Although, I assured her that I would get the hang of it eventually.

Superdry! I actually didn't even know they had this store in the mall, although it only took me and Rina about thirty seconds to conclude that the prices were too much for our liking. There wasn't any sales or clearances, she even mentioned that she saw  a nice jacket, although it was priced over $100. . goodness. . 

Superdry backpacks, I didn't even bother to check the price because I've heard their expensive too.

It's a relatively small store, although it has quite a bit to offer, we didn't actually find anything that was worth buying at a reasonable price. We ended up leaving the mall after, and managed to find our parking within a few minutes. . Then we realized, the mall had been around the corner the entire time. . We had walked countless circles for no reason because the GPS, and at that moment. . We felt like dropping dead, lol. 

On our way to Japantown! Although, this is in fact the entrance to Chinatown, I actually kind of regret not stopping by for a little bit. Will definitely visit Chinatown the next time around, haha.

I asked Rina to take this photo, couldn't resist the sight, such a nice view! It was fairly hot though, this is actually the 2nd time the weather was misleading. It's a shame really, since I really do enjoy the colder weather that San Francisco has to offer. 

Arrived in Japantown! We parked in the garage as always, and we went upstairs into Hotel Kabuki! Ah, we felt so relieved because our feet were still worn from earlier, this hotel had a very simple and sweet decor too. 

The hotel even has their own Zen Garden, ah. . it' was really a sight to see, would definitely consider staying the night there if necessary.

I take a photo of this Korean restaurant almost every time, and yet I haven't even ate here? It's officially on my TDL (To do list) in the near future.

On our way to Ichiban Kan! 

So many masks available, although as I mentioned to Rina, we've always got to check whether the item has Paraben listed in the ingredients. I do my absolute best to stay away from products with paraben, even if it's just one item, the product usually doesn't get along with my sensitive skin.

Ah, during my [mini update] blog entry, I purchased the purple collagen supplement at the Candy Doll store! Although it was in the backpack, which they stole when they broke into my car. It was a bit more expensive at Ichiban Kan, and I don't recall them selling Collagen supplements until this day. Glad to see that though, very hard to come around Japanese Collagen supplements in the U.S, at least with my own experience.

Doesn't everything just look very nice written in Korean? If i knew how to fold Oragami or even stars, I would of definitely purchased these to put into gift bags for upcoming birthdays. 

oh my goodness. .
When on earth did they start selling Tom Yum flavored Pretz? I cannot believe that I didn't purchase this to be honest, I am undoubtedly a fool for that. Won't even hesitate to purchase the next time around, hopefully soon! Tom Yum soup just so good, now that I mentioned it. . I'm going to start craving it once again.

Grand Opening for the Tonymoly store! AH, CANNOT WAIT TO VENTURE INSIDE!
We honestly couldn't hold in the excitement, I was personally damn ready to start venturing inside the store.

Candid photo of Rina taking a photo for her blog! Everyone should go visit her blog, I'm sure she will be posting an entry for this day when she has the time.

The store is glowing. . Is this heaven, perhaps?

Tonymoly has very cute items, and the banana hand cream smelt very nice. . Ah, honestly wish I could just have one of every item in the store.

HYUNA! Ah, I own both the Trouble Maker albums that she made with Hyunseung. Was very nice to see her throughout the store, stunning as always. Have you heard about her comeback for fall too? The album preview has been released and the songs are all nice! The album may end up being much better than her prior album, Red, although I was really fond of that album too. She's perfect, wish I could meet her someday too.

So much skin care! Ah, Rina and I were using a lot of the tester products that had available, most of which weren't even open because the store was brand new! 

I wasn't even focusing on the couple in the back, my eyes are set on Hyuna throughout the store. LOL.

Hyuna! Ah, yes. . For those that don't know, I am completely in love with her.

Face masks! I ended up purchasing five, although I really should of purchased about 15 because they were $2.00 a piece. Cannot wait to try them out either, this is my first time ever using any Tonymoly products, with the exception of my pleasant experience with their Panda's dream eye patches. I actually wrote a review about them on my 2nd blog, if you wish to read about that, click here. 

Ah, these really look like Gatsby products! I didn't know that Tonymoly offered their own hair products? Quite nice, I am impressed with their wide range of products. 

There was a milk hand cream that seemed really interesting, it has a really cute cow too. . How can you not resist? I should of bought it, it was very reasonable too. . Sigh, as you can tell, I have a bit of regrets with the purchases that I didn't end up making. The peach on the top right is nice too! Haha.

Close up photo of the hand creams, can you see the cow that I was talking about?

The product seemed very interesting, and the carton package below was very nice! Will look into it the next time that I'm visiting, I get a feeling that Tonymoly will make my bank account suffer. lol. 

We left Tonymoly for a bit, although we were planning to come back after going to other stores. This store had really nice items, really want the Totoro and Doraemon! Ah, I'm still a bit of a child at heart, I guess. I also spotted the bear from the Line chat app! I use it quite a lot with my friends, so I couldn't help but spot the character out immediately. 

Milk masks in bulk! We were both interested in purchasing, unfortunately the product contained paraben. Very odd, because I don't recall the Strawberry Milk Mask by the same brand containing paraben? Hmm. . 

This store has so many unique products to offer! I've only been here once prior, the day that my car got broken into. Since the collagen packet I purchased got stolen, I came back to this store and we both love it undoubtedly. Although, I do wish the store employees would give customers some space, can't go a few minutes without them hovering over you.

These character masks have spread like wildfire, the three actually remind me of my favorite bloggers!
The farthest to the left with purple hair: Xiaxue
Middle, the Prince with mint hair: Yutakis
The farthest to the right, the Princess: Miyake
Ah, I even sent Miyake a snapchat of the Princess mask, couldn't help myself. Hope to meet them one day too!

Goodbye for now, Candy Doll! We purchased quite a bit of products from this store, the unique range of items available are no joke.

Made a stop for crepes! I haven't had any throughout most my visits in Japantown for a long time, thank goodness that I ended that nonsense! Ordered the grape jam + cream cheese and it was damn good, I told Rina that it's so good, I might as well have bought another one.

Take me back to this moment. . Must eat it again, I can literally remember the taste of it, delicious.

Went inside The Face Shop but didn't make purchases this time around, however I did notice the poster outside. If you watched the K-Drama, The Producers, you would know that they've used Face Shop products before! Baek Seung's (Kim Soo Hyun) mother used the animal mask, and the lady in charge of the printer paper used a product from the Chia seed line! If you zoom in, you can read the question's they asked Kim Soo Hyun about his skincare routine!

Mitsu Teahouse! Ah, forgive me for not stopping by. . Will definitely make sure to visit the next time, as always the store is just wonderful.

Goodbye San Francisco!

Purchases that I made during the trip! The shirt actually came in from the mail, and I didn't end up showing the jacket from UNIQLO. A side from those items, that's my cosmetic haul for the day! As always, very glad that Rina was able to come along, we both purchased quite a lot of skin care products this time around.

Honestly, I couldn't be more grateful for the wonderful memory of this trip. I am so relieved that we both had time for a last trip before the upcoming winter semester, as it'll be very busy for us both.

until next time,

Taodiego