This post is brought to you by jet lag. It’s only the first night of my return from Japan, so hopefully I can work out my sleeping schedule by Monday when I return to work. After trying to stay up on the 12 hour plane ride from Toyko to Toronto, I crashed hard last night. Six hours later, I was wide awake and staring at the ceiling at 3:30am. Luckily for me, I have lots of baking blogs and TV shows to catch up on.
Plus the unpacking and sorting through the over six hundred photos I managed to take. But first, baking blogs and TV. 🙂
I will be doing a couple more indepth postings about my Japan trip once I sort out my life and my sleeping schedule, but below I posted a few photos highlights of my overall trip. Again, since I took over six hundred photos, this barely scratches the surface, but it will give you a general idea of my last three weeks in Japan.
One thing I love about Japan is the ritual of gift-giving. Japanese people take gift-giving very seriously and most of the little shops you will find in and around public transportation stations and tourist sites have purchases related just to this ritual. Food items, such as little individually wrapped cakes and biscuits will have a plastic display to show the contents of each box and this is such a cute way to know what you’re buying and be tempted to try something new.
Each city/area in Japan is also well-known for a particular gift-giving item (usually the shape or flavour of the dessert or a cartoon character that is featured on keychains, towels and other items). More often than not, this item is only available in said city/area. An example of this is that in Fukuoka, Japan, you can buy a special dessert shaped like a little bird. Growing up, I always remember my Grandma having these little birds as a dessert and now it makes sense since this is the area where one of her sisters and her family live in.
Despite my running around and getting ready for my Japan trip next week (8 days), I knew I had to celebrate the first day of Fall yesterday with some delicious baking. This is my favourite time of the year (sweaters! boots! hot mugs of tea!) and I was a little sad to realize that as much as I love this season, I only have one other pumpkin recipe on She Bakes Here.
Now that it is the middle (and almost the end) of September, I realize that this back-to-school themed treat may be a little late. I made these almost a week ago, but it’s only now that I’ve finally found the time to sit down and write about them.
I apologize for the next upcoming year. I have a feeling that there is going to be a lot more wedding talk on She Bakes Here. 🙂
Don’t worry, there will still be cookies, muffins and lots of photos of other baked goods. Recipe postings will still continue, only now there might be an update here and there about our wedding plans. With less than a year left, we really have to get a move on, seeing as how we barely know what we’re doing and even if we’re doing it right.
It can make a Friday night more bearable when your boyfriend is stuck working late and your friends cancel plans with you at the last minute.
Or also because you spent twice as long getting home from your daily commute from work since it’s summer time and apparently summer time also means road construction season.
And because you came home to an empty fridge and ate cold leftover pizza for supper, which is a little sad because its also the same cold, leftover pizza you brought to work for lunch.
But mostly it’s because nothing is more wholesome than baking cookies. It makes a home feel like a home and can bring a smile to any face. Whenever I move to a new place, I try to bake cookies within the first week. Despite being surrounded by boxes and usually having to dig out the essential spatula and baking sheets, I find that it brightens up the place. Plus it’s a nice break from unpacking.
Canadian food blogger, baking and eating her way through life. Musical theatre fanatic. Personal finance nerd. Sometimes runner/yogi. Green smoothies are pretty amazing.
