Getting Rid of Most of My Flavors, Part 46
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Starting Flavor Count: 2,434 (down from 2,972)
TASK OR TRASH - Each flavor gets assigned at least one task or it goes in the trash.
 

CAPELLA Honeydew Melon

Update. I gave CAP Honeydew Melon one chance to stick around, a recipe called “Melon Blow Pop.” Before trying it, I wondered what made this recipe a "blow pop" considering there aren't any gum flavors, but something about the way these flavors combine does give it a very interesting bubblegum-y aspect in addition to the candy melon and apple. And the candy apple-melon is great. Unfortunately, I also get a slight perfumy-type off note from the recipe. Specifically, a baby scent perfume. You know, whatever it is that makes baby stuff like baby lotion, baby oil, baby powder all have that same baby scent. I hate that, so CAP Honeydew Melon is history. TRASH 1
 

FLAVOUR ART

 
Royal
Accidentally passed over this one last time. I found it to be a kind of warm and spicy tobacco; with a spice note or notes similar to cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and ginger, but not specifically or distinctly any of those. Also found it odd that despite having no menthol taste or cooling it kind of hits me right in the same spot that menthol does.
I purchased this flavor to make Chem Twista Lime - cigarette with a pinch of lime - and will continue to use it for that. TASK 1 But, I can’t find anything else that I want to do with it.
 
Shade
I don’t know what this is, but it’s not tobacco. It tastes like dirty cooked fruit sweetness, like just part of cooked dark berries or stewed prunes, just the sweetness from them and not their distinct aromas, mixed with something earthy and pushing dirty tobacco but not authentically tobacco. But, it does taste like it would be a good ingredient to use in a fruity tobacco, like you would need a tobacco, and a fruit, but this could be a bridge ingredient.
Already plan to mix CBV’s Cherry Oak Tobacco that uses it. Will also try his Southern Lights recipe for a bourbon-vanilla tobacco that uses it TASK 2, and the very solid looking Bob’s Bacco. TASK 3 I just wished the new ATF showed steep times because I’m not sure how long to steep these. Anyone have a guess? Three weeks sound about right?
 
Soho
I don’t consider this tobacco flavor. It’s more like... Dirty Trail Mix, but in the best possible way.
Slightly dirty roasted nut crust? It’s an odd, complex, flavor that’s oddly weak for FA (8% is not unusual for a mix) with something lightly tobacco-ish, kind of toasty, in there somewhere along with a lot of other stuff - some roasted nuttiness, something like a graham cracker-type or pie crust bakery, a bit of caramel or brown-sugar like sweetness but not too sweet, maybe some raisin-y type sweetness as well. Dry, yet smooth. It’s not a rich flavor but it has plenty of dry bakery-like body.
No, I’m not throwing away FA Soho. I need it for 1-2-3 Burley TASK 4 and it’s used in about 10 recipes I’m planning to try.
Adding to that - I can’t wait to try Pistachio Brulee - Soho. It’s a lot of TFA Pistachio and not a lot of FA Soho for a “comforting warm deep dessert tobacco,” but I still think it’s going to be terrific. TASK 5
Will also add Maga for the simplicity - it’s just FA Soho, FLV Mild Tobacco, and FLV Vanilla tobacco. TASK 6
And because I’m feeling brave, Arcanite, a weird-looking recipe that mixes Soho with Meringue, White Peach, and TFA Dragonfruit. TASK 7
 
Sour Wizard
Held off on ever trying this for a long time because I’d already been burnt by too many supposedly sour things to get excited about FA coming out with Sour Wizard. Anyway, it doesn’t really taste sour, not like sour candy tastes sour, not at 2% anyway, but it definitely has a noticeably tart “pop” to it, more so than the others. Very bright. Other sour additives don’t have much fruitiness but this one does have a very slight green apple kind of taste to it. Top heavy with a dead finish but the sour-ish flavor does carry just a little deeper than just being right on top. The usual suspect acids might be the main ingredients, but FA definitely did more than just put malic and/or citric acid in a bottle with PG, and it shows. Unfortunately, I could not find a single recipe using it that I both felt inclined to mix and had all the ingredients to mix. TRASH 2
 
Spearmint
Aka, “White Winter.” Tastes like the disembodied spirit of weak spearmint gum. Not much body or sweetness. No leafy green stuff. Not extra methol-ed up.
I’m pretty sure I would be fine without it but there is just one recipe I want to try first, just to make sure.
Spearing Mint, Creamy Concoction is one. Although FA and TFA Spearmints aren’t the mints I’d choose for the job, I’m really interested in this “slight spearmint note with sweetened heavy cream” profile, and the sweetened heavy cream part looks great. TASK 8
 
Stark Apple
Sweet red apple, fairly accurately tastes like a red delicious apple or apple juice. I think red delicious is actually the least delicious of apples, but if you don’t, or you need that as a component, this offers it. I guess some people say it tastes more like a yellow apple but I always associate those with having more of a “ripe,” kinda sweaty taste. FA Stark Apple is quite sweet, with a deep natural sweetness, not a ton of flavor, but the flavor that’s there is on point. No tartness or crispness - not very fresh tasting. Sweet and timid enough that I would use it to sweeten a mix of other fruits without worrying much about it getting in the way. Not dry, but not really juicy. Very smooth, does not add any throat hit. Some body, with that mild flavor on top and a medium thick sweeter base, not too thin.
I really liked Strap-On Aid when I tried it six years ago, let’s see if I still do. TASK 9
There are a bunch of apple bacco recipes and at least a handful of them use FA Stark Apple. The one that looks most appealing to me is this Starkonja’s Head, mostly because it has serious, grown-up tobaccos in there and not just RY4 Double and Soho. TASK 10
 
Strawberry (Red Touch)
Fairly weak for FA. I call it the astronaut strawberry, not that I’ve ever had one, but it’s what I imagine eating a freeze-dried strawberry would be like. It tastes natural, with that subtle earthy note that brings some realism to the party, but unnaturally dry. Not juicy at all. Top notes are mild, slightly tart, and the finish is weak but there’s a solid middle that tastes like a semi-sweet ripe strawberry only without any juice. It’s not the best standalone strawberry by far, but it is a great tool. Seems to work really well as part of a strawberry layer to make sweet candy strawberries taste more natural and fill out the middle more, despite not working so well by itself. Cranking it up too high that earthy note starts to get a little grassy, like freeze-drying that strawberry leaves and all.
No, I do not agree with those who say it smells like farts, and no, I’m not throwing away part of the original Strap-On and many of the Strap-On variants. t’s in more than half a dozen things on my to-mix list.
I also need it for Lychee Blossom, which is a fantastic lychee recipe that I love. TASK 11
And I want to try Strawberry Whirl which is described as “layered strawberry jam, light fluffy cream on a whirl cookie.” It had me at OoO Strawberry Jam. TASK 12
StrawMelon Melee because I love cantaloupe and strawberry together and this looks like a great new cantaloupe-strawberry mix. TASK 13
Custard’s Last Stand because I’m very interested in how that WF Sugar Cone fits in there. TASK 14
Daveberry Cheesecake because it’s named after me! TASK 15
Yuno because it looks like a great strawberry milk and I’m really interested in the combination of WF Macadamia Nut and OoO Cream Milky Undertone it uses. TASK 16
 
Strawberry Green
That’s what it tastes like, underripe strawberry. Very green like you can taste the chlorophyll, and pretty tart, but very clearly a strawberry, and has some syrupy sweetness. It tastes like a small amount of it could do amazing things with other strawberries, like making them taste brighter and more refreshing, maybe making a flat sweet candyish strawberry taste more like the real thing.
Pretty excited to try things with this one, already have a couple planned. Mike’s Peach, Strawberry and Vanilla looks like a winner, too. I’m really interested in the combination of WF Strawberry Gummy Candy and FA Strawberry Green for the strawberry and even more interested in the combination of FA Peach White and SSA Nectarines for the peach. TASK 17
 
Summer Clouds
I’m not sure who started calling it FA Dryer Sheets, but I can confirm that is an accurate description. It’s supposed to be peach and rose, it think, but I get a hint of peach and a whole lot of dryer sheets. TRASH 3
 
Tiramisu
There’s a really nice ladyfinger cookie buried in here, and accurate cocoa notes, but unfortunately nothing resembling mascarpone flavor or richness, and even more unfortunately, it’s all soaked in, not liqueur-spiked espresso like it’s supposed to be, but booze-free coffee brewed by a skunk who had recently sprayed skunk spray and burned some popcorn in the same kitchen where he made the coffee. TRASH 4
 
Torrone
As best I can tell it’s actually accurate to a certain type of Italian nougat that contains lemon zest, almonds, pistachios, vanilla, sugar, honey, and egg whites. I’ve never had that, but it pretty much tastes like what I imagine all of that stuff mixed together might taste like. It’s sweet and creamy and nutty and lemony all at the same time. I’m not personally a huge fan of this mostly because the lemon feels weird in there and it seems a bit busy, for a single flavor, but it’s not terrible. It’s a little on the thin side, but just a little; there’s still enough body there to pull off a sugary creamy texture. The nuts aren’t distinctly almondy or pistachio tasting and more of a generic nuttiness.
Need it for Stag Night, also interested in trying The Key To Happiness, described as “a nice piece of store bought key lime pie like you find in the freezer section of your local grocery store. TASK 18
 
Up
This one is so odd. It’s coffee, cream, and... cereal? I don’t know why there’s a bakery flavor in there. It’s coffee forward and that coffee is not terrible, it’s kind of burnt but not dark, like a light roast coffee that’s been on a warmer too long or at too high a temp. There’s a little milky cream that makes an appearance and then there’s some bakery that is, for whatever reason, supposed to be a cereal. I guess it’s cereal? It’s kinda dry and gritty, almost graham cracker like. It finishes on that note and I’m not sure what you’re supposed do with that other than use this to add a coffee note to a bakery recipe, or get really creative. No skunk spray or burnt popcorn or anything like that, so above average for a coffee flavor, but also nothing I want to mix that uses it. TRASH 5
 
Vanilla Bourbon
Thin, natural-ish and darker but not quite spicy vanilla. Really very plain to my taste, Rick calls it warm and a little floral. I’m not getting any warmth or floralness, it tastes more like an attempt at vanilla bean that doesn’t quite get there but is more of a bold natural vanilla than a lot of other offerings. There's a richness or depth to the vanilla flavor, but not to the concentrate itself, it’s actually rather thin, it will most likely will not add the perception of creaminess or thickness that many vanilla flavors do.
Three or four things I’ve planned to mix use it. Here’s two more: Premium Vanilla Custard - obvious from looking at it that it’s going to be delicious. I see you, OoO Marshmallow. TASK 19
And Shunsui Kyoraku. I’m scared of the WF Egg Yolk in there, but not too scared to give it a try. TASK 20
 
Vanilla Cookie
tTis is a very vanilla cookie. Loads of baked in kinda bright but not overly bright vanilla taste. Also, pretty buttery. There’s a nice cookie there in the middle of that butter and vanilla. Without steeping, the cookie is just a little too sharp (nutty, overcooked, pyrazine) for my taste, but it vapes smooth overall with all that vanilla and butter. If it had just a little less pyrazine sharp overcooked nuttiness (and I’m told it does have less of that with a longer steep than the five or six days I gave it before sampling 2.5%), it could get fairly close to a Golden Oreo type of thing.
I already have at least 10 recipes I’m going to make that use it, but also:
3 2 1 Stroopwaffel I don’t know how accurate that will be, but I love VT Honeycomb and looking forward to seeing how SSA Crisp Waffle and FA Vanilla Cookie mix with it. TASK 21
And Makoto Shishio, because I love the idea of an “oreo waffle with cream filling." TASK 22
 
Vanilla Ice Cream
Milky, plain base, not custardy at all - more like gelato. Darker vanilla. I don’t love it, simply as a matter of personal preference and liking a richer style of ice cream, but there’s nothing wrong with it. I’ve got at least recipes in line that use it, and here’s one more that stood out: Lemon Gelato. Looks refreshing and satisfying. TASK 23
 
Vanilla Tahity
This is every bit as much an almond flavor as a vanilla flavor, I get more almond than vanilla. It even has a bit of a cherry-ish note to it the way some almond flavors do. It’s like sweet almond-vanilla-cherry, or amaretto and marzipan. It’s a bit dry, but there’s fluffy marshmallow-like body to it, and it’s not dry enough to be unpleasant. I actually kind of enjoy vaping this as a single flavor. The hint of cherry is similar to the hint of cherry in amaretto, not a medicinal plastic cherry. The vanilla is very bright and artificial, like the vanilla in a vanilla coke, not a coke with vanilla syrup added like at a soda shop or Sonic, but just the vanilla from a can of vanilla coke.
Already planning to keep it long enough to mix one custard recipe that uses it, now I have two more things to try:
This recipe for Vanilla Crescent Cookies looks wonderful. TASK 24
And I’m really interested in the combination of VT Creaming Soda and WF Cotton Candy Jelly Bean in this Blue Balls recipe for blue raz and vanilla hard candy, even if I think FA Vanilla Tahity was probably not the best vanilla for the job. TASK 25
 
Vienna Cream
Absolutely requires a steep, not just to come into itself, but to not be disgusting. It’s weird how much better this gets after steeping for just about 4 days. Freshly mixed, it tastes like someone tried to make spiked eggnog and substituted nail polish remover for rum. After a short steep, it tastes like a very sweet, light dairy cream, on the thin side of creams but still very much a cream. with a bit of bright vanilla and an interesting sort of ice cream-like crispness to it. Very smooth, clean tasting. Have found it sometimes works when other creams don’t, just takes a little patience.
I need it for four of my all-time favorite recipes, Mango Beauregarde, Notorious, Vurve’s Vanilla Almond Milk, and Vanilla Cronut.
Gotta try The Worlds End, too. It looks like too much TFA DX PB for the profile - banana nut bread with chocolate sauce - but looks delicious, regardless. TASK 26
 
New Flavor Count: 2,429
 
Just a short one this time, to get back in the groove. I went on vacation, brought COVID back as a souvenir, and have had a bunch of work to catch up on because of all that. Will finish off the Flavour Art next week.

Hi lovely people,
We just came back from our first trip to Japan and it was truly a memorable trip. We spent over 3 weeks in Japan from 07th May until 30th May. WE LOVE JAPAN! Can't wait to come back.
A little bit about us: We are both ~30y olds and enjoy a mix of urban, outdoor and culture during our holidays. We are foodies, but not hard-core as in we don't specifically organize our trips around restaurants. There are so many restaurants in Japan, it is hard to get a bad meal. We enjoy just wandering around neighbourhoods. Mostly low/mid-budget stuff with a splurge once in a while.
Our travel itinerary can be found here
General comments

• Time period of travel: We arrived 7th of May which is the last sunday of Golden week. We specifically wanted to avoid Golden week, as we heard it can be crazy busy due to domestic travels. And we also didn't want to go too late in May because June is rainy season in Japan. We were pretty lucky with the weather overall as we only had a couple of days of rain, most days were sunny and we even had some days of sweltering heat :O
• Like other people suggest, try to get in shape before you go! We are both in average shape. Almost every day we walked around 20.000 steps or more. The only rest days we had were the days where we were switching between cities, i.e. sitting in trains for longer periods of time. No complaints ;). I brought two pair of shoes: water-proof hiking shoes and one pair of light-weight running shoes. Switching between shoes was nice, I didn't have any blisters during my time in Japan luckily. All the walking compensated all the eating though!
• Check whether region specific JR passes might work for you. We decided against getting the nationwide JR passes as they didn't fit our needs and were expensive and instead opted for a regional JR Setouchi area pass. It was perfect for the Shimanami Kaido. We could travel from Osaka to Onomichi -> Hiroshima/Miyajima -> Kyoto. And it also gave us access to Nozomi shinkansen (fastest) and a great ferry ride between Matsuyama and Hiroshima.

Japanguide has a nice overview of all the passes : https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2357.html

• Be flexible (That's how we like to travel). I mapped out most of the sights beforehand according to must-see's and mapped out what other interesting sights there would be in those areas. The day before or in the morning, we would decide what we would do roughly, sight-see according to neighborhood and just wing it a little bit. We just love to wander around and see what we come across, mixed with some google maps + "explore" function. Some days you are just tired and just want to hang out in a park, or you have temple-fatigue and want to do something entirely else. Same with food/restaurants, we usually just used google maps to see what kind of great restaurants were near us at that moment. We haven't lined up more than twice our whole time there and still ate wonderfully. We do tend to avoid overly hyped stuff anyways. I do keep in mind that everyone has their own ways.
• Buy e-sim if possible, it is the cheapest and easiest way. My partner bought an e-sim and it was so convenient! My phone unfortunately didn't support it and I had to buy a sim. I opted for getting one at BIC camera, which was the cheapest I could find. 10GB for 30 days for 3200 yen.
• Keep plastic bags for trash. Buying food from conbini, and eating it somewhere? say yes to that plastic bag, because you will need it to stash your garbage until you are back at your hotel where you can throw it away or you find a garbage bin at the train station per chance. I read about this a lot on this subreddit, but still I found it astonishing the lack of trash cans. Fascinating how the streets of Japan are so damn clean.
• Try Pokari sweat. :) I tried it for the first time there and I was hooked immediately. It is awesome! Best electrolyte drink ever and it definitely saved me during those hot sweaty days there. CC lemon is also great!
• Go for a haircut or some other beauty/massage treatment. The hospitality is amazing in Japan. You won't regret getting pampered in Japan. They have all kinds of crazy treatments. I got the best haircut of my life for 4400yen.

Trip report

PS. I am not mentioning everything we did in this post. I will just mention highlights. It is still a long read though ;).
D1 - D2 Osaka
We landed at Kansai airport. Before our trip, we also bought train vouchers for Osaka online (https://www.howto-osaka.com/en/ticket/). Best decision ever, because the journey was rough and we were exhausted by the time we landed. We only had to exchange our vouchers at the station and off we went.
Osaka was nice city to start with as it is a more manageable "smaller" city whilst recovering from our jetlag. Despite being smaller, I do think it is worth a visit. Osaka is so iconic at night. We stayed at a spacious Airbnb near Kuromon Ichiban market.

• Takoyaki :) We had our first try of takoyaki at Takotako King instead of one the places at Dotonbori to avoid the crazy lines. You can sit down, have a beer and yes the takoyaki is amazing. It should be crunchy on the outside and deliciously goeey on the inside, doused with sauces and katsuobushi. Man, I wish I could go back and eat it again. It is true, you can't get great takoyaki outside of Osaka, at least I didn't get that same crunchy gooey combo again in other cities.
• Discount sushi from Takashimaya department store. For the budget-minded, this is a no-brainer. Around 7PM, an hour before closing time, you can get delicious fatty tuna maki at discount prices in the basement of takashimaya. Other foods at the department store food floor such as the fresh mochi are delicious also. Takashimaya is my favorite department store for food I think!
• Osaka castle - Our first castle in Japan. The green roof and the golden ornaments are beautiful and unique!
• Dotonbori - iconic :) fun to walk along. The queues are long there. We avoided eating at Dotonbori.
• Shitenno-ji - beautiful pagoda with buddha statues inside. Do pay the fee to go inside and see the garden. You can also go into the pagoda and walk up.
• Huge fan of Shotengai's, Shinsaibashi-Suji Shopping Street. They are so quintessential Japan.
• Ramen Tendo, the first ramen joint that we tried in Japan, so it has a special place in my heart. They specialize in chicken broth with lots of umami katsuoboshi flavor. Noodles were great too, very bouncy. Delicious! Little did I know that this ramen joint was really one of the best we would have this trip. It set the bar high for sure!
• Visit a local grocery store. Maybe it is just me, but I love to browse at local grocery shops (KOHYO namba Minatomachi) and be fascinated by all the different things they sell. It is also a great place to buy food souvenirs, like miso, green tea etc. Lots of pre-cooked meals/ fried stuff. Just a wider selection than your typical conbini. And again discounts if you go ~1hr before closing time.

Skip Shinsekai: We visited during the day and it felt very empty to me. More like a tourist-trap, the eateries didn't look appealing to me. Maybe during the evening this area is more fun.
D3 Nara
We did Nara as a day-trip from Osaka.

• Yes, to feeding the deer. It is touristy, but it is so much fun to be chased by cookie-crazed deer. One more thing: deer's fart a lot. We were wondering where this weird high pitched sound was coming from, those are actually deer farts.
• Todai-ji is very impressive, definitely a must visit.
• Just wander around in Nara park, it's very lush and beautiful and has many more shrines and interesting sights, such as manyo botanical garden. I wish we had one more day to explore Nara but oh well maybe next time :)
• We ate lunch at Magura Koya, a small restaurant run by a lovely elderly couple. Delicious tuna dishes. I had a tuna sashimi bowl and my partner the fried tuna set meal, so fresh!
• We had the best pork bun at Hourokutei at the end of the Higashimuki shopping street. It's a small hole in the wall, but omg the squishy-est juicy-est porkbuns ever.

D4 Onomichi
After staying in Osaka for 3 days, we headed west for the Shimanami Kaido. We decided to stay in Onomichi (Hotel Beacon Onomichi) for the night before we started our two day bike trip. For this part of our trip, we picked up our 7-day Setouchi area pass at Shin-Osaka JR station. I just want to mention that I really love the hospitality of the staff in Japan. The JR office people were so nice and helpful. We reserved our seats for the shinkansen and off we went to Onomichi. Onomichi is a lovely little seaside town to just stroll around and take in the views. I really recommend spending at least half a day here. Don't skip it!

• Senkoji park observatory - we walked up to the observatory (ropeway available), please walk up as there are lots of nice alleyways, shrines and cats along the way :). The view is amazing, especially at sunset.
• Cat alley: honestly, every alley is cat alley.
• Onomichi Shotengai - very retro, lots of cute shops. We bought a nice poster from a little granny there.

D5 & D6 Shimanami Kaido -> Matsuyama
The next day, we picked up our reserved cross bikes from the general bike rental and off we went. Honestly, biking the shimanami kaido was the highlight of our trip. We took two days to bike the whole way, one day would definitely be too rushed for us. We stopped at Ikuchi island (Shimanaido NEST) for our halfway stay.
The sights along the way were great! It was so much fun to go down-hill, the uphills were do-able. We had great weather also, not too hot and no rain. Everything was clearly indicated, we just followed the blue lines. I felt very safe biking in Japan. PS. My butt did hurt from the saddle, so be warned! Bring some cushioned pants if you want to be safe side.

• First pitstop after the first bridge was Hassakuya. You have to stop here! They have delicious strawberry and citrus daifuku! The citrus had a bitter aftertaste, but they are famous for their citrus so its definitely nice to try.
• Just enjoy the views, stop everywhere to take pictures. There are lots of things to explore along the way.
• Stop at roadside stations such as > tatara shimanami park and yoshiumi iki-iki-kan. Especially before you take on the last bridge just do a little pit stop. It's a nice place to take some pictures of the insanely long bridge and have a citrus/vanilla soft cream.

https://shimanami-cycle.or.jp/ for more info and bike rental
We decided to bike one-way from Onomichi to Imabari and we have no regrets. I liked that we ended the bike trip with the longest bridge (4km!!). Imabari is very industrial, but after the fun long way down from the last bridge and being exhausted from biking you just want to get to the station and stuff yourself with pastries from the bakery at the station and go on to your next destination. Thus, we immediately took the train to Matsuyama. Originally, the plan was to enjoy the famous onsen in Matsuyama, but we didn't have enough time and we were also pretty tired. After checking-in at the hotel, it was already 4, we made our way to Matsuyama castle but unfortunately, we were too late to go in. It was still nice to view it from the outside and walk around the park. We planned to do sightseeing in Hiroshima the next day, so there was no more time to explore Matsuyama further.
D7 Hiroshima -> Miyajima
After Shiminami Kaido, we headed towards Hiroshima/Miyajima. We took an early ferry from Matsuyama. The ferry was included in the setouchi JR pass, so we gladly took advantage of that. It's a nice way to get to Hiroshima, just one last view of the Seto inland sea. One remark: if it is not JR serviced transportation, you do have to obtain separate tickets. Normally, just showing your setouchi JR pass is enough to get onboard the train, but for the ferry you do have to go to the ticket desk and show your JR pass to obtain the ferry tickets.

• Peace memorial museum - a history we must not forget and do not want to repeat
• We tried another Hiroshima speciality for lunch: Hiroshima Tsukemen. This tsukemen is GREAT. One of my favorite dishes. We ate at Tsukemen Karabu Tokaichimachi. The spicy umami dipping sauce is very addicting!

Surprisingly, it was very hard to find affordable good accommodation in Hiroshima. It was the weekend and two weeks before G7, so maybe that was the reason why it was harder to find accommodation. In the end, I found a nice simple hotel on Miyajima island and it was a good decision after all! After a long day in Hiroshima, we made our way to Miyajima to stay two nights. Staying on Miyajima island is lovely especially when all the day-trip tourist leave.
D8 Miyajima
Honestly, Miyajima is truly magical. Another highlight of our trip! We started the day early to get ahead of the crowd and that made it all so much more enjoyable. Seeing shrines and temples without a crowd is truly 1000x better! If you can stay at Miyajima island, do it! You don't have to splurge on expensive ryokan (although it would have been nice). We stayed at Sakuraya, which was very budget-friendly.

• Itsukishima Jinja - Nice but Daishoin and surrounding nature were the highlights for me.
• Daishoin - it is the most beautiful shrine complex I have seen in Japan this trip. I think it's because it was so quaint and it was embedded in the hill, surrounded by lush green nature. There were multiple complexes. There was a pathway studded with Jizo statues, buddist cave, prayer wheels and much more. While we were there, a ceremony with a monk was ongoing and everyone could participate in helping burning the origami peace cranes made by children, to make their wishes come true. We bought a little peace crane made from the ashes to remember this moment.
• Mt. Misen - we hiked up from Dashoin. It was ~2hrs? of steep stair climbing, 500m elevation gain. A challenge for sure but we definitely earned our way going down by ropeway :P. Views are great! go go! There is a bus to the ropeway so you don't have to suffer if you don't want to.
• Momijidani park - If you don't like Momiji trees, you can't be my friend.
• Snack along the Miyajima ometesando street. Crowded, but the cakes are great!

One remark, our hotel didn't include dinner and all the restaurants on the island close quite early. Luckily, with our setouchi JR pass, we could take the ferry for free, so went to the mainland for dinner. Just keep this in mind, when booking your stay.
D9 - D13 Kyoto
We took the early train to Kyoto and checked in at Tokyu stay Sanjo-karasuma. We had 5 days to explore Kyoto and by this time we had lost our FOMO a little bit and also decided to take it a bit more slow. We still ended up walking a lot anyways but at least we were sleeping in.
The day we arrived,15MAY, was supposed to be Aoi matsuri so we headed to Kamo river to see the festival. Unfortunately, the festival was postponed due to the slight rainfall and we had no clue! but we were next to Kyoto botanical garden and we decided to visit that instead!

• Kyoto botanical garden: it is a lovely garden with a huge variety of plants and trees to see. Really well maintained and during our visit there was a great rose garden in bloom. I recommend going there! It has a nice japanese garden section too with momiji trees and moss. A greenhouse with orchids. Lot's to see here. Only 200 yen.
• Arashiyama area - I really loved this area, not just for the bamboo forest. Togetsukyo bridge and Katsura river were the highlights for me. You can walk along the both sides of Katsura riverbank. A nice way to get to the bamboo forest and bypassing the busy beginning at the start of bamboo forest is by walking along the katsura river bank into Kameyama park and following the signs to Okochi sanso garden. You will end up at the backside of bamboo forest, which is the nicest part. We went more north to visit Pottery Tanuki, this area was very nice and quaint to walk around; bamboo, shrines and traditional houses everywhere.
• South kyoto - Fushimi Inari + Uji day trip - We visited fushimi inari around 9am and it was already very busy! If you hike deeper into the Tori gates, it gets more quiet. We decided not to hike to the top, but instead do a little loop and we stumbled upon some lovely fox shrines. After Fushimi Inari, we took the train just a little bit more south to Uji. If you like matcha, visit Uji. It is a scenic little town with lots of matcha specialized cafes. We ate at Torikiku, famous for their matcha soba and udon. I had the best matcha icecream dessert at Nakamura Tokichi Byodo-in. Again, the river views are beautiful! It's a great daytrip from kyoto. On the way back to kyoto, we spontaneously decided to visit the Gekkeikan Sake museum. It's a small museum, mostly about the history of Gekkeikan, but for 500 yen entry fee, you also get 3 small sake tastings. Fun for an hour or so. I wouldn't go all the way here just for the museum, but for us it was a nice stop on the way back to Kyoto.
• Gion - visit Gion in the evening and just wander around the little streets. Hanamikoji street is one of the more famous streets there.
• We ate amazing gyoza lunch at Gyoza-dokoro Sakemasa. Best gyozo of our trip.
• Higashiyama area - Heian jingu shrine, visit the attached garden for a fee, definitely worth it! We ate amazing mazesoba and ramen for lunch at Menya Yamahide. We also visited Kyoto handicraft center in this area where we bought an ukiyo-e painting. There was also a vintage antique market at that day. We just browsed a bit around the market and honestly that was a day worth of exploring :).

I didn't mention everything we did in Kyoto here. We also had so much more planned for Kyoto, but didn't get around to it, which was totally fine! We were also a bit temple-fatigued by that time and needed a slower pace. Hopefully next time, we can visit some of things we skipped. Furthermore, some days were incredibly hot (30 C degrees and humid) or we had whole days of rain. On those days, we decided to go shopping instead.

• Sanjo Meiten-gai shopping arcade , Compasso teramachi. One long shopping street between Omiya and Kyoto-kawaramachi station. My favorite shops were: Standard products, Tokyu hands and Loft.

D14 - D15 Takayama
After spending 5 days in Kyoto, it was time to leave the city and head for the Japanese alps. We took the shinkansen to Nagoya, where we changed to a limited express to Takayama. It took around 3 hours to get to Takayama, but we didn't mind. Train travel = resting time for our legs! Also, the views from the train were great!! I really enjoyed this train trip to Takayama. We arrived around noon and immediately checked in at our hotel (Hotel Kuretakeso Takayama). We had two nights in Takayama to explore the town.

• Hida beef - it's the wagyu of this area and I found my favorite place to eat it: Ajikura Tengoku. We went there twice for lunch, because it was that good. It was our first time in Japan to try yakiniku and sukiyaki. I really do appreciate the taste of wagyu but only in small amounts. I couldn't eat it everyday, because it's really so rich and yes paying for the premium cuts really does make a different in taste and texture of the wagyu beef.
• We really loved Takayama. Again, if you have time, stay overnight and wander around the streets during the evening when all the daytrippers leave. The town has such a nice vibe and it still has a very local feel to it.
• Miyagawa morning market. Fun to stroll around
• Hikaru museum - we stumbled upon this via google maps. It's a mayan temple-inspired building, very unique. You could visit the place just for the architecture itself, really impressive. It has a very nice collection of art. When we reached the top floor, there was a whole exhibition dedicated to a specific religious person. We didn't know beforehand but this museum is connected to a cult. Suddenly, it all made sense why this museum was so unique. We didn't mind, but it definitely puts the whole experience in a different light. It's a 1-hour walk from downtown, there is no direct bus connection unfortunately.
• Hida folk village - Open-air museum with nice re-builds of traditional mountain houses. We spend over half a day there. You can see local craftsmen doing their thing and you can also participate in pottery for example. There is a lovely pond and it is just pleasant to walk around. it's only a ~10 min. busride from Takayama bus station. You can buy combined entryfee+bus combo tickets at the bus station.

D16 Kamikochi -> Matsumoto
After checking out of our hotel in Takayama, we took the 7am bus to Kamikochi. We were only going to spend a day here, and then continue our way to Matsumoto to stay overnight.After ~1 hour of bus, we finally made it to Kamikochi. The Japanese alps are amazing. I wished we stayed longer in this area, but just the bus ride alone to Kamikochi was already a great with the views. We decided to hop off at Taisho pond bus stop and walk along all the major sights in the park. We had no specific plan. Just hike around as far as time allowed. For lunch, we stopped at this cute teishoku restaurant, where we ate katsu curry, a big lunch to fuel our walking. We also saw wild japanese macaques and lots of wildflowers where blooming during our time there.At the local shops, we bought some yummy pastries to snack on. I had the tastiest baumkuchen with cheesecake center and my partner had a chocolate ganache cookie. I really regret not buying more kamikochi pastries to take home while we were there.After spending the day walking around, we hopped on the 4pm bus towards Matsumoto. Checked in at Tabino hotel lit Matsumoto, where I relaxed in the onsen.
Tips:

• We were only carrying backpacks, so we hiked with them until we reached the kamikochi bus terminal, where you can drop off you bag at the storage for a small fee.
• Reservation is mandatory for the bus Kamikochi -> Matsumoto, you can do it online or while you are at the busstation before hiking.
• Transportation in the Japan alps is mostly by bus, do reserve ahead if you go at peak times. Main bus company is Nouhi bus: https://www.nouhibus.co.jp/english/.)

D17 Matsumoto Tokyo
After sleeping in, we did some sightseeing in Matsumoto before we moved on to Tokyo. We really liked wandering around in Matsumoto. Lots of cool shops with local crafts. We didn't know but the biggest national crafts fair is held in Matsumoto. Unfortunately, we were only able to stay for one day, but next time we would love to visit this crafts fair!
Matsumoto Castle - I really like the interior of the castle. It has been renovated, but still contains that castle feel. It is 5 story castle and you are allowed to climb all of it. It also included a pretty extensive gun/weaponry exhibition. Do arrive early because you do have to line-up within the castle to get from one floor to the other. This is due to the steep stairways, on which they allow only one-way traffic at a time.
Matsumoto city art museum - There was a nice exhibition from Yayoi Kusama. We didn't know but Yayoi Kusama was born in Matsumoto. It is a good replacement exhibition if you aren't able to snatch up tickets for Yayoi Kusama museum in Tokyo.
Nakamachi street and Frog street - street with persevered houses with craft shops, cafes, brewerys. What more do you want.
After spending the day in Matsumoto, we took the train to Tokyo, our last destination of our stay. We decided to stay in Ueno (Hotel resol ueno). This hotel was located close to Ueno JR.
D18 - D24 Tokyo
Last 7 days in Tokyo. By this time, we were just enjoying everything at a much slower pace. Tokyo is huge! Staying near the JR line is indeed a must like everyone said. I could go on hours about Tokyo, I am just going to mention some highlights here.

• Anmitsu at Anmitsu Mihashi. My favorite dessert! It contains agar jelly, mochi balls, red bean paste, fruit and a scoop of matcha icecream.
• shopping in Ginza - It's nice to go during the weekends when they close of the streets for cars. We liked visiting flagship stores of Muji, Uniqlo. Go to Itoya if you are a stationary freak.
• Ueno park - Museums, shrines, Lotus pond. Have a look at their website, there are almost always events in the park. :)
• Tsukiji market - very busy, but fun to have a look. Lines everywhere. Look for sushi restaurants that open around 11am, line up at one of those places. I don't think it has to be the one with 4.5 rating and 1000 reviews. Why? There are so many good restaurants in Tsukiji area. We went to Tsukiji Kagura Sushi.
• Hamarikyu gardens - Bonsai pine trees pruned to perfection. Ponds filled with sea water, thus there were seabass, little sardines and jellyfish in the water. Very special! You also had a nice skyline view from the park which is a cool contrast! It was nice and quiet.
• Tokyo Skytree - best view :) it also has a great shopping complex attached to it.
• Asakusa area - Senso-ji
• Yanaka Ginza - we went during the weekend and there was live music, little stalls and just very lively in general. Really nice to spend a morning. Largest preserved cemetery, which apparently welcomes visitors a lot for flower viewings. It is a preserved neighborhood with traditional houses and lots of shops selling crafts, gifts, souvenirs, and unique snacks.

That's it!
For 24 days, we spend around ~2500 euro p.p. (excl. 1000,- flights). This amount includes food, transportation, entrancefees and shopping/gifts. so average is ~100 euro/day. We didn't track every cost. Hotel costs were 900,- pp, which ranged from 50,- to 120,- per night accommodations. The conversion yen/euro is also great at the moment, so it might have contributed!
I hope you enjoyed my trip report. Let me know if there are any questions.

Since July is all about Harry Potter (in honor of his and Neville's birthday), I thought I'd have a bit of fun and ask if you (or your personality) was a Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Bean, what would it be and why?
Personally, I'd be raspberry. Swett but with a definite sour tang. Also, more unique and a bit more unique than the strawberry. I suppose if I was going to get fancy, I'd say "white chocolate raspberry cheesecake" flavor.

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My Dada works full time and took two days off to help with recovery but I'm still struggling. I'm disabled and gave chronic pain so any extra is a lot for my body. For now I've been laying in my computer recliner watching YouTube, eating soft foods like mashed garlic potatos and strawberry cheesecake pudding, and kinda just napping on and off while cuddling with my opossum plushie cheemz and our new kitten muffin. What are some other low energy low pain things I could do to distract myself?

Hello Keto Community,
I'm looking to expand my culinary horizons with this post, and hopefully, others will find it useful as well.
Have you ever come across a Keto-friendly food that's so delicious, it seems almost illegal? Think along the lines of Keto Cheesecake 🤯
If you've stumbled upon something that tastes amazing, and surprisingly fits within the Keto guidelines, please share it below. I'm also open to hearing about foods that may seem Keto-friendly, but are actually misleading and should be avoided.
Looking forward to your suggestions. I believe this exchange of information will benefit us all in our Keto journeys.

1. Zarita frozen cocktail pouches are coming to shelves.
2. Indulge in the Specially Selected strawberry-cheesecake or dulce-de-leche ice-cream pints.
3. Grill some Emporium Selection halloumi cheese this summer.
4. Bring the Little Salad Bar smoked-mozzarella or street-corn pasta salad to your next cookout.
5. Skip the hassle of boiling potatoes with the Little Salad Bar potato salads.
6. Get dinner on the table with Mama Cozzi's jalapeño-popper pizza.
7. Enjoy Sundae Shoppe cones this summer.
8. Use Emporium Selection baked lemon ricotta for a summery charcuterie board.
9. Make a quick meal with Park Street Deli Korean bulgogi pulled pork.
10. Sundae Shoppe lemonade bars make a great snack.
11. The Moser Roth lemon-chocolate truffles combine sweetness and acidity.
12. Cool off with Specially Selected multilayer gelato pints.
13. Whip up sangrias and spritzers with the Pacific Fruit Vineyards sweet lemon wine.
14. Snack on the sweet-and-spicy Southern Grove chili-spiced dried mango.
15. Enjoy some seafood with the Specially Selected chimichurri cold-smoked salmon.

Link to article

Are you new to the keto diet and feeling overwhelmed about what foods to buy? A well-stocked kitchen can make all the difference when starting a new way of eating. Here is a beginner's keto shopping list to help get you started:

1. Meat: Beef, chicken, turkey, pork, lamb, and other animal proteins are staples of the keto diet. Look for grass-fed, organic options whenever possible.
2. Seafood: Fish and shellfish are also great sources of protein on the keto diet. Look for fatty fish like salmon and sardines, which are high in omega-3 fatty acids.
3. Vegetables: Non-starchy vegetables are a must on the keto diet. Stock up on leafy greens like spinach and kale, as well as broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, and asparagus.
4. Fruits: While fruit should be limited on the keto diet due to its sugar content, berries like strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries can be enjoyed in moderation.
5. Nuts and seeds: Almonds, walnuts, macadamia nuts, chia seeds, and flaxseeds are all great sources of healthy fats and can be used to add crunch to salads or snacks.
6. Dairy: Cheese, butter, heavy cream, and full-fat yogurt are all great sources of fat on the keto diet. Just be sure to watch your dairy intake if you're sensitive to lactose.
7. Oils and fats: Olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, and ghee are all great cooking fats for the keto diet. You can also use them to make salad dressings or add healthy fats to your meals.
8. Sweeteners: While sugar is off-limits on the keto diet, there are still sweeteners that can be used in moderation. Stevia, erythritol, and monk fruit are all popular keto-friendly sweeteners.

Remember, it's important to read labels and check for hidden carbs and sugars. With this keto shopping list, you'll be well on your way to stocking your kitchen with healthy, low-carb options. Happy shopping!
What are your go-to keto foods? Share your favorite keto shopping list items in the comments below.