From YouTube Drama to Shibuya 109 Mall, the Top 5 Posts of 2015

Tokyo Skytree and the Asahi Beer headquarters - Tokyo, Japan

Wow! What an eventful year it's been! In 2015, I earned my Master's degree in TESOL, moved back to the States, and most of all, did more writing and blogging than I have in years. In total, I have written 110 posts on this blog; including this one, I posted 67 this year! Furthermore, I've recently started writing freelance, which has given me more opportunities to write, share information, and interact with awesome people. Additionally, I started the Black Women Thrive series here on my blog. Although it's taken a backseat recently, I am going to start sharing stories for the series again once the new year starts!

Before moving forward into the next year, it's fun to look back and review what occurred in the year we'll be saying "goodbye" to soon. Therefore, I'd like to review the top five posts on my blog from this year!

Shibuya 109 mall.

#5 - Tokyo: My General Impressions

Back in February, I treated myself to a trip to Tokyo for my 25th birthday. In less than a week, I was able to visit most of the major parts of the city, including Asakusa, Odaiba, Ueno, Akihabara, Shinjuku, and Ikebukuro. It was an exhausting whirlwind of a trip, and my first time alone in a foreign country (aside from living in Taiwan).

Nevertheless, it was life-changing in a way I can't describe because of the autonomy I had. I was able to take in all the sites without being distracted, make my own decisions about where to go and what to eat, and enjoy the city at my own pace. Not only did I fall in love with Tokyo, but I realized that it's okay—even beneficial—to experience a trip solo. I look forward to writing more about my trip to Tokyo next year. Perhaps I will find myself in the city again in 2016!

Ameyoko (アメ横): A Sweet Tooth's Paradise

Ameyoko's North Entrance.

Source

On my first full day in Tokyo, I visited Sensõji Temple, Kappabashi, Ueno, and Tokyo Character Street. Aside from the large Ueno Park, I believe Ameyoko（アメ横）is the most well-known tourist spot in the Ueno area. From Asakusa, I walked to Ueno, then took the train from Okachimachi to Tokyo Station.

A man selling chocolate and other candies.

On day 1, I was out and about for nearly half the day. Unfortunately, somewhere between Kappabashi and Ueno, my portable charger and wi-fi device both died! As a result, I was unable to send pictures and videos on my phone to my Dropbox, and my phone was too full to take pictures. So, I was left with my cheap, nearly decade old point-and-shoot...which also ran out of batteries! Thankfully, I was able to score new ones from the Yodobashi Camera (an electronic store chain) close to Ueno Station.

Ameya-Yokochõ（アメヤ横丁）—Ameyoko for short—is situated along the metro tracks between Ueno and Okachimachi stations. It used to be a marketplace for goods from America （america; アメリカ） right after WWII; however, these days Ameyoko sells discounted clothes, street food, dried goods, and sweets. Candy is a popular item sold in the area, and I doubt you can find it cheaper in any other part of Tokyo.

Wangfujing's "Taiwan Great Food Street"//王府井的“台灣美食街

夜市招牌跟台灣地圖。
The night market sign with a map of Taiwan.

夜市大門口。
The night market main entrance.

我不知道誰決定王府井的夜市應該命名“台灣美食街”；王府井的食物跟在台灣夜市的不太一樣啊！好，說實在的，台灣美食街有一些在台灣可以找到的食物，但是大部分不是台灣式的。我2011年參觀王府井的夜市，所以從那時到現在應該改變了吧。

I don't know who decided Wangfujing's night market should be named "Taiwan Great Food Street". The food there and Taiwanese night market fare is not that similar! Granted, Taiwan Great Food Street has some of the same food you can find in Taiwan, but most of it isn't Taiwanese-style. However, I went there in 2011, so it must have changed since then.

烤肉
Kebab meat

去王府井不是我們班的實地考察之一，就是去過中國一次的同學陪我們去。王府井對我很有意思因為人觀看是我的興趣之一。因為王府井很有名，所以很熱鬧的地方。到了夜晚，商店仍然象白天一樣，非常熱鬧。到周末好像北京人都去王府井以的。

Going to Wangfujing wasn't a field trip arranged for our class, a classmate who had been to China before led some of us there. Before I went to Wangfujing, I didn't know what to expect. Wangfujing is interesting in my opinion because people-watching is one of my hobbies. Because Wangfujing is very famous, it's a bustling place. At night, the stores are still teeming with people as they are in the daytime. 

Liuhe Night Market (六合夜市)

The night market sign.

Liuhe Night Market (liuhe yeshi; 六合夜市) is not only the most popular night market in Kaohsiung, but it is arguably one of the best-known tourists attractions in the city. Open from 5pm to 6am (!), the market offers a wide variety of foods to try, especially seafood. Naturally, like the majority of night markets in Taiwan, items like toys and clothes are also for sale in the market. 

Accessing the Liuhe Night Market isn't complicated; simply take the MRT to Formosa Boulevard Station (meili dao zhan;美麗島站) and consult the exit guide to determine where the market is located. It's less than a five minute walk from the station. Luckily, my dad and I were staying down the street from Formosa Boulevard Station so we didn't have to ride the train to get to the market. 

When it comes to food, Dad isn't as adventurous as I am. Therefore, we ate dinner at out hotel before going to the night market in case he didn't see anything appealing enough to try. I had eaten too, but of course I saved enough room to indulge at the market. My infatuation with food is undying. ;)

Seafood is king at this night market,
but it comes at a hefty price...

My favorite thing about Liuhe Night Market was that there were several snacks on sale there that I hadn't seen in other markets. Also, the market was clean and organized - certainly a big plus. 

Still, as the market is strongly geared toward tourists, several items were overpriced. A small portion of BBQ squid which is usually seen for around 50NT was 100NT at Liuhe Night Market! Often times, you can buy three portions of BBQ squid for 100NT. I allowed myself to try a few snacks, but I skipped several dishes due to the unfair pricing.

Miaokou Night Market (廟口夜市)

One of the best night markets I've been to is definitely Miaokou Night Market (廟口夜市) in Keelung (基隆).  I think the variety of food found at the market makes it stand out, especially the types of seafood.  The night market is the main attraction of the city, and it's worth going to Keelung just to eat there.

Even when it's raining, you can't keep the crowds away from this market!
This is the more touristy section with clearer signs and lanterns.

Shilin Night Market

Shilin Night Market is probably the most famous night market in Taipei - if not Taiwan - and is frequented by many tourists.  However, it is not a tourist trap.  Well, at least the outdoor portion of it (which has the better food) isn't.  There's a huge variety of snacks to try at Shilin Night Market, and the kinds of food there seems to expand every time I go.

The view from Jiantian Station on a sunny day.

Shilin Night Market is also awesome because it's quite easy to access. Simply go to Jiantian Station on the red line and take exit 2.  Then, walk straight and cross left at the first intersection you hit. Then bam! - you're there.  It's a large market, so I suggest wandering without any sort of agenda.

Shaved Ice @ Raohe Night Market

The shop is spacious, even on a busy day.

Since moving to Taiwan, I've developed an affinity toward shaved ice. Previously, I compared two popular shaved ice locations, Xin Fa Ting and Tai Yi Milk King. Since discovering those two, I've become fond of a third location at Raohe Night Market in Songshan (松山).

Unfortunately, I don't recall the name of this night market shaved ice spot, but it is the only one on the main avenue of the night market. Raohe Night Market is centered around two pedestrian lanes; the shaved ice shop is clearly marked on the right side of the left main street; it will be on your right if you enter the night market from the quieter, rear entrance.

Face-off: Xin Fa Ting (辛發亭冰品店) vs. Tai Yi Milk King (臺一牛奶大王) !

In Taipei, two of the biggest names in the iced dessert business are Xin Fa Ting in Shilin and Tai Yi Milk King in Da'an.  Unless you go to either one of these shops during a generally low-traffic time (like late-morning on a Sunday) you're going to meet huge crowds, especially on Saturday night when all the young people are out and about.  Although that may sound daunting, the staff at both shops seem to well accustomed to dealing with the high volumes of customers, and although there often are long lines in both places, the wait never seems to exceed 5-8 minutes.

Xin Fa Ting's peanut shaved ice

Tai Yi Milk King's pudding and chocolate ice

Both shops have their own style of preparing their cold desserts, so let's get down to business and compare the two!

(And just so you know - both shops sell more than iced desserts, but I'll be focusing on that since it is their specialty).