December 01, 2015

Elle & Jess Do The Pocky Sharehappi Dance for Pocky Day!

Hello everyone!
If you were wondering what our last Japan trip was all about, the answer is in this post: Yep, we were invited by Glico to get to know their brand better, especially POCKY!


We're pretty sure you're familiar with Pocky since it's basically everywhere since we were kids, but in case you don't, it's a delicious Japanese biscuit brand that has a wide range of flavours, from chocolate to green tea to grape! (Please bring more flavours to Indonesia xD)

And one of the things that we found out during our trip was...
POCKY has its own day!!
November 11th

Why November 11th? Because 11-11 looks like four Pocky sticks standing in a line! ^^

What surprised us more was that SO many people celebrate it! It shows just how loved the brand is in Japan. To give you a glimpse of the celebration, we visited this prestigious university in Shinjuku called Waseda University. They decorated the convenience store inside the building to look like this:

Greeted by this big display full of Pocky at the entrance:

Actually Pocky has to share this day with his brother too, PRETZ, which is more to savoury flavour rather than sweet.

In addition to the vibrant decoration, they also lowered down the price so more people can celebrate Pocky Day and share the happiness!
♡〜٩( ˃́▿˂̀ )۶〜♡

Jeng jeng! They even prepared a simple PHOTO BOOTH in front of the store along with some props, like wigs, sunglasses, and... Pocky balloons!!

The Glico team told us that other universities which have convenience stores also celebrated Pocky Day just like Waseda, because so many students would buy Pocky on that day, hence more profit for the stores! ^^

Besides universities, big supermarkets (like Carrefour in Indonesia) also joined the hype by having a special corner for Pocky:
(Sorry for the photo quality! It's from our Snapchat ^^)
Ok finally! The peak of the celebration!
Oh wait, maybe we should introduce these guys first:
Pocky has always been collaborating with popular celebrities and this time is this trio from the famous Japanese supergroup, EXILE TRIBE: Naoki Kobayashi, Takanori Iwata and Hiroomi Tosaka.

Not only they modeled for Pocky, they also created this super catchy song and dance:
↑ Love how the audience dance enthusiastically along with them! ↑

And, aaand, for the peak celebration of Pocky Day, Glico held a
DANCE CONTEST!

We just have to copy the dance or modify it in our own creative ways and then submit it to Glico website.

Here's a screenshot of some of the contestants! More than 1,000 joined omg!!

If we haven't mentioned it before, Japanese people LOVE to celebrate—from Halloween to traditional festivals! And that's one of the things we love about them! It is commonly said that you will always find a festival somewhere in Japan.

So, in order to show our love for Japan and Pocky, we decided to make a video compilation of our (awkward) Pocky/Sharehappi dance at various places in Tokyo and Osaka that we visited:

Haha please don't judge us.

Hope you enjoyed this bit of information on Pocky, Japanese culture, and our latest trip to Japan :)
See you guys on our next post!
By ELLE JESS at 1:44 PM 14 comments
Labels: , , , ,

November 26, 2015

Our Stay in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Korea | Stylish, Modern Airbnb

Hi everyone! As the title says, today's post is about our Seoul Airbnb!

If you're new to Airbnb, basically it's a website where you, as a potential guest, can book unique accommodations around the world!
"Whether an apartment for a night, a castle for a week, or a villa for a month, Airbnb connects people to unique travel experiences, at any price point."
—Airbnb

We believe "unique experience" is its selling point. Beside the homey interior designs, you'll feel as though you're living like a local instead of a tourist because you can do all the stuff you usually do at your own home, like cooking and washing clothes! Not to mention the hosts are usually more than welcome to give you recommendations for restaurants and cafes nearby; or things to do. :) There are also some Airbnb that allow you to stay WITH the hosts or with other guests. And some even have pets with them! ^^
Just read the information carefully before you make any reservation, ok! 

We've tried more than 10 Airbnbs, and this Seoul Airbnb that's located in Gangnam area is definitely one of the best! See for yourself :)
OVERVIEW
It's a comfortable loft apartment with minimalist, cool rustic style with modern furnitures.
↑ Modern elevator & touchscreen door lock.
If you travel a lot and you are NOT a light traveler, which means you bring heavy suitcases with you, then an elevator would be a massive help, seriously. A lot of Airbnbs don't have an elevator in their building.
The entrance slash kitchen slash laundry room. Talk about efficiency!
Stairs to the 'second' floor ^^
Living room under the bed <3

BEDROOMS
There are two bedrooms and both of them are "upstairs". This is the first bedroom:
Love the chic yet comfy feel of this place!
We suppose this is the master bedroom because it has a TV ↓
And this is the second bedroom which is above the living room ↓
The ladder of this bed hurt our feet when we climbed up and down. So it's best to wear socks! And let the elders sleep on the master bed. :)
↑ View from each bed ^^ ↓
↑ The second bedroom might not have a TV, but it has a pandaaaa haha xD Not bad for giving us a lil bit of @miikopanda's vibe.
↑ Big cupboard located beside the living room.

LIVING ROOM
Both of us spent a lot of time here; watching anime while snacking, blogging, browsing, aaanddd... watching Korean TV shows and commercials (yes, we love observing commercials around the world lol, very interesting) here ↓
The TV is right across the living room!
↑ DVD player!
Photogenic sofa ^^

KITCHEN

Well, what can we say? (Seriously, what can we? Our mom said -->) This is a very well-equipped modern kitchen! It has mostly everything you need to cook up a simple feast; from kitchen utensils, cooking utilities like stove, rice cooker, oven, to cooking oil and cutleries!
↑ Bottles of mineral water were already provided! ♥
Side note: You CAN'T drink the tap water in Korea! At least that was what our host told us, so we'll just go with it.

BATHROOM
There's nothing more appalling to an accommodation than a dirty, old bathroom. That's why when we're staying at a new place, one of the first things we do is to check out the bathroom first. Thankfully, the bathroom here is very clean and filled with modern amenities!
It's quite small, alright, but it's perfect for a studio apartment! And it has a good drainage system.

AMENITIES
↑ Ok this is the best part! PORTABLE WIFI!!!
This reason alone is enough to choose this Airbnb haha.. You CAN take it anywhere you go! No need to worry of being disconnected from the outside world! Just make sure you bring a power bank too, in case it runs out of battery, ok. ;)
↑ Say what? Another Wifi!! This time it's a cable one for home. Hello, movie streaming!
↑ So happy that they provided a good hair dryer!
↑ Love the generous supplies.
↑ Modern washing machine and friends ↓
↑ They provide a lot of big towels! Yay to that ;D
↑ Intercom and Heating System / Water Temperature. So high tech compared to other Airbnbs we've visited!
↑ Cleaning tools.
↑ In case you're wondering how the electrical outlets in Seoul look like... it's the same type used in Indonesia! :D (The standard voltage is 220 volts)

NEIGHBORHOOD
3 minutes walk to the nearest convenience store, and there are a lot of nice cafes and restaurants around! We really like the location :)

ACCESS
Near Yeoksam and Gangnam station.

If you happen to rent or own a vehicle, you can safely park inside the building! ↓

PRICE
IDR 1,133,289/night
Extra people: IDR 143,454/night (after 3 guests)

MORE INFO
Website: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/7974128?s=fXG14VFX

 Contact Person / Host: Jiseon

If this Airbnb is already fully booked, or you want more choices, you might want to check out Jiseon's other listings:

Jiseon is very nice, friendly and responsive! Even when we had questions or concerns at 11pm, she still answered us very quickly and patiently. And when we needed more amenities like towels or glasses, she provided them on the very next day! She really made our trip easier and more enjoyable. Thank you, Jiseon!! ^^
XOXO
By ELLE JESS at 7:12 PM 11 comments
Labels: , , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)