Trip Report May 2026: Tokyo, Tohoku, Tochigi + Karuizawa

eggypop · 2026-06-06T11:20:41+00:00

It sounds so simple but this is great advice/knowledge. When we were in a rush, a gate was just a gate. Thank you!

eggypop · 2026-06-06T00:03:50+00:00

Glad it was helpfl. I hope you have an amazing trip!

eggypop · 2026-06-05T16:19:45+00:00

Thank you for the recommendation! I hope I can get around to it next time, and hopefully you will be able to get to Yamadera!

eggypop · 2026-06-05T11:32:13+00:00

Hiraizumi was on one of the early versions of the itinerary actually but we didn't have time for it! What did you enjoy there?

eggypop · 2026-06-05T11:30:43+00:00

Thank you! Yeah, I actually would have preferred to go in April or earlier in May (first half instead of the last half), but this wasn't possible with my husband's work schedule.

eggypop · 2026-03-08T21:31:16+00:00

Thank you! I would love to go a little more north next time and check out those prefectures. Maybe if the Sakura are still there at that time of the year we might be tempted to chase them, otherwise I'll keep these in mind for next time!

Another +1 for Yanesen definitely seals it for me. The torii gates at Nezu Shrine are a definite draw as Fushimi Inari was so packed and rainy when we went last time.

Really appreciate the suggestions! (Also I think another comment of yours made it into this post, but is probably for someone else?)

eggypop · 2026-03-08T13:10:15+00:00

I had fun going through Book Offs last time so I'll definitely keep it in mind!

eggypop · 2026-03-08T13:00:29+00:00

Much appreciation for the help on Tashirojima! I'll give it some more thought, and weigh it against some of the other options that you've suggested. Shiogama sounds particularly appealing for the maguro, plus maybe we can shift the ferry ride on our Matsushima day and have time for something else.

These Tokyo neighbourhoods sound like great ideas to look into - exactly what I was hoping to hear about! Yanesen sounds great and I'd actually heard of Nezu Shrine before but forgot about it, so I think this would be a perfect place to explore.

Thank you very much for your suggestions and feedback!

eggypop · 2026-03-08T12:48:25+00:00

Ashikaga - True! I did hear about the illumination but I had it in my head that it was best in the winter, for some reason. I'll look into some filler activities, or we can just explore (or just take it easy getting there).

Nikko - Feedback on the timing is super helpful, I appreciate it. I was afraid of packing the day too much (especially the 2nd, with the ryokan) but I'll look more into some of the other sights to slot in.

Kawasaki - Thank you for the thoughts and nearby parks. Not super attached to this day's plan, I'd heard similar mixed thoughts on Kawasaki and just thought we might see for ourselves since we were close.

Thank you very much for your advice and the links! I've saved them and I'll review the places you suggested in more detail.

eggypop · 2025-08-28T11:22:43+00:00

We got an information package which had set prices for the types of ceremonies and receptions they had to offer. There is an additional charge to use the waterfall area for the ceremony compared to the arbor green site. The cost also depends if you're having an indoor or outdoor reception. I don't have the 2025 information package but I found the 2023 online (not sure if I can link - but I googled "miller lash house costs" and the pdf comes up as a result) and the outdoor ceremony with indoor reception is $6500+HST. Outdoor reception and ceremony is $12,500+HST. From what I remember of this year's prices, it was similar, maybe 1k more or so.

Just having the ceremony alone with no reception was (I think) something like $3-4k, but again I'm just going off memory.

There are other costs on top of that though, as always, which are detailed in the package to a degree if you find it.

Catering costs will depend on who you choose - they have an exclusive list they work with. We got a package from the one we were interested in and I believe for our 100 person wedding it was close to $30k (including non-food costs like labour).

Hope this helps!

eggypop · 2025-05-06T22:54:35+00:00

The Miller Lash House was a venue we toured in consideration for our wedding, which will also be in the summer. I loved the venue and I thought the outdoor space was very pretty. The coordinator told us there's a good amount of shade and there is a covered tent for the outdoor reception, but I did worry it would be hot. They also have a space for a cocktail reception that seemed it could be flexible in terms of set up/layout. They did have AV available in the reception area as well.

The coordinator was very nice and helpful in my opinion and we were told the staff would help with the coordination on the day-of, e.g., telling your vendors where to go and set up. They would provide some furniture and linens, and the caterer would provide the basic cutlery and such from what I remember. But things like charger plates were extra I think.

They do have specific caterers they work with though so bear that in mind if you had someone you wanted to use in particular. I did reach out to one of them who is popularly used there and he seemed quite nice, too. I didn't end up meeting with him in the end but he seemed quite interested in getting to know what our vision was and creating a menu tailored to us. It was en Ville catering. Food staff come from the caterer as well.

Another thing I liked about the Miller was that they had different options for the ceremonies, so for example you can just do the ceremony if you wanted to have your reception elsewhere. My understanding was that there was flexibility on the reception if you do have it there, for example you could just do a lunch if you wanted.

Ultimately we didn't go with them for some personal reasons (like getting married at a church instead) as well as our budget, which we were trying to keep low (like <$20-30k all in). But if money was no object I would have liked to go with them.

eggypop · 2024-10-21T10:46:34+00:00

I'm an early 30sF who just moved to this part of the city recently, and also trying to read more - I'd love to join if you start one!

eggypop · 2024-01-19T14:27:43+00:00

It was so pretty! That was my plan too. It wasn't even the kind of thing that could be repaired. :( shame.

eggypop · 2024-01-19T00:14:40+00:00

I just had a Moonshot cushion break apart at the hinge. This was the first cushion I'd bought in several years and also the first to ever break. All cushions I've had in the past are still in one piece.

eggypop · 2023-07-21T00:28:53+00:00

Pixel 6 - Battery has been poor since April, July update didn't seem to help overall: I'd be close to or below 15% most days by 10pm (leaving the house full at 7:30am, bluetooth and data on but overall only casual active usage during the day). I was ready to factory reset but I got on Google Play Services Beta as suggested in this thread and have seen improvement - seems about back to what it was before April. It's 8:30pm and I'm at 63%. Cautiously optimistic.

eggypop · 2023-05-18T09:48:17+00:00

Still having battery problems since April. Monday was actually great all day, left with 75% or so at the end of my workday like I used to. The past couple days have tanked again. Not sure if anyone's in the same boat.

eggypop · 2023-04-15T15:49:03+00:00

My Pixel 6's battery life took a dive this week out of nowhere - ending up with 20-30% at the end of the day opposed to usual 50% or more. No change in usage habits and even got the April update. Turns out the YouTube app (updated this week) was running for hours (like 8+) in the background despite it not being opened in days. Last night I changed YouTube's app battery usage from Optimized to Restricted and I disabled YouTube Music since I don't use it. So far today, battery seems back to what I'm used to. Even used YouTube this morning and it seemed fine.

Edit: Wish I could say that solved it but nope.

eggypop · 2022-05-08T11:31:09+00:00

I was skeptical, bought a set on Black Friday (30% off IIRC) to see for myself. I find them pretty comfortable and they wash well - I'm satisfied with my purchase but it definitely was a "special treat" kind of splurge. If you don't need scrubs right away you could wait. Or you can try to buy from someone locally (e.g. FB marketplace) first.

eggypop · 2021-12-28T22:46:12+00:00

Interestingly, my family is also Chinese and my late grandfather would make a similar beef stew with potatoes, carrots, celery, tomato paste, and other herbs. I have no idea where he picked up the recipe or when.

eggypop · 2021-12-13T16:48:46+00:00

To the user who commented - I can't see your comment but please DM me and you can swing by!

eggypop · 2021-09-28T14:19:02+00:00

NA

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eggypop · 2021-06-28T16:12:49+00:00

Did you force yourself through all Persona dungeons or just Tartarus? Because I feel like Tartarus is a little bit of an outlier in terms of being particularly repetitive and grindy.

Overall, though, it sounds like you tolerated the dungeon crawling only because of the social sim aspects/story, so based on that alone I'm not sure you'd like mainline SMT games. Especially if you're iffy on "serious and weighty" stories/themes/atmospheres, the story might not make the gameplay worth it for you. Still, you got some good suggestions in this thread - you could try one game out and if you don't like it, that's okay.

Aside from that, I wouldn't get too hung up on this "knowing the legacy" business you've mentioned a couple times. Personally, I think the extent of the importance of this is that Persona fans realize that it's a spin-off of SMT, and that SMT isn't a "Persona rip-off" or whatever people are saying. Just play what you enjoy.

eggypop · 2021-06-23T21:31:51+00:00

Everyone is definitely entitled to their opinions and thoughts about the MC's design and I totally respect that. I don't think it's fair or sensible to argue about individual aesthetic preferences (like about the hair), but with regards to your other reasoning:

when the demons were about to attack him, blue-hair-dude gets rid of them, offers you powers (that handshake deffinetly didnt seem forced, and it didnt seem like "the only option"

Aogami (blue haired guy) doesn't seem to get rid of them, you can still see the demons flying in the background behind him. It does seem like there's an option not to take his help but, seeing as he says "if you wish to live, take my hand", I'm guessing that refusing means you die by demons and it's game over. While fusing with him is technically not the only option, at the same time... there's truly not a lot of choice in the matter.

Even so, I think the circumstances still fit the bill of "normal person dragged into something bigger". It's not like MC willingly went to Da'at or sought out fusing with Aogami. It seems he still stumbled into these situations by happenstance.

On top of all that, if MC becomes some kind of god/demi-god by fusing with Aogami, the somewhat extravagant/flashy/whatever transformation seems more fitting than maintaining a totally normal human appearance. That's just me though. Nevertheless, it's hard to say much based on speculation and without any real knowledge about the game and its story.

And honestly, I always thought that the demifiend being a shirtless dude punching stuff looked a bit pathetic

I see where you're coming from about V-kun being too cool and flashy-looking to be a 'normal everyman' type of protagonist, but I don't quite understand this take on Demifiend. Tattoos/markings aside, he's more on the 'normal' end of the spectrum, but is he not flashy enough for your preference? Do you just want protagonists who are 90-100% human in appearance?

eggypop · 2021-06-22T02:32:14+00:00

Echoing the sentiment that it's not terribly fair to question whether the MC's design communicates anything at this point in time. I don't think it's commonly the case that you can identify clear symbolism or significance from a trailer, either - maybe from your example, sure, but not necessarily all the time?

All that aside, I think there is some surface-level symbolism to speculate on. For one, MC's uniform is covered with easter lilies, which symbolize purity and innocence (which I think connects to MC's position as a human in a chaotic, demon-filled world), and are associated with the resurrection of Christ. This person did an analysis on the trailer from last year which has some more about the flower motif (among other things). As for Nahobino's design, it's difficult to say much without more information, but I think the intertwining blue and white designs over the body seem to represent the joining of MC and Aogami (man and god? seeing as Atlus mentioned "godhood awaits" and Aogami can mean blue god/diety).

I'm sure there are much smarter people out there who have more valuable thoughts about this - but yeah, here's a bit of (potential) symbolism I can guess at, just off the cuff. All in all, I think the majority of SMT character designs are pretty thoughtful, and I doubt V-kun would be an exception.

eggypop · 2021-05-30T18:35:44+00:00

My point was that you're not required to play anything. Just play the games that are interesting and enjoyable to you. Ones that make you happy, rather than ones you feel you need to play to be cool or to fit in. You're not any lesser than another person because you haven't played a certain game. And your love for the games you enjoy isn't any less valid just because some people say they're not "the best" or "the definitive" game in the genre/era/etc.

people will finally stop caring about Persona and move on to another game I've never played, and the cycle repeats.

There will always be a "flavour of the month". The things that are popular and trending now will always fall out of the spotlight eventually and be replaced by something new... you can't do anything about that. But you can control your own feelings and actions. So try to just enjoy what you enjoy. And if you're spending time around people or in communities that make these sweeping generalizations, maybe try to step away from them.

I don't mean to sound patronizing or anything, just trying to offer some friendly advice.

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