Saitama Fest 2026 Haul 🎌

   

Last month, my sister and I went to Saitama Fest, a small Matsuri that was held in my city. I went last year with my friends but, since we went kinda late, we couldn't fully enjoy everything. This time, despite how crowded it was, we managed to enjoy some live music, eat, drink and walk around to check everything before deciding what to buy.

We ate a delish bento with some beer. I didn't take too many pics because of how crowded it was. but it was defo a fun day.

            

I tried the most delicious Sake ice cream ever! Matcha was yummy too.

I love these events because first, I love Japan and its culture and second, I get the chance to do some shopping. This time I was determined to get some things for my house so, here's my small haul. 

Since my phone's camera isn't working well, I've been trying to use my old digital camera so, if quality isn't the best, that's why. I'm impressed the camera still works well after all this time tho. Plus, there's something so nostalgic about using it~ 

Let's start with my favs, drinks!

This was my first time trying the Kirin Ichiban lager. I love beer and I'll take any chance to try a new one, especially because I haven't seen this one in stores. (I know I can always look online but, still). I had this one during the festival along with my bento but I wanted to include it here as a part of the haul.

I knew I had to buy some Sake, one that I hadn't tried before. So, I got the Hakutsuru Superior Junmai Ginjo. Yes, the beautiful bottle caught my eye but, it was a great choice. It was soooo good.
I think I'll share a little bit more about it in a future post.

 Surprisingly, I didn't buy more yummies this time so, let's move on to some things I got for the house...

I bought a set of shuriken coasters, they are made of this foam kind of material and, I ended up sharing some of them. The ones I kept are now part of my wall decor in the dining room, hehe.

Got this sushi print for the kitchen. It makes a small, fun piece of decor. I wish I remembered the names of the stores I got all these things from, I rarely pick their cards and, I should start doing it.

And these beautiful sakura photos taken by Hideki Onodera.
He had lots and lots of amazing pictures in different sizes to choose from, I felt a little overwhelmed. I regret not buying more but, I'm still pretty happy and in love with these. I still haven't found the perfect place for them tho. 

I love magnets on my fridge so, I had to get some. These are from the same stall I got the sushi print.

This was a bit of a random purchase but, I always wanted to get a omamori. I know this one is not from a temple and, it's empty inside but, it's really pretty and, I'm happy with it for now. 
One day I'll get the real deal, haha.

This has to be the thing I'm the most excited about, I was not expecting to find a kayaributa. I remember watching a video about them months ago and thinking they were very cute. I told myself I'd get one if I ever found one. And I did! I didn't even think about it much. I might not use it for its exact purpose but, I can always burn other types of incense in it. 
It is beautifully made of ceramic and, I just love it so much.

I think this one was one of the last things I got. I know it's just a picture frame but, I just loved the Japanese fabric on it. It's so bright and colorful, it makes me happy.

I received this Sakura Choco, I haven't tried them yet, I feel like I'm gonna feel bad for having to eat them, hehe.

Sakura & Ninja choco~♡

My sister also got some taiyaki to share. This one was filled with anko so, it was delish! I could eat taiyaki everyday. Eating it reminded me how much I actually love anko.

And, that's everything I got at the Saitama Fest this year. Can't wait to find a place for everything and style them around the apartment. I might share that in another post in the future along with other apartment updates.

I hope they continue holding this event every year cuz, I'm sure I'll be back to enjoy a little bit of one of my fav cultures and, of course, do some shopping!!

See you next time~!💋

Halloween Pressies 2026

 

Halloween might be over but, I still have one last Halloween thing to share with you, my Halloween pressies. You know I just love to share these type of posts with you every year. Who knows? Maybe it can give you some ideas for next year or inspire you to exchange boo baskets with friends or family. It's such a fun thing to do!!

This are in no particular order, I just tried to put some things together to keep the post a short and spooky so, let's get started~!

First we have some Halloween / witchy tote bags. I recieved some gifts in the ones in the left and the black on the right came in a basket with other goodies. I know I will be using them even when it's not Halloween, hehe.

Chucky goodies!
 For some reason, he keeps coming back to me, he's slowly becoming one of my fav characters. Have I mentioned Grandpa took me to watch that movie when I was a little girl? Maybe that's when my love for horror started.
I recevied a slightly cropped, grey tee and, a fun headband with a small plushie that lights up. 

Meet my new babies!
First is Tiago the bat, Halloween Hello Kitty and Jack (O' Lantern).
Love them so much!

Some decor and bath goodies.
The tiny ghost is a cup, it's defo going to stay on the coffee station.
It's my first time having a Halloween bath sponge, it's so cute! And, I can't wait to use the bath salt for a magical, relaxing, bath.

Cute little kit for a spell and, other written spells in the paper rolls.

Witchy stationery!
I'm obsessed with how beautiful the notebook is.

We have another tee, A Gilmore Ghouls one! everything about it is perfect considering I love GG, coffee and, Halloween! Hehe. My sister and mom also have one.
Spooky socks are alaways welcome and, an all-year round thing too.

Halloween can't be complete without some yummies.
Left: Sparkling rose wine.
Center: chocolate and gummies galore and, sweet potato pie.
Right: Chobani pumpkin spice creamer.

I also received other snacks and pastries at the beginning of the month but, they are already gone and, I never took a pic of them. Oh well~ 

I think with that, we are done with this pressies post. In a way, this it feels like a way to officially end Halloween season but, we still have a lot of Fall and, that makes me so happy.

See you next time~!💋

Bye Bye To My Fav Month~ | October Recap Pt. 2 |

Is it just me or this month felt suuuuuper duper short? I need more October!!

In a way, this is going to be the second part of the October So Far post I shared before, so hopefully, this one won't be extra long. No promises tho~

The second half of the month didn't slow down, work was busy, especially with new teachers joining and constant meetings. There were days where I was just exhausted at the end of the day and didn't feel like doing many extra things during the week other than watching some shows and movies after work, having seasonal yummies & other small things here and there.

I put some Halloween pressies together to give before actual Halloween.

I was so excited to get some Halloween goodies for my babies too. Maybe way more excited than they were, haha.

I also received other pressies, I'll share everything in a separate post soon.

One fun event I went to was the Saitama Fest, you know I love Japanese culture so, I had to go. I went with my sister and, even tho it was super crowded, we enjoyed it a lot, ate, drank, listened to some live music and, of course, did some shopping. I'm working on a haul post to show you what I got. I believe this is the second year they hold this event here and I'm sure I'll continue going if it becomes an annual thing.

I had the best Sake ice cream ever! ❤

The seasonal eating and drinking continued with a delish pumkin roll I found at Walmart, I love it because this year, they finally came out with more pumpkin & apple pastries. This roll in particular was so good and fresh, I was obsessed. I also found this Rifel pan de muerto muffin, which was pretty good too, really tasted like pan de muerto and, I love pan de muerto. This was a bit of a miss for me but, I'm gonna include it here anyway. I tried one of Tim Hortons' seasonal drinks and, it disappointed me. The one I had was the ube caramel latte, I had no expectation but it was overly sweet, very thick and caramel was the only thing I could taste. I'm gonna be very honest here, when Tim Hortons first opened here, I was so excited and, I really want to love it but, the few things I've tried so far hadn't been my favs~ We'll see what happens in the future.

I also found a Patti LaBelle Sweet Potato Pie at Walmart which was so delish guys, it tasted more like pumpkin pie in a baby version, super spiced, super good! 

A fun find was  the Vualá Switch that had this zombie vibe to it with vibrant Halloween colors and a unique taste. It is a chocolate and orange cake and I loved it so much, I could eat it all year round.

Other yummies: Bloody cookies made by my sister and a pan de muerto hamburger thingy. Both were so good! 

Last thing is not Halloween or seasonal but, it is coffee and, iykyk. I tried Costa Coffee. I've seen it a lot but we don't have it where I live so, it was nice to find it at the supermarket. This one was Chinese for some reason but, it was pretty good! I had the black americano, it wasn't super strong but delish. It had a very sublte sweetness to it and, caffeine was caffeining.

 Well, that was enough food for one post, let's move on to what I watched this month. I'm not gonna include the ones I mentioned in the last post, guess it'll be more about what I watched this past 2 weeks. It's honestly not that much but, I recently shared a post dedicated to some other shows and movies in case you wanna check it out. 

The first show I'm gonna share is It: Welcome to Derry, I liked it, it was fun and well made, I just didn't love it. I wouldn't say It or even Pennywise are my favorites so, yeah. Another show I watched was Cautiva, a drama miniseries from Argentina based on a true story. This was recommended by one of my students and, I loved it. I will watch everything that's religious and dark, is one of my fav combos ever. It's only 6 episodes long and each episode is a little over 30 mins so, you can easily watch it in a couple of days. This next movie wasn't exactly my favorite but I'll include it anyway, Tormented, a British black comedy, teen slasher movie from the early 2000s. And I mean, I enjoy teen slashers but this one was... ok? It's kinda gory but not realistic cuz effects arent exactly the best.

After many years, I watched The Little Vampire again. This is a fun and even cute vampire movie from 2000, where did time go! We used to be so obsessed with it and it was a nice blast from the past for me. I can't believe I still remember some of the dialogues, especially after all these years!

Lastly, this month my beloved Bleach finally came to an end with Bleach TYBW: The Calamity last two episodes. It is kinda bittersweet because I love this anime so so much, I has a very special place in my heart and so many good memories. The whole TYBW Arc was perfection! I could get more into it but, it'd made this post super long. So I'll just say that even tho it was nice and fun to see the characters and their lives 10 years later, something was missing. The ending felt rushed and I feel like many things were left unfinished or unexplained. I know the manga has a lot more but, I haven't read it yet.

Moving on to favs of the month, I think I only have a fav lip combo to share: The Beauty Creations Plump & Pout Plumping Lip Liner with the Essence What the Fake! Plumping Lip Filler. Yeah, plumping product with pumping product haha. Sometimes I like to fill my lips with the liner and top it with the gloss and, other times I just outline them and apply the gloss. They are very similar in shade so, it works! It's been my go-to combo.💋 

And, as if this post wasn't already super long, I decided to add a little something: beauty empties. Just because I recently ran out of two products I really liked. I'll be brief, I promise. Haha.

The first product is the COSRX Advanced Snail Peptide Eye Cream, I tried the miniature from the COSRX All About Snail Kit 4 In One, I want to get the full size product cuz it did a great job hydrating my eye area and my fine lines felt a little softer somehow.

The other one is the Hoygi Ultimate Moisturizing Cream, I used it for about 5 months and really liked it. It is good for mature skin, reduces wrinkles and fine lines, hydrates and tightens the skin. I have a new one to try so I guess I won't be repurchasing it for now but, that doesn't mean I wouldn't do it in the future.

Before we end this post, we have to talk about Halloween because, it was the holiday this month. Honestly, I had a very quiet one because I wanted it to be like that. Like I mentioned before, it was a busy month and all I wanted was some time to relax. I realised that as much as I love to dress up and do something fun on actual Halloween, I also enjoy doing and trying all these other things throughout the month and not just focus on something big on the 31st. I dressed up and went to a party last year, this year I didn't even plan a costume. Who knows what next year will be like, hehe.

I ate Halloween sushi, I believe it was called Dracu Roll, had a pumpkin capuccino and ended my day watching Japanese horror movies with snacks and beer. 

With that, we are going to finish this October recap part 2. I really hope you all had an amazing October and a fun Halloween. Feel free to let me know what you did or if you dressed up. Remember that, it's still Fall and we have plenty of time to enjoy more cozy activities.

See you next time~!💋

Halloweeny / Spooky Shows & Movies I've Watched Lately 🕷

I'm someone who likes to watch horror and spooky stuff all year round but, since it's Halloweek, I thought I could share some of the things I've watched lately in case you want some ideas of things to watch.

This time I have a bit of everything, not just horror. Somehow this year I wanted to watch some seasonal things too, not just scary stuff. So, let's get into it!

Starting with some of the fun shows, cuz I know not everyone wants to be scared~

 🕷 Is it cake? Halloween

"Skilled bakers whip up hyperrealistic Halloween cakes in this seasonal edition of the hit competition series."

There's not too much to say about this show, it's a baking competiton with a Halloween twist. It's so fun and the things they make are just amazing... and delish! I've been enjoying these Halloween baking competitions shows for a few years now. This one in particular is super short with only 3 episodes. You can easily watch it in one day. 

🕷 Haunted Hotel

"After inheriting a hotel from her late brother, a single mum moves in with his good-natured ghost and high-maintenance guest who never checks out."

OMG I am obsessed with this show. I started watching it last year and fell in love with season 1 so, I was SO excited when I found out there was a second season. It is a little shorter than the previous one with only 8 episodes but, they're still super fun, heartwarming and, not gonna lie, the last episode got me all emotional. 

This show is the perfect way to add Halloween vibes to your month without being scary. Ah~ I already miss Abaddon, love that little demon, haha.

Moving on to some Asian horror, cuz you know we have to include some in here:

🕷Scary True Stories: Ten Haunting Tales from the Japanese Underground

"Ten Haunting Tales from the Japanese Underground: Directed by Norio Tsuruta. It contains multiple tales of paranormal experiences,"

I'm not sure if this is a short series or movies cuz I watched 3 different parts, telling different stories. It is from 1991, so do expect some funny special effects and questionable fashion choices, haha. I wouldn't say it's scary but I enjoyed watching it so much cuz it reminded me of the shows and movies I used to watch when I first started watching Asian horror. Plus, you get many short stories so, it doesn't feel slow or boring. 

And, if you want something a little bit darker, I also watched:

🕷 Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story

"Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story is the fourth season of the American crime drama television series Monster, created by Ian Brennan for Netflix. The season centers on murder suspect Lizzie Borden who was tried and acquitted of the 1892 axe murders of her father and stepmother in Fall River, Massachusetts."

I honestly have mixed feelings when it comes to this one. Well, with pretty much all the Monster series really. I was really excited when I saw this one was coming and, don't get me wrong, it's an entertaining show to watch if you forget this is supposed to be the Lizzie Borden story. It's interesting, fun and even beautiful to watch. Loved the secret romance between Lizzie & Maggie, outfits were gorgeous but, they changed so many things that, it just feels like someone else's story. 

Everytime the Monster series mix other stories or jump in time makes me so confused and I just don't see the need to do that. This time they included Elizabeth Bathory (a story I love) and Aileen Wuornos. I think, in a way, they made Elizabeth's story work but, Aileen's felt forced and... I just didn't like it. 

Plus idk why these series always try to glorify (I'm not sure if that's the word I'm looking for) the murderers and try to make you feel sorry for them. Oh well, all in all, it's a short show and it has some entertaining side to it.

🕷 It: Welcome to Derry

"Following the events in the 1960s, the time leading up to the events of the first film in the Stephen King "It" series."

This show came out last year, I started watching it with my sister earlier this year and, finished it until now. Yup, it took me forever.

I know many people love It, I've watched the movies and it's not like I dislike them, I just don't love them. Pennywise is creepy, yes, but there's something about the whole coming from space thing that just kills it for me, which is weird considering I hate aliens. But, whenever the kids start floating and he shows his mouth with a million fangsies, feels funny to me. It happened since I first watched the movies.

Kinda similar to Monster, it is a fun watch and it's also a short season with 8 episodes. The vibe it has is great, effects are good and sountrack is brilliant!

Even tho I didn't love the last episode, parts of it were sweet and made me feel very emotional. I think if they decide to release a second season, I'd watch it, just for fun.  

I was planning to watch more Fall, cozy movies but, in the end, I didn't watch too many of them~~

🕷 It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown

"As Halloween approaches, Linus heads to the pumpkin patch to await the arrival of the Great Pumpkin, hoping it will finally make its big appearance."

This year was actually my first time watching it, I know it's a classic and, Idk what took me this longs but, I loved it. I watched it in October 1st and it felt like the perfect way to start the month. Since it's pretty short, I think it'll become a tradition for me to watch it every year.

🕷 Practical Magic 2

"Two witches must confront the dark curse that threatens to unravel their family once and for all."

As most of you may know, this movie came out this year and is a sequel. It is a fantasy romance and has all the magical, Fall, cozy vibes. Dunno what other people think about it but, to me, it felt so nostalgic and perfect considering I love the first movie. And, to no one's surprise, it made me cry. Defo worth watching if you liked the first one.

And lastly, two horror movies that are completely different from each other...

🕷 Gretel and Hansel

"Hansel and Gretel, who are trapped in the deceptively decorated house of the witch Holda, must find a way to escape before they become prey to her evil intentions."

This dark fantasy horror movie is from 2020, we all know the Hansel & Gretel story but, this time the main focus is on Gretel. 

I heard great things about this movie and, it's not like it's a bad one, It just wasnt what I expected. Scenery is beautiful and I guess there's some mystery to it but I couldn't love it. 

It was still a good watch tho.

🕷 Obsession

"After breaking the mysterious "One Wish Willow" to win his crush's heart, a hopeless romantic gets exactly what he asked for. However, he soon discovers that some desires come at a dark and sinister price."

This has to be one of the most popular movies of the year and, I can see why. I definitely enjoyed this one. It was gross, and tense in the best way possible. If you haven't watched it, I highly recommend you do it.

And, that'll be it for now. I'm currently watching other shows and have some pending movies before Halloweek ends but, still hope you find something that catches your attention in this posts. Let me know what do you like to watch this season, I'm always open to recommendations!

See you next time~!💋