It has grown on me!: 11/2020

Friday, November 27, 2020

Review : Hilton Osaka Executive Lounge - Afternoon Tea

Hilton Osaka Executive Lounge

As I mentioned in my previous entry, Hotel Room Tour and Review - Hilton Osaka - Osaka, Japan, my husband and I visited Osaka last winter, and we stayed in Hilton Osaka for two nights.

Hilton Osaka has the Executive Lounge, which is located on the 3rd floor. If you stay in Executive room or Suite room, or if you have Hilton Honors Diamond Status, you can access to the Executive Lounge and enjoy complimentary foods and drinks during afternoon tea and evening cocktail hours.

We could access to the Executive Lounge because he had Hilton Honors Diamond Status.

*Due to Coronavirus, the lounge operations may have been changed.

Executive Lounge (3rd Floor)

■Executive Lounge Hours （6:45 a.m. through 9 p.m.）

・Breakfast 6:45 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.

・Afternoon Tea 3:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

・Evening Cocktail 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

In 2018, their executive lounge reopened after renovating. When we visited there last winter, it still looked very new and beautiful.

Executive Lounge Afternoon Tea (3 p.m. through 5:30 p.m.)

During afternoon tea hour, you can enjoy drinks, desserts and light meals there.

Rye Bread Sandwiches (Ham, Cheese and Egg) & Tuna and Cucumber Sandwiches

Raspberry Pistachio Mousse

Calpis Panna Cotta Nata de Coco Lychee Jelly & Creme Brulee

Yogurt Cupcake Pistachio Cream

Fresh Fruit Juice (Apple, Orange, Pineapple), Milk, Water and Iced Coffee

Caramel Toffee Cookies & Raisin Oatmeal Cookies

Spicy Mixed Nuts & Prawn Crackers

Segafredo Espresso Machine

I really loved very fresh coffee brewed by this coffee machine from Segafredo. It grinds coffee beans and brews coffee for every cup.

There were eight kinds of drinks, black coffee, espresso, cappuccino, cafe latte, hot chocolate, matcha, americano and hot water, you can choose from.

We sat by the windows which we could enjoy the view of Nishi Umeda (西梅田) area. You can see the luxury stores, Louis Vuitton and Bulgari, from the windows.

Nishi Umeda (西梅田)

I really loved the white dessert, Calpis Panna Cotta Nata de Coco Lychee Jelly. 😋 This time, we stayed in Hilton Osaka for two nights, so we enjoyed Executive Lounge Afternoon Tea two days in a row. The menu was the same on both days.

Their fresh coffee was the best!

Matcha (抹茶)

On the second day, I discovered that their matcha drink was also very good!

We really enjoyed Hilton Osaka Executive Lounge Afternoon Tea. It had a nice atmosphere and their dessert had sophisticated tastes.

Next time, I will write about their Executive Lounge Evening Cocktail.

These are my entries related to Hilton Osaka

■Hotel Room Tour and Review - Hilton Osaka - Osaka, Japan

■Review : Hilton Osaka Executive Lounge - Afternoon Tea

■Review : Hilton Osaka Executive Lounge - Evening Cocktail

■Review : Hilton Osaka Fitness Center - Gym and Public Bath

■Review : Hilton Osaka Breakfast Buffet - Folk Kitchen

These are my entries you might like.

♥Hotel Room Tour and Review - Conrad Osaka - Osaka, Japan

♥What I Ate at Snack Park - Hanshin Umeda Department Store in Osaka, Japan

♥Hotel Room Tour and Review - Osaka Daiichi Hotel - Osaka, Japan

♥16 Best Japanese Beauty Products I Purchased in Japan - Drugstore, Discount Store, Daiso and Amazon Japan

♥Japanese Snack and Candy Haul - What I Purchased in Japan

♥Japanese Grocery Haul - What I Purchased at Supermarket, Department Stores and Kitano Ace in Japan

♥10 Products I Purchased at Costco in Japan

♥Japanese Bread Haul - Shokupan, Melonpan, Anpan and More

♥7 Products I Purchased at Muji Store in Japan - Muji Haul

♥ Starbucks Japan Geography Series City Tumbler - Osaka

♥ Top 3 My Favorite Delicious Souvenirs from Osaka

♥Top 5 Breakfast Restaurants around Tenjinbashi in Osaka, Japan

♥ The Best Places to Eat in Tenjinbashi in Osaka

♥ Must Go to Places in Namba - Our Traveling in Osaka, Japan

♥10 Best Japanese Beauty Products on Amazon Japan, You Can Also Purchase Them at Drugstores in Japan

     My entries related to Osaka can be seen here.

     My entries related to Best Japanese Beauty Products can be seen here.

   My entries related to Japan can be seen here.

     My entries related to beauty can be seen here.

   My entries related to Japan Haul can be seen here.

     You can find my beauty entries by categories from here.

Wednesday, November 18, 2020

How to Make Savory Bacon Gobo Salad - Burdock Root Salad

Bacon Gobo Salad

Have you ever eaten gobo (ゴボウ, ごぼう, 牛蒡), burdock roots? Gobo is popular vegetable in Asian countries. Indeed, I really love gobo! It's a savory fiber-rich vegetable. It's perfect ingredients for kinpira gobo (きんぴらごぼう), gobo salad (ごぼうサラダ), miso soup (味噌汁), chikuzenni (筑前煮), okowa (おこわ), torimeshi (鶏めし), nabe (鍋), tempura (天ぷら) and so on. I also love gobo snacks such as gobo okaki (ごぼうおかき), gobo rice crackers.

Burdock Roots, Gobo

If you are new to gobo, I recommend you to try this recipe. It's gobo salad, but gobo is slightly cooked. I think that everyone loves this salad. If you are in Japan, you can find gobo at any supermarkets, and if you are in the U.S., you can find gobo at most Asian supermarkets.

Gobo is inexpensive at Japanese supermarkets in the U.S. 😁

Ingredients (2 Servings)

1 Tablespoon of Oil

3 Cloves of Garlic (Sliced)

2 Slice of Bacon (Cut into Small)

1 Burdock Root, Gobo (Thinly Sliced)

2 Tablespoons of Japanese Mayonnaise

Pinch of Salt and Black Pepper

1. Heat oil in a pan over high heat. Add garlic and bacon.

2. When you notice garlic aroma, add gobo, burdock roots, in it. Stir-fry them for a few minutes.

3. Transfer them into a bowl. Add mayonnaise, black pepper and salt. Mix them thoroughly.

4. Serve and enjoy!

These are also my entries you might like.
■How to Cook Tori Meshi - Savory Japanese Rice with Chicken and Gobo

■How to Boost Your Immune System - 6 Foods That Can Boost Your Immune System

■How to Cook Okowa, Japanese Sticky Rice

■How to Cook Omurice, a Japanese Omelette Stuffed with Rice (Cook Like a Pro!)

■How to Cook Wafu Okara Hamburg Steaks

■How to Make An Easy Egg Toast (Japanese Sliced Bread + Japanese Mayonnaise = Deliciousness)

■Don Quijote (Donki) Haul - What He Got in Japan

■What He Got at Drugstore in Japan - Haul

■Top 10 Products You Should Buy at Japanese Supermarkets (for Beginners!)

■My Top 15 Must Eat Foods in Japan - My Favorite Japanese Foods

■How to Make Japanese Deep Fried Chicken, Kara-Age

■How to Cook Miso Soup

■8 Interesting Japanese Kitchen Gadgets!

My entries related to cooking can be seen here.

My entries related to my favorite recipes can be seen here.

My entries related to foods my husband cooked can be seen here.

My entries related to Japanese noodles can be seen here.

My entries related to Japan Haul can be seen here.

My entries related to Best Japanese Beauty Products can be seen here.

My entries related to Japan can be seen here.

★You can find my recipe entries through my Pinterest.

Thursday, November 12, 2020

2 of My Favorite Japanese Facial Masks This Winter

When winter comes, my skin tends to get drier. That's why using facial mask to moisturize my skin is more important in winter. Today, I'm going to share with you two of my favorite Japanese facial masks I've been using this winter. These facial masks moisturize and nourish your skin well. Indeed, these are very popular and highly rated in Japan. You should try these excellent facial masks especially if you are in Japan because they are affordable and can be found at most drugstores in Japan.

1. Wafood Made Sake Kasu Pack (ワフードメイド酒粕パック)

Facial Mask (Paste)

1200 yen for 170g
Can be purchased at most drugstores in Japan.

Wafood Made Sake Kasu Pack

I really love this Wafood Made Sake Kasu Pack, facial mask paste made from sake kasu. It's very popular in Japan, and I heard that after Fan Bingbing, a Chinese actress and model, mentioned Sake Kasu Pack in her Weibo, it also became very popular for Chinese people. I also found that more and more Japanese celebrities and beauty gurus love this sake kasu pack.

By the way. as I mentioned in my previous entry, Japanese Winter Soup - Kasujiru, Sake Lee Miso Soup , sake kasu are lees from left over from sake production and are good sources of protein, Vitamin B, folic acid, dietary fiber and etc. Sake kasu is very good for your skin and health.

Wafood Made Sake Kasu Pack

・Use 2 to 3 times a week.
・It has Japanese Sake scent.

How to Use Sake Kasu Pack
1. Apply an adequate amount (as large as one cherry) on dry skin, after cleansing. Avoid applying on eye and lips areas.
2. Leave on for 5 to 10 minutes.
3. Rinse thoroughly with lukewarm water.

Wafood Made Sake Kasu Pack

I usually leave it on my face for 5 minutes. After rinsing thoroughly with lukewarm water, I've noticed that my skin is smoother and brighter.

Wafood Made Sake Kasu

Wafood Made has more of beauty products made from sake kasu. I tried Wafood Made Sake Kasu Face Mask Sheet, and it was also great for my skin.

These are my entries related to Wafood Made Sake Kasu.

■3 Best Japanese Facial Masks You Want to Try

■16 Best Japanese Beauty Products I Purchased in Japan - Drugstore, Discount Store, Daiso and Amazon Japan

2. Lululun Precious Green (ルルルンプレシャスグリーン)

Facial Mask Sheet

1800 yen for 32 Sheets

Can be purchased at most drugstores in Japan.

Lululun Precious Green

I really love Lululun Precious series. Lululun Precious is Lululun's popular anti-aging products. This winter, I have been using Lululun Precious Green. I really love this facial mask because it revives my skin right away.

Lululun Precious Green

Lululun Precious Green is anti-aging facial sheet mask and contains a new moisturizing ingredient, L22, imitating healthy 22 year old sebum balance.

Lululun Precious Green

・Apply on dry skin, after cleansing.
・Leave on for 10 minutes. After that, apply your favorite moisturizer as usual.
・Use daily.

Lululun Precious Green

As I mentioned in my previous entry, 3 Tips : How to Get the Most Out of Your Face Masks!, when I opened this package of Lululun, I added two compressed sheet masks in it. The compressed masks absorb excess serum, and eventually I can use them after I finish using up all Lululun masks. 😁

Compressed Face Mask

These are my entries related to Lululun Precious.

■Japanese Beauty Haul - What I Purchased at a Japanese Supermarket in the U.S.

■7 Best Japanese Beauty Products I Purchased on Amazon Japan - You Can Also Purchase Them at Drugstores in Japan

■Japan Beauty Haul - 3 Best Japanese Beauty Products You Can Purchase at Drugstore in Japan

■5 Best Affordable Japanese Anti-Aging Facial Sheet Masks

■10 Best Affordable Japanese Facial Sheet Masks You Want to Use Every Day

       These are my entries you might like.
♥3 Best Japanese Enzyme Powder Cleansers to Minimize Your Skin Pores

♥The Best-Selling Japanese Soap, Cow Brand Soap - Red Box vs Blue Box

♥3 Best Japanese Sunscreens for Sensitive Skin

♥Top 15 Popular Posts from Best Japanese Beauty Products

♥3 Best Japanese Dark Spot Correctors - Affordable Brightening Beauty Serum

♥7 Best Japanese Beauty Products Hall of Fame

♥Top 5 Life-Changing Japanese Beauty Products

♥Top 5 Most Popular Japanese Charcoal Soap

♥Top 3 Japanese Powder Sunscreens

♥3 Best Japanese Sunscreen Products to Try This Summer

♥3 Best Japanese Eye Creams Won Beauty Award This Year

♥5 Best Japanese Facial Lotion (Toner), Kesyou-sui

♥4 Best Japanese Anti-Aging Creams And Serums

♥3 Best Japanese Nyueki, Japanese Facial Lotion

♥Top 7 Japanese Facial Sheet Masks That Rescue Your Dry Skin

♥3 Best New Facial Sheet Masks in Japan

♥7 Most Popular Japanese Facial Cleansing Wipes for Removing Makeup

♥10 Best Japanese Beauty Products on Amazon Japan, You Can Also Purchase Them at Drugstores in Japan

     My entries related to Best Japanese Beauty Products can be seen here.

   My entries related to Japan can be seen here.

     My entries related to beauty can be seen here.

   My entries related to Japan Haul can be seen here.

     You can find my beauty entries by categories from here.

Thursday, November 5, 2020

Japanese Beauty Haul - Keshosui & Sunscreens

Japanese Beauty Haul

Last winter, my husband and I visited Japan and purchased some Japanese beauty products there. While I am in Japan, I always try not to purchase too many products. I usually try to purchase right amount of products I will really use up in a year or so. It's been almost a year since we visited Japan last time. That's why my Japanese beauty products I purchased in Japan are almost running out. I really needed to get Japanese keshosui and sunscreens. (I really wish that I could fly to Japan now!) Anyway, today, I'm going to share with you three Japanese beauty products I have purchased recently.

Naturie Hatomugi Skin Conditioner (ハトムギ化粧水スキンコンディショナー)

Keshosui

$7.98 at Tokyo Central (originally $11.98)

650 yen in Japan

500ml

Naturie Hatomugi Skin Conditioner

Currently, I'm using Muji Light Toning Water as keshosui, Japanese lotion. As I mentioned in my previous entry, 7 Products I Purchased at Muji Store in Japan - Muji Haul, I purchased four bottles of Muji Light Toning Water, and now I'm using the last bottle. That's why I needed to purchase new keshosui. Last month, Hatomugi Skin Conditioner was on sale for $7.98 (originally $11.98) at Tokyo Central, a Japanese supermarket in the U.S. That's why I decided to purchase this one just like I did it last year because I can use my Muji spray head for this Hatomugi Skin Conditioner. You can check out my previous entry, Japanese Beauty Haul - What I Purchased at a Japanese Supermarket in the U.S..

I'm currently using Muji Light Toning Water.

Hatomugi Skin Conditioner has been very popular in Japan. I also really liked it. It's very affordable and moisturizes your skin pretty well. In addition, it is really gentle to your skin. I understood that why people in Japan love Hatomugi Skin Conditioner so much. Although my most favorite keshosui is still Muji Light Toning Water, and I will definitely purchase Muji ones when I visit Japan next time.

These are my entries related to Hatomugi Skin Conditioner.

■3 Best Affordable Japanese Facial Lotion, Keshosui (& My Favorite One + My Skincare Routine)

■5 Best Japanese Facial Lotion (Toner), Kesho-sui

NIVEA SUN Care UV Milky Gel SPF 50+ PA++++ (ニベアサン高密着ケアUVミルクジェル)

Sunscreen

SPF50+ PA++++

80g

800 yen in Japan

NIVEA SUN Care UV Milky Gel SPF50+ PA++++

Nivea Sun sunscreen series have been very popular in Japan. When it comes to sunscreens, I believe that Japanese one is the best in the world, really. I wanted to get Japanese sunscreen, and I finally purchased this one on Japanese local community site which is sort of like the Japanese version of Craigslist. I purchased this sunscreen from a Japanese woman who would move back to Japan soon. Because of coronavirus pandemic, this year, more Japanese people have moved back to Japan from the U.S. earlier than they had planned initially.

I'm currently using NIVEA SUN Water Gel SPF35 PA++++.

I also wrote about very popular Nivea Sun Creme Care UV Cream before. I'm also currently using Nivea Sun Water Gel.

These are my entries related to Nivea Sun sunscreens.

■ 3 Best Japanese Sunscreens Won Beauty Award This Year

■ 3 Best Japanese Sunscreens for Sensitive Skin

■ 16 Best Japanese Beauty Products I Purchased in Japan - Drugstore, Discount Store, Daiso and Amazon Japan

■ 13 Best Japanese Products I Purchased on Amazon Japan! - Beauty, Kitchen and Stationery Items

■ 7 Best Japanese Beauty Products I Purchased on Amazon Japan - You Can Also Purchase Them at Drugstores in Japan

■ 10 Best Japanese Beauty Products on Amazon Japan, You Can Also Purchase Them at Drugstores in Japan　

■ What He Got at Drugstore in Japan - Haul

Biore UV Kids Milk SPF50+ PA++++ (ビオレ UV キッズミルク)

Sunscreen

SPF50+ PA++++

90g

800yen

Biore UV Kids Milk SPF50+ PA++++

I also purchased this Biore UV Kids Milk sunscreen from a Japanese woman who would move back to Japan. This is SPF50+ waterproof sunscreen but is also very gentle to sensitive skin. Actually, I usually don't wear high SPF waterproof sunscreen because SPF30 is more gentle and is effective enough for daily use. (SPF50+ sunscreens are great when you stay outside for long hours.) In addition, waterproof sunscreen is usually not very easy to remove at the end of the day. However, this one was easy to wash off with regular soap. I'm using this sunscreen for body for now.

Biore UV Kids Pure Milk SPF50+ PA+++

Now, the latest Biore UV Kids sunscreen is Biore UV Kids Pure Milk SPF50+ PA+++. If you are looking for high SPF sunscreen that is perfect for sensitive skin, I think that this one is pretty good. 😊

These are my entries related to Biore UV sunscreens.

■ Best Japanese Sunscreens for Sensitive Skin - Nivea and Biore

■ Japanese Sunscreen for Sensitive Skin - Biore SARASARA UV Mild Care Milk Sunscreen

■ 3 Best Japanese Sunscreens Won Beauty Awards in Japan

■ 3 Best Japanese Sunscreens with SPF50+ PA++++

■ Top 10 Japanese Beauty Products Loved by Foreign Tourists in Japan