Despite growing up in Dublin, I don't really think that I know it very well. It's usually the case that you can see more of a place as a tourist than the people who live there. I'm from the suburbs, which have their own charm, but never seem exciting to me.

I spent my final year of college living in the city centre and it was a totally different life. I was lucky to have a lot of classmates from foreign countries or even other parts of Ireland because they had little choice but to go out and explore. They all had far more courage than I did. But I also think that a year - or a school year, so about nine months -  isn't nearly enough time to get used to a place. It took me 3 years to feel like a pro in Sendai, which is roughly the same size as Dublin.

The last time I was back in Dublin, I stumbled upon these murals near Camden Street. I was only there because my mother and I were meeting my brother for lunch and suddenly we found ourselves in these amazing backstreets. I don't know how long the pictures have been there for but they made me feel kind of sad that I don't know this side of Dublin at all. I could show you this kind of place in Sendai, Tokyo and even Seoul so leaving home hasn't been all bad. I just learned a different kind of life. 

But now I really want to go to Dublin just as a tourist. Why are flights so expensive?!?!

Discovering Chinatown

Christmas in Japan is a hodgepodge of cultures and traditions. Mainly romantic, a little bit religious and - for me - last year it was a little bit German and a little bit Chinese. Yokohama is home to the largest Chinatown in Asia and it's the perfect location for a day trip from Tokyo. 

Of course, I discovered all this by accident. Last December I got slightly lost on the way to a German Christmas market in Yokohama and found myself stumbling through Chinatown. It was all very Alice in Wonderland. Unfortunately I couldn't stop to take a look around because of my German market date, but I made a mental note to come back later. As impressive as Chinatown is, hot wine and pretzels were calling me. 

Gateway to Christmas

The German Christmas market was held at Akarenga, old redbrick warehouses that have been re-purposed into shops, restaurants and more. If you think that redbrick doesn't sound very Japanese, then you're right - but Yokohama has always had an international flavour. It's now home to a number of foreign curriculum-based schools, such as German and French. 

So it's a good choice for the location of a European-style Christmas market. Full disclosure: I've never been to a real German one, though I have been to Czech and Belgian ones. There's nothing like a good market anyway, and my belly was ready to be filled. As it was a Japanese event, the light displays were naturally spectacular. I think that walking down a tunnel of fairy lights is possibly my favourite Winter activity.

O Tannenbaum

Snack time: pretzel and hot spiced wine

There was a decent selection of food, mostly of the German sausage and related dishes variety. I wasn't very hungry so just had a delicious pretzel and a cup of hot spiced wine. We all sat together on public benches and feasted. Living abroad can be tough, but moments like these forge a bond between all kinds of people with all kinds of backgrounds. The magic of Christmas?

It wouldn't be a festival without incredibly over-priced souvenirs

The one area in which the market was lacking was souvenirs. I was hoping to buy some ornaments for my Christmas tree and maybe a wreath for my front door. Those are typically found at Christmas markets, right? Unfortunately, there were no tree decorations, just some mugs and figurines. Personally I thought they weren't worth the asking price and it was disappointing to come away with nothing.

The creepiest Santa you ever did spy

After all that we made our way back to Chinatown for some food. The market was great, though not as great as it could have been. On the one hand, it's always nice to have events that are free to enjoy if you don't want to spend any money. On the other hand, it can make you homesick when it's almost what you want...but not quite. I'm not German and I'm not Chinese, but spending time in those cultural zones made me feel a little closer to home. Given the choice, I'd rather not spend Christmas in Japan, but I suppose that good food and good cheer can be found everywhere!

Back to Chinatown for supper

Gateway to paradise

Monorail ride through Yume no Kuni

I don't think I'll ever get tired of Tokyo Disney Sea. I can see myself as a crazy old lady, dragging my crazy old husband over to take OOTD pictures at Ariel's Kingdom 50 years from now. But there is a certain amount of 'been there done that' setting in, especially when it comes to queues and crowds. My perfect Disney date these days is strolling around the park, eating limited food, riding a couple of attractions with Fastpasses and then a couple of cocktails (more on that later).

One thing that puzzles me about Tokyo Disney is the almost total absence of certain characters. I have always been a Belle fan and, until recently, it was very hard to find any sign of her in either of the parks. Similarly, you'd think that The Nightmare Before Christmas would be a popular choice at Halloween, but the Pumpkin King is nowhere to be seen. Licencing issues? Or lack of interest?

Halloween 2014 was a Day of the Dead-themed event so the food was vaguely Mexican. I had the Skull plate because it reminded me of Jack Skellington. It was, as usual, pretty good. Disney food is a little expensive (of course) but you can't knock the quality. The skull was black-coloured taco rice with mozzarella eyeballs.The chorizo sausage had no special significance that I could think of but the spooky Mont Blanc pumpkin pound cake was cute.

The Infamous Black Gyoza Dog

(just the tip)

The Black Gyoza Dog gained some notoriety for it's questionable shape and colouring. My photo isn't great but there are plenty on Google. I'm not a big fan of gyoza dogs in general so this got a meh from me. The regular gyoza dog is one of the famous Disney Sea snacks but I think it's a bit of a tourist trap and wouldn't recommend it.

If you need me, I'll be in the cocktail lounge

Hot buttered rum: not for the faint of heart

(L - R) Grasshopper, Mojito, Hot Buttered Rum

My favourite spot in Tokyo Disney Sea is Magellan's Lounge. When I was in school I absolutely loved studying the great explorers in the Age of Discovery.  I pored over any map I could get my hands on and if it came inside a fantasy epic then all the better. Magellan's Lounge combines all my favourite things; adventure, magic, maps - and cocktails. 

The prices are typical of Japan, averaging about 700 yen. The strength and quality is of a higher standard than what you'd generally find in Tokyo outside of specialist bars. It's a nice place to come to escape the cold, nurse a hot rum and and dream of adventure. A slightly adult twist to the Disney dream, but my favourite way to cap off a Disney date!