As promised, I’ll be updating this blog more frequently… Read on for a recap of my Okinawa, Japan travels, as well as cocktails, sush and roboto adventures with friends in Tokyo!

I’m increangly fed up with social media for a multitude of reasons (and don’t get me started on AI content)… It was 100% the right decision to quit Twitter / X and TikTok a while back.

Although I still post on Meta apps for work reasons, I’m relieved I still have my original self-owned and controlled space — this blog — which isn’t at the whim of intrusive ads and fickle algorithms (and then, there are the billionaire owners).

I’m doing my best to stick to “analog” formats as best I can, such as reading physical books to stay off screens. I also have been focusing more on old-school travel and food journalism. Most recently, Eater asked me to contribute to Where To Eat in 2026, this time about Okinawa — you can read it here! (All these Okinawa photos by James Nguyen; the rest of the images in this blog are by friends and yours truly).

Last fall, I ate my way around Japan’s southernmost prefecture, which is one of the world’s five Blue Zones (where residents enjoy long, active lives). At Hoshinoya Okinawa beachfront hotel, I experienced traditional Ryukyu royal cuisine that includes seafood hotpot with cloudlike yushi tofu, awamori fermented rice liquor, and my beloved local tart citrus: shikuwasa.

Hoshinoya Okinawa is a luxury hotel that conveys the warm, tropical culture of the islands. The guest experiences include a live performance of sanshin guitar.

Always the most haunting presence, no matter where I go…

Watch my Okinawa, Japan reel to see me exploring Hoshinoya’s hotel and resort. PS: The ageless singer Gackt is Ryukyan and from Okinawa, hence the song “Mizerable” that I used!

I also did an article for Metropolis Magazine about my wellness stay and the Okinawan foods I ate. You can read it here.

Karate also comes from Okinawa — got to take a lesson from a local master while it poured outside.

Is Okinawa, Japan a destination you’d like to see?

I also have a new reel up about a night of cocktails and sush at Andaz Tokyo Toranomon Hills! Watch it here on @lacarmina IG.

Japanese cocktails with a view at the luxury Andaz Tokyo hotel… life doesn’t get better than this!

Dr John Skutlin and I went up to the 52nd floor of the Andaz Tokyo for craft cocktails at The Rooftop Bar (featuring matcha, amazake & yuzu flavors).

Devil horns and Omega watches at The Rooftop Tokyo bar with soaring views of Tokyo Tower.

Then, we indulged in the chef’s selection of the day at The Sushi: seemingly endless Edomae nigiri and luxurious small dishes, paired with sake and real wasabi.

I’m a huge tofu fan, especially when it’s prepared so delicately.

My new leather and silver shoulder bag by SMFK, a Y2K inspired Asia street fashion label.

Omakase, or the chef’s selection of the day, at the small eight-seat counter… for “sush” lovers like me, this is paradise.

Remember these spots… you’ll love the “sush” and drinks at 5-star hotel The Andaz Tokyo!

Another hotel bar of dreams… I could spend all four seasons watching the sunset from Virtu bar at Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Otemachi!

Do you see Mount Fuji in the distance, illuminated by red?

Dr John Skutlin and I can’t stop raving about the French-Japanese craft cocktails at Virtù. The space is warm, with a high ceiling and glowing bar stocked with enticing, rare liquors.

Virtu is consistantly near the top of the World’s 50 Best Bars list, and deservedly so.

Bartender Graham Kimura took such good care of us. We were blown away by the signature warm fig, cognac and spices, and Graham’s omakase creations like yuzu and absinthe (custom-mixed for my palate!)

Art Deco decor, luxurious snacks (lobster okonomiyaki and Wagyu tacos, hello) and skyscraper views from the 39th floor… Every aspect of the experience was exquisite.

No wonder Virtu at The Four Seasons Otemachi is one of Asia’s 50 Best Bars.

I reviewed Virtu and this Four Seasons hotel, among other Tokyo luxury properties, for Fodor’s Travel! Read my Japan hotel reviews.

John, Yukiro and I swung by the Gentle Monster glasses store in Omotesando, Tokyo for some goofy photos. These scary giant robot faces move — you can see them in action in this IG post!

Ai-yai-yai… I am increasingly “miffed” by the use of AI in creative work.

I get using GPT for info processing and meaningless tasks, but it gives me the ick when I see bot-generated writing and visuals in artistic spaces. Don’t get me started on people who use Instagram captions obviously written by AI…

Rest assured the only robotos I’ll associate with are freaky Japanese ones! We engaged in a Face… Off…. at the Gentle Monster store in Omotesando, Tokyo. (And we didn’t need them to tweak our photos or generate these words).

What are your thoughts on AI, and how do you use it in your life? Also, are my low rise pants low enough?

With these glasses, we’re ready for the aliens to take us away from this doomed Collapse planet.

So realistic, the skin texture and hairs of the moving robotic heads in the Gentle Monster shop.

More realness: we then went to the nearby Sushi Ginza Onodera to eat our fill of raw fish, including way too many plates of free ginger!

2026’a messiness and AI-pocalyptic acceleration have made everyone nostalgic for 2016. I shared some mems from my Tokyo 2016 trip, when I had turquoise hair! Pastel Goth was all the rage, and sites like Fushimi Inari were busy but not overcrowded with tourists like they are now. ‍Check out my 2016 flashback post here.

I also shared a recap of my 2016 year in travels — I can’t believe how much I used to jet around! New Zealand, Myanmar, Scandinavia, and more in a single year… Looking back, perhaps 2016 was the last hurrah before The Collapse collapsed. (Ngl, it’s a bit depressing to recall how the economy was so much better then…)

In these times, all we can do is “Yoko Ono Yolo” and make memories with our true besties!

Add me Instagram (@lacarmina) to see more of our Japan escapades from Halloween.

Wrapping up with a few new press features. Bold Journey interviewed me about my work, life lessons and insights. I also dished about a cockroach-y hotel horror experience on Huff Post and Yahoo!

And don’t forget that I’m still decluttering pretty much everything I own! If you’re in Canada, you can shop my closet @LaCarmina on Poshmark.  If you prefer USD, you can find my @LaCarmina store on Depop. Reach out if I can send you anything fun!