9 cherry blossom flavored dishes to try this spring

Spring in Japan means sakura (cherry blossom) season. It's one of the most anticipated seasons of the year, with sakura viewing parties and decorations gracing many establishments throughout the country. It's also a time when you can expect limited-edition sakura flavored goods and products with sakura designs to pop up everywhere you go. Here's a list of 9 sakura flavored treats for you to try this spring.

1. Bitte, Sakura Flavor (Glico)

A dense, sakura-infused chocolate coating and sakura-flavored cream sandwiched in between 2 cookies, this dessert makes for the perfect accompaniment to a cup of coffee.

The biscuits are made with cultured butter which brings out a rich flavor that blends together nicely with the sweet chocolate and cream.

2. Sakura Milk Tea (Lipton)

A rich milk tea made with 100% Ceylon tea leaves. With a sakura fragrance, this milk tea has a delicate flavor that goes down smoothly. The packaging has vivid colors with a cute design that will make you feel like spring has come.

3. Dorayaki (Sakura & Sweet Red Bean) (7-Eleven)

Dorayaki is a type of Japanese pancake that typically has a sweet red bean spread. This special edition includes a filling of sweet red bean paste and whipped cream with sakura petals.

The combination of the fluffy, springy pancake with the decadently sweet spread makes for a truly luxurious treat.

4. Pocky Zeitaku Chocolatier, Sakura Flavor (Glico)

The black packaging and the gold colored font give off a somewhat elegant, mature look. Each box contains 4 packs of 6 Pocky sticks each.

The buttery pretzel sticks are covered in sakura-flavored chocolate, with bits of rock salt and sugar sprinkled on to give it a more complex flavor.

5. Branchul Mini Chocolate, Sakura Flavor (Bourbon)

The Branchul Mini Chocolate series consists of bite-size, square sandwich cookies with a layer of chocolate sandwiched between 2 cookies. For the sakura flavor, the chocolate bar is pink with the gentle flavor of sakura.

The delicate sakura chocolate flavor goes very well with the cookies. Eat it in one bite to fully enjoy the taste of spring.

6. Country Ma'am, Vanilla and Sakura Milk Flavor (Fujiya)

With this package, you can enjoy 2 different flavors: vanilla and sakura milk! Each bag comes with 11 vanilla cookies and 7 sakura milk cookies.

The sakura and milk flavors blend together seamlessly for a deliciously sweet treat. Country Ma'am cookies can be enjoyed in a variety of ways: baked, warmed up in a microwave, or frozen.

7. Starbucks Sakura Chocolate with Strawberry Jelly

You'll be able to enjoy creamy sakura and white chocolate flavored milk and strawberry jelly with this drink. The jelly has a great texture and flavor as it's made with strawberry juice. Even though these Starbucks drinks are pre-packaged, don't think that they are any less delicious than the made-to-order drinks you can get from brick and mortar Starbucks locations.

8. Chocolixir White Chocolate Sakura Lala (Godiva)

Godiva is famous worldwide for its exquisite, high-quality chocolate. Though most people associate their name with chocolate, they also have a range of other sweet products, like this spring special.

This sweet, frozen beverage has a vibrant red and pink color scheme. It has layers of whipped cream and sakura jelly and is topped with sakura sauce and eye-catching chocolate chips that resemble sakura petals. The distinct flavors of the sakura and cherry mixed in with the gentle flavor of the white chocolate make for a really great, refreshing drink.

9. PABLO mini Sakura Mochi (PABLO)

PABLO is very well known in Japan for its delicious cheese tarts and cheesecakes. It should be no surprise that their contribution to the sakura season follows the same cheesy theme - a sakura-flavored cheese tart! After the cheese filling is poured into the crunchy tart and baked, gyuhi (a soft, sweet rice cake) is placed on top of the cheese tart. To top it off, a pinkish sweet paste made with sakura leaves from Shizuoka is squeezed over it.

Read more: Fall in love with Cherry Blossom products in Japan

Source tsunagu Japan

Discover the hidden gems in Malaysia

Malaysia is one of the most beautiful countries in the world. Find the best destinations that you should not miss when visiting here. To make your vacation enjoyable and fun, plan your trip earlier with these following destinations.

Balik Pulau, Penang

Balik Pulau, the secret back garden of Penang, has gained fame for its durians but the place certainly has more than that to offer. Mouth-watering durians aside, Balik Pulau is also an ideal destination for those who want to simply put aside their worries and enjoy a rejuvenating kampung vacation.

Wander around the old quaint town, marvel at the traditional Malay houses along the beach, visit a dairy goat farm, a countryside horse stable and a nutmeg factory, indulge your stomach with traditional Hakka dishes at Hakka Village, and enjoy a killer bowl of Penang laksa. Just remember to take everything slow and easy for a full taste of Balik Pulau.

Sasaran, Kuala Selangor

If you are an active user of any social media, you have seen the above pictures for countless times already in recent months. Before Sasaran is unearthed by local media and travel bloggers a few months back, it is almost the best kept secret within the area, only known to the nearby villagers. So what are you waiting for? Book a tour, bring your camera and be the first few people to witness this masterpiece of nature at Sasaran before the place is flooded with tourists.

Pantai Cahaya Bulan, Kelantan

Although it is not known to many Malaysians from other states, Pantai Cahaya Bulan or Moonlight Beach is definitely a star player in the East Coast tourism industry. This is a fun and scenic place to laze off your weekend with friends and family. A few B&Bs have been opened up near the beach in recent years so you do not have to worry about overnighting in the area.

Sunbathing, water sporting and kite-flying aside, many people also come to Moonlight Beach for a lovely picnic. You do not have to prepare for your own food because there are plenty of food stalls lining up like a pasar malam right on the beach.

Read more: Bintulu, one of the hidden gems in Malaysia

Semenyih, Selangor

A day trip to Semenyih is never complete without summiting Broga Hill and savouring the famous ikan bakar or grilled fish. If you start hiking at around 6.15 am so that you can catch the gorgeous sunrise. You can end the hike by 8.00 am and then make your way to the Chinese temple area to kill time until the restaurant opens at 10.00 am. The ikan bakar at Broga is the best thing you can ask for a brunch.

Source Internet

Marvel at these stunning road trips in Asia

The iconic road trip is a must experience travel style for wanderers of all ages. As the fundamentals of the road trip are in-line with long-term travel, we've researched what we're calling the top 5 must experience road trips in Asia.

The Karakoram Highway (Pakistan and China)

Often hailed as the highest road in the world, this trip is as much an amazing engineering feat as it is a tourist attraction, and there are many people who travel long distances to be able to drive or ride a motorbike over the Himalayas on this road connecting China and Pakistan.

There are some stunning scenic areas with beautiful lakes and mountain views along this road that are well worth stopping to enjoy. Many people also use this route to gain access to some of the best mountain climbing spots in the world. The road rises to higher than 15,000 feet, so be conscious of the potential for altitude sickness and how it could affect you during the trip.

The Hokkaido Scenic Byway (Japan)

Hokkaido is one of Japan's four main islands, and many people also consider it to be the most beautiful regarding the scenery. Driving the Hokkaido Scenic Byway will take you through a series of routes around the island that offer beautiful sights.

With stunning coastal and mountain views, this route is a breathtaking one, and it offers plenty to see and do along the way. Consider rolling down the windows as you drive through the  fragrant lavender fields or stopping at one of hot springs along the way.

Golden Road to Samarkand (Uzbekistan)

Uzbekistan is a country that is well off the tourist trail for most people, but it has an interesting history (the city of Samarkand was once the capital of the large empire of Tamerlane), and it's a fascinating place to explore.

Although there isn't a formal route, most visitors will fly into the capital city Tashkent, and then transfer to Bukhara. This beautiful, old city is home to many historic sights, and from there, you can follow an historic Silk Road route to Samarkand. The historic ruin of the Rabati Malik caravanserai (inn) is a wonderful place to stop along the way. After arriving in Samarkand, you can explore the history of the city by visiting a few landmarks, such as the Registan square or the Ulugbek observatory.

The Mountain Tunnels of Guoliang and Xiyagou (China)

The Taihang Mountains have been a remote part of China with limited access for centuries. Even though most of the country's road system is publicly funded, it was decided that it was uneconomical to build roads in this region, so the locals ended up blasting their own roads out of the cliffs.

Driving through these tunnel roads is a remarkable experience, as they are inside the cliffs, and the windows along the route have spectacular views over the surrounding mountain scenery. These two tunnels are connected by a road that takes you through the Taihang Mountains on a relatively short stretch of 60 kilometers. Most visitors get to the area by going through the city of Xinxiang.

Nha Trang to Quy Nhon (Vietnam)

This 134-mile stretch of highway is spectacular—it's got mountain scenery on the inland side of the road and stunning sea views with golden beaches on the ocean side of the road. It is easy to stretch this road trip into a vacation to stop in the many towns and villages along the way. Plus, you'll find plenty of places to relax on a beach.

Every two years, there is a week-long festival where visitors drive the route together and take part in a large celebration. If you want a memorable experience between Nha Trang to Quy Nhon, consider joining in that celebration.

See more: 5 best multiple-country trips in Asia

Source: Internet