Crumbs to Crunch

Japan is  well known for its cute characters, delicious treats and famous anime. There's one bakery that combines all these things together to create perhaps the most Japanese snack ever: The Totoro Cream puff. Totoro is one of Studio Ghibli's most famous characters. He first appeared in the 1988 film 'My Neighbour Totoro' and charmed the world with his cuteness. The owner of Shiro-Hige's Cream Puff Factory  is actually the sister in law of the director of the movie, Miyazaki Hayao. This charming little Tokyo bakery has a whimsical feel, partially hidden away down a small road and surrounded by lots of trees. The interior design is full of wood and warm colours, so its a lovely and cozy place to enjoy some treats. The stars of the show are of course the cream puffs. The flavours change depending on the month, so you can check what they'll be serving when you visit here .  We tried a chocolate cream and a caramel banana cream flavoured Totoro. You

Are you a fan of apple pie? If you are, then Hirosaki might just be the place for you! Hirosaki is in Aomori, a prefecture in the Tohoku region in the north of Japan. Aomori is famous for its delicious apples, and nowhere is this fruit more greatly celebrated than in the city of Hirosaki. There are over 50 shops in the town selling different types of apple pie. With so many options, it can seem overwhelming. How can you possibly find the perfect pie for you?! Well, the answer is simple. All you need is the Apple pie map !  Not only does the map tell you all the different locations for pie shops and bakeries, it also rates each pie on its sweetness, sourness and amount of cinnamon. My personal favourite is  スリーブリッヂ or Three Bridge, a cute little bakery near Hirosaki station. Their pie is rated 3/5 for sweetness and sourness. But don't take my word for it, head to Hirosaki and do your own research! There's plenty of pies to enjoy and beautiful sites in Hirosaki. Why

Cream Collon Surely this snack wins for its hilarious name! These are crunchy tubes filled with a custard centre. Unfortunately I found these biscuits disappointing as the custard was quite sickly. 1/5  Kinoko no yama This means 'mountain mushroom'. They are are little pretzels stems covered in chocolate tops. They are so cute and taste so good, this is my favourite.   5/5 KitKat - Yuzu and Cough Syrup The Yuzu KitKats are white chocolate with a wonderful zing. I was surprised by how sour they are but in a good way. 3/5   However, the cough syrup flavoured KitKats smell and taste exactly like medicine. Absolutely disgusting but impressive how authentic the taste is!   0/5 Lotte's Koala March These cute biscuits are puffed cereal parcels filled with chocolate. Each biscuit has a different Koala design. These bite-sized biscuits are not only delicious but also perfect for children and Koala lovers! 4/5  Black T

If you love board games but don't have a great selection at home, I have have found just the place for you - Draughts , London's first café dedicated to board games. My goodness, their collection is vast ranging from quick and easy games to complex strategy based games. The format is simple, you pay £5 for a session to access over 800 games and you can play as many as you like. My friend and I are board game amateurs so we stuck to the family section and had a laugh drawing terrible pictures in Pictionary, playing Banagrams and Who's in the bag? Not only can you play games with friends but also have a cuppa and a natter. While the cake selection is small, it is tasty. I enjoyed a gorgeously gooey brownie packed with chocolate chunks and a zingy lemon tart. All in all, it was an excellent way to spend the day, in from the cold. I would love to go back with a big group so we wouldn't be limited to two player games. I can't wait!

Have you ever wanted to travel all around a country but simply don't have time? Poble Espanyol in Barcelona is the solution to seeing Spain in a nutshell. This 'Spanish Village' is an outdoor architectural museum which offers the chance to see Spain in one hour. Poble Espanyol was originally built for the 1929 International Exhibiton to showcase different regional architecture from Santiago de Compostella to Seville but was so popular it is still open today. Strolling along the cobble streets really did give the feel of a village instead of a museum. Many of the buildings house workshops were you can see artisans creating beautiful pieces. Around every corner you can experience a different area of Spain and relax in the many squares. It was in one of these squares that I stopped off for the ultimate Spanish snack, churros. What a treat it was to sit out in the winter's sun on a beautiful Spanish square, dunking the deep fried dough sticks into thick

Who'd have thought that you could find a safari in South Wales, let alone one made out of Lego? Cardiff Bay was recently taken over by the Great Brick Safari, twelve giant Lego animal models. There was a whole range of Lego models including a crocodile, gorilla and lion. All the models were highly detailed, it was incredible to think they were all created from a toy that every child has played with. I absolutely adored the kangaroo complete with a little Lego joey in her pouch. The elephant was very impressive, measuring 2.5m tall and it took 1600 hours to build! After examining the models, I visited a cupcake shop nearby called The Deck . What sets their cupcakes apart is that each one has a special filling as well as flavoured icing on top. I was spoilt for choice as many flavours are inspired by my favourite chocolate bars but in the end I went for an apple crumble cupcake. This cake had a gorgeous fresh apple centre and was topped with icing and crumbled bisc