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Best Tokyo Hotels for First Time Visitors from Mid-Range to Boutique and Luxury. Park Hyatt, Tokyo, Japan.

Best Tokyo Hotels for First Time Visitors from Mid-Range to Boutique and Luxury

Best Tokyo hotels for first time visitors are lodgings close to train stations in essential Tokyo neighbourhoods to explore like Shinjuku, Shibuya, Roppongi, and Akasaka. These are our picks of the Tokyo hotels you need to check into, from mid-range to boutique and luxury.

The best Tokyo hotels for first time visitors to Japan aren’t necessarily the hotels you’d check into again. In fact, we’d recommend an apartment rental in Tokyo for your second holiday. On our last Tokyo trip we stayed in a comfy apartment a 10-minute walk to the lively centre of Akasaka in one direction and a 15-minute hike in the other up to Roppongi Hills and its sleek shopping malls. I’d stay there again in a heartbeat.

But for first-timer visitors to Tokyo we strongly recommend checking into a hotel. Tokyo and its transportation can be tricky to navigate at first and takes some time to get used to. The services of hotel door staff to point you in the right direction and a good concierge to make restaurant bookings shouldn’t be under-estimated. We found ourselves lost a few times just minutes after leaving our Akaska street.

The best Tokyo hotels for first time visitors should be centrally located and not far from train stations in essential Tokyo neighbourhoods you’re going to want to explore like Shinjuku, Shibuya, Roppongi, Akasaka, and The Ginza. These are our picks of the Tokyo hotels you need to check into, from mid-range to boutique and luxury.

Best Tokyo Hotels For First Time Visitors

Best Shinjuku Hotels

Shinjuku is quintessential Tokyo for us with its neon lights, cat cafés and two of our favourite quarters, Omoide Yokocho or ‘Memory Lane’ with its narrow alleys of smoky yakitori joints and noodle bars beside the railway line, and, a short stroll away, the Golden Gai, with more dimly-lit lanes lined with some two hundred diminutive bars, each with a different theme. Close by is the red light district of Kabukicho that’s become more family friendly in recent years. By day there are department stores galore and one of Tokyo’s loveliest parks, Shinjuku Gyoen.

Park Hyatt Tokyo

I have to confess that the reason I have a thing about the Park Hyatt Tokyo is because it featured in one of my favourite films, Sophia Coppola’s 2003 indy hit Lost in Translation. The New York Bar and Grill, pictured above, where the film’s stars Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson meet, is on the 52nd floor and offers nightly live jazz and jaw-dropping views over Tokyo. On the downside, it’s packed with other tourists and prices are sky-high, but it’s one of those spots where you have to sip a Suntory if you’ve seen the film. Being one of the best five-star hotels in Tokyo, with impeccable service, makes it one of the best Tokyo hotels for first time visitors. As do the luxurious rooms – larger than most Tokyo apartments – with marble bathrooms and a complimentary mobile phone, handy if you get lost or need to call the concierge for restaurant reservations. The sweeping views across the city to Mount Fuji are a bonus.
3-7-1-2 Nishi Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan

Book the Park Hyatt Tokyo online with our booking partner Booking.com.

Gracery Shinjuku

The mid-range Hotel Gracery is one of the best Tokyo hotels for first time visitors thanks to a helpful multi-lingual concierge team and central location a five-minute stroll to JR Shinjuku Station and a few minutes to Seibu-Shinjuku Station, in Kabukicho, the red light district that has evolved into an entertainment precinct with family-friendly cinemas and the Robot Restaurant close by. While the hotel tower itself is striking, the Gracery grabs attention for the gigantic Godzilla that peeps its head out from the eighth floor. The building is home to Toho film production company, which runs the on-site IMAX theatre and cinema complex. The hotel itself is huge, with almost 1,000 rooms, making it easy to find bargains. Rooms are comfy with super-soft feather comforters, pyjamas, complimentary Japanese tea, and fantastic city views. Although note that standard rooms are snug, starting at 18 square meters. Free Wi-Fi, free computers, an ATM and currency exchange near the concierge desk, and a coin-operated laundry, makes life easy for first-time visitors.
1-19-1 Kabukicho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan

Book the Gracery Shinjuku online with our booking partner Booking.com.

Best Shibuya Hotels

Along with Shinjuku, Shibuya screams Tokyo thanks to its famous Shibuya Crossing, a diagonal pedestrian ‘scramble’ crossing which millions of people cross a day (where we once did a late night photo shoot in the rain), watched over by enormous video screens, towers of department stores such as Shibuya 109, tree-lined shopping avenue of Omotesandō with its upmarket malls and luxury stores, the youthful street fashion shopping quarter of Harajuku and crowded Takeshita Street, and Dōgen-zaka’s love hotels. And when you need to escape the busy streets, there’s lovely Yoyogi Park and Meiji Shrine, and Shinjuku Gyoen, the former Imperial gardens, now a public park.

Trunk Hotel

Stylish boutique hotel, Trunk, is an absolute stunner with cool, contemporary décor that feels more Japanese than most and individually decorated rooms that feel more like apartments than hotel accommodations. Spacious rooms are decorated in neutral shades with carpet, white tiled bathrooms, and plenty of natural woods. Each category is very different to the next, so choose carefully: some come with large garden terraces dripping with greenery, some with the addition of barbecues and outdoor white tiled bathrooms. (If you don’t book a private balcony, there’s also a shared garden you can enjoy.) The Dining Suite has a beautiful kitchen and table for six for entertaining, while the Living Suite has two long, large sofas, a bar, a record turntable, vintage magazines, and books. All come with lovely robes, beautiful toiletries and there’s free WiFi. Excellent English speaking staff, an informative local guide, and a great location in the heart of Shibuya, just minutes from hipster-central Harajuku, and a 10-minute walk to JR Shibuya Station, make this one of the best Tokyo hotels for first time visitors. Meiji Jingu Shrine is a 10-minute saunter from Trunk while the Nezu Museum is just a 15-minute bus ride away.
5-31 Jingumae, Shibuya-Ku, Tokyo, Japan

Book the Trunk Hotel online with our booking partner Booking.com.

Shibuya Granbell Hotel

The 3.5-star Shibuya Granbell Hotel is one of the best Tokyo hotels for first time visitors with friendly staff who speak English, a fantastic location just a few minutes walk across a pedestrian bridge (don’t worry, there are elevators if you have heavy luggage) to Shibuya station and nearby Shibuya Crossing, and an easy amble to Omotesando and Harajuku. While I wouldn’t go far as to call it a ‘design hotel’, the minimalist rooms are comfy and the splashes of colour, chandeliers, and art on the walls set it apart from the plain and often drab décor of rooms in most hotels in this price category. The single rooms are super-snug, so it’s worth paying extra for a double. If the budget stretches, the loft rooms are the best. There’s a casual pub on site and an abundance of eateries in the neighbourhood. There are two more sister hotels, a Shinjuku Granbell and an Akasaka Granbell, which I also recommend if you prefer to stay in those neighbourhoods.
15-17 Sakuragaoka-cho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan

Book the Shibuya Granbell Hotel online with our booking partner Booking.com.

Best Roppongi Hotels

Roppongi is home to huge, high-end, mixed-use developments featuring sleek shopping malls, gourmet supermarkets, impressive museums, art galleries and cinemas, parks, residential apartments, office buildings and luxury hotels, such as Roppongi Hills and Tokyo Midtown. In between are affordable eateries and buzzy izakayas, and lively neighbourhoods such as Akasaka are only a short stroll away. Aside from the great eating, drinking and shopping, the Tadao Ando-designed 21_21 Design Sight, Mori Art Museum, Suntory Museum of Art, and the National Art Centre are musts.

The Ritz Carlton Tokyo

The location of the luxurious five-star Ritz Carlton Tokyo, which starts on the 45th level of the city’s tallest building at Tokyo Midtown, make this one of the best Tokyo hotels for first time visitors. The breathtaking views from floor-to-ceiling windows of the city skyline, including Tokyo Tower and Mt. Fuji, are a bonus. As you’d expect of a hotel of this calibre the English language skills of staff are impeccable and the concierges must be some of the best in the city, making your first stay in Tokyo a breeze. Rooms are super-spacious and come in either plush, comfy (albeit conservative) European-style furnishings or a more Zen style with a Japanese aesthetic with futon beds, traditional Tatami mats and Shoji door. Add to that a fine spa with lap pool, Michelin-starred restaurants plus a sumptuous lounge and bar, a tea house, and unique services, such as an ‘aroma butler’ you can call who will come and waft essential-oil blends around your room depending on your mood and needs.
9-7-1 Tokyo Midtown, Akasaka, Tokyo, Japan

Book The Ritz Carlton Tokyo online with our booking partner Booking.com.

Remm Roppongi

It’s hard to beat the Remm Roppongi for value in an area best known for its pricy high-end hotels, although what makes it one of the best Tokyo hotels for first time visitors is the unbeatable location, just a few minutes’ walk to Roppongi Station, Roppongi Hills, Tokyo Midtown, and the must-see museums and galleries, along with helpful English speaking staff, 24-hour concierge, and vending machines for drinks and snacks. While the bright, light-filled rooms are compact, guests love the seeping city views, big tiled bathrooms with rain showers, tea and coffee making facilities, bold splashes of colour, and the massage chairs, which are much appreciated after hiking the hilly neighbourhood. There’s free WiFi throughout the property and on-site restaurant called Cedar, with very generous buffet breakfasts for the price.
7-14-4 Minato-ku, Roppongi, Tokyo, Japan

Book the Remm Roppongi online with our booking partner Booking.com.

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About Lara Dunston

A travel and food writer who has experienced over 70 countries and written for The Guardian, Australian Gourmet Traveller, Feast, Delicious, National Geographic Traveller, Conde Nast Traveller, Travel+Leisure Southeast Asia, DestinAsian, TIME, CNN, The Independent, The Telegraph, Sunday Times Travel Magazine, AFAR, Wanderlust, International Traveller, Get Lost, Four Seasons Magazine, Fah Thai, Sawasdee, and more, as well as authored more than 40 guidebooks for Lonely Planet, DK, Footprint, Rough Guides, Fodors, Thomas Cook, and AA Guides.

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About Grantourismo

Lara and Terence are an Australian-born, Southeast Asia-based travel and food writers and photographers who have authored scores of guidebooks, produced countless travel and food stories, are currently developing cookbooks and guidebooks, and host culinary tours and writing and photography retreats in Southeast Asia.
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Still looking for Christmas cooking inspo? Check o Still looking for Christmas cooking inspo? Check out our seafood recipe collection, especially if you celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve with a fish focused meal in the Southern Italian tradition, transformed by Italian-Americans into the Feast of the Seven Fishes, or like Australians, who celebrate Christmas in the sweltering summer, feast on seafood for Christmas Day lunch, we’ve got lots of easy seafood recipes for you.

Our recipes include a classic prawn cocktail, blini with smoked salmon, a ceviche-style appetiser, and devilled eggs with caviar. We’ve also got recipes for fish soup, seafood pies and pastas, salmon tray bake, and crispy salmon with creamy mashed potatoes.

You’ll find the recipes here: https://grantourismotravels.com/seafood-recipes-for-christmas-eve-and-christmas-day-menus/
(Link in bio if you’re seeing this on IG)

Merry Christmas if you’re celebrating!! 

#christmas #christmasfood #seafood #fish #recipes #christmasrecipes #foodstagram #foodblogger #food #foodlover #igfood #picoftheday #igfood #igfoodie #cooking #foodblog #food #foodstagram #instafood #instafoodie #foodie #foodies #foodlover #foodpics #foodporn #foodphotography #foodwriter #foodblogger #grantourismo #grantourismotravels #xmas #merrychristmas #happychristmas
If you’re still looking for food inspo for Chris If you’re still looking for food inspo for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day meals, my smoked salmon ‘carpaccio’ recipe is one of dozens of recipes in this compilation of our best Christmas recipes (link below). 

The Christmas recipe compilation includes collections of our best Christmas breakfast recipes, best Christmas brunch recipes, best Christmas starter recipes, best Christmas cocktails, best Christmas dessert recipes, and homemade edible Christmas gifts and more.

My smoked salmon carpaccio recipe makes an easy elegant appetiser that’s made in minutes. If you’re having guests over, you can make the dish ahead by assembling the salmon, capers and pickled onions, and refrigerate it, then pour on the dressing just before serving. 

Provide toasted baguette slices and bowls of additional capers, pickles and dressing, so guests can customise their carpaccio. And open the bubbly!

You’ll find that recipe and many more Christmas recipes here: https://grantourismotravels.com/best-christmas-recipes/ (link in bio if you’re seeing this on IG)

Merry Christmas!! X

#christmas #christmasfood #recipes #christmasrecipes #foodstagram #salmon #smokedsalmon #foodblogger #food #foodlover #igfood #picoftheday #igfoodie #cooking #foodblog #food #foodstagram #instafood #instafoodie #foodie #foodies #foodlover #foodpics #foodporn #foodphotography #foodwriter #foodblogger #recipedeveloper #writingacookbook #grantourismo #grantourismotravels 
#xmas #merrychristmas #happychristmas
If you haven’t visited our site in a while, I sh If you haven’t visited our site in a while, I shared a collection of recipes for homemade edible Christmas gifts — for condiments, hot sauces, chilli oils, a whole array of pickles, spice blends, chilli salt, furakake seasoning, and spicy snacks, such as our Cambodian and Vietnamese roasted peanuts. 

I love giving homemade edibles as gifts as much as I love receiving them. Who wouldn’t appreciate jars filled with their favourite chilli oils, hot sauces, piquant pickles, and spicy peanuts that loved-ones have taken the time to make? 

Aside from the gesture and affordability of gifting homemade edibles, you’re minimising waste. You can use recycled jars or if buying new mason jars or clip-top Kilner jars, you know they’ll get repurposed.

No need for wrapping, just attach some Christmas baubles or tinsel to the lid. I used squares of Cambodian kramas (cotton scarves), which can be repurposed as napkins or drink coasters, and tied a ribbon or two around the lids, and attached last year’s Christmas tree decorations to some.

You’ll find the recipes here: https://grantourismotravels.com/homemade-edible-christmas-gifts/ (link in bio if you’re seeing this on IG)

Yes, that’s Pepper... every time there’s a camera around... 

#christmasgiftideas #ediblegifts ##christmasfoodgifts #foodgifts #giftideas #homemadegifts #christmasfood #ediblegiftideas #hotsauce #chillisauce #sriracha #pickles #homemadepickles #recipes #foodstagram #foodblogger #food #foodlover #igfood 
#blackcat #blackcatsofinstagram #picoftheday 
#christmas #christmastree #xmas #merrychristmas #happychristmas #cambodia #siemreap
This crab omelette is a decadent eggs dish that’ This crab omelette is a decadent eggs dish that’s perfect if you’re just back from the fish markets armed with luxurious fresh crab meat. It’s a little sweet, a little spicy, and very, very moreish.

Our crab omelette recipe was one of our 22 most popular egg recipes of 2022 on our website Grantourismo and it’s no surprise. It’s appeared more times than any other egg recipes on our annual round-ups of most popular recipes since Terence launched Weekend Eggs when we launched Grantourismo in 2010.

If you’re an eggs lover, do check out the recipe collection. It includes egg recipes from right around the world, from recipes for classic kopitiam eggs from Singapore and Malaysia and egg curries from India and Myanmar to all kinds of egg recipes from Thailand, Japan, Korea, China, Mexico, USA, Australia, UK, and Ireland.

And do browse our Weekend Eggs archives for further eggspiration (sorry). We have hundreds of egg recipes from the 13 year-old series of recipes for quintessential egg dishes from around the world, which we started on our 2010 year-long global grand tour focused on slow, local and experiential travel. 

We’re hoping 2023 will be the year we can finally publish the Weekend Eggs cookbook we’ve talked about for years based on that series. After we can find a publisher for the Cambodia cookbook of course... :( 

Recipe collection here (and proper link to Grantourismo in our bio):
https://grantourismotravels.com/22-most-popular-egg-recipes-of-2022-from-weekend-eggs/

If you cook the recipe and enjoy it please let us know — we love to hear from you — either in the comments at the end of the recipe or share a pic with us here.

#recipe #recipes #eggs #eggslover #breakfasteggs #WeekendEggs #egg #breakfast #brunch #igfood #igfoodie #cooking #foodblog #food #foodstagram #instafood  #instafoodie #foodie #foodies #foodlover #foodpics #foodporn #foodphotography #foodwriter #foodblogger #recipedeveloper #lookingforapublisher #writingacookbook  #grantourismo #grantourismotravels
I’m late to share this, but a few days ago Angko I’m late to share this, but a few days ago Angkor Archaeological Park, home to stupendous Angkor Wat, pictured, celebrated 30 years of its UNESCO World Heritage listing. 

That’s as good an excuse as any to put this magnificent, sprawling archaeological site on your travel list this year.

While riverside Siem Reap, your base for exploring Angkor is bustling once more, there are still nowhere near the visitors of the last busy high season months of December-January 2018-2019 when there were 290,000 visitors. 

Last month there were just 55,000 visitors and December feels a little quieter. A tour guide friend said there were about 150 people at Angkor Wat for sunrise a few days ago.

If you’re looking for tips to visiting Angkor, Siem Reap and Cambodia, just ask us a question in the comments below or check Grantourismo as we’ve got loads of info on our site. Click through to the link in the bio and explore our Cambodia guide or search for ‘Angkor’. 

And please do let us know if you’re coming to Siem Reap. We’d love to see you here x

#siemreap #cambodia #asia #travel #instatravel #traveldeeper #slowtravel #localtravel #experientialtravel #exploremore #neverstopexploring #goexplore #igtravel #angkorwat #angkor #temple #temples #angkorwithoutcrowds #unesco #unescoworldheritagesite #unescoworldheritage #archaeology #archaeologicalsite #traveladdict #beautifuldestinations #beautifulplaces #travelgram #wanderlust #picoftheday📷 #grantourismotravels.
Our soy ginger chicken recipe will make you sticky Our soy ginger chicken recipe will make you sticky, flavourful and succulent chicken thighs that are fantastic with steamed rice, Chinese greens or a salad, such as a Southeast Asian slaw. 

The chicken can be marinated for up to 24 hours before cooking, which ensures it’s packed with flavour, then it can be cooked on a barbecue or in a pan.

Terence’s soy ginger chicken recipe is one of our favourite recipes for a quick and easy meal. I love the sound of the sizzling thighs in the pan, and the warming aromas wafting through the apartment. 

It’s amazing how such flavourful juicy chicken thighs come from such a quick and easy recipe.

Recipe here (and proper link to Grantourismo in our bio): https://grantourismotravels.com/soy-ginger-chicken-recipe/

If you cook it and enjoy it please let us know — we love to hear from you — either here or in the comments at the end of the recipe on the site or share a pic with us x 

#recipe #recipes #chicken #soygingerchicken #asianfood #southeastasianfood #igfood #igfoodie #cooking #cookingtime #recipe #recipes #comfortfood #foodblog #food #foodstagram #healthyfood #instafood #healthy #instafoodie #foodie #foodies #foodlover #foodpics #foodporn #foodphotography #foodwriter #foodblogger #recipedeveloper #writingacookbook #grantourismo #grantourismotravels
Who can guess the ingredients and what we’re mak Who can guess the ingredients and what we’re making with my market haul from Psar Samaki in Siem Reap — all for a whopping 10,000 riel (US$2.50)?! 

Birds-eye chillies thrown in for free! They were on my list but the seller I spent most at (5,000 riel!) scooped up a handful and slipped them into my bag. She was my last stop and knew what I was making.

My Khmer is poor, even after all our years in Cambodia, as I don’t learn languages with the ease I did in my 20s, plus I’m mentally exhausted after researching and writing all day. I have a better vocabulary of Old and Middle Khmer than modern Khmer from studying the ancient inscriptions for the Cambodian culinary history component of our cookbook I’m writing.

So when one seller totalled my purchases I thought she said 5,000 riel but she handed back 4,500 riel! The sum total of two huge bunches of herbs and kaffir lime leaves was 500 riel.

Tip: if visiting Siem Reap, use Khmer riel for local shopping. We’ve mainly used riel since the pandemic started— rarely use US$ now as market sellers quote prices in riels, as do local shops and bakeries, and I tip tuk tuk drivers in riels. I find prices quoted in riels are lower.

Psar Samaki is cheaper than Psar Leu, which is cheaper than Psar Chas, as it’s a wholesale market, which means the produce is fresher. I see veggies arriving, piled high in the back of vehicles, with dirt still on them — as I did on this trip. 

The scent of a mountain of incredibly aromatic pineapples offloaded from the back of a dusty ute was so heady they smelt like they’d just been cut. More exotic European style veggies arrive by big trucks in boxes labelled in Vietnamese (from Dalat) and Mandarin (from China), such as beautiful snow-white cauliflower I spotted.

Note: the freshest produce is sold on the dirt road at the back of the market.

#cambodia #siemreap #foodwriter #foodblogger #foodphotography #igfood #foodstagram #instafood #instafoodie #foodie #instadaily #picoftheday #market #siemreapmarket #psarsamaki #marketfresh #vegetables #healthyfood #marketshopping #traveltips #foodtravel #culinarytravel #localtravel #cooking #cookingtime #curry #homemade #currypaste #grantourismotravels
My Vietnamese-ish meatballs and rice noodles recip My Vietnamese-ish meatballs and rice noodles recipe makes tender meatballs doused in a delightfully tangy-sweet sauce, sprinkled with crispy fried shallots, with carrot-daikon, crunchy cucumber and fragrant herbs. 

The dish is inspired by bún chả, a Hanoi specialty, but it’s not bún chả. No matter what Google or food bloggers tell you. Names are important, especially when cooking and writing about cuisines not our own.

This is an authentic bún chả recipe:  https://grantourismotravels.com/vietnamese-bun-cha-recipe/ You’ll need to get the outdoor BBQ/grill going to do proper smoky bún chả meat patties (not meatballs).

My meatball noodle bowl is perhaps more closely related to dishes such as a Central Vietnam cousin bún thịt nướng (pork skewers on rice noodles in a bowl) and a Southern relation bún bò Nam Bộ (beef atop rice noodles, sprinkled with fried shallots (Nam Bộ=Southern Vietnam) though neither include meatballs. 

Xíu mại= meatballs although they’re different in flavour to mine, which taste more like bún chả patties. Xíu mại remind me of Southern Italian meatballs in tomato sauce.

In Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, home to millions of Khmer, there’s bánh tằm xíu mại. Bánh tằm=silk worm noodles. They’re topped with meatballs, cucumber, daikon, carrot, fresh herbs, crispy fried onions. Difference: cold noodles doused in a sauce of coconut cream and fish sauce. 

Remove the meatballs, add chopped fried spring rolls and it’s Cambodia’s banh sung, which is a rice noodle salad similar to Vietnam’s bún chả giò :) 

Recipe here: (link in bio) https://grantourismotravels.com/vietnamese-meatballs-and-rice-noodles-recipe/

For more on these culinary connections you’ll have to wait for our Cambodian cookbook and culinary history. In a hurry to know? Come support the project on Patreon. (link in bio)

#recipe #recipes #vietnamesefood #cambodianfood #asianfood #southeastasianfood #ricenoodles #rice #noodlebowl #meatballs #igfood #igfoodie #foodblog #food #foodstagram #instafood  #instafoodie #foodie #foodies #foodlover #foodpics #foodporn #foodphotography #foodwriter #foodblogger #writingacookbook #writingacambodiancookbook #patreon #patreoncreator #grantourismo
It is pure coincidence that Pepper’s eye colour It is pure coincidence that Pepper’s eye colour matches the furnishings of our rented apartment. So, no, I did not colour-coordinate the interiors to match our cat’s eyes. 

I keep getting DMs from pet clothing brands wanting to “partner” with Pepper and send her free cat clothes and cat accessories. Although she did wear a kerchief for a few years in her more adventurous fashion-forward teenage years, I cannot see this cat in clothes now, can you? 

#pepper #blackcat #blackcats #blackcatsofinstagram #blackcatsrule #blackcatsmatter #cat #cats #catsofinstagram #catstagram #catlover #catlovers #catlove #catoftheday #catphoto #catpic #catpics #cambodiancat #cambodiancatsofinstagram #catlife #catloversclub #catoftheday #catgram #catstagram #cats_of_instagram #catphotography #catsofig #catsoftheworld #catsofinsta #cats🐱 #siemreap #cambodia

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