Travel crossbody: Mulberry mini Alexa in Japan

Writing this because I miss Japan so very much…

Travel crossbody: is there a perfect bag for this?

When travelling, I find it nearly a MUST to have a small and highly versatile travel crossbody.

After all, part of having a good travelling experience means being hands-free as much as possible (also because a mom of two kids needs her hands available to reign them in).

To date, it seems like my preferred bag for travels all come from Mulberry – i wrote this post in 2020 and declared the Mulberry Lily as a highly recommended travel companion.

Since then, my bag collection has evolved. While I still love Mulberry, the choice of travel companion has shifted to the Mulberry Mini Alexa.

This happened primarily because the Mulberry Mini Alexa was RELAUNCHED – it was discontinued aeons ago, but after a super long hiatus (and i suspect, after loads of feedback from old Mulberry fans) somewhere in 2020 to 2021 – Mulberry re-introduced the Alexa series into the product lines, and the rest was history.

For those who don’t know, Mulberry is the FIRST luxury bag brand that I bought and led me down the slippery slope of luxury bags.

The Alexa is an old favourite – ages ago, I had an Alexa that I used daily until it literally gave way and went to Bag Heaven. Unfortunately, back then, with the Alexa discontinued, the beloved bag couldn’t be easily replaced. So when the Alexa relaunched, I immediately got set on rekindling that old relationship again.

Mulberry Mini Alexa: easy travel crossbody

The bag is most conveniently used as a crossbody.

Crossbody

On occasion, I do carry it by the handles. The handle is awesome – it allows the bag to easily hang on a hook even in a small space. And it is a SOFT handle which shape is malleable and can be squished down if necessary (not that I recommend it, but the option is there).

Handheld

We took the shinkansen (bullet train) in Japan, and hanging the bag by the windows kept the seating space area a little more free.

Plus point: Hangs easily on a beg abroad the Shinkansen (新幹線 – bullet train)

Another plus point: the COLOUR. I loved the neutral chestnut – it’s practically similar to my Hermes Kelly28 in Gold, and goes well with anything. I could be dressed in colours or neutrals, and it’d blend in beautifully.

Takoyaki (Octopus Balls). Only bag lovers will understand the feeling when your bag matches the colour of your food. LOL.

So when the chance came for my family and I (two adults, two children) to travel to Japan last year, the bag of choice – old favourite, easy crossbody, neutral colour – all those factors pointed towards the Mulberry Mini Alexa.

Hotel Stays in Japan

Back then, we stayed at two different hotels – the first was at Conrad Tokyo (booked with AMEX Fine Hotels and Resorts rate).

Absolutely loved how the Mulberry Mini Alexa looked right next to the coffee and tea facilities. Kind of zen, don’t you think?

Conrad Tokyo

Our room category was the King room with bay view.

King sized bed

Which of course, came with a view of the Tokyo bay area.

Tokyo Bay view

The second hotel we stayed at was Fraser Suites Akasaka Tokyo (redeemed with the Amex Platinum Reserve voucher).

Unfortunately, at the present time of writing, Fraser Suites Akasaka Tokyo has closed down indefinitely; I could not find any news on whether the hotel is slated to reopen or is permanetly closed.

It’s a real pity – we truly enjoyed our stay there.

At any rate, here’s some pictures of the travel crossbody bag.

Deluxe Room

Next to the Coffee and Tea making facilities

I’m going to miss this place

Cafe in Japan

Japan has many beautiful cafes. While walking around, we randomly stumbled into this one.

Random Cafe

Unfortunately, I can’t give any details about this place. Like an over-excited traveller squealing at a cute (an empty) cafe in some random, off-the-beaten-path road, I forgot to figure out the name and exact location of the cafe. Oops.

Surprisingly Empty

Though I will point out, many cafes in Japan are beautifully decorated, either in minimalistic themes or motifs related to nature (e.g. flowers, wood).

Mulberry Mini Alexa: Practically Camouflaged

We sat by one of the wooden wall panels (these were suppose to serve as dividers between customers).

Love the wooden panel dividers

The food we ordered came quickly – and wow, everything was so photogenic together in shades of neutral.

Colour obsession aside, the kids loved the doughnuts here. My apologies again for the inability to remember where this cafe is.

Teatime is served

Ice Cafe Latte and Doughnuts

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Perfect Travel Crossbody: Mulberry Mini Alexa

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