Friday, September 14, 2012

New Etsy Store!!

Ever since I was little, I have loved to make things. It was a passion that was passed on to me from my grandma, who loves all kinds of craft work. She was the one who taught me how to knit, crochet and sew. And I have been making things such as clothes and accessories for years but have never really tried to sell them. However, after a lot of nagging from friends who wanted to buy the necklaces that I have recently been making, I decided, why not? So here is my new etsy store and fb page, with some of the necklaces I have made so far.


Monday, July 16, 2012

Kyoto - Day 2

There doesn't seem to be many places that do breakfast in Japan, nothing really opens until around midday. So, once again, we started our day in the convenience store and had some more onigiri. We discovered that the blue labeled onigiri was generally tuna and mayonnaise, which was probably our favourite. We couldn't read labels so this discovery was very significant to us.

After breakfast, we walked around the main streets for a little shopping. First stop, the Nike store, where we stocked up on some exercise gear to get us through our holiday. We we going to do a lot of walking around, after all. I purchased some running shorts, socks and a top. I was also going to buy runners, but I thought I'd better wait until ABC Mart (sneaker store that can be found all over Japan), for their competitive prices. So naturally, our visit to the Nike store was soon followed by a visit to ABC Mart. You can find almost any brand of sneakers and runners for really low prices. I got some Nike 5.0s, which was equivalent to 80 Australian bucks. My boyfriend stocked up on some vans, which were half the price of what they would be back home. Highly recommend making at least one visit to ABC Mart.


Next stop, Mos burger. Mos burger is mentioned in Monocle, one of my favourite magazines, and is rightly so. The fish burger off the hook. I never thought I'd say it but I liked it more than the other burgers we had, which was the Ton Katsu burger and the Mos cheese burger. Buns we so soft.

Other essential shopping destinations are Loft and Muji. I made a number of trips to these stores last time and I am sure I will again this time. I frequented Loft mainly for stationery (there is a whole floor dedicated to it!) and bought heaps of MT masking tape, Posca pens, notepads and way too many stickers. We also spent a lot of time in Muji, stocking up on clothing basics, stationary, and household and beauty products.

After a long day of shopping we made our way to Pontocho Dori, a long narrow alley running from Shijo-dori to Sanjo-dori, apparently Kyoto's most popular dining areas. We were overwhelmed by the choice of restaurants, so we just gambled on a yakitori joint on the corner called Issian Pontocho, which turned out to be great dining experience. We were greeted by an English-speaking host/chef, who walked us through the menu and explained which parts of the chicken we were eating. We ate liver, skins, gizzards- who knows what else - and everything was cooked on hot stones right in front of us. Would definitely go back to Issian Pontocho. We asked the host for some suggestions for a good place for a drink after and he recommended Ace Cafe, which was a couple of blocks away on the 10th floor (great view). We drank Ron Zacappa on the rocks and some gin martinis till the early hours.

Sayounara for now.


Sunday, July 15, 2012

Hello Japan - Day 1

As soon as we touched down in Japan, I was greeted by the summer warmth that hugged me hello. My nostrils were instantly filled with that familiar sweet smell of Japan with a hint of sanitizer cleanliness. Fond memories of my last trip came flooding back to me and I had to keep pinching myself as it felt so surreal. I am in Japan!!

My friends and I went straight to the vending machine for some Black Boss (cold black coffee in a can). This is pretty much the only coffee I drank on my last trip because coffee in Japan isn't great and can be quite expensive. However, I had grown to love the boss and now prefer it. The coffee was soon followed by some Onigiri (rice balls) from one of the stores at the train station. The plane trip took a lot out of us, so we really needed some quick sustenance before we jumped on a train to Tokyo station and then another train to Kyoto.

When we arrived in Kyoto, we went straight to Iori Ebisuya-cho Machiya (traditional wooden townhouse) that will be our home for the next four days. It is a hundred year old house and pretty much in it's original state; it's incredible. We will be sleeping on futons and tatami mat floors, which will be really comfortable... However, we have a really beautiful bathroom with a Japanese cedar bath tub (smells amazing) and an amazing little garden.


Day 1
So, if today was anything to go by, our trip with be heavily focused on eating. I already knew this, but I somehow needed reminding. Anywhere you go, you are pretty much guaranteed a fresh and tasty feed, even the convenience store food is pretty darn good. David Chang raves on about Lawsons convenience store (I will review later) and that is saying something. So we spent most of the day eating, shopping and eating, then some more shopping.

Where I ate/drank:
 
Train/station food - The Japanese really know how to do good food, even station food can be quite good. Being the world's tenth most populated country and having a culture of eating out, food retail is in high demand. Therefore, many operations are able to sustain a high turnover, keeping food fresh. 

The convenience store - Eating sandwiches out of a convenience store goes against everything I used to believe in but I had a revelation. It is possible... Only in Japan.
You can also get ready to eat edamamae, delicious salads and Onigiri. Onigiri, is a great rice ball snack that comes in a a variety of different fillings. You can seriously live off these, if you are on a tight budget, equivalent to a couple of bucks. My friend had put me onto these last time round and I will be forever grateful.
P.S You can also purchase beers are only a couple of dollars.

Nishiki Food Market - is a traditional Japanses Market, Nishiki Market meaning "the Kitchen of Kyoto"! There was soo much food! We ate from many different stalls, snacking on Takoyaki, soy donuts (which were surprisingly delicious), fish cakes (these were a bit full on, we called these the dense numbers), and some old school shaved ice with different flavoured cordial. 



Yorum's bar - I had gone to this tiny 8-seater sake bar on my last trip to Kyoto and had such an incredible experience that I had to go back. This time was just as good with Yorum, the bar owner, walking us through countless ridiculous sake and explaining each one in depth. This was complimented by delicious bar snacks, such as shishito peppers, assorted pickles, assorted cheese (tete de moine, Brie and manchego, which surprisingly goes really well with Sake, who would have thought!) and the best haloumi I've ever had. If you want a great sake experience, you must visit Yorum, just make sure you get there early to snake a seat. 





Friday, July 6, 2012

July In Japan

Fashion, Food, Friendship and Fun.

Exactly one week from now, I will be back in Japan. It seems so long ago but I was only there last October with my boyfriend. We absolutely fell in love with the country, although we never thought we'd be back so soon. This time we are going with two other friends for about three weeks and I am so excited, I just can't stop thinking about it.

 (Osaka, October 2011)

I am absolutely in love with the fashion over there, it can be quite wack at times but I admire that, that they are more imaginative and creative with their style. If you like Tokyo fashion, a good site that I regularly visit is http://tokyofashion.com/photos/, which has awesome street photos.

My friends and I are massive foodies, so I will be updating you with some insane restaurants accompanied by lots of snobby food pics. We are also lovers of Sake. I don't know much about Sake, all I know is that I like to drink it.

I am also a sucker for stationary and craft stores, especially the ones in Japan, these stores are next level.

(The shit I bought last time, inc. heaps of Studio Ghibli and Sanrio stuff)

My itinerary includes:
14-17 Kyoto
18-19 Naoshima- Island of Art.
20-26 Tokyo
27-29 Fuji Rock (boom)
30    Back to Tokyo for our last day.

We are also contemplating going back to Osaka, mostly just for our favourite Takoyaki joint called Tako Tako King. And if you ever get the chance, you should check it out. Yes, their Takoyaki is good but its the whole experience that's memorable, if you go you'll know what I mean. I would go back to Osaka in a heartbeat, just for Tako Tako King.

I don't know how much I will be posting about music, Fuji Rock of course but other than that, I'm not sure I'll have much exposure to the music scene. However, I have just discovered Kyary Pamyu Pamyu(pop singer/model/blogger). Her music isn't what I'd usually like but I am slowly getting addicted. She is so Kawaii!!



I just got a new Diana Mini lomography camera, so I will be going nuts with the photos. And if you're lucky I will be sharing some insightful haikus with you. Stay tuned.

Monday, July 2, 2012

Reggie Watts - Fuck Shit Stack

I just rediscovered this. So good.




Another good one of his (but on a completely different level)



Sunday, July 1, 2012

Starjumps Photoshoot

Here are some photos from a shoot I did a couple of weeks ago, theme inspired by 90's grunge/punk. Even though it was pouring rain and freezing cold, I had so much fun!

Photography: Nic Mesker 
Flowers: He Loves Me
Location: Carriage Works. 











Thursday, June 28, 2012

New Playlist on Spotify

I've just started using Spotify and I am absolutely obsessed with it. I have discovered some seriously good tunes in the last couple of days.

It's super easy to search for songs/artists, create playlists and listen basically for free or you can upgrade your account for a small monthly fee. Spotify can be hooked up to your facebook, twitter or tumblr account, making it easier to share tracks with friends. AND you can also sync your itunes playlists.

My favourite playlist that I have created so far is called "Cavernous", which includes mostly tech and deep house. I've attached some of my starred tracks to give you a preview of the playlist.

Subscribe to my Cavernous playlist to hear more.