Cinti visits Japan...again!

You may not have noticed unless you follow me on Instagram, but I was in Japan last week for a short and amazing break. Here are some of the colourful highlights.

Osaka

Kyoto

Read more »

Paper Balloon Inspiration...

I couldn't resist sharing these amazing images taken by Ebony of Hello Sandwich, of the paper balloon installation at the mt Expo in Tokyo. Is your mind blown?
You can see more photos over here on the Hello Sandwich blog.
And if you want to recreate this installation (on a smaller scale) you can get your Japanese paper balloons here...

All images used with permission from Hello Sandwich

Blythe 10th Anniversary Exhibition

Yes, I'm still talking about Japan, bear with me...

Pilgrim and I were so lucky to catch this amazing Blythe Doll exhibition during our last few days in Tokyo, it was in the Parco Department store gallery space.
Called '10 Happy Memories' it's a collection of every Blythe doll that has ever been released in Japan. WoW!
I believe it is touring some of the Parco stores in Japan till the spring of 2012 so if you are a Blythe lover and are going to be in Japan around that time, pop it on your to-do list.
Some of these gals are super stylin' and probably so hard to get now. I wonder if there is a 'Blythe HQ' with a giant vault full of rare Blythe dolls?

Here is a link I found with more information about the tour and a few bits of interesting Blythe trivia.

Marimekko e-Mook

I almost forgot to tell you about one of my last book purchases in Tokyo. It's a Marimekko e-Mook. An e-Mook is all the rage in Japan apparently, a cross between a magazine and a book, with the kicker being a premium gift all for around $15. There were a heap of fashion labels doing them with some worthwhile gifts, but I liked the cheerful bag included in this one. We accidentally stumbled on the Marimekko store in OMOTESANDO, it was all gorgeous but a little expensive for my budget, so a $15 bag was a special treat!
The book is essentially a product cataloug with some lovely interiors and a free dress pattern. Here I am having some fun modeling my bag. It's super fun, perfect for this spring and summer.
Have you ever bought a product just because of the 'Gift with Purchase'?

I ♥ Japanese Bookshops

I came back with only a handful of books from my trip to Japan, not because they were expensive or the choice was poor, on the contrary. The selection and prices were amazingly good, but unfortunately books are heavy, so I had to control myself. Our hotel was next door to a massive bookshop, so I spent plenty of time browsing.
This is what I cam home with:
Felt Goods by Tabatha Naomi, full of cute characters to make out of felt with instructions and patterns.
Mini Cross stitch book. Great for buttons and brooches
A couple of cute needle felting books
And this book about Cute Tokyo Shops which was really nice to look through to get an idea on places and areas to visit. It was all in Japanese so we had the concierge point out areas on a map. Google maps helped too. Both A-materials and pin'ups were in Kichijoji, a really great area to visit for quirky shops and vintage goodness.

Pop over to Pilgrim's blog to check out the books she bought in Tokyo...

Cinti's Poscards from Japan - Kyoto Flea Market

We were lucky that our stay in Kyoto coincided with the flea market that is held at the Toji Temple on the 21st of each month. It had it all, antiques, food, craft, clothing, new things and old, everything was so pretty and very reasonably priced. It was large and super busy so we only covered about half of it. I bought a pretty pincushion made from vintage kimono silk in a sake cup, and a cheap paper fan because it was hot! (So hot that unfortunately a lady had collapsed and was being taken away by paramedics.)
To cool down we had some tasty shaved ice with sweet, sweet syrup. I had green apple and Pilgrim had melon. The shaved ice guy was doing a rip roaring trade.If you happen to get to the Toji flea market, it's a great place to pick up some handmade souvenirs and vintage kimonos inexpensively. There were lots of little food stalls too, mainly selling octopus balls on sticks and savory pancakes, mmm, octopus balls...

Cinti's Poscards from Japan - Tradition in Kyoto

After all the hustle and bustle of Tokyo, I was excited to experience a little bit of the traditional side of Japan in Kyoto. I had booked a Ryokan, which is a traditional style inn, for our stay. It was quite the experience, and just what we needed to help us relax on out holiday.
The Ryokan was called TOWA, and even though I'd booked an 8 tatami mat room (number of tatami floor mats indicates size), we were upgraded to a suite, lucky us!
Upon check-in we were treated to a cup of matcha green tea and a sweet. It was the first time I'd tried this type of delicious tea, but not the last...
As you can see in the picture, we sat and slept on the floor. I must say the unless you sleep on your back, futons aren't that comfortable, my big pokey out hips and boney shoulders were screaming out for a nice soft mattress and fluffy pillow.
The breakfast was amazing and was served in our room, you can see pics of it here (along with my terrible bed hair).
There was a large communal bathing room in the basement, which I probably didn't take advantage of enough, but we also had our own private bathroom facilities. Phew!
I would definitely stay there again, and a suite would be ideal for a family.
Oh and no shoes allowed on the tatami mats...And here is my impulse buy, a secondhand kimono and obi. Bought on a late night walk home in a little hole in the wall shoppe that smelt like old stuff and cats. I can't resist the smell of old stuff. I wasn't intending on buying a kimono, but just thought it would be fun to try it on. Well after the lady fussed about getting everything just right and tied the obi so beautifully, I felt super special, and of course wanted to wear it home. I told her I'd never be able to re-tie the obi, and she just giggled and said ' You Tube'. Now who wants to have a costume party so I can wear my new (old) kimono? One traditional experience I would really recommend would be a Tea ceremony class at En. It was fascinating and mesmerizing watching our hostess prepare the tea. Every movement was mindful and controlled with meaning behind it. She described it as a kind of meditation which is part of her everyday life, it centers and grounds her. We even got to whisk up our own tea, mine turned out a little weak as the amount of powder I used was less than adequate.

I'll share more of our adventures in Kyoto on Friday...

Blythe Stylin' - Perty gets a Kimono

I couldn't resist making Perty a kimono, especially after picking up these adorable Blythe sized Geta sandals and Tabi sock combo (Japanese flip flops with special toe socks) from Junie Moon in Tokyo. It's technically a Yukata as it is made of cotton for informal wear.
I used some of my fabric scraps, and fittingly, I think the fabric I used for the kimono was a vintage Japanese cotton. I love using my scraps for making dolls clothes.
This was the pattern I based it on, but I had to modify the back and neckline as the back was a little narrow. The measurements were a bit hard to read so I just improvised. It's not an accurate reproduction as ladies' kimonos have open sleeves under the arms (men have closed sleeves, aren't I a fountain of knowledge! ).
I'm particularly pleased at how cute her little Obi sash looks, fastened with velcro to make dressing a little easier.
What do you think, cute yes?

Cinti's Poscards from Japan - Food

So many people have asked me what the favorite part of my trip to Japan was. It was all pretty amazing but the highlight was THE FOOD!

The Japanese really know how to eat, food is a real experience, and it always looks amazing. Presentation is a big part of Japanese cuisine and I felt like nearly everything we ate was a little work of art. And apart from a few unexpected flavours and textures, everything was quite delicious.

We took lots of photos of what we ate but I'll share some of the highlights here:
'Oishii' means delicious in Japanese, my mouth is watering just looking at these pictures. clockwise from top left:
Skewers- we went to several little bars that offered these delectable treats, they were a delicious and inexpensive snack (around $1-2 each), as long as you didn't eat too many. Mainly variations of chicken, but also mushroom, eggplant and other veggies with yummy dipping sauces. I had some sake at one of the bars and it was much nicer than I expected.
Bentos- A little taste of everything, these boxes come in every food and flavour combo you can imagine, great for taking to the park for a picnic or on the train. The best place to get these were in the department store food courts but they were a little bit dearer that I expected ($15-17) so sometimes it was preferable to go to a cafe for lunch for the same money.
Menu Set- It's likely every meal you order will come with rice and miso even if you don't order it or expect it to. We would often order a menu set because it was a nice way to try a few different things.
Pretty food- As you can see great care was taken to make everything look beautiful.
We went to dinner at AMATARO the first night of out Tokyo stay, and without really realizing we chose to sit in the DIY BBQ section. It was heaps of fun, you just had to be careful not to singe any hair. There was a touch screen display that you could order your food or drinks from but because we had no idea what we were ordering it was easier to flag down a waiter and mime what we were after. The dipping sauces there were so yummy, and we had a radish salad that was pretty rad too.

Another cook it yourself type of experience in Kyoto. This is a modern style Okonomiyaki restaurant that we stumbled across near Kyoto train station. It was a quirky take on the traditional vegetable pancake that had some interesting ingredient combinations. The dish was served up on a hotplate to keep it warm and one had to mush it all up before eating. The avocado and noodle one was delish!

A couple of examples of fast food. On the top is a vending machine type eatery where you choose your dish, press a button and pay to get a ticket. Once you have your ticket you give it to the kitchen and hey presto you have a yummy meal without having to speak a work of Japanese.
I thought I was ordering just Sashimi, but it came with soup, rice, cooked fish and pickles. The sashimi just melted in my mouth it was so tender. All this for under $10.
Their were lots of these ticket style cafes around mainly selling ramen noodles or curry style dishes.
Below is a fast food joint called Mos Burger. It had been recommended to me by several people and had some really odd burger choices including buns made of rice?! It didn't rock my world, but was fun to try Japan's alternative to McDonalds. I have heard that a Mos Burger is opening in QLD soon.

We were lucky enough to stay in a traditional Ryokan whilst we were in Kyoto. Our stay included a Japanese breakfast which changed every day but always consisted of fish, egg (omelet, poached), rice, vegetable salad, miso, tea, tofu, fruit and pickles. I quite enjoyed most of it but I must admit, silky tofu with jellied broth on top is a bit hard to eat first thing in the morning. As are Umeboshi the saltiest sourest things you will ever eat! It was the kind of thing you innocently chomp on, and then your face contorts into the most horrifically disgusted expression, sending anyone else in the room into fits of laughter. I dare you to try them... I'll share more about my Ryokan experience soon.
Last but not least, Sweet treats. Japanese desserts come in very interesting flavour combinations and some aren't very sweet at all. Many feature green tea or sweet beans which are totally delicious. These colourful fruity cups had a variety of jellies and glutenous balls that texturally tasted a bit weird to my western pallet, they came with a little bottle of sticky syrup that you could pour over the beans to sweeten them.

So have I whet your appetite for a Japanese foodie adventure? I must admit I'm looking forward to going to back to Japan just so I can eat myself silly. I probably put on several kilos in those 2 weeks...mmm...oishii

Japan hearts Miffy...

Most of you probably know and love Miffy, she is just the most adorable bunny that ever existed, yes? Well the Japanese seem to think so. They love Miffy BIG TIME! Probably not as much as Hello Kitty, but quite a lot. She is on everything you could possibly think of.
I thought I'd share my Miffy purchases with you...
You have already seen my Miffy socks, I bought some Miffy Origami Craft paper for the shop, Emma scored big time with a Miffy board book (in Japanese) and a Miffy drawstring bag to put her goodies in. But one of my fave purchases (for me) was this Miffy date book/diary. Every single page has the most gorgeous illustrations, I almost don't want to write in it. I love the little calender reminder stickers on the back. I know I am a grown woman, but Miffy, I heart you...

How To: Use a Pom Pom Maker

I picked up this awesome set of Pom Pom makers in Japan at the most amazing department store called Tokyu Hands. Tokyu Hands is my idea of crafty heaven, it has everything a crafty person could ever dream of wanting, and then a million things more.
I've always wanted one of these little gadgets, because making pom poms the old fashioned way, with 2 doughnut shaped cards, is a bit time consuming. The pack came with 4 contraptions in different sizes, I thought you may like to see how easy it was to use. There are some different brands available here, I'm sure they are very similar to use.
1. You will need your pom pom maker, yarn and scissors.
2 & 3. Match up the holes and bumps of the two halves.
4. Wrap your yarn around one half until the hole in the middle is all full (I have used a few strands of yarn to make the wrapping process a bit faster).5. Repeat with the other half.
6. Close the two halves together and click the latch (forgot to photograph this step sorry).
7. Cut round the outside of the ring, your scissor will fit inside the groove.
8. Take a length of yarn and slip it through the gap of the two rings, tie off firmly.

9. Remove Pom Pom maker.
10. Trim to neaten, and you're done!
I'll be using this and many other pom poms to decorate a project that is still kicking around in my head...

Cinti's Poscards from Japan - Red

Just a few colourful snaps is all I could manage today after spending hours yesterday trying to transfer my emails to my new laptop without much success. My brain is a bit frazzled.
Luckily the computer repair guy managed to transfer all my data off my dead laptop, so I have got access to it which is a relief.

I needed a shot of colour to brighten this grey day...
clockwise- letter box Kyoto central post office, Octopus ball stall at flea market in Kyoto, Torii gate Kyoto, Me at a little cafe/bar named Unice in Tokyo.

Sock it to me...

I think I developed an addiction to socks in Japan, I came back with about 15 pairs just for me, plus about 6 pairs for Emma. You see not only are there sock shops on every street corner, every shop has a different selection, each more awesome than the next. But the real kicker is 3 pairs for 1050 yen ($12ish) regardless of style or size, long or short, so one is forced to buy 3 pairs!Every time I bought some socks, I would tell Pilgrim that they were the last ones, and not to let me buy any more, but I have an illness and I just couldn't stop. The fact is I regret not buying more pairs to get me through to the next trip there.
So there were socks with 5 toes, split toes and no toes at all. Some with fronts but no heels, some with heels but no fronts, long, short, padded, thin thick and all cute. One size fits all so those with extra large feet are out of luck.
If I had to pick a favourite pair it would be the strawberry Mary Jane socks, but really I love them all.
Which are your favourites?

Otearai wa doko desu ka?

Whilst Pilgrim with her designer's eyes was absorbing all the colours and patterns in Japan, I was a little bit fascinated by Japanese bathrooms. You see the combination of heat, lots of fluid and the fact that I have the bladder which is the size of a pea, meant that I spent quite a lot of my trip visiting the lavatory.

Here are the things that impressed me/amused me most about toilets in Japan (some handy hints in here too):

-Most public toilets are very clean but don't always have toilet paper. They are nice enough to tell you that on a sign when you walk in, except I usually read it on the way out. Hint: Keep a small pack of tissues in your handbag, there are often people handing out promotional packs at train stations.-Most Western style toilets (even in public places) are super fancy with seat warming functions and warm water jets. Why you would use the bidet function at a cafe or department store baffles me, but each to their own. Warm seats feel a bit weird, like you have followed someone that has been sitting there for a while, eew! Hint: Best not to fiddle with the knobs unless you want to be surprised.

-Parents are catered for quite well, I saw a few family toilets, but most cubicles had these toddler seats in them, and a lot of ladies toilets have mini urinals for boys to use. It took me a while to work out what the urinals were for until I saw a little boy using it.

-Most toilets are self flushing or have a swipe sensor rather than a button. You get so used to the automatic flush that it's almost annoying when you actually have to find a button to press.

-Many toilets have a fake flushing sound button to mask your tinkle. Some will run water as soon as you sit down to mask your tinkle, it sounds like you're having a giant tinkle - it's a bit odd, I was bemused and amused.
-About half of the toilets in a block are usually Japanese style (squatting), they are easier to use than you may think. Most bathrooms have a map when you walk in to identify which cubical is which, handy! Hint: Japanese squat toilets are more likely to be vacant, which means less waiting.

-Most public toilets do not provide soap hand towels or hand dryers. Those that did have hand dryers had them switched off to conserve power. It's customary to carry a small hand towel (like a face washer) in one's bag for drying your hands. Hint: Buy some pretty hand towels as souvenirs, they are sold everywhere, the designs are super cute and they are quite inexpensive. I bought this bunny hand towel. It can also be used to mop up perspiration but whatever you do, NEVER blow your nose with it. Hint: Best to blow your nose somewhere private, in the toilet is best with fake flush running so no one can hear.

-If you are in someones home or in a ryokan there are often little toilet slippers you are supposed to wear whilst in the toilet. Hint: Best not to wear them out, it's not a good look!

So that is Cinti's guide to Japanese toilets...and if you ever get stuck "Otearai wa doko desu ka?" means, Where is the bathroom?