little autumn




storm
It's been so winter-like the last couple of days in Tokyo, it's freezing. Well I guess compared to other parts of the world this is not that cold yet, but it is for me already! I've got too much work at the moment so I might absent from here for a while but I will try to come back when I get a moment.
Hope you are enjoying the week everyone!
Stay warm ;)

xx

P.S. Do check out MR KITLY, an awesome looking Japanese style shop which Bree from ii-ne-kore is about to open in Melbourne!!
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進行中
One evening in October in Omotesando, I went to see the "minä perhonen 15th Anniversary × SPIRAL 25th Anniversary Project" Exhibition -進行中- (=ongoing), right before it ended. The day was getting shorter and when I walked up outside from the subway it was already dusk, things like that sometimes make me a bit sad. But anyway, the exhibition was really great and I was so glad I could make it to go. No photos were allowed inside the exhibition, but here you can see some photos of the "backstage".

Beautiful beautiful creations. So inspiring.
Oh how I wish I could own one of their beautiful dresses one day!
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the french cafe:)i heart coffeetempura soba10
Another post of some random shots from around my neighbourhood - taken within 2 kilometres from home in the past couple of weeks.
Nice little cafe that looks as if it just popped out from Paris, the cutest&tiniest gallery that's only open on the weekend, coffee at my favourite cafe in Jiyugaoka, delicious tempura soba for lunch, and D&DEPARTMENT on their 10th anniversary. All very random, all very good.
ladies in kimonoginza in the evening
Ginza looks so pretty at night time with all the lights, but it looks extra pretty when it's raining at night.

I thought I might post about a little something traditional today as I don't think I've done that for a long time now.

These pretty things you see here are called Goshugi-bukuro, which literally means "celebration money sleeves". It's very common in Japan to give money as gift at weddings, and Goshugi-bukuro is always used for this occasion with the sender's name written on the skinny white paper you see on each Goshugi-bukuro. (Yes we write our names from top to bottom, vertically.) Each one has a plane envelope to slip money in inside and the envelope is wrapped with a big piece of good washi paper folded in its special way.

Goshugi-bukuro are sold everywhere in Japan even at the 100yen shops or convenience sotres, but I like to choose nicer ones and these 3 are my recent favourites. I bought the one with pretty gold cranes printed on really beautiful washi paper (the one on the left seen in the first photo) a while ago at ITO-YA, it was the loveliest Goshugi-bukuro I had ever seen!

But when I became the one to receive Goshugi-bukuro, I realised what a huge waste all these things become! They say you can not re-use them for when you go to someone's wedding and not just all the papers but all the beautiful "mizuhiki" (the special decorative cord to tie around the envelopes) are only to be thrown away afterwords and that made me feel sad! We only had a very small wedding but still there were many Goshugi-bukuro to be wasted. Well I haven't thrown them away, trying to think of the ways to use them for something.

Anyway, we received one Goshugi-bukuro which used handkerchief instead of paper and I was so happy to see it! I think it's such a wonderful idea, the handkerchief can be used over and over afterward! So, for my friend's wedding I went last weekend I used a recyclable cloth Goshugi-bukuro, I actually found the one that is like a pocket sleeve so I bought that too. They cost a lot more than the average paper ones but I still think they are better. I have 2 more weddings to go to this month so I'm all set for now!

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