SUMMER

SUMMER

Thursday, 28 June 2018

It is still supported to be rainy season in Tokyo but we have been having very sunny and very warm days it feels like the real summer has already arrived. It's not even July yet. I was just reminded of our two weeks trip we had back in March when we travelled from the very cold wintery Tokyo to the really warm Brisbane, Melbourne and then Singapore. This picture here was taken on our first day in Brisbane, I thought it was end of summer there but it was still really hot and it was very much like how it feels in Tokyo right now. It kind of felt a little strange that this feeling of being in a hot and humid weather seemed somewhat more familiar than experiencing it since last summer, but now I know that is because this is already my second summer this year. Tokyo's summer is very harsh, it's not nice. But I guess I have to face it,  oh summer please please be gentle....

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BELATED SUMMER: HOUSHI ONSEN

BELATED SUMMER: HOUSHI ONSEN

Saturday, 7 October 2017

So, my last post was belated spring post and now it is time for belated summer. It's already October and is starting to feel so much more autumn.
This year we had a rather strange summer weather-wise, we had many really hot days but we also had many not-really-that-hot days and it was so much easier. (I mean when compared with previous years, summer had been insanely hot and intolerable.)

Anyway, this summer I had a mini brake and went on a little trip to this gorgeous onsen ryokan - hot spring inn. Our lovely friends from Melbourne Michelle and Steve were travelling around Gunma and R and I joined the two. I had been really looking forward to visiting this ryokan Choju-kan at Houshi Onsen and to see this beautiful architecture built in the Meiji period - 140 years ago.
This secret onsen is at the very end of the road so deep in the mountain in the Minakami area in Gunma prefecture. So quiet and peaceful surrounded by nature, it was just so incredible.

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END OF RAINY SEASON

END OF RAINY SEASON

Wednesday, 23 July 2014

Yesterday, it was announced that the rainy season has officially ended and now our real summer is starting in Tokyo - tsuyu ake - 梅雨明け。 
This year's tsuyu (rainy season) had been so strange, we had so many thunderstorms which has never been common for Tokyo to have at this time of year. Climate is changing a lot over the recent years, this rainy season in Tokyo really reminded me of Darwin where I spent the whole school year when I was 15.

It's funny but I think of my year in Darwin a lot lately. Probably because I recently wrote a story for The Best Wishes Magazine in their Tokyo Chapter to share the story of life and thoughts in and about the city as one of the Tokyo creatives.

When Nana, a lovely Norwegian girl who have just graduated from University in Tokyo, came to take some photos for this project and we were chatting about her life in Tokyo, how it must have been so different and challenging for her coming here all the way from Norway so young and all on here own - she is doing amazingly well -  I could not help but relate myself many many years ago as a young girl travelling to Australia all on my own.

I never talk about these experiences anymore, it's been so long and I sometimes almost forget that I even once did that. It was not always easy, especially when I first got there as an exchange student at high school studying together with local teenagers, no one cared if I came from Japan. I was badly homesick but none of my friends had email address and of course there was no sms.... Oh why am I talking about this??? I am not sure, oh yes, the rainy season! Haha. The monsoon weather brought me back some harsh memories!  I want to give little 15 year old me a pat on the back whenever I remember that year, that one year made me strong and because I made it through that one year I had more amazing opportunities and experiences later in Melbourne :)

Now I really forgot what I initially was going to write about in this post but thank you if you have read through this rambling talk..! I need to give my brain some good rest I think, been working too hard forever now.

I hope you are enjoying Summer (or Winter)!

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LAST BIT OF SUMMER

LAST BIT OF SUMMER

Saturday, 14 September 2013

Cricket chirping was replaced by that of cicadas and it felt like autumn for a little while, but summer is back and is still sticking around. Even cicadas are back. But hopefully this will be the last post talking (or complaining) about summer, I've had it. Although...I finally took the film to have it developed so I may be posting some photos from this summer later. Hope that's okay ;)

Earlier this month, I launched a new website for my online store, it took me so long to finally have it up since I started thinking about and working on it, like over 3 years ago....  When you are your own client and have no deadline it can take forever and it seemed it will never be done but it's done and I'm so pleased. I hope you will pop by and have a look if you have a moment --> uguisustore.com

I have a limited section for selling international artists works which I sell in my tokyo store, currently listed are lovely potholders by Renilde and postcards by Mary. I had Ros's zine too but it's already sold out! You can still order it directly from Polkaros shop.

Another thing..., lovely Ishtar asked me to do an interview for her charming blog a little while ago and it's up on her blog now, I'm talking about my shop and some thoughts behind it as well as little about my life in Tokyo. Thank you Ishtar for putting it together so nicely, and even with Spanish translations!

UGUiSU♥ on Ishtar Olivera


I hope you are all enjoying the lovely change of the seasons, either moving to autumn or spring.
And happy weekend!

Hiki
xx

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SUMMER, ON INSTAGRAM

SUMMER, ON INSTAGRAM

Thursday, 22 August 2013

Summer in Tokyo..... I'm sure I've told you enough times how hot and horrible it is over the past 4 summers since I started my blog. It even seems to get worse each year, I think it actually is getting worse. It's so hard to sleep through the night without waking up at least a few times, either feeling cold or hot and having have to change the setting on air-conditioner each time I wake up. By the time a morning arrives I am exhausted. Not a pleasant thing to hear about I know. The worst is gone and we can feel that the end of summer is not too far away now, which is VERY good.

Although enjoying Tokyo summer never feels such an easy thing for me, I must say I love lights in summer nights. Lanterns from summer festivals (bon-odori), catching glimpse and hearing sound of the fireworks shows happening here and there accompanied with frozen daiquiris and cold beers - perfect.
The other day I had a lovely fun mini evening picnic with Ebo-chan at Saigoyama Park in Daikanyama. It was another hot hot day but there was really nice breeze and it was so nice. I even enjoyed walking home from the park.

Oh summer, we never get on but you do entertain me lots now I realise writing this post. But I will be so glad when you will be gone and Autumn arrives, though I know I will feel just a tiny bit sad when you really go.

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