Winter foliage in Tokyo

Winter foliage in Tokyo

Friday, 4 February 2011

February is the coldest month in Tokyo, I don't like the cold but I like February because although it's really cold we can also feel the spring being not too far away. Plum blossoms start to bloom, camellia so pretty, and soon my favourite mimosa will have adorable lemon yellow flowers. It's been really dry but this dryness and the cold make sky look so clear that we can often see the mt Fuji even though it is 100km away from Tokyo. In the sunset hours sky is particularly beautiful. The day is surely getting longer. In the old Japanese calender, today is the first day of spring after all. It is 立春 (risshun). The real spring is not too far away.

Although I enjoy February in Tokyo, I will be taking a mini holiday and will escape the cold. I'm off to Hawaii! Yay! It will be another unbelievably quick trip but it should be a great refreshment after having worked like a crazy person for the last couple months, hehe.

I will also be having a special sale at my shop and everything will be 10% off from tomorrow (tokyo time so it will start in 4 hours!) so if you need to stock up some masking tapes or other Japanese paper goodies please pop over to UGUiSU ;)

Comments: 16

In the park.

In the park.

Saturday, 15 January 2011

"You don't have trees in Japan, do you?" It was a question asked by my friend from school when I was living in Darwin Australia, this was back in the 90s by the way. She looked all very serious, and she even looked sorry for me that in my country I can't see trees. I was very confused, but I remembered that my Japanese friend who was in Darwin with me at the time (but at a different high school as an exchange student) had been sympathised by her class mate that she had to buy all the "western clothes" to be away from Japan because he believed we all wore kimono in Japan (or that there were still samurai everywhere). So I asked my friend with the tree question why she said that, and this was what she said. "All the Japanese tourists were taking photos of trees!" I thought what? but maybe those tropical trees in Darwin were unique to Japanese. But now I realise that I take photos of trees a lot, and maybe that is one of the habits of Japanese? I just remembered my friend's question after many many years tonight looking at these photos.

Comments: 17

Year-end, New Year.

Year-end, New Year.

Friday, 7 January 2011

Happy New Year! I know I'm late but I hope you all had a wonderful start to the 2011. In the "nenmatsu-nenshi" (年末年始 = Year-End & New Year) I went to many parties seen in the above photos - beautiful wedding, birthday party, Christmas party and a couple of "bounenkai" which literally means "forget-the-year-party". Of course I had a New Year's parties with our families too, but I forgot to take photos!

From all the delicious food and drinks from all these, I now feel that I really need to do some exercise to get rid of what I must have put on... So here is one New Year's resolution I guess! ha!

今年もよろしくお願いします。
　

Comments: 22

Hello December.

Hello December.

Wednesday, 2 December 2009

ぼーっとしてたらもう１２月。
I can't believe it's already December, I've been complaining that it's so cold but actually it has been strangely warm for December days in Tokyo. Tokyo's symbol tree ginkgo are now all golden yellow and the leaves are starting to fall it's really beautiful. I took some photos of them today but it will be a while before I finish the roll of film so I picked these photos I took some winters back for the start of a new month. I hope you are all having a great start of December!
Osanbashi International Passenger Terminal, Yokohama.

P.S. Alice has just returned from Japan. Check out Quaint Living for gorgeous Japan photographs!
　

Comments: 4