Bonsai and Zakka in Jiyugaoka

Bonsai and Zakka in Jiyugaoka

Wednesday, 31 March 2010

Another "well-hidden" lovely shop of my favourite from Jiyugaoka is the wonderful bonsai shop/atelier called "shinajina". They do a very modern cool bonsai art, both selling and giving lessons. I met up with lovely Bree from ii-ne-kore who was in Tokyo last week and took her there. (she's in Kyoto now enjoying sakura, she just emailed to me and said they had some snow! snowed while sakura in bloom -how amazing!) Both Bree and I went crazy gazing at these awesome bonsai pieces, and the great containers they had there. They were preparing for a class inside, for making sakura bonsai!! I must go and try one of their workshops soon I decided.




And this one is a sweet little zakka shop called "ochi-kochi" (THIS PLACE HAS MOVED FROM HERE AND THEN LATER CLOSED) that we also went. Every time I go visit this place I feel I want to buy the whole shop! They have beautiful Japanese tableware - ceramics, wooden and woven kitchenware and cute little kids clothing. The owner is a lovely lady too which makes me love this shop even more! She happily let me take a few shots of her shop so here they are to share with you :)

Then we went to cafe ikanika (which you would have known so well by now if you read my blog for a while!) and had a very nice lunch. And it was really fun to meet lovely Bree from Melbourne and I had a wonderful time though was for a quick one! Arigato Bree for coming to Jiyugaoka :)

Comments: 15

Before Sakura.

Before Sakura.

Monday, 29 March 2010

Sakura (cherry blossoms) are popping out all over Japan now, I rode around on my (pika-pika brand new!!) bike yesterday and saw they were about 40-50% in bloom. Hopefully by this weekend it will be fully bloomed and I can take LOTS of pictures to share with you here. It's been unbelievably cold in Tokyo for this time of year, we only had 4 degree Celcius this morning (samui!!!) so sakura is blooming very slowly.

Sakura is of course the best attraction of Japan's spring more than anything, but there are other pretty blossoms too which pop out before sakura. Magnolia (mokuren), plum (ume) and peach (momo) blossoms are some of them which are seen in the above photos. To be really honest, I can't really tell the difference between plum and peach, but apparently petals of plum are round while peach has pointy petals.

Just thought I'd share some springy photos before going to the too-much-cherry-blossom-photos show which is soon to begin here!

P.S. Excellent news this morning, that Sejima and Nishizawa of SANAA won the Pritzker Architecture Prise of this year! (see this article on abc news)

Also.... a few new posts here!
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Comments: 21

In Asagaya

In Asagaya

Wednesday, 24 March 2010

Asagaya is a cute little town on Chuo Line, in the west Tokyo area that is totally out of where I normally hung out. The only reason I ever go there is because one of my clients is there. This time I got there early and explored a bit, having nice lunch in a sweet cafe called "hinemosunotari" and fell in love with the place! They sell lovely ceramics and glassware too, next time I will get there a lot earlier before my meeting, is what I decided leaving there.

Comments: 8

Mori Girl Magazine

Mori Girl Magazine

Tuesday, 23 March 2010

So, Mori Girls. They have been all over Tokyo for some time now, even someone like me who never watches TV keep hearing and seeing the word "mori girl" here and there all the time and they're even appearing in the non-Japanese blogging world! That is a wow to me really. If you wonder what on earth Mori Girls are, you better head over to Hello Sandwich and check out this awesome post on Mori Girls! I've decided that the "Mori Girls" are the 21st century version of "Olive Girls". そう思いませんか？(there was a wonderful treasury magazine called "Olive" and I was all over it! and of course I was called an oive girl when I was a teenage school girl ;)

Anyway, I picked up this new Mori Girl magazine at a bookstore the other day to send over to a mori girl in OZ, but I thought there may be more people who might be interested so if you are you can now order it from UGUiSU. You get a cute free tote bag seen in the last photos with this issue ;) Yes, Mori Girls, ah Mori Girls!

Comments: 7

ku:nel magazine vol.43

ku:nel magazine vol.43

Sunday, 21 March 2010

The new issue of ku:nel magazine has just been released. It's another great issue -full of beautiful kitchens!!! Oh I wish I had a nice big kitchen!

ku:nel vol.43

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Comments: 9

Still longing for the Sakura Season

Still longing for the Sakura Season

Friday, 19 March 2010

さくらはまだまだ咲きません。
The official sakura blooming forecast date for Tokyo is set on the 24th, but it seems a lot further. I'm getting really sick of this cold weather now...

The above two shots are from last year when I went for a little ohanami picnic at Tamagawa river with my niece Ako. She will be coming to Tokyo again next weekend to stay with my mum for a week so we'll be going for more ohanami this year, I'm so excited! I have to think of a cute obento to take to our picnic. Aunty will be very busy.

Well, we are having a long weekend here! Have a lovely one to you all!!

P.S. I'm a real Tokyo born Japanese girl not an expat living here, hehe ;)
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Comments: 17

The real world looks unreal seen from the rooftop.

The real world looks unreal seen from the rooftop.

Thursday, 18 March 2010

Thank you for so many comments on my previous post for my blog anniversary! I can't believe it's been one year since I started jollygoo but I'm so glad that I did!

It was when I came back from my trip to Melbourne last year that I realised the need of using English more regularly somehow. The only occasions I used to have communicating in English were when I speak to my friends over international calls and when I get asked for directions by foreigners (which happens maybe once or twice a year), and when I go travelling outside Japan once (if very lucky twice) a year. That was about it, for many years since being back from having lived in Australia.

Blogging in English was something I had never thought of doing before, I had a blog I was doing in Japanese for many years but I was getting kind of bored of it and had left it for a long time. The blogging world in Japan is totally different from the rest of the world as is everything else. It was pretty much the same things what I was blogging about, but comments were rarely left and it was almost just a one-way thing. But this jollygoo (i know it's a funny name) has certainly not been one-way, reactions come directly and they always make me smile and make me want to keep it up. (yes that's another thing about Japanese, people don't normally say what they think or show their emotions which is what I often get frustrated that I don't know if my clients are happy with my work or not.)

I know my English is nowhere near perfect and I haven't been able to post more often as I want to, but I really always appreciate your visits and sweet words left for me. So THANK YOU! again, and again! I am planning the 1st blog birthday giveaway but it may take a little while before I can announce it but I promise I will do it so please bear with me! Arigato ;)

Comments: 26

pink!

pink!

Friday, 12 March 2010

Friday is about to turn Saturday here in Tokyo and I'm thinking how glad I am the weekend is finally here! This week has been just... so, so exhausting both mentally and physically but now I'm all relaxed and happy :) My tax return is done and that is another big thing I'm relieved about! Yay!

The first photo is the view from my window, it surprises everyone who comes to my place that they can't believe it's Tokyo. (and I'm not that far out from the central Tokyo.) There is a small plum (ume) garden right behind my apartment and they are having blossoms right now it's so pretty.

After the Ume of course Sakura (cherry blossom) season will arrive. I can't wait!!!!! My sakura posts from last year is here and here and be ready for more from this year! Oh and THAT reminds me this blog must be having a birthday soon! Let me just check.... OMG! it was today the 12th of March!!! I started this blog exactly a year ago! wow, I should do a proper anniversary post soon shouldn't I! I'm thinking to have a giveaway too, hmmmm got some ideas now, well I shall see you here again (hopefully) soon!

Wish you all a jolly weekend!

P.S. Just added 2 more shots. What you see in the last photo is the cutest package I received last night from Hello Sando :) And the sakura branch my friend brought for me yesterday is keeping me smile!

Comments: 23

midori

midori

Wednesday, 10 March 2010

February was definitely a month of yellow, but I thought it might be green for March seeing the photos from the couple of recent films developed. While we are waiting for the sakura (cherry blossoms) season, it snowed today. In Japan we say the spring comes after some repeats of "3 cold days after 4 warm days" (三寒四温), so we're now in the "3 cold days" period which means it should get warmer soon! Come spring, hurry!!!!!

P.S. Did you see this amazing photo combo???

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Comments: 12

Lovely things in the mail.

Lovely things in the mail.

Thursday, 4 March 2010

I found two lovely packages filling up my mail box downstairs when I came back home the other day. One from miekewillems and another from Dawn. I had such a pleasant moment to open these wonderful packages to find lovely little things inside. I'm loving this Bruno Munari ALLA FACCIA! from miekewillems and a sweet little hand-made Sydney zine from Dawn Tan!

I'm always mailing out lots of packages for my shop and not much receiving packages from overseas but it's so nice I think I should order more things from now on! Thank you Veronik & Miek and Dawn!! I'm so sad about the miekwellems shop closing, but now I'm really looking forward to what those lovely girls will be doing in the near future ;)

I also did a super blogging of 3 posts in a row for my uguisu store blog! And now it's time to prepare dinner, I'm having my favourite Kyo Kasuzuke fish from this excellent shop tonight yum yum (❍ʻ◡ʻ❍) Have a wonderful Thursday to you all!

Comments: 6