Testing

The shop is almost ready...I'm working on the last details. Unless something unexpected happens it should be opened in April....so looking forward to that moment!
I'm 'testing' all the products myself to make sure everything is high quality and fun. Today I used the pink striped washi tape and some kawaii stickers to create a little gift bag for a friend.

Plastic food

In Japan many restaurants show their menu by displaying plastic food in the window. These pics I took today in Chinatown so the food displayed here is not Japanese but Chinese (although often with a Japanese twist).  It's all plastic but looks very real... I'm always amazed with the amount of detail that goes in there. Unfortunately the real dishes served sometimes look less than their plastic examples.

Waiting for a new day

Yokohama Chinatown (chukagai) is always crowded with people, food stalls and traffic. It's very lively during day and evening and the smell of food is everywhere. Except in the very early morning when the streets are empty and trash is the only thing that remains from the day before. Ready for a new day to begin.

Work in progress

Spring where art thou?

When I woke up this morning I got fooled again. I looked outside and it looked so bright and warm.  So I opened the balcony doors to catch some sun and feel the warmth. This resulted in mere disappointment...again...it's sunny but still cold! It's end of March and it should be nice and warm in Japan by now. Someone is playing a trick here...it's 20C in Holland but in Yokohama the temperature does not get above 12C, brrrr! However the Japanese ladies don't see to care, according to them this weather is perfectly fine for short skirts and bare legs!

Japanese KitKat

Never knew there are so many different versions of KitKat! In the Netherlands we only have the regular milk chocolate one and sometimes you can find the white chocolate one. In Japan they are a bit more creative and last year I already tried the green tea flavor and strawberry flavor. The green tea version tasted quite good.  Not sure about the strawberry one though...too sweet for my taste.
Today I found citrus flavored kitkat (yumm!) and strawberry tarte (not for me). And I've heard stories about a soy sauce flavored KitKat... 

A weekend in Izu Oshima

I spent the weekend in Izu Oshima, a remote island in front of the coast of Tokyo. A very rustic and quiet place famous for the abundance of camellia's and the still active vulcano Mount Mihara. We didn't pick the best weekend weather-wise. It was raining and cloudy most of the time but this made the scenery even more impressive. The combination of mountains, sea, black sanded beaches and stormy weather gave it a spooky feel.

Izu Oshima is a quiet place and the bad weather made it even more quiet. In the summer the beaches are probably packed with tourists but I didn't see a soul now, except for some local fisherman and cats. We found many abandoned places and it felt like time stood still on this island.

The hotel looked like it had not been updated for at least 25 years. It was run by a family and they were very nice. The hotel room overlooked Motomachi port. In the evening we enjoyed a very good Kaiseki dinner made from local ingredients like sea snails and shells. 

On Sunday in the very early morning we hiked Mount Mihara, a still active vulcano. When it erupted in 1986 all 10000 residents had to leave the island for one month and stay in Tokyo. 
The vulcano became famous after a young girl, Kiyoko Matsumoto, committed suicide by jumping into the crater in 1933. After her suicide many people followed her example and it's estimated that in 1933 alone over 900 people killed themselves by jumping into the crater of Mount Mihara. 

Izu Oshima is one of the most special places I have ever visited. It has an unique atmosphere and I'm planning to go back in the summer to experience the island when the weather is better. Curious to see if it still feels like a beautiful but strange place...
Going back to Tokyo the contrast could not be any bigger.

Chinatown Yokohama

Pictured above is the view from my living room. A modern concrete jungle indeed! But when I turn around the corner I enter Chinatown, which is a whole different world....

There are many old buildings. I wonder if there are people living in this building...it looks like the windows have not been cleaned for quite a while. But looking at the bicycles parked in front I think there are actually people living here. 

Most shops in Chinatown sell food. Especially dumplings and dim sum are very popular. And even if you are not hungry the smell will make you want to buy something. Watch out if you are vegetarian (or muslim) since there is pork meat in almost everything. 

I do a lot of my grocery shopping here since fruit and vegetables are a lot cheaper than in my local Japanese supermarket.

Besides groceries you can also stock up on some weapons. 

And get a new hairdo at the local hair salon. Although I wonder if they are up to date with the latest trends?!

Celebrity poodles

Source:  http://fashionsmostwanted.blogspot.com.au/2011/05/mad-on-poodles.html