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

What remains

Yesterday I watched 'a year later' reports on the Japanese television. Most of them featured people who lost their families and homes. Many still living in temporary houses and without a job. I'm impressed with the way the Japanese people accept what happened. And was especially touched by a photographer who lost his wife and daughter in the tragedy. He told the interviewer he was happy he found a picture his wife took. He lost his family, house and business but was still grateful for what remained...a single picture. 

One year ago

One year ago many people lost their loved ones
One year ago many children lost their parents
One year ago many families lost their homes 
One year ago many people lost their jobs

Today many people are still missing 
Today many people are still struggling
Today many people live in temporary homes
Today many people suffer from the fear of radiation

On becoming a Japanese housewife

So I'm slowly turning into a real Japanese housewife. Although from management consultant to housewife within 5 months is actually not that slow at all.


And the change could not be any bigger.


Last year I spent driving my sports car to client offices, reading management books, spending long days in the office having multiple meetings a day, hiring and firing people and making business plans. This year I'm driving my bicycle to japanese cooking class, practice the art of Ikebana, read origami books and drool over Japanese stationary.


Mmmm...still wondering which lifestyle I prefer best...

Kawaii stationary props

I'm busy this week taking pictures of all the products for the shop. The picture above shows some of the props I bought this week for the product pics. So sweet!