Tuesday, April 13, 2010


ただいま!
it is so nice to be back home. 
we realised 4 weeks is a long time to be on holiday.
it was a great time though, 
and  so very lucky to have such a luxury of time in japan -
soaking, soaking.


some things i saw and did in japan

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MUSIC

the band shows went really well.
how great is the extreme lighting from below stage?
not sure they all liked it, but i certainly did.
you can listen to the songs my pal and kes recorded together here.



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cafe ikanika photo by hiki

MEETING ADORABLE PEOPLE

what an absolute delight to meet
super kawaii hiki!
she showed me the way to my favourite
bonsai store in tokyo -
arigatou hiki!!!
you can see more about sinajina via tokyo green space.

we also visited the beautiful cafe ikanika.
i totally agree with ebony
i feel very lucky to have had such a lovely guide 
to a wonderful part of tokyo.




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HOUSES AND INTERIORS

the very first photo and above and below
are some photos of the wonderful tokyo apartment 
we were generously allowed to share
while the band was doing their shows.

i cannot say how much i LOVE old apartments.
this one was in a building maybe 40 years old? not sure.
many delicious japanese breakfasts and meals were produced
from this great little kitchen.


this was a poster on the wall of the apartment. awesome.



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BUYING STUFF AND LEARNING NEW THINGS

one of my main missions
was of course to get some cool stuff.
it is japan!

first and foremost was to dream in the aisles
of the bookstores, new and secondhand.
i show some pictures of one of the first books i got:

flat house life
published by marble books
these 'flat houses' are single story and often with garden around them.
they are a kind of western-style layout,
and i love seeing japanese aesthetic in this kind of architecture.

there is a similar boom for old post-war public housing stock,
called 団地 (danchi ). 
it is a 団地ブーム!(danchi boom).
some danchi photos at the end.

there is a bit of a craze at the moment 
in some elements of japan
for these kinds of post-war architecture.
perhaps it is part of a general
nostalgia for pre-bubble showa period?
i like it!



just look at that tiling



simply cannot get enough of japanese kitchens




danchi housing complex


danchi housing complex

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ADMIRING THE CATS AND THE SAKURA

above is a nice osaka salaryman hanami party:)
below are cats also in the sakura action.
at the last is a cat and a vending machine,
in the middle of a busy shopping arcade.

we also saw cats being wheeled around 
in shopping carts in busy shopping strips,
and sleeping soundly connected to leashes 
beside the cash register of a fruit shop.
love it.






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anyway, sorry, a bit of a rambling post back.
maybe i have lost the blog touch...
but it is great to be back,
and i am very much looking forward to 
catching up on some favourite blogs!

17 comments:

  1. ah all so good! and good to have you back! buzz me for a catch up once the post-trip-thousand-things-to-do has settled -)

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  2. Anonymous22:02

    okaeri!

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  3. Whaou!!4 weeks in Japan...
    What a dream!!
    thank you for the photos,
    see you soon!!

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  4. great post bree. not rambling at all. funny how 40 year old apartments seem old to the japanese but in australia that's quite a new place. my apartment in kyoto was about 60 years old and everyone kept telling me how ancient the building was. seriously. in a country with a long history like that.

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  5. okaeri!!!
    looks like you had fun!!
    that band looks so cool, and you got to live with them! how nice!
    nice magazines!
    that colour tile is awesome~!
    glad to have you back, we missed you!
    but a month living in japan, who could complain :-)

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  6. Welcome back!!

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  7. thank you so much for your welcome back messages:)
    marie - for sure!
    mizu - it is funny, isn't it? two extremes - either really, really old or brand new and shiny - the in-betweens like 40-60 years ago were never really popular while i was there first time around (like you, always 'oh dear old and dirty' reaction, but my oh my - they are having their renaissance now:) i am so glad you worked out kyoto (and very envious - sounds really wonderful!!!)
    aron - thanks:) i added another photo - a cute little boy watching them in the park...

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  8. PS. That danchi dissertation link you included in your post is excellent! What a great topic for a thesis!!

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  9. HELLO!!!! YOU'RE BACK!!!! :))

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  10. oh, good to have you back! sounds like you had the most awesome time.

    and thanks for sharing all these pictures and thoughts, it felt like a mini trip to japan! :)

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  11. Welcome back you were missed! Thank you for sharing these little treasures.

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  12. おかえり!
    It seems it was ages ago when I saw you but it was so lovely to finally&actually meet with you :) you were so lucky to be in Kyoto in sakura season (and some snow??)! That photo of 3 cats having ohanami is awesome!!!!!
    And that tiled bathroom looks just like the one we had in my old home i lived when I was very little!!!

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  13. welcome back :-)love the Japanese bathrooms and kitchens!

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  14. おかえり+おひさしぶり!

    so nice to read ur adventures...it is making me miss japan.

    i love the tiling
    xxx

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  15. thank you!!! it is so nice to be back and see your voices:)

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  16. I AM SO JEALOUS.

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  17. what a great holiday...love the tiles in the bathroom.

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