Ikebana 101 (Japanese Style Floral Design)

Meguro Museum of Art, Tokyo

I went on a trek to an area of town we had not yet explored, Meguro. It was interesting getting there. The street signs were a little hard to read...

Once I found the museum, I realized that the main exhibit was dedicated to children's art. I'll admit that at first I was a little disappointed. But, check this stuff out. Not so bad, eh?! I wanted to steal their ideas and make stuffed animals out of these cutie-pants characters.

The National Art Center, Tokyo

I took myself on a date today. This is Tokyo’s largest and newest art museum. It is currently featuring an exhibit called, Living in the Material World: “Things” in Art of the 20th Century and Beyond. It includes pieces borrowed from museums all over the world, including other museums in Japan. The concept was great, and very unexpected in a town obsessed with all things shop-able.

Glorious Pancakes

After countless Japanese meals, I finally couldn’t take it any longer. Yesterday I had an unbearable craving for a good old-fashioned American breakfast. Driscoll and I went to Fuji Mamas in Omote-sando, and spent way too much money on eggs benedict, pancakes and real maple syrup. We were in heaven!

LUXURY MANSION

Here in Tokyo, a “Luxury Mansion” is what they call a 64 square meter apartment. During our apartment hunt, most of the “Luxury Mansions” I saw did not include a bedroom, functional bathroom, balcony, or even a refrigerator. But after a couple weeks of grueling apartment searching, we have finally found our own “Luxury Mansion,” our home for the next 2 years. The brand-spanking-new loft is centrally located right near Roppongi Hills. It’s a 2-stop train ride to our favorite neighborhood, Daikanyama, and a 15-minute walk to Driscoll’s office. There are great restaurants, cafes, shops, and a killer bookstore just 5 minutes from our front door. And as Driscoll would say, we could spit and hit the Grand Hyatt. We’re happy.

Hunting

For a millennium, Tokyo has endured a cycle of earthquakes, which take place every 75 years. The effects of these earthquakes have historically been devastating. The last one struck in 1923, killing more than 140,000 people. According to this historic cycle, if you do the math, you’ll notice that Tokyo’s next big earthquake is long overdue.

As the search for our new apartment in Tokyo continues, I can’t help keeping this creepy earthquake info in mind. It has really changed my criteria. With each building we check out, I wonder if the sucker will hold its own in a heavy shake. Rather than getting excited about great kitchens, views, or grandiose common spaces, I’m turned on by low-level complexes, emergency exits, and units on the first or second floor. Hopefully we’ll be able to find everything we want, in a nice, safe building.

Itoya

We ventured out the other day to check out Itoya, an amazing Japanese stationary store, located in Ginza, Tokyo. For a gal who loves stationary, this place is like a great dream that you don't want to wake up from. Its 9 floors offer everything from personalized designer & Japanese stationary to well designed office supplies, accessories and sweet little stuffed animals. I wanted to photo shoot the whole shop, but I think that's pretty frowned upon here. Thumbs up, Itoya.

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