RICEBALLER

And just like that…It's over.

2008-12-24T09:36:00.000-08:00

Not too long ago, we received word that we would be leaving Japan for good before the end of the year. In fact, we’d be leaving before Christmas. Our contract to stay in Japan was about up. Still, there was talk of all kind ranging from staying an extra year to staying a few months. So I guess we were a little shocked to find out we had only 12 days left in Tokyo. Since then, it’s been a whirlwind of seeing friends, soaking up the city, packing, anxiety ridden sleepless nights, and closing up shop in preparation for moving home to The States. I wish I had something really fantastic to write about, but after these past 12 days I’m just plain old tired.

People keep asking me what I’ll miss most about Japan. It’s a tough question and one that makes me a little sad, so I hadn’t given it much thought until tonight.

We’re staying in a hotel for our last night. After a long day of moving I crashed on the bed as soon as we checked in. Driscoll went to dinner with some friends and I apologized for not being physically able to join him. Some people (like Driscoll) do well with no sleep for days combined with physical exhaustion and multiple goodbye parties. Not me. I took a big nap and woke up at 9:00 pm. I remembered that there was an awesome looking Indian art exhibit at Mori, so I sprung up and went to see if I could get into the show before it closed. I got in. The show was interesting, really good. There is some cool art coming out of China and India. And it got me thinking about how much I’m going to miss living in a city with so much access to great, international art. I also visited the city observatory one last time. The Rainbow Bridge was all lit up for Christmas. I found our apartment through the glass window. I said goodbye.

After the show I was starved and so at 10:30 I looked for a place to eat. All I’d eaten for two days was easy, on-the-go food. You know, muffins, pizza, bad bready sandwiches etc., moving food I called it. But what I was now craving, ravenously craving was Japanese food. Not sushi, but the real deal Japanese food. I once read an article about a Japanese artist who had trouble traveling because he missed the food so much. And I guess after two years in Japan, my body, too, craves the stuff like nothing else. I realized this as I looked for a place to eat near the museum and everything was closed. “There’s a steak house around the corner,” said a nice woman closing down her own place. She also mentioned an Italian restaurant and some Chinese place. I was cranky…all I wanted was rice, soba, tempura, yakitori, tofu, oyako donburi! That’s what I wanted. I walked and walked until I finally found a place that was open. I was happy. And as I ate, I realized that this is what I’ll miss most, the food and the art. The design stuff (everywhere and all the time) is also pretty incredible. And the trains!

I don’t have a lot of expectations for moving home. But I am hopeful. I hope our return feels cozy and natural. I hope we love our house in Portland as much as we did when we moved to Japan. I hope I find a nice job even though the recession is swingin’. I hope that after these two years we are able to reconnect with our friends and family. I hope we grow a big garden and invite people over for homegrown salad and salsa. I hope the Oregon rain doesn’t get us down. I hope that someday we really do build the Japanese tatami room we’ve talked about. I hope we’ve learned some things during this time here in Japan. I hope we can remember (we certainly took enough photos to remind us). I hope we can hold onto our exposure to the Japanese aesthetic. I hope we’re able to travel in Asia again. I hope that someday, if we’re lucky enough to have children, we’re able to bring them to Tokyo. I hope we show them around the city and tell them laughable anecdotal stories about what it was like living here. And I hope they can appreciate it. I can hope for these things, but who knows. You really can’t predict what’s going to happen or what to expect. I surely never imagined I would spend two years of my life living in Tokyo and traveling around Japan.

New Sneakers

2008-12-22T21:18:00.000-08:00

From the Nike store here in Tokyo.

Akemashite Omedeto (Happy New Year!)

2008-12-22T09:11:00.000-08:00

Pounding out homemade mochi and smashing open a cedar box of sake are ways of ringing in the new year here in Japan. It’s a little early, but these were the highlights of the Christmas party we went to last Friday. The dancing was pretty fun, too.

W+K Lecture – Gaijin working in Tokyo.

2008-12-22T08:57:00.000-08:00

D+H gave a lecture on their work last week. For the past four years, these guys have probably spent more time together than Driscoll and I have. And as a team, they have to spend most all of that time creating and producing. I don’t know how they do it, but it seems to work well. It was nice to see their stuff blown up on a big screen. My friend Megumi-san came to see the lecture. After she kept saying, “Huh, so desu, very famous desu!” It was pretty funny. No way, I told her, not famous at all, just nice guys who like telling stories.

Tofu

2008-12-22T08:31:00.001-08:00

A lot of the restaurants make their own tofu. It’s really good and pretty different from what you get in The States. Here is a regular style and a sesame style.

Elaborate Windows

2008-12-11T17:41:00.000-08:00

We’ve been spending a lot of time in Ginza lately. Ginza seems to be the most elegant of the Tokyo shopping districts. It’s so clean, shiny and electric that it resembles some kind of a nighttime amusement park for adults. Right now the stores are all decked out with incredibly intricate, decorative window displays. Last night we saw a group of otaku camera enthusiasts, tripods and all, taking photos of the displays. These here are for Hermes and Barneys.

UNIQLO Absorbs This Shirt

2008-12-11T06:29:00.000-08:00

This shirt from UNIQLO was part of a line of flannel shirts this fall, which looked an awful lot like Pendleton shirts. Even the label looks like a Pendleton label. I particularly liked this one, so I bought it. It was inexpensive, soft and sweet; and it got me thinking again about Japan’s ability to take examples of things from other countries and make them their own by enhancing and perfecting them to a T.

Japan grabs a lot of influence from around the world, so much so that it can be disorienting. Say you’re an American at a French restaurant, for example, surrounded by French décor, reading a French menu and being helped by a Japanese waiter who speaks French. It’s easy to fumble over which language to speak, and you can almost forget that you’re in Asia. It might sound silly but it’s true. The people here are just so darn good at taking something foreign, perfecting it and recreating it in Japan. This type of inspiration is all over the place. Don’t get me wrong; Japan definitely has its own style (obviously). But I do think their high regard for other cultures is admirable. And with all of the access and options it generates for people, it surely makes for an enjoyable lifestyle.

Palette New York

2008-12-10T22:28:00.000-08:00

Palette New York gave a show recently at ggg gallery in Ginza. The inspiration seemed to focus on detailed, colorful knits of all styles and shapes, cheery stuff for winter. Here are a few highlights from the show.

Fabric!

2008-12-08T00:22:00.001-08:00

I made it back to fabric town thinking it might be my last chance to pick up a load of cheap and awesome fabric before leaving Japan (no we don't have details, so far it's just talk). The experience was sort of overwhelming in that there was just too much to choose from and my arms were not strong enough to carry it all home. I resolved to come back to fabric town at least one more time before we leave Tokyo. Next time I figure I can bring Driscoll to help carry the load.

Here are a few favorite finds from this trip. I’m hoping to combine the wool and one of the shiny reds to make a holiday skirt.

Spend Less Money, Have More Fun

2008-12-08T00:02:00.000-08:00

Ever since we moved to Tokyo and began exploring the irresistible furniture stores, we told ourselves that eventually we would collect some pieces to ship back to our house in Portland. But after recently watching The Grapes of Wrath, and as things seem to increasingly slow down economically, spending a lot of money on new furniture (or anything for that matter) is starting to feel like a bad idea. And although it is kind of a bummer not to be able to collect some of the amazing things we’ve had our eyes on, we were able to make lemonade out of the situation while perusing Nakameguro’s thrift stores last weekend. This cabinet cost a tenth of what we’ve found in the new stores, and it’s just as nice if not cuter. I'm hoping that, rather than lead to a period of low spirits and hardship, the economic slowdown will push people to be more creative and interesting with their time and money. And maybe even have more fun by focusing on things that don't involve (or involve less) money.…I’m hoping. I’m also hoping that things with the economy pick up again sooner than later.

Here are just a few examples of the stores holding Tokyo house candy…

unico
Bals
karf
Muji Furniture

Kanazawa + Shirakawago

2008-12-07T18:53:00.000-08:00

With Driscoll’s parents in town last week, we decided to do some traveling around Japan. We headed west and visited Shirakawago, a mountain valley village filled with old Japanese farmhouses. Most of the houses are around 250 years old and were relocated to the area for the sake of preservation. Later, Shirakawago was named a UNESCO World Heritage site. The farmhouses are beautiful with tatami mats, paper sliding doors, dark fragrant wood and extraordinary construction detail. At five stories tall, the one we toured was enormous. We were struck by the incredible handcrafted detail; these farmhouses were built and even reconstructed after the move without the use of nails.

We also went to Kanazawa where we had a fantastic shabu-shabu dinner. Our favorite sites were the Kyoto-like geisha district, the incredible Japanese garden and the contemporary art museum, which was one of the best I’ve seen in Japan…or anywhere really. Below is a photo of Driscoll holding his breath inside Swimming Pool by Leandro Erlich.

Taking Back the Flag

2008-11-05T12:04:00.000-08:00

We had the pleasure of being in Los Angeles during the final stretch of the most incredible election season of all time. Yesterday we gathered with friends to watch polls close and the landslide take course. What a fantastic night to be an American. After that we drove up Sunset honking our horn and waving to crowds of Obama supporters as they cheered and celebrated in the streets.

Gone is the peaceable shame that came with traveling (and living in Japan) during the Bush years, and restored is a sense of pride and a stronger connection with the American people at large.

"By choosing you, the American people have chosen change, openness and optimism. At a time when all of us must face huge challenges together, your election raises great hope in France, in Europe and elsewhere in the world."

– French President Nicolas Sarkozy

Truck – One More Reason to Visit Osaka

2008-09-22T02:58:00.000-07:00

There's an ongoing rivalry between Osaka and Tokyo that's similar to the rivalry between NYC and LA in The States. We have yet to visit Osaka, but I just found another good reason to check out the city of Osaka, famous for its comedians and okonomiyaki.

Tokuhiko Kise is a furniture designer who lives, with his wife and daughter, just above the space where he runs his successful furniture company, Truck. This space is where all the design, manufacturing and retail of the furniture takes place. I've only seen catalog photos, but I really appreciate his modern, earthy style. It's just very Japanese. I’d love to see the entire store sometime, and maybe even bring home a souvenir or two.

Art District 798, Beijing

2008-09-22T01:12:00.000-07:00

We’re in China (Beijing) for my first time. We’ve covered the city well and I have to say that one of the most interesting and unexpected things we’ve come across has been 798.

798 is an up and coming/already there artist community here in Beijing. Located at the site of a former industrial military factory, it’s big, spanning across several streets, alleys and buildings. We spent an entire afternoon there and only saw about a third of what the district has to offer. Remnants of the old factory buildings and metal structures remain among countless galleries, cafes and retail stores. The art, the transitional feeling of the area, the old and new buildings in the same space, it’s all just very unique and cool. The most striking exhibit we saw was God of Materialism. It was insane and disgusting, but somehow it made perfect sense. It was interesting to see a Chinese artist lashing out at materialism and over consumption in general. The scale of the art was huge; there was no mistaking the message. Other stuff we saw was tamer. I hope we make it back for round two of 798 before we leave.

Three Cups of Tea

2008-09-20T06:23:00.000-07:00

I’ll be honest and say that it wasn’t as well written or enjoyable as some other recent reads, but it’s probably more important. This is a great book that really speaks to America’s troubles with terrorism and the handling of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Greg Mortenson’s true story peels back layers, allowing the reader a first hand glimpse and the ability to piece together both reasons how and why terrorism begins as well as possible ways we might more successfully dissolve its intensity in the future. Thought I should put it out there.

One Year of Marriage Went Fast

2008-09-17T19:02:00.000-07:00

Tokyo.Ten Party

2008-07-03T07:28:00.001-07:00

We’re usually pretty lazy about going out for late nights here in Tokyo, but last Friday there was a party happening that we didn’t want to miss. W+K’s record label, WK Tokyo Lab, threw a big party to celebrate the opening of the Tokyo.Ten exhibition at the Claska Hotel. There was live music provided by Tokyo Lab’s own, as well as a huge display of visual art by a large number of artists collaborating with the label. We had a really great time. The party happened to fall on one of the only sunny days in a while (June & July are the rainy season, yay), which made it feel even more like a celebration. It was really fun to see the artwork, and also to bump into friends from around town who we hadn’t seen in a while.

Intl. Living & Farewell Wishes

2008-07-03T05:09:00.000-07:00

Before moving to Tokyo I never realized that there is a community of people and families out there in the world that is living indefinitely international. They don’t just move to one place for a year or two. It’s more long term than that; it often involves multiple locations and many, many years abroad. I’ve met families from America that have spent years living in Singapore then Hong Kong and now Tokyo; Australia, Hong Kong, Tokyo and back to Hong Kong; France, America and now Tokyo; New Zealand to Shanghai, Tokyo and now Dubai. It goes on and on like that. And then there are the people who have moved from their home country to live here in Tokyo indefinitely. They have babies abroad, send them to international schools, create social bubbles providing them with a connection to their own cultural traits and friends who speak their own language (yes I’m also guilty of this). These people have no plan to return home. In fact, home becomes sort of ambiguous after a while. And it doesn’t seem to bother them in the slightest. Becoming acquainted with these folks really blew my mind at first. Living abroad for a couple years, sure, but I couldn’t fathom the idea of giving up my life back home for a never-ending international experience. To tell the truth, I thought these people must be nuts; or maybe they just came from a place not quite as nice as the one I’m from. But over time, as I got to know these people I realized that they weren’t nuts. In fact I quite liked them and shared a lot in common with them. They also came from pretty desirable places, and they all raved about their home countries just as much as I did (you become unexpectedly patriotic when you live abroad). The only thing I can really gather as a reason or explanation for this lifestyle comes down to that old silly phrase: Different strokes for different folks.

Needless to say, this move-around-the-globe lifestyle creates a lot of sayonara parties. This month I’ll say goodbye to three of my Tokyo girlfriends. These girls are off to Sydney, Melbourne and Hong Kong. I’ll miss them all as they’ve kept the laughs coming and the spirits high through my time here in Tokyo. The power of friendship is such a special thing. I’m not sure I would have made it here in Tokyo had I not nailed a few solid friendships. After our goodbye dinner the other night with our friends Joanna and Andrew, I squeezed Joanna so tight that I could almost feel the baby in her six-month pregnant tummy give me a little kick. I just didn’t want to forget that last hug. I don’t know when we’ll see Joanna and Andrew again, hopefully in Sydney this winter, but more likely back in NYC. I wish them all well and a big old SAYONARA!

Parashell

2008-06-30T07:42:00.000-07:00

Umbrellas are a big deal here in Tokyo. Getting around on foot is a way of life. Most people don't have cars to protect them from the weather. The rainy season is pretty intense and the sunny days often have women wanting to protect their faces from skin damaging rays. I’ve been ogling these umbrellas and parasols being sold around Tokyo. Pretty hot design for something that repels rain and sun. Here's the story behind these practical fashion Parashells. And here's the company website.

Kawaii

2008-06-14T19:08:00.000-07:00

The other day I had my final private lesson before summer break with my French student, Lou. After class she gave me a box of French cakes and this card she made. It’s a picture of her saying thank you. She wants to be an artist. She loves Japanese animation, which you can kind of see in her drawing. She’s eleven years old and has been living in Tokyo all her life; well, actually she would correct me and say she’s been living here since she was one. She speaks French and a little English. How strange it must be to grow up in a country where you don’t speak the language. The expatriate bubble culture seems both interesting and strange. But if these expat families are bringing up children as charming as Lou, they’re definitely doing something right.

Cocca Published on Pingmag

2008-05-19T09:15:00.000-07:00

My Cocca article was just published on Pingmag. I love, love this store/design collective and was happy to help promote them and their beautiful fabric and prints. Those of you who have visited us in Tokyo may remember some of these prints from our apartment. I'm hooked on this fabric!

Beast featured in ELLE

2008-05-12T03:45:00.000-07:00

When you’re living abroad you tend to miss the strangest things from your home country. The things I crave most (aside from people and places) are the things I rarely gave notice to before moving to Tokyo. Things like boxed macaroni & cheese, television, Nestle Toll House chocolate chips, grass to sunbathe on, sliced turkey or whole wheat bread. The other night I surprised some fellow American friends with homemade cookie dough. I had to ride my bike to two different grocery stores to find all the ingredients, but it was worth it. We practically finished off the dough before it made its way to their microwave oven. You get the idea. I also really miss magazines. For me, these days any English language magazine, no matter the subject, is a slowly savored treat. They’re just so expensive here that I never bother buying them. I’m talking $10.00 - $25.00 for magazines ordinarily costing around $4.00 in The States. But with Driscoll off to LA for work, I decided to go ahead and splurge on some mags for entertainment purposes. One of the magazines I bought was ELLE. Somewhere between catching up on clothing designers pushing for sustainability in fashion and Madonna’s latest whatever, I saw a full-fledged article on Portland’s Naomi Pomeroy and her restaurant, Beast! I couldn’t believe it. I asked myself, “Is this the same Beast I get those emails from?” I was heading over to have dinner with some friends, so I brought the mag with me and upon entering their apartment, promptly shoved the article in their faces (so much pride), “Look!”
“Oh that’s great, Bonnie,” they said. Right then I realized that being from NYC, they must see their local restaurants featured in magazines all the time. Still, it’s fun to see Portland making its way to the notable map. It may not be the biggest city (most people here seem to think it’s all Nike and countryside) but it sure has a lot going for it including–speaking of things I crave–all those fantastic restaurants! Don’t get me wrong, the food here is amazing, but all those Portland restaurants are such a piece of home.

May Day

2008-05-01T02:36:00.000-07:00

Oh this old blog. It’s been hard to keep up with lately. Aside from being a little distracted, as soon as I decide what to write about, we do or find something new and then whatever I was going to write about seems like old news. I’ll try and recap a few things here…

Just after our return to Japan (from The States) our friend Allison showed up, which was great fun. We had just bought bikes. I can’t believe we waited so long to buy them. Bikes are actually a pretty fun and easy way to get around town. Allison borrowed D’s bike and together we rode all over–up to Shinjuku’s New York Bar, through Yoyogi Park, around Harajuku, Aoyama and Shibuya all in one day/night.

Then, last weekend Driscoll and I went up to Okutama. Driscoll left a day before I did to do a solo hiking expedition climbing Mt. Kumotoriyama, covering 20 miles in 2 days! He must be nuts, but he had a great time. Within the first half hour of his hike he saw a giant snake followed by multiple bear warning signs and finally a woman walking down the trail. She crossed her fingers at him (this is sort of like a NO symbol here) and exclaimed, “Abunai!!” over and over again. Abunai means LOOK OUT, DANGER! He was a little freaked but kept on. We met up the next day and stayed at a ryokan (a Japanese style hotel with a hotspring). In the morning, after our breakfast of fish, rice, raw egg and green tea (ah, just what we westerners crave before 9:00 am), we followed the Tama River for a long hike up to Okutama Lake. The area seemed to be the greenest of the places we’ve been in Japan. The scenery was quite stunning with rolling tree-covered hills reminding us of Oregon and Vermont.

Aside from that, we’ve mainly been working, hanging with friends and continuing to get more and more acquainted with Tokyo. The city’s offerings seem endless. We’re just scratching the surface of the 160,000 restaurants (compare that to NYC’s 40,000). I got that stat from D so don’t hold me to it. We’ve also been contemplating our next move. And despite the New York Times’ best efforts to scare us away from The States, we’re hoping to make it back to our home and dear friends in Portland, Oregon at the end of the year. Perhaps we should wait for the outcome of this year’s election to make our final decision…

Made it to Hakone

2008-03-20T21:53:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago, Driscoll and I took a long weekend and went to Hakone. Hakone is just east of Tokyo near Mt. Fuji. Thanks to a much-appreciated mistake by the Prince Hotel, we ended up with a mountain-view room facing Lake Ashi. It was pretty exciting being so close to Mt. Fuji. On rare visits to the Park Hyatt in Tokyo, we strain our eyes to see Mt Fuji through the hazy horizon. The view always leaves something to be desired, that something being the mountain. But from Hakone, Mt. Fuji is crystal clear. When we first arrived, we sat in our room staring at it for a couple hours. We must have taken a million photos. After that we went for a long hike. It felt really nice being in the fresh air again, surrounded by so many trees. Hakone is famous for all of the quirky, touristy modes of transportation. We decided to board the pirate ship and cruise around Lake Ashi. Later we took the gondola above all the volcanic steam rising out from cracks in the ground. The following day, freezing our tails off, we ducked into a little café for hot ramen and oyako donburi. There’s something very soothing about hot Japanese food on a freezing cold day. We also went to the Picasso museum and an open-air sculpture museum, which we enjoyed quite a bit. The onsen at the Prince Hotel was lovely, but they don’t do private reservations, so I doubt we’ll stay there again. It’s so much more fun to skinny-dip in hot spring water with your partner or friends than alone with strangers. Maybe that’s just the American in me talking.

Yeehee D-san turns 32

2008-03-06T02:37:00.000-08:00

You know you’re getting old when the two of you would rather go to dinner than spend a night out on the town with a bunch of people. I made a reservation at Il Buttero in Hiroo for Driscoll’s birthday. It’s a Florentine restaurant, which we’d been meaning to check out for a while. The number of super authentic and delicious French and Italian restaurants in Tokyo continuously blows me away. They are a real lifesaver when you’re craving something western. Il Buttero was fantastic. Probably the best (but most expensive) Italian restaurant we’ve been to here. It was the traditional appetizer, pasta, entrée, vegetable and finally dessert course set. So by the end we were so stuffed they practically had to roll us out of the restaurant. Good thing we took the long walk home. That’s one nice thing about dining out in Tokyo. As full as you get, you can usually walk it off by the time you’ve made your way home. Here, the waiters sing Driscoll an Italian birthday song.

Hokkaido Trip

2008-02-24T02:53:00.000-08:00

One of our goals this year is to try and do as much Japan travel as we can. We decided to visit Hokkaido first. Next on the agenda are Hakone, Okinawa, Niigata, Nagano, Kyoto (again) and Hiroshima. Of course the whole work thing as well as visits to The States get in the way; we can still dream. What is it about living abroad that makes us want to travel, travel, travel? It’s like we’ve opened a box of cookies and one or two cookies just isn’t doing it. We want to eat the whole freaking box.

Hokkaido is the largest of Japan’s most northern islands. In addition to being known for its produce, dairy farms and Sapporo beer, the island is famous for incredible skiing and snowboarding. It’s become an international destination for winter sport, with loads of Australians buying real estate and taking 12-hour (or longer) flights to spend their holidays skiing at Hokkaido resorts. Siberian storms blow over Hokkaido’s mountains coating them with fresh powder snow all winter long. And while there are tons of places to ski in Japan, we kept hearing that Niseko in Hokkaido was ranked #1. We couldn’t wait to check it out. We decided to go during February so that we could simultaneously see Sapporo’s annual snow and ice sculpture festival. One of the days/nights we stayed at an onsen. We also took a day trip to the small town of Otaru, walked along its famous canal, made a pit stop at the Otaru brewery, and tried Hokkaido’s famous butter corn ramen. This trip was really special. Definitely one of our favorites. We’re hoping to fly to Hokkaido again this summer. I’ve heard that the summer months stay nice, sunny and cool, while Tokyo turns into a muggy hot-hole.

Sukiyaki

2008-02-06T05:57:00.000-08:00

Our friends, Shig and Shurei had us over on Sunday night to check out their new apartment near Shinjuku. They surprised us with a home cooked sukiyaki dinner. Sukiyaki is a Japanese meal using an oversized pot to cook thinly sliced steak, veggies and tofu in a savory broth. You cook the food bit by bit as you eat it. With your chopsticks, you take your piece of meat or vegetable, dip it in your very own bowl of raw egg, and then stick it in your mouth. This was our first sukiyaki experience. The raw egg step was a little funny at first, but the food tasted great.

Wedding Book

2008-02-02T21:28:00.001-08:00

Driscoll made this great wedding book for me as a Christmas gift. I love the full bleeds and that it's an actual book rather than a photo album. Such a cool idea.

2008-02-02T20:13:00.001-08:00

Rest or Stay

2008-01-20T21:25:00.000-08:00

Love hotels are alive and well here in Tokyo. We passed by a bunch of them on our way home from dinner last weekend. The funny thing is that they don’t really seem seedy and they don’t seem to ruin the neighborhoods that they’re in. They seem pretty well received by the community. They have funny names like Hotel Chandra, and Hotel Two-Way. You can rent rooms by the hour, evening or night. I’ve heard that they’re pretty inexpensive and clean, so travelers book them as regular hotel rooms.

I Heart Tokyo

2008-01-13T19:19:00.000-08:00

Over the past few months something’s happened. I’ve fallen in love with Tokyo. It took me a long time. But it’s finally happened. And at this point I’m almost certain that it’s my very favorite city in the world (not that i've been to them all). The reasons why I feel this way are more extensive and descriptive than I’ll bother you with, so I made a quick list of things that have helped make this city my new home sweet home, and why if it weren’t for dear friends and family back in the states, we would probably just go ahead and stay here indefinitely. It’s just such a nice place to live. After months of grappling with Driscoll, I finally understand his argument for choosing the road less traveled, doing things unconventionally, being spontaneous and generally seeing and doing as much as you can with the life you’ve been given. It’s acting out of inspiration rather than fear. Being comfortable is nice and cozy. But I’ve learned that for me learning, being inspired, continuing to experience and keep an open mind is just as important. Living in Tokyo has been a giant dose of all those things. Driscoll has always said that it’s one thing to visit someplace and an entirely different thing to make a very new and different place your home. I used to hate it when he’d say this, but I finally agree with him. Living in Tokyo has been a pretty special thing. It’s one thing to walk Shibuya crossing and take photos of the crowds while you’re on vacation. It’s an entirely different thing to learn the nooks and crannies of Shibuya, to run errands there picking up yarn, new shoes, household goods and kitchen supplies. I feel justified in going on about all of this because it’s also been difficult. Anyone who has visited us knows that. And we’ve finally reached the stage where all the difficulty is paying off. We’ve climbed the snow bank and now we’re sledding down the hill. We’ve finally baked our cake with ingredients we had to translate, and now we’re digging into it at the dining room table. 2007 was a wild ride of a year. It was so, so hard at times, but I’m so, so glad we did it. And now that we feel at ease here in Tokyo, we want to really make the most of 2008, our last year living in Japan.

things that have endeared me to Tokyo…

seasonal fruit
cheap mushrooms
cocca – amazing fabric store
Tstaya – great bookstore and dvd rental shop. my new weekend coffee spot.
the friends we’ve made
the urban-ness and energy of the city
Midtown
Muji
Roppongi Hills
Afternoon Tea – cutie household goods store
Liquidroom – music venue
Club Quattro – music venue
French restaurants
Italian restaurants
National Azabu grocery store
Nissin grocery store
Combini - quick healthy snacks like riceballs and cold green tea
Fabric Town
Who Ga - my hair salon
the many massage parlors on my walk home from work
the winter lights at Roppongi Hills and Midtown
Mori Tower – we live right by it. great view of city.
Grand Hyatt – near our apartment, our bus stop to airport, nice brunch & bar.
Shibuya
clear, cold, sunny skies all winter long
the convenience of the city
Burdigala Boulangerie
clean, safe streets
modern architecture
all the great museums
the Murakami bus – our bus home from Shibuya
Eat More Greens – really good veggie restaurant that’s just down the street
Parco – shopping!
not to mention the Japanese aesthetic, which permeates everything around the city and is the reason why everything is SO CUTE

On The Seventh Day God Created Bakeries

2008-01-10T00:30:00.000-08:00

There are bakeries and then there are one of a kind, colorful, incredibly well crafted, wait in line for half an hour to get your morning bun fix bakeries. I’ve always been a fan of baked goods, but a year in a nearly breadless culture really has me appreciating the art of baking and eating buttermilk scones, lemon meringue cake, croissants and seasonal fruit bread pudding. Tartine has been my favorite bakery ever since we started visiting our friend Mike down in San Francisco. It's the best. And lucky me, not only did Chronicle Books just publish their first cookbook, but my sweeter than a frangipane tart husband picked it up for me a couple days ago during our trip to SF.

Crepes

2007-12-18T09:45:00.001-08:00

Our friends Davi, Erika and their three awesome kids Miko, Luca and Alita had us over to their apartment in Ikebukuro for crepes on Saturday morning. Their apartment has the best view and the food was yuhummy. Nice way to start the weekend.

Christmas Ikebana

2007-12-12T05:52:00.001-08:00

My brother, Mack, likes to joke around and say that his sister is “just hanging out in Japan arranging flower pots”. He thinks it’s hilarious. The truth is that I’ve always been interested in floral arrangement, but never had the time to take any classes. So while we’re here, and while I’ve got some free time on my hands I decided to take an Ikebana class once a week. I’m just now finishing the first of four textbooks. It’s been really fun getting to know the Japanese craft. It’s also been a nice way to meet people, especially my teacher, Reika. We talk a lot and laugh at cultural differences and comparisons between Japanese people and Americans.
Just the other day the Japanese girls in my class had a good giggle at my excitement when I realized we were doing Christmas style Ikebana. “Really! Christmas Ikebana? And I get to choose my ornaments? Wow.” It was a fun arrangement, Christmas decorating in the Japanese style.

More Ikebana From Class...

2007-12-12T05:48:00.000-08:00

'Tis the Season for Cookies

2007-12-02T21:10:00.000-08:00

In the same way that western style weddings have become popular here in Japan, Christmas is catching on. Apparently they've cleared it with Buddha and the Shinto gods. They're all cool with it. According to the Japanese people I’ve talked to, during the past couple of years Christmas has become a big deal. And while the actual day of Christmas isn’t celebrated as a typical western family Christmas would be, the holiday marketing, shopping and decorations have taken over the city. Because Thanksgiving doesn’t exist here, there was no reason to hold off. The Christmas mania has been going on since early November. So while we still have a good chunk of time between now and Christmas, I’m (embarrassed) already knee deep in Christmas cheer. Our upstairs lounge is a mess of a crafty Santa’s helper wonderland; and tired of holding off until our trip to The States (land of oven equipped homes), over the weekend I went ahead and baked a batch of these Christmas cookies in our toaster oven.

Turkey Day Tokyo

2007-11-23T21:53:00.000-08:00

After spending a couple of hours chatting on the phone with family back in The States, we headed down to Omotesando to enjoy a proper Thanksgiving dinner at Fujimamas. There we met up with friends, a hodgepodge including a Brit, a German, two Frenchies, two long-term residents of Tokyo and two New Yorkers. The food was yuhummy – turkey, cranberry, stuffing and gravy goodness. But of course nothing beats an all-you-can-eat home cooked Thanksgiving dinner. After dinner we all made fools of ourselves at a karaoke joint in Shibuya. Inhibitions were lost to the romance of Disney ballads, and white guys pumped fists and rapped to sexed up Too Short lyrics. I’m learning that spending a couple hours with people in a private karaoke room is a quick way to become better acquainted. Happy Thanksgiving!

The Shins

2007-11-19T00:45:00.000-08:00

We just saw The Shins play a show here in Tokyo. They sounded great. The venue was very small. The price of the tickets was not! I love going to shows here because I can actually see the musicians. I’m not the shortest person in the audience. We could even watch their fingers and tell which chords they were playing (some of the time). Good stuff. I gave Portland, Oregon a shout out. To which James Mercer replied, “Portland, Oregon? You’re a long way from home.” Don’t I know it.

New Life

2007-11-12T03:54:00.000-08:00

I’m an auntie! My sister gave birth to Riley Jane Jordan on November 8. The baby girl weighs 7 pounds 3 ounces. I’ve never seen a newborn with so much hair (covered by hat in photo). I wish I could have been at the birth. Times like this make it hard to be away from home, but we’re really looking forward to our holiday visit in December. I melted when I heard her cooing over the phone. It really was the sweetest sounding thing I’ve ever heard. What an incredible feeling, having a new family member! I’m finishing up the knitting on this baby blanket, and then it’s off to The States to welcome the little one into the world.

Kapital

2007-11-10T06:10:00.000-08:00

Kapital is a Japanese clothing company. They make really nice stuff in an old school 1950s meets the hippie movement fashion. They use a lot of denim, and everything in the store is unisex. There’s a Kapital store in Roppongi Hills, really close to our apartment. Once in a while I like to go in there to take a look at the merchandise and ponder whether or not I could pull off wearing their pricy, super stylish, hippie-sheik, bohemian clothing. Usually I take a quick look around, peek at an overpriced sales tag, and get out of there. But the other night, just before we went to dinner, we stopped by Kapital. I found this jacket at a good price. I think it’s really cute, and I really like the handmade look and design of their label.

Best Way to Spend 200 Yen in Tokyo

2007-11-10T05:18:00.001-08:00

We found this park. It’s called Shinjuku-gyoen and it’s so nice (and big). It’s very Japanese in the way the plants and grounds are groomed, but it also includes a French and an English garden. We went there last weekend for a little picnic and frisbee toss. It’s very pretty and clean. It reminds us of Central Park in NYC. I always enjoy the romantic look of cool, tall buildings towering beyond a big, urban park. It costs 200 Yen to get in, but avoiding the chaos of Yoyogi Park (at least the part near Shibuya) is well worth the money.

Girls Dinner

2007-11-03T18:43:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things about my new job is that many of the other teachers are like me – women who have moved to Tokyo to be with their boyfriends/husbands. It’s not easy to meet English-speaking women in Japan, and it’s even harder to meet women you would be friends with without the Japan connection. This is a sad state for a girl like me. Back in the US, time with friends was a big part of my life. I can’t remember how many dinner parties we held at Big Brown (our house in Portland), but I know it was a lot. I miss spontaneous coffee and breakfast dates, afternoons at the spa or nail salon, Mt Tabor picnics, and just plain old chilling out and talking with friends. And while it’s nice to focus on other things right now, and while it’s great to have this time with Driscoll, I’ve definitely been feeling a social lack.

I met my friend Joanna at the school. She’s a British gal, but lived in NYC for six years prior to moving to Tokyo. Somehow, since she and her husband have been in Japan Joanna has managed to rack up quite a long list of girlfriends. I’m not sure how she’s done it. But she has enough of them that she was able to hold an almost crowded dinner party at her apartment (maybe that’s not saying much considering the size of Tokyo apartments). Of course I was pretty excited about this night with the girls.

The get-together felt a lot like being at a dinner party back in The States. One difference was that her apartment is a high rise with a great view (I wish we had prioritized a view when apartment hunting. Why was I so paranoid about the earthquake?). Instead of large dishes of food, the food was miniature – mini quiches cooked five at a time, mini savory scones, and small stovetop cooked or bought dishes (not much room for cooking or for storing large bowls/platters here). Another difference was that after spending almost an entire year in partial isolation with Driscoll, I felt sort of socially retarded, uncomfortable and shy without him by my side (tell me we're not turning into one of those couples). I was also questioning whether or not the comments I made were appropriate. Is it inappropriate to laugh about the seemingly perverted Japanese men with their primped out, fully clothed, prissy, miniature French poodles? But by the end of the night, I’d had a really nice time and met some very cool women. Now the trick is to stop telling myself - I already have friends, they’re just four to seven thousand miles away - and actually start calling some of the girls I’ve met here, hop on a train and go visit with them.

Come Visit Us and We’ll Take You to Sunday Brunch

2007-10-22T22:58:00.000-07:00

Sunday Brunch is our new favorite breakfast/brunch joint. It’s in Shimokitazawa, a neighborhood just a short train ride from our apartment. Not only is the food delicious, they also sell clothes, shoes and accessories for after brunch shopping. Plus some of the brunch options come with one of their many fantastic desserts! The architecture incorporates high ceilings with skylights letting in cheery morning light. It’s a happy place. Leave it to a couple Portlanders to seek out a great brunch restaurant in a city filled with people primarily eating rice and miso for breakfast.

Wedding in Portland

2007-10-16T23:27:00.000-07:00

Driscoll and I were recently married in Portland, Oregon on the Sunday of September 2. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend planning a US wedding while you’re live in Tokyo. It adds stress and difficulty to an already trying task. But the good news is that living abroad can be inspiring, plugging the brain with new and exciting information. This helps shape and reform your style and taste, all of which becomes useful when you’re making choices for your big day. Looking back, I think a lot of the choices I made for the wedding were directly affected by the experience of living in Tokyo and ideas I picked up after moving here. Sure there are things we would have done differently had we planned the wedding in The States, but over all we were pleased. Besides, it’s not really the venue, food or decorations that make a wedding special (dresses and flowers maybe). It’s the people. And we’ve got some good ones. Like Michael J. Fox said about his own wedding, in an interview I watched at a babysitter’s house years and years ago, it’s just so wonderful to look out and see all the people you love in your life gathered in the same room. I’m not sure why I remember that comment he made, but he was right.

The photos are up on our flickr link/Tokyo & Other Photos

Birthday in Tokyo

2007-10-10T04:36:00.000-07:00

My birthday was yesterday. We didn’t really plan anything. I thought we were just going to be lazy. Driscoll came home from work a little early. He peeled me off the couch and away from the television to go have a casual dinner down the street. But when we got down the street we passed all the restaurants and kept walking. We walked all the way to Ebisu, where to my surprise, we met up with friends and hopped in line to see M.I.A. perform a concert at Liquidroom.

This concert was one of the best I’ve ever seen. M.I.A. is topnotch among the world’s most original, unique and entertaining artists. She puts on an incredible show – her dancing, her voice, the music and the visuals. She is huhuhot! The show was mesmerizing. I have some of her music, but seeing her live is a totally different and better experience. If she comes through your town, don’t miss her. Characteristically Japanese, Liquidroom is super nice and very clean. Another cool thing about shows in Tokyo is that they start at 7:00 pm and end around 9:30 or 10:00. I missed so many great shows when we lived in Portland because I didn’t want to be up until 2:00 am when I had to work the next morning.

After the show we all had dinner and dessert at an izakaya in Ebisu. Fun night. We’ve got to start going to more shows.

Round Two

2007-10-05T07:02:00.000-07:00

We’re back for what feels like round two in Tokyo. After the wedding I took a giant chill pill and haven’t really done anything communicative in a while. That includes writing this blog. But now that we’re back and settled, I intend to keep a somewhat steady posting flow. I also promise to upload our wedding photos to our flickr account just as soon as we receive them. So stay tuned.

Immigration Bureau of Japan finally pulled me aside and took me into that scary back room I’ve always feared. They explained that I was only allowed to enter the country on a tourist visa twice. Somehow I have made it through five times this year. After threatening to put me back on another US bound plane, they finally gave in, they gave me one last stamp. Here’s to getting my dependent visa before my 90 days is up!

After the airport incident, we made our way back to our apartment. We were happy to be back in Tokyo. It felt great to be home. And for the first time, coming back to Tokyo felt as familiar as taking a trip somewhere in The States. This lasted for a while until my spirits began to take a bit of an emotional dive. It happens here sometimes. Living abroad has its ups and downs. But I have no doubt that the tough times are well worth the experience. Luckily my lows here usually don’t last too long. There were a few key things, which pulled me out of this particular being-abroad-funk.

The weather changed. It’s autumn here now, and it’s beautiful. It’s skirt and jacket weather, and it feels great just being outside. I’m a firm believer that autumn brings out the inner fashionista in most people. Being in Tokyo is fun right now because as the seasons change, so do the styles. I’m really digging some of the cool-weather clothing I'm seeing around town. I started a part-time job teaching. The school is located right here in Azabu-juban (our neighborhood). It’s an international school with kids from all over the world – well mostly Europe, Japan and Australia. I made a great skirt out of some really nice vintage fabric I found in Nakameguro. A successful crafty project is always good for a mood boost. Last, I have a wonderful new husband. He knows how to help pull me out of the low bouts.

Once again I’m really happy to be here in Tokyo. Happy to be living in the moment.

Sky Aquarium

2007-07-16T06:15:00.000-07:00

One good thing about living in a big and international city is being able to regularly attend world-class art exhibits. All cities seem to have their own specialties and styles when it comes to art, exhibits and museums. And I’m slowly getting to know the way the scene works here in Tokyo. The approach is ultra modern incorporating a lot of new ideas and experiments. It’s not better or worse from what I’ve seen in NYC, London, or Paris, it’s just different. Many of the shows seem to focus on the experience at the museum, rather than a standard viewing of the artwork. A good example of this is Sky Aquarium, which we checked out last night. Wild, sculptural, water-spouting aquariums were displayed on the top floor of the second tallest skyscraper in Tokyo. The space is also a city viewing area, so windows line the entire floor. As we looked through the aquariums and past the brightly colored tropical fish, we could see the Tokyo skyline. There was a lot of colorful mood lighting, and these incredible jellyfish…

Getting Published

2007-07-14T07:18:00.000-07:00

I’m excited; after some fun hard work I’m having a four-page feature article, some photos, and a map (put together with the help of a graphic designer) published in next week’s Metropolis magazine (Japan’s #1 English publication). I met with the editor yesterday to go over the final details of the layout and it looks like we’re good to go. The whole thing is kind of fun for D and me because before we moved, we would sit in our kitchen in Portland and read up on Tokyo by checking out Metropolis magazine online: http://metropolis.co.jp/ (sorry, I still haven't figured out the active link thing). The article is about Yanesen, a large Tokyo neighborhood, which I now know like the back of my hand. Free tour available to all visitors of Casa de Reid.

Post meeting with editor: celebratory sparkly gold shoe purchase...

Thanks Dwayne, Marie-Adele, and Yuko for your help translating!

Cloudy Day Beach Picnic & Hike in Japan

2007-07-08T20:18:00.000-07:00

After riding three trains and one bus, we made it to the beach outside of Tokyo. It was a fun adventure; we're always happy exploring new areas. We hiked for three hours up the rocky coast. I think we'll be back once the sun comes out again.

Little Kids on the Subway

2007-07-04T21:24:00.001-07:00

I finally got it together and whipped out my camera in time to take a photo of this strange phenomenon. This sweet little boy was riding Tokyo Metro all alone. He’s not the youngest solo rider I’ve seen. I’m talking LITTLE kids ride the subway here alone, all the time. I’ve spotted teeny, tiny four or five year-old girls on the subway. They just cruise along by themselves, little feet dangling off the edge of their seat, playing with toys, making their way through the maze of train stations. It sort of blows my mind that their parents are brave enough to let these kids cruise around like this.

Funny Japanese TV Food Shows

2007-06-30T18:26:00.000-07:00

My favorite is when, to make the food look extra delicious, they give whatever they’re eating a big jiggle with their chopsticks or fork. I also like the close shots of people putting food in their mouths and exclaiming, "Oishii desu!"

Return of the One-Dollar Dress

2007-06-27T01:54:00.000-07:00

I haven’t owned a clothing article this inexpensive since we used to shop the Goodwill dollar bins in high school. Anyway, I just made this little soft cotton dress out of fabric that cost $1.00 per meter. The fabric is from an area of town here in Tokyo called Nippori Textile Town. It’s basically store after store chalk full of all kinds of super affordable fabric. It’s really a crafter's paradise. Sorry, Kspell, I wish I had discovered it before you came. Next time! Oh, and the stuffed dress lying down was an idea stolen from the boutiques around town.

Mailbox Greetings

2007-06-25T07:49:00.000-07:00

After months of sunny weather, Tokyo’s rainy season has finally hit. It’s been hot, muggy and rainy. And like a good bride to be, I’m trying to balance out my sesame vanilla soft-serve ice cream addiction with the occasional jog around the neighborhood. Today, after a short jog in the pouring down rain and heat, I hesitantly popped by our mailbox to make sure there weren’t any overdue bills lying in there waiting to be paid. I was delighted to see our first piece of real mail. It was Robin & Ian’s baby Max announcement. It was nice for a change, to see real mail in the box. It's usually always just filled with bills, oh and of course, the daily porn ads...

Melissa Dickenson's "Exploration"

2007-06-16T08:58:00.000-07:00

Here in Japan, a foreign gal’s quest for friends and fun people to share common interests with never ceases. I’m not alone here. Ever since I joined a knitting club for English speakers, I’ve met plenty of others like me – women looking for some chick companionship while they’re here. It’s easy for us to get excited over a ball of yarn, knitting needles, and some English conversation between ourselves and other females with whom we share a mere three to five year age difference. Those sessions of knitting and nama bieru have landed me a couple nice lady friends to shop, share lunch, and explore this city with.

Melissa and I met at one of these knitting sessions. She’s an American artist from Baltimore, and unfortunately, I’m sad to say that she’ll be returning back to the states soon. She’s here in Japan doing an artist residency at Youkobo. I admire her a great deal because I feel like she’s a true force keeping the creative/artistic spirit alive. She applied for a grant to come to Japan and practice her art, but was denied the funding. Without any funding, she decided she still wanted to accomplish her goal. She busted her behind for a year waiting tables, saved some dough, and came to Japan. She spent a month making paper at a traditional Japanese Washi mill in Shikoku. She then came to Tokyo, where she sutured and painted these cutie, surreal nature characters and environments onto her paper. I thought her show was really nice. Her paintings felt familiar, and reminded me of Portland. I guess they also reminded me of east London, Brooklyn, and Tokyo. Come to think of it, I guess that nature/animal theme and aesthetic has been big all over the place for a while now. I'm no art critic, but if I had a steady job by now, I would have definitely snagged one of her pieces.

Hot S@#t Japanese Design Mags

2007-06-10T19:14:00.001-07:00

Over the weekend D & I were excited to browse through one of our favorite bookstores and find some of his recent work featured in two design magazines. Of course we can't read anything in these publications, but it's still fun to see the photos and Japanese commentary. Along with D's stuff, there were some other great designs/ads that were noticed as well......

Nike's JDI Campaign - Shibuya

2007-05-31T22:22:00.000-07:00

Shibuya is Tokyo’s busiest, most bustling neighborhood. Every few minutes, thousands of people make their way through the streets at Shibuya crossing. It’s a center for shopping, restaurants, businesses, and clubs. It’s also a hub for youth displaying risky, sexed up fashion. The relentless foot traffic makes Shibuya prime real estate for advertising. The big crossing is frequently compared to New York City’s Times Square, as mega-sized ads & neon lights compete for space and crowd the view.

Right now, one of Nike’s Just Do It campaigns is up all over Shibuya. These ads were done by WK – Tokyo, and they’re really nice. The idea focused on non-pro street sports in Tokyo – dancing, fixed gear biking, and skateboarding. The message being that people can, should and do use the city of Tokyo to practice their sport. The campaign exemplifies and celebrates those who are already taking advantage of the city’s athletic opportunities, while encouraging others to join in. The ads are super nicely done color and black & white action photos of local athletes. They’re definitely the most awesome Shibuya ads I’ve seen.

Sanja Matsuri Festival, Tokyo

2007-05-27T20:41:00.000-07:00

One of Japan’s most exciting festivals takes place every May in the shitamachi area of Asakusa, Tokyo. Each year, over 1 million people flood the streets of the old-Edo flavored neighborhood for 3 days of drinking, dancing, costumes, rallying & street food. It is one of the only events at which geisha are easily spotted, and shirtless men display enormous tattoos, openly publicizing their affiliation with the yakuza (Japanese mafia).

Aside from the wild street scene of the matsuri, the main festivities derive from tradition. The festival began over one thousand years ago, and is intended to bring good luck, prosperity, and the best blessings to those participating.

The enthusiastic party atmosphere kicks off on a Friday, the very first day of the festival; the main event is the Daigyoretsu, a parade of musicians, performers and dancers romping through the neighborhood of Asakusa. As the crowds flood, restaurants set up tables in the streets for drinking and eating. People begin to dance as floats, carrying flute players and drummers, push their way through swarms of people. Geisha make appearances, coming out to participate wearing festival attire.

On the second day, over 100 mikoshi, portable shrines are carried in from different Asakusa district neighborhoods. It takes crowds of people to carry these shrines, which are thought to hold and transport the gods. The shrines are shaken vigorously, a ritual thought to bring even more good luck and prosperity to the neighborhood from which the shrine came. It is a parade of chanting and music, crowded streets and costumes.

During the final day, the party rolls on. An early morning parade carries Asakusa’s largest portable shrines from the precincts through neighboring communities. All the while, musical floats continue along with the traditional dancing, drinking and eating. By the end of it all, most of the area's shop owners, and die-hard festival participators are exhausted. Some of them will have only slept a few hours during the weekend.

Sanja Matsuri, compared to the typical, more conservative, reserved street scenes of Tokyo, gives foreigners a glimpse at Tokyo’s wild side, and a rare chance to experience ultra vivacious Japanese religious ritual.

Tokyo Dog Craze

2007-05-23T20:20:00.000-07:00

Dogs are a raging trend here in Tokyo. All over town people are displaying their dogs on leashes, or carrying them - head peeking out - in purses. These dogs are often wearing coordinated outfits - jeans with a sweater, or a tank top and miniskirt. Grooming shops keep the fur of these well-cared-for pets fluffy, fresh and voluminous. And sunglasses to match give an almost disturbingly human quality to their look. Smaller, purebred K9s are most popular, however, it’s not uncommon to see a giant Poodle or a Bernese Mountain Dog strutting down the city streets.

While doggy bakeries and clothing stores have become almost passé here in Tokyo, the other day I saw a new doggy phenomenon, the doggy backpack. I met this kid in Nakameguro. He was cruising the streets, with his super chilled out Cocker Spaniel kicking it in a backpack baby sling. This is by far the coolest and most innovative of the doggy contraptions I’ve seen. When the boy saw me checking out his dog, he quickly turned his back toward me, so that I could get an even better look at his pet. Then he took his sling off, doggy and all, and let me try it on. It felt great, and the dog seemed to be ultra comfy and happy inside his sling. Way to go, kid! Who knows, maybe this will be the next big Tokyo doggy trend.

Empty Nest Syndrome

2007-05-05T19:52:00.000-07:00

Our dear friends Krystin & Eric just visited from Oregon. They were our first friends to visit from the states, and showing them around was a lot of fun for D & me. There is only so much you can do with a week in Tokyo. We walked them all over town. We went to a handful of different neighborhoods, temples/shrines & some of our favorite restaurants. By the end of their trip I’m pretty sure they were totally beat and probably tired of sleeping on our air mattress. After they left, I moped around for a little while. Our nest felt a little empty. It was nice having them.

After K&E took off, Driscoll & I went and checked out a nature reserve, which is only a couple subway stops away from our apartment. Most of the parks in Tokyo are sort of like Disneyland for adults. Even so, it’s still nice to visit them, take long walks and see the greenery & flowers. The nature reserve is probably the closest to real nature as we’ve seen here. It was a bright cheerful day, and the sunlight was shining through, illuminating the Japanese Maple leaves. Pretty.

The next day we had a picnic lunch at a kid’s playground in Azabu. We stopped and bought some sushi, rice balls, fruit & tea. I can’t get over how piping red the strawberries are here. They're all the same color and they’re all at the same exact stage of ripeness. In addition to their color, every inch of the strawberry has the same amount of juice and the same texture. What the?... How do they grow them like that?

We Paid A Visit To WK London

2007-04-21T16:55:00.000-07:00

Jonah & Hendricks

2007-04-21T15:53:00.000-07:00

I feel some Oregon credit is due after a gal I know and love was mildly offended by my last post...For the past 2 months, I’ve been from Tokyo to Hawaii, Oregon, back to Tokyo, Barcelona, London, and now back to Barcelona. Each place is unique, with it’s own strengths and weaknesses. And I’ll say this: There’s no place like home. Hands down, Oregon is just home, and it’s so darn beautiful. This past trip I even shed a tear or 2, looking out at the Coburg Hills, driving the crappy I5 trip from Portland to Eugene.

I didn’t mean to throw the US on the chopping block. I just love Tokyo, and was pleasantly surprised at how happy I was to be back.

Back In Tokyo

2007-04-09T19:24:00.000-07:00

It sure is nice to be back in Tokyo. Spring is looking good – the sun is out, and fragrant, blooming trees line the streets. I stepped off the plane and was immediately reminded of the easy, calm culture here; the efficiency and quality in service; the clean, well maintained, and always punctual busses and trains; the quaint neighborhoods filled with cafes and flower shops; the people walking around, well cared for, and very polite! The system seems to be working, which is pretty outstanding considering Tokyo is one of the most populated cities in the world.

I’m not sure if this will make sense to people, but the feeling I have returning from the US to Tokyo is similar to the feeling I get when returning from Mexico to the US. On many different levels, things (general organization, law enforcement, business/customer service ethic, economy, social programs, gracious & respectful public interaction) in Tokyo feel much more advanced, which kicks up the quality of life. I noticed during my trip home that things in the US seem unfortunate in a way that I never really noticed before. Obesity, street addicts, crime, understaffed & chaotic businesses, and poverty were all things that really stood out to me on this trip home.

I was sad to hear that the friendly guy who worked at my favorite convenience store on Belmont had been the victim of a violent robbery. He was recently shot in the head and paralyzed from the neck down. Standing in line at the pharmacy was a real eye opener, too. As I waited for an hour and a half (!) for Walgreens to fill my prescription, I began to take a look around at the other people waiting in line. People's clothes, which hardly fit them due to their morbid obesity, were tattered and raggedy. A pregnant woman standing in front of me was having a hard time. She was 6.5 months pregnant, having premature contractions, and couldn’t afford the medication prescribed to her by her doctor, which was intended to stop the contractions. Yikes! What’s happening to the US? When did it get to be so easy for people to spiral into such vulnerable and desperate positions? It makes me sad because I love Portland.

When I came to Tokyo, I expected a little culture shock; however, I wasn’t prepared for the intense culture shock I experienced coming back to the US after only being gone 4 months.

Halfway to Oregon

2007-03-17T01:20:00.000-07:00

When my mom asked me if I would meet her in Hawaii on my way back to the states, I thought about it for 5 minutes, and then I said yes. I'm now on the Big Island, staying in Kona. My mom will be joining me here in a few days, but for now I’m on my own.

At the ripe age of 27, the guilt associated with tanning and endless sun basking has grown pretty strong. To avoid the all day lounge, I’ve been doing a lot of hiking along the rocky coastline. I’ll admit that until the hikes began, I wasn’t too keen on Kona. Chain restaurants & groups of half naked men yelling at me out the backs of their trucks isn’t my idea of vacation. Fortunately, since the hikes began, the nature and wildlife are turning me into more of a Kona fan.

This island is different from the others because it’s the newest. It’s still pouring molten lava into the ocean. This makes for a very rocky (lava rock) coastline. The lava creates these partially enclosed pools just at the point where the ocean meets the sand or rock. After my long hike today, I tested one of the pools out and gave it an A+!

Things I saw today:

Lots of surfers
4 Hawaiian green turtles sunbathing
A dirty old swimming pool that needs some love and restoration
Lots of lava rock & really cool driftwood
A little bird in a tree
A great sunset – deep orange/red sun, grey/green waves framed with the black & white rocky coast (all I could think about was getting my hands on some paint)

Crafting & Octopus Pancake Balls

2007-03-05T00:29:00.000-08:00

I've come to the conclusion that, as hard as I decorate, our apartment is not getting any larger. It's definitely time to slow down, stop decorating, and start crafting. I decided to take Krystin’s advice and start making some stuff. Here we have a camera case and a white summer skirt. Thanks for the push, K-spell:)

I wish I could say that I made the street food! The octopus balls were purchased near Omote-sando, in Harajuku. I know they look terrible, but they were actually super tasty - lots of steam and sauce.

A Nice, Too Short Weekend in Tokyo

2007-02-25T22:24:00.000-08:00

This past weekend was a nice one. Friday night we saw a great art exhibit. It was at Roppongi Hills. It was all about laughter and funny art. The first part of the exhibit included ancient Japanese art. My favorite pieces were these 6th century sculptures of characters with big old goofy grins on their faces. It’s nice to know that even way back then, people were goofing around and having a good time. The second part of the exhibit was all new, modern art from all over the world. They explained the exhibit as a representation of a new art movement, a new kind of Dadaism. It was filled with quirky, strange, funny and smart ideas. I couldn’t help thinking of David Neevel, Seth Gross & Eric Mallory. There was a huge installation of wind up doll businessmen crawling over a map of the world, tackling each other over skyscrapers & horses. There was a lot of video, one of which starred a grocery cart filled to the brim with groceries. The cart was alone, bumping into things and wandering through the aisles of a grocery store.

After the show, we went up to the top of the Mori building. This was exciting because it was at night, and the view was outrageous. After exploring Tokyo for a while now, we could look out at the city and see all the places and directions we had been to.

Saturday morning we went for a jog. It was nice, sunny and cool. And I finally got to take Driscoll to my favorite restaurant in Nakameguro. After lunch, we strolled through Nakameguro and happened upon a really great thrift store. It had multiple shelves of amazing, vintage fabric, as well as some really nice vintage furniture. Some friends invited us over for dinner on Saturday, a rare but exciting event these days.

Sunday was spent lounging at home. I helped Driscoll cut some wood for a bed frame, which he actually managed to put together in one day!

I guess we’re starting to get more and more comfortable here in Tokyo. It’s feeling less like the biggest city in the world, and more like a familiar place that’s filled with a lot of the stuff we love. I do miss my people, a lot, but the good news is that I’ll be seeing you all soon!

Warm & Friendly Noguchi Lamp

2007-02-22T20:46:00.000-08:00

I think Noguchi’s design of this lamp is dead on. It resembles a very sweet little animal of some kind. It also puts out soft, warm light. I can’t think of a better pairing for a lamp. When I look over at it, I almost feel like there’s a very friendly person or creature in the room with me. Aside from providing its owners with some creature company, it does a great job of lighting up the room. So smart.

Only in Japan

2007-02-22T20:28:00.000-08:00

This happened a while ago, but I forgot to post it until now. I’ve gotten in the habit of carrying an extra pair of shoes with me. I do this because we walk everywhere, and sometimes, before you know it, you’re halfway across town in a fabric store or someplace, and you realize you’ve got a blister on your foot, and a long walk home. When we went to Kyoto, I changed my shoes on the train. I left the pair I’d taken off under the seat. I didn’t realize that I’d left my shoes under the seat until we had gotten off the train and watched it bullet away from us. In any other place I’ve been to, that would have been it. My little green walking shoes would have been lost forever. But, fortunately, we were in Japan. My shoes ended up traveling all the way down to Hiroshima, but they were mailed and returned to us within 3 days of losing them! Like I said - only in Japan.

Everyone, Stop What You're Doing

2007-02-20T17:43:00.000-08:00

...and go to my 'David - Portland' link. Click on his link 'i went and saw the new david lynch film this weekend.' You've got to see ‘Neevel does Lynch’

So funny.

2007-02-20T17:19:00.000-08:00

The First Signs of Spring

2007-02-16T01:49:00.000-08:00

Okay, I know this photo is total blog-o-dork-out, but I just couldn't help myself. Here in Tokyo, the sun has been shining all winter long. I’m not sure if this is typical, or if we have good old global warming to thank. At any rate, the sunny weather has allowed me to, in the middle of February, begin imagining myself in skirts without stockings, tank tops, and brightly colored accessories.

I couldn’t resist this bag/shoe combo. The duffle print was created by Andre, the Parisian graffiti artist; famous for his “Love Graffiti” project. Andre’s prints seem to be especially adored here in Tokyo, and Medicom Toy is taking his art and making the coolest accessories. Miniature, hot pink, Monsieur Andre print duffle?!!! I’ll take it.

Look, we’ve even seen some of his graffiti in our new neighborhood, Azabu.

Lindsay's Request

2007-02-16T00:30:00.000-08:00

Here are a few scenes from our not yet fully furnished or decorated apartment. This weekend we are on decorating patrol. I’ll post more photos when the place gets more put together. We're particularly excited about our new couch, which at the moment is being made for us here in Japan!

3D Tokyo Valentine, & 13 Reasons (Rated S for Sappy)

2007-02-13T22:29:00.000-08:00

Day 45, Tokyo

2007-02-12T22:05:00.000-08:00

Sorry, it’s been awhile since my last post. It’s strange posting from Tokyo. There are so many things I want to show and say. Sometimes it seems too hard to sift and choose, so I don’t end up posting anything at all.

I’ve been a mad lady lately, moving into our new pad. Tokyo has its own version of Target. It’s called Muji and it’s really nice. Everything there is designed and made in Japan. I went to Muji in Shibuya 4 times last week. I bought a washer, refrigerator, vacuum, coat rack, lamps, stuff & more stuff. There is ONE guy there who knows my address and me. This is very important because I don’t know how to write down my address in Japanese. I seek this guy out. He ducks behind the aisles when he sees me coming. He must think I’m nuts, showing up 4 days in a row pointing at the catalog, “I like, please. Do you keep? Can I take?” He’s a good sport. He laughs at my requests. We draw pictures in an effort to communicate. He says, “Ah, yes, you to buy? Okay, prease have seat, prease, so, you to buy and derivery anoda?”

Friday morning, our Muji stuff was all delivered, along with our US shipment. Friday afternoon we took off for a 3-day weekend in Kyoto. Today, I’m knee deep in our shipment, which is covering our apartment floor(s). We shipped a lot of stuff. I’m not sure what we were thinking. Perhaps we had high hopes of squeezing our belongings from our 2400-square-foot house into a 600-square-foot apartment. I may have to make an executive decision to toss some of this stuff before Driscoll gets home from work.

My hand is now bleeding from breaking down boxes. Next time we move across the friggin planet, I think we’ll leave most of our belongings behind. In the future, I'll remember that If we really need to cozy up a pad, there’s always some Muji-like store chalk full of accessories.

Ikebana 101 (Japanese Style Floral Design)

2007-01-30T05:27:00.000-08:00

Meguro Museum of Art, Tokyo

2007-01-30T04:40:00.000-08:00

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

2007-01-22T04:19:00.000-08:00

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

2007-01-21T18:09:00.000-08:00

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

2007-01-18T07:30:00.000-08:00

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

2007-01-13T18:42:00.000-08:00

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

2007-01-06T02:45:00.000-08:00

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.

Save The Date

2007-01-06T02:33:00.000-08:00