We Paid A Visit To WK London

Jonah & Hendricks

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

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

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

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

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

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.