Back! Probably still slowly, but steadily.

復活！またまたゆるりと更新予定。

with hopes and prayers

Hello everyone,

Happiness and hope from the cherry blossoms and blue sky, photographed last year

I'm sure you've all heard about the earthquake in Northern Japan. I am really at a loss of words. My heart and deepest prayers goes out to all the people affected, and my deepest gratitude to everyone who are working day and night to rescue people, to restore power...

Japan is still facing a lot of troubles, but I believe that we have to keep our chins up and keep on moving forward.

Please please keep Japan in your thoughts and support Japan in any way you can.

♥♥♥♥♥

P.S. Thank you so much for the comments concerning my safety, I am fine! Your comments always mean so much to me.

Kazuo Ohno

I know I'm a bit late, posting about haute couture when the next fashion week is around the corner, but please bear with me as I get used to the fast-paced blogging world!

Anyways, I'm sure you've seen how beautiful and intricate the dresses were at Givenchy so I won't go into that. What I do want to share is the dancer that inspired this collection, Kazuo Ohno. A person I knew was involved with planning Kazuo Ohno's performances and I had this DVD of his works I hadn't watched, so I thought this would be a perfect time to do so.

Kazuo Ohno was a legendary figure in a form of dance called butoh, which is recognized as a mix of Japanese tradition and avant-gardism. It is inspired by both Japanese and foreign literature, explores taboo topics, and involves playful and grotesque imagery.

This was my first time watching Kazuo Ohno's works, and though I'm far from being able to understand each dance, each action, I was taken at how expressive his hands were. They were captivating--it makes you feel amazed that so much can be conveyed with just the hands.

I think Kazuo Ohno's words sum up my feelings best: "It is not important to understand what I am doing; perhaps it is better if they don't understand, but just respond to the dance".

Givenchy image from the Fashion Spot

Kazuo Ohno image from Betwixt Thee and Me Let There Be Truth

how I used to be

The year of the rabbit--or the year for leaps and bounds!

飛躍の年。

It has been quite a while since I sat down at my computer to write a post. After a four-month hiatus, I'm happy to be back! It might take a bit, but hopefully I can establish a good blogging pace again. Also, is there anything you want to see on this blog? I would love to know what kind of things you'd be interested in, so please feel free to comment/e-mail any suggestions, questions, etc.

& a big thank you to the everyone who sent me such nice comments to my last post. They meant a lot to me and I'm really looking forward to talking to all of you through your blogs again!

ブログを離れてちょうど４ヶ月。年も明けて心機一転、また書き始めます。ペースを取り戻しつつゆるりと更新する予定。どうぞよろしくお願いします。

The Autumn Song

I wore my blazer out today for the first time, signing that fall is finally approaching Tokyo after an incredibly hot summer.

東京ではやっと気温が下がり、私は今期初めて、ブレザーを下ろしました。ようやく秋が訪れそうですね。

It's almost October I know, but summer brought some great experiences and memories (an internship, hearing Yohji Yamamoto speak in person (!), meeting totally unexpected and incredible people...) so I'm a little sad that the seasons are really starting to change.

もう１０月だけど、夏の終わりはやっぱり寂しい。特に今年の夏は充実していたからこそ、そう思うのかな。

A piece of my summer, girls preparing for the Yosakoi (a traditional Japanese Dance) Festival in Omotesando

I've been unable to post regularly for quite a while now and I'm afraid this will continue through the rest of the year. I was just looking at my favorite blogs and realized how much I miss blogging and how there's lots of things I want to post and share. But right now there is so much on plate, so many things I have to do before blogging. So this is a temporary farewell from blogging, until I get through what would probably be one roller coaster of a ride of the last three months of 2010. Hopefully I'll be able to look at your blogs every once in a while, but till then, see you guys in 2011!

最近はなかなか、ブログの記事を書く時間がなくて...時間は自分で作るもの、なんて本当に出来ればいいけど、夏休み以上に忙しくなりそうな今年の秋、いったんブログを離れようと思います。書きたいこと、載せたいことはいっぱいあるけど、きりがないのでここで一つ区切りをつけます。これからJFWも始まるので尚更残念だけど、次までには復帰したいな。

LUPOPO & OHANA

I stumbled upon these two lovely cafes a while ago, on the same day. It totally made my day: good food, lovely owners, and a cozy atmosphere.

久しぶりにカフェを紹介します。たまたま見つけた、三軒茶屋のほっこりカフェ。偶然にこういうところを見つけると幸せな気分になりますよね。

The first is called LUPOPO. In the small but cozy space, a corner is for displaying and selling handmade goods like jewelry and bags.

一つ目はLUPOPO。小さな店内に、カフェスペースと手作りのアクセサリーなどが売っています。

There was this notebook where customers left messages. It was filled with lovely illustrations...
お客様書き込み用のノート。人の字を見るのって、面白い。こんな字書けたらなー、とかあの字も素敵だな、と。

The next store, from Earth Cafe "OHANA", was an organic cafe with a great variety of teas. Surprisingly I'm finding a lot of organic cafes around Tokyo.
次はfrom Earth Cafe "OHANA"というオーガニック系のカフェ。東京って意外とオーガニックのお店が多いんですね。

These pound cakes were so good but also tasted healthy. I love how even the little dishes like the forks matches the store perfectly.

美味しく、かつヘルシーなパウンドケーキ。とてもあたたかい雰囲気のお店でした。

LUPOPO

1-35-20 Sangenjyaya, Setagayaku, Tokyo

東京都世田谷区三軒茶屋１−３５−２０

from Earth Cafe "OHANA"

1-32-6 Sangenjyaya, Setagayaku, Tokyo

東京都世田谷区三軒茶屋１−３２−６

The World of Yoko Sueyoshi

When I stopped by a store called Loft a couple months ago, there was an art event going on called Pop Box. It's an annual event where each artist has a small box (=booth) to display his/her artworks inside the store. I was especially captivated by one of the boxes...

毎年ロフトで開催されているアートのイベント、ポップボックス。たまたま寄ったときに開催されていて、思わず立ち止まったボックス。

The artist's name is Yoko Sueyoshi. I am in love with the world she creates and am enchanted by the boys and girls that appear inside her artwork. The children in these pictures aren't just innocent; I feel like there's a lot hidden inside their expressions. Wouldn't you love to slip into this world? The scenery is breathtaking.

彼女の名前は末吉陽子さん。末吉さんの世界観がすごく好きで、こんなところに住んでみたいと思った。純粋だけどどこか不思議な表情をしている男の子と女の子たち。お話してみたくなります。

I had the chance to see her at a live painting and it was incredible to see her works come to life. She was a lovely person, just like her artwork.

ライブペイントを見る機会があったんですが、とにかく見とれてしまいました。終わったあとには葉書にサインをしてくださって、とても素敵な方でした！

For more of her artwork, here's the website (go look at more lovely drawings!) and she has an exhibit, POP SPACE (which I think is similar to Pop Box) going on right now. Details are below, those who are in Tokyo should definitely go have a look!

末吉さんのサイトにもっと絵が載っています。そして今POP SPACEで展示が開催されています！詳細も載せておくので、東京にいる方、とてもおすすめします!!

POP SPACE part 2

Shinjuku Marui One (Department Store) 3F

3-1-20 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo

TEL: 03-3354-0105

Hours: 11:00-21:00, Holidays and Weekends 11:00-20:30

Exhibit: ~8/20

POP SPACE part 2

新宿マルイワン

東京都新宿区新宿３−１−２０

TEL: 03-3354-0105

開館時間：11:00-21:00, 日曜・祝日 11:00-20:30

展示： ~8/20

All images courtesy of the artist