I love to wear bows in my hair, especially when I’m dressed up for an event, so I was delighted to receive this fabulous Hello Kitty hair bow from my friend for Christmas: I know what I’ll be wearing at the next Hyper Japan! The bow seems to be made by a company called Moon … Continue reading
21st December was a very nasty, rainy day, but I had made a plan to spend the day in Salisbury for my birthday. I intended to take photos and sightsee, but it just wasn’t the weather for it. In the end, wet and cold, we gave in and started wandering back to the station. Then, … Continue reading
This coming year (as always) I’ll be keeping Japan close beside me as the months pass by. One of my Christmas presents was this cute Hello Kitty calendar: The calendar is simple, and very, very pink! Kitty wears a cute ballerina outfit, and she’s in a different pose each month. Kawaii! This is an official … Continue reading
I know one should never judge a book by its cover, but it seems like that rule doesn’t apply to chocolate. When I was in the Japan Centre in London the other day I caught sight of this: This is MATCHA by Les Gourmandises de Miyuko & BESCHLE, and it’s absolutely delicious. The matcha (抹茶 … Continue reading
I’m quite a fan of the brand ‘innocent‘, known for their healthy smoothies, so I was keen to try their new product – innocent noodle pot in Japanese ramen flavour (they also have noodle pots in other Asian flavours). The first thing I noticed about this instant noodle offering was that despite being called ‘ramen’, the … Continue reading
Recently I attended an event in London about Kyushu (九州), Japan’s third largest island. It was a great opportunity to learn more about a part of Japan I haven’t yet visited, and I found it very inspiring. Kyushu has so much to offer – from delicious food to traditional towns, hot springs to nature. It … Continue reading
Today there’s been some exciting news from HYPER JAPAN: HYPER JAPAN, the UK’s biggest celebration of Japanese culture, cuisine and cool, is pleased to announce the opening of a new shop at Stables Market, Camden Town. A spokesperson of HYPER JAPAN explained, “HYPER JAPAN aims to bring the best of a wide variety of Japanese … Continue reading
It’s time for A to Wa of Japan again! Last week’s post was about things beginning with む (mu) and we looked at Murasaki Shikibu (紫 式部).This week we are looking at things beginning with め (me). A big thank you to those who joined in with suggestions this week: Zooming Japan suggested Meguro (目黒 / an area of Tokyo), and mentaiko (明太子 / … Continue reading
Apologies for the time it’s taken me to publish this post! HYPER JAPAN seems like a long time ago now, but I still thought it was worth sharing my thoughts on the event. HYPER JAPAN took place in London from 26th – 28th July, and this year I worked on a stall at the event … Continue reading
I went along to a car boot sale in Bristol this morning and look what was waiting for me for the small price of £2: This ukiyo-e (浮世絵) print is ‘Tokaido Ejiri Tago-no-ura’ (東海道江尻田子の浦略図) by Katsushika Hokusai (葛飾 北斎). The name can be translated as ‘Shore of Tago Bay, Ejiri on the Tokaido’. This piece is … Continue reading
Haikugirl's Japan 