pinku

A sign of age

When we were in Kyushu recently for our friend, Tyler's wedding, we decided to travel to Fukuoka after the wedding since both Darin and I had never been. It's a lovely sized city - very Brisbane actually. Anyway we finally got around to doing something that I'd been wanting to do for a while. Purikura (Japanese photo booths) with Jake.

Wow, purikura machines have really changed since I was a high school student in Japan. We could barely keep up with the multitude of options available and what you see here is the final result. It made me feel old. I bet those 13 year old girls in line knew how to work those machines like nobody's business.

(click to see the larger image)

I personally love the I HEART ME one!! And Darin was excited to turn himself into a Panda. Oh and I loved being Snow White with my many Darin dwarves!!!

No cupcakes in Japan

After I read Mariko's post about cupcakes, I thought to myself - I've never seen cupcakes for sale in Japan.

I live in Tokyo, one of the world's largest cities - SURELY there is at least one cupcake store. I started on my quest to find at least one (via google), but all I came up with was a bunch of Japanese people blogging about all the awesome cupcake cafes/stores in New York, LA and London. I did read about some shop on an American air base that makes cupcakes, but I want one in Kichijoji. It could totally be the next big thing.

The photo is taken from one of the first pages I found - see some more amazing cupcakes here.

I totally think cupcakes would be the biggest hit in Japan - why has nobody tapped into this yet??!!

I also would love for someone to prove me wrong and find one in Tokyo....coz I so wanna go there. Sure there are PLENTY of other amazing desserts here in Tokyo, but of course we always want what we can't have. I guess in the meantime I'll have to make my own. This isn't a problem, but I can guarantee you that I'll eat more than one. That's the danger.

Happy Holidays!!

Wow Christmas is done for another year. Hope you all had a relaxing and fun day. We had a great day that consisted of spending time with friends, talking with family on the phone, opening presents, drinking champagne and eating croissants with new and old friends, baking, baking and more baking and then finally some relaxing, eating, drinking and we also watched Dolly in 9 to 5. It was a great day all round and a big thank you goes to our sweet hosts C&J&R.

my sweet sugar wrapped up and ready to go for a family portrait shoot

C&J looking festive in their cracker hats

And the newest, cutest addition to C&J's household is a lovely kitten, Rio, who here is enjoying a stretch by the heater.

daz and tyler and lots of delicious food

a special cuddle

You can see the rest of our xmas 2006 photos here.

I have two more days at work and then I have six days off - woohoo! Daz and I are heading to the snow with our buddies Tyler and Sachika. We are going to soak in as many rotenburo as possible, we are going to ski/snowboard (daz's very first experience) and we are going to drink and eat and be very merry.

New Year's Day this year (1 Jan 2006)

New Year's Day next year - prediction (1 Jan 2007) - um, without the naked guy. I'll be on the girl's side which I hear is bigger!!!! I'm so excited about visiting Maguse Onsen which is pictured below. It looks amazing.

Public Service Announcement

If you are staying in Japan, please remember to go to the ATM and withdraw wads of cash as ATMs are closed for THREE whole days over the new year - when will Japan jump into the 21st century banking age!! HA!

ps I'm going to try and blog both tomorrow and the next day before our big trip. I just did a quick review of my knits in 2006 and it was a pretty successful and productive year. FULL REVIEW TOMORROW!!!

Three day weekends rule

Last Friday was a national holiday in Japan known as Culture Day (Bunka no hi), so to get our fill of culture we headed to Meiji Jingu to see some Yabusame (Japanese archery on horseback). The weather was glorious and the park was as beautiful as ever.

Saturday involved lots of soaking at the onsen and massage chairs, and on Sunday I had the pleasure of finally meeting Mariko and Kelly in person and taking them on a crafty tour of Shinjuku and Kichijoji. I had a great time and learnt a lot about fabric.I failed to take any photos (kicking myself), but I will be catching up with those ladies again before they leave so I'll be sure to take photos next time!!!!

This is what we saw on Friday!!

This guy hit the bullseye!!

This guy missed!

At the main shrine there were tons of parents with their kids celebrating Shichi-go-san (a festival for kids that are 7, 5, or 3)

And as you will often see at Meiji Jingu there was also a wedding

There were also many aikido demonstrations

See all the photos here!!

In My Life

What a great weekend - summer is FINALLY here and we enjoyed a perfect day yesterday here in Kichijoji. I FINALLY got around to documenting a day in my life for Leslie's In My Life flickr group. Actually I kept forgetting to take photos all day, but we did manage to capture most of the fun.

Morning with our piggies

Noon at the kiddy pool/fountain

Afternoon with my good friend Bree

Evening eating the best summer dessert ever - kakigori (shaved ice with condensed milk)

You can see the rest of our photos from yesterday HERE!!! Hope you all had a good one!

My new obsession

It's Friday and it's hot. Yes I think today is the hottest it's been in Tokes this year and personally I love it! Of course I say this from the comfort of my air conditioned office but I mean it (except when commuting and some hot sweaty guy's sweaty skin is rubbing against your arm). Martine and I have talked about this before but have any of your Tokyo dwellers out there noticed JUST how hot Shibuya station is (particularly on the 1st floor from the Ginza sen exit down to around where you walk over to the Inokashira-sen. Sometimes I think that if for some reason I couldn't get out of there, I'd die from the heat. Yes die.

But I digress. My new obsession is black sesame pudding. They just recently started selling these at my work cafeteria and it is the most delicious dessert I've had in a long time. It's cool, it's tasty, it melts in your mouth, it's not too sweet and you end up with the sweetest aftertaste of black sesame seeds in your mouth. They also cost a measley 60 yen (and yes I've been tempted to buy two) They look gross being a slate grey colour and I only have a crap phone pic for you, but here is my latest obsession:

I'm on the verge of a long weekend here in Japan and I'm excited. Monday is Marine Day in Japan and that means we are going to head to the ocean where the sand is black, but the beer and fun will be overflowing. Have a good one!!!

purasutikku

It is great to read this article about some convenience stores in Japan trying to cut back on the usage of plastic bags. For anyone that lives in Japan or has visited at some point will know that BAKERIES are the absolute worst offenders. I actually can't stand to watch their bread packing antics - it's completely absurd and regularly makes me angry. If you bought two croissants, a curry bread and a loaf of fresh bread straight out of the oven, the two croissants would more than likely be bagged in plastic together because they are the same and this plastic bag will be taped shut, then the curry bread will be put in another plastic bag and taped shut then the loaf of bread will be put in a paper bag because the bread is still hot but the bakery will provide you with a rolled up plastic bag and tie to put your bread in once it cools down and then all of these go into another plastic bag. I actually feel heat rising to my cheeks while typing this description. We also have a close friend that is a baker at a major Japanese bakery and she told us that she has seen bakers being hit and punched for messing up a loaf of bread. Can you believe it - bakery abuse....but that's a whole different story.

One local chain of stores in Kichijoji called VIC has recently started charging for plastic bags and it's such a great idea. It'll make everyone think about whether a bag is really necessary. And I know that a lot of supermarkets encourage shoppers to bring their own bag with a point card system or even charge for plastic bags as well.

That being said Daz and I were only discussing yesterday about how much recycling we do in Japan - the city we live in provides us with a recycling calendar to remind us what to put out on what day - it's very necessary as it's a pretty complicated process. We separate cans, bottles, PET bottles, scrap paper, magazines, cardboard boxes, milk cartons, burnable and non-burnable trash. At work the recycling is even more complicated and we have signs everywhere and everyone is in charge of separating the rubbish from their own bin.

Another positive point regarding rubbish in Japan - our local park has NO rubbish bins and it's a very popular park for eating and drinking. They encourage everyone to take home their rubbish. At first we found this really inconvenient but now we think it's normal and the park is really clean. I don't think I've ever seen anyone litter.

This is one of Japan's interesting contradictions.

Six super cool things

Sometimes I have nothing to write about and then I get inspired and have about a million things to write about and get so excited that I have to do it all in one post. That's just me. Here are six super cool things I'm into right now:

Super cool thing number one

Amy has embarked on an up and down tour of Japan starting in Hokkaido and finishing in Okinawa. She's travelling in a van with a bunch of young Japanese people and you can read about her adventures on Japan Hopper. Japan Hopper is a new type of travel blog that is looking for native speakers of English living in Japan who can write about different regional areas of Japan. I just signed up because I'm going on a short holiday tomorrow and thought I could share all of my travel information(see Super Cool thing number 6).

Super cool thing number two

Isn't this an awesome exhibition poster!! While surfing the internet the other day I came across this artist/craftsperson, Rei Ricketts and her amazing bags. There are house bags, super duper handbags shaped as zebras, with trees and cherries on top, and tote bags. This is one more reason to love Tokyo and Kichijoji. For those of you lucky to live in Tokyo, you should check out the Rei Ricketts exhibition at the Niji Garo Gallery in Kichijoji (march 16-21, 12pm to 8pm) - I will SO be there.

Super cool thing number three

This free pattern on Elann! So cute and I am loving the fact that it's knit is one piece from the top down with no seaming. The recommended yarn is 100% cotton and I'm a bit worried it'll be heavy and I won't want to wear it. So I started swatching with some leftover Rowan All Seasons Cotton last night - we'll see how that goes. If I go with the recommended yarn (which is SO cheap) I'm going for GOLD!!

Super cool thing number four

This cool watch/bracelet kit, which will be available at the Shugei Cafe this Sunday (March 12) at Uplink Factory in Shibuya. Fellow Tokyo SNB member and all round crafty lady Taeko has been hard at work crocheting decorations and rallying the troops for this Sunday's event. She has also come up with a brooch kit which will also be for sale for about 300 yen. There will be music, free knitting patterns, and a vintage/new craft book library where you can browse through everyone's craft book treasures. I'm sad that I can't go.

Join us for 'Shugei Cafe' on Sunday, March 12th from 11:45am to 5pm

UPLINK FACTORY - 37-18 Udagawacho Shibuya-ku

Free admission (you have to order at least one drink).
Knit and Craft Cafe, Free Patterns, Musical Live, etc.

Super cool thing number five

Tony and the gang are back THIS SUNDAY. Love this pic of Carmela, Tony's horrible mum, and Meadow and AJ when they were so sweet.

Super cool thing number six

Darin and I leave for Okinawa in 17 hours!!!! The forecast for Tokyo tomorrow is cloudy with a MAX of 11 and MIN of 7. The forecast for Okinawa tomorrow is SUNNY with a MAX of 24 and a MIN of 16 - that's more like it. I have my denim mini, my new hanjiro tshirt, my pink Australia flag hat packed and ready to go...well actually I haven't packed at all, but I've planned my packing. We will be attending a friend's wedding on Sunday so it should be fun - we'll be back on Monday night no doubt complaining again about the cold. On a positive note, there's only 12 days until the official start of spring. Bring on the sakura - can't wait!

See you all next week!!

Gobble Gobble

Happy Thanksgiving to all the Americans out there!

It's November 24 here in Japan, but it's not a holiday. Luckily for us, yesterday was a national holiday, so to celebrate we threw our third annual Thanksgiving lunch. No turkey though - you see my oven is the size of a shoe box making it tough to cook for 10 people!! We did eat garlic and rosemary roasted chicken (quite a success considering it was the very first time I roasted chicken), apple and cranberry stuffing, cornbread muffins, gravy, cheesey potato bake, lots of vegies and thanks to Jo, we enjoyed German chocolate pie and apple crumble. Thanks to everyone for coming esp our guests from afar, Steph and Keith!! I wish I had some photos for you but I was too busy cooking and eating. We did however make everyone draw a turkey and here are their pics.

**** We were going to judge Pinku's second photo contest yesterday but we were one judge short - hopefully we get around to it on the weekend and I'll announce the results next week when the US is back from holidays!! Thank you all so much for your entries. I love all of them and am glad that I don't have to choose the winner. ****** View all entries here!!

Have a great long weekend and see you next week!

Kitijoji!

Things have settled down now, thank goodness! That wasn't my first earthquake but it certainly was the biggest that I have ever felt at work - very unnerving. Especially since each earthquake is different - some rock sideways, some go up and down. Yesterday's started off slow and small but got bigger and bigger and the building just kept shaking. They say it's safe up here but it certainly doesn't feel like it, and I always worry about fires. But moving onto happier topics.....

Working as a translator in Japan, my goal is to reproduce Japanese documents in natural English, so they are accurate and easy to read. However one of the phenomenons that constantly entertains but sometimes annoys us is Japlish/Engrish. So you see, I am torn. As a professional I cringe, but as a visitor in a strange land I laugh out loud. It's a dilemma. We recently made a trip to our local city hall to have some documents updated and while I was there I found these two gems:

This extract is from a yearly crime update in our city:

Dude - what is old-man hunting??

The next one is from the monthly English newsletter produced by the city. After reading the many gems in this, I decided to subscribe. I've never been one to turn down free entertainment.

Since reading this Darin has been keen to try out the cold towels around the groin trick.

Completely changing the topic - have you seen the new Fall VK ?? I just had a quick flip through at the bookstore because I won't shell out $20 for a magazine. Anyways, one of the feature articles is about knitting in Japan (hooray), AND there is a feature on the area where I live: Kichijoji. I was surprised that they didn't mention Avril, but they did cover most other fiber-related stores in the area except Kimuraya, but that's pretty tiny anyways (they do have great bargain bins though). I can't tell you how exciting it is to live so close to so many fantastic craft-related stores. I still have to go to a spinning lesson at Ananda, but it's definitely on my must-do list.

Star Wars: Revenge of the Shisu

I've been a little under the weather this week and have had no urge to do anything other than eat (not even knitting - I also lost the fifth needle of the dpns I am using for my knee-high stipey socks so they are on the back burner too - I might have to give that knitting socks with two circulars a go).

We had a great weekend last week checking out our local zoo (more of a small animal petting experience) after two years of vowing that we weren't interested - it turned out to be fantastic - and we also headed to the Tokyo SNB bbq at Rae's house (we snuck in the bbq before she took the kids and ran off to Hawaii for the summer - am so jealous!)

poster warning us of the DANGEROUS squirrels at the zoo!!!

Rae and Claire in Rae's bathroom making margaritas!!

So before you correct the spelling of this post's title - it is correct. Most Japanese people have a hard time pronouncing the 'th' sound, so when they talk about the upcoming (yes I know it's old news in absolutely every other country in the world) Star Wars movie, that's how Sith sounds. It kind of amuses me. I don't know why. Anyways, Japan is the last damn country in the world to show this movie - it finally starts on July 9, and I bought our advance purchase tickets. We don't go to the movies often in Japan because it's too damn expensive, but we like to go and see all the blockbusters (Lord of the Rings series, Kill Bill, etc). We decided not to see it in the US, and wait to see it in Japan. I tried to get hold of the Burger King chewie doll while I was there, after falling in love with Joy's, but I missed out by a week or so - they only had some other characters I wasn't interested in. Japan is celebrating the beginning of Star Wars with some limited edition converse sneakers and some storm trooper beach sandals. The bi-san (short for beach sandals in Japanese) seem kind of silly don't you think!!

So, how are you going to enjoy your summer? Some of the things I plan to do are:

* go to a beer garden (preferably the one on top of Mt Takao - all you can eat and drink for less than 3000 yen)

* go to the beach

* eat kakigori with condensed milk

* watch the big jingugaien fireworks display from work

* eat lots of reimen and cold soba

* avoid getting sunburnt

To all you Americans out there - have a great 4th of July weekend!! We'll be letting off some fireworks down in the park on Monday!

Ami Ami Shite, Happy!

This is the chorus of the song that the knitting prince sung to us - yes, you heard me right - he sung to us. It basically means that I am really happy when I knit! The tv crew brought a little boombox with the prince's cd - a song he recorded to sing along with kids (and us!). HA! I have a feeling I'll cringe when I see that scene on tv.

So here are some things I learnt after last night's Special Tokyo SNB with Japan's Prince of Knitting, Mitsuharu Hirose:

1. TV cameras make you sweat like crazy, and some people are not born to be in front of the camera (uh, me).

2. The knitting prince likes drinking beer.

3. The knitting prince crochets mostly and really fast. He likes lace knitting and fine guage yarn.

4. The knitting prince knit/crocheted his sister's wedding dress and it took him two years to do so (luckily she wasn't in a rush to get married!).

5. The knitting prince is a tv professional, utterly charming, sweet and talented.

What a night! You know - out of all the members of royalty around the world, I am super glad that I got to meet knitting royalty. I was sweating most of the time, and was stuck with the uneviable task of being the on-the-spot interpreter. Not that I minded - it was all about knitting after all. I think everyone had a great time. Hirose-san asked us about how the group started, why we like about knitting in a group and what we like about knitting in general, etc. To see our unprepared and most likely seriously edited answers, tune into:

NHK Channel 1 on June 1 (Wednesday) at 10am - the program is called 'Seikatsu Hot Morning'.

I will be in the US - in New York actually on that day, so I won't be able to watch it live, but the producer said that he would send me a copy of the tape. If it is not too embarassing, then maybe I'll stream it on the web.

So I know what you are thinking - Stop writing and show us the pics!!!! OK, here they are:

It's a little over exposed but here's my most prized possession (now). Very kindly retouched by Claudia - thanks!

Claire and her special prince

Special Tokyo SNB announcement: PINN is getting married!!! Congrats to Pinn and Ken! And guess what - Ken is making Pinn's wedding dress!! A super talented and crafty couple. Watch out for Pinn's design in the upcoming summer issue of Knitty. We just realized that when we started the SNB a year and a half ago, we were all single. Since then every single one of us has gotten married or engaged, AND Jen had a baby! Hmm, so if you want to stay single, don't come to the Tokyo SNB!

Here's the prince making his way around the room - here he is holding the back of Claire's cardigan - he described it is 'beautiful'.

Those princely hands in action

And to finish up, the perfect prince pose

To see the rest of the photos, visit the Princely Gallery!

Mighty princely

So I made it to the hobby show on Saturday with Chris and we had a blast trying out a bunch of different crafts - leatherwork, button covering, and some other weird disappearing pen thingy (photos to come). Um yeah, anyway I was disappointed that there was very little to do with knitting - for a moment my heartrate jumped to about one million when I saw a sign for Noro, but alas they had very little at their stall and I took nothing home. I was also disappointed as I had wanted to meet the knitting prince, Mitsuharu Hirose on Thursday but couldn't take the day off work. Claire tried to console me by telling me that there would be other opportunities - 'yeah right' I thought.

But alas - Claire has once again guessed right, and supposedly the knitting prince wants to come and visit our little Tokyo SNB this week and he will be bringing tv cameras!!! I was worried because I forgot my makeup today and thought they might film at tonight's SNB and I definitely can't go on national tv au naturelle!! But because of Hirose-san's schedule it looks like we'll have to have an impromptu SNB this Saturday. Hope all the girls can make it, and I have to get my hair done!! :)

UPDATE: The schedule has been changed and it seems that Hirose-san can make it TONIGHT, May 17 at the Pink Cow. Gawd! Thank goodness I have a loving husband who is bringing me my makeup, my camera and my Orangina. I wouldn't normally ask, but this is seriously serious.

For those of you are wondering why I would be excited about this - here's a CNN article about Hirose-san:

Knitting Prince strings along thousands of women

TOKYO, Japan -- Though many people may like to knit, they probably never thought it would be the talk of the town.

That may all change, thanks to Japan's Knitting Prince.

Mitsuharu Hirose, who is in his early 40s, has become a heartthrob for Japanese women who tune in to watch his knitting show or buy his how-to-knit videos and books.

In a scene more suggestive of pop stardom, hundreds of women stand in line for hours to get Hirose's autograph or to shake his hand.

Hirose knit his first sweater in high school and was captivated by the idea of making clothes out of a single piece of string. Now his sweaters are full of intricate designs using not only yarn but also ribbons, beads and even fake fur.

But for many fans, his knitting skills are rivaled by his lanky looks.

"When I knit, I concentrate and watch my hands. But when I see him on TV or on video, I get too involved watching him and drop stitches," said one woman in line at a recent department store appearance.

I absolutely love that last quote. I think I'll be dropping more than stitches on Saturday tonight.

Summery goodness!

Ah the sun is shining brightly in Tokyo today, and I am rejoicing. Unfortunately I have to rejoice indoors - oh what terrible torture! This morning though I was briefly reminded of what I don't like about summer (please note I love summer and wish it could be summer all year round):

* commuting in summer - of course commuting in Tokyo at any time of the year sucks, but during the summer men continue to wear suits and by the time they make it on the train their white shirts are sticking to their skin with sweat. There is nothing worse than when this sweaty sleeve rubs your very own skin.....

* cockroaches - we live in a nice place and both darin and I love it to death, BUT in the summertime the cockroaches come out to play. Cockies are big in Queensland, so they don't bother me that much just as long as they stay out of our bedroom.

* cleaning the dishes immediately after eating - sometimes we leave the dishes to do until the next day (most people do this, don't they?), but come summertime this is IMPOSSIBLE unless you want your apartment to stink. The worst is accidently forgetting that you have leftover rice in the rice cooker - this becomes very nasty after a couple of days.

* mosquitoes - I get bitten all the time. If Darin and I both walk into the park, I get bitten, he doesn't. It's really terrible. Luckily there is no malaria in Japan. Sometimes I have to resort to sleeping with RID on and I know that's not good for me.

I think that's it. Now for the things I love:

* wearing thongs (of which I now have four pairs - thank you brother, Darin has one), mini skirts, shorts, and no jackets!

**********late addition*********** I just realized how my North American audience may think that I meant 'thongs' like out of 'The Thong Song' and that my brother gave me three pairs and darin has a pair of thongs - a man thong?? It's pretty funny if you read it that way, but I'm sorry my friends, in Australia 'thongs' mean 'flip-flops'. Repeat after me: I say tomarto, you say tomayto!!

* the heat, being warm at night and drinking a cold beer on a warm night

* being outdoors (swimming, bbqing, knitting)

* kakigori (flavoured shaved ice served with condensed milk) in the park, reimen, hiyayakko (cold tofu)

* fireworks displays and other Japanese festivals

* dim sum (ok, this one has nothing to do with summer, but I really LOVE dim sum) My dad is Chinese and I have great memories of going to dim sum with my family and friends on Sunday afternoons. It always seemed strange that my mother never learned to use chopsticks!! Damn those egg custard tarts are so good. I added this to the list because of this article.

ps Tomorrow is Green Day (midori no hi) in Japan, which means that I don't have to go to work and this is only the beginning of Golden week, which means I don't have to set a foot in this damn office until NEXT Friday! Posts could be sparse (we're going camping - woohoo!), but I might have an FO photo in the next couple of days.

Hanami Bandwagon

It is hanami time in Japan as you may have noticed if you visit the blogs of people living in Japan. Hanami means 'flower viewing', but it really means 'we are all so excited that winter's over that I am going to get drunk with a bunch of buddies under some pretty trees'. We had our hanami party last Saturday. We were very organized and put out our tarps the night before at midnight - some people slept in the park overnight, but since we live super close, we slept at home. We recovered on Sunday and the past three days have been hella cold. Most of the blossoms have fallen off the trees (it looks like it has snowed - cool!), but the weather is nice today (19 degrees and sunny) so I saw people putting out a couple of tarps out in the park ready to keep the party going.

I was too excited about the warm weather, spending time with so many friends, and of course the cherry blossoms that I didn't end up taking a lot of photos (well not many good ones anyway). Here is a glimpse of our Kichijoji, Inokashira Park, Tokyo, cherry blossom, hanami life.

Inokashira Park

Part of our hanami posse

It must have been a special occasion coz darin brought out his Mexico beerholder!

Jennifer made some delicious cupcakes and cookies. Yum!

It was THAT packed!

Squeezing in a photo!

The photo most people don't take.

Ending with pretty pink blossoms.

You can see the rest of our photos here!

Thanks to everyone that came - I had a 12-hour blast in the park! (ending the night with karaoke until 2am and then late night/early morning ramen - mmmmm!)

See you all next year!

Phallic weekend

I know you are wondering where the hell I went on the weekend! Darin made this little flashing image of the main attraction at the Kanamara Festival (aka the Fertility Festival) in Kawasaki. If the flashing annoys you - just scroll down quickly. This festival (which Darin demands I call 'the penis festival') was a lot smaller than I thought it would be - it was really just a little local festival, and I have a feeling that it caters to a lot of dirty foreigners like us who just want to see a big bunch of penises. Nearly everything was written in English, it is located near the US military base in Yokosuka, and they were selling french fries. Regardless, in a country that suffers these kind of problems, there was no sign of restraint today.

Highlights apart from the large pink penis carried by some gorgeous transvestites included the man handmolding penis and vagina candy, daikons carved as penises, the gorgeous weather, and the anticipation of more upcoming summer festivals and fireworks displays.

I could show you some knitting progress photos, but I figure these are way more fun:

some lovingly carved daikon

Japan wins gold for cuteness!

Most of  you know this already, but here's the proof that Japan is all about cute. If you can show me another picture that makes poo look this cute, then I'll be damned. Darin and I were given this pamphlett before we went to  our physical showing us how to.....well you can guess.

ps Thanks for all your great advice about my posture. I have a couple of pilates and yoga videos, but might buy more to keep the interest. I wish I could go to a class BUT it is really expensive here - about $30/class. I think for me it is about doing it regularly and not giving up. The only real new year's resolution I have EVERY year is to become more flexible (I really haven't met anyone less flexible than me) - now I just need to motivate....and this warm spring weather might just do the trick.

One more poo-related pic - this is the cute English translation that came with some pills that they gave us after we drank the barium. This was the first time for both of us to do this test and it was pretty eye-opening (click to make bigger):

Spring Kirin

The Tokyo SNB was last night and what a turnout!! Everyone was undertaking some fantastic projects and I got to see the Noro patternbook firsthand (thanks Rae!) - I coveted most of the patterns...but the last thing I need is more projects... I am about to start the edging of my flower basket shawl...am I am very scared that I will run out of yarn (you may see me cry on this blog yet...) Fingers crossed. Other exciting news is that one of our craftiest members, Pinn is working on a design for Knitty. We know you'll love it. We also had a raffle/lucky dip for the free copy of SNB Nation that we received from the publisher and the winner was TAEKO!! Yay Taeko. It was a very appropriate result actually as Taeko was one of the first Japanese girls to come to the Tokyo SNB. I wish I had taken more photos, but as usual I get so caught up drinking, eating....and yeah knitting, that I didn't. I do have a photo of our book winner though, but that'll have to wait until tomorrow since I unwittingly brought the camera to work with me today...

Even though the forecast for the next three days predicts some snow - it is supposed to be 17 degrees celcius NEXT Tuesday. I can tell that Spring is trying to fight it's way past Winter and it is close to winning the match - GO Spring! Here is Darin's spring version of the Kirin beer logo (that's what we drink in Japan). Aren't the colours cool!?!

Ebay sale

A little bit of information for you. I've finally gotten around to listing some fun Japanese knitting books on EBAY, so bid away. So far I have only listed two....(that took me ages) but have at least 15 to list hopefully by the end of the week. They would make great xmas presents or even a little pre-xmas present for yourself!!!

CLICK HERE to view the auctions!!

The winter Knitty issue is out!!

My favs so far:

* cathode....of course. Steph does it again.

* belle epoque. Way to go Libby!!

* candy.  Just too cute. Love the waist ribbing.

* tinsel. This will totally go with my new gold ballet flats, just need to add some animal print I think - it's all the rage here in Japan and I WANT SOME...

Weekend roundup

On Saturday I met up with Bronwyn, a fellow knitter from Canada visiting Japan for a couple of weeks. We had a great time checking out the yarn stores of Kichijoji and all of the other shops and then sharing a cold beer in the park. She was sweet enough to bring me some delicious handspun, hand-dyed wool from Victoria where she is from. Here is a photo of us in the park. Oh and there is one thing that we have in common apart from our love of knitting - you'll probably never guess, so I'll just tell you. Both of our fathers are Chinese. Amazing, huh!! I mean maybe I can see it in me, but Bronwyn has blond hair and blue eyes - genes are amazing things!!!

On Sunday, we went to Musashino Park for Darin's Skate BBQ - there was skating, lots of good food and company, and it was the first ever bbq for my friend Aya - she came dressed in a beautiful yukata and gave the bbq a little class!!! Here are some photos:

On the way home from the park we came across Mitaka's Awaodori Festival, and it was amazing. It was the perfect end to a perfect day. It is moments like these that I feel lucky to live in Japan. I never feel that way on the way to work in the morning on the train....

Ramblings

I've decided to have no real theme to today's post....I'm gonna ramble and I talk about pads and tampons so be warned.

Last night I stayed up late watching the Olympics between episodes of The Sopranos (series one on DVD) - thanks Jen - and I am suffering today. It's my own fault, I know. I did get to see the Thorpedo win a bronze medal tho' (it's his first as he usually wins gold and silver). It is 36 degrees in Tokyo today, so I avoided going outside at lunch. Sometimes at my work we have big sales during lunchtime. Sometimes they sell clothes, shoes, candy, gift food, scarves and gloves, hats, but today was one of the most popular sales apart from the J Crew sale - they were selling sanitary napkins!! Oh I know that it is kinda taboo to mention menstruation, but damn this is an interesting phenomenon here in Japan. Many Japanese women don't like tampons - they are not popular and are not widely used, which kinda sucks for us foreign gals as it doesn't leave us with many local shopping options. Of course everytime I travel overseas I stock up, but recently I ran out (how did that happen!!). Anyway I would say hundreds of women in my company building line up to buy 6 months to a year's supply of sanitary napkins. The way they have it set up is hilarious. There is a really long table and a sample of each type of pad for sale is taped in a row along the table - it's kinda weird. Anyway I wish I'd taken a photo, but I was too busy shopping for....yeah you know what I bought. It was really cheap (I guess that's why it's so popular) - 60 for 420 yen. bargain. As I said though tampons are not popular and I did not see a single woman among hundreds pick up a box of tampons (they were kind of sitting off to the side of the pads looking very lonely and unloved!!!).

ANOTHER INTERESTING JAPAN FACT is that many Japanese companies (including mine) provide extra days off for female staff suffering badly from their period. Very ludicrous. You can take one day off a month and they are in addition to your paid leave - you just have to call in the morning and tell them the cramps are just too bad. I admit here that I have taken advantage of this cultural difference and I did abuse it a little considering it wasn't even that time of the month.

So my goal this morning was to find a way I could get my hands on some NON-APPLICATOR tampons here in Japan. They are NOT available in the shops. After some very lengthy research via google, I came across a e-conception - a website run by a Japanese lady living in Australia. She sells aromatherapy products and 100% pure organic GMO free cotton Natracare tampons. Score. If you spend over 3000 yen, then shipping is free. Score. A 20 pack costs 800 yen.

Another score at the lunch sales were some ziplock hello kitty lunch bags!! I think I am going to use them to store crafty stuff - I'm not even a big hello kitty fan, but they are cute!

I think that people visit my website for a number of reasons: the knitting/crafting thing is probably the biggest reason; and the next biggest reason would be the lure of mysterious Japan. I've never really categorized my blog and listed it as a knitting blog as I would feel to much pressure to produce FOs constantly, and the main reason I started pinku was because it is such a great way to record your experiences and memories when living overseas and an even better way to stay in touch with family and friends. The most unexpected benefit from having the site has been the amazing number of new friends that I have made (virtual and real) - I love it!

That's all for today! Rambling ends here.

p.s. Best web discovery today (there are always so many) is a cool site called Watashi to Tokyo about Tokyo in English by a Japanese girl. It's great - full of lots of content and links - check it out! Welcome to the blog world, Mari!!!!

Ganguro

Yes, your eyes are not deceiving you. It's not Halloween, just another day out on the town for this ganguro girl. Ganguro was a fad among teenage girls in Japan around 1999....however my friend Hiromi in Kyoto (the wonderful photographer) has discovered that this trend is still alive and kicking. The dictionary translates the word ganguro as black face, charbroiled face (that's my favourite), burnt-black look or dark tan. I find these fads socially interesting, but I get tired watching these girls perform - so much effort to maintain a look. That's not me for sure.....actually I have been feeling guilty that I haven't worn a scrap of make-up to work for about a month. Do you wear makeup to work? I just find it tiresome - of course if I have a meeting, then I try and make myself look pretty, but if there's no meeting, then it's au naturelle for pinku!!!

Here's a great article about these Japanese fashion fads from Salon.

One of my favourite quotes from the article is:

On her 25th birthday, an unmarried Japanese woman automatically becomes what's laughingly referred to as "spoiled sponge cake," in honor of the Christmas sponge cakes that are discounted and rarely purchased after Dec. 25.

I guess my cake is not only spoiled, it's been thrown into the trash. Personally though I think of myself as a delicious bottle of red wine (not those Japanese chilled screw-top ones) - it justs gets better and better as it gets older. I definitely feel slightly wiser - that's for sure.

photos by Hiromi in Kyoto this week

Random Golden Week Pics

our new friends Oi and Hisari recently got married in Okinawa and instead of rings they got tattoos

some famous bowling guy - you could buy a signed postcard for 1000 yen ($10)

Darin and Tyler on the beach at Chigasaki in Kanagawa prefecture

funny sign in train station

This is a darin looking at a big and I mean large menu at a delicious tonkatsu restaurant we discovered in Shibuya - bring on that deep fried pork!!

Golden Week

One thing I love about Japan is that there are LOTS of national holidays - there were 12 last year and they are pretty much spaced out so you have at least one 4-day work week every month. There is nothing better than a 4-day work week. Well actually there is the 3-day work week...and then the 2-day work week. I vote that Wednesday should be declared a global weekend day - everyone in the world gets Wednesday off. Doesn't that sound good? I do find that it gives me time to catch up on things I don't have time or the inclination to usually do during the week. This year Golden Week nearly works out to a full week off work - sweet. Yesterday was Green Day and it was a ripper. It was totally unplanned and we stayed local, but the weather was perfect. I knitted at an outdoor cafe, then at an outdoor restaurant and then in the park. We hung out with friends - ate and drank lots of good stuff. Everyone deserves a Golden Week.

Here's some interesting information about Golden Week:
Golden Week is a group of national holidays in Japan, beginning with April 29 and ending with May 5. This is not only one of the longest holiday periods, but one of the most popular as well. With well-placed weekends, it can be even better.

Apparently the origin of Golden Week comes from the movie industry. They thought it would be a "golden opportunity" for people to have the time to go to the movies.

Golden Week Holidays

April 29: Midori no Hi - Green Day
April 29 was the birthday of Emperor Hirohito, Showa period, who died in 1989. Following his death, the holiday was changed to Midori no Hi, in honor of the environment and nature. The Emperor was passionate about environmental issues and a nature lover.

May 3: Kenpo Kinenbi - Constitution Day
On May 3, 1947, the new post-war constitution became law.

May 4: Kokumin no Kyujitsu - "Between Day"
This recently created national holiday was added in order to make the Golden Week a continuous holiday period.

May 5: Kodomo no Hi - Children's Day This holiday was originally called Tango no Sekku or Boys Day or Festival. Families with boys would celebrate by flying koi nobori or carp streamers and gogatsu ningyo or May dolls.

Takashi Murakami and Otaku

Here's a really interesting interview with Takashi Murakami about his interest in otaku* culture.
* Otaku is an obsessive fan or collector of anime, the Japanese animations based on manga.

Thanks for the link, Darin!!

Please smoke inside!!!

So a couple of weeks ago, the painted signs (as seen below) appeared on the footpaths/streets of Kichijoji, my local hood here in Tokyo. Aren't they great (love the pacman character)!! What does it all mean - well, 'you are NOT allowed to smoke while walking outside anymore' - HOORAY!! There is actually a better one of a monster breaking a cigarette, but I haven't gotten around to taking a picture of that one yet.

This ban is limited to Musashino city - some other cities may follow suit. I must mention though that you are still allowed to smoke at our monthly meetings at work in an air-conditioned building. While I was walking to work the other day I saw some young ladies carrying signs (they looking like lollipop ladies) on the road. They had been hired by the city to walk around with these signs that said, 'No more smoking while walking - please smoke in 'manner' areas only'. Very interesting method of publicity. Regardless I love the signs and am very happy not to have smoke blowing in my face in the morning on the way to work.

Hanami 2004

The weather couldn't be more perfect here in Tokyo. Spring has arrived and so have the cherry blossoms. Yesterday we joined the masses and had ourselves a little hanami party in Inokashira Park - this is one of Tokyo's prime cherry blossom viewing spots and it just happens to be our backyard. The party started at 9:30 am, well actually I was minding our party spot from this early hour and the revellers started arriving from about 11am. Darin and I were joined by Matt and Kim and a bunch of their buddies, a bunch of friends that I studied with, our local pals Tyler, Jamie, Bernie, Yoshi and Josh from Bondi Books and Martine popped in for a quick visit. It was a big day. Check out my Hanami 2004 photo gallery to see some of our pics!!!

See Kim's pics HERE!!

This

plus this

equals this

Bonds + Hipsters

To an Aussie girl, these words have nothing to do with financial istruments or people who think they're hot! However, if you do wear them you will look hot! Bonds hipsters are undies - really comfy, cotton, Aussie undies that come in a bunch of different styles and funky colours.

This post was inspired by a post in Nicole's blog that was all about being an Aussie and some of the girls mentioned loving Bonds. Basically Bonds is an old Australian company that revamped its business by introducing a funky line of underwear (which every Aussie girl loves). I always buy some when I am at home - I mean ALWAYS!

For those of us far from home, particularly in countries like Japan where the lingerie options are well....lacy, frilly, very padded and come with lots of bows - buying lingerie on trips home is a must. Since living in Tokyo, Victoria's Secret has been my main on-line undie and bra shopping source, but a google search today introduced me to Zodee - an on-line AUSSIE lingerie shop THAT delivers overseas!! They carry Elle Macpherson, Bonds, Bendon, Berlei, Formfit, Finelines, Love Kylie, Playtex, Simone Perele, Hey Sister, Sloggi (now that's a classic) and lots more. They also carry swimwear.

You can sign up to join their club (FREE) and you get 5% off all purchases, a $10 voucher, and 2.5% of every purchase is credited back to your account for future use. Sounds like good value to me, mate!!!

I expect lots of dodgy google searches because of this post.

Shibuya

Was going through some old emails and came across this pic. It was taken in Shibuya a while back, and darin added the captions. Pretty apt I reckon.

Japan needs the fab 5!

I had never heard of the fab five until our recent trip to Australia where everyone was talking about them. Determined to find out what the fuss was about - I have downloaded pretty much the first whole series of 'Queer Eye for the Straight Guy'. Sometimes cruel, sometimes just plain rude, but on the whole a bunch of fun. It's a nice break from Japanese tv, that's for sure. I won't even tell you about the nonsense that was on tv last night....

Anyway, darin took this photo on a recent train ride and I think we have a Japanese candidate for the fab five!! Kyan, what magic could you work with this hair? Is there a product that could help?

Now don't get jealous...

...but my new mobile phone glows in the dark. No seriously - Japanese mobile phones have THE best useless functions. After having one of my wisdom teeth out on Saturday I decided to treat myself to a new phone. I really wanted one that has chaku-uta, which is basically ring-tones that are real songs - I mean they sound real BUT vodafone doesn't offer these phones and I figure that one that glows in the dark is the next best thing. It's the Vodafone 302T. I had come to a point where I would charge my phone all night, make one phone call the next day and the battery would be virtually dead. I know that companies make these phones with a limited life to force you to buy a new phone, but hey it's fun to play around with all of these useless functions and totally necessary if you live in Tokyo.

Now you can get phones with tvs and phones where you listen via your bones - what is our world coming to!!!! Below is one of the great functions of my phone - you can add borders and writing to your photos and impose them on silly backgrounds - how fun. A little puri-kura machine right here in my phone. Only in Japan.

* Forgot to add - will be trying out a moblog, so check out the 'undoubtably' silly photos in the photo album creatively named 'photos from my phone'. My phone is equipped with a 3 megapixel camera....just don't know how I'm gonna get the photos off my camera - too big to send and I'm too cheap to buy a 5000 yen USB cable AND I already have a digital camera...oh well.

I *heart* spring!

It's coming - I just know it, I can smell it in the air and the sun is setting later. Spring is bright and happy - a celebration that we have left cold, cold winter behind.

The end of winter has also seen me become an aunty again. Rin KIKUCHI was born on February 12, 2004 after his mummy (my Japanese host sister) had to have an emergency ceaserian section operation. Both are now well and I can't wait to meet my new nephew soon.

Rin-kun, this is your Aunty Kat speaking. Welcome to this world - not all is perfect but I think it is pretty fun all round. Now be a good boy for your mum and I'll come and see you in Aomori soon. By the way, did you like the blue hip hop jumpsuit that I sent you - I'm sure you'll be a hit with the girls in that one!!. Also when I get around to finding the yarn I need, I'll be knitting you up the cutest little apple cap (thanks for the pattern, Jen) which is perfect since you were born in the apple capital of Japan.

Ja-ne,

kyasarin obachan yori

Things we miss...

I have spent quite a bit of my life living away from the country where I was born and grew up (that'd be Australia). What I have learnt is that living overseas gives you balance - it makes you more aware of the world around you and appreciate where you came from.

I was going to write a long post about living overseas, but I don't want Pinku to get too deep - there's a time and place for all of that. What I REALLY wanted to talk about this morning is how I love peer-to-peer file sharing. When you live in Japan (without cable tv), your television choices are limited. Just to let you know I do enjoy a bit of the ol' Japanese tv (especially food shows), but every now and again I love to download some American tv - Sex and the City, the Simpsons, the Family Guy, and we even downloaded the first four episodes of Paris Hilton's 'Simple Life'. Now I'm not sure whether I would've watched this in any other country BUT here it is fun and makes you feel connected to the 'real' world.

Last night I downloaded the latest episode of 'Sex and the City' which is in its final season. I don't think there's anything wrong with downloading tv - I wouldn't have to pay for it at home, so why should I here!!!

I love you, Kazaa.

SAKAGUCHI Tomoyuki

Wow, Darin found this Japanese photography site and sent me the link. Glad he did. If you have ever wanted to experience what a Japanese hood is REALLY like - check these photos out. They are sweet. Although this is not where I live I bet I could take some really similar photos (meaning content rather than quality!!). It is truly amazing how interesting Mr SAKAGUCHI makes ordinary, ugly, modern Japan look. Big Japanese cities are generally ugly, but these photos make me feel privileged to have experienced living here - it truly is like nowhere else in the world.

Also check out the 'MADO' (meaning window) photos in Mr SAKAGUCHI's portfolio - they are my favourite and tell the full story of what it is like to ride a Japanese train during rush hour.

SUH-WEET....

THE photos of F.U.N.

Matt and Kim going at it!

Martine karaoke-ing - you go girl!

Enjoying the show!

Tyler and Daz

You belt it out girl!

On the way home....

Happy 'to be an Australian' Day!

We had the great pleasure of celebrating being Australian yesterday with a bunch of great Aussies and one great American. Daz and I finally got to meet Kim,Matt, and Martine. They were all 'great' value.

I have some really 'special' pics from karaoke that I will put up tonight, but here's one to give you a hint of the great night we had.

Various stuff!

So, first off. It looks like they have fixed the problem with my domain name, so if you type in pinkurocks.com, it WILL direct you to this site!! NO MORE BLOGGER (although I must say they were very nice to me - upgraded me for free when their site wouldn't work - shame I suck at html/css etc.) Might do the domain mapping that typepad offer later on, but right now domain framing/forwarding seems fine with me.

So, I know that there are a couple of keen photographers out there, who occasionally look at Pinku! - she needs all the love she can get!! Anyway, there is a new bilingual art magazine out called ARTiT - I checked out their first issue in the book store, but was too cheap to fork out 1000 yen so I could own it. Their 2nd issue is out now and they have a website, so check it out. So, what I really want to pass on is this request for photos with the theme of "Art without Heart" - a great theme I think. So get your cameras out and shoot away, maybe we'll get to see your photo in print. Oh by the way, I think you should all take up knitting or crocheting too, so you can come to the SNB - you can never have too many skills.

Call for entries: "Art without Heart" in your neighborhood!

We invite readers to send us photos of art to exclude the homeless or "art without heart" you find on the street. Please send submissions by email or post to the address below, along with your name, address, phone number, email address, age, and profession, Don't forget to attach a photograph (print/data), and please be aware that we cannot return prints. Entries may be discussed in the above-mentioned talk show, and/or introduced in the next volume of ART iT. We're looking forward to your contribution!

5-11-20-603 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-0032
ART iT Editorial Office, "Art without Heart"
artit@realtokyo.co.jp

Living in Tokyo!

If it wasn't bad enough already living in one of the most earthquake prone cities in the world, I also work on the 20th floor of a 22-storey building. We have had emergency evacuation practices via the stairs and I have only one thing to say - I'm not gonna make it! The stairs get horribly clogged up with the people from the lower floors. I guess that's the price you pay when you have an amazing view of Tokyo and Fuji-san from your desk!!!

You know - I always want Pinku to be positive, but this is a reality that we (Tokyo residents) all need to face. Just realize it exists, not freak out about it everyday, coz if it happens, it happens...simple as that.

Currently I am reading Underground by MURAKAMI Haruki - in which he interviews many people involved with the Tokyo subway gas attacks in 1995. It's terribly absorbing and terribly frightening at the same time.

This is a passage that I read this morning while on the subway.....

The biggest lesson we learned from the Tokyo gas attack and the Matsumoto incident was that when something major strikes, the local units may be extremely swift to respond, but the overall picture is hopeless. There is no prompt and efficient system in Japan for dealing with a major catastrophe. There's no clear-cut chain of command. It was exactly the same with the Kobe earthquake.

Quote from Dr Nobuo Yanagisawa, Head, School of Medicine, Shinshu University, Nagano Prefecture.

No more to be said.

Happy news to follow - dates for the first Tokyo SNB have been SET!!!

Film delay!!

Even in Tokyo, Japan - one of the world's largest cities, you sometimes have to wait months to see major films. Every now and again a movie will be released at the same time as overseas, but this happens rarely. They also sometimes change the names of movies, which can cause havoc when looking for particular movies at the video store.

There is a great interview with Toni Collette the Aussie actress about her role in Japanese Story (an Australian movie) in Salon. This is one of the movies that I want to see when I am back in Australia. I also want to see Lost in Translation. So many people have raved about this movie AND I WANT to see it ALREADY!

Will also finally get to see the final installment of Lord of the Rings!!

More photo albums

Typepad is just so nice and easy to use. I kind of miss having full control of a website, but you know i didn't know what to do with that freedom anyway. So, one of the features that I like most is the gallery-building function. Tonight I added a gallery of random Tokyo photos - these are not in order AT ALL, but they are all shots that I have taken over the last year and they were all taken in Tokyo.

Have also created a new pink fix album, which I really LOVE. It's fun.

Click on the photo or the thumbnail in the top right-hand corner to go straight to the album.

akemashite omedeto gozaimasu!!

Hard to believe it is now 2004! 2003 ended with a bang...the bang of Akebono's head hitting the floor of the K1 ring. I think he did a great job and I'm really glad he lived through the experience. After downing a copious amount of new year's eve alcoholic beverages with some buddies, we headed down to the shrine in the park to pay our respects and get some free sake!!

Bring it on 2004!!! I'm ready for you.

bringing in the new year!!

crazy Japanese new year's tv

bernie ready to celebrate

the boys doing the new year's eve phone call thing

me praying for good things at the shrine in Inokashira park

at the shrine

first pink fix of 2004 - a cute little ring I bought just for new years!!!

Happy Boxing Day!!

It is hard to believe that Chirstmas has been and gone. Our festive period began on Tuesday at the 5678s/Mad3 show, then continued at our friend, Amanda's xmas eve party - we enjoyed some xmas champagne, listened to some xmas carols, and ate some delicious traditional Japanese xmas cake (??!!). On xmas day we ate lunch at a beautiful restaurant in Nishi-Azabu, and then we went home and opened all our xmas presents - my favourite part of xmas!!!

On holidays now until the 5th of January!!!

daz and myself on xmas day

first course appetizer

xmas pheasant

xmas dessert - hot ginger bread

5678s

mad3

Japanese xmas pie!!

more Japanese xmas pie!!

Smoking in Japan

I work for a Japanese company - we have an open plan office and unfortunately there are a lot of older men in my section. They love to smoke - they are not allowed to smoke at their desks, but they are allowed to smoke in a designated room (I have only poked my head in there once to talk to someone and it was DISGUSTING)! People are also allowed to smoke at our monthly meetings - I hate this. The meeting room has no windows and is air-conditioned.

The 'take-up smoking' lobby is alive and strong in Japan - does such a thing exist anywhere else in the world (except China)?

If you love tobacco too, then you might enjoy visiting the Tobacco and Salt Museum in Shibuya.

I did like this photos of old Japanese tobacco ads though...

Peacock cigarettes

Tengu cigarettles

Wow, the more I look around on the Japan Tobacco (JT) website, the more they convince me to take up smoking....The Japanese site contains sections called 'tobacco wonderland', 'JT delight world', and a special section called 'smokers' files' where smokers can submit special memories related to smoking. Oh, how nice!!!!

Remember that time when you coughed up a bunch of phlegm coz you've been smoking too much....yeah, the good times. Oh how about that time on the time, when the smell of your tobacco-soaked body and internal organs made the people sitting beside you on the train retch....oh yeah.......

Akebono Vs Bob Sapp

So, my posts have been missing a little bit of Japan lately. ok, I admit that I am totally addicted to craft sites at the moment:

* knitty.com - a free e-zine about knitting
*craftster.org - a great on-line forum for hip craft-minded people
* getcrafty.com - great feature stories and visit the glitter board!

ok. back to Japan. so as most people (in Japan) know Akebono, one of Japan's greatest and now retired sumo wrestlers has taken up K1 fighting - combines kung fu, tae kwon do, karate and kickboxing...(is Akebono going to kick??!!). K1 is really big in Japan and is regularly aired on tv - it is actually very watchable. So, Akebono's first fight is going to be on New Years Eve....I just hope he makes it to 2004.

If you wanna know more,read it here

Here is a picture of the mean beast in action:

Crazy Japan website

Check out some crazy stuff from Japan and other places around the world at the Geisha Asobi blog. Some people really do put a lot of effort into their blogs!!

Some random thoughts

* Pay Day! - I think that there should be a rule where pay day should always come before not after a three-day weekend!! Especially, when you only get one pay day a month....

* Umbrellas! - I bet that Japan consumes the largest number of umbrellas in the world. To be honest, I think I have seen very few Japanese people without umbrellas on a rainy day (like today). In Australia, we often just run from one covered area to the next covered area - is this because we are lazy, unprepared, or is it because the weather forecasters don't do their job very well??!!

* Crochet! - Am rediscovering the joy of crochet at the moment. I have branched out and started crocheting with natural cotton and pure wool - I guess that I only used to crochet with acrylic when I was younger as I hadn't really come to appreciate natural fibres. It is amazing the dexterity required to crochet and it is interesting how that increases or decreases with different fibres.

* Inokashira Park! - I think that Inokashira Park is the park that santa forgot...oh no I mean...autumn forgot. I prefer to say fall though, as that's what the leaves do....fall. Being from a subtropical place, I love the seasons, and I love walking through the park everyday to see what has changed. Most recent changes include: leaves falling off trees, the big carp are missing (do they hibernate?), and the turtles are off in hibernation (come back soon please, I like to watch you basking in the sun on the wood logs!!!

So, enough of that. Here are the few photos that we took at Inokashira Park on the weekend:

earthquake!

My unhappiest posts are earthquake updates. My hands are shaking as I type - another one just rocked our building and I'm SICK of it!!! I can only imagine how horrible a big one would be....

trash blues

We are wallowing in our own filth. That doesn't sound too cool, does it??!!! Well, it kind of sucks actually.

Let me explain.

Before I moved in July, I lived in a 15-storey building which means that there is a place in the bottom of the building where everyone can stash their trash/rubbish at any time during the week. Well, with the move the trash/rubbish rules have changed and they are tough. Dazza and I live in a three-level apartment block in a very nice, small residential area surrounded by parks. Residential means quiet which is good, but it also means that we are surrounded by rich, old Japanese women that have lived there forever and follow the trash/rubbish rules meticulously. We also love the parks around us, but parks also mean that our area has a serious crow problem.

The trash/rubbish rules

1. Trash/rubbish must be separated into burnable, non-burnable, and recyclable trash/rubbish
2. Milk cartons must also be kept separately and cut into a specific shape.
3. Recyclable trash/rubbish includes bottles/cans/ cardboard boxes (these must be cut up into smaller pieces and then tied with string)/magazines]
4. All trash must be put into see-through bags so they can check that you are not trying to sneak some non-burnable in with the burnable trash. (Some old ladies in our area go as far as labeling each bag that they put out)
5. Burnable trash/rubbish is collected twice a week.
6. Non-burnable trash/rubbish is collected once a week.
7. Recyclable trash/rubbish is collected once every two weeks.
8. All trash/rubbish must be put out before 8am on the morning of the collection and NOT the night before.
9. All trash/rubbish must be covered with weighted down netting to prevent the crows from getting in the bags.

Rule number six and eight provides us with the biggest problems, especially since we have both been traveling lately. As you may all know we like to enjoy the odd can of beer now and again. Also we like to have people come over, so that also increases the number of cans we collect...so having missed recyclable trash/rubbish day for a month now - our trash/rubbish situation is getting dire. Also it is my job to get up early, but have accidently slept in a couple of times lately (the bed is sooo warm and the air sooo cold - who can blame a girl!!) which means that we have a serious collection of a variety of burnable, non-burnable and recyclable trash/rubbish.

Anyway, what it comes down to is shown below in the pic. It is getting to the stage where we will pay someone to come and take it away. Will you come and do it!!!???? Please!!!