Exciting News!

I'm back in Japan! If you follow me on Instagram then you will know that I arrived last week. However the first few days I didn't feel too good, probably due to jet lag and the heat. But I'm better now and excited about all the things I'm going to do for the three months I'm here.

These are some things I want to do while I'm here:

• Visit Byodoin Temple in Uji which i didn't get to go to last time I was in Japan as they were renovating it.
• Eat at this Hello Kitty cafe- seriously take a look at their website, how cute does it look?!
• Walk through the thousand toris at Fushimi Inari, one of the most photogenic places in Japan but I never got round to going last time.
• Go to as many festivals as possible as they are my favourite thing about Japan! 
• Travel around Japan to places I've never been to before
• Improve my Japanese because, after all, that is the main reason I've come here!

The photo at the top is from a day out with Sophie and Abbie, you can see more pics from our fun photoshoot on Sophie's blog here: The Beauty Bouquet

Instamonth: May

South Shields Beach - Quay Ingredient - Lola Jeans Bar

May was a great month for me; it was my birthday, my best friends came to visit, I went to Edinburgh and I finished my first year of uni! I started off the month by going to the beach at South Shields with my two flatmates. Then Abbie and Sophie came up to Newcastle and we went to lots of cafes, restaurants and bars including Quay Ingredient and Lola Jeans. 

 Some birthday presents - The Great British Cupcakery - Red velvet birthday cake

Then on the 12th of May it was birthday and I got some really great presents. All my friends know me so well and the presents they got for me were so perfect! Some things I got where: a boots voucher, Audrey Hepburn perfume and toiletries, a Mary Berry recipe book, paper decorations, green tea, a Japanese teacup and a hula hoop which provided lots of entertainment! On my birthday I went with my flatmates to the Great British Cupcakery which was lovely, they also bought me a delicious red velvet cake.

Nancy's Bordello - The Star Inn The City - Another birthday Cake!

On my last night in Newcastle we went to Nancy's Bordello for tea and then went back to our flat for a few drinks. Then I came back home to York and my mum took me to The Star Inn The City for a belated birthday brunch. I got some pancakes with maple syrup and bacon which were delicious! I then got another birthday when we went round to my Grandma and Grandad's for tea.

Carrot cake at Scottish National Museum - Hard Rock Cafe - Bagpipe player in Edinburgh

Me and my mum then went up to Edinburgh for a couple of days which I really enjoyed as it was my first time to go there. We went to an exhibition of clothes by Pringle of Scotland at the Scottish National Museum where I had some yummy carrot cake. In the evening we went for some cocktails and food at the Hard Rock Cafe. We walked along the Royal Mile to the castle and saw various people playing bagpipes!

1950's fashion exhibition at Lotherton Hall - Lucia's wine bar and grill

I also went to the newly opened fashion galleries at Lotherton Hall to see the1950's Age of Glamour exhibition. Then I met up with Abbie and Sophie again and we went to Lucia's which is one of my favourite restaurants in York. I got a really nice seafood salad.

Doing this post has made me realise that most of my instagram posts are food and drink, especially hot chocolate and cake! Anyway I had a great month, hope you did too.

Best Ever Birthday Weekend!

The weekend before my birthday my two best friends, Sophie and Abbie, came up to Newcastle. On the Saturday we went out for lunch at Quay Ingredient, a place which I had heard about but never been to. It's a tiny cafe with only a few tables so we had to wait a while but it was worth it! 

During the weekend you can only order from their breakfast menu but there was still plenty to choose from. I treated myself to a hot chocolate with cream and marshmallows and then chocolate and cinnamon pancakes which were delicious!  I definitely want to go back during the week to sample some things from their lunch menu.

During the day we went around the shops and then in the evening I had booked a table at The Botanist for us and my two flatmates. The presentation of all our meals was really interesting, I got the fish and chips which were so good and came in a little wooden tray thing. Our first round of drinks was served to us after our food arrived which was a bit annoying. I got the same two cocktails as the last time I went, the Strawberry Bellini and The Botanist, mmmm! 

For pudding we all got the strawberry and marshmallow hanging kebabs which, although they were extremely delicious, were also extremely over-priced. From The Botanist we then moved onto Lola Jeans and Jalou for some more cocktails and then Bijoux.

On Sunday I took Abbie and Sophie across to The Baltic where we saw some very strange 'art' and then went to the top to see the views across Newcastle. We then had lunch in the Baltic Kitchen. I had a chickeny Asiany salady thingy! Another very delicious meal! 

I had such a wonderful weekend with all of my best friends and it was a great way to celebrate my 20th birthday!

 Quay Ingredient

 The Botanist

The Botanist

Lola Jeans, The Botanist and Bijoux

View from The Baltic

On the Millennium Bridge

The Baltic Kitchen

 A bit windswept but ahh well!

Instamonth: march and april

I haven't written a post for a long time because I have been very busy with deadlines at uni, but I have now finished and am free! I can't believe how fast my first year of uni has gone, it seems like freshers was only a couple of weeks ago.

I recently got instagram and here are some pictures which show what I've been up to:
Drinking: cocktails at The Botanist
Walking: along the Quayside in Newcastle
Reminiscing: about the beautiful cherry blossoms in Japan
Visiting: my friend Sophie in Huddersfield and having the best hot chocolate ever!
Eating: at Bills, City Screen and Stonegate Yard in York

Find me on instagram here

(Very) Belated Valentines Day Post

Sooo, hi there! I know it has been quite a while since I last blogged and I know that Valentine's Day was over a week ago but thought I would write this short post. Me and my two flatmates decided that we would give each other cards and chocolates because we're cute like that!

Recently I also got a parcel from my Dad in Japan which contained a selection of goodies. Don't worry, the devil mask was for Setsubun, a Japanese festival, not for Valentine's day!!

Hope you all had a lovely Valentine's day whether you're single or in a relationship!

Life Lately

So, I haven't written a post for... well I've lost count. But anyway here's a bit of what I have been up to and I really will try to get back to posting regularly. That's not a promise though!

 

The Baltic- centre for contemporary art in Gateshead

 

Posters- you have to do something with all those promotional posters from bars and clubs 

Food- the Sunday roast me and my flat mates cooked

Tynemouth- my first day at uni consisted of a quiz, a teambuilding exercise decorating a banana, a trip to the beach, a sand sculpture competition, pub drinks bought by our tutor and finally fish and chips. Not bad eh!

As well as decorating a banana here is a pineapple spray painted white...

...and cucumber people!

 

So as you can see I have been very busy doing very studious things!

Life Lately

• Don't worry, I haven't dropped off the face of the earth, despite the fact that it has been two weeks since I last blogged. You see I have been doing this time consuming thing called moving house.

 

• Since arriving back in England two months ago I have been living out of a suitcase as it seemed pointless unpacking when I knew we would be moving house soon. This meant I just kept wearing the same outfits over and over again to avoid ironing everything. Now I have finally unpacked all my stuff I brought back from Japan!

 

• On another note, the weather has been surprisingly good in England recently. By surprisingly good I mean proper summer weather where its warm enough to walk around all day in sundresses!

 

• The sunny weather has put me in the mood for salads everyday, and Pimms...

 

• I have been spending way too much time colour co-ordinating all my books. You see I have a bit of a thing recently for well presented book shelves. I'm not ocd, I promise!

 

• My music for moving house playlist consists mostly of George Ezra, Haim and First Aid Kit over and over again. Love!

 

• Sorry for all the bullet points, my blogging mind isn't quite functioning properly yet and my thoughts are just coming out in random spurts! Will try to get back on track tomorrow.

 

Hope everyone is enjoying the summer wherever you are in the world!

Life Lately

So, what has been going on in my life lately? Well I have a perfectly reasonable explanation for my recent lack of blogging; moving back to the opposite side of the world. And if that isn't a reasonable explanation then I don't know what is.

This Wednesday I left Japan and arrived back in England. What with time difference and all that it was a very long day I can assure you. None of which was spent sleeping. About 10 hours of which were spent having a movie marathon on the plane. Surely the best thing, and only good thing, about long haul flights is the movies. I watched 'Hunger Games: Catching Fire', 'What Happens in Vegas' and 'The Book Thief'. But the best by far was 'Like Father Like Son,' a Japanese film, which has been nominated for many awards including the Palme d'Or at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival.

My last couple of days in Japan were spent celebrating my birthday (yep my birthday was two days before my flight) frantic packing (I left it all until the day before my flight because obviously who wants to pack on their birthday) and somehow I also managed to fit in time for sunbathing at my favourite spot by the river.

Once I arrived in England I was tired to say the least. Not really jet lag but just general exhaustion. The past few days have been spent catching up with friends and indulging in afternoon naps.

No doubt it will take a while for me to get back into the whole blogging routine but I still have plenty of photos to share and stories to tell so please keep visiting my little corner of the internet.

Oh and by the way, the photo at the top has nothing to do with recent events, I just thought it looked very 'English!'

Weekly Roundup #8

This week I have been:

Watching: sumo wrestling!! On Saturday we went to Osaka to see the sumo wrestling, it was so much fun. I had previously watched it on the telly but found it not very interesting. However watching it live, in the stadium, is a great experience.

Visiting: Osaka Castle. I can't believe I have never been before. It was great for the history nerd inside me. I wish we had had more time but we had to rush a bit to get to the sumo in time to see a special ceremony.

Photographing: more plum blossom. Outside Osaka castle they have a lovely plum grove which we wandered around. They are still not in full bloom but it was very beautiful. 

Studying: a lot. My final tests at the Japanese school I go to are this week. Plus I have to write a speech. In Japanese.

Listening: Sweater Weather by The Neighbourhood.

Weekly Roundup #7

Versace exhibition

This week I have been:

Watching: The Bling Ring, a film written and directed by Sofia Coppola. It's based on a true story about a bunch of kids in L.A who break into the houses of celebrities. Or, in the case of Paris Hilton's house, they find the key under the doormat! To be honest I was quite disappointed, there isn't much of a storyline and most of the film just shows them playing around with shoes and handbags. It was nice to see inside the amazing dressing rooms though!

Reading: Sushi and Beyond by food and travel writer Michael Booth. My dad gave this book to me this week, I haven't read much of it but am enjoying it so far.

Celebrating: Hina Matsuri. A Japanese festival just for girls!

Visiting: two exhibitions and another fashion show. One exhibition was textiles and the other was a small Versace exhibition. The fashion show (Kyoto MaGiC) was held at Kyoto Manga Museum and was a collaboration between Margaret magazine, Muratado school uniform company and Human Forum.

Listening: to Team by Lorde.

Weekly Roundup #6

This week I have been:

Visiting: two fashion shows. One held by D's Fashion College and another by ESMOD Japon. They were both really good, some of the designs were absolutely amazing. It made me realise that I definitely made the right decision by choosing to study Fashion Communication and not Fashion Design, there is no way I would be able to design and make clothes to this standard!

Reading: lots of magazine articles which my mum sent me, I just love getting post, don't you?

Photographing: the plum blossom. Today we went to Kitano Tenmangu Shrine which is famous for it's plum blossom. It is a bit early and not many of the trees were in bloom but it was still very beautiful.

Listening: to Demons by Imagine Dragons.

Weekly Roundup #5

This weekend I have been:

Wandering: around the aquarium! When I was younger going to an aquarium was one of my favourite things to do but I haven't been to one in ages so it was nice to go see all the fishes.

Photographing: some amazing outfits made by university students at a fashion show I went to during the week.

Watching: Cool Runnings. Because if you don't watch it when it's the Winter Olympics then when do you watch it.

Blogging: about this small fashion exhibition in Kyoto.

Visiting: Kobe. Where I went to two exhibitions, wandered around the designer shops and ate cake.

Listening: to Powerless by Rudimental feat. Becky Hill.

Weekly Roundup #4

MUGEN Fashion Works Exhibition

This week I have been:

Watching: the Winter Olympics. Come on Japan! We currently have 5 medals, including a gold medal in figure skating for the 19 year old Yuzuru Hanyu who broke a world record in the short programme.

Visiting: three exhibitions around Kyoto. One was a small fashion exhibition which I will write a post about later in the week. Another was an exhibition about the history of Japanese schools. Then we went to see the Asian premiere of South African artist William Kentridge's large scale video installation, 'The Refusal of Time.'  It was very unusual and although I found it very interesting I didn't really understand what it was about, something to do with time, relativity and black holes...

Making: yatsuhashi. There are various types of yatsuhashi, the type I made is called otabe. It is a traditional Japanese sweet consisting of a triangle of dough similar to mochi. Inside is usually red beans. It was fun making them and they tasted really good!

Blogging: about how Valentine`s Day is celebrated in Japan. Did you know that only women buy chocolates in Japan?

Listening: to Money on my Mind by Sam Smith.

 

Weekly Roundup #3

This week I have been:

Watching: American Hustle. Went to the cinema this afternoon, my first visit to a cinema since coming to Japan. Japanese cinemas are so much cleaner and spacious than english cinemas! Really enjoyed the film, great story, amazing bunch of actors and wonderful costumes!

Posing: for photos in a purikura photo booth! I have seen these photo booths all over Japan but have never tried one. Today I tried it with my friend for the first time, it was so silly but so much fun!

Throwing: beans around the house to scare away the devil. This was part of the Setsubun celebrations which I was going to blog abot this week but never got round to doing. 

Blogging: about nothing, oops...

Listening: to Selfies by Nina Nesbitt.

Weekly Roundup #2

Happy Chinese New Year! It`s the year of the horse.

This week I have been

Watching: this video on The Independent website about 48 hours in York. At school I had to write (in Japanese) about my recommendations of places to go in York so I used this for inspiration! 

Reading: the latest copy of Kyoto Visitor's Guide and planning which festivals I want to go to this month!

Buying: some new clothes in Bershka which is a shop owned by the Spanish group which owns Zara. The clothes are more casual than Zara and aimed at a younger target market. The prices were very similar except for the pieces in the sale which were ridiculously cheap, yey for me but not sure how great that is for the company!

Photographing: devil`s shoes. I will write more on this during the week but this evening I went to Yoshida Shrine to celebrate Setsubun. It was really fun and I got to see some interesting back stage things.

Listening: to lots of covers by Lily Ahlberg. Her voice is so lovely, below is her cover of Kids by MGMT.

Weekly Roundup #1

This week I have been:

Reading: A Girl Like You by Maureen Lindley. I received it for Christmas and have really enjoyed reading it. It`s a historical fiction about a girl, Satomi Baker, growing up in California. Her American father signs up when war is declared and is sent to the base at Pearl Harbour, he never returns. As you might have guessed from the girl`s first name, her mother is Japanese. The story is about Satomi, a girl proud to be American, struggling as she is sent to live with other Japanese people in an American labour camp.

Listening: to Rather Be by Clean Bandit featuring Jess Glynne.

Playing: Taiko drums! On Saturday we went to a Taiko drumming workshop with Taiko Lab. I really recommend it to people in Japan, they also have workshops in Tokyo and Osaka. It was so fun, plus great exercise!

Watching: Memoirs of a Geisha. I have actually never read the book or watched the film, but then I saw that it was on YouTube so decided to watch it. I enjoyed it but the ending didn't feel right in my opinion, am interested in knowing if the ending is the same in the book.

Buying: two calendars for myself! I had a space on my wall from where I took down last year`s calendar (which was 1920`s Vogue covers.) But I thought I would wait till the end of January to buy a new one because I am all in favour of a reduced price! There were so many good designs though that I bought two. One to hang on my wall, and one to put on my desk. The desk one you can see in the picture above, I really like the bird cage design and how there is space at the bottom for jewellery.

Hope you have all had a good week xxx