Yesterday morning we woke up really early, one because Book and Bed was quite warm and I was feeling a little overheated. Two, the two hour time difference means we have suddenly become early risers, and we haven’t really clocked in, body clock wise….. we had possibly the best coffee I have ever had, then…
Looking for the Master
As a follower of Japanese culture, if you have never seen Midnight Diner on Netflix, you need to stop reading this blog for a moment and queue it up. It is one of Nihonshu Girl’s and my favourite television shows – ever. It is set in a diner in the backstreets of Shinjuku which opens…
Have a Book Night
Book and Bed Tokyo is a very well Instagrammed place. I have been admiring the concept of a hostel in a book shop for quite some time. So, last night, as we only had one night in Tokyo, and because Super Sake Boy had vigilantly checked second party booking sites, we stayed. Winding our way…
Five Things in Japan I am Most Looking Forward To
Sitting on the plane, about two and half hours from Tokyo, I am contemplating what I am most looking forward to, and what I have missed most since the last time I was there. Sake, sake, sake…. Sake is super cheap in Japan, around a third the cost of what we pay in Australia. The…
“How long do I need in Kyoto?”
This is a question people ask me on an almost weekly basis. “I have four nights booked in Kyoto. Is this long enough?” I find this question really difficult to answer. For a number of reasons. Firstly, I have spent around a month, all together, in Kyoto. I am about to return for just 3…
Uniquely Japanese-Sakoku
Featured image credit The final shogun family in Japan was the Tokugawa Shogunate, also called the Bakafu. Under the rule of the Tokugawa, Japan entered into a period of isolation, called the Sakoku Jidai, translating to time of national isolation or exclusion of foreigners. The policy was enacted between 1633-39 by Tokugawa Iemitsu, and relations…
Uniquely Japanese- Kintsugi 金継ぎ or Kintsukuroi 金繕い
One of my favourite uniquely Japanese words is Kintsugi. The first kanji (syllable) means gold, and the direct translation is “gold splicing”… when a piece of pottery gets broken, the Japanese fix it, not trying to make the repair invisible, but by making the repair gold, and very noticeable. The reasoning is that they believe…
Hibiki…..Echoes of Tokyo in Camberwell
When I looked up Hibiki in my Japanese translator the translation was sound, but more accurately echo or reverberation. I am not sure if that is what the owners of Hibiki in Melbourne were alluding to, but as soon as I read it, it resonated. Sitting in this little cafe in Toorak Rd in Camberwell,…
Japanese Pet Store Surprises
Last time we were in Kyoto, our friend Maki-san took us to a pet store. I’m not sure what I expected, but it was definitely not what we encountered. I was blown away, amazed with the cuteness, slightly disconcerted by the types of pets for sale and amused by some of the services available…. The…
楽しみですよ。(Tanoshimidesuyo) or I am looking forward to it……
In three weeks, and about 5 days, Super Sake Boy and I are heading back to Japan. This trip is going to be a little different. We are going without children, and only for a week. Our intention is to make it a week of memorable sake and food, lots of historical stuff and quite…
Sake Matsuri…..Seriously Super Sake Fun
So, Super Sake Boy was put in charge of writing this blog, but he has been dragging his feet and this event was too awesome not to write about. So, I, Nihonshu Girl, aka Blossomkitty, will attempt to do this event justice. My memory is somewhat faded and perhaps slightly hampered by the fifty-ish…
Five Crazy Days in Tokyo….. Part 4
Our last full day in Tokyo we started by dropping Ewan in Akihabara. He was on a mission to find a figurine, and the rest of us were not keen for the noise and crazyness of Akiba. We continued on to Asakusa. Senso-Ji temple is amazing, and I wanted to show Harper. We started at…
