Cat Cafe Nekorobi kitty picspam

Good evening friends, hi again! I am still rather low on post ideas as I can't start doing what I'd like to do with this blog, but I thought it's about time to officially finish writing about Japan Trip 7. Which happened over a year ago already! But now that this is the last post about that trip, it means I need to start editing Japan Trip 8 photos DX haha

I didn't do so much during JT7, because of the big gyaru meet I held and my Grandpa's passing, and the last thing I did apparently was to visit the Cat Cafe Nekorobi again. I introduced Nekorobi, located in Ikebukuro, in this previous post!

In that past post I talked about the payment structure and appearance of the cafe itself, so this time I will just spam some cuteness.



A cute white curious in a treat or toy


My what big eyes you have! And such fluffy fur XD


What I have observed in visiting several Cat Cafes, is the cats tend to be rather sleepy and aloof. But that's really just natural for cats haha. I have been to one cafe with a couple defensive cats, but in Nekorobi the cats are all very tolerant of the attention.





This shot came out rather well luckily


Hanging out at the cash register


Half way through this visit to Cat Cafe Nekorobi they turned the light low, I guess to give the cats a chance to wind down and relax. Perhaps to get ready for sleeping? It was very interesting to experience something I've done already in a new way, and was relaxing for the customers as well!





A kitty kneading a seal pillow, getting ready to sleep, with a video game on in the background

I really like Cat Cafe Nekorobi - they have a small and cozy atmosphere without being too claustrophobic. And they also offer drinks and small cookies with the admission price. There are so many frenetic and hyper-stimulating things to see/do in Tokyo, so I really recommend visiting a cat cafe!! It's relaxing, interactive (with cats and other customers), and it's something unique.

Access Info:
3F Tact T.O Building
Higashi-Ikebukuro, Toyoshima-ku, Tokyo
Map

Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum

Hello there, it seems like forever right? Well I've gotten into a rather bad depression this past weekend, I don't want to talk about it as people may perceive me differently/badly. But I think I may be getting out of it now and will try to turn things around. I can't post any coordinates yet, but I will finish out my Japan Trip 7 photos!

Japan Trip 7 was a rather short trip, around 18 days or something, during my winter break from university last year. So I didn't have so much time to/want to visit alot of tourist spots, but one of the great places I visited was on my to-do list for a long time! That place being the Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum of course XD



The entrance to the Museum

What sets the Open Air Museum apart from the other great museums around Tokyo is the fact the museum buildings are the artifacts themselves! Rather then rooms filled with artworks, artifacts etc, the Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum is made up of preserved historical building which you can enter and explore.




Inside a building from the 1920s (I believe)

A banking family's Mansion

The buildings range from the early Edo period up until the 60s; farm houses to aristocrats' mansions, shops and a bathhouse too. All are original buildings that were moved to the museum to preserve them as many old buildings in Tokyo had been destroyed by earthquakes, fire, war etc.

This type of museum is favorite sort, I really like to walk around in old building and explore places in a more hands on manner. Certainly I was glad I was able to finally visit, and really wish I had more time there!

I recommend devoting a whole day to this museum if your schedule permits, or perhaps 4 hours in the morning and then the evening spent in Shinjuku (which is the station you use to access the museum).



A scary toilet (big hole leading to darkness haha) I'm surprised this sort of toilet was indoors


A lovely tatami room


A sitting room for receiving guests in a mansion


Inside an old farmhouse


And the exterior

The buildings I enjoyed most were the old thatched roof farm houses (they were quite spooky with their dim lighting and feeling of spirits) and A politician's mansion from the Meiji era. All the houses and buildings are filled with historical artifacts of the appropriate times, so it makes the experience more "realistic"



Inside a different farmhouse


A shop and the bathhouse

They also have a section of shops, a bar and bathouse so you can experience historical public life too! Overall I have a great impression of the Edo-Tokyo Open Air Museum, and it's one of the things I recommend most when visiting Tokyo!

ACCESS INFORMATION

Official website
Admission Fee: Y400 adults, Y320 uni students, Y200 high school students and free for kids under 15
Hours: April till September: 9:30am to 5:30pm, October till March: 9:30am to 4:30pm
Getting there:
JR Chuo Line, take off at Musashi-Koganei Station. (then take a bus)
Seibu bus: Take the bus at platform No. 2 or 3 near the north exit of Musashi-Koganei Station:　Get off at Koganei-koen Nishi-guchi and walk for 5 min.
Kanto bus: Take the bus for Mitaka Station at platform No.4 near the north exit of Musashi-Koganei Station: Get off at Edo-Tokyo Tatemono-en mae and walk for 3 min.

Seibu-shinjuku Line take off at Hana-Koganei Station (then take a bus)
Seibu bus: Take the bus for Musashi-Koganei Station, get off at Koganei-koen Nishi-guchi, and walk for 5 min.



Me in the bathhouse haha, it was so cold then not even the glove helped DX


More shops


Inside of a pub!

Little update and Roppongi unique lights

GENERALLY . . .

I really did want to blog a bit this weekend, but this is all I can pull together at the moment. I did a full restore of my new laptop so I was able to uninstall the corrupted Photoshop, but now I'm too gun shy to try installing it again TT So I still can't edit all my photos piling up.

This was another weekend of entertaining family members, who used our house as a meeting point. It was really tiring as usual, and my dad is coming over tomorrow. I am recovering from a bit of a cold so it just feel like many things are set against me.

STYLING . . .

I did get my hair cut yesterday that I had written about doing previously. Those photos will be some of the first I edit when I can, because I'm pretty satisfied with the cut! I've got a few more great items after Christmas too, so I want to share those too DX

As for coordinates, which I said I would start working on again, I can't pinpoint when that will happen as I have gained 10lb. I'm not afraid to admit it when I gain weight, it happens very easily now after my 100+lb weightloss, but that's too much to show myself, imo. Oh I feel like I'm making alot of excuses for not being a better blogger, but there are just alot of set backs recently TT

PHOTOS . . .

I don't want this whole post to be doom and gloom, so I will brighten it up with some pretty lights. I have done a lot of illumination posts this past month or so, but these are really the last I have so noone has to put up with that anymore haha! These are not Christmas lights tho and are more unique, so I hope everyone will appreciate the beauty and have a good start to a new week ^^







These lighted bamboo are so neat!








These crystals really added a great texture to the lights!

A rare glimpse of a Tayu

I have been saying I will get better at posting endlessly, but it doesn't seem to take haha. Now atleast I have a decent excuse, I have an error in trying to install Photoshop on my new laptop and without photoshop I can't edit any photos, no picks, no gets, no tutorials or reviews (all of which I have pics for haha) I found a tutorial for fixing the error, possibly, but its complicated so my tired mind keeps avoiding it haha.

So until I fix that error, I will have to share some photos from my Japan trip last January^^ The past couple of years I've spent January in Tokyo, so its very strange to be here in MN and I can say without hesitation this has been the worst holiday season in my life. I even slept through the New Year because I had nothing to do :/



Some of the crowd watching the Tayu performence, there was not enough floor space DX

But last year I had a lot to do for the New Years! XD I don't do the First Shrine Visit anymore in Japan, because once was enough for me. So my friend kindly researched fun New Years activities to do instead, and last year he found a Tayu exhibit in Roppongi!



The Tayu with her apprentices and Yarite (older chaparone, I believe)


The Tayu exhibits her kimono

Tayu are the highest level of Oiran, who were high-ranked prostitutes in Tokyo's pleasure district of history called Yoshiwara. Tayu were considered suitable for Daimyo to patronize (Daimyo were the landowners a level below Shoguns in the feudal system). They were not just prostitutes - they were performers highly educated in dancing and musical instruments!



The Yarite set up this screen so we could not see the Tayu get set up between performances, her grace was never compromised!


Playing the Kokyu and accompanied by a Shamisen

I personally had been interested in Oiran since I watched the movie Sakuran, which was based off of the manga by Moyoco Anno (one of the manga-ka I like). Of course that movie is romanticized but it still shows alot about the life of Oiran.

The Tayu we got to see preformed several traditional preformances. Firstly she displayed her robes, which was a highly stylized act, then she played the Kokyu (A stringed instrument similar to the Shamisen but played with a bow) and finished with a dance.



Dancing


And something modern - the photo op!

I have to say this was a very interesting experience, I mean when else could I see a Tayu preform?? Furthermore every movement, no matter how small was ritualized and I can only imagine how long it takes to learn all of it.

Do you have any interest in Oiran or historical artifacts such as?

Supermarket sweets mini-spam!

Good evening again! I just about didn't post today, and perhaps some won't consider this a real update either haha. I wasn't cut from my shift at work today, but they are running so "lean" (always minus 2 staff) so it's really tiring. No time for a bathroom break even. But pictures of delicious food can act as energy for the brain haha!

I promise to get some more nice photos up next week as we head into the final countdown to Christmas. I have some festive photos that have not been edited for quite awhile, perhaps it would be fun to do all Christmas post this coming week hehe!

Boxes of beautiful Japanese sweets! I like Japanese sweets but they can be an acquired taste, do you like them?

Anyhow, I snapped all these pictures in a local supermarket in a town near where I stay in Japan called Nishi-Kasai. We were shopping for dinner ingredients but I love to take photos of all the awesome sweets available. Especially since I can't eat them haha!

A roll cake with a pudding inside! For those days when you can't pick between cake and pudding XD

Roll cakes with a New Years motif. Strawberry and cheese flavor

Fruit on pudding parfait cups

A great thing about Japan is they are really into seasonal and limited edition food/flavors! So there are constantly new flavors of sweets and snacks being released. You can tons of Japanese blogs that are dedicated just to reviewing all the new sweets coming out haha!

Chocolate cake slices with some mont blanc in the background

Cakes being sold by the slice, the green one is matcha flavor

And one more bonus shot, it's not a sweet food though it appears like it should be sweet by the adorable packaging - it's Rilakkuma fishcakes! These are definently something you want use when making a bento XD

Ok, I think that's enough of me being evil haha! I promise the next photo spams will not be of things that are so tempting. I have a lot of errands to run tomorrow (one of my last free days before Christmas) so I'd better get some rest now^^

Unique and funny things spicing up Ichinoe

Hello everyone! Wow, yes! I recently got a message in my formspring expressing concern for my quite infrequent posting as of late, and I totally agree! I feel rather sad that I can't post more often, either I'm busy with work/school or I have writer's block DX I remember a day when I'd have weeks of posts planned ahead...

But I would like to quickly mention the winner of the Sweet lady Setup Giveaway, the winner was Bunny! She even kindly tweeted about the giveaway, and I hope she will enjoy all the prizes. And I will try to get another one together soon^^



A sign on the cycle repair shop next to the apartment, honestly the owner makes so much dang noise all the time, its hard to say something nice about it haha

Today is another day when I have no good idea for what to write about, and hopefully seeing more of Japan will still be fun for you haha. Because looking through my photo folders I saw a bunch of photos of the quirky things around the town I stay in Japan - Ichinoe - and it stuck me as interesting XD



There's a lot of motorcycle and scooter shops in Ichinoe, I wonder why


I am not really sure what this shop? is, its quite cobbled together tho XD

I took all these photos during a walk from Ichinoe to a town nearby called Nishi Kasai, its a rather long walk but there's no direct train or bus service between them so its a viable option haha. Taking walks to get around offers alot of chances to see new things, so its healthy and entertaining haha!



This mural is very charming


And this 7-11 made a cute display in it's window (The sign says Happy New Year)


Make sure not to pee on flowers, it makes them cry

Ichinoe is a very residential area, what I mostly see are houses, apartments, some small shops around the station, schools, mid/low range restaurants. Oh! There is a Volkswagen dealership too! But there are lots of small details that make it very charming too^^



Just a general landscape pic

Today I went out the the Mall of America and had a bit of a shopping spree before Christmas...oops haha XD So tomorrow we'll mix things up with a post about Minnesota life^^

Some beautiful and unique kimono

Good morning everyone. I guess I got up too early because here it is not even noon yet and I'm ready for a nap! School and work is driving me up the wall, yesterday some district VPs came to the store so all the managers were nervous/scared so they took it out on us underlings.

Anyway I have to meet with my teacher later today, I hope I don't hear terrible news, so here's my only chance to blog DX I'm glad to get some positive feedback on yesterday's Japan photo post.

Today I want to show some pictures from a kimono exhibit I went to earlier this year. Kimono are the traditional wear of Japan, and is something that seems exotic from the outside. But the exhibit I went to had some non-traditional designs!



They also had a photo studio available for people wearing kimono

This exhibition was held at Roppongi Hills, which is a very upscale shopping mall with an interesting design. It was a very nice chance to see some beautiful garments in a beautiful setting. And besides the kimono on display many women were wearing their own.



Elegant designs, I especially like the yellow one


This spiderweb with rose design is amazing and just my taste!

The kimono were created by a variety of designers and all had elements that set them apart from other kimono. Some had a pattern like skulls, uncommon colors or gothic touches. Color, cut and pattern are important in kimono as it reflect specific themes, seasons, and ages of the wearer.



Great bat pattern yukata and the obi has a interesting print too


Such rich colors from WAfrica

I particularly liked seeing the kimono from WAfrica. They combine African fabric and patterns with kimono to produce beautiful art that brings two cultures together. They also were showing some yukata designed for hide that were really attractive but hard to photograph with the crowd haha.



I got the info card atleast XD

Kimono is a very rich art, not just a practical fashion though it is that too haha. People can spend their life studying it and learning how to wear kimono in the most attractive way. I've never worn a kimono but I would like to one day^^