Intriguing sign at Nijo Castle
When do ideas morph from a gentle puff of a thought to a whisper of an idea, to a fluffy ball of a concept, to a living, breathing thing?
PLAYFULNESS + CURIOSITY Page 11 of 22
Things a brewin’
Have you ever bought someone a present that you just knew they were going to love, and had that feeling that you might just burst if you don’t give it to them right now? Well that’s how I feel with some of the exciting things going on behind the scenes here at Do What You Love.
Kyoto cafes part 3 – Togenkyo
This sweet little find in Nishijin is not far from my house and serves the best coffee for miles. The characters used in its name ‘Togenkyo’ mean ‘escape from reality’, and the friendly café owner tells me that was essentially what he was trying to do when he set up his café. One wall is stacked floor to ceiling with old LPs, which get cranked out on the crackling record player all day long, and no one is ever in a hurry.
Retail therapy… Japanese style
Beautiful stone shop sign
Just thought I’d share a glimpse of a couple of the lovely shops around here – this handmade wooden stamp shop and gorgeous washi paper shop in the Teramachi arcade have had a few of my Y1000 notes recently…
Kawashima textile factory visit
A few weeks back I shared a peek into my time at Kawashima Textile School. The school was set up by Kawashima, one of the most respected textile companies in Japan. For decades Kawashima has been entrusted with creating some of the country’s most precious fabrics, including the interior of the Emperor’s train carriage. As a student of the school I was lucky to be given a peek behind the doors of the factory, including the secret room where they make drapes for some of country’s most important shrines.
Brave
Brave movie -image via Pixar Wiki
A few days ago, my man and I decided to go to the cinema to watch a lovely new cartoon from Disney Pixar. In Japanese it is called “Merida to osoroshi no mori”. We picked it because we generally love everything Pixar does. We had a couple of spare hours before the film began, so we went to a cafe and ended up having a long and very thought provoking conversation about bravery and courage, topics I have been thinking a lot about lately and which feature heavily in Do What You Love courses.
Tokyo International Stationery Show
Trade Shows come in all shapes and sizes, and cover every industry you can imagine. What is your dream show? I always thought mine would be a stationery trade show, where you can see what is on the horizon, meet suppliers directly, get ideas and inspiration and generally spend hours walking around a massive hall of gorgeous stationery. And I was not disappointed when I visite ISOT 2012 as research for The Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design. It was huge, exciting and eye-opening.
A little trip to the big smoke
The other day I packed myself onto the super-fast shinkansen (bullet train) and whizzed up to Tokyo for the International Stationery & Office Products Show (more on that later).
Shibuya
It felt so big, bright and noisy after Kyoto, so I also spent some time exploring the quieter, trendy areas of Jiyugaoka and Shimokitazawa. When I first moved to Tokyo I lived in a friend’s spare room in Jiyugaoka for a couple of months so it was lovely to go back and see it.
I met up with lots of old friends, did a bit too much shopping and got a haircut. Fun trip! Here are a few snapshots of the quieter side of the city.
the entrance to the cute little hotel I stayed at in Aoyama
quirky shops in Jiyugaoka
any post for me?
The Gion Matsuri grand parade
So here it is – the culmination of many months of preparation, and many centuries of tradition. The Gion Matsuri Grand Parade on a gloriously sunny day in Kyoto…
Night time festival magic
If you like the sound of a city centre closed to traffic, ancient wooden festival floats lit up with hundreds of traditional lanterns, street stalls selling fried noodles and other delicious offerings, and tens of thousands of people strolling in beautiful summer kimonos, then you want to take yourself to Kyoto for the Gion Matsuri. Here are a few pictures from a hot hot night here!
