Archive for the ‘travel’ Category

 

harajuku fashion meets disneyland, magic ensues.

is anyone still looking for a halloween costume? well, if money is no object why don’t you pop over to tokyo disneyland and see if you can borrow one of these wonders for halloween? i was pretty impressed by the costumes in the parades there – they were just that extra bit crazy in the best way!


can’t pick a favorite disney princess? why not dress up as an entire ‘land’? top left: main street & fantasyland, tomorrow land, toon town and frontier land.

we visited tokyo disneyland in just. late june. but this is an easter parade. just go with it… there’s harlequin checked tights!!

and there was buzz lightyear girls!! by the way these photos are from two separate parades. things were crazy, but not THAT crazy. it wasn’t easter meets toy story or something. one was a celebration of disney, one was a celebration of easter.

or why not go all out and just dress up in an egg!

if anyone knows how i can get to be a costumer at tokyo disneland.. call me! dream job, right?

in amongst all the shopping and eating we found ourselves with a ‘spare’ day towards the end of our trip – and disneyland just a short train ride away. what to do? we went to disneyland of course!! we got rained on, we queued for ages, we walked our feet to the bone (no seriously, i got the worst mega-blister ever – i think i could see bone).

i was interested to compare tokyo disneyland to the original disneyland in california, and it was largely the same – but different. it was bizarro world disneyland, where just about everything has a slight twist (the haunted mansion takes on a whole new threatening tone when the voice over is in intelligible japanese)! one of the best ‘twists’ though was the ‘small world’ ride. the ride itself was the same, but the exterior and the ‘load in’ were different – might i go so far as to say… better? take a virtual tour through the queuing area and admire the mary blair-inspired murals that set the tone for ‘the happiest cruise’ that ever sailed…

getting lost in a foreign city has its benefits when it turns up little goldmines like raak. this itty bitty boutique was tucked away in the back streets of gion, kyoto – it would’ve been easy to miss, but once we’d found it, there were raak stores popping up on every corner! and just as well, because i was smitten!

raak was established in 1615 specializing in tenugui, traditional japanese facecloths. the range today covers face cloths, scarves, and furoshiki cloths – to wrap gifts, or fold into bags. their designs are spectacular, some more traditional and simple, and some bright, busy and contemporary!

the smallest soft, lightweight cotton cloths on display

did i mention i picked up some souvenirs? because i did. a lot.

a spectacular maple design

just a little head scarf i picked up – to brighten my wintery days back home!

a contemporary chair design by raak

hydrangea cotton gauze scarf

rolling landscape panel

images taken from raak and my shamelessly extensive personal collection of raak products

 

as you would imagine, shopping in japan is BANANAS. the first day was really tough – we had two weeks ahead of us, but we were seeing so many amazing things already. would we make it home without exceeding baggage limits? would we go broke before we even bought dinner? as time went by we got a little more jaded, but it was still a shoppers paradise! sadly i was too, er, ‘amazonian’ to fit the shoes or clothing. perhaps for the best, financially speaking! but here are a few treasures that made it home with me…*

*not pictured: 900 pairs of socks. japan loves socks!

 swimmer/chocoholic tape, vintage stamps from ‘pinups’ in kitchijoji

 

flower push-pins and push-pin hooks!

i’m a big fan of buying fun but practical things while on holiday. i like to be able to use the things frequently, and each time i do, i get that little thrill i like to call “reverse buyers remorse”.

cute memo pad and faux-marimekko letterset from kiddyland

picture puzzle dominoes

are these for me? or for my son? hmm… both. but mostly for me! don’t worry, he got plenty of presents all to himself.

 cute stamp stickers! erasable rainbow pens! cram cream memo pad in my favorite design!

 

 i came to love these little face cloths really fast! because its so humid a little discreet blotting cloth is essential. and in typical japanese style, even the sweat rags are beautiful. i’m almost looking forward to a hot australian summer to use these.

false lashes and mary quant daisy hair clip

i almost passed out when i saw the mary quant store. i love mary quant and so to own one tiny little mary quant item is really exciting. and can a girl ever have enough falsies? no. so i bought about 12 or varying style. eep!! blame it on the ¥100 store!

scandi treasures from parco

i found a fab little corner of parco stocked with scandinavian treasures! i thought the elephant bank might help me save up for a trip back to tokyo soon. and the apple dish towel? practical AND chic!

tokyu hands was the most mind blowing place of all. i’d heard people reccomend it as a “department store that sells everything”. in my mind “everything” meant carpet, clothes, mattresses, luggage.. y’know. everything. but apparently “everything” means E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G. umbrellas, suitcases, wood, fake flowers.. and lots and lots of stuff for crafting, creating, and making with! what colored perspex rod would you like? did you need some bright green leather? hey weren’t you just saying you were running low on silversmithing tools/flocked styrofoam balls/miniatures for your train set? yes. everything. my brain almost fell out and it was difficult to take in. on our first visit we experienced an aftershock, but i’m almost certain it was my mind being blown. so i bought a pom pom maker and some glittery plastic. because i’m pretty sure i’ll need them sooner or later. australia doesn’t have a great range of anything, if you want something you have to search online and sacrifice a kangaroo in hope of them shipping it to you. so this might not sound exciting to you americans and europeans, but it was like candyland to a supply starved australian! if i lived near a tokyu hands i would never ever ever stop making EVERYTHING.

 

 

furoshiki fabric

furoshiki is all about giftwrapping using beautiful fabric – but i’m thinking i might just giftwrap my head with this one!

fab fabric! it would be easy to blow tons of money on fabric in japan – but what am i going to do with it all? nuthin’ that’s what. so i only bought a couple of pieces that i know i’ll put to good use. the fabric above is latex backed and is going to turn into a swim bag for my son.

handmade fabric bento

and lastly, an extra special little present for my son. play-sushi! he also got socks, some crazy bath salts that turned his bath chartreuse, some candies with hello kitty’s face in them, and a totoro all of his own.

i can’t wait to show you one more special purchase next week – in a post all of its own! ooh

some inspiring colors and textures seen in japan.

if you haven’t followed me on twitter for the last few weeks you might have missed the bit where i went to japan! after a week of catching up on work i’m finally ready to show you some photos from my fab two weeks in tokyo – and kyoto.

visiting tokyo was #4 on my thirty before 30 list, so in february i decided to make. it. happen! i invited my friend cintia to come with me and this is the condensed version of our adventures:

cute fire hydrant cover in shibuya

we had nine days in tokyo and five days in kyoto. in tokyo we spent the first few days shopping, hitting up the fabulous department stores in the shibuya area where we stayed, and then venturing out further afield to kitchijoji, nippori, daikanyama and uh tokyo disneyland. we explored so many adorable, fascinating stores, and the amazing ghibli museum – but none allowed photography, which is fair enough, but as such i don’t have so many photos from the first few days!

‘petit’ in kichijoji

kichijoji was one of my favorite areas. cute streets full of cute shops – and this shop, petit, was my favorite. from the outside it looks kinda like a junky $1 store, but….

inside of ‘petit’

and i suppose inside it also kinda looks like a junky $1 store, but bear with me.. you see the photo is out of focus because we were in a FRENZY of picking through all kinds of vintage pop cultural treasures.. it was like stepping into a time machine and finding all the fun japanese junk you had as a kid – or maybe just walking into a physical version of ebay: there was a shelf of smurf figures, vintage happy meal toys, sweet sanrio stationary from the 80s, blythe dolls, new-in-box barbies from the 80s. and the ceiling? why it was covered with bowed star wars figures, of course.

pilgrim vs. the giant ice cream 

we spent a day relaxing in yoyogi park. giant ice creams were the least fun thing we saw. not pictured: half assed capoeira guys, unrhythmic bongo players, unenthusiastic swing dancers, a blissed our cat in a tree and a very enthusiastic guy in a rubber horse mask. it was my favorite park ever.

harajuku kids…

…doing what harajuku kids do best: posing on a bridge before being moved on by the cops.

rawr! lion straw hat

even the really little kids in harajuku looked rad!! please all go and DIY one for your own kiddos.

waiting for the shinkansen bullet train

next: bullet train to kyoto!

df

in kyoto we stayed in a ryokan, slept on futons on the floor, ate traditional style breakfasts, and generally soaked in a more ‘authentic’ experience. also: soaked in a japanese bath! aaaaahhh heaven.

toji temple

kyoto was really interesting. we went to a flea market at a temple, and we went to a temple, and then another temple. did i mention temples?

ryozen kannon

this big buddha was the bigger of the two big buddha we saw. we also saw the daibutsu at todai-ji which was much more impressive than any of australia’s big things.

beware the deer. no, seriously, BEWARE the deer.

a day trip to nara introduced us to a rare breed of dangerous (wo)man eating deer. they start with your stomach and seem to only want to injure old ladies and little girls.

maiko, apprentice geiko/geisha

it was amazing to see actual maiko and geiko (the kyoto term for geisha) walking through gion district in kyoto. i’m not sure how i feel about the tradition, but their commitment to their art form is impressive.

maiko hair accessories on display in a store

the golden pavillion, kinkakuji

kinkakuji was my favorite temple. it was perfect, surrounded by lush mossy gardens and all that greenery was a refreshing break from the heat.

melon sno-cone

did i mention it was hot? it was two sno-cones-a-day hot. the fan and the sweat cloth are two of the greatest inventions ever.

a hairy store fitting at opening ceremony

back to tokyo. back to shopping and taking naughty secret photos in shops!! shh, don’t tell – but how would anyone believe me when i said i saw a hairy dog in a fashion store?!

june first?! JUNE FIRST?! what?!

ahem. has anyone seen the first half of my 2011? apparently its gone. that means i’ve been meaning to share these photos with you for six months. and so, quickly, before i embark on my adventure to japan i thought i’d tell you about my new favorite fascinating place in LA. MONA: the museum of neon art.

MONA was born in 1981, to neon artists richard jenkins and lili lakich, and the current collection is an amazing mix of contemporary neon art and vintage neon signage.

 

i read about the museum at some point prior to traveling, and it aroused my curiosity (as such KrazyKrap tends to do.. i’m not so good at visiting the tourist traps) but i wasn’t entirely sure what to expect – aside from neon. what i found was a completely fascinating space filled with completely fascinating works! and the most fabulous part: the kiddo loved it because he was ALLOWED TO TOUCH! in a gallery! can you imagine?

 

 

the various artworks and vintage pieces are arranged around the spacious old setting (i’m both excited and sad they’re moving to glendale – the current location in the falsely-enticing ‘toy district’ is crumbly and cool!) giving it a gallery-meets-junk-yard vibe that really encourages you to get close and appreciate it all.

 

from the vintage goodness…

… to the contemporary fun.

and did i mention the thrilling sound of the humming neon and zapping artworks? it creates a really exciting atmosphere! so if you’re in LA, and you like some kooky tourism, duck in to the humming dimness of MONA and tell me what you think of it. next visit i’m hoping to catch one of their night tours of classic neon signs still in action.