Hello Sandwich Tokyo Life

Hello Sandwiches!

This is a little sneak peek into ordinary daily Hello Sandwich Tokyo life. It's not much, but I absolutely love it. Sometimes I see my rubbish in my bin full with all the Japanese labels and it strikes me that I live here. When I was living in Sydney I used to spend a fortune at the Japanese supermarket so I could have 'Japanese shampoo' or 'Japanese kirei kirei' hand wash and now those things are normal everyday products but still so exciting for me. I'm not sure when this living-in-Tokyo-honeymoon is going to rub off but I'm going to keep enjoying it while I can, and if it's okay with you, I'll keep showing a few more snaps!



View from my bed. I once wore that shirt to an important meeting with my editor at VOGUE Living. I love that shirt. I always think that I should wear it more often.



I love how many little Tokyo cafes have a sweet little single stem of flowers in the teeniest if vases on each table. This cute cafe (which is in my new Tokyo guide out later this year) hand made little fabric bows on a stick in lemon and coral. gahhh so cute!



In my Kitazawa area we need to cut up and flatten our juice cartons for recycling, but as you know I have a thing for Japanese packaging so I cut my juice carton into this mini temporary vase. The mimoza at this time of year is so pretty! I've been given two bunches lately and I just love it. It reminds me of Australian wattle, only it's a mini-me Japanese sized version :)



These pretty little flowers were a gift from My Y on White Day.



I went to Kazumi-chans house (my Japanese craft idol) recently and she made a delicious かぼちゃとにんじん soup that I've been making ever since. It's basically onion, pumpkin, carrot sauteed with water, blended and finished off with some milk and consommé stock.



I love spending the time to walk home rather than take the subway. I wonder home stopping to take photos and discover new places. This shot was taken on the walk home from Shinjuku.





Salads and colourful spring bento boxes for lunch.





I'm still at the stage where I giggle a little when I see 'sea chicken' on tuna cans. Apparently you know when you're been in Japan for too long when you don't laugh at Japanese English. I will do my best until that day!



Spending time in front of the mirror plaiting my hair into different styles with scarves.



Digging out some earrings I bought from Australia is always fun.



Keeping warm with hot green tea from vending machines while waiting for trains at my local station.







The words you learn! ha ha.



It's been a long time since I've made onigiri. In Australia (embarrassingly) I had a triangle mold for my onigiri but I made this giant and kind of oddly long shaped one by hand. It has tuna and mayo inside. It's the gaijins safety version of onigiri. One day I'll be proud of myself if I can select the 梅 one in my local Lawson.











Exciting times in Shinjuku! My favourite craft shop is in this building! It's also in my new Tokyo guide!



I. will. never. get. sick. of. this. place.

Shibuya Hachiko crossing looking so pretty in the glistening rain with colourful umbrellas.



Looking down at Yoyogi-uehara.



There are some not so nice times too. Yesterday I watched on TV the tsunami warnings for much of the North coastline of Japan. Many towns were evacutaued but luckily this time the tsunamis were only very small. Later Tokyo was also shaken with a magnitude 6.1 quake off the coast of Chiba. I was just outside the supermarket at that time and heard everyones quake alarms go off and people froze and looked up at the shaking buildings. A few seconds later it was life as usual, I headed in to Ozeki and bought my groceries from a cheery shop assistant. Tokyo Life.

I did however, leave my jacket and bag a little closer to the door that evening thanks to the NHK warnings of aftershocks. I also googled 'Tokyo quake alarm iphone apps' to see if there was anything other than the one I already have.



Back to Tokyo-cute, how adorable is this handmade menu in a canal side Nakameguro cafe!





Love hearts on tomato packaging. Never in Australia. But often in Japan.



It was the last day to hand in tax in Japan today. It was also my first time to hand in tax in Japan. The experience was so interesting. Select your area, line up here, line up there, fill in this form, take your form to that nice man who is waving so politely and bowing a lot who will 'ごあんないします' your PC spot, follow the instructions of the nice Japanese lady wearing the blue flammable jacket and fill in your form online, take your folder to the print corner and scan your little tag - and wow - your tax return prints out, finally check with another polite man and finally put in in a little post box style box marked with your suburb. Incredible really. And very Japanese.







By the way, did you know Tokyu Hands in Shibuya now has a cafe? I haven't been up yet but I spotted this sign on the way to...

THE NEW MASKING TAPE CORNER!!! It's amazing!!!



check out the floor and walls covered in tape! I was in heaven looking at all of the new mt tapes and then I heard 'Ebony-san?' and it was my friend who is a stationery buyer for Tokyu Hands who was working there at that time! She gave me her special staff ID card for using at the register and we had fun talking about crafts and workshops! Sometimes I find it too good to believe that I can bump into lovely people with to-die-for jobs in Tokyu Hands at Shibuya and in some incredible way they know my name! gah!





Tokyo life is not complete without mega beers at a new favourite bar in Shimokitazawa (again - I'll write about it in the guide) They make a delicious salad here with parmesan and coriander. I've been trying to DIY it at home too. shhh.



When I run out of coffee I make this hobos version of instant coffee.



The occasional night time trip to Lawsons. This time I was stocking up on tape nori. I bought four. The guy must of thought I was nuts! How on earth can anyone use more than 7 meters of tape nori in one night...well, if there is anyone, it's Hello Sandwich!

Of course I've been making lots of craft lately too - I'll update those photos soon :)

Love Love
Hello Sandwich
xoxo