Thursday, March 15, 2012

Hello Sandwich Tokyo Life

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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!

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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.

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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!

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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 :)

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

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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.

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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.

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Salads and colourful spring bento boxes for lunch.

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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!

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

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

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

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The words you learn! ha ha.

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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.

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

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

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

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Looking down at Yoyogi-uehara.

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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.

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

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

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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.

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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!!!

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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!

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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.

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

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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

35 comments:

  1. DA! You are very talented. You have a great eye for details!

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  2. What a lovely insight into life in Japan. I always love your posts, but this one especially - thank you : )

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  3. Hueee, your life is surrounded with color and cute things, you always have inspirations for your craft!
    うらやましいな〜 >,<
    ps: my onigiri always ended up to be a big round ball! haha, i should practice more.

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  4. wow! you make tokyo seem so magical (even with all the earthquakes). i love reading your blog! it's like a mini-vacay.

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  5. even the food looks adorable. :)

    it's great to see that you are appreciating your surroundings! before i moved to new york, i always got excited whenever i had the chance to travel there for fun. once i moved, school, work, and the banalities of life took over, and i never got around to having this honeymoon feeling. bad example.

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  6. I love your life in Japan, thanks for sharing your experience in that country and good luck with those earthquakes :S, in my country we also have

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  7. Amazing post! I love the photos and your description of your amazing life in Tokyo!!

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  8. How nice! I always enjoy reading your posts about tokyo life. It's so interesting and very inspiring. You really take care of the details.
    If i were in japan, i would keep the packagings too. I'm always thinking: "When i'll go to japan i will buy a lot of food because of the packaging!!"

    Have a very nice and creative day!!

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  9. I was at Tokyu Hands a couple of weeks ago and was quite disappointed with their selection. (Only about 5) - did I miss this display or is it brand new?

    Lovely photos :o)

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  10. i love this one especially too ebony! you have embodied your life their so well in these photos. even though i only do quick visits it still made me miss tokyo so much!!

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  11. Oh, Ebony this makes me so excited! I just booked flights to Japan yesterday! This is my 3rd attempt at visting ... couldn't get the first time as my partner got a new job & couldn't get travel insurance last year following tsunami. Any chance your guide will be available by late June?
    Kel xo

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  12. When is your new Tokyo guide coming out? I leave for Japan on 16th April, this wonderful post made me super excited for Tokyo !!!! can't wait!!

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  13. Thank you for this post! I really miss Japan and my fiancé and I both wish we'll live there one day!

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  14. waaa how I long to go back to Japan!
    Thank you for sharing your photos!
    Please post as many "Tokyo Life" photos :)

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  15. I enjoyed this so very much! Thank you! It's lovely to see the beauty in the tiny details. I hope your honeymoon with Japan never ends x x

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  16. Wow, I really enjoy your photos! I feel as though I'm there. So lovely! <3~

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  17. Oh oh ohhhhhh I miss Tokyo so bad. I came back the last time in December and I'm already dying to go back! These pictures are so wonderful. I miss Tokyu Hands and Shibuya 109 and all my food cartons being cute. And vending machines and a million other things :-)

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  18. 50 years ago when my grandfather worked as a writer for an Okinawan newsletter, he saw signs like "shoe hospital" and "coat doctor" around town. He found it amusing and creative.

    i enjoyed this post. before i dreamed of going to Japan just to see the things my grandfather were telling me. then i dreamed of going to Japan for the music. then for the food. then for the culture.

    your post now makes me want to live there. :)

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  19. your pics are all amazing!
    every pic made me that every moment in our lives is precious X))) x

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  20. i love all the pictures you post of tokyo, please dont stop!

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  21. I'm having so much fun reading this post :) I love your pictures :)

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  22. wow, I've always wanted to go to tokyo and now i think its gotten even stronger. thanks for sharing, lovely pictures!

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  23. I miss Tokyo sooo much! Everything looks so pretty, it's like living in a fantasy world;)

    Sooooo, if I ever decide to do an impulse trip and hop on a plane, can I sleep in a corner on your floor? ;)

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  24. I use a lot of Japanese fabrics in my work, so I love seeing your photos of Japanese life and places you visit, even an ordinary shop is of interest to those of us who are unlikely to ever visit Japan. It's nice to see that so many people, men as well as women are into crafting in Japan. Don't ever stop being excited about living there and sharing it with us.

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  25. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful... amazing.... I love this post.

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  26. What a fun tour! You are my eyes in Japan, feels great! I want more.

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  27. Thanks for sharing these photos. I lived in Japan for a couple of years and you capture the every day things that I miss!

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  28. really enjoyed venturing with you through these photos of japan! your blog really is a way for me to connect on an everyday level with a place that i can only dream about right now... but someday! <3 itsumo arigato!

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  29. Oh I love these photos though they do make me rather homesick for Japan. I never got over the living-in-Japan honeymoon even after 6 years of being there. I can't wait to be back there in a couple of months time.

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  30. lovely to see your everyday life! i can't wait to move to a place as exciting as tokyo :)

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  31. What´s tape nori? I could´nt understand it.
    I like reading your blog. I love japan culture. More please.

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  32. Hi Ebony
    I was in Tokyo in April, on my way from Nagoya to Sendai on secret Kyudo business, he he. It was such a blast just to do all that ordinary stuff, buying onigiri at Lawson and 'The Boss' kan-kohii, hot from the vending machine first thing in the morning, natsukashii...P

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