Happy February

Boy, time just flies! It's already February... and a year has passed by since I started this blog honestly I didn't think I would keep up this long at first. But looking back I guess it's been a blog- worthy year. I traveled to some new places, saw new things, spent great quality times with friends and I even started a little web shop. I'm really happy to have people from all over the world to check out my handmade and it's been a true pleasure to make people happy with what I make. Thank you so much for your support!
I feel this year will continue to be blog worthy as I foresee some big change in my life. We'll see how that all goes!

早いものでもう２月になってしまいました！そしてこのブログを始めてからやっと１年。３日坊主になるかと思ったけれど、続けてきたのを振り返ってみる新しい場所へ行ったり、たくさん友達と楽しい時間をすごして、さらに小さいけれど念願のウェブショップを始めたりと、とても盛りだくさんな１年でした。世界中の人に私のハンドメイドを喜んでもらえて、本当にうれしくて感謝してます！
これから大きなライフチェンジが待ち構えているので、きっと引き続きブログしていきます。どうなるかはお楽しみに！


Illustration by Jean Philippe Delhomme
Have I ever mentioned? I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE ELEPHANTS.

My recent work

I hadn't been able to arrange taking pictures or update my shop for a short while but I finally did. But only just a few for now. I'm also adding earrings to my collection. Something like this...

Slow cooking, slow food

It's time to make homemade marmalade again.

Super sour home grown natsu-mikan.


An endless process of slicing the orange peal.


And after over 8 hours of slow preparing and cooking....
Voila! Marmalade all stocked up!

Aizu-wakamatsu, Fukushima

I went to Aizu-wakamatsu over the weekend for an onsen trip with my very good friend. We did nothing but eat, soak in onsen and sleep!



Snow, snow, snow! A view from the Shinkansen on the way to Fukushima.



No pictures from the onsen site but this is where we stayed. The hot spring was great, the room we stayed was clean and ok (the best part was being able to check-out at 12 noon) and the food was pretty good. Overall, it wasn't so bad.

And a few pictures of nice retro architectures in the neighborhood.

Colorful wall

Just guess what this is...



A climbing wall with people hanging and climbing.


And that's me climbing for the first time!

South Indian cuisine 2

Introducing another South Indian restaurant in Tokyo besides Dhaba India and Nirvanam. Sri Balaji located in Nakameguro has really delicious Goan fish curry, pannir tikka masala and basmati rice (flavored with cardamon).


A few different kinds of curry


Mysore masala dosa


A couple appetizers; Pakora and Gobi 65.

Sri Balaji
03-5724-8995

Happy 2010

Happy New Year !
Here are some photos from Hatsumoude, the first visit to the shrine on New Year.

Everyone waiting on a big line at Hie-Shrine at Akasaka to pray for good health and fortune for the year. There's a photo of this place from last year during sakura season, here.


Miko-san performing a dance ritual right next to the shrine.


A long and steep steps going up to Atago Shrine.


Also known as the stone stairway to success.


It's so steep and scary to look back and down!


At the end of the hike is a small but lovely shrine where a line of people wait to pray for the new year.


A beautiful Japanese pond with lanterns right beside the Atago Shrine.
This place is also beautiful in early spring with pink sakura. I'm already looking forward to the sakura season this year.

May 2010 be filled with great health and happiness !