Shinjuku Shop Windows

On the whole, I am not a devotee of shop window displays. I used to occasionally stop to admire Liberty's but that was about it. But following Rachel's guest post about christmas windows I have been a bit more aware of them, and the ones in Shinjuku this week definitely caught my eye. I was on one of the main roads near the station and the juxtaposition of the Louis Vuitton opulence with the Oioi (I think) department store nearby was very effective*.

The one thing that does always occur to me with these windows is logistics. For example, were the flowers shipped to the store as is and over how great a distance?

How were they packed to ensure they didn't get crumpled and bent? Are those cherries vacuum formed plastic, and what about the balloons? Or sprayed polystyrene perhaps?

Could they even be inflatable? And what happens to it after this display is done with? Does every LV shop have the same display or were these designed specifically for this space?

Moving on I admired the contrast of old culture (kimonos and kabuki make-up) with new culture (comics and manga - although comics are also a little bit old school having now been around for decades) and very new culture (the cutting edge fashion).

With this kind of thing it is the timeline that interests me. Clearly someone had to come up with the concept, get that approved, then choose the items to be displayed, the arrangement and which window they'd be in, have the artist make the drawings, finalise the designs, get them made and then set it up to coincide with having the dresses etc in stock.

And unless that was all done quite quickly, the clothes and things would have been in store for weeks before the windows were in place, which seems pointless.

But then I guess they get previews of the clothes months in advance so that probably explains it. Still - you need a skilled kind of mind to envisage this kind of thing before you've got the real stuff in front of you.

*To put this in context - this particular road is kind of a New Bond Street type bit of street in central Tokyo. Posh shops in abundance which then break off into not so posh and scraggy ones. If you know London think South Kensington tailing off into the Tottenham end of Oxford Street. I constantly get Shinjuku and Shibuya confused, although they are very different in feel. Shinjuku is more for wealthy business types while Shibuya is more teenage. There is a phenomenon known as 'Shibuya Girls' who are the ones who dress all cutesy with ringlets and frills. You see them in twos and threes, usually giggling.

There is also the Shibuya Scramble - the most mental pedestrian crossing you'll ever find. There are about 5 crossings together which you would have thought form a satanic pentagon from the number of people involved. When the green man lights up, *thousands* of people cross at once.

Normality Has Been Achieved

My facebook status a few days ago read

Every now and again, I look up at all the neon and so on, and think "Holy shit, I'm in Japan."

This happened to me again on the train this morning, and again while I was pottering around the kitchen. I have concluded that this means I am finally used to being here. Being on the metro, walking around the streets, using ingredients whose labels I can't understand, is all quite normal to me now - it doesn't seem obvious that I'm in a different country. A pretty good thing after just 7 weeks on this side of the world.

Normality coincides with my first finished knitting project since I arrived (there was the blanket but that was crochet). It is a Multinomah Shawl (rav link to free pattern) with a beaded cast off.

It also coincides with my acquisition of this FQ bundle in very japanese colours.

It also coincides with another visit to my favourite cat cafe in Shinjuku. Prizes were awarded for...Cutest Feet:

Most Variegated Eyes:

Fluffiest Face: (can you imagine what this lady looked like as a kitten - omg cute overload)

Most Freaky Looking:

And finally, Most Likely to Become an Evil World Dictator:

As I was leaving I looked back into the room just in time to catch this crazyness...

I love these cats!

Japanese Craft Books

I have been having a lovely time over New Year, tucked up on the sofa under the new crocheted blanket next to Pooch, looking through a selection of Japanese Craft books. Not only do I have access to the usual bookshops (photos in this post) but also the Book-Off chain who do second hand books. And not only am I able to buy books and magazines BUT I have a library five minutes away which has a monthly quilting magazine you can read there AND a big craft section upstairs. I really am pretty lucky.

Those of you not familiar with japanese craft books, their usefulness lies in their extensive use of diagrams, charts and symbols. This makes them highly accessible to non-japanese speakers. There are a number of websites helping you understand them too. There is a brilliant collection of resources here and I have bought new books from Pomadour on Etsy before.

A few favourites from recent reads:

and this is the kind of instructions you get for the hexagon bag.

There are also usually templates either within the pages or on a fold out pattern sheet like you get with mainstream sewing magazines.

I know these books can be pretty expensive in the UK (actually they are expensive here too!) so I'm looking into setting up a little Etsy shop selling on the second hand books I can find that are at least half the price of the new ones and which are in good condition. If you'd like new copies I'd recommend Pomadour's shop, but otherwise watch this space for updates!

Washing in Tokyo

Space in Tokyo is really scarce. However, a lot of apartments have a small outside space or balcony - even if only because you need somewhere to stick the outdoor bit of the aircon unit which is standard here. On the majority of balconies you will see something I've only rarely seen in the UK - and which I've just found through googling described by an ebay seller as a "Plastic Fold Hanging Rack Peg Dryer Airer Wash Drying Hanger Indoor Outdoor Clip" which is quite a good name, or by Lakeland as a "Magic Hanger". These often hang from laundry poles for which there are standard fittings on most balconies. A la these in the flats I can see from our balcony.

I made myself foolishly happy this morning by using mine to hang out my knitted socks.

Eleven pairs in all. All made by me except for the pinky red ones second from the right which were a present and are lovingly cared for. They include the first pair I made using ProbablyJane's Bracket Fungus pattern (rav link and fourth from right in above picture) which remains one of my favourite patterns. In fact looking at Ravelry those are now more than 6 years old - Go Lornas Laces Shepherd Sock Multi! Although they are reserved for bedsocks nowadays since they have gone quite baggy. These are not all of my knitted socks and the presence of the Fungus ones is not my only reason to think of ProbablyJane. In fact the reason why hanging them out like this made me happy is because I remembered her photos of hers hanging on her washing line back in London!

Projects Underway in 2014

I have one finished object to share and six - count 'em - underway. First the FO. 

This is the one I started when we first got here as a replacement for the full size Babette Blanket I made about 7 years ago in London...

...and gave away just before we left. The replacement one is a lot smaller - more like a single bed one - and is more for the sofa than the bed. The yarn is Spectre Modem (rav link) which is a very nice 100% wool aran and I used 2 balls of each colour with an extra 2 of the dark purple for joining and an extra one of the same for a single row around the edge. The yarn was from Okadaya which is still my favourite craft shop in Tokyo so far. 

Now for the WIPs. From left to right starting at the top...

1. Cushion cover, using up some of the leftover curtain fabric from the bedroom. I didn't have enough to do a proper closure and no zip handy so I decided on button tabs. Except I still haven't sewn on the buttons. Been two weeks now. Yep. 

2. Artemis Socks, using my Meow Foundation cat yarn in the colourway 'siamese'. I am using the Aquaphobia pattern as it is good for breaking up yarn inclined to pool, which I suspected this might. It makes it look like a tawny owl!

And of course any mention of an owl makes me think of the Hungover Owls tumblr site, which has sadly called it a day at 500 owls but the site remains up. 

3. Pooch's Birthday Present, clearly it's a Sarah Lund jumper from series 1 of The Killing. It's what he requested. 

4. Noriko's Xmas Present, yep - running a little late there. It's a Multinomah Shawl. I've got beads to add to the edging. 

5. Dress for Jasmine, I found this amazingly simple pattern on Etsy. Only making one at the moment to see if it fits. I need to snip the seams more and top stitch before ironing and adding bias tape to the bottom edge. 

6. Lucy Boston Bee Block, the January Queen has asked for green, pink, yellow and orange. That's the thing about these Bees - you get asked for colours you wouldn't normally put together. Been rather fun putting this one together. The November one was grey and yellow which are also colours I don't normally use together. March is to be orange and grey while February is currently a mystery. I was December and chose red and white with the emphasis on polka dots - what else!

I also have a thread catcher in mind - a kind or portable mini-bin for all the snips of thread that currently litter my sofa - plus more red and white Lucy blocks for my own quilt and then something based on all the japanese craft books I've been inhaling. I have pictures from those to share at some later point. 

Obligatory 2013 Mosaic

Here is approximately what I made in 2013.

Actually it was more than this - about another ten - but the Mosaic Maker will only let me have 36 pictures. There's been a lot of sewing but also enough knitting to keep it respectable. There has even been crochet, although I haven't had a chance to take a photo of the blanket I've currently got draped artistically over my pyjamas. Let's not mention all the projects I've started that either got ditched or await my renewed interest!

As Pooch remarked over dinner (consisting of crab's legs, pickles, rice, tempura and sashimi), if anyone had told us a year ago that as 2013 ended we'd be living together in Tokyo we both would have suggested they sod off. In fact if anyone had claimed to be sure we'd still be together now we probably would have told them to go and do it elsewhere. I've gained a niece, remarried Pooch, moved country, managed umpteen crises at work, left my job, become a housewife and eaten large quantities of chocolate along the way. If 2014 holds just half as much activity I'll be very happy with that.

I hope you all have the New Years Eve you want and the 2014 you deserve.



PS: I did finish the book I was reading, and thus end the year on an even number. Oompah!

Trip to Hakone and Mount Fuji

Pooch pondered and researched whether we should go away for a night before the new year week kicked off here for ten long days. He decided against on Thursday night then changed his mind at 8.30am on Friday and by 9.30am we were on our way. I am very happy he did! We headed for the Hakone area and stayed in the most amazing Hotel Fujiya. The whole area is interlaced with hot springs and is therefore absolutely packed when there are public holidays - like the new year week which most of the country gets off. That's why if we were going to go it really needed to be before the national getaway began. This is it.

You can't really see the hotel but if you click on the hotel link in the last paragraph you'll see how amazing it is. Very traditional and with its own public baths fed by the hot springs. There were bell hops inside who were actually dressed like this and bowed to greet you.

This is the view from our room, which was very old world luxurious with antique furniture and fittings.

One of the public lounges - called the 'Magic Room' - all velvet and leather.

And then there were the gardens which Pooch ventured out into while I was still asleep.

Pooch and I made full use of the swimming pool which was heated by the hot springs and very warm. I then headed off to the women's public bath. Fortunately there was a bell hop changing the towels who was able to talk me through the process as I was the only non-Japanese there. Essentially you get undressed and leave your clothes in a basket in the changing room. Then, butt naked, you go into the spa and sit on a little stool while washing yourself thoroughly. There is also a small bucket for sluicing yourself. You can wash your hair too at this point or just put it up. Then once you are very clean you get into the public bath which is very hot and completely clear. If you get too hot you can stand up and perch on the side to cool off, then you get back in. When in the water you sit still and it comes up to about your shoulders. Once suitably relaxed you get out, have another wash and then go back out into the changing area, pick up a towel, and get dressed. I know not everyone is comfy being naked in front of strangers, but having been a life model I've never had a problem with it and everyone is very respectful. Having said that the 10-ish year old girl who was there with her Mum had obviously never seen such pale flesh in the flesh and did gawp a bit until her Mum prodded her! No photos from this bit, obviously, but this is me afterwards - amazingly relaxed and full of love for the world. 

As you can see from all the outdoor photos, it had snowed - starting the previous afternoon shortly after we arrived. We had planned to do what we did on Saturday on Friday afternoon but with the snow coming down, visibility was awful. Regretfully moving a visit to the Lalique Museum to some future point, we moved the Friday agenda to Saturday and I am really glad we did. After the local train...

...came a funicular and then two cable cars.

And a first view of Mount Fuji!

It's such a Japanese icon and I'd wanted to see it for decades so it was rather awe inspiring when I finally did. Once at the top, which was really cold, there was lots more gawping at it.

Then another cable car down to where the boat across the lake began.

What was essentially a tour boat had been made to look so much better! Pooch spent most of his time out on the poop deck (pooch deck) imagining he was the Captain.

It was very beautiful.

We got back to Tokyo on Saturday in time for dinner and both felt like we'd been away much longer than one night. It was such a beautiful place. I am definitely going to be going back when the weather is warmer - as well as the Lalique Museum there are a number of art museums with impressionist and french art collections which I would love to take my time strolling through. Pooch also intends to climb Mount Fuji in the summer (crazy fool) and so we may be able to combine that and my visit with my birthday and another stay in the amazing hotel!

Final Books of 2013 #35 - #53

Click on the 'Book Review' label in the left menu for the other reviews. My others this year have been January, April and July so not exactly very frequent, but I have been reading the whole time so get ready for a motherload. Pictures are linked to am amazon affiliates account, but I just want them for illustrations so don't worry about the clicking through to buy thing.

#35 One Block Wonders Encore

An interesting way of making hexagonally tessellated quilts using triangles cut in strips based on the repeat of the fabric. You need a multiple of 6 repeats so depending on the length of the repeat and the size of your triangle this could eat up a lot of fabric. This is the technique used on one of my favourite quilts from this year's Festival. A la this one:

The technique being basically what I just said, this book adds a few curve balls with ways to create 3-d effects and then fills up the rest with patterns. Good read but not really needed if you're just looking for instructions. 

#36 Bruno, Chief of Police

by Martin Walker

#37 Dark Vineyard

#38 Black Diamond

#39 The Crowded Grave

#40 Bruno and the Pere Noel (A Kindle freebie short story)

A series recommended by Liz and something I am very glad I followed up on. Plus only £1.20 ish on Amazon as a kindle download. Bruno is the town policeman in a small french town with a history of wine, truffles and resistance fighting. This first book in the series introduces all the people you get to know during the series and the various relationships, good and bad, between them. It all reminds me of where my cousin lives in France and the stories she has told me about local politics and goings on. I really enjoy the books, as you can see from my having gobbled four of them in six months. The seasonal short story isn't great but is a nice gift to people who are already keen on the series. 

#41 The Moor 

by Laurie King

This is the latest in the series focusing on Sherlock Holmes' wife (hmph) with this one harking back to the hound of the baskervilles and the way the same house and area has developed some 20 (?) years later. I do find these books rather compelling, despite the whole nonsense of this woman being Holmes' wife. Mind you some aspects of their relationship do remind me of Pooch and I which makes me think the author has a rather trying partner in a background. Despite all this they are well written and if you are a Sherlock aficionado and know all the real stories backwards they do pick up on details within them rather cleverly. 

#42 Japanese Fairy Tales

by Yei Theodora Ozaki

My copy was a kindle freebie and had no illustrations but it looks like for 61p you now get a proper cover and drawings so that seems like a bargain. I downloaded this when the move to japan was first mooted and read it on the DLR over about 2 months. Each story is a few pages long and they vary from the "and then he died which was a good thing" type ending to "and they lived happily ever after". There were many serpents, dragons and centipedes. There was also a king who lived under the sea who came up quite a lot. A lot of people wanted children but couldn't have any and many others worked very hard and were kind to their neighbours even though they were mingers. Overall it gave a lovely insight into the traditional values of the japanese and was well worth a read if you are interested in their culture. 

#43 Death in Hyde Park

by Robin Paige 

Another in this never ending series of cosy mysteries. This one brings in anarchists and a bit of women's lib all against the background of the king's coronation. Naughty policeman and vanishing editors abound. These are really nice to read. Relaxing and enjoyable. 

#44 Cocaine Blues

by Kerry Greenwood

Although I am a big fan of the australian tv series (you get used to the accents) which is now at the end of the second series, I had not experienced any of the books until this one. This, the first in the series, was an unabridged audiobook and I listened very intently as it really was rather good. This isn't high art and probably falls quite nicely into the same category as the Paige series at #43 - these are books that aren't going to shock you despite the fact they have moderate sex and, in this case, drugs in. They hold your interest but you won;t be compelled to stay up all night to see what happens next. I'll definitely be putting the rest on my wishlist for the future. 

#45 Raising Steam

by Terry Pratchett

The fortieth Discworld book and as everyone says, surely one of the last to appear considering wonderful Sir Terry has Altzheimers. As I read the first few pages I almost groaned as this was not the quality I had grown to love in the previous 39 books. However, it quickly picked up and then it was like being on a rollercoaster as we sped through the story which brought in lots of favourite characters doing little cameos as well as lots of the Patrician and Moist Von Lipwig who, although he usually annoys me, was actually rather good in this. Clearly the railway has come to Ankh Morpork and it coincides with a dwarf civil war. Train spotters abound and it all comes down to an impressive chase and battle at the end. Like all the best books, I was saddened that it ended, but happy that I'd read it. 

#46 Beware of the Trains

by Edmund Crispin

#47 Fen Country

Two classics from the golden age of crime fiction. Short stories which can be read as diy puzzles or just as simple stories, which is the way I like to approach them. Gervase Fin appears throughout helping the police and being all intelligent and so on. Great stuff. 

#48 The Viaduct Murder

by Ronald Knox

This was an experiment for me since I don't know this series but thought I'd give it a whirl. Four friends find a member of the golf club dead on the course. The police call it an accident but they are sure it can't be. It was quite funny in places as they all try out their detective skills. 

#49 Operation Pax 

by Michael Innes

This was a very odd and unsettling book. A small time crook gets desperate and seems to try and rape a girl in the middle of the countryside. To his surprise she beats him up and when he seeks help from a local house he ends up really in the poo. You have absolutely zero empathy for this guy, but meanwhile we're introduced to war refugees, kidnapping, biological warfare, animal cruelty, human experimentation, star-crossed lovers, helicopters, fast cars and more. It was all together unlike any previous Inspector Appleby stories. Not one to start with if you want to try this series. 

#50 Lestrade and the Sawdust Ring

by M J Trow

These books are really quite bizarre. It is Lestrade from the Sherlock Holmes stories but as a real man, not the idiot he is portrayed as in those stories. In all these books he picks up a large number of fairly serious and painful injuries in the course of his duty. Here he goes undercover with a circus for reasons I can't remember now but it is all highly unorthodox. I do love this series - another one Liz introduced me to - and look forward to the next. 

#51 Lonesome Road

by Patricia Wentworth

Good old Miss Silver. This is what Miss Marple would have been like had she had to work as a Governess for 30 years or so. Adorable stories - their only downside tending to be how the women want nothing more than to be crushed in a strong man's arms until it bruises them. Great cosy mysteries. In this one Miss Silver must prevent the murder of her hostess who, although lovely, is disliked by most of her relatives. 

#52 Bertie and the Tin Man

by Peter Lovesey

The premise of this series is very silly. King Edward is a secret detective, as well as a real legover merchant, and goes about solving crimes. In this one he is convinced a jockey friend was murdered although the police are happy that it is a natural death. To solve the crime he has to have sex with a number of women and put on various lowly outfits to disguise himself as a commoner. Silly but harmless. 

#53 Bryant and May and the Invisible Code

by Christopher Fowler

The tenth in the series and I swear they keep getting better. The plot turns in this one are fiendish. Bryant and May are two elderly detectives who head the Peculiar Crimes Unit in London which answers to the home office. In this story they get an SOS from their former arch nemesis, Oscar Cassavian, who is worried about his wife. There follows all sorts of ups and downs and wrong turns before the secret is finally revealed. As I have said before, I love the London settings of these books as well as the peculiar flights of fancy that end up bringing in witchcraft and clairvoyance. Brilliant, modern detective series. 

It seems sad to end the year on an odd number so I shall endeavor to finish my current read (another of the Robin Paige books) before the end of the year. For more intelligent book reviews do head over to Liz's blog as she reads a much wider selection of things than me, as well as being a demon knitter!