Valentine's Day Giveaway! leave a comment to enter!

Hi lovely friends, I'm having a giveaway this week for a copy of my Tokyo Guide zine. One wonderful person will receive my zine in a fun package with some extra goodies. Just leave a comment on this post on my other blog, and make sure you leave me a contact email, you have until Valentine's day, February 14th, 10am eastern time.

Tokyo Photojournal & Travel Guide- PRE-ORDER!!!

Dear Friends...

I had a friend come over last night and she brought in a little package left at my door by the postman and do you know what it was? it was the proof for my Zine!!!! It's amazing!!! I was floored by how beautifully it was printed!!! I gave the go ahead for the rest to go to production, so I have the zine up for pre-order in my etsy store. I should have them here before the New Year *crossing fingers and toes*. I have only a limited amount of copies, so you may want to get it sooner rather than later.






40 pages, full color
Glossy Paper (80lb Text)

Tokyo Day 7-Gakugeidaigaku, yeah a mouthful!

Today I went back to Gakugeidaigaku to explore and take pictures but first I took another trip to the supermarket to replenish my fridge since eating out can become really expensive, I figured I should get just more than breakfast foods. The great thing about the supermarket is they have really nice prepared meals like these sashimi plates. I was looking for a small bottle of sake but instead I found sake juice boxes!



On the way back from the market there was a clinic van and therse were slippers outside there steps. I also talked to this kitty who had a strange humane smile. She was a bob tailed kitty much like the rest of the strays.




I got home and had my lunch trying to save a little money so I had this tonkatsu(breaded pork) sandwich with strange flavored chips and a Calpico(milky lemon drink). Then it was off to Gakugeidaigaku!

The little sleepy neighborhood is pretty much very similar to a lot of neighborhoods, I've been to right outside the station with a long street that serves as the main shopping district, which makes it very convienient for folks coming home from work. But if you walk a little further but not by much you'll find a lovely little neighborhood with sweet stores, bakeries, and cafes.



The neighborhood was still filled with lots of trees partially in bloom, plum blossoms, peach blossoms, and mikans.






After walking around for a bit I accidently found this lovely store that I had heard mentioned on a couple of other blogs, Baden Baden. I happened upon it when I was taking a picture of the house it's in and I realized it had a sign. The store carries, accessories, housewares, furniture,lighting, baby goods,jewelry and some stationery and clothing. All just sweet and beautiful. The second floor are rooms set up with contemporary mid-century modern style furniture but in min size to fit the small Tokyo apartment. The proprietor was really sweet also and spoke some English.






These were just lovely little stores one is a grocery and the other a bakery. Then there were these 3 little amigos who were super fiesty and über tiny and cute!





Lastly, I know this is a sign for what seems to be a doctor's office or physical therapist perhaps, but what's up with the aching butt!



Getting there:

Take the Tokyu Toyoko Line to the Gakugeidaigaku Station.

Baden Baden- 2-31-7 Chuo-cho Meguro-Ku, Tokyo
This the best in directions I can give. It's tricky.
Use the exit on the left after the gates at the station. Turn right out of the station. Walk 3 blocks (landmark Minami Parlor). Bare a slight left. Walk one block. Hang a right at the corner. Walk 4 blocks (you will pass under the train tracks after one block). Then make a left, the store is mid-block on the left. Look for the orange sign.

Tokyo's obsession with Turquoise *cross post*

Walking in Nakameguro and Daikanyama I started to notice all the turquoise. Check it out:

Tokyo Day 2-My Apartment and the Scavanger Hunt

Shibuya

I waited to take some pics of my apartment until the morning because in the evening it's slightly depresso because there's only flourescent lighting, but in the morning it's sweet. Although most of the apartment is freezing the tatami mat area is warm because the heating unit is in here and the shower is super hot a big plus in my book. Neighbors are all quiet too, thank god, I thought the screaming baby was going to be a regular, not so.


I'm upstairs you can't see my door it's in the little nook




OMG! So they just stuck a toilet seat ontop of an old Japanese style toilet, thank god!


My block

My first full day in Tokyo started at 3am, yes that early I got a total of 4hrs sleep because of the jet lag. I had to wait until things started opening to get some breakfast and go to the supermarket. I was a little confused when I got outside with my map because although I saw one thing on google street view it was another view in real life, so I decided follow all the folks going to work, they must be headed in the general direction of the train station, turned out I was right. On my walk around the corner I ran into a shrine which is so amazing to have these traditional structures just around the corner. Then I got my bearings and found the supermarket, Life, but it was too early and it was closed and I had no idea what their ours were, it was 9am figure 10am things would open.



I set off to find my breakfast, if nothing was open my next choice would have been the 7 Eleven, they have tons of prepared foods. I found Cafe Doutor open, they're a chain link Starbucks but with tastier and weird food options, they are right by the train station and around the corner from the supermarket. I had a yummy macha latte and a breakfast egg sandwich that had ham, peppers and other veggies. When I went to sit down I realized that there's smoking and non-smoking here and the smoking section is actually and enclosed area and it was the only place with available seating. I sat there for under 5 mins before I saw I women get up from the non-smoking section and I ran for it, I got smoked out!



After the delicious breakfast I headed back the supermarket, and it was still closed and so was the 100 Yen store that I needed to go to, so I just wandered to check out this part of the neighborhood. Lots of neat little eateries, plenty of after-work places to get sake and fried or grilled goodness. In my little wanderings I found a bakery called Transparente, it had mostly savory treats like the one I bought with ham,cheese, and broccoli. The bakery itself was lovely, super designed.





I headed back to Life supermarket and went shopping they have two floors upstairs they have non-food items including cheap clothes. I got the basics including some snacking nori and tofu, I'm sure the bread and the nori have MSG but here you just have to pretend it doesn't exist because it's just part of their cooking. They have an amazing pickle aisle that I know three people who would freak out over it, because they love pickled stuff so much.There meats and fish section are also pretty amazing as well as they pre-prepared foods with bento boxes,sushi bentos, onigiri and much more. I went upstairs to get cleaning supplies, kitchen towels, and other necessities and had no idea you had to pay on each separate floor but the girls at the register forgave my stupid gaijin ways and let it slide this time, at least that's what I got from the miming. Popped into the 100 Yen store (99 cent store equilvalent, except with the exchange rate it $1.22) I bought stuff like clothing dryers,towels, kitchen utensils,and a bunch of other useful things. I was off, back to the apartment to drop off my spoils and eat my lunch which I bought at the supermarket a sandwich pack, that comes with egg salad, potato salad with tomato, and ham&cheese. They're tiny little finger sandwiches.




After lunch I ran into a local drugstore to by some hand soap and paper towels then I took the train into Shibuya which is only two stops on the Tokyu Toyoko line and 120 yen each way. My main goal was to head over to Tokyu hands department store to find a hair-dryer to replace my non-working one, a tea ball, and a few essentials I was missing. I just hung out exploring all the floors in Tokyu Hands, lots of amazing stuff especially in the kitchen section.


Nakameguro train platform


girl at Shibuya station


Tokyu Hands ketchup and mayo lunch pack containers


Tokyu Hands, Ladies facial apparatus', I know it looks like other stuff but it's really for skin toning, Tokyu Hands would NEVER carry naughty things.

I headed back to my neighborhood when I was done around 4:30pm and went back to Life to see if they had a hair-dryer, no dice. So now I have to sit under the heating unit to air dry my hair. Picked up dinner at the 7 Eleven, tuna salad onigiri (riceball) and a variety of soups including little packets of miso which what I had with my onigiri. Watched some more Vampire Diaries and went to sleep at 7:30pm (remember I was awake at 3am), super jet lagged.

A few things I saw on the way home

A scared doggy with dreads


A restaurant with interesting sea creatures for dinner
including this salted shark head .



my dinner