Tokyo Midtown

[runner]

things from a little popup neko shop at parco
small stickers of illustrations by ayako ishiguro etc, cookies that look a bit like cat food, a tent for cats, and more


fashionsnap
cineca
ishiguroayako

 

[runner]

btw, what ayako ishiguro does is this kind of stuff


fashionpress

 

[softgrey]

with his work, tokujin finds the senses and feelings the most important. for example, if he does a chair, he wants the chair to have a new, unexpected noise, a new sense of touch, etc, when you sit on it. rather than designing the shape, form, or appearance, he wants to be designing the sensation. rather than the object, it's the feeling.

the success of the display in the boiler room by masao nihei seems to have come from water. if it had been a mirror, it might have been too hard, stable, and clear even in the dim-lighted space, as gaston bachelard says "one cannot dream profoundly with objects. to dream profoundly, one must dream with substances".
and then, rather than yohji's dress, perhaps it was his dress in the water.
it's the imagination rather than the object, here too.


thanks for the pics of the lovely socks!
I remember you got the wool ones at the harajuku store, but didn't know you got the vivienne westwood ones at seibu. you seem to be a serious hunter.
the mina perhonen shopping bag looks a bit like my lunch bag from muji.

doitashimashite...

i was definitely hunting...
you have no idea......
mostly i didn't even stop for lunch...
i was in serious editor mode...
absorbing everything and trying to digest it all and make selections...
though this is a natural thing for me to do, it was actually a lot of work because there was so much to absorb...
i really felt like i was on a job...


* i have been wondering what this muji lunch bag looks like~!

thanks for explaining about tokujin...
the quote and what you say makes perfect sense in this context...
especially when i think about some of his chairs and how they wobble and move if you sit in one...
there was also a piece with running water in the center of the exhibition i saw...
i can hear that water every time i view one of the works from that show...
it makes a big difference in how i experience the pieces...

same for the yohji exhibit by masao nihei..
the light was also so important in that show---the reflection...
and actually being IN the water in the little boat changed everything...
it changed the feeling and also the actual water and the image in it...

interactive art is pretty cool...

Oh very cute socks! Looove VW!! (But not in the Goth-lolita way she's popular in Japan.)

Yeah, in Japan they have these licensed V.W. accessories...they have shoes, socks/leggings/tights, and I think they had wallets and things too. They had these adorable multi-strap shoes I wanted so badly, but since they're made for the Japanese market they were too small for me.

thanks dear...
thse shoes sound sweet...
but- umm...i thought you WERE japanese...
...

 

[softgrey]

runner- the cat 'tent' is adorable~!...
mr mochi would love that!
(yes, melisande, that is the name of my cat......)

he sometimes likes to lay under the coffee table while i sit on the couch...
it's the same kind of effect...
like being under an awning, in a way...
i'm afraid that i would never get him to come out if he had something like that...
...

the ayako ishiguro drawings are very kawaii and funny...

i especially like the droopy one...
it's somehow got that creepy/kawaii feeling you explained earlier in this thread, runner...
+ =

thanks for those!

 

[Melisande]

thanks dear...
thse shoes sound sweet...
but- umm...i thought you WERE japanese...
...

Hey there! I'm back in Tokyo now, came to this thread for shopping inspiration, lol. Passed by the Seibu window display yesterday and thought of you and Runner.

Just saw this Softie, I AM Japanese, lol, no worries , born and raised Tokyo-ite, Japanese national. Except I'm mixed (ha-fu as they say here ) so I'm taller and wear bigger sized shoes!! Which is a nightmare in Japan. Which is why I'm glad I live in Paris now .

 

[softgrey]

ah!
thanks for explaining Melisande...
yes- i guess that would be a problem...
i have a friend who is 100% japanese who still has that issue...
she ends up buying european brands mostly...

here is a pic of some of the kitchen stuff i came home with...
purchased at tokyu hands mostly...
the wooden tools and grater were purchased at a stall in a train station...
i also got an ear cleaner!!!...never saw one of those before!...
...

the lip balm was one of several varieties that i got...
i was very interested in trying shiseido's drugstore brands, since we only have their premium stuff here...
honestly, this is good, but they are all very good...
i like them all much better than what is available here...
they are more like glycerine than wax...
silkier and more sheer, yet still very moisturizing and emollient...

the last pic is my big green beetle buddy who stayed on the patio with me for a couple of days...
when he decided to fly away i got so shocked/surprised/scared...
it sounded like a small helicopter was taking off~!!!
really unexpected...

 

[Melisande]

Awww he's a little kanabun! I had one perched on my chopsticks the other day as I tried to eat and I don't know if he frightened me more or if I did!

Yes, kitchen supplies, absolutely. I stock up in Japan, mostly similar stuff as yours. Sesame grinder, mandolin, chopsticks, wooden utensils, strainer, white sponges, thermoses, and this time I got two rectangular frying pans for tamagoyaki, and I'm still looking for a kyuusu teapot for my daily green tea.

I do agree the Japanese lip creams are pretty effective and drugstore brands are great here. I mostly stock up on sunscreen and foundation in Tokyo.

 

[softgrey]

I looked at the thermoses and while they are really nice as you described, I really could not imagine any relevance to my life, so I decided to skip it...
honestly, I use all of the stuff on a weekly, if not daily, basis...
even the avocado masher and the tongs...
the big salt shaker is something i saw at a restaurant and have never seen anywhere before and i have to say that i find it so great...
it's really big so it holds a LOT and the cover pops off easily so I can use it for cooking as well as after cooking...
but it stays secure so I don't have salt spills...
can't say enough about that thing...

the color of the green beetle is so much nicer in person...
i almost didn't post the pic cause it doesn't really show the beauty of the bug...
but i can't believe you call it little!!!
ha! we have brown beetles here that look almost exactly the same but they are slightly smaller than my thumbnail...
this guy was the size of half of my thumb, at least...
to me, that is a HUGE beetle~!
...

i did try to find some sun block, as per your suggestion, but i found it too difficult to determine what was what......
eventually i ran out of time and gave up...

 

[runner]

huge is saved for this type of guy over here!

and my fave one btw


opencage
livedoor
ameblo

 

[softgrey]

you know- i used to think it was funny that japanese people would like insects so much while we americans run away from them screaming...
even the tiny ones...
...

but seeing how beautiful these guys are, i can definitely understand it all much better...
that blue one doesn't even seem possible...
it looks like something a child would make up in their head...
i can imagine how children must fall in love with them!
and eventually become adults who love them...

most of ours are all black or brown and really not very cute, unfortunately...

thanks for posting those pics runner...
i don't think i ever could have imagined a blue bug with polka dots!...
and that is definitely a HUGE beetle...
...

 

[softgrey]

Yes, kitchen supplies, absolutely. I stock up in Japan, mostly similar stuff as yours. Sesame grinder, mandolin, chopsticks, wooden utensils, strainer, white sponges, thermoses, and this time I got two rectangular frying pans for tamagoyaki, and I'm still looking for a kyuusu teapot for my daily green tea.

this makes me feel really great!
if i picked the same things as a japanese national, then i'm doing alright!
it means that i edited and selected well~!

* i was considering a tamagoyaki pan...
the shape is so cool and fun...
but the reality is that i like my omelettes the french way...


there was a stainless steel teapot that i really REALLY liked at tokyu hands but it was all sold out...they only had the floor model and they wouldn't sell it to me!


kyuusu is a new word for me clap: ...i love new words! )
i'm not so familiar with this sort of teapot and didn't really see a lot of them- or at least i didn't notice them...
a teapot seems like a good thing to get while in japan...

i have a pretty one from england, which also seemed like a good idea...
i got it in a second hand shop in brighton...
it was like new- but i liked the idea that it had lived with a british family for awhile before coming home with me...

now that i think of it...
the teapot from tokyo hands was really a kettle, not a teapot...
hmmm...
yes- it would be nice to have a kettle from japan and a teapot from england...
plus- a kettle is less likely to break in my luggage...
that is the real reason i was looking at metal and very little ceramics



i found a secondhand pottery shop in mini aoyama and bought some dishes...
well- some was antique and some was cheap plastic stuff and some was funny contemporary ceramics...
it was a tiny shop that seemed to have a bit of everything...
so i had a bit of fun rummaging around their cheap little outdoor containers and found a bunch of stuff that was plastic- imitation lacquerware...
which was ok by me, because- again- it would be lightweight and unbreakable in my luggage...
plus- i would be able to use it without any concern of damaging it...
and - again- i like that idea of the pieces having some history before coming to live with me...makes them feel more authentically japanese somehow...

i did this in ireland as well...
though i got mostly sterling silver utensils and some ceramics there... spoons, sugar tongs, jam spoon, tea strainer, etc...
some places just have an historical or cultural feel to them that makes me want to capture it somehow and keep it with me forever...

i'll post pics of some of that stuff soon...

**one of the most lovely things i discovered in japan was the little wooden spoon for most desserts or puddings...etc
it has such a nicer feel in the mouth with the already soft and smooth custards...
i use a wooden spoon for my yohgurt now...
it's so much better!
i should have bought more, but i didn't realize how much i would end up using it...and loving it...

QUESTION-
do all wooden utensils have to be hand washed or can they go in the dishwasher?
I kind of guess that the answer is hand wash, but i just thought i'd ask...

 

[runner]

yes sasuga your guess is right. basically they must not go in a dish washer/dryer, microwave oven, refrigerator, and also soak in water for a long time.

 

[Melisande]

OMG Runner I've never seen those, they're beauuutiful!!
Last night Softie, a big thumb-sized kanabun exactly like yours flew into my bed and nestled onto my pillow!
It was so cute! It didn't protest when I picked it up gently and took it outside.

 

[runner]

Melisande, the green one is yamato-tamamushi and the blue one is ruriboshi-kamikiri which you could encounter more easily than kabutomushi since it's not nocturnal.


softgrey, they might still have the teakettle here.
and teapots at tokyu hands for reference.

 

[Melisande]

this makes me feel really great!
if i picked the same things as a japanese national, then i'm doing alright!
it means that i edited and selected well~!

* i was considering a tamagoyaki pan...
the shape is so cool and fun...
but the reality is that i like my omelettes the french way...


there was a stainless steel teapot that i really REALLY liked at tokyu hands but it was all sold out...they only had the floor model and they wouldn't sell it to me!


kyuusu is a new word for me clap: ...i love new words! )
i'm not so familiar with this sort of teapot and didn't really see a lot of them- or at least i didn't notice them...
a teapot seems like a good thing to get while in japan...

i have a pretty one from england, which also seemed like a good idea...
i got it in a second hand shop in brighton...
it was like new- but i liked the idea that it had lived with a british family for awhile before coming home with me...

now that i think of it...
the teapot from tokyo hands was really a kettle, not a teapot...
hmmm...
yes- it would be nice to have a kettle from japan and a teapot from england...
plus- a kettle is less likely to break in my luggage...
that is the real reason i was looking at metal and very little ceramics



i found a secondhand pottery shop in mini aoyama and bought some dishes...
well- some was antique and some was cheap plastic stuff and some was funny contemporary ceramics...
it was a tiny shop that seemed to have a bit of everything...
so i had a bit of fun rummaging around their cheap little outdoor containers and found a bunch of stuff that was plastic- imitation lacquerware...
which was ok by me, because- again- it would be lightweight and unbreakable in my luggage...
plus- i would be able to use it without any concern of damaging it...
and - again- i like that idea of the pieces having some history before coming to live with me...makes them feel more authentically japanese somehow...

i did this in ireland as well...
though i got mostly sterling silver utensils and some ceramics there... spoons, sugar tongs, jam spoon, tea strainer, etc...
some places just have an historical or cultural feel to them that makes me want to capture it somehow and keep it with me forever...

i'll post pics of some of that stuff soon...

**one of the most lovely things i discovered in japan was the little wooden spoon for most desserts or puddings...etc
it has such a nicer feel in the mouth with the already soft and smooth custards...
i use a wooden spoon for my yohgurt now...
it's so much better!
i should have bought more, but i didn't realize how much i would end up using it...and loving it...

QUESTION-
do all wooden utensils have to be hand washed or can they go in the dishwasher?
I kind of guess that the answer is hand wash, but i just thought i'd ask...

Oh how strange, why did I miss seeing this post?
Well I am certainly not surprised that you curated your purchases well, Softie! You have a great combination of instinct and knowledge and curiosity, and besides, you were probably Japanese in a past life

Do you drink green tea?
If you do, I strongly suggest you get a real cast-iron tetsubin kettle from Japan, the real unlaquered kind that is used for boiling water in, not for brewing tea. It makes the water taste...like honey...mellow and sweet and rounded, unbelievable. And it matures with age and patina and it's gorgeous. It's what they use for tea ceremonies in Japan. It weighs a ton and it requires regular use so it won't rust, and I had to carry it under my coat because it weighed down my suitcase, but it was so worth it.

If you don't drink green tea, you don't really need it, so you'd do well to get a regular kettle. I think it's such a great idea what you did re. buying second-hand kitchen stuff from different cultures. I love buying antique café au lait bowls and madeleine moulds and such in the fleamarkets of Paris I have a Western teapot for English tea and I just bought a small creamy white earthenware o-dobin teapot with little matching cups (not a kyuusu, really couldn't find one I liked...) for my daily green tea. The great thing with kyuusu is that it's made small so you drink up all the tea each time you fill it, then you refill it again and you can use infuse the tea leaves three times, which is how you drink green tea. I'm also taking back my antique matcha bowl.

I love the wooden utensils too, especially the spoons and bowls. I got a set of wooden miso-soup bowls this time, which can be used for serving nibbles at apéro time . And yes, as Runner says, no soaking, just a quick wash and immediately towel-dry.

Runner, I still can't believe that ruriboshi-kamakiri. Do they live in Tokyo?? I've never seen any and I've lived here almost all my life!!

 

[Melisande]

Oh yes, not to mention I also bought a few tea tins covered in beautiful washi. They're great, fitted with two lids, an inner plastic one and an outer metal one to ensure the tea stays fresh. I also got three different kinds of Japanese green tea. OMG I sound like a tea geek. I could go on but I will stop here!

 

[runner]

Runner, I still can't believe that ruriboshi-kamakiri. Do they live in Tokyo?? I've never seen any and I've lived here almost all my life!!

I don't remember seeing that kamikiri in tokyo. but that just mean every time I went konchuu-saishuuing I wanted to go somewhere out of this city as a kid, even though its western part had (maybe still does) lots of green. so I believe they live in tokyo too while they hardly appear in our everyday life. instead, they are there in zoukibayashi or anywhere totoro would be snoozing.


seems like the venue is tokyo.

 

[Melisande]

I've hung out a lot in the woods around Jindaiji etc (Totoro country!) but never saw them. Then again, I wasn't looking...
Then again, there is NO way I would have missed those shocking-blue guys if they came my way! Hopefully next time! <3 <3 They are so beautiful and inspiring.

 

[runner]

they are not as common as kanabun or koganemushi unfortunately. but they are never as elusive as ookuwagata either.
generally they don't appear when you are trying to find them. they tend to appear when you are looking for something else.




monster felt bags with pleats
from me issey miyake this fall
relatively good price
might make a good F/W gift

fashionpress

 

[softgrey]

softgrey, they might still have the teakettle here.
and teapots at tokyu hands for reference.

thanks for these links runner...
i don't see the kettle there, unfortunately...
if i remember correctly, it was sort of tall and narrow...
i did see this which seems like a good combo of kettle and kyuusu...
sort of 'the best of both worlds'...
https://hands.net/goods/4938897009072/

sometimes when i would click on an item to view the details, there would be suggested items on the right side which i liked but when i clicked on them all i saw was a crying duck cartoon and some words i didn't understand, but i guess it means that those items are sold out...

the work hands + beams collab which i found on the site also seemed interesting...
there was a blue apron that looked really good, but the crying duck is there also..


thanks for the info re : tea, Melisande...
green tea isn't something i go for much, so i had no real understanding about all of that...
it's very interesting to me...
your new o-dobin sounds lovely...
when i googled that i got a lot of pics of tea pots that seems to have been used to make some sort of soup...??

lucky you that you have an antique green tea bowl...
even though i am not so crazy about green tea, i do like matcha...
though that seems to be rather costly and probably more of a special occasion tea- like the champagne of teas, in a way, i guess...

*ano...sumimasen...what is this place you guys call totoro country?
is there a real place it is based on?