Okinawa ♡

So the week before last I visited the magical place that is Okinawa, I have to say it was kind of almost exactly as I imagined it would be, a big mix of a totally different kind of Japanese culture (yet not totally different) and vintage america - think 60`s and 70`s faded colours and signs everywhere (its total photography heaven I can`t wait for my film camera to get developed!!!)

But for now here`s a bit of a view of the vibe - palm trees on the main street wahhhh!

I stayed in Naha, where the main city of the island is, and although quite bustling it felt a world away from what I`ve been used to with my limited experience of cities in Honshu, everything felt so incredibly slow paced, even the buses didn't seem to have a schedule, and everyone I met had such an open heart and kind mind, which is so so refreshing due to the complex history of the island. It should be a good lesson to the rest of the world, compassion and a more laid back work to live attitude is so much more healthy. Anyway enough rambling..

Wonderful food court / sake area which had Awamori (Okinawa shochu) at around 3 for 1000 yen with a food dish - so cheap and yummy! The guys there really knew their stuff as well, and as a proper shochu lover I had some seriously delicious drinks (just so cheap its a bit dangerous haha!)

A cute Izakaya I passed where you can donate extra foods to the cats of Okinawa (who are everywhere), just one part of the islands kind nature, although, not very vegan friendly - but I can see developments happening!

A super super cute shop where the owner had a cat (Habu) - habu means snake in Japanese, and he had 'snakey paws' when she first got him although you couldn't tell it now! She had created a range of cute things with drawings of habu on she was selling - think he looks pretty happy about that!

Crazy cute hipstery coffee place where they had dutch brewed style (my first time) which had big like apparatus style coffee maker with huge jars - so cool

Vegan okinawan taco rice (one of the islands main dishes is mexican fusion), this was amazing!!!!

Another cute place that did veggie curries and had a super nostalgic cute chilled vibe with old toys everywhere...

America town beach (definitely worth the trip here), although it takes a super long bus or a drive - its quite far up the island - past the HUGE american military base - it kind of felt like how I`d imagine Hawaii, but as an English girl it was pretty interesting how the past had fusion-ed into this strange town of touristyness and bars which felt so far from anywhere else!

This was in a crazy kawaii psychedelic shop in Koze music town...

Then onto the beaches....Odawari beach in northern Okinawa felt like something far remote from the rest of what I saw (and I think theres a lot of nature in Okinawa), but it was deserted (few scary habu warning signs) but look at the colour of the sea!!!!) so pretty...

Next up and an hour and a half`s boat ride away from Naha main island was the absolutely stunning Tokashiki island, with nothing much on the island but a very small supermarket and a few ramen~y type cafes and a campsite, its definitely somewhere Ill go prepared next time! But despite that the views were absolutely stunning, I don`t think I`ve ever seen water this colour, it was so deep turquoise and clear, and I did (attempt rather badly) some snorkelling, and saw a few interesting fish!
& after a long day...back in Naha - the original Barachos restaurant (Okinawan mexican) at 3am after some major mingling with locals and lots of shochu!

Lots of love x x x x x 

Cherry Blossom World Part 1 : Yoyogi, Shibuya, Daikanyama & Nakameguro ♡

Any of you who in any way follow me on instagram (much more frequent than here), will know there are few things (apart from deer and shiny glittery kawaii things of course) that I love more than Sakura, Japan in Sakura season really is something else, and never fails to lift my spirits and make me feel all kinds of magic, this year it was particularly needed after I lost my job and Tokyo can be such an overwhelming crazy harsh place at times. However when the flowers are blooming and everyone gets together for `hanami` flower picnics, and the rivers are lit up with blooms in some of my favourite neighbourhoods, its as if for a few short weeks communities and kind nature are drawn out from every corner, every park or public space is full of people happy to mingle and enjoy the sight of these magical pink flowers, its definitely one of the things I`d miss the most if I move. My flowery few weeks will need a few posts, but heres the first 

Instants of the first hanami with some friends & fun in yoyogi park, yoyogi is probably one of the busiest hanami spots but always super fun,

It was kind of overcast and going dark but you get the sense of the blossoms, and drinking sake from my lunch jar as I didn't have a glass haha,

Full blooms over Shibuya...

In one of my absolute favourite places Nakameguro, the blossoms line the river and are just incredible, particularly at night when they are all a lit up with a rosey pink glow..

& my new favourite toy, little film camera `sakura cam`, its been ages since I did any 35mm film so can`t wait to see the results!

Hope your all having lovely weeks! Lots of love! x x x x

Spring vibes ♡

Hello beautiful people! Sorry for again the absence, so much life change & things to think about at the moment, Spring in Tokyo is just starting to get lovely though, and heating up nicely, the sakura will be blooming next week & the cold days are drawing to a close - make way for the crazy heat to ensue! I`ve spent my free time over the last few months taking up lots of new crafting activities, and trying to stay creative in new ways. I found the absolute craft shop of my dreams so am continually creating new hair clips, pom poms and other random bits and bobs. My first challenge was learning Japanese finger knitting with this gorgeous pink chunky yarn, heres some of my recent crafting anyway...& some yummy veggies I`ve been learning to cook♡

One of my favourite vegan cute places ♡

& super cute decor...

Vintage blythe heaven I discovered recently too (so many shops full of second hand blythes - I died) haha

& lastly some spring flowers from a recent appearance in a friends music video ♡

Hope everyones having wonderful weeks ♡ Lots of love x x x x

A little trip to Kyoto new discoveries Part 1 京都 ♡

This summer was the first time to actually get a decent chunk of summer holiday included with my new job, so me and Craig decided to travel upto Kyoto & Nara (his first time). This area of Japan is incredible, possibly my favourite place in the world, not only is the spirit so reviving and the nature so beautiful, but being a vegan in japan the food is just amazing!!!! We decided to go to some places I didn't go to last time and spent most of the time exploring unknown neighbourhoods through walking - even though it was a brutal 38 degrees most days (Tokyo feels positively cool now!)

 Matcha tea and insanely delicious sweets are everywhere and there are an abundance of all vegan restaurants offering such unique and delicious japanese grub, Here`s a little snapshot of some of my favourite places & nom`s! (more to come!)

Iced sweet matcha and Kinako Dango ♡

 Amazing skies and views at sunset from Kiyomizu-dera 

Vegan japanese traditional lunch set (with yuba rice)  - Yuba is one of my favourite Japanese foods - its like a kind of skin made from the excess of tofu and super yummy!

Hope everyones having a lovely summer! Lots of love! x x x