A smaller, local shrine, the overcast skies that day only made the red gates more striking.

Higashi Fushimi Inari Shrine

“This is a shrine that received part of the holy spirit from Fushimi Inari Taisha in Kyoto in 1929 as a shrine governing Fushimi Inari shrines in the eastern part of Japan. While the enshrined god is originally a god of agriculture, it is believed to possess miraculous power for art, a happy family, longevity, and business success.

A 10-minutes walk from Higashi-Fushimi Station on the Shinjuku Line.”
(site)

Mike & I ate dinner at かに道楽 one evening. It’s the crab restaurant that has the giant mechanical crab sign. There are many establishments. We ate at this particular Shinjuku one. We ordered a kaiseki set that included charcoal grilled king crab, crab tempura, crab sushi, crab sashimi, crab egg custard, crab miso, and more. For dessert there was green tea ice cream. The set was the easiest way to try a little bit of everything.

I forgot to take photos of a few dishes because… well we ate them; then I thought “whoops! Oh well too late now.”

They sell a few mementos at the entrance. I’m not as much of a Hello Kitty fan these days but I am a big fan of hand towels. So I picked this up!

Looks less blown-out in person. Sunny window photo

But near the end of the trip I had given in and made a few purchases on things that seemed sturdy enough to make the trek home. Thankfully they all did. Three cups and a plate.

A mug from hara donuts. A mug with a relaxed and sweet print of Monster Hunter (I love the commercialization of Airou.) And a glass cup and plate from Afternoon Tea.

Afternoon Tea is a fantastic shop. I wanted to buy EVERYTHING. Instead I purchased these dishes, a few other home goods like an aromatherapy pillow, a cat-shaped pressure point roller, some bath salts, and some earrings. Afternoon Tea is available on ZOZOTOWN which means international shipping.

はら ドーナツ [hara donuts] is a fairly new natural-style doughnut cafe. Established in 2009, it’s now a chain with multiple cafes, to-go shops, and cake roll shops (called hara roll.) The doughnuts are made using soy & whole grains so they’re naturally a bit healthier than the typical doughnut. They also have flavors such as “carrot,” which I ordered. These have such a light taste and crispy texture. I crave them now

I visited the cafe in Kichijoji. I picked up a mug and tote bag while there as well.

This is らあめん花月嵐. I love eating here. Though I don’t care for ramen much, they have amazing spicy garlic rice dishes. They offer a lot of various spicy and garlic seasons you can add in on your own.

The yellow blur is my umbrella. Rainy trip

Streamer Coffee Company in Harajuku [Jingumae more precisely.] The owner is a world champion at latte art. My friend took me here for a girl’s morning out (sans husbands.) We had lattes and shared this homemade “military” doughnut that was bigger than a typical bagel. Quiet, no-frills atmosphere with a militaristic edge (wood, metal, muted colors.) Good for sharing quiet conversation & great caffeine.

Starting with firming creams then shampoos followed by hair care/perfumes and body lotions.

I ditched a lot of the packaging for some of this stuff to save on room & weight in my luggage. Helpful tip I guess?

I bought a new body roller. An upgrade from my previous plastic ones but not quite as nice as the original ReFa. I was going to buy the ReFa but it’s $250 and I just felt so silly trying to justify the cost. This one costs about 1/5 instead and I’m really loving it. I’ve been using it every night to counteract swelling.

This is essentially Nivea’s state-side discontinued “My Silhouette” Happy I found it.

I used 1/3 of the Angel Heart Hair Wash at the hotel. Mostly to get it weighing a little less. It re-locks for easy transport! It’s a pretty OK shampoo. Nothing special but didn’t weigh my hair down & smells very lovely!

Hair spray I used while on my trip. ケープ Free Arrange. It’s OK. No strong odor and has a less stiff, “free” hold so it’s good for down do’s. To be fair it was raining 1/2 the time so my hair wasn’t gonna look too hot either way.

Hair fragrances
I only purchased rose-scented ones and there were A LOT of various brands. Seems like every brand had one and then some. Baby Veil, Organic Rose Water Mist, Jewel Jouer in Mimi Torte.

The Loretta is a hairspray for “fluffy” hair looks. The products of this brand are decorated beautifully and have a scent of rose and lavender.

Prostyle Morning Reset Water in rose, Liese Curling Water, Liese Designing Jelly (has a stiff hold,) then some rose shower wash & powder spray.

“Essence for Princess Perfect Hair”
SOLD!

Also the box for this is gorgeous. It’s hair essence so it adds shine and softens plus gives off a scent of rose all day.

Next to that, the SALA Hair Cologne is what I’m currently using daily. I’d say the scent lasts about 6~8 hours.

But the commercial, OMG this is me…

Next to SALA’s is Ma Cherie’s Hair Fragrance. The Sexy Girl Hair Cologne. I didn’t think Sexy Girl had a rose one at first because their pink bottle is “Candy Berry” scent and I just naturally looked to pink bottles for the rose scents. Finally I took a moment to look through all their fragrances and realized the purple can was the rose. Serves me right for thinking rose = pink 100% of the time.

Bewitch in Love hair body cologne and more stuff from Pink-G brand which I mentioned before here.

Then some Body Fantasies in Rose Petal which is a scent I had never seen in the states before. It’s a mix of rose & baby powder. Baby Powder isn’t among my favorite scents but it worked in this case. I bought it for something I could take with me on the plane (under 3oz) and was a strong scent since I would be essentially off & on planes for 24hours straight. Apparently this scent won some 2011 Yahoo Beauty Award. My friend told me I smelled good so I guess it works lol

Then just some Rose of Heaven stuff & Happy Bath Day body powder spray.

Liese Night Care Whip. This sounded intriguing. You blow dry it into your hair at night and it’s supposed to help you wake up with ready to go voluminous hair. I haven’t used it yet and the reviews at cosme.net have me a little doubtful but I still wanted to try it out.

I regret not buying the rose toner from this line after reading reviews that it was amazing. Either way, I did get the rosewater hair mist & this moisturizer.

That’s it for now~

Spent a better part of a day in Kamakura. It’s little over an hour from the Shinjuku station in Tokyo. It’s a coastal city with many shrines and beautiful attractions. It’s also just a nice area with cafes, shops, and has a laid back coast-vibe to it.

I don’t have a photo but I had some amazing donuts at Natural Donuts while there.

Also outside the station there’s a small taiyaki stand called Tai Putit that sells “mini-taiyaki” in various filling. You can buy a mixed bag, which I did.

It was such a sunny day and much of their concrete is so very bright white that most my photos had really blown white balance. Even with sunscreen I came home that late afternoon with a slight sunburn on my neck & forehead.

Buddha manjuu sweets!

You can pay a small (like 15 yen) fee to go into the giant Buddha.

Inside

Tokyu Plaza. There was a comme des garcons play pop-up shop inside that was really cute. It was a glassed-in kiosk counter where you just requested their key items like t-shirts, polos, sneakers. This entrance into Tokyu Plaza is beautiful and the geometric mirrors continue into the entrance.

A lot of the ad space around WEGO was open. Not all too surprising but I’ll just keep my assumptions to myself.

In Tower Records.
Falo. A magazine for outdoor life/fashion.
A perk of visiting is getting to see magazines that I haven’t had access to before. Also saw the launch issue of TOKYOViVi. Beautifully done magazine that was like a US meets Japan layout design. I wanted to buy it but it wasn’t really my taste, however it was everywhere and very alluring.

I never get tired of these long, descriptive, and almost always decorative display signs in entertainment stores

Pancake Days in Harajuku.
A rainy day retreat with warm foods both sweet and savory. I watched the pancakes being made as we waited for a table and there’s a guest book in the powder room welcoming you to sign… so I did Every day had pages worth of little messages

I ordered the Tomato & Avocado Oven-roasted Hamburger
Mike ordered their Beef Stew
We shared a dessert of Vitamin Fruits Pancake Sandwich

Everything, including the small salads, was absolutely delicious. The Tomato & Avocado Hamburger was simple but still very rich in flavor. The pancakes are light and fluffy and taste like home. The Vitamin Dessert was more tart than sweet which was a nice surprise and didn’t leave me feeling heavy.

There’s a small display of Pancake Days gift items you can purchase.
I went with the simple drawstring pouch.

I’m home now. I’m not feeling so hot; maybe I caught a small flu on the plane? Or jet lag is just being extra bitchy with me. 12-hour time difference.

Anyway I start work tomorrow. I’ll probably just be lazy and post trip photos for a while . Until then here are a few from a morning wandering around in the residential area of Shibuya finding a particular salon for an appointment we had later in the week.

If I do update it will most likely be my TWITTER or maybe TUMBLR.

I was frustrated to find that I had lost my packing notes from New Year’s. I really needed them for guidance again and I wanted to see my thought process behind the efficient coordinate choices! So, in order to not lose them again, I’ll blog them.

- Zara Navy Blue Palm Tree Dress
- Zara Mint Green Blazer
- Comme des Garcons Navy Striped PLAY top
- Uniqlo Black Dot White Blouse
- Gap Navy Blue Knit Sweater
- Madewell Dark Wash Denim Shorts
- H&M Thick Beige Pleated Skirt

First I made of list of my favorite clothes. Then I cut out the items that weren’t “multi-taskers.” Like dresses that couldn’t be worn with sweaters or cardigans. Also crossed off any items that just wouldn’t work for the climate. It’s spring with averages between 50F~70F.

I took note of a few things mentioned in “Tim Gunn: A Guide to Quality, Taste and Style“ that I previously posted.

“Having a narrative is a way to streamline what you are going to bring.”

This was actually a really fun (and surprisingly helpful!) way to decide on what to bring! I gave some thought to my wardrobe and then wrote down a few imagined themes. Eventually I settled on the theme Tokyo Gamine. OK, it’s a bit arbitrary but it meant something to me; in my mind! And it really did help focus my choices and keep off-theme items from creeping into my suitcase.

personal thoughts, etc. - I knew I didn’t want to pack jeans, because I rarely even wear jeans at home, and I don’t feel my best in them. I also knew I didn’t want to pack a coat. Even a light coat takes up room. So a spring blazer paired with a long sleeve top is warm enough for chilly nights. Packing an extra pair of the thick knit tights I wore all winter for chilly nights. Also bringing various sheer tights too or I can just go no-tights for warm days. Bringing but not shown is my new rain coat, some thin belts, and a nicely sized but comfortable handbag. I just wanted to be comfortable with uncomplicated clothing that still felt like “me” but that would also be ready for any spring temperature change.

Going to wear the sweater, dress, and knit tights on the plane. I’m always freezing on planes and the tights are as comfortable as roomwear! The sweater I can easily remove if I get hot, though I doubt that will happen.

So 7 pieces of clothing creating a total of 20+ looks not including a change of tights/no tights.

• dress
• dress + blazer
• sweater + dress
• sweater + denim
• sweater + skirt
• blouse + denim
• blouse + denim + blazer
• blouse + skirt
• blouse + skirt + blazer
• blouse + top + denim
• blouse + top + skirt + blazer
• sweater + blazer + denim
• top + blazer + denim
• top + blazer + skirt
• top + skirt
• etc.
• etc.

Simple! Add or remove the blazer or extra layer for a bit of a change in look. I’m also prepared for the spring temperature changes from day to night. This will be more than enough choices for a 10 day trip.

I still need to go to the nail salon ASAP for a quick manicure. I’m going to bring my bottle of Dior Red Royalty to have used. I’m currently wearing the Chanel Lotus Rouge I got from Yesstyle. It’s deeper rich red. But I’d like to have something more vibrant now. It’ll be a nice stress-reliving treat before I take off. I find most manicures I get done at the salon tend to last a few days longer than my at home ones. Plus they clean up my cuticles and reshape them perfectly.

Since I mentioned Tim Gunn’s book (once again) and the style concept of “gamine” I thought I’d include a bit from the “style mentor” chapter and specifically focus on the gamine section. A bit paraphrased. Basically multiple styles along with some examples are listed within his book.

LES GAMINES

Signature Look

“Ahh, those French. The key to this look is simplicity. For warm weather: a basic shift and ballet flats or leather sandals. And for winter: pretty much the same but with seasonally appropriate fabrics. Flat boots, wool tights, ballet slippers. The gamine is rarely seen in a heel.

Sofia Coppola - Natalie Portman

Classic, feminine, and young. It is the writer and director Sofia Coppola we are discussing. Petite with extremely striking features. In a recent article in The New York Times, she led a walk around Paris in simple black ballet flats, a black pleated skirt, and a navy pullover. In another photo she appeared in jeans and a black crew neck sweater. One does not get the sense that she agonized that morning over what to wear.

Another contemporary gamine is the absolutely lovely Natalie Portman. Ms. Portman, too, is petite, which raises the issue of whether petite-ness is a prerequisite for being gaminesque. The French word as a noun refers to a child or adolescent. However, it also means “mischievous” or “impish.” Ms. Portman manages to look both sophisticated and age-appropriate. She favors simple shapes in a muted color palette. Her choices almost always fall within the realm of classic, while never being stuffy.”

Recently I referred back to the book “Tim Gunn: A Guide to Quality, Taste and Style“ for a refresher on packing a wardrobe. I thought I’d share some excerpts from the “packing” chapter.
Love this book.

“ Packing is serious business. As a way to add a bit of fun, may we suggest picking a narrative? Having a narrative is a way to streamline what you are going to bring. If you are going for “Urban Sophisticate Visits the South of France” you will not bring your “Hoedown Elegant” outfits as well. It is a theme around which to pack, a way to ensure that nothing makes it into the suitcase that shouldn’t. You may be tempted by the packing theme “Person Who Wears All the Things in My Closet That I Never Wear.” Resist this. If that kimono top doesn’t feel right in Berkeley, it won’t feel right in Berlin, either.

“The packing theme is also a way to avoid that malady that strikes so many travelers: Aspirational Packing Syndrome.“

“The good packer is able to look inside herself and be honest about what will be worn.“

“There should be no uni-taskers in your suitcase.“

“Now add some shoes comfortable enough for sightseeing, but chic enough for dinner - may we suggest, yet again, the ballet flat?“

“Your handbag should be roomy enough for your digital camera and for a few wonderful trinkets. It should not, under any circumstances, be a backpack.“

“Your efficient packing will leave plenty of room for items you pick up. That’s what travel is all about, isn’t it? You may regret not buying that incredible clock, but the chance that, months later, you’ll rue not bringing that extra dress is minuscule.“

The tea bags are extremely practical as well as quite charming.

Her favorite color is green & I mentioned that I’ve been buying a lot of green lately & that it reminded me of her. So she sent these. I wore them today. The posts are hypoallergenic. I love love love that they are mix & match.

Recently received this Shinzi Katoh purse from iswas on Yesstyle. I was looking for an easy little summer bag. Sometimes when I go out I only want to bring my phone + wallet. In winter I just use coat pockets and leave my larger bags at home. But in summer I don’t always have large pocket options. So I wanted something small and no-fuss.

I’ve already used this bag a ton of times. It’s perfect. It’s extremely light and moves easily with you. I chose a color that would work with just about anything. Beige. Though the brown and navy were really appealing too. It comes with two strap lengths. I choose to use the longer strap for the crossbody option.

I love how simple this design is compared to my other bags which are covered in vintage style buckles, straps and clasp details. This one is so simple and sweet. It fits my iPhone, wallet, and often a few other things like tubes of lipstick, another small pouch, etc. It has a zip pouch on the inside as well. I love it.

I woke up to these balloons I took the day off. I’m going to the salon in a bit and it’s a 3 hour process so I figured I’d use some of my massive vacation time for it. I literally have over a month worth of vacation. Wouldn’t it be terrible if I took it all at one time?!
But I’d never do that

I purchased and saved these Oreo Birthday Cake limited edition cookies for today. They. Are. Amazing. Well basically it’s just the funfetti frosting inside of an oreo. I get a little queasy after eating only 2 but oreos are my all-time favorite junk food so I don’t mind.

I’m off to eat a quick lunch and get ready to go out!

OH, and thank you everyone so much for your comments and your tweets!
Really, thank you, thank you!

Ishizawa Lab Viva Body

More Hot Fat-Splitting Enzyme
Blood orange

“MORE HOT!!” From Ishizawa Lab. Ok, the package sucked me into purchasing this. Not because it’s cute or sexy, but instead it’s incredibly realistic! Those days your skinny jeans make you feel anything but skinny! It has an intense citrus scent that’s really more zesty orange meets grapefruit. And the water turns a beautiful milky peach-orange. Blood orange is spot on

The salt itself is mildly effective but I wasn’t impressed. Smelled great but hardly broke a sweat and I had the bathwater crazy hot with this one.

Rated 5.0 at cosme.net.

Ishizawa Lab Viva Body

More Hot Fat-Splitting Enzyme
Grapefruit

“MORE HOT!!” From Ishizawa Lab. The bright red salt surprised me at first but when the whiff of grapefruit got me it fit together. When added to the water the salt turns it a milky yellow. The scent changes some too. Actually the grapefruit scent turns a bit too bitter smelling for my liking. Just something about it I really ended up not enjoying. I felt the sweat bath is only mildly effective as well.

Rated 3.8 at cosme.net.

Bison Bakkantou Hot Bath Salt

Dreamy Floral

Creamy bath salt! Meant to both tighten and soften skin while delivering a bath fit for a princess! Contains pepper extract, ginger extract, collagen, shea butter and more. A very fruity floral scent in hot magenta colored salts. Turns the water a beautiful milky lilac shade with a layer of white bubble foam on top. The bathwater feels moisturizing and luxurious. Definitely a princess bath experience!

Rated 5.0 at cosme.net.

Rosefull - Bulgarian Wild Rose

ローズフル(ブルガリア風) - From Bison’s Rosefull line, this is the Bulgarian Rose version. It reminds me of a US type bath salt. Fine powder like granules with a heavy powdery-rose scent. Has ingredients such as yogurt to help smooth the skin. The bath salt turns the water a milky white color and the scent lasts throughout the entire bath.

Rated 4.7 at cosme.net

Princess Rose Bath

お姫様風呂 薔薇しずく
A pearl powder blend of rose essence bath salt. When I first opened the pouch the rose scent was super strong and close to a true rose blossom scent. The salt is coral in color. A nice change from the usual white or bright pink. It turns the bath water into a milky coral color as well. The scent remains strong even after being mixed into the water. A great bath for enjoying the aromatherapy if rose!

Dynabody Massage Lotion Bath

ダイナボディ

This is actually a series made by Bison some time ago. A blend of grapefruit and caffeine extracts to tighten the skin. It’s a massage salt meets bath additive. You can wet your body a bit and take some of the salt and massage it in. Then sit in the water and it dissolves into a sweat bath. Amazing grapefruit scent!! Turns the water yellow. Fairly effective but nothing spectacular. Nice for making your skin both smooth & tight.

A few reviews but no overall rating at cosme.net.

TBC Exotic Luxury Dubai SPA

Produced by beauty brand TBC with, this is a line of exotic luxury bath salts. Boasting premium ingredients like royal jelly and silk extract as well as glitter with an aroma and color meant to reflect an atmosphere of mature luxury. If ever there was a series of ultimate luxury gimmick bath salt, this would be it! And I LOVED it. The packaging is so gorgeous and everything about this salt just screams “I’m not your typical bath time.”

The salt itself is so pretty and chocked full of glitter!! Gold and silver. With an intense floral scent. The bath water turns a beautiful and sparkling shade of clear wine (or bordeaux.) Intense floral scent stays even after adding the salt to the water. It definitely has that exotic feel they were going for. From the strong perfumed fragrance to the unique rich color bathing you in shiny glitter. Though I’m not a huge fan of florals and this one was a bit on the strong-side I’d still recommend it. I think it’s perfect for a relaxing soak to wash away a bad day.

Word of advice. When you use deep colored salts like this it’s best to rinse your tub after draining. Though I scrub my tub once a week with a Mr. Clean magic eraser to keep it looking like new, it’s better to be safe than sorry with these darker salts. Don’t want to get yourself into more hardcore tub scrubbing than you possibly have to.

TBC Exotic Luxury New Zealand SPA

Another TBC produced exotic luxury SPA bath salt. This one focuses on luxurious honey from the manuka flower found in New Zealand. Includes shea butter, moisturizing oils, royal jelly extract, and beeswax as well.

Man oh man is this golden honey packaging something! Drew me in instantly! The moment I opened the packet I could smell a honey fragrance. The scent sorta fades after adding it to the bath which turns a milky orange color. You do see little orange balls of lotion floating about; clinging to the sides of the tub as they dissolve. The bath water feels moisturizing and my skin had a slight lotion’y feel to it while in the tub. I must admit my whole body was crazy silky smooth after using this salt! I love this series

Chocolate Bath Salt

Sweet Bath Time Series

A body dessert bath salt series that specializes in sweet smelling dessert themed salts. Contains collagen and cacao butter for skin moisturizing effects. Chocolate scent with chocolate color this is a salt that’s mostly for fun. The scent is a very artificial chocolate that reminded me of those old chocolate flavored lip smackers. It becomes more subtle after mixing it into the water. Nothing spectacular. Though I was craving sweets the night I used it which was a fun way to sorta get my “fix!” Probably wouldn’t purchase it again though.

Rated 2.0 at cosme.net.

Matcha & Milk Bath Salt

Sweet Bath Time Series

ボディデザート バスソルト 抹茶＆ミルク

It smells so sweetly!!! I love this one. It’s a bit unusual and a fun change of pace for bath salts. It’s from the Sweets Bath Time series and isn’t as sickeningly sweet as the chocolate version. The scent reminded me of the incredibly sweet matcha tea served up at a stall in Asakusa. I don’t care to drink such a sweet version of matcha tea, but bathing in the scent is fine by me! The water turns a milky green and the froth on top is rich and white. No special after effects really. It’s supposed to be moisturizing and skin tightening but I didn’t notice much change. Just a fun relaxing tea bath.

Rated 5.5 at cosme.net.

Tohato Bean Bath Salt

ビーノ　お風呂用

Hot water will be the color of pea green. Yes. It’s a bean themed bath salt! The salt itself is made up of pebble rocks covered in green salt. Okinawa sea salt has been included for moisturizing. The scent is a crisp smelling “marine sea breeze.”

The bath water turns to a clear bright pea green color

Romantic Fruit Bath Parlor

Bought this at Loft just because it was cute as hell! They had all sorts of fruit choices but I went with apple. It’s a plastic little apple container with apple scented bath salts inside. Aside from being packaged like drugs (lol Ziploc bag wtf,) they were nice smelling salts and the apple is sitting on my desk at work as decoration now.