Rainy Day Tokyo Valentines

Sandwiches! This photo above is one of the many reasons why I just love living in this incredible city! Where else can you see a cute construction site 2D style window complete with potted plants and a series of cute mamacharis parked in front of it!



This is the rainy day view from my apartment today. There was something so beautiful about the white sky and crisp air. When I transferred trains at Yoyogi-uehara today the view was magical.



Winter potted plant collections around the corner to my apartment.





Vines and a bright blue hose. All you need for a photo really. Worth taking my pompom gloves off for this one!



Super cute Yuko-chan and me at a cute little cafe in Ginza.



Yuko-chan gave me the sweetest Valentines Day present - beautifully wrapped in her gorgeous collage style.





We enjoyed making a birthday note for Shio-chan who shares her birthday with Valentines Day!



My friend Rhys presenting his iPhone VJ software at Apple Store Ginza.

I started the day running 7kms at Tipness listening to an old Drum and Bass track made by my friend Luke. I took a night time bike ride to my friend Gracies house to drop off some Valentines Day chocolates. And have just received Tokyo-ga from my friend Joel ありがとうJOEL! (Thank you James for the heads up on this too).

AND! I received the coolest Valentines Day card from my dad! He is making the shape of a heart with different photographs of himself made into a montage! Best Present Ever!



I hope you had a lovely Valentines Day Sandwiches. I can't wait for White Day.

Also! I wanted to share with you the cutest Valentines Day music by the prettiest girl ever Miss Priscilla Ahn. She sent me the EP a few days ago and I have had it on regular rotation here at my mini-me Tokyo apartment and she is just so nice that she is giving her EP away free for Valentines Day! Amazing no? Click over here, enter your email address, and the link will be sent to you to download!


Love Love
Hello Sandwich
xoxo

竹内泰人 mt animation at Shibaura House

I think you'll love this 竹内泰人 mt animation exhibition at Shibaura House! Have a look at this incredible animation which was made on location at Shibaura House!



This is also really cute!

I hope you had a nice weekend Sandwiches! Mine was filled with a Hello Sandwich workshop, a visit to this mt animation, an izakaya birthday party for my lovely friend Joel (on the 10th floor - scary!), rushing for the last train, handmade pasta and Jamie Oliver's ragu sauce, French red wine, hot green tea, mikan and a lazy Sunday morning sleep in!

Love Love
Hello Sandwich
xoxo

Kawaii Chika-san's Incredible Studio!

Oh My Goodness today was so inspiring!

My friend Shimizu-chan and I went to Asakusabashi to visit Higashi Chika-san's amazing shop and gallery Le Lieu but we when we arrived Chika-san asked 'Hello Sandwich-san desu ne?' and she gave us a beautiful tour of her studio!!! It's a four storey converted studio building which she shares with her super cute five-year-old daughter and two other creators. At the very top of the spiral staircase is this amazing space which I am so excited to share with you today! I hope you will enjoy this studio tour!



























Chika-san makes these beautiful umbrellas (and parasols) and stunning scarves (below).
You can also see more on Chika-san's website Coci la elle.











Chika-san's adorable daughter and the gallery shopfront.



Sometimes I find myself in situations like this where I have to pinch myself to believe that I-am-in-an-amazing-studio-in-Tokyo-and-they-are-speaking-to-me-in-Japanese-and-I-want-to-live-here-forever!

The moral to this story is that you really won't want to miss a trip to this gallery and shop if you're in Tokyo! Of course this will be in the new Hello Sandwich Tokyo Guide PDF coming soon!

Thank you so much Chika-san for such a delightful day! You're such a cutie!

Love Love
Hello Sandwich
xoxo

Tokyo Winter 2012

Afternoon chai.



朝ご飯。







Condensation!





Dinner without the food.





Cutest. Stamp. Ever.



Winter morning sun.





Leftover Quinoa salad.



Tokyo is a really incredible city! I've been indoors a lot lately because it's warm here in my mini-me Shimokitazawa apartment and I work from home. There's been a lot of chai, a lot of coffee, a lot of hot water bottles, constant heating, some trips to Tipness, a spot of 1Q84 reading, sadly no Nihongo study, and some work on my new Tokyo Guide...but when I go out I'm always inspired! Everyday I experience something that brings a smile to my face.

- cute Japanese boys wearing beanies in Tokyo cafe kitchens.
- the girl at Shibuya station, Inokashira sen section wearing black and white polka dot pants.
- cooking nabe.
- getting door-to-door from my apt to Shibuya by train in 15 minutes (ten mins by mamachari!)
- the LoFT Valentines Day section filled with every chocolate / chocolate wrapping / sweets cooking set item you could ever imagine. Also accompanied by the token LoFT Valentines Day song!
- eating mikan.
- the craft + design sections at my favourite Aoyama bookshop.
- being able to watch an english movie (in english) while running 7kms at Tipness.
- being interviewed and photographed for a Japanese newspaper.
- waiting for snow.
- having meetings with Japanese editors and publishers.
- wearing pom pom gloves and riding my mamachari.
- spotting pink and grey stripe trucks.

and wondering around taking instagram photos. I am hellosandwich on instagram if you are so inclined.

I hope you've having a lovely week Sandwiches.

Love Love
Hello Sandwich
xoxo

Note: My dear friend Kazumi-chan read this and commented "Your this post was moving my heart ! You tell us "LIVING in Tokyo". Oh she is so sweet!

An ordinary plastic bag

An ordinary plastic bag becomes a cute one with the help of some pompoms and a little mt tape.



Maybe I can use these altered handles for another bag in the future! It's fun to make craft from items which would usually be discarded!

xoxo

コラージュ弁当包み & 弁当 BOX (Collage Bento Wrap + Bento Box) Workshop

It's time for the first Hello Sandwich Craft Workshop for 2012!

We'll be making collage bento wraps and a collage cardboard bento box on 11th February at Kusakanmuri. We will have some boy-ish fabric patches available in case you would like to make a cute bento box wrap for a special boy in your life for Valentines Day. Wouldn't that be a sweet Valentines Day present?

Fun & Cute Craft

オーストラリアからやってきた、カラフルなコラージュなどで人気のアーティスト。母国では、『ヴォーグ・リビング』誌の副アートディレクターとして活躍。キュートで女の子らしいスタイルで、身近なものを手作りするアイデアをレッスンします。

2/11（土）のレッスンでは、「コラージュ弁当包み & 弁当BOX」を作ります。男性向けの布地を選んでコラージュすれば、バレンタインへのプレゼントにもぴったりです！

11th February
11:00 - 12:30

To reserve your spot, book online here. Or you can email me at hellosandwichblog (at) gmail (dotcom)

Love Love
Hello Sandwich
xoxo

Tsutaya Daikanyama T-site

At the moment I'm renewing the Hello Sandwich Tokyo Guide PDF and adding lots of cute places I've found since living in Tokyo. I hope you'll like the PDF guide when it's released within a few months. It's a lot of fun visiting new places to include in the guide. Yesterday we visited the new Tsutaya Daikanyama T-site. Oh my goodness this place is incredible!

Bookshop, Magazine shop, Stationery shop, DVD Shop, DVD and CD rental shop, Lounge Cafe, Starbucks, Family Mart, Cute camera shop, Electronic bike shop...It's such a lovely place to spend an afternoon.




In this section customers can listen to any rental CD before borrowing! Some customers had bought their Starbucks coffees from the cafe downstairs and were relaxing with delightful views at the listening stations.



There is a fancy lounge (coffee is ¥900!) where customers can read books and enjoy a sandwich and a glass of wine. Naturally, on a Sunday this place was packed with a long line up to get a seat. On the plus side, while you wait in line customers can browse the menu on ipads which are given to each customer.




Continuing on the ipad theme, when you're in the DVD rental section you can search for your DVD on many ipads located amongst the shelves. Once you type in your DVD of choice you are taken to a screen which precisely locates the exact location of the DVD. Very convenient. Very Japanese. I made a Tsutaya rental card and got four rental DVDs for ¥1000.The great thing is, if you select to return the DVDs by post you receive a small velcro + zipper postage paid pack to simply pop the DVDs in when you're done. And it's free to return them by post. Amazing!



The outside space, even in winter, is enjoyable. But I can't help but think how lovely it will be to dine at one of the restaurants with outdoor seating sections when the weather warms up.






If you bring your cute little puppy you can tie him/her up at mini puppy stations. Adorable no?



If you're in Tokyo and have a spare afternoon, do pop on into the new Tsutaya Daikanyama T-site for a relaxing afternoon.


Love Love
Hello Sandwich
xoxo