Latest Fashion Trend In Japan

While everyone associates pearls with Japanese ladies - this year the  teardrop beads are commonly seen amongst the younger generation and the trendiest for the lot in shinjuku.  Every Japanese that I’ve come across are always so well-dressed and absolutely well maintained and they may not have gone for facials every month or a manicure and pedicure but they look immaculate.  Every strain of hair is in their proper places.

So whenever I go on vacation to Japan - the first thing I look out for are their accessories and fashion - and bring some home with me - and show off as well.  Not many people around here can find the same quality of accessories or clothing - so I’m grateful that I get to travel to Japan for work and vacation all the time.

New For Valentine In Japan

Photo credit :  Tokyofashion.com

Valentine’s Day  in Japan 2012 is very popular in Japan but this is not just because you get chocolates, flowers and gifts - because in Japan, they celebrate it differently.  Now like I said before on Valentine’s day in Japan - it’s only the women who give chocolate to let the man she likes or is interested in know her feelings and then the men in Japan will recipocrate on White Day on the 14 March only in Japan and created by Japanese with gifts of chocoalate and jewelry box gifts to the one he might be interested in.   As bizarre as it may seems - on Valentine’s day - you can see woman from all over japan flocking into chocolate stores, candy stores and also flower stores to buy gifts for the men. Japanese are known for being meticulous and not worry about spending money to buy the right gifts.

Hotel Ryumeikan In Japan, Tokyo

We stayed at the Ryumeikan Hotel for only 2 days - and when we first booked it - we didn’t really think that it was a boutique hotel - looking at its picture - but we were quite wrong.  The entrance of the hotel was quite plain as you can see here - but the inside was pretty decent and some rooms I were told later that they even had those clawfoot tubs that I loved.

Unfortunately, my room didn’t have the clawfoot tub but it was still a very nice tub - if I may say so myself.  Not the conventional tub and I prefer the oval shaped tub a lot better.  I liked the open concept window where I can enjoy the night light of tokyo while i enjoy a soak after a long day of shopping or working.

For the smaller room - they don’t have such a big washing area but still a very nice one - and I wouldn’t mind having a smaller wash area as long as I have one of those clawfoot tubs.

Love the room - they gave us a king size bed - but I didn’t quite like the carpeting as you can see in this picture.  But definitely loved the desk though - one can work comfortably here.

This is the upper lobby lounge of the hotel - you can have a drink here and meet up with your guests or just relax for the evening.  It is also the place where you can check in - and if you have luggage - you need to lug it up yourself.  The hotel is only 5 mins away from the train station and I loved it - very convenient to go anywhere downtown. The rates were good - so if you are in Tokyo - and want to stay comfortably - you may want to check out this hotel.

Getting Married In Japan

So I have a lot of American girlfriends who are married or getting married to Japanese men - now why is that so I teased them ?  but yes ! it’s not uncommon these days - so many Canadians and American women go to Japan for exchange programs and many goes there for teaching and other kind of work.  So when my closest friend’s daughter wrote and told me she is getting married to a Japanese man - I wasn’t really surprised.

So what is the procedure for an American to get married in Japan - I was asked.  Well, besides first getting your partner rings there are some things you have to be made aware of if you want to get married in Japan and be legally recognized so I was told.   In Japan - they called it the civil registration - and you can do it in a Japanese municipal government office.  But of course, you can have the traditional Japanese celebration and the modern Japanese - they do it in church too - but the only legal way to get married is in the government office.

Gift For Japanese Host Family

A friend from Canada is going to Japan to teach English - for a year - she will be staying with a host family in Japan during that time.  So she wanted to know what to bring as gift to the host family for allowing her to stay with them rent free.  I’m thinking that this is part of the program in Japan - for bringing foreign teachers to teach for a year - so any gifts would be great and Japanese are usually grateful for your kind thoughts - they don’t really worry about the cost of the gift.  But since there are a few guys in the family - I suggested some padron cigar that she can get at a very reasonable price - and I know some Japanese loved their cigars.   Well, most men love cigars - and I do love the smell of it - I find them less offensive - as compared to cigarette.  So if you are sending gifts to a host family - try the padron cigars.

A Walk Thru’ The Golden Pavilion

Living in Japan for 6 months reminds me of my walk at the Golden Pavilion Temple - also known as the Kinkaku-ji.  So how do one get to the Golden Pavilion Temple?  The temple is located in Kyoto - and I was there for a few months at least - so i became very familiar with the place.  Open from 9am to 5pm - I take my afternoon walks here with my apple nano and to rest my eyes after a few hours of looking on the computer or talking with engineers.   At that time - I had to get my Apple Nano from Canada - because I couldn’t understand the ones in Japan - so before going to Japan - I saw them in Canada - and had bought them immediately.  Little did I know that my apple nano was going to be my constant companion during my stay in Japan.

The admission fee for the KinKau-ji was 400 yen then - I don’t know if it had change now.  But as you can see - it was a great place to spend the afternoon to relax before heading back to work.

The Golden Pavilion - said to be covered with gold leaf on two storey - this was used as a retirement villa for a shogun.  The surrounding is quite extravagant as you can see here - almost breathtaking the first time I came here for my walk.  I avoid talking to anyone - when I’m out for a walk - so by using my apple nano - it was perfect.  If you are visiting Kyoto - take a walk at my favorite place.

Baby Shopping In Japan

My friend who just had her baby not too long ago, shopped for most of her baby stuff in Japan - because they are ohhh - so cute!  as she puts it.  But because she jogs a lot and walks everywhere in Japan for her daily shopping and groceries - she needed a good stroller but can’t find one that is tough enough for daily walks and jobs.  So she ordered it online - the UPPAbaby Cruz was what I had recommended her - because I’ve seen everyone using it in my neighborhood and they are for the on-the-go parents.  My girlfriend is constantly on the go - so this would be an ideal product for her and her baby.   Lucky for us - we have the internet to buy whatever we need even if we are not in the same country.  90% of her baby stuff were bought in Japan - but the stroller and car seat I know she chose to get it from home.

Shopping In Downtown Shinjuku

If you hear anyone tell you that shopping at downtown Shinjuku is a blast - they are not wrong - there is just so much to pick from - you don’t know where to begin and don’t know where to stop.  I used to be so addicted to shopping in Shinjuku - that I had to put my credit card on freeze for a week to stop my addition.  I would look for those discount ray bans and handbags and the most funkiest looking dresses or shoes.   If you walk in the downtown Japan, you will see that you are surrounded by the most fashionable kids and you just envy them for being able to wear what they do.

How I wished I was young and rich - that way I can buy anything and wear just about anything instead of being confined to work clothes since we spend a lot of time in the office.  But on can’t resist those discounted ray bans for they were so popular once upon a time.  If I can go back to Japan - I would spend a few days just shopping at downtown Shinjuku.

Japanese Wives Club

When I was living in Japan for 6 months - I’ve had the privileged to meet some wonderful wives of my engineers stationed in Japan - and they taught me many things about shopping in Japan.  A lot of people thinks that shopping in Japan is expensive but they are just like us in the West - and only buy quality things and things that are on sale - and using wet seal coupons as well - to get the best deals.  One very important lesson I learned from these Japanese wives is that they never buy things that are not of good quality and of a good deal.  Even when it comes to groceries and marketing - they buy the freshest but the cheapest and make the best dish for their husbands when they come home from work.  So yes!  the Japanese wives club had ladies ranging from the age of 25 - right up to 45 of age.  And for every thing they buy for themselves and for their family - they take care in getting the right things for them.

Nail Art In Japan

Nail art from Japan has gotta be one of the most amazing art work that I’ve seen and they really make you feel like yo8u are so outdated.  This is a halloween nail art - so it looks kinda horror but there are so many cute ones that one can choose to wear.   i don’t know how one works with nails like that but when you are shopping in Tokyo - you will see lots of younger girls having nail art on their hands.   I hear they are pretty expensive - but I do like them and will try them out when I do visit Japan again.