Real Life goes nuts, I wear two scarves

     Yeah, it's been about a month. Not quite, but almost, yikes! But this time I actually have a valid excuse-rather than pure laziness-to blame. Basically a month ago the Canadian embassy surprised us by telling us that my visa and PR was approved, so since then we've been running around like crazy to get ready for our big international move that is coming up fast in 3 weeks time. I'm looking forward to re-starting this blog when we're in Toronto... actually, it'll be my first Western Christmas in years... I've almost always been in Singapore or Japan for the holidays, so I can't wait! And we'll be joining the rest of the civilized world by finally getting iphones, so I'll also have access to a much better camera. Yay!
     I'll try to keep up with posting more, though I'm sure you all understand why it's been rather quiet lately.

In the meantime, I'm loving these two scarfs:

Synthetic leather jacket (old) and faux fur scarf by some random Japanese store

Sweater and metallic-effect scarf from Zara

And not loving the fact that our apartment looks like this:

Warehouse-chic

Over the knee socks: yay or nay?

     So Autumn marches on... rather slowly, unfortunately, I mean it's November and at night Tokyo is still just under 20C and rather humid. C'mon, get cold already!
     This mild weather is also annoying because it allows for the continuance of one of the most annoying hosiery trends: over the knee (OTK) socks. There. I said it. Some people may laud the look, and fashionistas and style mags may try to push it, but I'm not buying it.
     Now, on some occasions, even I can admit that OTK socks can be the cute, even practical. Under tall-shafted boots? Sure. Even cuter, peeking out from said boots against opaque tights of a similar or complementary color. Warm, layered, and perfect for winter, I don't doubt.

Even Gossip Girl couldn't make OTK socks happen Stateside. And with good reason, if they can make even Blake Lively's legs sport a little hosiery muffin-top.

     What I shudder at is the fashion of wearing them against bare legs, paired with micro-shorts or skirts, and high-heels/mary-janes/whatever.  Even worse are the OTK socks that are not socks at all, but sheer tights/stocking material.

Why??? Just go all out and wear tights. Or better yet, pants. 

     Luckily, despite cropping up in magazines over the last few years, OTK socks are usually restricted to runways back in the States. Girls in Tokyo, however, love this look, but really, it doesn't do anybody any favors. It can make even the slimmest legs look bulgy, and really, what's the point? Tights are much more practical. It's just my opinion, but I doubt anyone takes a glance at such a look and thinks, "wow, that's so classy and elegant." I even (rather evilly, I admit) refer to them as "slocks," combining "socks" with a rather unflattering term (that you'll have to figure out on your own, haha). And I always wonder, how comfortable can they be? Inevitably they'll start to slip down, giving the girl yet another thing that she has to monitor/touch-up during the day.
     I do wonder, however, if my abhorrence is merely due to the fact that about 70% of the girls I see are sporting these oddities. What do you ladies think? Are OTK socks haute, or horrid?

Seasonal Suede

     Suede has got to be one of my favorite clothing elements, right up there with metallics and scalloped edges. Previously the only suede I had was on my autumn/winter boots, but this year I branched out a bit, first with a suede H&M dress, and recently with a suede skirt from F21. I bought it on a whim online (gotta love the cash on delivery option here in Japan), because I needed a brown skirt anyways, and the suede intrigued me. I didn't know if it would wrinkle, or get scuffed or marked easily, especially since it was not real suede. But after wearing it one day at work, with my favorite speckled brown tights and suede brown boots (which luckily was close in shade to the skirt), I was pleasantly surprised. I can tell I'll be wearing it a lot in the coming months!

    Now if only I could find a new pair of black suede boots that weren't over $100! I bought 2 pairs a few years ago, one black and one brown. The brown are still going strong, but the black has faded and for some reason have become very slouchy and lumpy, so I had to toss them out. Right now I wear a lot of brown shades, but come winter I love me some black and grey, so they need to be replaced ASAP. There are some decent one on Aerosoles, but nothing too interesting and at a higher price point than I'm used to paying for the brand. I LOVE these from Born, great quality, I know the size 11 fits me perfectly, and at $250, not a crazy price for a gorgeous boot. But I'm thinking I'll be able to see a lot of options in Toronto, so for now I just settled for this pair I found on endless.com. Cute, sleek enough for work, cheap (under $70, including international shipping; they have some crazy sale on boots until the end of the month, so my order was $20 off!), and with a side zip for easy wear. The 11 only came in a wide width, so I sized up to a 12. Which is fine, since sometimes 11s can be a little snug on me, especially if I'm wearing thick winter socks.
     Other than that, I've been dying for some autumn candles. One of my favorite seasonal things, besides the weather and the clothes and the Starbucks drinks, are the candles that Bath and Body Works put out every year. I love the old favorites, like Cinnamon & Clove Buds and Creamy Pumpkin, and I just saw they have some interesting new ones with names like Winter Night and Sleigh Ride. Their candles are huge, cheap, and actually do a good job of scenting the whole room, BUT of course they don't ship internationally. And I'm not going to ask my dear Mum to ship some heavy candles all the way to Japan.

Why oh why haven't the Japanese embraced the candle trend? 

   They do have stores in Toronto, though, so I've actually sealed away some cash so when we get there in mid-December I can pop out to the store the day after we arrive to stock up. Sounds a little crazy? Maybe haha. But I love candles, even more than eggnog and turkey and fireplaces (okay maybe not more than fireplaces), so I will brave the Toronto snow and late Xmas shoppers to get me some. And then I will have an eggnog latte. Or two.
     Speaking of seasonal coffee drinks, my German friend and I were traumatized at Blenz coffee earlier this week. Now, a bit of backstory. My friend is from a small village in Germany, and we met at our pre-job training a few years ago. We bonded instantly over our shared German heritage (including our unpronounceable last names), our love of shopping, and the fact that unlike many other coworkers, we were actually sane and somewhat competent. Her finacee is American, half French and half Vietnamese, who looks 100% Japanese, a fact which causes much hilarity and confusion on a daily basis. When my friend went to the States with him for the first time, she was introduced to the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice latte, and fell in love. Hard. But Starbucks here doesn't offer most of the American seasonal drinks, and neither her pumpkin nor my eggnog variants have ever graced the menu. We met up for lunch recently and then decided to have coffee at Blenz, which is a Canadian chain on par with, if not better than, Starbucks. We were ecstatic to find that they were offering a seasonal drink called a "pumpkin latte", and ordered two without a second thought.

Perhaps the ultra-bright orange topping should have been our first warning.     

     So we eagerly took a sip, then another, more cautious one. And my goodness, it was utterly DISGUSTING. It was neither pumpkin, nor a latte. In fact, I don't think the hot version even had any coffee in it. The flavoring was Japanese pumpkin, not Western. For Westerners, pumpkin always means something spicy, autumnal, and nutmegy. For Japanese, it just means a type of Asian squash, which is nothing like a North American pumpkin. Usually this squash is called "kabocha" and "pumpkin" (or "pampukin" in Japanese) is reserved for the spicy/nutmeg flavor. So the advertisement was definitely misleading, not to mention the picture they showed was of a pumpkin, not the green-rinded kabocha. And with Blenz being a Canadian chain, what they heck were the doing offering a kabocha flavor? Ugh. Ugh ugh ugh. As my friend put it, it was like warm squash milk, a taste which I definitely could have gone my whole life without experiencing. It was so bad we just left, ran upstairs to Starbucks, splashed out another $10 on a pair of cappuccinos, splashed in some cinnamon and vanilla powder, and downed it as fast as we could to counter that horrible lingering taste. I think she's still having nightmares about it now. As for me, I'm just dreaming of one of these...

Get in my belly!

Cinnabar Lace, plus 5 more things

     Here in Tokyo we're now in the yo-yo weather season now, as we start to slide into fall (yes!). Still warm to hot during the day, but no longer super humid 24/7, often with a somewhat cool breeze in the air. Some days can be cool enough for long sleeves, while the next day can be pretty damn hot. So last week I could wear my heav(ier) Zara knit, but this week I had to go back to bare legs, sandals, and delicate layers. Not that I really minded, since I wanted to wear my older lace skirt, which went nicely with a sheer vermillion cardigan. 

Damn, that's bright... probably the brightest piece of clothing I own!

Love this skirt... it was super cheap, it doesn't wrinkle, and the elastic waist is a definite plus.

Cardigan and skirt by pour la frime Japan, cream undershirt by Zara

And now, another installment of 5 things that have rocked my word recently:

1. A new candle for autumn:

2. Melon cream soda (served in a pretty glass, of course): 

3. New time-sucker:

4. New tumbler (been looking for on with a lid to prevent accidental spillage, so this one from Starbucks fit the bill):

5. New H&M skirt (just a preview, I'm wearing it later this week):

Tue-Date (aka meet Mr. So-So Good)

     Since Tuesday is our "Saturday," we usually go out for "dates" then, which suits us just fine since actual Saturday nights in Tokyo are nightmarish; every downtown street, cinema, and restaurant are overflowing with partying weekend warriors, shrieking kids and their oblivious parents, gangs of high school kids... shudder.
     So Yesterday we ventured down to Omotesando, one of the nicer parts of this concrete jungle, and had a nice, leisurely afternoon marked by the triumvirate of our favorite treats: good-quality coffee (sometimes at Starbucks, but yesterday we went to the Canadian chain Blenz, which is amazing), soup curry for dinner, and then gelato at Grom for a decadent desert. Omotesando/Harajuku is super-convenient for us since it actually has all of these things, as well as tree-lined streets, and interesting shops, and, most importantly, it's located just over 15 minutes (well, 30 if we count the 15-minute walk to the relevant subway station) by train. So we went and had a grand old time, despite the super-high temps, smothering humidity, and the throngs of people who happened to be on O-bon/summer hols this week.

Goofing off while waiting for the train. I look a touch demonic here,  awesome.

I will never, ever get tired of soup curry. Also, this top is one of the oldest ones I own... I think it's going on 6 years, got it when I first moved to London for grad school. Ah, Oxford Street Topshop, that place was heaven.

Grom! Mine is the girly-looking cup bursting with peach, melon, and fig gelato. 

Haha he HATES getting his photo taken. But he's a good sport, for me at least. One of the many reasons why I love him.

A Belated OOTD, and Five More Awesome Things

     Yet another hot, humid week, and yet another without any interesting outfits to report, though I do have one from a few weeks ago, when it was actually kinda cool for summer. Like most of you, I'm sure, I'm dreaming of fall weather and, more importantly, the fall fashions that have stormed the store shelves and displays (despite the fact that this week the temperature has soared as high as 41C/105F). Though I suppose I shouldn't complain too much, since until August summer has been remarkably bearable, and even now the sun is pretty weak or shrouded by clouds most days. Still, I'm longing for the days when I can dress like this once again...

Skirt (Zara), cowl-neck top (Mango)

I seriously cannot believe that it was cool enough to wear this in July!

     I was thrilled that I was able to wear one of my favorite tops ever on a non-fall/winter day. The top has a more chain-mail appearance in real life than in the photo, though sadly the somewhat delicate weave is staring to snag and pill in places. If I hadn't been overseas on vacation (and therefore on limited funds) I would've snatched up two of these beauties. Ah, well, can't change that now!

     I decided that I liked last week's "Five Things" post (see below) enough to do another installment, and I'm thinking that you all find it interesting enough, since some of the items relate to expat life in crazy ol' Japan. So without further ado, here are five random things that rocked my world this past week:

     1. Summer nails! I always do my nails myself, though I'm looking forward to getting them occasionally done by somebody more skilled than I in Canada. I usually play it pretty safe when it comes to colors, but recently I felt like wearing some super-bright summery pink (which I like to call Barbie pink), at least on my toenails. I came across Mavala's Toulouse, a creme formula that is amazingly easy to put on. One my fingernails I played it a bit more safe with Rosee, my favorite Mavala shade.

I apologize for the frightening close-up of my toes (yes, I have five, the little one is just hiding!)

     2. Summer jam! Oh, my fiancee both loves and loathes me for finding this catchy Nicki Minaj song and playing it every five seconds on YouTube. I've never been a big fan of her music, though I appreciated her somewhat unique style (kinda Gaga/Katy Perry-esque, but still), and she does originally hail from my mater land of Trinidad and Tobago. But then I stumbled across this song, which is fast becoming my guilty pleasure pop anthem of the summer.

     3. Summer vegetables! Thanks to my super health-conscious fiancee (seriously sometimes I cannot believe that I'm marrying this uncanny mix of my father AND my mother) I have eaten foods that I previously shunned before coming to Japan. Especially vegetables... now thanks to him I crave things like eggplants, cauliflower, asparagus, and most recently, zucchini. A summer vegetable here in Japan, good quality ones can be a bit pricey, but today I managed to find some gorgeous specimens for 198 yen ($2.58), on sale from the their usual price of 298 yen. My fiancee just grills them in a mostly dry pan with a bit of olive oil, and then they're ready to eat. Yum!

Still can't believe it was that cheap. According to the label,  this one was grown up in Akita prefecture by the dude in the picture.

     4. Summer "only-in-Japan" moments! So, a bit of backstory: Japan has been gearing up for a few years to change all household TV signals/antennas to digital rather than analog, which requires all people still using old CRT TVs to buck up and actually get a decent TV (they're not expensive over here, and many reailers offered some crazy discounts when the deadline loomed). But in Japan, such a momentous occasion could never go without some official PR character mascot. Thus was born "Chidejika" ("chideji" aka digital terrestrial televison + "shika/jika" aka deer), a little deer sporting digital antennas instead of antlers. Now I love me some deer, and I love me some Japanese craziness, so I wondered if there was some way to get my hands on some Chidejika merch. And this being Japan, of course there was! The changeover came and went in July, but Chidejika is here to stay, at least on my phone.

In Japan everyone, young and old, male and female, decorates their phones with charm straps. All three of mine were gifts from Mr. So So Good. The Starbucks strap commemorates the fact that we both love coffee and all of our early dates were at the Starbucks near our office. In the middle is the Chidejika, with headphones on, for some reason. And lastly is a pink rabbit meant to resemble a famous traditional Japanese sweet (I hate the sweet, but I love rabbits). 

     5. Summer TV! Usually sucks, but a few weeks ago the fourth season of AMC's Breaking Bad premiered, and damn, is that show perfection. Teeth-grindingly tense perfection, so this is definitely not a show I watch before falling asleep. AMC is home to two of my favorite shows, Breaking Bad and Mad Men, and while both shows' staff seem to take FOREVER to write and film between seasons, if they can maintain the superb quality, then I suppose the long wait is worth it.

Good things come in fives

     Nothing new to report, no new clothes to share. So I decided to do one of those "Five Things" posts that other bloggers such as Cupcakes and Cashmere commonly feature, sharing things that made me happy this week. Not exactly original or revolutionary, but hey, it's summer, and I'm a wee bit lazy. And by wee bit I mean utterly and completely.

1. Haircut! Straightened out those pesky roots, got a deep conditioning treatment and finally got my bangs trimmed so that I can see again. Still trying to grow my hair out, but it's taking a butt ton of time.

There's something a bit Cleopatra-esque about this shot... top is an old Zara purchase.

2. Peaches! Japanese fruit and veg is nowhere near as tasty or varied as back home in California, but some things are absolutely delicious here. Peaches are at the top of that list, only available from mid July to the end of August, and pretty damn pricey (you can get cheaper ones, but they're half the size and not as sweet as the expensive varieties). We usually get the normal sunset-colored ones, but if we happen to spot these rarer, larger, sweeter and MORE EXPEN$IVE golden-skin versions, we snatch them up. Well worth it.

Looking at this picture, all I can think is "Marge Simpson's bosom"

3. Old-school American summer drinks! Lemonade has got to be one of my favorite drinks of all time. The problem? Almost nobody in Japan has ever heard of lemonade, let alone drank it. To my amazement I recently stumbled across a selection of Joe Tea beverages at a random boutique in Omotesando. Joe Tea stuff is all natural (cane sugar sweetened) and apparently is sold at Whole Foods back in the States. I got myself a bottle of half&half, a southern beverage that is just 1 part lemonade to 1 part iced tea (usually lemon, sometimes peach). Delish.

4. New bling! Got this awesome necklace for about $15 at a random shop in Omotesando metro station. I'm a sucker for all things sparkly.

5. Fruit yogurt that is a) cheap b) decently sized c) natural tasting! The Japanese do plain yogurt surprisingly well, and kefir and Bulgarian selections are easy enough to find. But fruit flavored ones? Yech. Usually only available in strawberry and blueberry (yawn), the brands found in most supermarkets or convenience stores are downright awful. They're cheap, sure, but are so chemically sweet and artificial tasting that you'd have to have never had decent fruit yogurt in your life in order to stomach it. But recently at some more upscale grocers I've come across a variety that offers interesting flavors that actually taste good, yet are priced the same as the cheapo crap from the convenience stores. I aim to enjoy these as much as I can before they disappear into the ether of Japan's fickle food market.

This being Japan, even yogurt has to be endorsed by some random celebrity. Well, at least it's actually a good product. The bottom two are orange-cassis and passion fruit-lemon. The one on top probably tastes like crap, but I got it at 7-11 because I can't resist anything that calls itself peach melba. Kinda funny how aggressively these yogurts are targeted towards female consumers. As if guys don't eat fruit yogurt!

What the heck, Tokyo?!

     This time last week, it was relatively pleasant weather, cloudy and cool, with a decent breeze. It was so atypical for late June that we all had somehow fooled ourselves into thinking that this summer might be mercifully short, or at least not so scorching hot.
     Then, since this Tuesday, the weather has been something like this:

That's like 95 F, ya'll.

     And the humidity is almost 80% at night, AND Tokyo's summer sun rises at... wait for it... 4:30 AM. AWESOME. So by the time we wake up to get ready for work not only is it super bright in our bathroom (thought not in the main room, thankfully) it has been baking in direct sunlight for almost 2 hours. Lovely.
     Thankfully, Tokyo has been rolling out some delectable summertime treats. I have pledged to drink only water at home/work (with the occasional soda or Arizona Raspberry tea at home, can't help it, it's my crack) instead of lemon tea/flavored drinks. So I've picked two indulgences to enjoy this summer.
    

The Lemon Zest Sorbet is probably the best lemon sorbet I've ever had, and I've had my fair share!

     The first is Ciao Bella ice-cream/sorbet. I believe it's actually from the States, and can be found at a number of retailers such as Whole Foods. It's made with all-natural ingredients; the lemon sorbet, for example is made from Sicilian lemons and sweetened with natural cane. Here in Tokyo Ciao Bella can be found in random convenience stores or supermarkets, though the only appealing flavor IMHO is the lemon sorbet (TO DIE FOR). All the other cool flavors have not made it over here yet and we just have blah vanilla and chocolate varieties, but I'm hoping as summer drones on we'll get a better selection. I'd love to try the mint chip, and the pistachio!
     And on the coffee front, it's getting much too hot for my usual vanilla cappuccino, and on top of the weather Starbucks Japan has randomly stopped putting out cinnamon shakers for customers to use. What's the point of getting a vanilla cappuccino if I can't spice it up with some cinnamon? Arrrgh. Luckily this week Starbucks rolled out a new variety of their cheaper convenience-store coffee drinks, the caramel macchiato.

Yeah, took this with my MacBook Photo Booth. Don't try to read the lettering, your brain'll explode.

     It actually does taste like an iced caramel macchiato, or a caramel frappuccino, without the icky ice chunk effect, and since it's for the Japanese market, it's not super sweet. At only $2 a pop, I'm a fan! That is until they decided to pull it off the shelves; these drinks are usually limited edition so I'm going to enjoy them as much as I can before they disappear!
     Summer in Tokyo is always hellish, but I'm comforted by the fact that I'll be outta here soon after it. Anyways, I hope to have another OOTD post by Monday, depending on if I can muster up the will to actually wear something relatively decent rather than just wear whatever makes me sweat the least!

Shoe Lust, a Rant, and a Pity Party

     As I think I've mentioned before, my shoe collection is almost nonexistent. I have two pairs of suede boots, one brown, one black, that are practically three years old and definitely have to be retired this year. I have two pairs of grey flats, one an awesome metallic pair from Born, which unfortunately have begun to wear away at the heel and will soon have to be tossed out. For summer, I had three pairs of flat sandals, but since two pairs were super cheap and were worn practically everyday last summer, only one remains for this year. And for work, I have three pairs of nice, if boring, pumps. One black (tooled leather, which is pretty cool), one grey (but unfortunately a rather murky dark grey, not the clear glossy color I was expecting), and one nude (the same exact style as the grey pair. Yawn).

Behold the carnage! I love how the filler/padding of the flat is red, so it looks like the shoe is literally bleeding.

     It is practically impossible to buy shoes my size (which, depending on the brand, ranges from 10.5 to 11.5 in American sizing) here in Japan, so I've long given up on it. With the Internet, however, it is actually relatively easy for me to find cute shoes in my size, but the problem is actually purchasing them. You see, most foreigners in Japan cannot get a credit card from a local bank unless they've been here for many years, are married to a Japanese spouse, or pull in a high salary. Three conditions which don't apply to me at all. I do have a credit card from back home in the States, but with no way to actually pay the balance off from Japan without paying a ton of money in service and international transfer fees, it's not really an option. That's not to say I never use it, but I rarely do, and unfortunately most of the balance has just been sitting there racking up interest and will continue to do so until I'm living in a country where it's easy to pay it off (which is definitely NOT Japan).
     This tends to cause me a lot of annoyance, frustration, and sadness when I find an awesome pair of shoes in my size (for instance, there are a ton of amazing suede fall boots on sale over on Zappos, which are under $150, which I would happily buy ASAP if I could pay in cash or had a way to pay off my credit card). And since I need to wear pumps at work, 5 days a week, I'm getting tired of wearing the same one pair (the nude, since I mostly wear the black in fall/winter, and I don't really like to wear the grey), which will surely break after being worn every work day from now until September.
     Today, PMSing and not looking forward to heading into work this evening, I decided to torture myself by looking at possible summer pumps to wear to work. An action which I totally regret now since I have fallen in LOVE with a pair of FRYE slingbacks. I actually cried a little bit (damn you, PMS) when I saw that they had the color I wanted in the size I needed!

FRYE Maya Cut Slingback pumps, $168.

     Peep toe? Check? Solid heel which is not higher than 2 1/2 inches? Check. Beige/sand colored? Check. And I love the cute cut-out design, which keeps the rather standard style of the shoe from looking too boring or matronly. Arrrrrrgh.
     Time to go drown my sorrows in a bowl of mint chocolate chip ice cream! So what if it's only 10 in the morning?

Banishing the Blues

     Recently I came across a post over at Anthroholic in which the lovely Kim asked for advice on how to deal with stress and get over the blues, and it got me thinking about how I do so (or at least try to). The blues can be persistent, I know. And since the blues are more a general and often inexplicable gloominess rather than one that can easily be traced to a specific cause or event, they can be especially tough to get rid of. Here in Tokyo (a stressful, and frankly visually ugly city...though of course some places are beautiful!) it can be tough to feel cheery again. Here are my fail-safe measures:

1) Buy some of your favorite flowers and arrange them in a pretty vase. I like roses, tulips, peonies, and hydrangeas. Something with lots of color, size, and scent. Or I get myself a new huge scented candle, and chill out with it while reading or playing video games.

2) Give yourself a mani/pedi, or get one done if you can spare the money and time. I haven't had a professional one in years, but I'd like to at some point. In the meantime, I invest in some good quality polishes, nail clippers, and polish remover and I clean, trim, and repaint my nails every week.

3) Go have (ONE of... haha) your favorite junky treats...burgers&fries, chicken fingers, a milkshake, or something from Cold Stone always does it for me. If I want a comforting pick me-up at work, I make a run to Starbucks for my favorite coffee treat (tall dry cappuccino with vanilla syrup and cinnamon powder)

4) Clean something... your place, your car, your computer's hard drive. It may not be super fun, but it's definitely productive, which usually makes me feel accomplished, and then better overall.

5) If the problem is related to clothes but you don't want to go shopping, shop your closet. Pull out some things you rediscover, febreeze/iron them, mix and match them with other pieces, and then hang them somewhere you can easily see them (I use a rail over my washing machine). Did this one just yesterday, so now I have a rail full of "new" work and casual outfits that I can't wait to try out.

6) And last, hop online and browse your favorite stores and make a note of the things you'd like to try out during a future shopping trip. Next time, it's all about H&M for me:

Fantastic, right?

The Japanese love affair with all things French? Yeah not so much anymore.

     Well, finally! I actually wore something other than pajamas for once. Yesterday was my first day back at work (though only for about an hour, the first real day back will be Saturday). Since I was only in the office for a moment, I didn't really bother with office-y clothes, especially since I was running around Shinjuku beforehand hunting down packets of taco salad spice and Irish breakfast tea (the import supermarket's stocks have only recently been replenished). This weekend will mark the return of the pencil skirt, but for Thursday, jeans and boots were just fine.

Tweed jacket (Nordstrom Juniors), blush chiffon front cardigan (H&M), blush and gold sequined top (Zara), jeans/jeggings (Zara), and brown suede boots (Aerosoles)

Gold antler necklace and gold jeweled bracelet (anemone Japan)

     This top is one of my favorites from Zara, I think it was in stores last spring/summer. Forever 21 had a similar top this winter in grey (which I have), but the Zara one is made of better, silkier fabric and is more streamlined and figure flattering. When I bought the H&M cardigan last autumn I had no idea that it perfectly matched the color of the top, but now that I know, I always wear the two together. 
     H&M has a bunch of lovely clothes in store now, but I haven't had a chance to browse since H&M is one of the handful of foreign companies that inexplicably abandoned Tokyo since the earthquake. Most of them are slinking back and reopening this week (though H&M was still closed as of Wednesday), but it definitely annoyed a lot of Tokyoites. Not so much because we couldn't go shopping, but that the companies couldn't suck it up and serve their loyal customers, even though Tokyo was actually largely unaffected by the quake. Reduce hours to conserve electricity and let the staff head home early? Sure, by all means. Close up shop and worry that the people of Tokyo would start rioting and looting? Come on. I don't know about you ladies, but shopping, even if it's just browsing, is relaxing. It takes your mind off things, even if only for an hour or so. So I definitely felt annoyed to see perpetually closed stores or counters. I ran out of my Chanel concealer last week, and when I headed out into town just to buy it, I couldn't find a Chanel counter in any of the department stores. Not a major tragedy by any stretch, but it's a part of my daily life and routine. They came back this week, but if it weren't for the fact that their foundation and concealer is the best around for sensitive skin, I would seriously consider making the switch to a different brand in protest! Many Japanese are saying how their view of France and French culture (and that of other continental European countries) has been tarnished in the weeks following the megaquake. Conversely, they love the Brits and Americans even more. Now, to each country and government their own, but shifting cultural affinities and loyalties is a real, if subtle, effect of the recent disaster and hardship here in Japan.

What's "work" again?

     Thwarted again! I was supposed to work for the first time at my office on Thursday evening. Got into work early to hang out with my friends, and while a lot of lights were switched off to save energy and in the staff room the NHK radio news was on in the background, it seemed like business as usual. Which it was for most of Shinjuku, but because people were getting back into the swing of things and abusing their heaters (Thursday was bitterly cold), the govt/electric company warned us wasteful creatures that we were approaching our set limit of energy consumption, and if we didn't stop, they would carry out an unplanned blackout. Whoops! So naturally work for most people ended early, so I didn't even get changed out of my jeans and into my work clothes, which was fine because that meant I was properly dressed to join the mass of people leaving Shinjuku (though we went by foot, definitely wanted to avoid the packed trains...everyone in downtown Tokyo finishing work at the exact same time=commuting nightmare). My fiancee and I, hands full of weekend groceries that we had picked up, walked about 40 minutes to our friend's house, dropped off the supplies, then had an awesome and cheap dinner with our best buds at a busy Chinese restaurant nearby. The blackout? Never happened (well, naturally, since the threat of it resulted in a massive drop of power usage). Work for this weekend? Cancelled again! So, until Thursday for me, it's playing video games and watching movies at home, though I'm sure we'll be going out for errands/eating out with friends by Tuesday.
     Things in Tokyo are getting even more back to normal this weekend, much to the relief of all of our bodies; a week of accumulated stress from uncertain news, uncertain schedules, and the panic of well-intended but misinformed overseas relatives has left us feeling rather put out. Found a great video on YouTube (posted yesterday), showing that life in Tokyo is just as it always was. I also like the video because it's an accurate portrayal of daily life in Japan, as opposed to the crazy/weird/pervy stuff that is showcased in the Western media:

    
     That does, however, mean that I have no new outfit pics, though I will try to take a casual OOTD pic when I go out early this week. But I will share some awesome finds that I scored at F21 and H&M in Tokyo:

Beige pencil skirt (H&M), Crochet Lace skirt (F21), white dress (H&M)

     Now, if only work would start up again (wow never thought I'd ever utter those words) so I could wear these beauties!

Fantastic Francois

     Finally ventured outside today! Everything seemed to be business as usual for Tokyo, just a bit less crowded on the streets and in the shops (nice!) and unnecessary lights were turned off, such as in overland trains and in department store display cases, etc. The wind was CRAZY today, though, over 30 km/hour. Yuck. The minute we got home we took showers (anti-radiation measure, just in case, though Tokyo is still fine on that count, the main reason was that the wind was whipping dust around like mad) and are happily hunkered down on our bed-slash-couch sipping tea (chai for him, Irish breakfast for me) and playing video games.
     Actually got a lot done today, finished all of our important errands, had a delicious lunch, got some neccessities from the drug store and a few fruit tarts from Francois Payard at the department store. Seriously their lemon tart is AMAZING, and we got their strawberry/pistachio tart to try for the first time today. I also saw online that they make a peach tart, but unfort didn't spy that at the Tokyo location. Oddly enough, the Pierre Herme counter at Seibu Ikebukuro was completely packed up, with a vague sign that they were closed, no hint that they were reopening anytime soon. Don't know if it's earthquake related or if PH Japan was just reducing their locations, since the Buk counter was never busy at all... but still, a bit weird.

Francois Payard Lemon Tart (image from payard.com), but we of course bought the individual-sized one, unfort minus the fruit toppings!

    Tomorrow it's back to work, but only for 80 minutes! Most of my shift falls outside our new limited emergency work hours, which sounds good, but I don't get fully paid, which sucks. I mean, I guess it's fair, but it still sucks. Should only be for a handful of days, though, so whatevs.
Well, at least I'll feel normal again, in my pencil skirt and cardigan!

Safe but not so Sound in Tokyo

     Well, in my 3 years of living in Japan I knew I would experience many tremors. Didn't expect the BIG ONE to hit though. But today a little past 14:30, it did.
     We didn't realize how big it was at first. We had JUST finished our lunch at our fav soup curry place and had finished our errands for the day, when the place started gently rolling and swaying, which is pretty standard for us. But then it really started to shake, and we saw the mid-level buildings across the street undulate like crazy. People spilled out onto the street, and while nobody actually panicked, everybody felt queasy and didn't really know what to do. Slowly people started to get back to what they were doing; we went into the nearby department store basement (which is one of the safer places to be in such a situation) and then the huge aftershock hit. It's 21:30 now, and we're still feeling them.   
     Our place was fine, but inside things were all over the floor (nothing broken, shockingly). But as a precaution, they turned off the gas, so no stove or hot water for us yet.
     It was big here in the capital. But a little ways up north in the formerly beautiful city of Sendai, it's so much worse. The tsunami has already hit there, sweeping away farms, cars, houses...horrible.
     Trains are still down in Tokyo and won't be up until tmr, so people are either sleeping in their offices or hotels, trying to catch buses or taxis (good luck with that), but most people are walking. We were lucky because we were in our hood, so it was a familiar 20 minute walk from the downtown area back to our place, though made rather difficult by the hordes of people walking and standing around.
     No work for the next few days, because all office buildings have to undergo structural checks. Thank goodness for the Internet though. After the quake the phone networks were totally down, but we were able to skype and email friends and family easily. Tomorrow we're heading to our friends house (walking most likely) for an early dinner and to hang out and try to feel better about all this.
     One thing for sure, it's going to be a long night! Forgive the lack of OOTD, I'm sure you all understand. Back to our regularly scheduled programming next week!
    Just for reference, this quake was the biggest to hit Japan since records began. It's multiple times stronger than the recent disaster in Christchurch.

Valentine's Day Feast

     Oh, that's right...this week was Valentine's Day! To be honest I didn't really think about it on the day, since the fiancee and I worked all day until nearly 10pm, and as Monday is our Friday we're pretty much on autopilot until our zombified bodies sink into blissful sleep, elated that unlike the other 6 days of the week the next morning will not be heralded by the bleating of our evil alarm clock. So forgive me if I this Valentine's post is a few days behind schedule!
     Even though we didn't do anything special on the actual holiday (well, on his lunch break the fiancee did run out to surprise me with a box of macarons from Theobroma, which was really sweet) we did celebrate it properly on Wednesday. Not only Valentine's day, which by itself is really nothing special, but the fact that Valentine's day was actually the day we first met 3 years ago. Seriously. My first day at our mutual workplace was February 14th. And as luck would have it, we started dating a year later in the week between my birthday and Valentine's day, so it's a very handy day to have as an anniversary!
     In the early afternoon we headed to the posh neighborhood of Ginza to hit up the Laduree cafe. We were very lucky to score a window table overlooking the intersection, which was a great spot for people watching. This time we tried some different deserts and bought some macarons to take home. I had the Isaphan (the famous rose/lychee/raspberry concoction) and C (my fiancee) had the Honorie (similar to the Isaphan, with a pistachio macaron base). The Isaphan was gorgeous and very tasty, but a bit too dry, and a wee bit too sweet (which is a very rare thing for me to admit)...the Honorie, however...WOW. I know what I'll be ordering next time!

It's a good thing for our waistlines and wallets that we don't live near this place!

     After that we walked around Ginza for a bit, and took advantage of the gourmet food basements and boutiques to pick up some goodies for the evening and the next few days. We got some macarons at Dalloyau and Chez Cima, which are rather famous (we'll be trying them this evening) and a few from Henri Charpentier, which, to be honest, were nothing special. We also got some real, honest-to-goodness English-style scones for breakfast, which were divine. And the one really outrageous splurge: albino strawberries.

I'll keep the price of the strawberries to myself, but the scones were cheap! Well, cheapish.

While we can get reasonably priced and tasty fruit at our local supermarkets and fruit sellers, if we really want some guaranteed taste payoff,  we'll make a trip to the department stores and fruit boutiques to browse the rarer, more expensive, and much more decadently packaged varieties. The albino strawberries are called Hatsukoinokaori (The Scent of First Love) and have a light subtle taste, a bit reminiscent of a good quality dragonfruit. Though I prefer the sweet lushness of Amaou, this year's most popular variety, they were quite incredible.
     In the evening we celebrated another type of love, true friendship. We met our two close friends and coworkers (aka "the boys") for soup curry, a spicy healthier version of the nationally loved dish of curry rice at Shanti in Harajuku. If you're ever in Tokyo, do check it out! You can order different levels of spiciness to suit any taste, 2 being the standard somewhat-spicy level. The scale goes all the way up to 40... which I would wager is pretty much inedible.

     I didn't have the chance to get a good picture of my casual OOTD, which is unfortunate since I really loved it. But I plan to wear it again next week or so, so it will make it onto the blog at some point. The main piece was an open-knit sweater shot through with metallic thread, which I found a month ago at Forever21 here in Japan. I have never seen it on the US site, and it has long disappeared from the Japanese one...I guess it was one of those fleeting beauties that are available for like a week before they fade back into the retail ether:

That is some crazy lighting.

Accessories by mayglobe Japan and Tiffany&Co., beige patent handbag by Louis Vuitton, Silver Screen nail polish by Revlon (love it).