Turning Japanese

Hajimashite!

I'm going to Japan in just over four weeks time. As of yet, I only have airfares and travel insurance booked, I still need accommodation, rail passes, a backpack, the list is expanding just as I think about it.

I've always wanted to go to Japan, it's been on my travel list since I came back from my Round the World trip in 06/07. After much dithering about I can't really believe I'm going!

In preparation I'm doing a short course in beginners Japanese. Myself and my partner in crime are planning to visit:


Aomori - for an overnighter and a quick look at the castle




Sapporo - to drink beer!




Kyoto - to admire the autumn beauty




Osaka - to shop...



Tokyo - to run around in Harajuku and Disneyland...





And drink lots of green tea of course!

Made In China

My parents were lucky enough to visit Beijing during the Olympic Games last month. My mum came home singing "Wo ai Beijing" and my dad declared that they'd be going back one day. True story.

They saw Michael Phelps and Stephanie Rice in the WaterCube, hiked the Great Wall of China and bought a whole lot of stuff. Like Converse shoes, Tod shoes, pashminas, panda artwork, jeans, dresses etc. Actually I'm beginning to think that the shopping almost out-shadowed the touristy stuff they did...

My mother highly recommends Beijing Zoo Markets. Located in Xizhimen, her tip was to start bargaining at 1/5 of the price. You have to have nerves of steel to bargain right though, otherwise if you're price isn't right the shopowners get highly peeved at you and tell you to bugger off.

My fave new work outfit is a "Marc Jacobs" cardigan, which was about $12 AUD.



I doubt that shopping in Japan is anywhere near as cheap as in China. We'll soon find out.

Tea dresses for tea

What is a tea dress?

A light-weight, feminine, spring/summer dress which usually has short capped sleeves and a floral pattern.

Historically tea dresses, or tea gowns, were popular attire for receiving guests at home or going to see an intimate friend. Traditional tea dresses of the late 19th to early 20th centuries featured long flowing sleeves and made of delicate materials.

These dresses were particularly popular for socialites in the UK for "high tea". This was back in the day when there was a huge gap in between breakfast and dinner (which was served at 8 pm), and lunch was only a light meal. Growling stomachs led to the creation of "high tea" by Lady Anna Maria Stanhope, the Duchess of Bedford, in 1841. She liked tea, so did everyone else and hence the perfect meal of high tea in the late afternoon began.

Meanwhile, I'm eyeing off tea dresses at the moment. Especially this Piper Lane dress.



Put on a cream cardigan and get the kettle on...

Ladies that...go to the opera

I'm hoping that I'll get better with photo editing as time goes on. At the moment I'm using Picasa, which isn't as user-friendly as Photoshop. These pics are a little darker than they ought to be.

Wore this outfit to see Mamma Mia. I have the t-shirt in grey as well, it's a bit penguin like but I think it's cute. The tights were only $5 in a bargain bin in Myer!

T-shirt: Mink Pink
Skirt: Sportsgirl
Tights: Columbine

On Saturday night I went to see The Barber of Seville at His Majesty's Theatre. I had never been to the opera before so I was expecting fat ladies, a lot of "figaros" and warbling. The Barber of Seville is a comedy in which Count Almaviva aka hot royalty is smitten with the beautiful Rosina and wants to court her without revealing his princely title. Unfortunately she's being kept captive by her guardian, Doctor Bartolo aka creepy old dude, who wants to marry her for her fortune.

Being a comedy, there's a lot of puns and slapstick elements to the opera. There were some beautiful arias, though perhaps not as gut-wrenching as I thought they'd be. This is probably because there's little heartbreak and death in the plot.

Nevertheless it was a great performance and my favourite was Figaro, the barber himself. He reminded me of Borat/Sasha Cohen in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. He's vain, lanky and struts around the stage. Oh and he's a pretty good baritone too.

The set was designed by Leon Krasenstein and is a bit cartoonish. It's also reminiscent of Antoni Gaudi's architectural work. I loved the small touches like water spurting out of the statue during the last act. Although they used a faux-ladder which was potentially a bit OHS.

It's nice to take comfort in the fact that people do dress up to go to the opera. Lots of men in bow ties and women in gowns and fur coats. It was almost, almost like being at the MET in NYC. Not quite though.



Coat: Target
Dress: Mink Pink
Belt: Target
Tights: Columbine
Shoes: Chinese Laundry
Bag: Dior

I love Wei's Dangerfield coat, the buttons are too cute. Big thumbs up!