Feeling like Christmas..

Went to the city tonight to do some last minute Christmas shopping, I also wanted to check out the Xmas illuminations. I thought about going on the weekend but lack of funds & rain kept me inside baking and watching a couple of new tv shows I found - switched at birth & the new normal.

Went to the new Don Quijote tonight and it's amazing! It's so much bigger and nicer then the one in Shibuya (where I first fell in love with the shop) and I found so many amaze things!!

Armed with my shopping I stopped at Starbucks to get a gingerbread latte and enjoyed a little flirting from the guy serving me - him complementing my Japanese skills and striking up a cute conversation, then I headed out to Peace Boulevard to check out the illuminations. They were great, and it was nice to walk around with my beats playing in my ear, sipping my latte and watching all the families, friends & couples enjoying the lights (oh & the creepy guy who set up a tripod and was taking pics of a doll in front of the displays....?!).

Warm Xmas fuzzies & fairy lights
exoh

Nails of the week

Pretty nails for the week...felt like something simple and i'm really loving this nude hue, with a little pop of color to match my super cute scarf from H&M on my whirlwind trip to Tokyo.

The pink is by Skin Food, Pedicure Vita range - #8 Strawl Hot.

The nude is a Japanese brand Eternal Basic - Romance Luxury range & the color is ENL404 Romance Brown.

exoh

Midweek randoms

Today was cold. Proper cold. Snow is coming cold. 

This winter is going to be my first full on winter in Japan - I usually sneak home to the southern hemisphere for three weeks over Christmas and New Years for some beautiful NZ summer time fun, but this year I'm staying put and the parents are coming to me...!

Just some things...

• I've had some interesting comments this week at school. Yesterday I wore my hair different - mainly because I got up late and didn't have time to do anything (and my go-to kawaii bun on the top of my head wasn't sitting right) so I swept it all around to the side of my head and put it in a messy bun under my left ear...one teacher said I "look like an adult" - not sure if that was a compliment? The vice principal said that I had changed my image - um not really buddy. Although I was wearing my glasses too which I don't too often..? and then another teacher said my face was more angular and asked if i had lost some weight - she then said to the teacher next to her "must be all that running she does" as if I wasn't there...weird. That's the one thing I don't think I'll ever get used to in Japan - people talking openly about other peoples bodies and appearance, even if it's rude. Slightly nicer today - a group of older lady teachers said that my skin was looking really nice - young and fresh. That's a compliment I'll take! And I have to agree with them on that one - although the Japanese winter is extremely dry my skin seems to agree with it and the new toner and moisturizer i'm using from Muji. 
• I have found the most delicious yogurt in all of Japan -Koku Rich. I was given a free pot after my 10km race and have been addicted ever since - which is better then my ice cream addiction which is on a hiatus due to these delicious bad boys. There are three flavors but I can only name two (my supermarket only stocks these two) - vanilla and banana maple, both of which are AMAZE.
• I finally went for a run tonight, haven't been out in a few weeks and it was good. I ran 4km and I probably could have done more, but that was the perfect amount to get back into it. I also got to test out the gloves Train Man got me for my birthday - not bad! This was our conversation - TM: "I got you a present" (hands me the present) Me: "ohhh" TM: "So I know you like running (i'm thinking in my head I don't like running, but yes I run), and it's getting cold right? And your favorite color recently is pink (it's more of an orangey/pink but hey who am I to question 1. his English skills when they're better then my Japanese and 2. getting a present!) because you bought pink rugby boots ne? Aaaand you run with your phone deshou?" Me: "yeeeeeees, can I open it?" (I open it - black and pink Nike running gloves with the tips of the fingers in special material so I can still use my phone!) TM: "nice right? I have good taste and see I know you so well!" Yes he has good taste although I don't know how well he knows me...?

It's almost Friday!! 

hearts and kisses x

super yummo yogurt in vanilla 

rugging up to go for a run

this was on my run - my neighbourhood is awesome! 

heading out in my gloves from TM 

Lazy Sunday

Spent pretty much all day in bed, and I don't feel guilty! I needed some chilled out me time just hanging around home doing nothing. I was a little productive and did my laundry - even left the house to take it to the dryers. Skyped my parents, cooked a delish dinner - burritos with homemade totillas, did my nails and spent a crazy amount of time reading random blogs!

This weeks nails - the brown is Romeo & Joliet by OPI and the gold is a Japanese brand pa and the color has the most exciting name - A16!

Somehow ending up looking like a convict for bed in two different types of black & white stripes..pajama pants from H&M and the top from Uniqlo oh and can't forget my super cute sheepy slippies!

And a little pic of the Kurose river and the sunset from my foray out of the house!!

hearts & kisses
xx

Like a summer breeze...

Summer came and went with a flurry of activity, fun times and sad goodbyes.

As much as I can't stand the humidity of a Japanese summer, there's something about summer time here that makes me happy - maybe it's all that vitamin d, or the endless summer festivals and festival food (hello toffee strawberries - apples? what?), the free time, visits to the beach at least once a week or wearing sandals and little shorts everyday.

This summer marked my third year in Japan, a country I've grown to love and appreciate more then I ever expected to when I set foot off my Air New Zealand flight those few years ago. I didn't come to Japan to "find" myself, but I have learned so much about myself that I have "found" myself in a way that I would never have, had I never left NZ. In saying that I still have more to learn about myself and more to "find" which is another adventure waiting to be had!

This summer - dancing the night away, not enough trips to the beach, learning how to surf, getting a summer cold, have allergies so bad in both my eyes that I wasn't allowed to wear contacts and had to finally succumb and buy glasses (albeit super fashion forward ones!), training for my first 10km run and learning how to run, going to physio every 2 weeks, going to the gym, playing touch, buying new touch boots, solo-ing it to karaoke, drinking beer, drinking sake, playing kissy face, making new friends, my first attempt at growing anything from seeds - basil, waiting for ever at summer sonic, falling in love with Riri, birthday parties, fireworks, purikura and friend dates.

A few snaps..

kissy face

Maire - dancing bow

singing Riri songs with Hiroko and drinking umeshu

summer nails

summer sick

running injuries

touch practice

gymming it

sake matsuri

dirty shoes

green thumb

Osaka touch

glasses and pocky

eye allergies

beach babes and boobs

never too much beach

pirates of Kure

Summer Sonic lets go

ominous clouds

ominous clouds turned to thunder storms

could be Ke$ha?

Princess Riri

purikura date with Leina before she left

more beautiful beachy times

new boots

TM comes to visit me - watching rugby

Add caption

happy birthday Fumi

rewarded with this beautiful sunset - beach celebration after my JLPT test

date night with Aki

fire bugging in the park

perfect

glasses at the eye clinic

hearts and kisses
xxx