What if I woke up in Japan tomorrow?

November 27, 2013, 2:03 pm

≫ Next: Restaurant Review: Masa

≪ Previous: RapMushi (ラップムシ)

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I’m feeling full of a cold and struggling for inspiration tonight, but there are only four more posts to go before I complete NaBloPoMo, so I must keep going! I think about Japan pretty much 24/7 – at work, at home, everywhere – but this month I feel like I’ve devoted even more time to … Continue reading »

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Restaurant Review: Masa

November 28, 2013, 1:42 pm

≫ Next: MATCHA by Les Gourmandises de Miyuko & BESCHLE

≪ Previous: What if I woke up in Japan tomorrow?

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I’m lucky here in Bristol to work very close to two Japanese restaurants – Obento and Masa. I wrote about Obento a while ago, so today I thought I’d tell you about Masa. Masa, located on the corner of Baldwin Street and Queen Charlotte Street (BS1 1PN). It markets itself as ‘teppanyaki-style’ (where the diners … Continue reading »

MATCHA by Les Gourmandises de Miyuko & BESCHLE

November 29, 2013, 12:29 pm

≫ Next: Who is the Queen of Kawaii?

≪ Previous: Restaurant Review: Masa

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I know one should never judge a book by its cover, but it seems like that rule doesn’t apply to chocolate. When I was in the Japan Centre in London the other day I caught sight of this: This is MATCHA by Les Gourmandises de Miyuko & BESCHLE, and it’s absolutely delicious. The matcha (抹茶 … Continue reading »

Who is the Queen of Kawaii?

November 30, 2013, 2:06 pm

≫ Next: Book Review: The Restaurant of Love Regained by Ito Ogawa + Win a Copy of the Book!

≪ Previous: MATCHA by Les Gourmandises de Miyuko & BESCHLE

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What happens when the two quirkiest queens of pop try to out-kawaii each other? Japan found out this week when Lady Gaga appeared on the TV show Music Station (ミュージックステーション) and was sat in the same studio as Harajuku’s own Kyary Pamyu Pamyu (きゃりーぱみゅぱみゅ). Both wearing colourful outfits and pink bows in their hair, Lady Gaga … Continue reading »

Book Review: The Restaurant of Love Regained by Ito Ogawa + Win a Copy of the Book!

November 30, 2013, 5:00 pm

≫ Next: The Restaurant of Love Regained – Book Competition Winners Announced

≪ Previous: Who is the Queen of Kawaii?

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“Returning home from work, Rinko is shocked to find that her flat is totally empty. Gone are her TV set, fridge and furniture, gone are all her kitchen tools, including the old Meiji mortar she has inherited from her grandmother and the Le Creuset casserole she has bought with her first salary. Gone, above all, … Continue reading »

The Restaurant of Love Regained – Book Competition Winners Announced

December 8, 2013, 8:36 am

≫ Next: Restaurant Review: Yen Sushi, Bath

≪ Previous: Book Review: The Restaurant of Love Regained by Ito Ogawa + Win a Copy of the Book!

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Last week I launched a competition to win a copy of the book The Restaurant of Love Regained by Ito Ogawa (Alma Books, 2012). The competition questions was:  What is your favourite Japanese dish and how does it make you feel when you eat it? There were 17 entries – thank you to everyone who took part! My … Continue reading »

Restaurant Review: Yen Sushi, Bath

December 15, 2013, 9:45 am

≫ Next: Monthly Recipe: Matcha & Azuki Cake

≪ Previous: The Restaurant of Love Regained – Book Competition Winners Announced

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Last Saturday I went to Bath with the main aim of checking out the Christmas market. It was incredibly crowded, and by the time lunch came I was desperate to escape the festive madness for something more soothing – Japanese food! Since my last visit to Bath I’d had my eye on Yen Sushi on … Continue reading »

Monthly Recipe: Matcha & Azuki Cake

December 22, 2013, 8:29 am

≫ Next: A whole lotta kawaii…

≪ Previous: Restaurant Review: Yen Sushi, Bath

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My office has the tradition that when it’s your birthday you have to bring cake in for everyone to share, so I decided to bake myself a birthday cake with some distinct Japanese flavours last week. I found the recipe here, and I would like to thank Hiroko Liston for posting it as it was … Continue reading »

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A whole lotta kawaii…

December 22, 2013, 9:12 am

≫ Next: The Wolverine

≪ Previous: Monthly Recipe: Matcha & Azuki Cake

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I am a very lucky girl, and my friends are wonderful people! My best friend in Japan is especially wonderful, and knows me so well. This week I was literally squealing with delight (sorry neighbours!) at the birthday/Christmas box that arrived from Japan. Brace yourselves – this is a whole lotta kawaii… ありがとう to my … Continue reading »

The Wolverine

December 22, 2013, 5:00 pm

≫ Next: Merry Christmas! メリークリスマス！

≪ Previous: A whole lotta kawaii…

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One of my birthday presents from my mum was the DVD of The Wolverine featuring the wonderful Huge (oopsie!) Hugh Jackman. Although I enjoyed the first X-Men movie (and did have a bit of a fantasy about joining being one of the X-Men in my youth…), I haven’t really followed the films since that first … Continue reading »

Merry Christmas! メリークリスマス！

December 24, 2013, 5:00 pm

≫ Next: 年末タッグゲーム! End of year tag game!

≪ Previous: The Wolverine

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Merry Christmas from Haikugirl’s Japan! メリークリスマス！よいお年を！Wishing you all a happy, kawaii/kakkoii Christmas! Thank you all for your likes and comments throughout the year. I still have lots of posts to share before the year is out, so do keep reading. ﾟ☆,｡･:*:･ﾟ★o (*^_^)v ﾟ☆,｡･:*:･ﾟ★o

年末タッグゲーム! End of year tag game!

December 28, 2013, 10:00 am

≫ Next: Rilakkuma Christmas

≪ Previous: Merry Christmas! メリークリスマス！

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About a week ago Ramata from the wonderful lovelycomplex: Nihon in London tagged me in the ‘End of year tag game!‘ (年末タッグゲーム!) and I promised I would respond – sorry it’s taken me so long, Rama-chan! To play the game, I have to respond to a set of questions. So, here goes… 今年の一番よかった事何ですか。kotoshi no ichiban … Continue reading »

Rilakkuma Christmas

December 29, 2013, 1:26 pm

≫ Next: Japan is not just for Christmas, it’s for the whole year…

≪ Previous: 年末タッグゲーム! End of year tag game!

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The other day I shared my latest bunch of Rilakkuma goods with you (A whole lotta kawaii…) but that wasn’t the end of it! At Christmas I was lucky enough to get a few more kawaii Rilakkuma items from some friends who know me so well… A Rilakkuma tissue box cover A Rilakkuma USB stick And a … Continue reading »

Japan is not just for Christmas, it’s for the whole year…

December 29, 2013, 2:51 pm

≫ Next: Meet Chihiro!

≪ Previous: Rilakkuma Christmas

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This coming year (as always) I’ll be keeping Japan close beside me as the months pass by. One of my Christmas presents was this cute Hello Kitty calendar: The calendar is simple, and very, very pink! Kitty wears a cute ballerina outfit, and she’s in a different pose each month. Kawaii! This is an official … Continue reading »

Meet Chihiro!

December 30, 2013, 1:28 pm

≫ Next: The sweetest present

≪ Previous: Japan is not just for Christmas, it’s for the whole year…

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Introducing… Chihiro! Chihiro is the latest addition to my Japanese doll family. Rather than being a traditional kokeshi (こけし) doll, Chihiro is a modern Momiji doll, and she’s a bit of a Hello Kitty fan if this fabulous Sanrio collaboration is anything to go by! I also got a Chihiro keyring and a Stella badge. … Continue reading »

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The sweetest present

December 30, 2013, 1:47 pm

≫ Next: Oricon: Oriental Delight and Manga Anime Desire

≪ Previous: Meet Chihiro!

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I know I’ve been sharing a lot of pictures of stuff recently, but I’ve had a birthday and Christmas, and I’ve been very lucky. My Japan collections are fully topped up for the year to come, which is just as well as I now need to save my pennies for my Japan trip in May. … Continue reading »

Oricon: Oriental Delight and Manga Anime Desire

December 30, 2013, 2:51 pm

≫ Next: Haikugirl’s Japan: 2013 in Review

≪ Previous: The sweetest present

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21st December was a very nasty, rainy day, but I had made a plan to spend the day in Salisbury for my birthday. I intended to take photos and sightsee, but it just wasn’t the weather for it. In the end, wet and cold, we gave in and started wandering back to the station. Then, … Continue reading »

Haikugirl’s Japan: 2013 in Review

December 31, 2013, 8:23 am

≫ Next: Happy New Year from Haikugirl’s Japan!

≪ Previous: Oricon: Oriental Delight and Manga Anime Desire

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Another year is drawing to a close, and it’s hard to believe I’m sat here again trying to find the words to sum it all up. 2013 has flown by, and it has been an absolute whirlwind of awesomeness. Haikugirl’s Japan has now been running for 6 years and 7 months, and I’ve written a … Continue reading »

Happy New Year from Haikugirl’s Japan!

December 31, 2013, 4:03 pm

≫ Next: Book Review: The Legends of Tono (遠野物語) by Kunio Yanagita

≪ Previous: Haikugirl’s Japan: 2013 in Review

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明けましておめでとうございます！ Wishing you all a very happy and lucky 2014!

Book Review: The Legends of Tono (遠野物語) by Kunio Yanagita

January 1, 2014, 4:57 am

≫ Next: Word of the Week: Introduction

≪ Previous: Happy New Year from Haikugirl’s Japan!

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In November I reviewed Tales from a Mountain Cave by Hisashi Inoue (井上 ひさし) (translated by Angus Turvill) (click here for my review) and I said that next on my reading list would be The Legends of Tono, or ‘Tono Monogatari‘ (遠野物語), by Kunio Yanagita (柳田 國男), the book which inspired Tales from a Mountain Cave. The Legends of Tono, … Continue reading »