Monthly Recipe: Broccoli with Miso & Sesame Sauce

March 16, 2012, 2:55 pm

≫ Next: Exhibition: 50/50 – Working in Parallel

≪ Previous: Weekly Shiritori #11

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For my March recipe, I decided to try something with a really Japanese flavour. I’ve always been a little bit nervous about cooking Japanese food, as it seems complicated, but I was happy to discover that this recipe was really simple, and tasted fantastic! A while ago I spotted a new recipe book called Hashi: A … Continue reading »

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Exhibition: 50/50 – Working in Parallel

March 20, 2012, 2:12 pm

≫ Next: Kitty and the Bulldog: Lolita fashion and the influence of Britain, at the V&A

≪ Previous: Monthly Recipe: Broccoli with Miso & Sesame Sauce

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Textile artist Matthew Harris and Mosaic artist Cleo Mussi have lived and worked side by side in various studios since 1987 and ‘50/50’ is their first joint exhibition. ‘50/50’ aims to show the work of two individuals working in parallel yet independently on a theme. The work on initial viewing may appear to have little … Continue reading »

Kitty and the Bulldog: Lolita fashion and the influence of Britain, at the V&A

March 20, 2012, 2:50 pm

≫ Next: Origami boxes for Tohoku

≪ Previous: Exhibition: 50/50 – Working in Parallel

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Kitty and the Bulldog is a free display at the V&A that will examine the relationship between Japanese Lolita fashion and its British sources. It will form part of the V&A’s British Design Season taking place across the Museum this spring. The display will feature seven Lolita designs that reflect different British influences on this rapidly expanding fashion phenomenon. A … Continue reading »

Origami boxes for Tohoku

March 21, 2012, 10:15 am

≫ Next: Weekly Shiritori #12

≪ Previous: Kitty and the Bulldog: Lolita fashion and the influence of Britain, at the V&A

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A friend of Haikugirl’s Japan is selling beautiful origami boxes online, and the proceeds are going to help recovery efforts in Tohoku. The auctions close on Saturday 24th March, so make sure you take a look right now… This site links to a set of eBay auctions of decorative hexagonal origami gift boxes. The auctions mark … Continue reading »

Weekly Shiritori #12

March 23, 2012, 4:20 pm

≫ Next: Catching the blossom with a haiku

≪ Previous: Origami boxes for Tohoku

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Last week’s post was about Basashi ( ばさし/ 馬刺し), so this week I need to start with し (shi). I decided to write about… Shizuoka ( しずおか/ 静岡) Shizuoka Prefecture (Shizuoka-ken (静岡県) is located in central Japan, on Honshu (the main island of Japan), and the capital is Shizuoka City (Shizuoka-shi). I lived in Hamamatsu City in Shizuoka … Continue reading »

Catching the blossom with a haiku

March 24, 2012, 10:11 am

≫ Next: Seven Beach Aid’s “You Are Not Forgotten” – event video

≪ Previous: Weekly Shiritori #12

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After spending a few hours in St James’s Park under the cherry blossoms (or possibly some other kind of blossoms, I can’t actually tell), I made my way to the Chelsea College of Art for a haiku workshop. The workshop was run by haiku poets Sho Otaka and Paul Conneally, in English and Japanese, and … Continue reading »

Seven Beach Aid’s “You Are Not Forgotten” – event video

March 30, 2012, 4:41 am

≫ Next: Exhibition: “Kitsch Kogei” by Keiko Masumoto

≪ Previous: Catching the blossom with a haiku

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On 11th March I was involved with a Seven Beach Aid charity event in London called You Are Not Forgotten, which commemorated the one year anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami. A video of the event has now been put together. Please have a look if you have time: (For anyone who’s curious, you … Continue reading »

Exhibition: “Kitsch Kogei” by Keiko Masumoto

March 30, 2012, 3:04 pm

≫ Next: Weekly Shiritori #13

≪ Previous: Seven Beach Aid’s “You Are Not Forgotten” – event video

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Can there exist objects that are not designed for practical use, yet are not simply decorative pieces? That is the question Keiko Masumoto‘s exhibition “Kitsch Kogei” at the ICN gallery in London is asking. Masumoto’s pieces, such as this octopus pot, take a look at the blurred boundaries between fine art and craft. Is this … Continue reading »

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Weekly Shiritori #13

March 31, 2012, 3:53 am

≫ Next: Japanese films at the Terracotta Far East Film Festival

≪ Previous: Exhibition: “Kitsch Kogei” by Keiko Masumoto

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Last week’s post was about Shizuoka ( しずおか/ 静岡), so this week I need to start with か (ka). I decided to write about… Kamishibai ( かみしばい/ 紙芝居) Kamishibai is a traditional form of storytelling, which uses pictures on paper. The pictures are usually placed into some kind of frame, as you can see in the … Continue reading »

Japanese films at the Terracotta Far East Film Festival

March 31, 2012, 6:50 am

≫ Next: The Tohoku Plan

≪ Previous: Weekly Shiritori #13

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The 4th annual Terracotta Far East Film Festival will be held from 12th -15th April, hosted by the Prince Charles Cinema in London’s Chinatown. The festival programme includes films from South Korea, China, Burma, Taiwan and, of course, Japan. The Japanese films that will be showing are: 13th April From Up On Poppy Hill [Goro … Continue reading »

The Tohoku Plan

April 1, 2012, 4:56 am

≫ Next: The Very Inspiring Blogger Award

≪ Previous: Japanese films at the Terracotta Far East Film Festival

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Folks, I have a plan! Ever since returning to the UK last April, I’ve been listing up the places I want to visit next time I go to Japan. Following the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami in March 2011, I feel drawn to the Tohoku region. At the time of the disaster I didn’t … Continue reading »

The Very Inspiring Blogger Award

April 1, 2012, 6:09 am

≫ Next: Globe to Globe: Shakespeare’s Coriolanus in Japanese

≪ Previous: The Tohoku Plan

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This weekend I was delighted to receive the “Very Inspiring Blogger Award” from Ged over at Spectacular Sentience. Spectacular Sentience is a very inspiring blog, and Ged absolutely deserves to have won the award. One of the conditions of winning the award is to pass it on to the bloggers who inspire you, and I’m … Continue reading »

Globe to Globe: Shakespeare’s Coriolanus in Japanese

April 5, 2012, 3:19 pm

≫ Next: Weekly Shiritori #14

≪ Previous: The Very Inspiring Blogger Award

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“The man who ceases to be astonished is hollow, possessed of an extinguished heart. If he believes that everything has already happened, that he has seen it all, then something most precious has died within him – the delight in life.” (Herodotus 440 BC) It was with this quote in mind that Globe to Globe … Continue reading »

Weekly Shiritori #14

April 7, 2012, 8:46 am

≫ Next: Happy Hello Kitty Easter

≪ Previous: Globe to Globe: Shakespeare’s Coriolanus in Japanese

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Last week’s post was about kamishibai (かみしばい/ 紙芝居), so this week I need to start with い (i). I decided to write about… Iwate (いわて/ 岩手) (Map: Google) Iwate Prefecture (Iwate-ken / 岩手県) is located in the Tohoku region of Honshu (the main island of Japan), and the capital city is Morioka (Morioka-shi / 盛岡市). I’ve never been … Continue reading »

Happy Hello Kitty Easter

April 8, 2012, 2:39 am

≫ Next: Wasabi Chocolate

≪ Previous: Weekly Shiritori #14

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It seems Hello Kitty really is here to stay in England (wish she’d been so popular when I was a kid!). My local Sainsbury’s had these Hello Kitty Easter eggs for sale: What with the Hello Kitty crackers I found at Christmas, and now these Easter eggs, I think it’s fair to say that she’s … Continue reading »

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Wasabi Chocolate

April 8, 2012, 10:11 am

≫ Next: The Madness of Kusama

≪ Previous: Happy Hello Kitty Easter

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Seeing as it’s Easter, I thought I’d post about chocolate today. Classy Swiss chocolate brand Lindt has recently released a new wasabi flavour chocolate and I’m happy to say it’s GOOD! Dark chocolate and wasabi go together in much the same way as dark chocolate and chilli – you wouldn’t expect it to work, but … Continue reading »

The Madness of Kusama

April 9, 2012, 2:59 am

≫ Next: Hokusai’s Great Wave

≪ Previous: Wasabi Chocolate

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I’ll admit that I didn’t think I had heard of Yayoi Kusama (草間 彌生) before her exhibition at the Tate Modern was advertised, but under the insistence of my colleagues I decided to go and check it out. I soon realised that I was aware of her work, but I hadn’t been in London when she … Continue reading »

Hokusai’s Great Wave

April 9, 2012, 9:02 am

≫ Next: Monthly Recipe: Stir-fried Tofu with Udon Noodles

≪ Previous: The Madness of Kusama

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Back in January (crikey, has it really been that long?!) I visited the British Museum to see an iconic piece of art: Hokusai‘s Great Wave. The Great Wave off Kanagawa (to give it its full title), also known as Under the Wave, off Kanagawa (a literal translation of its Japanese title: 神奈川沖浪裏 / Kanagawa Oki Nami … Continue reading »

Monthly Recipe: Stir-fried Tofu with Udon Noodles

April 9, 2012, 9:33 am

≫ Next: Weekly Shiritori #15

≪ Previous: Hokusai’s Great Wave

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This month’s healthy, vegetarian, Japanese recipe comes from a Slimming World recipe book because I’m trying to get my diet back on track. And it just goes to prove that, even if you’re watching what you eat, you can still eat the things you love! I adore stir-fry, but it’s not something I’ve ever made … Continue reading »

Weekly Shiritori #15

April 13, 2012, 4:06 am

≫ Next: Event announcement: CamCon, 12th May 2012

≪ Previous: Monthly Recipe: Stir-fried Tofu with Udon Noodles

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Last week’s post was about Iwate (いわて/ 岩手), so this week I need to start with て (te). This game of shiritori is so much more fun when you join in with your comments and suggestions, and this week I had an interesting suggestion for a て topic from ラマタ. She suggested I write about… Tearai … Continue reading »