東京の秋 (Autumn in Tokyo)

Today was such a lovely day! I went to Studio Ghibli with my friend and met Totoro! Afterwards we drank the cutest coffee ever at Hattifnatt Kichijoji. If you click here, you can watch a 360degrees tour of the cafe. I usually sit upstairs in the loft tree house. It's so pretty looking out beyond the mini Tokyo potted garden in the window. And one of the best things about the loft is you get to order through an intercom system. Needless to say you get pretty good at Japanese pretty fast if you sit upstairs. There is no pointing to the menu up in this little Tokyo tree house!

Lately it's been getting pretty crisp here in Tokyo. My first winter living in Tokyo is just around the corner. I felt the chill in the air today when getting off the Keio Inokashira sen at Kichijoji. Suddenly my cravings for Hiyashi chuka have been replaced with cravings for Ramen and Udon. I wonder how long I can go without turning my air con or heated toto toilet seat on! がんばってエボーちゃん! When I first arrived in Tokyo it was so hot I couldn't bare to stand over the gas stove top, but now I love to simmer things for hours just so I can get warm by the stove. Although I've been holidaying in Tokyo in it's coldest month February almost every year for the last ten years, imagining living here through an entire winter is sending me into a slight panic! Shops are filling up with heated blankets and kotatsu and I feel like I should stock up now while I can still go outside, before it starts snowing like last year and then hibernate in my mini-me Hello Sandwich HQ until March! Secretly though, I am pretty excited!!! I secretly love wearing Hokkairo packs and drinking hot green tea and I am very much looking forward to...

...Buying my very first kotatsu! (more kotatsu pics over at いいね、これ).
...Snuggling under the kotatsu and watching Japanese Drama on MySoju.
...Hosting my first Nabe party under said kotatsu.

And so, while it's still possible to leave the house without a fluffy-lined Muji flammable jacket (or two) this is my suggested things-to-do-in-Tokyo-list for this weekend!

Opening Friday night: Misaki Kawai's exhibition at Tokyo Opera City. (I have had an art crush on her ever since this). Let's just hope I don't get all star struck and speechless like when I met Yoshitomo Nara!

(All images via Misaki Kawai Studio)

Tupera Tupera craft workshop on Sunday at Momiji Ichi Autumn Markets. It's going to be so much fun! Oh yes it is.

(Tupera Tupera Image via Momiji Ichi Markets)

Workshop Information:

当日の参加も可能ですので、ぜひいらしてみてください。
■日時／10月24日（日）
10:30～14:00／まちづくりタイム！
（当日参加の方は何時からでも参加できますが、最終の受付は13時です）
14:00～15:00／絵の具乾かしタイム！（休憩）
15:00～／パレード！！（もみじ市のラストを飾る大パレードです）

P.S. I was on J-Wave radio here in Tokyo yesterday speaking the teeniest tiniest bit of Japanese. Thank you so much J-Wave and Mariko Mizuami for including me in this special 'foreigner's perspective on Tokyo' feature. You can read about my favourite place in Tokyo on the J-wave blog (also pasted here below):

今週のFIND TOMORROWは4日連続のSpecial Edition。
『異邦人たちのTOKYOガイド』

異邦人、つまり、東京に暮らす外国人たちによる、東京ガイド。
オーストラリア、シドニーからやって来た、グラフィックデザイナー、エディターのエボニー・ビジズさん。
現在は、デザイン関連の仕事をしながら、東京の生活からインスパイアされた“出来事やモノ”を綴った『ハローサンドイッチ』という名前のWEBマガジンとZINE（ジン）を自ら発信しています。

Ebony Bizys
エボニーさんがエディターのとってもCUTEなWEBマガジン『ハローサンドイッチ』はこちら

＜My inspiration from Tokyo＞
何もかもが、とっても新鮮！スーパーマーケットに行くことも、私にとっては興味深い旅なの。お店の中を歩き回って、カラフルな値札に目を奪われたり。あと、店員さんの言う、「ポイントカードはお持ちですか？」とか。そんな日常の一瞬一瞬すべてが、発見で、刺激的なの！

＜My Favorite Area in Tokyo＞
下北沢は、可愛いカフェとか、個性的な本屋さん、ライブハウスとか楽しいお店が沢山あって好き。実際、住んでいるし（笑）。いっつもママチャリに乗って、シモキタ・クルージングしているの学生や若い人が多いから、外国人たちにフレンドリーな街ね。

＜My Hang out Spot in Tokyo＞
大好きなカフェがひとつあって、『モアカフェ』というんだけど、古い家をリノベーションしたカフェで、とってもシモキタっぽい。奥まったところにあって、私のリラックス・スポットね。

Happy Tokyo Autumn Sandwiches!

Love Love
Sando
xoxo