The making of 'Hello Tokyo' video

Sandwiches!

I made a little movie of the making of my new book 'Hello Tokyo'!

Hello Tokyo: Handmade projects and fun ideas for a cute Tokyo-inspired lifestyle

VIDEO MUSIC by: Lullatone

'Outside sandwiches' from the 'Sounds of Spring' EP

https://lullatone.bandcamp.com/album/the-sounds-of-spring-ep

Lullatone's Shawn mentioned that he snuck in the name 'Sandwich' as a little message to me, but I'm sure he's just being charming as always.

But in any case - if you don't already have this album you must rush over to their website and download it right away! Sooooo super cute!

PHOTOS: BOCO

Love Love
Hello Sandwich
xoxo

Hello Tokyo on sale today!

You guys!!!

Today is the day!

My very first English language book is on sale today! 'Hello Tokyo' is out with Murdoch Books Australia who (in conjunction with my literary agents Curtis Brown) were so incredibly wonderful to work with. They really let me put my own voice to all aspects of this book, allowing me to direct everything from the pagination, design, styling, projects, chapter breakdowns, and even selecting the right paper stock and gold foil for the cover. The book is like a hard copy of this blog, with stories about living in Tokyo, projects to create a cute Tokyo-inspired lifestyle, and pages on collaborations and past projects I've worked on.

I'm so excited to share some sneak peeks of the book, and behind the scenes of the book with you.

THIS amazing team!

Murdoch says:

This book by Japanese-based Australian blogger/crafter/designer/zine publisher Ebony Bizys (aka Hello Sandwich) is a cute and quirky guide to living a handmade lifestyle, filled with projects and ideas inspired by Ebony's life in Tokyo. Capturing the charm, humour and originality of her eclectic and highly successful blog, Hello Sandwich, this book features craft projects and inspirational styling ideas, and gives the reader a glimpse of Japanese culture.

Hello Tokyo is the quintessential Hello Sandwich publication. It captures Ebony's fascination with the myriad treasures of everyday existence, ranging from personalised crafts such as handmade stationery and clothing accessories, as well as decorative items and storage solutions for the home; to recording your daily life and travels with a camera, journal or even a blog; to hosting, theming and styling a fun party or picnic.

Author bio:

Ebony Bizys is an Australian craft artist, designer and blogger based in Tokyo. Before moving to Tokyo in 2010, Bizys worked at Australian Vogue magazines for 11 years, most recently in the position of Deputy Art Director at Vogue Living. Since moving to Tokyo, Bizys has art directed a Japanese book, designed a Japanese fashion website, been commissioned by Vogue Japan to make artwork for their publication, collaborated with Japanese masking tape brand 'mt' on workshops, and has appeared in many Japanese books and magazines. Bizys also holds regular craft workshops, blogs for Vogue Japan and promotes Martha Stewart Crafts in Japan. In July 2012 she released a craft book with publisher BNN. She records her daily life on her hugely successful cult blog Hello Sandwich: hellosandwich.jp

And, OMG if you see 'Hello Tokyo' in any bookshops, PLEASE shuffle it to the front of any stacks! Ha ha! Is that too naughty? I secretly do it for my friends books when I see them in Tokyo bookstores. And, ha ha, okay, I just might have done it a few times with my Japanese book!

Because I'm not in Tokyo, if you happen to be able to take a snap in any bookstores and either email me the shots to: hellosandwichblog (at) gmail (dot) com or use the hashtag #HelloTokyoBook I would LOVE to see it!

Hello Tokyo: Handmade projects and fun ideas for a cute Tokyo-inspired lifestyle

Amazon says:

Hello Tokyo by Japanese blogger, crafter and designer Ebony Bizys is a cute and quirky guide to living a handmade lifestyle, inspired by Ebony s life in Tokyo. Capturing the charm, humour and originality of her eclectic and highly successful blog, Hello Sandwich, Hello Tokyo presents over 30 craft projects, as well as other tidbits and a peek into Japanese culture. Learn how to make hand-sewn cushions, charm necklaces, a memory walking book, corsages and a 'party-in-a-box' as well as handmade stationery including notebooks and envelopes, quirky post packages and gift tags, and much more. The projects 'make everyday life more pleasurable through the daily use of cute handmade items'.

You can find the book at:

Kinokuniya
www.kinokuniya.com.au

Booktopia
www.Booktopia.com.au

Bookworld
www.bookworld.com.au

Dymocks (in store or online
www.dymocks.com.au

Myer

David Jones

And at all good book retailers especially Metropolis, Ariel and Kunstler!

Hello Tokyo will be available a month later through:

Waterstones
www.waterstones.com

Amazon
www.amazon.co.uk

Book Depository
www.bookdepository.com

Love Love
Hello Sandwich
xoxo

Jiji-chan

Last night I knelt in front of a butsudan, lit incense, rang a bell, and prayed to my Japanese grandpa who passed away a month ago, almost to the exact week that my father passed away two years ago.

Memories of Jiji-chan grating daikon in his regular seat at the dining table are so vivid. If I close my eyes I can see him walking slowly with the aid of his walking sticks around the park next to my apartment. He was always dressed in a beautiful shirt, a hat, and more often than not, suspenders.

With tears in her eyes, his granddaughter, Satomi-chan told me how he loved three things in life; food, sleeping and Baba-chan.

Baba-chan told me how Jiji-chan would often say 'we should invite Ebony over for dinner' before looking up at my apartment through his bathroom window and then say 'oh, the lights are off so she must be out'. Jiji-chan was like the grandpa I never had.

Although I promised myself I wouldn't, I cried. We all cried. We offered Jiji-chan wine, beer and Nihon-shu. We looked through photo albums of when Jiji-chan was a teenager. We smelt his fragrance. We held our drinks up and said 'kanpai' to him before he makes his journey to his hometown Aizu.

Meeting Jiji-chan was a miracle in my life.

Jiji-chan, the amazing name you were given by the monk upon departing this earth is a testament to the wonderful things you did in this life. You'll never be forgotten Jiji-chan.

xoxo

Hello Sandwich Tokyo Guide Zine (Third Edition)

Hello Sandwiches!

I'm so sorry for the super long gap in between posts.

Thank you all so much for ordering the Tokyo guides! We sent out 700 copies on the first send out! 

Hello Sandwich HQ looked like this just before the postman arrived to collect the zines!

Here is a little sneak peek of the inside of the zine.

Inside the zine you'll find all of the places I regularly visit, making it a local's guide to Tokyo.

This time I've also included a 32 page book-in-book supplement where I interview lovely shop owners, suggest tips on enjoying the perfect picnic in Tokyo (from where to pick up a bento, to setting up in the best spot in the park), record store listings, gallery suggestions and even some hotel room friendly craft tutorials.

Thank you to those of you who were interested in a PDF version, but I won't be releasing a PDF of the guide. There's something lovely about an actual zine to hold in your hands, and because things change so quickly in Tokyo, I print a limited run for each edition.

There are only just a few of the Hello Sandwich Tokyo (Third Edition) Guides left so please pop over here to order your copy if you don't want to miss out.

Love Love
Hello Sandwich
xoxo

5 years of living in Tokyo!

Sandwiches!

Exactly five years today I packed up my life and moved to Tokyo!!!

F I V E Y E A R S !

Love you, Japan!
xoxo

Hello Tokyo!

SANDWICHES!!!

I am sooooooo excited to announce my new book 'HELLO TOKYO', which comes out on August 26th! It's out with Murdoch books and is my very first book in English! You can pre-order your copy over here at Amazon!

Hello Tokyo is available at the below Australian bookstores from 26th August:

Kinokuniya
www.kinokuniya.com.au

Booktopia
www.Booktopia.com.au

Bookworld
www.bookworld.com.au

Dymocks (in store or online
www.dymocks.com.au

Myer

David Jones

And at all good book retailers especially Metropolis, Ariel and Kunstler!

Hello Tokyo will be available a month later through:

Waterstones
www.waterstones.com

Amazon
www.amazon.co.uk

Book Depository
www.bookdepository.com

I hope you'll enjoy!

Oh, and the heading is in gold foil! I die!

Love Love
Hello Sandwich
xoxo

(Pre-order) NEW HELLO SANDWICH TOKYO GUIDE!

Sandwiches! The new Hello Sandwich Tokyo Guide is launching mid July 2015! The Hello Sandwich Tokyo Guide lists over 100 fun places to visit!

Don't miss out on securing your copy with this chance to pre-order your copy in advance!

This is a revised and updated edition of my previous Hello Sandwich Tokyo Guide. This handy guide includes some favourites from the previous guide, but also includes loads of amazing new finds that I'm sure you'll love so, if you've already travelled to Tokyo on my previous guide, then you might fancy this updated guide, too!

This time, I'm also including a little book-in-book supplement where I interview lovely shop owners, suggest tips on enjoying the perfect picnic in Tokyo (from where to pick up a bento, to setting up in the best spot in the park), and even some hotel room friendly craft tutorials.

The Hello Sandwich Tokyo Guide reviews my favourite Tokyo suburbs including Shimokitazawa, Harajuku, Shibuya, Kichijoji, Nakameguro, Daikanyama, Shinjuku, Omotesando, Koenji, as well as some cool up and coming suburbs.

The Hello Sandwich Tokyo Guide is a guide for people who like travelling like a local and visiting hidden places off the beaten track. There are tips on where to rent a bike, the best bike path, the best coffee, the best craft shops, the coolest shops, the cheapest drinks, the most delicious pizza, the best izakaya, the cutest cafes, the best rooftop bar, the coolest hotels (and the cheap and cheerful hotels), the loveliest parks and soooo much more.

It's a list of all of the places I frequent, making it a local insiders guide to Tokyo. Also included in the Hello Sandwich Tokyo Guide are language essentials and travel tips. It's the bloggers guide to Tokyo and if you'd like to visit the places seen on Hello Sandwich, then this guide is the zine for you.

Details:

60 pages hard copy zine
PLUS - Added Book-in-book supplement
Printed in Japan
Uncoated paper stock
A5 size
Saddle stitch bound
$27 AUD

Posted internationally with love from Tokyo. 

You can pre-order your copy online here.

Enjoy your trip to Tokyo, Sandwiches!

Love Love
Hello Sandwich
xoxo

Update: YOU GUYSSSSSS!!! Thank you so much for all of your orders! The volume of orders in just 24 hours has been absolutely mind blowing! Thank you so much! You guys are THE BEST! xoxo

*I do a limited run of each zine so please don't miss out if you think you'd like a copy!