Countdown to 2010

Everyone ready for the new year?
Got a new calender?

I'm still trying to figure out what kind of calender I want...there are so many choices!

Best wishes for the new year!!!

I Heart LOMO

I've been having a little fun with my Supersampler camera.

The new year is almost here. It's cold lately but nice and sunny. A great day to head outside and take photos.

How Many Bottles Of Beer

The Bonenkai (year-end-parties) season is at full throttle and the stores have stocked their shelves with all kinds of beer.

I'm not a beer drinker so I don't really know which brand is the best. But I've heard that most Japanese brands are good. I think Asahi, Kirin, and Sapporo are the Top 3 breweries here.

What's your favorite?

Dead to the World

Tis the season for Bonenkai! This translates into 'forget the year party' and it's a time where people nation wide have an excuse to go wild.

These end-of-the-year-get-togethers usually take place at an Izakaya, a japanese pub, with old school friends, co-workers, relatives, just about everyone. December is a busy busy month with so many Bonenkai parties to go to. I'm pretty sure an average person goes to atleast 5 to 10 Bonenkai's.

And you start to see more people like this poor guy, practically passed out on the train ride home. But I've got to tell ya, he's lucky to have made it on the last train. There are hundreds of others still out drinking till the wee hours of the morning, just to rush back home, shower, and head out back to work.

Thankfully, for most corporate companies, today is the last day of work! Yay!

Oh My Obanyaki

This is called 'Obanyaki' (pronounced Oh-bun-yucky). It's a thick round cake filled with Anko (sweet azuki paste), which they make on a big iron mold. They sometimes also make it with a cream filling, too.

We have an Obanyaki booth near the Tokorozawa Station and a lot of people line up to buy it on weekends. You can buy one for 50yen. It's really good!

The Day After

Still a bit giddy from all the festivities.
But a bit sad that it's all over.

Still full from the christmas dinner.
Tired...but in a good way.

How do you spend the day after Christmas?

A Very Merry Christmas To You

Some of the christmas decorations displayed inside the Seibu Departement Store. Christmas decorations are always so cheerful, you can't help but be jolly!

Wish you all a Very Merry Christmas!

Christmas Decorations

"Gifts of time and love are surely the basic ingredients of a truly merry Christmas."

- Peg Bracken.

Tokorozawa Station West Exit

This is the view outside the West Exit of Tokorozawa Station.

Ornaments Galore

I really like these glittery ornaments on this tree.

Very Christmas-y, don't you think?

Blinking Lights

Simple yet festive.

Christmas lights wrapped around a square pillar, right outside the west exit of Tokorozawa Station.

Glass Bottles

Brousing around the Let's Shopping Center the other day, I found these pretty glass bottles lined up on the shelf.

I think I'll take that one and that one...oh, and THAT one!

Construction site

The lock that keeps the people out of the construction site.

Leaning to the Left

Just happened to walk past this postbox. Am I leaning or is that crooked?

Coin Locker

The very retro coin locker at Shin Tokorozawa Station.

A lot of the newer coin lockers are mostly electronic, where you use a password and pay for it on your commuters pass.

But this coin locker is from the good old days when you had to carry the key around with you and pay for it in 100yen coins.

Hang On

A couple of leaves still hanging in there. Burrr, it's cold!

My Little Love Affair

I found out this last year that I adore giraffes. With a passion. It came out of nowhere and just swept me off my feet one day. And I was hooked.

But the thing is, my apartment is in no way decorated to fit a giraffe. Not even a giraffe calendar or a small giraffe shaped candle. Believe me, I've tried!

When I spotted these two adorable giraffes at an interior shop, I couldn't help letting out a big shout and rushing over to cuddle! They were so adorable!

But alas, it wasn't meant to be. And so after the cuddling and a couple of minutes of just gazing into each others eyes, sighing over the unfairness of it all...I reluctantly walked away.


But secretly this love affair still continues...

Stars-A-Glow

The illumination at Parco, a few minutes walk from Shin Tokorozawa Station.

This is the arcade between Parco and Let's, both of which are filled with retail shops. Let's (no idea where they came up with that name!) actually has the only movie theater in Tokorozawa.


I think I like these lights better than the ones around Tokorozawa station!

Rudolph Lit Up

One of the decorations at Parco. A reindeer lit up to the full.

Parco Entrance

This is one of the entrances to the shopping mall Parco after it closed.

Stand or Walk

Standing on the escalator at Shin Tokorozawa Station.

Here in the kanto area, everyone stands on the left and climbs the escalator on the right. This is the opposite in the kansai area. In more regional towns, they just sort of stand. Now that I think about it, that's probably how we're suppose to ride it.

Anyways, I usually climb the escalator because I'm not patient enough to wait. Plus you get the teeniest bit of exercise.

What about you? Do you stand or do you walk?

Home Team

Another baseball game this weekend! Go Tokorozawa High School!

I Heart Ramen

Ramen is the best thing that happened to Japan. Well, atleast one of the best things.

Great way to fill your stomach and to get warm! Yum!

Bear with the Big Bow

Any type of bow or ribbon was a 'must' this year for all the fashionable girls in Japan.

This girl I spotted actually had a teddy bear with a big pink bow (of course!) hanging from her bag as an accessory.

What do you think...is this a 'Do' or 'Don't'? ;D

Baby It's Not Cold Outside

We had a super warm sunny sunday that made me want to run outside and sing a chorus of 'Oh what a beautiful morning!' and do cartwheels!

Poofy Accessories

Found some cute handmade hair ornaments at the flea market. They were 200yen.

I got a yellow one and a beige one. Great for a ponytail!

How High

This is a snack bar, a place where hostesses serve drinks and sometime have karaoke, called the '3rd Floor.'

Even though this is a one story building.

Stamp Away

This is one of the stamps I found at LOFT, a retail store inside the Seibu Department Store, filled with stationery, gifts, accessories, health goods, furniture, interior goods, etc. They have a big arts & craft section that I love.

Anyways, here in Japan we don't send out Christmas cards. Instead we send out a New Year postcard called 'Nengajo.'

These days a lot of people use the computer to make it with a Nengajo software. But since I don't have a printer at home and I like to make things, I use stamps, washi (japanese paper), and/or stickers for mine. Plus a whole bunch of color pens and pencils to decorate it.

2010 is the year of the Tiger and I've got about 60 postcards to make. What do you think about this stamp?

The More the Merrier

The Christmas lights around Tokorozawa Station have finally lit up! It's nice and festive now.

They only decorated two trees, but with the reflection from the station building, it looks like there are four!

The Crowd

I passed by the Christmas Lighting Ceremony in front of Tokorozawa Station the other day.

There was a small stage on the side of Seibu Department Store where guests, such as Tokorozawa's Mayor and the Seibu Lion's baseball players, stood to participate in the event.

Everyone was crammed together trying to see and take pictures. This is the photo I took when I happened to look up and see the reflection of everyone on the mirrored ceiling of the store entrance.

Quite a crowd, isn't it?

Waiting

Today is theme day! As the theme is 'Waiting' I think we were suppose to take photos of people...but I didn't get a chance to do that. So instead I've snapped a shot of a fruit waiting to be picked.

A lot of the houses here have citrus trees in their yard. I think this is a citrus called 'Buntan.' Must be great having fruits ripe for the picking right outside the house!

Be sure to check out all the other wonderful 'Waiting' photos!
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