It has been a while, and while I have been gorging on pastries and shivering in warm coats across the world, my blog has been suffering from serious neglect.
I am writing from Perth, Western Australia, for the 3-day Good Friday weekend, and since I last wrote, I have been back from Paris and off to Malacca for 24 hours, and Japan for two weeks. I'm off to India next week for work, and in the meantime I'm hoping to go to a white sand beach in Malaysia for the weekend with some Aussies. I can't complain about my life being dull.
Now I am faced with the challenge of deciding how to start back up my blog when there is so much to write! The warm, azure Indian Ocean is calling me, so I can't stay on my computer too long. With that, let's see how much I can get through...
Little did I know when I was standing in line at
La Duree in Paris that there would be a
La Duree waiting for me in
Ginza in Tokyo. Tokyo and Paris have quite a bit in common, actually. More than one would expect given the contrast between the modern lit-up skyline and
manga/hello kitty/maid/goth fashion movements of Tokyo and the classic, historical architecture and
haute-couture fashion of Paris.
While they seem quite different on the surface, Paris and Tokyo share many key features.
1) Amazing pastries. I expected to
lose weight when I went to Tokyo! All these tales of
blowfish and octopus pizza had me totally unprepared for the amazing plethora of tasty Japanese food an pastries! The selection of French-inspired pastries is everywhere, and I even had a conversation in French at a French bakery in
Daikanyama, as I ordered
Sakura macarons (cherry-blossom flavor). In addition to their french cuisine, Japan has amazingly good other food that I gorged on for 16 days.
Teppanyaki,
okonomiyaki,
meiji-
yaki,
yaki-tori,
soba,
ramen, tempura,
sashimi, sushi,
gyoza, pepper lunch, freshness burger.... You'll never go hungry for top quality, yummy food in Paris or Tokyo.
2) The parks. Parisians and Japanese love their parks, and in spring they flock to them. Japan is just finishing up the
hanami, or cherry-blossom viewing season, during which the parks are full of Japanese people taking in the view, while eating, drinking (a lot!), singing, wrestling, wearing costumes, and doing all sorts of other activities that seem appropriate when you are welcoming spring with a 40 of
Asahi.
3) They love their tiny dogs. Both Paris and Tokyo have tons of beautiful gardens where people walk little tiny dogs in little tiny outfits. Dogs in hand-bags, dogs in stores, dogs prancing along the streets in couture...Paris and Tokyo had this covered long before Paris Hilton joined the scene.
4) Fashion, fashion, fashion. While Paris is famous for its couture houses, Tokyo is famous for its crazy, wild fashion. Ever wanted to dress like Little
Bo-peep? No problem, "Innocent World" has the wardrobe for you....While Tokyo has a much more colorful fashion scene, both Paris and Tokyo have discerning populations who live for the most up to date couture out of Paris. Someone told me that Tokyo accounts for 80% of Cartier's profits. They know what they want, and they are used to having the money to buy it. I'm curious to see how the fashion houses fare with their Japanese market as the Japan economy continues to suffer.
There is much more to say about Tokyo- my
hanami, my singing bathtub,
buddhist sakura weddings. However, right now, a pavlova is calling my name...
Sakura!
Enjoy Happy- Even Coke embraces the Engrish
Age is no reason not to embrace technology. Japanese people from 2-80 took pics of sakura with phones and digi cameras in parks across Tokyo
Engrish baby shower swag
One of the many people wearing masks in Japan. While it seems very uncomfortable, I wonder if Singapore would be less of a world flu hub if this practice was common here
Mt. Fuji from the hotel window in Tokyo - a luckily clear day
Pranksters (hazing or just fun?) entertain the masses during the pedestrian crossing section of a busy intersection in Shinjuku
Ladies in traditional kimonos send text messages under sakura trees
Typical downtown Tokyo intersection- looking at this pic, I can't even remember which intersection it is- Shibuya, Shinjuku, Akihabra, Ginza? So many lights across the city!
Typical Saturday in Ueno. First afternoon in Japan- welcome to the throngs!
Kamakura
Sakura wedding in Kamakura. The wedding party is enjoying a rickshaw ride. The contrast between tradition and modernity in Japan is one of the many fascinating juxtapositions that makes it so colorful.
Lanterns in sakura trees
First day of spring in the Luxembourg gardens in Paris
Friday Mass at Notre Dame de Paris
Sacre Coeur
A Gypsy begs on the steps of Sacre Coeur - some things don't change century after century
Sacre Jaguar
When in Paris, do as the Parisians do...eat, drink, and wear berets (perhaps it would have been more accurate to wear crazy trainers and skinny jeans...)
Couldn't resist just one pic of the classic
