House Parties. A Comparison

Obviously growing up as a teenager in New Zealand I've been to my fair share of 'House Parties'. I'd say by the majority, they are the preferred method of socialising as opposed to a night out on the town. They usually mean you are surrounded by people you either know well or know indirectly. This creates a more relaxed situation.

Example (relaxed situation):

In Japan on the other hand, House or Home Parties are a rarity. Most Japanese houses are too small for this kind of thing, and because of this most people are too embarrassed or unable to entertain in their own homes. Take my lounge for example.

Little.
Plus we have those weird bird things hanging there.

That's why when I was invited to a Home Party this weekend I was intrigued to say the least. I knew it wasn't going to be the average Japanese apartment. The place was situated in Shibakoen, in central Tokyo and had views of Tokyo Tower surrounding it.


In conclusion, apart from the scenery House Parties function in a similar manner regardless of country. Alcohol is consumed, funny stories told, awkward conversation exchanged and my seedy drunken pose always manages to make an appearance.

Ok, so I have this thing about cupcakes..

Most of you who know me already know or will come to learn that I have this unexplainable completely irrational, bordering on obsessive, infatuation with cupcakes. It's odd really. I mean they are just a cake. Made small.

I believe the cupcake obsession began in the US of A with cupcakeries (is that even a word?) popping up all over the show. The fact that they've been featured on a few television shows and movies (ie Sex and the City) not to mention the constant string of celebrities often snapped with them, has definitely helped the cupcake movement.

Slowly it has crept into the U.K, Australia, parts of Europe and Asia. I was rather surprised upon my arrival into Japan to realize that cupcakes were not as readily available as I had first anticipated. I mean this is the country of all things cute and miniature after all.

Lucky for me I found a friend who enjoys cupcakes almost as much as I do and after a certain amount of research, with the help of websites such as this one: http://cupcakestakethecake.blogspot.com proving that there are people out there with more of a problem than me, I was able to track down a few.

My cupcake hunt went something like this

Fairycake Fair in the basement of Tokyo Station:

Cafe Hana (The Blythe Doll Cafe) in Daikanyama which recently closed:

Ciappaccino Cafe in Yoyogi-Uehara:

Kiki of Milkberry Musings- http://milkberry.blogspot.com

I still have a few more on my list to visit so until then it would be unfair to judge. Although I must admit the Caramel and Matcha Cupcakes (above) were amaazing.

Field Trip!

This Friday saw me fulfill every transformer-loving-type-girls dream. A school field trip that involved visiting not one, but three museums all in one day. And just when I thought the day couldn't get anymore exciting I was reminded I would be accompanying around 300 14 year olds.


The trip began with an hour long bus trip... 6 buses taking to the road all at once was slightly intimidating.


The first stop of the day was the Miraikan (The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation). I'm not ashamed to say I thought the place was awesome.






It had interactive exhibits that covered Medicine, Space and Technology of the Future. Can you say..robots!

Next up was not so much a museum but a tour of The Asahi Shinbun. And no it was not the Asahi (beer) brewery like I was first led to believe, it was the Newspaper. Unfortunately I was unable to get many photos as they were worried I was there to steal their news.



Last but not least Tei-Park, the communications museum which according to their brochure is a "fascinating hands-on museum to pass on wisdom to the the future generations".
I wouldn't know.
By this stage I was a little over the educational experience but thankfully we only had to spend 30 minutes there.

Respect for the aged day...

The Japanese calendar differs only marginally to that of New Zealand. The main difference obviously, being the lack of religious (Christian related) holidays. The predominant religions in Japanese culture are Buddhism and Shinto. Because of this, the majority of public holidays recognized by the western world are only acknowledged here at a superficial level. Most Japanese I have spoken to are oblivious to the real reason Christmas is celebrated and think of it as a fun excuse to dress up and/or decorate a tree.

In all fairness we in New Zealand would never know that the 3rd Monday of September is in fact 'Respect for the Aged' day. I spent today celebrating by having a picnic type party in Shinjuku Koen (park) with some new friends. Everyone was older than me- hence doing my part by respecting them all. It would be the first time I have ever paid to enter a park (around $3) but it makes sense since it was so beautifully presented and is after all smack-bang in the middle of Shinjuku.

The previous night I was invited to a birthday party at an Asian restaurant also in Shinjuku, it had this awesome pour your own, all you can drink bar going on.

We met a random Swedish dude.

Oh and as promised. A video I took more for my benefit than yours. I tend to have a terrible memory when it comes to learning the dances from Hip Hop so this helps.

A week in review

Since my return to Japan I have taken it upon myself to get out there and amongst "it", or at least amongst the community. I thought to myself, well sure I don't speak the language and yes this makes it a bit harder to make good friends over here. But this doesn’t mean I have to become a hermit. Not that I have (just for the record), it's merely the fact that perhaps I haven’t been exhausting every possibility out there in order for me to meet new people. So.. as part of my new take on the situation I decided to add the following to my list of interests:

1. Stitch ‘n Bitch:

“Stitch 'n Bitch is a name used by knitting groups that meet on a weekly or monthly basis at locations throughout the world. This use of the term originates as early as the Second World War.[1][2] Stitch 'n Bitch clubs are generally casual groups of knitters who meet in bars or cafes for socializing and sharing knitting advice.” (Wiki)

Now I know some of you are thinking that this isn’t one of the coolest hobbies on a scale of 1 to 10. But I was pleasantly surprised by my first experience. Apparently I’m quite talented, and hey if it means I can save some money on my cardigan collection while having a gossip and meeting new people, I’m not complaining.

Check out my sweet mini-scarf I'm working on:

2. Hip Hop Dance lessons.

It was quite a process finding the right dance school but after discovering “BeAStar”in Shibuya, who have instructors with names like:

Ken (Pro-seeD)


A-Ve


And girls who looked as authentic as this:

I was sold.

I hope to have some video documentation ready for my next post.

3. Japanese lessons (I know, I know it’s about time)

I finally found a group run by volunteers in my area and decided it was time to put in a little more effort.
Gambatte ne!

The weekend kept me fairly occupied. I finally got the chance to check out the Sex and the City movie with my newfound gal pals, after which I was introduced to their local watering hole. Sunday I was invited to the Brazilian Festival happening in Harajuku (of all the foreign communities living within Japan the Brazilian community is apparently largest). Unfortunately I arrived just in time for the massive downpour and thunder storms but it didn't seem to put a damper on the overly intoxicated crowd.


And because I always enjoy a little emo humour,