y a m a g u c h i (golden week '12)

Our first Golden Week was nothing short of golden. Bundled into a rental car with six people and a lovely dog called Lin-chan we made our way to Yamaguchi, stopping on the way to buy fresh food, mountain pants and tabi boots. We arrived to our friend's amazing holiday house, over 100 years old, in the middle of the mountains. Three days followed full of mountain walking, bamboo cutting, flower and herb picking, pizza making, barbecuing, tea leaf picking and drying, fishing, drinking, eating, laughing, etc. etc. etc.

It was the best. 

I took only a disposable camera on the trip and almost jeopardised my photos by dropping the camera into a stream whilst fishing, BUT Kamil was able to chase the camera down the stream and retrieve it and the photos worked out perfectly. So here they are.

  

 

Yamaguchi I love you.

x

down lover's lane

The air is warm and good books are plentiful. Here are some images at the forefront of my mind.

p.s. Click to play Sweetheart performed by M. Ward, off his lovely new album. It's a Daniel Johnston cover * if you make it to the end of this post you can hear the original too.

meadhamkirchoff

bike babes cycling club

dream necklace from WALL

stay creepy

jeremy scott

meadham kirchoff

show studio

daria

kyary pamyu pamyu

As promised, the Daniel Johnston original, Sweetheart.

xxx

cute + pastel + old @ mojiko retro antique fair

On Friday Kam, Momo, Motoki and I went to the Mojiko Retro Antique Fair, about an hour's drive from Fukuoka. Mojiko is at the crossing point between Kyushu and Honshu. We had a really great day in the port town, which is really charming and has many old buildings. 

On a grassy area next to the port, around 20 stalls were set up. A few things struck me about the stalls. Firstly, the majority of antiques on sale were from America, not Japan. I was surprised to see so much imported stuff, but the standard was still really high. I was also really impressed with the amount of effort sellers put into the visual merchandising of their stalls- with carefully arranged and often inventive ways of displaying the goods.

I took some photos of my favourite items on display. I guess I should add a disclaimer: THERE WERE THINGS OTHER THAN SAD OLD ANIMAL TOYS AT THE FAIR... I just didn't photograph them. Sorry! Cute + pastel + old is a really good combination for me.

Part II of our Mojiko Retro adventures to come too, very soon I promise.

x