Day Trip to Atami, a Retro Seaside City just Southwest of Tokyo!

"Retro color over salt water"

When: August 5th, 2018

Yep, that was sort of my mantra slash mental state when I went to a seaside city yet didn't feel like bathing in the sea. 

And this had happened two times in a row. Just right a day before I went to Atami, I also went to an area called Kujukuri, another seaside town located in Chiba Prefecture for a 2 days & 1 night seminar camp along with my academic advisor and seminar friends. Some friends proceeded going to the beach after we were done with our research presentations on the last day and yours truly, with no doubt, chose to go back to Tokyo and leaving behind one of the most wanted summer activities; bathed in (flaming hot) summer sunshine and getting soaked in saltwater. Don't get me wrong. It's not that I hate beach/sea... I love playing at the beach, but apparently the longing for a "vitamin sea" mood isn't there this time around or to say it precisely, summer this year.

Alright my friends, moving on to Atami.... *sorry, for the lengthy intro, but I always love having it as a background story, so...*

Even though I'm not in the mood for a day at the beach, I can never say no to a good slow stroll in a city neighboring the beach. And this time, I got to travel with my best friend Hitomi!

Love you, Hitomi! ❤️ Here's to more traveling together. Thank you for always being a good sport, if not the best.

Upon my visit to Atami with  Hitomi, I came to a conclusion that Atami is truly such a heaven for those who are into: 

♨️ hot springs (onsen): This one goes without saying actually. Most online contents will tell you about this anyway. Ahem, calling out all fellow thermalists out there 🗣 who loves dipping in public hot baths as much as I do? But unfortunately Hitomi and I didn't make even a single stop to any onsen in Atami. We started our journey quite late on that day, so we got no enough time for that.

🏛 Museum hopping: If you're the one who loves to spend hours in museums and wander around one exhibition room to another, immersing in the exhibits or the museum architecture itself, then you better include MOA Museum of Art to your Atami itinerary! I plan to write a lil bit more about MOA  on a separate blog post just because I need more room to express my takes and thoughts on this majestic looking museum with a very fascinating ocean view. So my friends, stay tuned! 😉

A vast view of Sagami-nada Sea

I'm so keen to talk about this captivating hall inside the building, on the said separate post of course.

📺 Showa period aesthetics: mostly appeared in cafes along the shopping arcade. But the whole townscape basically shows a strong atmosphere of Showa aesthetics though. Those Showa retro color schemes, my friends, they're everywhere on every corner, oh my God!! If you have no idea what I'm writing about, you can probably go to pinterest and enter the key word "showa aesthetics". If you happen to get into it right away, then we probably speak the same lingo! If that's not your cup of tea, it's totally fineee, let's talk about something else 😉

I guess it's so easy to spot this kind of situation all over Japan, without having to go to Atami.

But for me, the fact that every corner in Atami is bathed in color-blocking aesthetics is something that I can't help but feeling so happy when I was at this place! Anyway, I'm curious to know, what kind of visuals you love seeing on daily basis or when you're on a trip?

🎇🎆 Firework: Atami hosts a  regular firework festival throughout the year ! As some of you might have known, firework festivals are commonly held during summer in Japan with July to August serving as the peak season for the event. But not for Atami, the festival is held regardless of the season. I found a page explaining quite well and briefly about the event that you could check it out here if you're interested. I'm sorry for I didn't take a single pic of the firework, but this picture below shows you the place of the event.

🍮 puddings: yep. Any serious pudding aficionados here? "Atami Pudding" or in Japanese it is pronounced as "Atami Purin" might sound a decent reason to visit this seaside city and grab yourself some of their signature puddings. This sounds silly, but... Atami Pudding seemed like one of the real deals or better-to-put-it-in-your-itinerary kind of thing when visiting this city, especially if you're a sweet tooth or just one that simply appreciate local delicacies. We saw so many people were lining for this Atami Pudding but we didn't give it a try just because... we're not into puddings that much. Unfortunately I don't have any pic showing you the real situation above. Oh, and I just found this page that gives a quite elaborate explanation about the pudding and now I kind of regretting why I didn't try this smooth and creamy dessert!

Onsen symbol inspired Atami Purin brand logo is just so cuteee!

Well, the shop's theme itself is a sento or Japanese communal bath house inspired. They really went into legit detail that every ornament and knickknacks inside the shop are so 'sento'-like. Will definitely be a super cute stop for your Atami stroll.

So, yeah! That was my version of Atami sum-up! I hope you can get even if it's only the slightest hint of what Atami is about from a short getaway of ours. Hitomi and I were actually at the city for maybe not more than 6 hours. I know that was a super short one but was certainly a good time. But still, I crave some more that I already promised myself to go back and explore deeper and farther of the area and on top of everything, to give more time for the onsens ♨️ and their authentic Showa period cafes!  Ahh, I cannot wait to realize it!

Oh, and before I end this blog post, here are a few pictures (well, only two actually) showing what we ate at Atami! Well, we didn't eat that much that day, but lucky enough that later we found out, what we had were among the top of the Atami delicacy list! Yumm!

This cheese filled fish cake is definitely my favorite! Atami is famous for its marine products hence I'm sure that the fish used for this yummy street food is fresh and of good quality! I guess it was 400 yen as I tried to recall.

The Studio Ghibli-ish bakery where I had my lunch and Hitomi had this yummy hojicha shaved ice below.

I forgot the name of this bakery but it is so noticeable once you walk down the Atami Nakamise shopping arcade 😉

Also, it was right in the middle of scorching hot summer in August, and shaved ice was no joke, a season staple. 

Well well, I guess I'm going to end this post here. Thank you for taking your time to read it and I hope you enjoy the pics and find the trip inspiring for your upcoming travel! I'll surely be back for more stories of places or events I went to. See ya! 👋

xx,


Shabrina.

Reminiscing Summer // Festivals

Three months of summer holiday's going to be over very soon. Whoa! It's obviously freaking long, but kind of short as well. Within that long but short school hiatus, I trained myself to juggle between weekly study group (and all of its assignments) + completing research plan + self studying for Master's entrance exam (this one only intensely started lately tho), + yet still making time for some exhibitions hopping (with Pixar Exhibition at Harajuku became the latest one). So yeah, it's pretty much jam-packed with serious stuffs, but I'm content with what I've been through. 

However, still, I'm trapped in that lust to get out of Tokyo for a little while, like away on a trip to Dinosaur Museum in Fukui, and then proceed to the 21st Century Museum in Kanazawa, or even flying further to Shikoku Island for Setouchi Trienalle in Naoshima... these activities have been waiting to be ticked from my Japan travel bucket list, but again, the timing still not allows. 

Hence, instead of lamenting my incapability to travel far, I guess it's wise enough to reminisce some of the happy memories I had earlier this summer holiday. Exactly when the day was longer and the humidity was unbearable. 

Chofu Asagao Festival

Sunday, July 3rd 2016

I remember participating in this festival just one day before the final exam week. Hahaha. Went here with my best girls, Afrin and Freezy. They're just the finest, craziest best friend you could ever ask for! As long as I remember, we decided to postpone writing our essays and prioritized this festival instead. 

Yeay, for world without stranger! This friendly Ojiichan (grandpa) greeted me in English, "How are you?" all of a sudden, with a supper energetic voice tone ever :D What a lovely occurrence to remember. Hope you always be healthy, happy and prosperous, dearest Ojiichan! 

So you know, one of the blessings living in Japan as a foreign student is that, the abundant opportunity to get invited to various events. And of course, not to mention a cultural event like this. With the permission from universities, organizers of such event will stick a poster or leave a pile of leaflet, advertising their events. Not just informing about when, where and what the event is about, but they will also offer a value-added activity that is specifically planned/targeted for foreign students. 

As for this festival, the organizer offered an experience of walking around in a local summer festival in yukata (summer kimono). Moreover, it came in a cheap deal: 500 yen! Well, if you're lucky enough, you can get the exactly same experience hosted by other organizer for free, but I guess 500 yen is still very very affordable! Because, if you do rent yukata in a famous tourist spot like Asakusa or Kamakura, they might charge you around 2000 yen or even more. So, by joining this kind of cultural exchange events, you can experience Japanese culture in a more economical way, haha.

Dancing together with a traditional female dance group! I just love how vibrant the colors turned out in this picture! Looking so summer <3

Wearing yukata in my favorite color: Blue! Pairing it with a bright yellow obi and a splash of red to make it more festive!

Paying a visit to a shrine. As you can see, I didn't come to this festival with Afrin and Freezy only. But also with other foreign students from different universities.

See those colorful paper decorations above? Those are for the celebration of Tanabata Matsuri or also known as the Star Festival. Summer is indeed the season of festivals! Aside from it being very humid and hot, I love how lively summer in Japan has to offer; festivals and firework competitions.

  

Here's my pose that was once I uploaded on instagram, meaning that I was ready to face the wicked final week. Ahaha.

Nishi Chofu Summer Festival

Sunday, July 24th 2016

This is another festival held around two weeks after the former one. This one took place in Nishi Chofu area and was held in a smaller scope. The festival itself didn't make any advertisement, since it was only targeting people living in Nishi Chofu neighborhood. But, Afrin and I managed to know about it from a kind uncle that we met at the Asagao Festival.

Hahaha, so Japan right? Power ranger sort of thing, appeared live in a show called the V-Mask Show!

I was literally jumping out of surprised when that fish monster came out, as it looked terrifying in real life, I swear.

Haha apparently kids love this show so much! xD

Enjoying kakigoori or shaved ice

Say "konnichiwa" to my new friend, Luna-chan, guys! Luna-chan cried when the fish monster from the V-show appeared. Poor, Luna-chan :(

 

Long time no cotton candy!

Even though not as packed as the Asagao Festival, Afrin and I had a really good and laid-back time at Nishi Chofu Festival. Spending an hour and a half, munching festival's sweets while enjoying various shows. Fyi, we were the only foreigners in this event xD

Done with the festival, we then having a pleasant time strolling Nishi Chofu neat and lovely neighborhood!

Oh! did I forget to tell you? That  you can get uchiwa (a round fan) for free during summer. You can get it anywhere, like literally anywhere! There was one day I got two uchiwas at the same time xD Usually they stick some advertisements on the uchiwa.

So, yeah, that was one of my summer highlights for this year. Anyway, 10 days left till normal uni life starts again. Mixed feelings. 

Hope you guys enjoy this post! ;)

xx,

Shabrina

p.s.:

Somehow, I miss the earsplitting chirp of cicadas, the natural background music for summer in Japan. But I'm so excited for Autumn as well! Seasonal dilemma? :p

#HelloPaulSmith Tokyo Exhibition 2016 (Part II)

Whoop! Finally I'm back again after three weeks of hiatus. So good to be back with lots of stories and positive changes within myself. I guess I can proudly say that I nailed August to the fullest! I did many exciting things (summer camp with junior high school students is pretty much the highlight i guess?), met new friends and reunited with the old ones, back to pottery workshop and got my hand all dirty with clay (this time I made a plate! yeay!), played tourist around Tokyo and Yokohama with my best friends and lotsss more! Oops, did I forget to mention about the weekly study group for the incoming grad school entrance exam? Yeah, this one is also smoothly going on! :D How's your life update so far? Hope you're rolling well in this summer <3

Well, let's continue the #throwback post about my favorite exhibition by the oh-so-genius Sir Paul Smith, #HelloPaulSmith. If you're kinda losing track of what I wrote here, you might want to check the Part I post, here! :)

The ticket and pink earphones as the exhibition merchandise.

Please do enjoy scrolling this post down.

Section #5:

PROMOTION

"I constantly strive for individuality - we never work to a formula" - Paul Smith

This explained why every of his masterpiece speaks differently. I'm not gonna lie, even a button in a Paul Smith shirt looks magically eccentric. Much kudos to this man of idiosyncrasy.

Section #6:

THE HOTEL BEDROOM

This section probably sits on my top three of most favorite parts in this exhibition. I just love how clever they showcase Paul's first show (1976) in a cartoon-like manner if that makes sense. Felt like enjoying a 4D comic strip!

  

"My first collection comprised of just six shirts, two jumpers and two suits..."

This modest show has been marked as Paul's stairway to success. By 1993, Paul had been consistently producing menswear. He was the key role in changing British society's perception towards "suit". In 1980, along with Italy's notable designer, Mr. Armani, Paul attempted to make a softer suit that could be worn more informally rather than juts for funerals and weddings. 

In regard of this, he then coined the term "classics with a twist".

After discovering that 15% of his collection were purchased by women, he then started a women's collection in 1995. But still, inspired by his menswear cutting! Menswear inspired womenswear? Because why not.

Still in this section, Paul narrated more about his then-girlfriend (now wife), Pauline Denyer. I found this area is extremely personal, romantic and touching at the same time. As if Paul invited us the visitors to sneak into the other side of him as a loyal lover to his partner, to whom he said he owed so much. I just love it when he linked his first show that is known as the starting point of his huge success to Pauline's involvement in his life. This is too sweet, period.

Oh, don't you remember that he also wrote about Pauline in Section #2: THE FIRST SHOP? Sir Paul Smith is defo my ideal man to marry. lol. Don't laugh, it's true! Let me know if there's another man who's brilliant at color combining and still incredibly gentlemen-like and romantic. 

  

Section #7:

EVERYDAY IS A NEW BEGINNING

See the installation above? It's what literally urged and brought me here to this exhibition.  It was all started when I happened to see someone's posting #HelloPaulSmith on instagram and I was like "omg, what's with this cute pinky thing with giant table lamp and huge yellow sticky note?"At that time, the exhibition was still held in Kyoto, so I got to wait for around two weeks before it finally came to Tokyo! <3 Ah, thank you instagram! Without you, I might never get updated to some cool events happening in town. Totally.

So pink, so Paul Smith! <3

(Truth be told, I'm dying to carry this set home!! I mean, who doesn't?)

Section #8:

COLLABORATIONS

In this section, Paul showcased his unending brilliant skill in designing and playing with colors. But this time, not with fabrics as what he usually does but with various range of products, such as car, motorbike, camera, radio, and many more! 

Paul Smith x Rover Mini

Thomas Goode Breakfast Collection (2001)

Triumph Motorbike (2006)

Roberts Radio (2008)

This collaboration of Paul Smith and Roberts was a celebration for Paul's Westbourne House 10th Anniversary. As you can see, each radio is encased in floral printed leather and only 30 were made!

Evian (2009)

Leica X2 (2012)

Amusing color block as always.

This Leica x Paul Smith edition was limited to just 1,500 pieces. The highlights of this product are of course, Paul's color choice for the body and a hand-drawn "light-bulb" doodle. Well, I myself not a particular fan of this green color shade, since I'm more into pastel colors and blue-hues. But I still found this product interesting, especially for the vivid orange application.

Others

            

 

  

Section #9:

THE SHOPS

"I hate shops that all look the same - I love individuality.

We design all our own shops. I want each of the them to have its own character and one which reflects its setting in some way."- Paul Smith

So true. Every shop has their own character, color, and mood. Peculiarity is the key.

What's great about this section is that, he also exhibited some key pieces of the materials used in every shop. Interesting!

Just across this section, there was this huge button wall.... On which I feasted my eyes, that have always been in color-hunger!

Say hi to Maru-chan, guys! :p

Clumsy pose don't care xD

Section #10:

THE COLLECTIONS

       

The suits above are my fave items! Looking bold and dapper at the same time <3

 

Impressive prints, bold and edgy cuttings, all in soft-shimmering materials. Awesome!

The Souvenir Shop:

HELLO GOODBYE

Electric blue ftw!

All them cute pencils....

Some fancy Paul Smith Erasers?

So, that's all! Maru-chan and I really had a ball at this exhibition. Spending 2,5 hours to bunch of pleasing masterworks and now I'm completely admiring Sir Paul Smith-both as a designer, and as a man.

Totally the best exhibition I've been to so far. Cheers to more fascinating exhibitions to come! ;)

Till the next post, dear you beautiful souls!

xx,

Shabrina.