#ceramic shop tokyo

[kinsentokyo]

Japanese Cup by Matajiro

+SHOP+

[athenaismdb]

[anielskaaniela]

Exploring Kappabashi Kitchen Street: Tokyo's Culinary

In this post , you will visit with me Kappabashi Kitchen Street. Check out my japanese products [here]. What is Kappabashi Kitchen Street? Nestled between Ueno and Asakusa in Tokyo, Kappabashi Kitchen Street, also known as Kappabashi Dōgugai, is a culinary haven renowned for its extensive range of kitchenware. This bustling street, often referred to as “Kitchen Town,” has evolved from a niche…

[niuniente]

Hey Niu~ Do you have any smaller wonders you'd recommend visiting in Japan

Sure!

OSAKA

If you go to Osaka around the end of a month, there's a monthly temple flea market in the Shitennoji temple yard. It's arranged on 21st and 22nd of each month, and regular people are selling there their old stuff, as well as booths selling vintage kimonos, yukatas, haoris etc., ceramics, decorations, lots of antique items, statues etc. Take a subway to Tennoji station, the temple is next it. Read more here!

In Osaka, near Tenma JR railwaystation, is a takoyaki shop owned by an 86 year old lady called Hiroko. She's been making takoyakis for 60 years in that shop. You might have seen this image set of Hiroko giving a piece of her mind about people complaining that her food is too yellow (if not, see it - it's hilarious!) Her shop is called たこ焼き 寛子（ひろこ), Takoyaki Hiroko (Hiroko). The address is 5 Chome-6-3 Tenjinbashi, Kita Ward, Osaka, 530-0041, Japan. If you use subway, get off at Ogimatchi station to get to her store.

If you love toys and anime merch, there are two good spots for these in Osaka; one is the famous Den Den Town and other one is Kiddy Land in Umeda.

You can get to Den Den Town the easiest from Nipponbashi metro station. Just head towards south. You can also walk from Namba to Den Den Town as it's just right the next corner.

Kiddy Land is a bit harder to locate in the gigantic Hankyuu department store (which is like multiple building spreading across the whole Umeda) but you can get there the best from Umeda station. Kiddy Land has lots of toy stores, like Miffy, San-X, and a mixed store of everything cute, and also a Lego store. If you go out from the building from the door next to the Lego store, you can walk a few ten meters to a big Loft-store. It also has some merch, typically San-X and Sanrio and Disney stuff, but on the top floor of the same building there's an anime store. They sell lots of art books, replica swords and also special collectible statues like Japanese deities.

Special mentioning goes to the Namba Daiso (Namba Daiso Nansan-dori). It has 5 floors, all stuff with 100 yens. It's very near Namba metro station, easy to find! If you want to get super fancy and you've got a big budget, the Takashimaya department store is near this Daiso. You can find all kind of food items there, some with ridiculous prices. There's also Daimaru department store in Namba in close proximity - they sell fresh made taiyaki cakes in the bottom floor's food section.

KYOTO

Near Kyoto, you can find a small town of Arashiyama. It is the most well-known for its ancient wooden bridge and bamboo forests. People go just walk around into the bamboo forest. Many movies and TV series has been filmed in that forest. There's a direct train service to Arashiyama from Kyoto. Arashiyama is especially gorgeous at the end of November when the fall has arrived to Kansai area. It's apparently also super pretty during cherry flower season in spring. There are lots of temples in a small area, too, if you want to explore them.

(Here's the famous bridge).

In Kyoto, there's a design shop of SOU SOU. Now, SOU SOU makes and sells handmade tabi shoes, kimonos, yukatas, string bags, dishware, and wonderful print tabi socks but they also have their own, traditional Japanese café at their Kyoto store called Sou Sou Zaifu. You can get only coffee and matcha tea here - the order is hand made in order in front of you. It's very quiet and idyllic, intimate place. I accidentally went here to find shelter from a rain and it was so lovely. Even the shop itself is worth the visit, if you're interested in fashion and design! Read more here.

(Sou Sou Zaifu cafe. It seems the same guy is still working here. He was very friendly!)

TOKYO

If you travel in Tokyo, about 45 minutes by train from Tokyo is the city of Saitama. Saitama has a Sayama Hills at Tokorozama, which is also known as The Totoro Forest. Hayao Miyazaki has taken inspiration to Totoro from Sayama Hills. It was hard to find any information of this place in English (and even in Japanese!) in the past, but nowadays there's information in English. Read more here (with a Japanese map)

[talesofedo]

Image and text from this page.

Throughout the Edo Period, Japan was largely closed off from the rest of the world, relying solely on its limited domestic resources. As a result of this, reuse and recycling were a natural part of life with almost all daily items experiencing multiple life cycles. At the forefront of this 250-year period of sustainability were professions that centered around repairing and repurposing everyday goods and materials, giving new life to items that would today end up in landfills. In his book, “Just Enough,” Azby Brown introduces a number of the professions that led to this period of sustainability and we’ve listed some of our favorites below.

Tinkers

Tinkers were local craftsmen who repaired damaged pots and kettles. Often found carrying portable forges and bellows on their backs, they used scrap metal to repair holes and cracks that would otherwise render these essential household items useless.

Scrap metal dealers would purchase unrepairable items from tinkers and exchange candies and toys with local kids for nails and other usable metal scraps they found while playing.

Paper lantern and umbrella repairmen

While most umbrellas in modern-day Tokyo are quickly lost or broken and disposed of, the raw materials that made Edo Period umbrellas often saw multiple lives with umbrella repairmen carving out a fairly lucrative niche for themselves.

These repairmen would buy used umbrellas, assign a price based on the condition of the bamboo frame then disassemble, repair and resell them to new buyers.

Discarded materials, such as the waterproof oiled paper would pass onto local butchers for wrapping fish and miso.

With umbrellas and paper lanterns sharing essentially the same materials, umbrella repairmen would also cross over into the realm of lantern repair and often sub-contract this work out to low-level samurai.

Used clothes dealers

If you thought Shimokitazawa was overrun with used clothing dealers these days, Brown says there were as many as 4,000 of them in Edo.

With new clothes being unaffordable for the average family, when it came time to update the wardrobe, old garments would be washed and taken to a dealer to be exchanged for refurbished items at a small fee.

These dealers would take apart kimono, dye them and reassemble them for resale, a task made easier due to the way kimono are designed.

As clothes would begin to wear out, they found new life as aprons, diapers, pouches, cloths and eventually kindling before becoming ash which would also be repurposed.

Barrel repairers and recyclers

If you knew your way around a bamboo barrel hoop in the Edo Period you could make a steady living for yourself repairing the various types of shoyu, sake, miso or vinegar barrels found in the average home.

The more experienced itinerant barrel hoop makers could also find work as barrel recyclers, a specialized craft that saved reusable barrels and casks from early disposal.

After collection, recyclers would inspect, grade, refurbish and resell them onto brewers and liquor shops who would choose from new, new-looking, slightly used or worn barrels depending on their intended use.

Ashmen

Most daily items in the Edo Period were made from burnable plant-based materials such as wood, bamboo, straw and cotton.

Rather than have worn-out rope, sandals, hats, raincoats or baskets end up in landfill, these items could be burnt to provide heat and turned to ash, which is where the ashman comes in.

Rather than discarding of ash, households and businesses such as public baths would collect their ash and sell it to local ashmen.

With ash from straw and cotton cloth containing large amounts of potassium, it was in high demand as an additive for fertilizer or for use in ceramics, dyes or sake production which created a lucrative business for motivated ashmen.

[vashtijoy]

ohhhhh would you mind sharing your akechi post-canon ideas and aus? 👀👀

Ahahaha oh god THANK YOU FOR ASKING

so with @nardaviel, I have this whole ... thing, where Akechi comes back from the third semester and finds himself alive, using the deleted kakekomidera scene, where the two people who remember him from childhood talk about him at the refuge. He heads back to Tokyo and turns himself in to get Ren out of detention, pretty much as on 12/24 though Ren doesn't know he's there, and then he spends a month in jail being interrogated and staring at the walls and quietly going mad.

At this point he gets swept up by Mitsuru, possibly through Sae (who knows about the shadow operatives), and offered a place with her. He takes great pleasure in telling her to shove it up her ass, and unfortunately at this point there's a whole "or we could ask Amamiya-kun" thing, and tl;dr a highly resentful Akechi ends up working for Mitsuru—probably in a very grey and joyless capacity for a while, because you'd have to be out of your mind to trust him with anything. The clip on 3/20 at the train station is him being transferred from police custody to, essentially, Mitsuru's custody. He's traded what was at least independence of a kind in prison for putting himself into the hands of another rich, powerful asshole who wants to use him, for the sake of the one person he cares about, and the irony alone is almost enough to make him throw himself in front of that train Ren's sitting in.

Meanwhile, Ren thinks Akechi is dead, and is having his whole thing, off in the ass end of nowhere by himself.... and two years pass, during which he returns to Tokyo to study. And that's when Ren Finds Akechi Again, in the street, and punches him in the face, because why the hell not. And then, after some fallout and Ren nearly getting arrested again, they slowly have a chance to find what they might have been.

It also includes Futaba having both of their phones bugged and intruding on every text conversation they ever have, Akechi having an ankle tag for years and some sophisticated electronic locks on his doors, some extremely nice grounds with flowering trees and streams and little bridges and shit, Haru somehow being the one to find Akechi first and keeping it to herself, the most nervous bookseller in Jimbocho, Ren taking over management of Leblanc, a ton of "I'm 20 and I've done everything I'll ever do", Prisoner Angst, I'm Not Dead Angst, Akechi's seething hatred of Mitsuru and his certainty that she is a Maruki-in-waiting or at least the centre of another grand conspiracy, a lot of takeout, some very well-compensated gate guards, and a stillborn plan for Ren and Goro to skip the country entirely and hide out in Argentina or somewhere.

And, here and there, on occasion, they get over themselves enough to make out.

Since you were kind enough to ask, here's a relevant fic snippet from my collection, below the cut.

. . .

The next Sunday, Akechi heads to Jimbocho, to go through the second-hand shops. It’s fine. Weird little antique shops selling fripperies from the 50s and 60s; curio shops full of absolutely tacky trash, one with its window displaying nothing but ceramic bears; and the bookshops, of course, the reason Akechi is really here. Though he toys with buying one of the ugly ceramic bears, just to smash it.

There’s also an otaku shop, full of tiny Western figures that you’re supposed to paint, the sort of thing Akechi thinks he’d be good at, if he gave a fuck. But he doesn’t go in; the shop is full of awkward-looking students his own age, stereotypical otakus. Even besides that, Akechi dislikes students; they remind him that he’s not in university himself. Like he’d expected to be. Or to live long enough.

So he gravitates back to the bookshops, leafing slowly through old texts with their subdued covers, or hardbacks with gilt; there are even some Meiji-era wasobon, in a glass cabinet, with their glued-paper spines and their titles on glued labels. He stares at those for quite a while, head tilted, wondering what they’d feel like in his hand. When he turns away, he feels much smaller, like when he was ten and he’d ride the bus here rather than go home.

It takes him quite a while to settle on only one purchase; he goes from shop to shop, keeping lists in his head, ticking off options here, discarding them there. He doesn’t realise he isn’t scowling, and he doesn’t think of it as a nice afternoon. But he also doesn’t think about the absolute fuckfest last week in Inaba, or how off-balance he’d felt when he stepped back into the cognitive world again for the first time, only to feel his ankle tag shift away along with the rest of his clothes.

If anything, he feels unsettled. Like nothing bad’s happening, and so that must be bad. He heads absently out of the last bookshop, with his lone purchase taped into a washi paper bag, thinking he’ll try one of the espresso shops that also litter the area, because coffee and books are so inescapably combined—

—when a hand like a steel claw closes on his wrist.

Akechi drops the book, spins all at once, still fast with a killer’s reflexes. He finds himself staring into a taut face, furious beneath its tangle of black hair, eyes sharp and accusing, crystals of black graphite shining in the sun. Amamiya Ren is staring at him, touching him, for fuck’s sake, and all at once Akechi feels like his guts have turned to leaking, toxic mercury.

“Akechi?” Ren is saying, in a barely-there voice.

“That’s my name,” Akechi says, considering the likelihood that he’ll have to break Ren’s arm to make him let go. “Let g—”

He doesn’t see Ren’s fist. It flies into his right cheek, totally untelegraphed, and he hits the street with a grunt. Fucking Joker, every time, ugh, he should have seen that—

“Ow,” he mutters. Passersby are clucking to each other, so disruptive of them; he hears worried footsteps at the door of the shop he just left. But mainly he hears Ren, bending over him to talk in a relentless undertone. “I thought you were dead,” he’s saying, all the worse for the lack of deliberate malice. “After everything, Akechi. You let me think you were dead again.”

Akechi lets his head drop back onto the kerb, because fuck getting up, he’ll just lie here in the gutter. “You sound so surprised.”

“You—” Ren jerks forward, looks like he thinks about throwing a kick. So it’s fortunate this is the moment the police arrive, a fat one and a tall one; honestly, Akechi thinks they breed them that way, in pairs. He feels a stab of vindictive satisfaction as the fat one grabs Ren by the wrists, until the colour drains from Ren’s face like someone’s pulled off one of his feet.

Akechi closes his eyes. “Wait,” he says, getting up with a wince and producing his police ID, haha, because he’s a shadow operative even if he’s the worst they have and a liability; he almost works with the police more than he works at the Kirijo compound, by now. The two beat cops go a bit bug-eyed, the idiots. “I’ll handle this,” Akechi says. “He’s just a little upset. Won’t happen again, will it?” He smiles at Ren, with a flash of sharp teeth, with the bruise rising on his cheekbone: play along.

Ren’s eyes burn, and for a moment it looks like he’ll say something graphic in fluent gutter trash, rather than obey; Akechi relates with his whole being. But then Ren looks down, sullen, and shakes his head: no. Akechi beams for the cops.

“You see,” he says. “Sorry to have troubled you both. He’s very emotional, it’s not really his fault. Thank you for your work….” And they float away, charmed by a few utterly rote words from a stranger with a confidential department ID. And then….

And then that just leaves Ren. Who is staring at Akechi in bitter silence, and obviously, beneath his flat expression, raging.

Someone appears at Akechi’s elbow. It’s the proprietor of the bookshop. “Your book,” he says nervously, handing Akechi the paper bag he dropped.

“Oh. Yes. Thank you,” Akechi says, taking it. The package is a little dented at one corner, but otherwise fine. “I’m sorry for the inconvenience.” He bows, and the shopkeeper bows and hurries away, and Akechi could just die, again, it’s all such a fucking—

Except that Ren is still there, staring at him with Joker’s eyes; with all that fury and force and—and something else, something brighter and deeper and so much worse. “Where are your glasses?” Akechi finds himself asking, switching his thicker, cheerful mask for his much more comfortable flat one.

“I don’t need them for you,” Ren says.

Fuck. “Well,” Akechi says, “I’m not dead. As we’ve established. And you’re not arrested. So I suggest we both go our—”

Ren steps forward, interrupting him. “I can’t believe you’re still doing the same old shit,” he says. “They let you work for the police? Are you going to be on TV again, next week?”

That’s too much; far too much from Ren, who has no idea of what he escaped, no idea Akechi paid his debt this way. His voice turns brittle. “Interesting that you assume I had a choice, Amamiya.” Ren flinches, peeping out through his own mask. Akechi lifts the book.

“I hope you haven’t damaged this.”

He wants to close his eyes. Instead, he turns away and starts walking, in silence. Ren ought to fuck off, but he’ll certainly follow; he’s just wired that way. The Jimbocho street feels soft and shaky, like Mementos did, except now Akechi’s too used to solid ground and it feels like his ankles will twist from under him at every moment.

Ren tags at his heels like a dog. “I’m not going anywhere, Akechi. You’ll have to kill me.”

Akechi pauses, almost glances back. “I can just arrest you.” Technically; somehow he’s never been put in a position where the right move would be an arrest.

“Yeah,” Ren is saying. “You just proved you won’t do that.”

Akechi presses a knuckle between his eyes, as he screws them shut. “What do you want? How did you even find me?”

“You don’t think I read?” Ren says, defensively, not looking around at the three bookshops within ten metres. “I just didn’t read around you.”

“I know you read,” Akechi says flatly. “I saw everything you did.”

He still hasn’t properly turned. He feels Ren’s eyes on the back of his neck, through his hair, through his shirt collar; he thinks he’d feel them through a brick fucking wall. “Hifumi saw you,” Ren says.

That’s when he turns, incredulous. Togo had seen him? And known who he was? “I’ve never spoken with Togo-san. How did she remember me?”

“Don’t ask me,” Ren says, with a weird light in his eye, like he’s pleased Akechi turned back to him. “Seems like it’s just a thing. My confidants—do you even know about those?—they all remember.”

For a moment he’s silent. “When everyone else has forgotten.”

“Yeah,” Ren says quietly. His hands have gone into his pockets. He’s taller than he was; his eyes are on a level with Akechi’s, now. Or is he just not slouching?

Akechi sighs. It makes sense. Togo, who Akechi had no connection with; who had no reason to share any of Okumura’s discretion. All of Amamiya’s little projects, remembering Akechi laughing like an idiot, playing the fool, bringing himself down on television.

He feels like he can’t think straight, like he always did. Like he wants to stay put, learning and listening, picking through every little detail Amamiya might or might not have dropped. “I’m sorry Mementos is gone,” he says. Ren looks back at him, unreadable. “Perhaps we could at least have beaten the shit out of each other.”

“Yeah,” Ren says, not laughing. “That might have helped.”

“It did help,” Akechi says abruptly. “Both times, in fact. Because I really never liked you, Amamiya.”

“I know,” Ren tells him, unaffected. “And here we both still are, I guess.” He stands there like someone’s dropped a block of concrete on the pavement. Like Akechi really would have to kill him, to make him give up or go away. And part of Akechi still wants to, while part of him wants this moment to linger. The two of them—one a hero and one, well, not exactly a hero—who entered the fire from opposite sides, and came out changed, together, and alone.

A coin flips. He feels Hereward’s resolve inside him.

“I was going for coffee,” he says, still curt. “Come, if you want. Or stand there like an idiot, till you get arrested again.”

He starts walking in the direction of the nearest coffee shop; it was that or let’s smash a ceramic bear. Ren follows. “A coffee shop?” he asks, at Akechi’s elbow now. “Is this your revenge?”

“Ren,” Akechi tells him, perfectly serious, “you have absolutely no idea.”

[hollow-azure]

“Till Death Do Us Part” → Y/N Version

Chapter 2: The Harome Clan

| Story Masterlist |

→ Pairing: Gojo Satoru x female reader → Rating: Teen+ → Genre: Romance, Slow burn → Trope: Arranged Marriage

Summary: In a world where Satoru Gojo is still the nonchalant, childish, and overbearingly unserious sorcerer he’s known to be, he decides to concede to his family one wish: To be betrothed to a person of their choosing. A simple agreement he thought. However, what happens when the person he is promised to happens to be a former upperclassman?

Notes: I'm back! I apologize so so much for taking so long to upload a new chapter. To make a very long story short, and to not bore y'all with details, I got very sick a few months ago and I've been dealing with some very debilitating health issues that have made it difficult to find the opportunity to write. I'm writing this story as I go so anything unexpected that comes up has the chance to side-track me a lot, unfortunately. I'm feeling a bit better now so hopefully I can be back to uploading more frequently. This isn't a story I want to give up on so even if it takes me a bit longer to finish I still will!

WC: 4.4K

The air was warm when Y/N stopped at the entrance of her village. A light breeze fluttered through, laden with the smell of sweet lotus in between. The clear blue sky above framed the large gate leading to her home ground, as bright and clear as she remembered it. She stopped to take in the scenery before walking any further. God, she had missed this.

After graduating Jujutsu High, a little over a decade ago, Y/N had been one of the few sorcerers to welcome the challenge of accepting missions stationed far from the Tokyo area, earning her the strangest of looks from her peers, but the biggest of praises from the higher ups. It wasn’t everyday they found a sorcerer so willing to take on such a grueling task, and best of all, she didn’t mind. In fact, she welcomed it. In her mind, Y/N had spent so much of her life couped up in the confines of her clan and village, training and perfecting her skills, that any chance to explore the outside world sounded like a good deal, even if it meant she’d be at risk every day.

It was this willingness and the combination of her skills as a Harome sorcerer that had Y/N away from the village most of the time. However, compared to her previous batches of missions, this had been her longest stretch so far. Despite all the excitement and adventure her travels gave her, she was more than glad to be home.

Y/N had not taken even two steps into the village when someone called out to her.

“Oi! Y/N !” A man’s voice yelled from a shop stationed near the entrance. The smell of freshly cooked noodles streamed out of it.

A large grin filled her face as she recognized her beloved village cook Kenzo. “Hey!” she turned to make her way towards him, her eyes widening halfway through. She had almost forgot.

Her hands flew back and fished inside her travel bag, pulling out a small spice bag and tossed it to him.

Kenzo caught the bag, his features growing in shock, “In this what I think it is?”

Y/N’s arms leaned on the counter as she smiled, “That’s the one you asked for, right?”

His mouth fell wide open as he scrambled to open the bag, the excitement in his hands making him miss the draw string a few times before opening it. He took a long whiff of the spice smell escaping the pouch and laughed. “You are a life saver Miss Harome.”

Y/N waved a hand at him, “You’re exaggerating.”

“I’m not!” he said as he crouched under the shop’s cupboards and retrieved a small ceramic vase. A hollow pop sounded as he pulled the lid off. “I used up the last bit of it two days ago. We stayed surviving on some old pouches that had a bit of the mixture left from last time, but I gotta say, we were really starting to stretch ourselves thin there,” he chuckled, “but lo’ and behold, my guardian angel arrived just in time.”

A quick blush creeped on her face as she tapped the counter and pushed herself off, “I guess life’s full of coincidences.”

Kenzo scoffed and spun on his heel, “Coincidences, coincidences, yeah, yeah,” he clicked his tongue as he grabbed a bowl, “Stop spouting nonsense Harome and sit down already and have some-” he turned to face the counter again, but Y/N was gone, already making her way back onto the main street.

“Hey!” he yelled as he leaned out of the shop, “where are you going? The Udon’s almost ready. There’s no way you’re not hungry after that long trek you did to get up here.”

Y/N turned around, her feet continuing to walk backwards, “I can’t! I’ll run late if I do.”

A sense of annoyance flashed through his face as he clamped his hands on his hips.

“I’ll come down later, I promise!” Y/N shot back as she clasped her hands together and sent him a pleading look.

Kenzo shook his head in disappointment, trying to keep on the act that he was still mad, but he couldn’t. His face quickly broke into a grin. “I’ll save you a bowl!” he yelled as he waved a hand behind his head and dismissed her.

Y/N bit back a smile as she did a few backwards skips before spinning around to continue making her way through the main street. That was interaction number one of many as she made her trek down the village.

It was a small village the one Y/N called home. Nestled high in the Tokyo hills, near two of the big sorcerer clans on one side, and Jujutsu High on the other, it was one of the first sights one would see on their way up the hills, making it one of the busier areas the three great Tokyo clans had. A combination of Harome sorcerers and non-Harome sorcerers made up the group of people living on the hill space, most of the non-sorcerers inhabiting the houses and shops lining the village, and the family born sorcerers settled in the clan compound at the end of the home ground.

The village was as lively and busy as it could be that day, as if everyone had gotten together and collectively agreed to stream out at the same time and torment her with the warmest of welcomes. She couldn’t manage to take a few steps forward without being stopped again and again, one person after the other. Anyone else would’ve found the whole ordeal to be too much. Maybe be annoyed by the constant barrage of people calling out to her, handing her something, throwing themselves onto her and everything in between. But through it all, despite the overwhelming welcome and all her current plans being sidetracked, Y/N didn’t mind one bit.

The street’s sudden liveliness grabbed the attention of a group of children perched on a line of house roofs. A ball bounced back and forth between the roofs and ground as they took turns tossing it at each other. One of the little girls in the group turned her gaze towards the commotion plaguing the street, ignoring the rubber ball that had bounced in her direction. The sound of her friends calling out to her faded in the background as she drew a sharp gasp.

“She’s here!” she yelled as she slid off the roof. “Y/N’s here!”

The group fell into the same state of shock as the girl and followed suit in rushing down the roof.

A fit of cheers and screams cut through the air as they bolted their way towards Y/N, catching her by surprise when she finished her last interaction. The ecstatic group crashed into her legs and surrounded her, the sudden force and desperate pulls on her limbs making her stumble back a few steps.

“Woah there!” she said as she regained her balance and took in the group of squealing children hugging her legs. “You guys got stronger while I was away.”

A fit of giggles filled the young group. Once the laughing died down, the group slowly detached from her and gave her some room to crouch before them.

“Senpai! Look,” one of the little boys yelled as he pointed to his face. A pair of black lightning bolt marks framed the corner of his eyes.

Y/N drew a large grin as she gasped. “Look at you! When did you get these?”

“He got them last week!” one of the kids spoke, “my brother got them too, but they don’t look as cool.”

Y/N chuckled as she was sure all the marks looked the same.

Through the group of children another girl moved forward. “And I got mine last month!”

Excitement washed over the kids as they pointed to her face for Y/N to see.

Y/N leaned closer towards the beaming girl and confirmed her elated statement. “I see, I see,” a warm smile grew on her lips, “those are looking sharp as ever,” she said as she pinched the little girl’s cheek, drawing a quick giggle from her. “Just like my little sorcerers.”

A sense of euphoria flew through the kids as they heard her words. The young group fell into a momentary bombardment of excited statements and questions before another boy interrupted.

“When are they going to look like yours senpai?” he asked as he pointed to the markings on her face.

Y/N froze.

The prime time for a potential sorcerer to start manifesting their cursed techniques laid between the ages of four and six, and it was during this time that Harome sorcerers also manifested their characteristic black colored face markings, the Diamond Bolt seal mark. Anyone in the clan who developed the markings during this time would eventually start exhibiting the clan’s inherited technique and be on their way to becoming a sorcerer.

The first markings to appear were the lightning bolts on the corners of their eyes. Next, a thin horizontal line would cross the bridge of their nose and expand to either side of their face. After that, another pair of lightning bolts would extend down the corners of the horizontal line, and that was it. The appearance of those final lightning bolts was usually where the Diamond Bolt seal mark would end for most Harome sorcerers, but that wasn’t the case for Y/N.

Unlike the rest of her clan, Y/N had one final element included in her markings. At the ends of each pair of lightning bolts on her face laid the small outline of sharp black hollow diamonds, explaining the meaning behind the official name of the seal. Anyone in the clan who developed the Diamond Bolt seal mark inherited the clan’s cursed technique and were more than capable of displaying all the powers and skills that came with it, all except one.

Every Harome sorcerer inherited Universal Energy, however, only a select few grew to the level of being capable of using the technique of Universal Lightning, and it was only those select few that developed the final stage of the Diamond Bolt seal mark. Y/N was the only one in her clan who currently had the complete mark, and the first one in decades to develop it.

She shook out of her momentary stunned state and turned to the sea of young expecting eyes gazing at her.

“Well, once you start training, if you work hard enough,” she threw a light poke at one of the kid’s bellies, earning a quick chuckle, “grow strong enough,” she said as she tickled another, “and study hard enough,” her stern eyes fell on the boy with the newly formed marks.

The young group laughed as he rolled his eyes.

The quick round of giggles died down and Y/N turned back to them. “Just then, maybe, you might develop them.”

A combination of enthusiastic and confused whispers slithered through the children as she got up from her crouched position.

“But hey, remember,” Y/N snapped her fingers, “You can grow up to be fine sorcerers yourselves. Just as capable and just as strong, even if you don’t develop the complete mark. Even the head of our clan doesn’t have it.”

One of the little girls snickered. “Yeah, but that’s your dad.”

“So?” Y/N shrugged, “that just proves my point.”

“Or proves that he’s the exception.”

The group yelled in agreement. Y/N tried her best to pull their attention back to her main point, but the children were too riled up to listen. All she could do was stand there and laugh.

Despite the children’s arguments and hesitations, it didn’t change the fact that indeed very powerful and capable Harome sorcerers had existed before and still did, even without the complete Diamond Bolt seal mark. Sure, it was true that those with the complete seal were, to a degree, leagues ahead of everyone else. But seal or no seal, powerful Harome sorcerers had existed for centuries on end, and it was their undying determination in the face of trying times that always determined their strength, and that wasn’t going to change any time soon.

On a normal day, in a normal stroll, the two hundred meters or so that stretched the village’s main street would usually take around two minutes to walk. By the time Y/N made it to walled fence of her clan’s compound, half an hour had passed.

Leaned against the gate’s entrance, with his arms crossed on his chest and an amused look on his face, her father Orokodai stood waiting for her.

“That’s a new record,” a smirk grew on his lips, “thirty minutes to walk that little stretch? You must be getting out of shape.”

Y/N let out a deep huff as she dropped the sea of food bags she was carrying to the ground. A couple more fell from her back as she relaxed her shoulders.

“Did everyone get the same memo or something that I was coming today? Because this is ridiculous,” she gestured to all the bags her neighbors had handed her on her way there.

Her father shrugged. “It’s a small village, word travels fast.”

“Yeah, especially when it’s your word,” she said as she side-eyed him.

Orokodai laughed as his daughter took a spot next to him and looked back to the busy village in the distance.

She broke the silence after a few moments. “It’s never like this.”

“It’s always like this.”

“No, it isn’t.”

Y/N could feel her father’s burning gaze on her as she tried to not break into a laugh and ruin her playful banter.

Orokodai tore his gaze away and joined her in looking back at the village. “It is. You’ve been gone for so long you probably don’t remember.”

Y/N bit the inside of her cheek. “You’re exaggerating.”

“I’m sure she would remember,” the voice of her mother Ayako appeared behind them, “if she hadn’t left for six months.”

A low groan escaped Y/N’s lips as her parents gathered to keep poking fun at her. Their playful gazes flickered back and forth as she leaned against the compound gate in defeat.

“Are you gonna scold me for that too? Because you’d be the fiftieth person or so to do that today.”

Her parents shared knowing looks before turning to her.

“No,” Orokodai spoke, “not when our daughter comes back alive.”

A warm glimmer invaded Y/N’s eyes as her father snaked a hand behind her neck and pulled her and her mother into an embrace.

The smell of freshly brewed tea filled their house. Afternoon sun rays stretched around the mahogany floor holding the coffee table Y/N and Orokodai were seated at in silence. Only the sound of Ayako clinking cups in the kitchen and the chirping birds outside filled the space. It was a peaceful silence. Calm, serene, not laden with any extra worry that could be expected after a long day. At least that was the case for Y/N.

Orokodai sat across from her, nervously sipping at his tea while throwing subtle expecting looks towards Ayako on the other side of the room. Ayako moved back and forth between the counter, trying her best to keep her composure as she handled the tea tray and threw the same expecting look back to her husband. Orokodai’s eyes widened at her as he pointed with his head to their daughter drinking her tea in peace, oblivious to the staring contest her parents were currently engaged in. Ayako returned the widened gaze as she shrugged and grabbed the tea tray to walk out of the kitchen. Their eyes did one last silent battle before Ayako broke the silence.

“Y/N,” she said as she stood in the middle of the living room.

Their daughter turned towards them, her relaxed state an unnerving contrast to the tension her parents held.

“Yeah?” she asked as she took another sip from her cup.

Ayako turned towards Orokodai. She gave him one last look before setting the tray down and sitting next to him.

Orokodai took a deep breath before speaking. “Do you remember what we talked about before you left?”

Y/N’s attention was set on the spoon swirling the honey she had added to her tea. “The thing, we talked about…before…I left…” her words trailed off as she fought to catch on to what they were saying.

“About the clan unions.”

Y/N lit up as she remembered. “Ah that! Yes, I remember. What about it?” She finished swirling her tea and turned her gaze to the window on her side, unfazed by her father’s statement.

A tense silence burned in the room for a moment before Ayako spoke.

“Do you still feel the same way.”

“About what?”

“About what you said.”

The sound of Y/N’s spoon clattering down echoed through the room as her gaze flew to her parents. They finally had her full attention.

It was no secret the shift happening among the four great clans. The meetings, the truces, the letting ‘bygones be bygones’ being exchanged, and everything in between. It was something almost none of them had seen before. Something they hadn’t even thought to entertain in their lifetimes. For centuries most of them had kept to their own, the hunger for power and status driving their separate ambitions to take over one another, and their pride rendering them incapable of banding together to reach their mutual interests. But as the sorcerer world kept changing, and the power imbalance between curses and sorcerers kept rising, it was obvious they had reached a point where there was no other choice. Either come together and survive or let mutually assured annihilation cloud their egos and allow the cursed spirits to overtake whatever was left of the world in the end.

There were many ways in which the clans had begun to approach their plans of uniting the great families and building connections. Group pacts, business contracts, and everything else that granted even a smidge more of mutual assurance among the clans for the foreseeable future. Despite the sudden progressive nature flourishing among the clans and the higher ups, they still weren’t so far removed to not turn to one of the oldest of traditions to complement their growing unions.

Months ago, before she had left to go on her long stretch of missions, Y/N’s parents had approached her with a hypothetical proposition. The proposition of an arranged marriage with one of the other great clans, and how she was to be in the center of it.

Orokodai and Ayako had approached the situation with an air of caution, stressing multiple times the hypothetical nature of their sudden proposal, not wanting to place a sense of finality to something that not even the other clans had fully agreed on yet. They also didn’t want to pressure their daughter into agreeing to something as big and as invasive as an arranged union could be. They owed her that much.

Through it all, in the end, once they had finished explaining the hypothetical proposition to Y/N and everything that could hypothetically come with it, it wasn’t the fact that she had complied with the whole ordeal that surprised them, but more so how quickly she had agreed to it.

Both Orokodai and Ayako shared the same sense of shock when they had heard her answer, however they fought their best to not show it. With an eerie calmness still filling their daughter as she displayed her agreement, Y/N’s parents approached her with one last hypothetical question, the last one she would hear regarding the situation before she left for her mission.

“Why?”

And so, with a clear conscious filling her brain, and an air of confidence coursing her veins, Y/N began.

At twenty-nine years old, Y/N had done her fair share of dating, at least as much as her sorcerer career had allowed her to. Between dating sorcerers and non-sorcerers, the later proved to be the hardest. Although the easier of the two to find, the constant game of deflection and lying about her line of work always had her in a constant state of worry and stress, making it difficult to establish any real kind of connection with the people she saw. They were relationships built from the very start out of a lie, which didn’t fare well with even the most casual of relationships. The emotional toll of it all was difficult enough but funny enough, more difficult it was just having to explain her physical appearance to anyone she met.

The Diamond Bolt seal mark was a permanent fixture on her face, never fading or leaving her skin. Anyone on the outside world who asked about her markings always got either the excuse that it was a quirky makeup look she had done that day, or that they were face tattoos. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t.

The more she had to explain herself, whether it be her physical appearance or the mystery behind her real line of work, and the more tedious dealing with follow up questions got, the more Y/N pushed herself away from interacting with anyone outside the sorcerer world.

Dating actual sorcerers was miles easier, but it also came with its cons, the first one being time. You never had time. It came with the territory of being a sorcerer, they all knew it, and while most people were understanding and tried to make things work despite it, there were others who couldn’t, and Y/N couldn’t blame them. It was difficult building anything remotely meaningful when you barely saw someone, and it was ironically just as hard even if things were casual. It didn’t matter what angle they tried it. Things inevitably always fell through despite both party’s best intentions.

If that were the worst of her problems when it came to dating sorcerers, Y/N might’ve been able to live with it. But with their line of work being such a dangerous one, one specific experience with a partner a few years ago had been enough to drive her over the edge.

They had finished a particularly difficult mission, both sustaining a nasty wound that had left them on the brink of death. Tired, alone, stuck in the outskirts of Kyoto with no back up under a pouring night. Hours passed as they bled out, Y/N with a much deeper and gaping wound than her partner. It might have been the end of the line for both had help not arrived eventually.

Despite both surviving and everything turning out fine in the end, the damage had been done. The stress, the anxiety, the trauma of it all had been enough to create too large of a strain in their relationship. Y/N had tried her best to mend things, reassure her partner that experiences like those were bound to happen, they were jujutsu sorcerers after all. But he wasn’t having it. The horrible hours that had transpired that night had been too much for him to ever have to deal with seeing her in a state like that ever again. After that, Y/N barred herself from dating altogether, and when she realized how strangely happy she was because of it, there was no going back.

Taking all of that into account, at that point in her life, an arranged marriage didn’t seem so farfetched to Y/N. In her own exercise of mental gymnastics, it made things easier.

She wouldn’t have to waste time scouting through a sea of partners, go through all the trouble of getting to know them, spend time trying to convince them to stay. In her mind, it was the only way she saw herself finding anything resembling “love” at that point. If it turned out she didn’t, at the very least she had a platonic partner for life, granted she managed to not be paired with someone horrible. Through it all, it was a one and done business, and after being through so much, it was something she desperately needed.

For as much as her desire to put an end to her chaotic love life was reason enough to accept her clan’s proposal, Y/N wouldn’t willingly give herself up for such a frivolous reason.

It had of course been one hundred and fifty years since the clan massacre. She remembered as she looked out the window. The view of the bustling village and housed field framed the area, a stark difference from what it had once been.

After reciting the same set of reasons she had mentioned months ago, Y/N turned to her parents with the same sense of confidence she had displayed the last time they had discussed the matter and gave them her final answer.

Orokodai and Ayako shared one last knowing look before breathing out.

“Well, I guess it’s settled,” Orokodai said as he got up. “I’m going to let the rest of the heads know.”

The sound of clinking cups now invaded the room as Ayako began to clean up the area.

An air of confusion hovered over Y/N as she furrowed her eyes at her parents. “Wait, aren’t you forgetting something?”

They both stopped dead in their tracks as they turned to her.

“Aren’t you going to tell me who I’m betrothed to?”

A sheepish laugh escaped Orokodai as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, to be honest, we don’t know yet.”

A beat of silence followed before Y/N reacted. “Wait, you what?!”

Her parents laughed as they resumed their tasks, letting their bewildered daughter sit in a fit of shock.

“Like I said, this was something we were all still discussing.” Orokodai said as he backtracked into the room, “we were waiting for your final answer.”

Y/N crossed her arms and playfully pouted. “You’re marrying me off to some random person and you don’t even know who it is?”

Ayako plopped down next to her and wrapped an arm around her and pulled her closer. “Isn’t the point of an arranged marriage that it doesn’t matter who it ends up being?”

Y/N got ready to counter her mother’s point, but she froze. Her lips stuttered for a few more moments trying to come up with something, but she couldn’t. She rolled her eyes as she sighed in defeat. “It would still be nice to know.”

“You’ll know soon enough.” Her father said before he walked out.

One week later, Y/N got the answer to her question.

Notes: Thank you to anyone who has stuck around so far! Next chapter is a bit more dialogue based so it will be much easier to write and hopefully not take as long to upload as this one. We'll also finally see our favorite blindfolded idiot so I'm very excited to finally get to that.

[gentlemanthiief]

Goro  ❤  'd for a starter!

@seethingveins​​​

There was a certain peace to the early mornings in Leblanc. The downstairs floor of the shop bathed in warm, amber light as the sun poured in from the half-closed blinds, dust motes shimmering in the rays; the muffled sound of footsteps and chatter on the pavement outside as commuters made their way through Yongen-Jaya. Morgana, napping idly in Akira’s bag on the farthest barstool as he waited for the boy to finish making his coffee, since Sojiro had run out on an errand next door.

Startled awake by the cacophonous sound of ceramic shattering against the floor. 

Goro Akechi: To Testify Against Former Prime Minister Shido Today

“��Akira ... ? ” Morgana’s voice was groggy, as he peered out of the bag to look at the boy, all further questions dying in his throat as he followed Akira’s gaze to the television screen. “ W ... wait, that  —  that can’t be right ... ”

The headline was seared into his brain like a brand, so hot and bright that Akira couldn’t see anything else, nor hear Morgana’s voice or the news anchor’s comments. Rationality began to argue with it. Goro Akechi was dead. He died 7 months ago, in the underbelly of Shido’s abominable Palace, and Akira had painstakingly agreed that was how it should be back in February. Maruki’s reality had been obliterated and Goro Akechi disappeared with the rest of the façade.

So how?

“ There has to be some kind of mistake, right ? Akechi was  —  hey, wait where are you going ? ”

Akira stepped over the mess of spilled coffee and broken remains of the mug that had been holding it and went for the door. He stepped outside, and made it about ten feet before spinning around and marching right back in. He had his hand over his mouth as he paced inside, eyes locking with the TV screen again. He fought an invisible war inside his head: half knowing he should let it go, and the other half needing to see for himself. 

“ Jeez, you alright ? ” Now Morgana was perched with his paws on the back of the barstool, looking between Akira and the newscast. “ I think we should tell the others. Not many of them are in Tokyo anymore and might not have seen it yet. And you should probably clean this up before Boss gets ba — wait, Akira !! ”

He didn’t give Morgana a chance to finish, already moving back outside with determination. While he had no idea when today’s session would finish, Akira would be damned before he let that bastard slip by without explaining himself. He left Morgana and his bag abandoned on the barstool and went straight to the train station as Morgana continued to call out to him, deafened to the cat’s cries. 

[laurenetuttle]

Japan Day 4 (September 9, 2024)

We had another lovely day in Japan today! The weather has continued to be very hot and humid. We instantly feel gross and are sweating within minutes of being outside. It’s making getting cute and taking fun pictures challenging. This morning we enjoyed another lovely buffet breakfast at the hotel before heading out to explore more of Tokyo. We took the subway over to the most popular temple in Tokyo called Senso-Ji temple. is this beautiful temple complex. There are a bunch of little stalls and stores leading up to the temple. So we spent a while meandering through the stalls, looking at the little knickknacks that were being sold and snacks. We made our way up to the actual temple, and there were some beautiful gates and a pagoda style building. You can also buy incense and incense smoke, which is supposed to bring good health. There is also a tradition of fortunes at this temple as well. What you do is you go up to one of these booths and you shake a metal box full of sticks. Then you tip the box over to let a stick come out. Then you look at what number is on the stick and then you go and pull the fortune from the number door that matches the number that’s on the stick. Then you may see if you have a good fortune or bad fortune. If you have a good fortune, then you get to bring it home with you. If it’s a bad fortune, then you were supposed to tie it up in a tree and leave it behind. Both Liz and I got good fortunes. We then walked into the temple, which was very ornate and we paid our respects. We then did more walking around the nearby street, which was also filled with a lot of vendors. This is the main area of the Asakusa neighborhood. We stopped to get some cold drinks out of a vending machine. We also stopped to get a snack which consisted of very fresh strawberries stick with a hard sugar coating. They call this strawberry candy. It was very delicious and hit the spot as we were totally sweating.

After a lot of meandering, we decided to make our way to Kappabashi Street. This street is well known to be a kitchen tools street. So both sides of the street are lined with store after store all carrying various types of goods that you would need in the kitchen or in a restaurant kitchen. We went through loads of stores that were selling ceramics and knives and appliances, and any sort of kitchen tool that you might dream of. I purchased a ceramic canister for my kitchen to put some looseleaf tea and I’m really excited about. I also found pans that were the same size as my family’s potica pans and I purchased two of those to bring back to the US. We then spent some time in a knife shop. We got to learn all about the different types of Japanese knives. Then I purchased a couple of nice knives and they did free engraving, which was a lot of fun and we got to watch that process.

After we spent a while on kappabashi Street, we decided to take transit over to Asahi brewery. This is one of the major breweries in Japan. We decided to enjoy the air-conditioning, I got a beer, and we enjoyed some lunch. Also, by the way food in Japan is so cheap! Basically every meal that we have had has been $10 or under per person at the brewery was no exception. We got a pizza, edamame, a beer, and a soda for all under $20. after this late lunch, we took transit back to the hotel to drop off my loot. We also took a couple minutes break his again. It was very hot and humid and we had been doing a lot of walking so our feet were tired. Taking a short break to go to TeamLab Borderless. It’s the same company that put on the art museum that we went to on the first day. But this is a newer exhibit in a different part of Tokyo. We enjoyed the first museum so much that we decided to go and check this newer version out as well. The whole museum is a digital art, museum, different types of rooms and projected art. One of the rooms, we were able to draw our own fish and they scanned the fish into digital art and projected it on a wall in the next room. Both Liz and I drew turtles. And then we got to watch our sea turtles swim around in the next room. It was very cool. And definitely different experience than the other location. We’re glad that we did both. I think that we both agreed that we liked the other location better. This museum was located in the middle of a mall. So afterwards we just grabbed a bite to eat at a Ramen shop nearby. We decided to head back to the hotel pack up some of our stuff and get ready for bed. Tomorrow we are checking out of this hotel and taking a bus to the small town of Fujiyoshida, which is located just outside of Mount Fuji. we are both looking forward to a relaxing couple of days with less walking. And also hopefully more comfortable beds. We are also very excited to get out of the big city and a smaller town and subsequently head to Kyoto, which is more historical and has more cultural sites.

[catpeek]

Explore Yanaka Cat Town: Tokyo's Feline Paradise Awaits

Discover the enchanting charm of Yanaka, Tokyo's Hidden Gem, where the serene streets are alive with feline friends and rich history. 🐾✨ Step away from the bustling city and immerse yourself in this unique district that beautifully blends culture, art, and of course, cats!

Welcome to Yanaka: The "Cat Town" of Tokyo 🐱🏙️

Nestled within the lively metropolis, Yanaka boasts a tranquil atmosphere that makes it a perfect escape. With countless stray cats and warm-hearted locals, this area is not just a haven for feline lovers but also a treasure trove of historical sites and traditional Japanese aesthetic. 🌸

Explore the Unique Streets of Yanaka 🌏

As you stroll along the Yanaka Ginza shopping street, you'll find artisan shops brimming with local crafts, cat-themed goodies, and delicious treats. Each shop has its unique charm, offering everything from ceramic hand-painted teapots to delightful cat cakes! 🍰🐾

And don't forget to take a break at one of the cozy cat-themed cafes. Here, you can sip your favorite brew while spending time with friendly cats that call these cafes home. It’s a purr-fect way to unwind! ☕

Serene Yanaka Cemetery: A Unique Experience ⚰️🌺

Yanaka is also home to the serene Yanaka Cemetery, where you can wander through ancient tombstones amidst lush greenery. This peaceful resting place is a wonderful spot to connect with history. Did you know it holds over 7,000 graves? Exploring this unique site, including the resting place of Tokugawa Yoshinobu, Japan's last shogun, offers a glimpse into the country’s rich history. 🇯🇵

Embrace the Local Culture and Stray Cats 🐾❤️

One of the highlights of visiting Yanaka is the sight of stray cats lounging in the sun, strutting down the streets, and often stealing the show! Locals are protective of their furry friends, ensuring they live freely and enjoy the adoration of tourists. Make sure to be gentle and respectful when interacting with them!

Your Next Adventure Awaits! ✈️🌸

So, are you ready to experience the magic of Yanaka? Whether you're interested in cultural arts, cat-themed attractions, or simply soaking in the serene vibes, you can’t go wrong with adding this hidden gem to your itinerary.

For more insights and travel tips, check out this post for exploring Yanaka Tokyo! 🌟

[uncleweed]

Back then, Robert Yellin was a journalist at an English-language newspaper in Japan, and also a specialist in ceramics. Staff from Apple got in touch, asking him to arrange a tour of several shops in the Tokyo area for Jobs. Yellin agreed, and soon received a peculiar set of instructions from the company.

Don't allow smokers near him. He doesn't like smoking.

Don't use four-letter words or any bad language.

Try to keep him away from crowds.

Robert Yellin currently runs an antique shop in Kyoto.

Yellin admits to feeling a little wary about rules. But he also says Jobs couldn't have been more charming. The men visited two galleries featuring both antiques and modern items, and an individual pottery collector in Tokyo.

[athenaismdb]

[oliviainjapann]

May 8th- Tea Ceremony and Tokyo Skytree

Today was so much fun! We began our day by taking the train to the tea ceremony and Hamarikyu gardens! My group first explored the gardens and walked around the whole park and took beautiful pictures. It was very relaxing and so clean- the bonsai trees everywhere were so cool and contrasted the tall buildings in the background. When it was our turn to go into the tea ceremony room, we were greeted by a very kind Japanese woman who directed us to our mats. She gave us a backstory about tea ceremonies and explained the rules. She then introduced the wonderful tea master, who is apparently one of the most renowned tea masters in Japan- I felt so honored! The tea ceremony was absolutely amazing, and it was so incredible to see how careful and gentle the tea master was with every motion. Every part was so thought out and intentional. We were served a Japanese sweet treat before our matcha, which I didn’t really like because it reminded me of playdough consistency, but the matcha was incredible and tasted so authentic. After the ceremony, we travelled to Tokyo Skytree. Here we first ate some lunch, and had very yummy Indian- I needed a little break from Japanese food. The skytree was so amazing, and it was incredible to see the entire city from this height. I’ve seen New York from the top of the World Trade Center, but it’s so different here because there aren’t really any skyscrapers. After the tower, we decided to shop around and explore the mall. I tried the yummiest boba with brown sugar and matcha, and then said bye to my friends as they went back to the hotel but I wanted to stay and explore some more. I only ended up buying one graphic tee until I ran into some of the boys and decided to head back with them. Our dinner with David Semoya was amazing. I learned so much from him about putting myself out there and not following the crowd. I think I can gain so much from exploring a career internationally, and finding a career in Japan could be an amazing opportunity for me in dietetics.

Academic Reflection

Our first reading today directly correlated to our tea ceremony experience and it was amazing to see how many of the details from the texts about the history and ceramics/bowls used were the same as in real life. For example, one thing that stood out to me was how the text described how the tea ceremony can be enjoyed by everyone regardless of their class. Our tea master and her helper both explained how everyone in the ceremony room is equal to each other, and one of the rules in the room is respecting one another as equals. This really stuck with me because I think it is so important to understand that we are all created the same, and need to be kind and respectful to one another, especially so that we can all enjoy the same experiences.

As for the final reading, I found it incredibly interesting how in Japan they use every inch of space of the blocks of land they own in order to maximize their buildings. This was clearly evident by seeing how dense the city appeared from above, and also was very different from America in that the streets weren’t all necessarily on a grid layout. Also, the sunshine law was interesting to learn about and I wish the US also had the same law, as I believe natural light is so important to have in our buildings, and it is clear Japan takes it seriously as there are not any extreme skyscrapers blocking any building from getting enough sun.

[deasbanker]

Weekend treat: pop in Kiyosumi Shirakawa, a district east of Tokyo, and wander through there with no specific aim, no plan, nor a map early in the afternoon!

28/4/2024

Instead of a plan to head to Tachikawa for an exhibition, I decided to come around Kiyosumi Shirakawa/Fukagawa, one of the Tokyo's old town districts, on impulse. This place has been featured in lots of Japanese magazines, giving me an impression of being appreciated by fashion-conscious people; and I was partially right. On getting off a train, you can recognize both modern/stylish and traditional elements even through its station including the leaflets about the town depositing on a rack. Regarding a modern design aspect, it could be attributed to an art museum within the district named Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo（MOT）. On the other hand, Edo period architecture remains there; nagaya, a long housing complex under the same ridge, one or two stories high, divided into small compartments for rent（quoted from Wikipedia）, for instance.

I followed the flow of tourists from the station and arrived at the entrance of a kind of shopping district. Each store was small and modest, which brought about a cozy, approachable atmosphere throughout the district; and I love that. I stopped by a ceramic store, a tea shop, and Fukagawa Edo Museum first. The latter had exhibits regarding a renowned sumo wrestler who had lived in the district and awarded for the Honorary Citizen.

One thing that I like about this town was the good ratio of neighbors and tourists. I could recognize its neighbors in T-shirt, shorts and sandals there and felt the fact that the place was properly dedicated to its inhabitants wonderful. It seemed to be loved by both indeed. I, personally, got captured by the scenes such as, a mother and a small daughter buying Japanese sweets communicating with an elderly owner in front of a showcase and a young woman riding a bike without belongings.

Then, I ran into two second-hand book stores along the street, both of which fit my taste in books perfectly and reminded me of the days when I had been working on a pile of assignments and a graduation thesis by reading a lots of books about structuralism, literary theory, film criticism, or feminism in college（Surprisingly, I a bit missed that）. I felt blessed for this fateful encounter, so I would love to come back before long.

While roaming through this area, we reached the art museum which I mentioned at the beginning. Its architecture was so modern in terms of shape and material in accordance with its name; and there was a comfortable environment opened to the public inside. In contrast to fashionable, stylish design of the building, elderly people in loungewear from the neighborhood seemed to easily come in just for chilling, which I did appreciate. That signified democracy. Besides, there was a narrow passage a bit similar to Great Wall of China next to a small pond within the premises and a park surrounded by trees. So, I took off my face mask and took a deep breath there, getting refreshed. I want to settle down this place.

[shop-korea]

20 YEARS - OF - SOLE - HOUSEHOLD

ME - HOW - I - LIVE - IN - FLORIDA - 2

AMAZON - PRIME

CHANGED - OUR - LIVES

MIAMI - RIVER - SUCH - STRONG YES

WINDS - HAS - CHANGED - ME MOST

CHEAP - HOTELS - IN - TOKYO - JAPAN

$20 - $76.80 - I - THINK - WANT CHEAP

FEMALES - ONLY - REMINDED OF

MANHATTAN - NEW YORK & FELT

CREEPY - WHY - ARE - JAPANESE

VERY - SHORT - 5 FT - MEN - AND

4 FT - WOMEN - MAYBE - WHERE

THEY - SLEEP

CHINA - 7'1 FT - 7 FT - MEN

GERMANY - AND - AFRICA

WHO - HAS - 7 FT - MEN - 2

WHERE - THEY - SLEEP

DEAR - KOREAN - GIRLS,

FOUND - OUT - WE - DON'T

HIDE - OUR - WOOLS - FOR

SUMMER - WOOL - LIKE A

MARBLE - WALL - FLOORS

THEY - BRING - COLD - OF

WINTER - 2 - WARMTH OF

SUMMER - WOOL - BEST

4 - ALL - SEASONS

WOOL - BREATHABLE YES

CLOTH - ALSO

POLYESTER - MORE THAN

SILK - WHICH - CAN'T - YES

HANDLE - COLD

POLYESTER - BLOCK WIND

GOOGLE - SEARCH - NO 1 - SEARCH

ENGINE - IN - THE - WORLD

HATE - BING

SHOWED - U - KNITTING - SPINNER

MACHINE - FOUND - AN - AUTO YES

ALSO - RECOMMENDED - A - TOOL

DIDN'T - UNDERSTAND - AT - FIRST

AMAZON - SELECTED

MOST - EXPENSIVE - 4 - MOST YES

AUTOMATIC

TOOL - THERE - SO - WE - CAN USE

AUTO - POWER - SCREWDRIVER

WIRELESS - PINK - 2 - MAKE THE

SPINNER - GO - FASTER - SOONER

WE - GOT - OUR - SWEATER

GLOVES - HATS - MADE - OF

WOOL - SO - CHEAP THE YES

YARNS - OF - AMAZON

COMBINE - SHEIN - CLOTHES

WE - CAN - SAVE - TON - $$$$

OF - MONEY - AND - TIME

BUT - WOOL - COSTS - MUCH

AT - AMAZON - SO - I - SAY WE

MAKE - OUR - OWN

SEWING - MACHINE

MAKE - WOOL - PANTIES

GOING - 4 - EQUINOX

CARDIO - KICKBOXING

MARTIAL - ARTS

INTENSE - BOXING KICKS

LIKE - KARATE - WHAT IT

IS - THEY - OFFER

FREE - CLASSES - ALSO

INCLUDES - PILATES - 2

EQUINOX - OVER - $300

MONTHLY - ANOTHER IS

AT - AVENTURA - MALL

OVER - 300 SHOPS AND

BEST - FOOD - COURT

HUGE - MEATBALLS 2

SPAGHETTI - GARLIC

BREAD - CAN'T - WAIT

BY - MAKING - OUR - WOOL

SWEATERS - GLOVES - AND

WOOL - HATS - WE - SAVE

MONEY - BECAUSE - WINDS

OF - MIAMI - RIVER - COLD 2

SO - LIGHT - PINK - MY VIBE

GETTING - ECKEL - WATER

DOWNSTAIRS

TOMORROW - 22 MARCH 24

CALLING - EBT - TOLL FREE

BECAUSE - NOT - SHOWING

AT - APP - ANOTHER's

BUT - HOT CHOCOLATE 4 ME

DECAFFEINATED - COFFEE

I - HATE - TEA - AFTER - ALL

ECKEL - WATER - 1ST FLOOR

LAST - TEA

CHAI - DECAFFEINATED

THEN - IN - THE - RETRO

BOILER - THERE - PUTTING

WATER - REDUCED SODIUM

VIENNA - SAUSAGE - BOIL

THE - SAUSAGES - AND THE

BOILING - WATER - 2 - MAKE

MARUCHAN - NEW

ROASTED - CHICKEN

NEVER - EVER - COOKED

THERE - B 4 - CLEAN WITH

WATER - THEN - POUR - IN

MY - 4 GALLON - WATER

BAG - MIRACLE

I - ONLY - HAVE - CERAMIC

MUG - WAS - ROBBED - OF

CERAMIC - SAUCER

GRAND - THEFT

HISPANIC - OLD - WEIRDO

I'M - OLDER - THAN - AND

OFFICER - BAEZ

BOTH - HISPANICS

MY - STUFF - OVER

$5,000 - GRAND - THEFT

$750 - AND - MORE

HOMELESS - ROBBED

WHAT - USA - DOES - TO

FEMALES - OF WINNERS

OF - MS UNIVERSE 2018

2015 - NOT - ALLOWED 2B

BRALESS - NOT ALLOWED

NUDITY - PUBLIC - PRIVATE

CAN'T - B - SEEN - BY THEIR

SPOUSE - THEY - LOOSE

TITLES - FOREVER

SO - MIAMI - POLICE

JAIL - WE - NEED - 2 C YOUR

NAKED - BUTTOCK - YOUR

HAIR - BELOW - WAIST LIVE

WEE WEE

MIAMI - POLICE

IN - NEED - OF - FOREIGN

AND - FEMALE - PARTIAL

NUDITY

4TH - UNREASONABLE

SEARCHES - BY - PEOPLE

WHO - LIVE - IN - HOUSES

8TH - CRUEL - UNUSUAL

PUNISHMENT

14TH - DEPRIVED - OF

LIBERTY - HOMELESSNESS

PROPERTY - OUR - THINGS

CRIMINAL - ACT 2 DEPRIVE

OF - USE - OF - PURCHASED

PROPERTY

SO - HERE - IS - WOOL - AS

OUR - RESCUE - WINTER &

SUMMER - AMAZON PRIME

FREDDY COUSIN-BROWN

FREDDY - MY LOVE

YOUTUBER

INTRODUCED - LIGHT PINK

LOUIE VUITTON

AVENTURA - MALL

MIAMI - FLORIDA

$7.99 - PAPERBACK - PATTERNS

SENTRO - $69.99 - FULLY MORE

AUTO - THAN - OTHER

48 NEEDLES

BUT - ADAPTER - 2 B - ABLE - TO

US - PINK - ELECTRIC CORDLESS

USB - SCREWDRIVER - SO U CAN

MAKE - MACHINE - GO - FASTER

KNITTING - DONE - SOON - FOR

U - GO - AROUND - AT - FIRST

1 ROUND - THE - SLOWEST &

ONCE - DONE - U - CAN - GO

FAST - USING - CORDLESS U

RECHARGE - WITH - USB - AS

POWER - SCREWDRIVER - TO

MAKE - KNITTING - SPINNER

MACHINE - GO - FASTER

DONE - FASTER HOORAY

METER - TELLS - U - HOW

MANY - ROUNDS - U HAVE

LEFT 2 - DO - MOST - YES

FEATURES - MORE - AUTO

$69.99 - FOR - A - REASON

48 NEEDLES

SWEATERS - WOOL - HATS

FINGERLESS - GLOVES AS

I - WORKOUT - DOORS AND

STAIRS NOT BAREHANDED

STEEL - BARS - FULL - OF

GERMS - CORONAVIRUS

FINGERLESS - GLOVES

WHAT - U USE - BUT WE

HAVE - NEVER - USED

WOOL IN THE SUMMER

NOW - WE - KNOW

MARBLE - LIKE - WOOL

SILK - NOT - GREAT

POLYESTER BLOCK

WINDS

THUS - SUMMER

100% ORGANIC COTTON

RECYCLED - POLYESTER

SUMMER - WINTER

WOOL

POLYESTER

WE - CAN - MAKE - OUR

OWN - WOOL - DRESSES

SWEATERS - HATS - AND

FINGERLESS - GLOVES

AMAZON - PRIME

WOOL - LT PINKS

I - CAN'T WAIT - KNITTING - WOOL

AMAZON - PRIME - HUB - LOCKER

LOVE - LT PINK - LOVE - LT PINK 2

[formeryelpers]

Café Kitsune, 3814 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles (Silver Lake), CA 90026

Café Kitsuné is next store to the clothing brand, Maison Kitsune. It’s a coffeehouse and they actually roast their own coffee in Paris, Tokyo, and New York. The LA café serves coffee roasted in NYC.

I suppose their aim is to create a relaxing, stylish place to enjoy coffee, tea, and pastries before or after shopping at their clothing store. It is a stylish place. They serve their drinks and food on Café Kitsune ceramic plates and cups. There are fresh flowers on the tables in the center of the room. I wouldn’t say it’s welcoming since there was a sign that said it was a laptop/tablet free zone.

For coffee, they have drip coffee, espresso drinks, and soon, pour over. They also have tea, including matcha, chai, etc. And they have cold drinks – cold brew, juice, water. The pastries look familiar (cookies, croissants). I’ve seen them at other coffeehouses. Café Kitsune has the highest markup on them. I think the fox cookies must be exclusive to Café Kitsune since they feature their fox logo.

Fox matcha cookie ($5): a tiny cookie that they charge $5 for. Ridiculous. It’s like a butter shortbread cookie with matcha, soft in texture. It was fine but overpriced.

Flat white ($6): Larger than the usual flat white with pretty foam art. It was balanced and well-made though it did have a bitter aftertaste.

Their drinks are good but skip the pastries and cookies. And don’t bring the laptop.

3.5 out of 5 stars

By Lolia S.