love hotels

went exploring namba the other day in an attempt to see some sleaze but didnt quite succeed. im just extremely curious to find out where the seedy part of namba is, but it's proving harder to find than i thought. it's not like im going to take advantages of any of the sleaze on offer, but it's just interesting to know where the going-ons are in the city where you live.. after all, The Great Happiness Space, the extremely intriguing show on host clubs in Japan, was filmed in Osaka.

all we found were some interesting advertisements:

and euphemistic expressions:

two really interesting articles

i've blogged about it before, and i'm doing it again. Tokyo Mango is this awesome blog that has lots of interesting and well-written articles, and 2 great ones have recently been posted.

everyone knows how japanese men somehow have the most amazing hairstyles - and i think you have to come to japan to realise just how many of them have wonderful (or perhaps, more like crazy) hair - but guess what? there are actually wigs that can give you "boyband hair"!! check it out here. (actually i lied. this article was posted long ago, but linked to this recent one featuring one very lucky man whom i agree has hair that guys spend ages in front of the mirror to achieve. have i also ever mentioned my JET friend who has a male student who uses 7 different hair products every single morning? unbelievable.)

* * *

namba in osaka has this street called doyasuji, where you can find kitchen utensils, takoyaki machines, lanterns to hang outside your shop (with the appropriate words like "okonomiyaki" and "udon"), hanging curtains that are placed above your shop entrance and so on. the shops in that place also sell plastic food - the kind you find on display outside japanese restaurants.

i was there about two weeks ago, and you'll never guess that those plastic displays actually cost more than the food that you buy! tokyo mango has a post and a brief introduction to this great article on the making of plastic food. read it and be enlightened!!

dead broke and a cry for help

that's of course an exaggeration, but i spent soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much money this weekend that i'm so ashamed. i think i basically shouldnt buy anything except food and groceries for the entire month, and even then i think i ought to buy the cheap stuff and eat less, and eat only what's necessary (like less cakes and desserts).

namba is really a BAD BAD place for your wallet..  i've been warned about namba, and i actually prefer HEP5 than namba walk, but i never imagined that i would fall prey to the shops there. but wow. this shop called Treasure Entrance in Namba City sold really nice stuff at affordable prices (my stuff averaged 2000yen per item, which is a definitely a good deal in japanese terms). in fact, Namba City actually has very nice stuff - if you can afford them - and i think the clothes sold there are more suitable for people my age (ie, those who are no longer in their teens and are not quite smack in their early twenties anymore).

i really spent a scary amount, and i wont even mention how much exactly that was. to be fair, winter jackets and boots dont come cheap, but still. over the last week, i bought:

• 1 pillow
• 1 tin watering can to place my 3 bamboo plants --> it looks fantabulous sitting right at the entrance to my house. it's really lovely and i definitely do not regret buying this one bit!
• 1 set of bedsheets
• 1 pair of ankle length grey tights
• 1 pair of full length pine coloured tights
• 4 long sleeved basic tops from uniqlo --> in turquoise, burgundy, black and white
• 1 pair of dark brown boots --> i love them cos they can be worn both high and low, and are rather cheap compared to the others that are being sold
• 1 pair of black waterproof shoes --> it's been raining a lot lately
• 1 cutesy skirt, bought under the influence of someone *cough*
• 1 turquoise dress
• 1 grey spag top with a nice front --> to match the dress cos the dress would look far better with it (oh god)
• 1 blue-turquoise thin jumper
• 1 cream-white zara winter coat
• 2 necklaces --> they were 315yen each!
• 1 pair of gold earrings

 

boo to the fact that layering is so commonplace in japan. people in UK layer too in winter, but the japanese layer all the time - you have people wearing 3 layers of clothes in summer even! so i think i've sort of succumbed to this phenomenon too, partly because i went shopping yesterday with someone who has just about almost turned japanese (and i'm quoting her) in terms of dress sense. urgh. it doesnt help that the weather has sort of turned cool enough that you can layer without 'suffering for fashion'. in fact, on certain days this week layering was essential cos it was so tmd cold.

i already know that i definitely cant buy any more clothes this month, but looking at this, i dont think i should be buying anything next month either! and it's not even like i need any more clothes, considering i've got all the basics - thanks to uniqlo - already, and the necessities like the coat and boots are settled as well. and the accessories too, in fact.

so yes. definitely no more shopping for me. i dont even think i need to buy any more things for my house, as i've already gotten a new kettle and rice cooker. the most i can think of are a hot water pitcher and a new frying pan, but these arent necessary, and even if they are, they dont cost more than 1000yen each. so yeah. i have no more excuse to spend money.

all you people could perhaps do me a huge favour and remind me of this ever so often.. i would really appreciate it!!