Today I bring you another wonderful little lifestyle product from Japan, to help transport you to a more relaxed and beautiful world, even if it's only for ten minutes. This odd liminal time of year can be very stressful, and we're all looking for ways to start the new year with new habits and new routines. Hibi 10Minutes Aroma can help with that, all while bringing the gentle scents of Japan directly to your home. 

Last month on Sunday the 16th, I celebrated my 44th birthday. My husband and I go to pub trivia every Monday with some friends and the day after my birthday, our friends Kelsey and Emilie showed up with this beautiful bouquet of zinnias from their garden for me. I knew I wanted to make an arrangement with them as soon as I got home!

They say scent is the sense most strongly tied to memory. It's also my strongest sense, likely to make up for how terrible my others are. I often try to wear subtle but significant fragrances when I'm doing something memorable so I can relive the moment by going back to that scent. As you may remember I've been on the hunt for the…

Would you believe me if I told you the shakuhachi-giri vessel I used here was actually part of a five-dollar bundle of bamboo kitchen tools we got at HomeGoods the other day? We needed a new wooden spatula and as soon as I saw this set I knew the container would be absolutely perfect for ikebana! I cut some desert-willow (chitalpa) blooms from the tree in our front yard, and I absolutely love how they look together.

Would you believe me if I told you the shakuhachi-giri vessel I used here was actually part of a five-dollar bundle of bamboo kitchen tools we got at HomeGoods the other day? We needed a new wooden spatula and as soon as I saw this set I knew the container would be absolutely perfect for ikebana! I cut some desert-willow (chitalpa) blooms from the tree in our front yard, and I absolutely love how they look together.

aNow that I'm home in California and all settled in, I thought it might be nice to get back into the swing of things with a fun addition to my series featuring kimono-heavy anime. As usual, whenever possible there will be links to streaming services like Crunchyroll or Netflix where you can watch these! Watashi no Shiawase na Kekkon/My Happy Marriage (わたしの幸せな結婚)

Those of you who've been around for a while know I make a point of keeping an eye out for items with a poppy motif, since my mother's name is Poppy. They're doubly special to me now since orange poppies are also the state flower of California, my new home. I got this kimono from Sasa and I've had it for quite a while and I knew I wanted to coordinate it before I headed back to California in a few weeks.

Oh look, I'm back on my nonsense of putting queer or queer-coded female characters in wafuku! If you're not sure what I mean, feel free to check out my old Sailor Uranus/Sailor Neptune or Steven Universe kimono fanart... Keith and I recently watched Rock is a Lady's Modesty (ロックは淑女レディの嗜みでして, Rokku wa Redi no Tashinami deshite), which is a huge mouthful and is usually referred to as simply Rock Lady.

Ooof. No, that year in the title is not a typo. I'm just three tanukis in a michiyuki when it comes to following up on things. In the spring of 2023, I was invited to participate as a stylist and vendor in Everyone Can Kimono!, a fashion show and event put on by the Japanese-Canadian Cultural Centre here in Montreal. It aimed to encourage a love of kimono and show that it really is for anyone who is passionate about it!

I had initially planned to do separate entries about these games sometime in the near future, but since the Steam summer sale is live now I figured it would be best to share them with you all while you can snatch them up at big discounts! These games all feature Japanese (or Japanese-inspired) visuals and culture in one way or another so if you're looking to inject a bit of…

I've been working behind the scenes getting everything updated and fixed up, clearing out spam, and generally doing "invisible" projects for a while now, all in preparation for today. The one-year anniversary of my last post. Not really something to celebrate, but it seemed like the perfect time to give myself a fresh start. More on that below. To celebrate the rebirth and renewal of my blog, I decided to create this ikebana with a bold and sculptural protea blossom, surrounded and protected by tiny mums in a very similar colour pallette.