Things I like - 7- Kawaii Stuff and Japan

Those who know me will know I have a minor obsession with anything Japanese or generally kawaii. Kawaii means cute in Japanese and the word tends to be used to describe things such as cartoons of food with faces, miniature items or plush toys.

Here's my new kawaii desk tidy from Paperchase!

Hello Kitty is kawaii. Especially when she's wearing a kimono and is accompanied by a big pink bow! My housemate Kate got me this wicked-cool necklace for my birthday from Tragic Stitches:

Image from here.

I also love Japanese animated movies and TV shows (anime). I'm currently awaiting the next new episode of Naruto Shippuden on Crunchyroll (it's all getting very exciting in the Hidden Leaf right now with another Great Ninja War kicking off) and I own a number of Studio Ghibli movies. The Hayao Miyazaki range includes some pretty beautiful and random typical-Japanese stuff, like Spirited Away, My Neighbour Totoro and Howl's Moving Castle, but also includes an anime version of The Borrowers, entitled The Secret World of Arrietty (Karigurashi no Arrietty). This story is a bit Americanised but with the lovely animation and charm of Miyazaki I'd give it a watch if I were you!

Image from here.

I first got introduced to Japanese music by listening to the theme tunes from the Naruto series. If you like Japanese music or think you'd like to give it a try, listen to G3 radio online on Tuesday evenings. My friends in Area 11 have a radio show where they play lots of sweet tunes and there's a chat room type thing so you can request songs and answer the question of the week if you are so inclined!

Here's a video with lyrics for Bluebird by Ikimono Gakari:

I have never been to Japan, a fact which makes me sad, and I will go one day I'm sure. Until then I will keep watching anime, eating sushi and katsu curry, listening to J-rock and buying stuff I think is cute. In short, continuing being an embarrassing Westerner who doesn't really know anything about Japan. I tried to learn more about Japan by taking a module of Japanese language in my second year of my undergraduate Biology degree. I spent months learning hiragana and katakana and trying to remember the Japanese for post office, business card and newspaper but instead remembering aisu-kurimu (ice cream), hanbaga (hamburger) and terebi (television) because they're pretty much just English words put into Japanese syllables. They're fun to say, give it a try!

Here are some sites I enjoy:

Ji Ji Kiki: A jewellery shop named after the characters in Kiki's Delivery Service. They sell lots of cute necklaces and earrings, a large proportion of which have cute faces on them. Say it with me now: Ka-wa-iiii!

Flutterscape: This is a marketplace which sells many things from Japan. Lots of collectibles and accessories to be found here.

Tofu Cute: A UK based store which sells accessories, stationary and Japanese snacks. I love the great selection of Puccho and Pocky, and the endless edamame popping keyrings!

Tokyo Kawaii Etc.: A website/blog written by a Japanese lady called Kirin. She writes about things going on in her life, makes videos and explains how things in Japan are different from other countries. 

Japanese lunches are the coolest!

Things I Like - 2 - Stationary

Ever since I was a kid spending my pocket money on watercolours and visiting The Pencil Museum (Oh yes, there is such a place, and they even have an online shop *swoon*) I've been hooked on stationary. I love when you go into a shop and there are incredible rainbows of acrylic paints, pencils of increasing B's, reams of snowy white paper and those brill scratchy-offy-foil-pictures with dolphins and deer on them (Like the one below. Remember those?).

Original Image Here

Now, writing-wise, Muji produce a lovely gel-ink pen. They make my writing look fancy and the ink flow is just right. I must say that the ink does run out quite quickly but you can buy refills from Muji, who, incidentally, used to have a shop in Nottingham but it shut down a few months back. Now I have to buy my favourite pens online which makes me a little bit sad. I quite liked browsing around Muji with its minimalist shop style and t-shirts in little cubes!

For any kind of felt-tip colouring in, I love my Staedtler Triplus Colour fibre-tips. I like having nephews and a niece (Someone needs to invent a term for multiple nephews and nieces, like 'grandchildren'... How about 'sibchildren'..?) because spending time with them means I can do colouring in without looking like a person who has severely regressed to their childhood.

Original Image Here

For a lighter, more-pencilly colouring in requirement I prefer watercolour pencils. They are super blendable and of course can be painted with. Just add water! My favourite brand is Derwent, maybe because they are based in Cumbria not too far from where I grew up, or maybe because their statement about watercolour pencils is "The beauty of watercolour. The precision of pencil". I mean, it's just so true! ^_^

Something I recently found, and am desperate to find a supplier of in the UK, is the Beetle Tip Highlighter. It's a highlighter which has a nib I suppose you could loosely describe as being shaped like a little weevil nose (I was going to add a picture of a weevil but they're just too gross, Google them if you wish) and can be used to either highlight over words like usual, or, to highlight around words in one fell swoop! This would be SO useful when reading through journals, in order to make certain parts stand out. I must own a beetle tip pen!

Original Image Here

Lastly but my no means least...ly, for all my kawaii stationary needs I immediately turn to www.tofucute.com. They have a great selection of erasers shaped like food, tape with adorable friezes and themed paper stationary. I recommend a visit to their site if you haven't yet been and, whilst there, go ahead and browse the food section. There are some wicked Japanese snacks for sale! Hooray! Everyone loves miracle flavoured sweets!

Original Image Here