tokyo series: linens and textiles

i went to tokyo coveting all kinds of things. one item on the list was hasami porcelain, and another was a set of kontex towels. and of course, anything and everything from fog linen work. i had already seen fog linen products in taiwan at eslite spectrum, but was excited to visit the flagship store in shimokitazawa. i also discovered a couple of other spots with beautiful textiles. 

the fog linen work store is not too far from the shimokitazawa station.

their linens are designed in japan and made in lithuania. 

some bright gingham , plaid, and chambray.

these trays are also pressed linen, interestingly.

some of the coasters and placemats we brought home from fog linen work. 

i had also read about cocca, a textile shop in daikanyama. the first time i tried to go, it was closed (but that's how i discovered the amazing allegory home tools across the street). i returned another day and got a closer look at their unique and super cheery fabrics.

the exterior of cocca on the day it was closed.

a close-up of cocca's gingham patterns.

a view of the store, towards the back. 

they also sell clothing, bags, and other goods made from their fabrics. 

the walls are lined with bolts of fabric. a lot of these would make beautiful wallpaper! 

on the day that cocca was closed, i wandered into a shop across the street. it looked cute but not spectacular...there was scaffolding up and a lot of random baskets. 

but inside, they carried both hasami porcelain AND kontex towels! their prices weren't bad either. 

the flax organics line of kontex towels. 

some adorably packaged dish rags.

it's safe to say that i made most of my purchases in japan at these stores. i've been using the towels since getting home, and they are suuuper soft. (hhh keeps asking when he will be allowed to use them.) these shops are definitely worth a visit, and both shimokitazawa and daikanyama are fun neighborhoods to walk around. plus while you're in shimokitazawa, you can stop in j.s. pancake for these amazing snacks. i could eat some of those mochi pancakes right now.

things i like (#6)

let me introduce you to some of the textiles i came home from tokyo with...

these blue and purple coasters from fog linen work.

these pressed linen trays, also from the same lovely store.

this stack of dish towels, also from fog linen work.

a stack of kontex and hartwell bath towels made in imabari, all woven cotton on one side and terrycloth on the other. 

all the fog linen work items came from their original store in shimokitazawa, and the imabari towels are from allegory home tools. 

tokyo series: rose bakery

one of the first things i did in tokyo was to eat a caramel tart at rose bakery. it was a really good idea. the space was gorgeous too. a few photos below!

there is a nice selection of salads for lunch, and an amazing baked goods section. 

the tart, which was all custardy caramel goodness inside.

a few more shots of the space.

rose bakery is at the top of the ginza location of dover street market, which also links via a sky walkway to uniqlo across the street. 

tokyo series: yoyogi village

so, tokyo. i'd been a couple times before but the last time was about 20 years ago. aside from that, my knowledge of tokyo began and ended with narita airport, a frequent layover on my way to taiwan. basically, i knew nothing about tokyo except for what everyone was telling me, which was mostly stuff about how amazing and interesting and exciting it was. my impressions: i loved that every train/subway station has a totally clean and very usable bathroom. we all know the value of a clean public toilet. that's an important part of enjoying one's vacation, don't you think? that alone made it a pretty cool place. anyway, onwards. another great thing about toyko was yoyogi village. it's an interesting spot right outside the jr yoyogi station, an entire complex of galleries, restaurants, cafes, and businesses all within a park-like atmosphere. the plant life was really impressive - there were all kinds of plants from different regions, and they were labeled with information and their country of origin. we went on a sleepy, rainy weekday, so it wasn't too crowded, but there were a few people in each cafe hanging out or working on their laptops.

we wandered around a bit, checking out the restaurants and stores and popped into pour-kur, the bakery on the premises. 

a travel agency called love, peace, travel sits at the top of the stairs.

all the stores and restaurants are in double-stacked shipping containers that have been painted white, with walkways connecting them on the second floor.

one mile wear by urban research is the only clothing shop in the village (that i could see). it carries "pre-organic" (??) clothing in minimalist styles. like all the other stores we went into on our trip, it was beautifully designed.

the walkway to one mile wear.

a corner of the shop.

code kurkku, the restaurant/event space collaboration between  that is the mainstay of yoyogi village. it's described as "kyoto-italian," but we didn't have a chance to try it out since we were stuffed from all the other things we'd already eaten that day. next time.

kurkku cafe is upstairs, an offshoot of code kurkku.

the path leading to code kurkku.

lush greenery on the first level.

the view from the street.

a map of the village can be seen here. it's a nice spot to spend the afternoon! next up...rose bakery.

tokyo series: kyukyodo papers

we're back from our honeymoon! it was such a lovely trip. nothing but sand, water, and (non-highlightery) books in thailand, and enough shopping and eating in japan to last me the rest of summer. we got back last night but i'm still dreaming about these beautiful papers i saw at kyukyodo in ginza. (more about the rest of the trip later!)