It's not the first time, and it won't be the last. DisneySea Tokyo is the "mature", "elegant" and "romantic" twin park of DisneyLand Tokyo (according to Japanese criteria). Difficult for me to agree with the "mature" atmosphere when Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck are dancing around me, but anyway. Compared to DisneyLand Paris, DisneySea Tokyo is definitely more beautifully decorated, with a steampunk flavor in the volcano area and a very pretty seafront. Two rides are named after Jules Verne ("Journey to the Center of the Earth" and "Twenty thousand feet under the Sea"), the Little Mermaid cave is wonderful beyond words and the Da Vinci area, with its astrology tower and giant pendulum, is fascinating. So Mickey Mouse apart, I just love DisneySea.

Another beautiful day in Tokyo

Welcome to Agrabah

Little Mermaid's castle under the sea

Inca city of mystery

Jules Verne's legacy

The village by the sea

The Pirates' halt

Ready for Halloween

DisneySea is a fabulous place to spend time with your girlfriends. Don't miss the opportunity to go.

Aquarium made Art : that's the concept of this amazing exhibition at Coredo Building in Nihonbashi, Tokyo. Moving, multicolor art made of water and light, and thousands of living goldfish. Remember this mesmeric moment in Disney's Fantasia, when you found yourself floating among fish on Tchaikowski's melodies? We're not far from this feeling.

Did someone say "beauty"?

It seems that Hollywood is the year's leitmotiv. After my initiation in Broadway, the red carpet was calling me. Welcome to the Tussauds Wax Museum in Odaiba, the leisure island located in the Southern area of Tokyo, where you can chill with your favorite movie stars.

The last time I visited a wax celebrities museum, it was the Grevin Museum in Paris, a long long time ago when I was a kid. I don't know if the rules are still the same but at that time, it was forbidden to come close to the statues and to touch them. But at Odaiba's Tussauds, you can hug them, kiss them if you want. More fun and definitely better pictures. Here is a selection of my favs.

The kid inside me is flying high

Hi Audrey, I went to the real Tiffany shop in New-York City just for you

There's nothing like a nice ride with Tom to discover a new city

Gentlemen prefer blonds like my friend Marylin and me

Sharing secrets with Lady Gaga

Beyonce shows me how to dance

Then I'm 13 years old again.

Madonna looks younger than me but anyway.

Taylor Swiftn, the latest of my blond glamour friends

Sometimes, when you need to remember why you settled so far from your roots, there's nothing like a beautiful skyline. In Tokyo, the best spot to contemplate the glow of the city in the fading sunshine remains Odaiba's beach. Admire the gracious arch of Rainbow Bridge. Watch the stars and the party boats come out. Feel the beauty all around. And remember why you stand there.

Nagano: for me, it will always be the Winter Olympics, an eternity ago, when I was a child. White snow storms on the TV screen; freezing French reporters lost in translation. But in summer, the area of Nagano looks as green as Ireland and smells like holidays. Just as the French countryside I used to go in vacation with my family.

Hello, holidays

It seems that all holidays have these fresh woods and these appealling currents on the way.

Familiar view

Holidays homes too look amazingly the same. There are always logs at the entrance, chairs in the garden and a parasol waiting outside.

No barbecue, no holidays. Special thanks to the brave men of the party who sacrificed their lungs to the charcoal smoke.

And now, something radically different. So far it was the same holidays melody as ever, but the Japanese summer street festivals are adding some exotic spice to the journey.

And last but not least: fireworks! A must-see during Japanese holidays. Just like the sakura season, you never get tired of it...

I'm back in Tokyo now, but summer is not over!!

Lava rocks topped with creamy mist... Apocalypse landscape lost in the Nagano prefecture. Welcome to onioshidashi stone magma park, born from the eruption of Mount Asama in the XVIII Century.

Apocalypse now

I let you appreciate the stunning mix between the green and the black...

New planet

Still so many eerie landscapes to discover in the archipelago...

One billion pictures later. Sorting. Comparing. Croping. Editing, editing, editing. And finally here there are : my best shots of New York City. Enjoy, dream, and go!!

As long as I can remember, I have always been obsessed with the Eastern world. I travelled to Canada with my class when I was in high school, but except the striking beauty of the deep snow covering the immensity, and the fun to be abroad, I can't remember nothing but the feeling not to be at the right place. No public transportation enough. Too much emptiness. Insanely large roads leading to insanely large malls and insanely large campus. Driving your car all day long as the only way to survive. Obviously I had not been shown the sides of the country I would love desperately, and my appetite for travelling has no borders, so nothing is written forever; but at first sight, America is not my continent.

But New-York is not America. New-York is the world.

Landing in NYC - Welcome to the world

It was a clear, sunny morning when I arrived on Manhattan by the North, from the emptiness of the Canadian lands. Little by little the neverending mountains and lakes turned into woods and then, civilization. Giant surburbs. Neverending cities. We were asked to fasten our seatbelts and to prepare for landing; then I saw it by the window : the dark square of Central Park, and behind, the familiar skyline of New-York City. And there on the right, twinkling on the sea, the pale green spot of the Statue of Liberty. Everything was looking so huge, and so tiny.

Emotion

This strip has been special in many ways : first time in the USA, reunion with my parents after a 8-month separation, and last but not least, meeting in real my keyboard-friend Sonyan, the great blogger I had been following for so long. It's not too hard to imagine how excited I was when I left Japan.

First thing to do after dropping our luggage : rushing to Time Square. Time Square, the crossroads of the world.

Time Square

Best photo-bombing ever... great shot by Sonyan

Time Square, or the depth of emptiness. Giant advertising boards. Lost in translation foreigners. Greedy cosplayers scaming tourists. Meaningless shopping. Power waste. Noise. So why does it feel so fantastic? Well, maybe because you stand at the center of the world, at the peak of our era. Fascinating... 

This is the city of dreams. Every single pieace of it looks familiar. You've been walking there in your teenage daydreaming, you've been visiting the city again and again through your movies, your dramas, your books. You didn't know it, but somehow you partly belong here. It's yours. And you share it with everyone around.

Manhattan

For someone living in Japan, the verticality of NY buildings is not so shocking - I've been far more impressed by Hong-Kong thin needle-skyscrappers. But they're not only high : they're large. Massive. There is no space enough on the Japanese ground to allow the building of these heavy, giant-size concrete monsters. I felt like a little mouse between the legs of square-shaped mammoths.

Chrysler Building

The Chrysler Tower is the star of NYC. There is no prettier building around. Elegant and slim, it's your number one navigation support in Manhattan.

Empire State Building

Less beautiful, but not less legendary. And this view from its top!! Suddenly I understand why King-Kong felt the need to climb on it. It feels high and safe, and provides the best view ever on the city. Don't try to sell me the Rockfeller Center : the view is great but we can't watch in all the directions and the Chrysler tower is hidden by a stupid building... Trust the King, follow the Kong.

Rockfeller Center

OK ok, I confess: the Rock offers the best view ever on the Empire State!

Central Park

Parks are relaxing, parks are peaceful, parks are harmony ; parks are absolutely necessary to survive for anyone who lives in a big city, but parks are not supposed to be exciting. Central Park is an exception. Its is so exciting to be there. Not only the landscape is gorgeous and provides various atmospheres, but there is something special in sharing the same garden with every single citizen and visitor of NYC. This is not a park among others, this is not any square of green : this is THE Park.

Magnificent, relaxing, heartwarming Central Park. The place is huge, but you can always spot the top of a building indicating the limit of the oasis. It feel so great that the center of the city is a park. Not a church, not the city hall, but a cool, green, breathing park.

Playing the mermaid with Hans Christian Andersen.

Brooklyn Bridge

Crossing Brooklyn Bridge by foot is an amazing experience : stunning view on the skyline, stunning view on the Manhattan Bridge... And it doesn't cost a cent! Maybe my best memory of NYC.

Brooklyn

Charming, peaceful, trendy Brooklyn streets.

credit photo : Sonyan

Little Italy VS Little China

A few touristic restaurants apart, there is nothing left of the old Little Italy. One has to use her imagination to find on these streets the remains of the Gangs of NY. Instead, some made-in-China products "shops" invaded the area. Two different pages of History.

Flying tramway to Roosevelt Island

Let's fly between the buildings! For the price of a subway ticket, the city ropeway leads you to the Eastern island of the City.

Upper East Side

The place to be for every gossip girl. It looks insanely expensive, and posh, and cold. Not a single supermarket around. But pretty tulips on the road...

West Side

Almost as ridiculously unaffordable as Upper East Side... if it wasn't for the the small shops and cafes. Beautiful and lively area.

Harlem

Our shelter, our home in NYC! Harlem is just as safe and touristic as the rest of Manhattan now. Fans of Black-American culture, this is the place to stay.

Statue of Liberty Boat Cruise

A long time ago, some of our European ancestors came here, hoping for a new life, craving for Liberty. They left everything behind. They risked their lives crossing a pityless ocean on archaic, unsafe boats. They had to take healthchecks and to undergo uncertain administrative procedures. The whole thing was a nightmare, but it was the price to pay to contemplate this. Liberty enlightening the world. The gift of France to the youngest nation of History. It was so moving to stand there, in 2014, from the deck of a touristic boat.

 Don't hesitate to go and see by yourself if you got the chance...

And so I went to New-York City.

Before I show you the skyscrapers, the yellow cabs, the green face of the Statue of Liberty and the lights of Time Square, here is the project that Sonyan and myself have been working on while visiting the city... One day a fan, always a fan.

When in NYC, you can't help but remembering all these movies, all these TV series taking place there, and it's so inspiring. You are Marilyn. You are Holly Golightly. So let's start the show with a the classics !

This is the actual subway grate where Marilyn's white dress made history. There's nothing there to indicate the place, but Google knows everything. So exciting to stand there...

The huge Tiffany shop was easier to spot. I'm afraid Audrey Hepburn was not sipping on her coffee with a straw, but this is the Starbuck way...

But Braodway means "musicals". And the greatest of all is...

If you want even more badass references, let's go Gangster style.

This post is getting too dark. Let's add a pinch of punk... Do you remember Giselle singing her lungs out in Central Park?

But the sky is not always blue in Manhattan. A girl also has to struggle with modern life. For example, when your boss is a bitch...

... or when love sucks. Fortunately, good cupcakes can solve everything.

OK, but what if an ugly, giant, stupid monster was trying AGAIN to destroy the city??...

I guess we would have to call this guy again.

9 days in NYC through 9 movies! And weabsolutely have to go again for a TV series shooting: Friends, Gossip Girls, How I met your mother and many more are waiting for us!

Ok, this time I screwed up. I missed the azaleas in Mifuneyama (Saga, Kyushu). It was supposed to be covered with flowers (sight). Well, of course it's still beautiful, but... anyway. It's not like I had crossed the whole country in the middle of the Golden Week just to see it... Oh, wait.

Disappointment.

The only pink bush I could find. Damned.

So green, so green... At least it's relaxing...

Fortunately the wisteria saved my day.

Aaaah, Mother Nature and her calendar...

I sware that I don't exaggerate when I say that wearing a kimono is a very special experience. First, this is not the kind of dress you can jump in and forget. Not only you need at least two persons to put it on correctly, but it is like a rigid, heavy, solemnel piece of fabric folded around you. A kimono itself is a very light and smooth sheet of silk, but under it you also wear three or four layers of cotton; scarfs and ribbons to keep it close to your body and a hard, wide under-belt to give the right shape to the obi. Once you're set, you have to keep your back straight, you can't release the pressure on your belly and you need to control your steps, your breath, every single movement. Sounds like hell? Actually, not at all. The kimono does impose a certain discipline, but it also supports you and it guides your behavior. Personally, I just can't get enough. So when a friend of mine proposed me to model for a kimono brand at the Tokyo Design Festa 2014, I couldn't decline.

The French models team - Before

The French models team - After

... Who said "Power Rangers" ? Oh, come on.

I am the Green Power Ranger. Let me show off.

Our Japanese counterparts

In the past, the way the ladies were wearing the obi gave some clues about their rank in the society, their marital status or their position inside their own family. Each obi is a real piece of art, it's really the most impressive part of the kimono.

The way of the obi

Pretty cool, uh ?

But of course, there are still some ways to be foolish in a kimono. You can count on us to add the French touch.

Be young, be foolish, be happy.

Guys, I'am definitely happy to be back in Japan, but amazing pictures of my trip to New-York City are coming soon. Be ready, it's going to be legendary.