Having a picnic at Yoyogi Park almost every week during Spring is a must-do when you live in Tokyo. And bring many beers. This is a must-have. And prepare yourself to play the "Yamanote Game" and its many variations - for the ones who don't know, the Yamanote Game consists in saying the name of the different stations of the Yamanote Line that makes a circle around Tokyo (like Shinjuku, Shinagawa, Nihombashi, Ueno...), one after another ; the first person who repeats the station someone already said, or who cannot answer anymore, has to live the game. You can play the game with names of famous people (actors, sportmen...), capital cities, sports... whatever. It seems simple but not so much, actually. Just try at your next picnic !

今週末は本当にいい天気だから、友達と代々木公園ピックニックをしに行きました。山手線ゲームを始めてしました。楽しかったです。春のピックニックをエンジョイしましょう！

First Home Takoyaki Party ! Yippie !

Thanks to Makiko and Wataru, freshly married young friendly couple, for inviting me to have tako and ebi yaki at their place with other friends. Takoyaki is a happy meal by itself : round and cute... Gifted Makiko also prepared a nice quiche (with the real taste of the quiche ! Yes yes yes), little "bouchees" with crackers and sushi. Smiley people, good food and many beers : the right way to start the Golden Week...

ご馳走様でした！ありがとうございました！

Starts messy ; just wait.

Keep focused !

Here are the takoyaki !

Home-made quiche ! Hallelujia !

Avocado bouchee

O-sushi

Friends

マキコさん、ここにチェックしてください！楽しみ!!!

A gift from my co-worker... because I had the honor to welcome her at my place the night of the earthquake, when all the trains were stopped... This world is crazy. Am I supposed to receive nice peach darjeeling tea when I do something that I fully enjoy ??? People, you make a spoiled kid of me.

Arigatou, Kiyoko-san !

Good to have a roof above the head.

Good to have electricity, hot water and gaz at home.

Good to have a sofa, a carpet and a coffee table.

Good to have nice friends who like to chat and laugh around a bottle of wine and a few Ebisu beers.

Good to have a real Home Party, finally !

The table before the invasion of people and extra food/drinks

Sofa-testing

Friends, friends of friends, girlfriends of friends...

(everybody could not be portrayed)

Represented nations : Japan, Hong-Kong, Taiwan, UK, Finland, Poland, and France.

Thanks everyone for coming !

Come again soon !

Sorry for this long silence, but I volontarily subscribed to a ten-days laptop rehab during my holidays. My poor eyes were thanskful for this break, but as soon as I went back to my Japanese home, my old addiction took the controle again. Here I am, in front of the screen...
But I have good reasons for this ! Let me make you Christmas-nostalgic already with these beautiful pictures of the holidays I spent in France with my family and old friends. Let it snow !

クリスマスのとき一週間にフランスに帰りました。本当に楽しかったです。家族や友達に会えて、幸せ！

Christmas Outside
My most poetic Christmas gift this year :
on the morning of 25th, when everyone was still asleep,
I went out and had the best walk ever in the snow, under the winter sunshine.
25日の朝に少し散歩しました。寒かったですがいい天気だし、
景色は本当にクリスマスのイメージでした。





















Christmas Inside
You can count on the my girls to bring Christmas home.
Every year, sorry to say it, but my Clan have the most beautiful tree,
the most beautiful table, the most perfect atmosphere.
And all of this was waiting for me as soon as I jumped out the plane...
母と妹のおかげで、家はとてもきれいになりました。
完璧な雰囲気でした。
















Tasty Christmas
Packaging matters, that's true.
But what about the content of the plates ?
France is the place to be at Christmas to eat the most delicious food
you can imagine.
This is just a little piece of what I had during my stay !
もちろん良く食べました。クリスマスの食べ物はとってもおいしいです！


"International" toasts with tarama, fish eggs, guacamole and tatziki to start...


No Christmas without foie-gras...


Scallops and leek fondue


No less than 3 "buches de Noel" : Vanilla, Caramel & Fruits, 3 Chocolates...
God bles the student job of my young sister,
who works at a famous French Patissier's House...




Christmas Breakfast in family...
with Rose & Raspberry cake !


Many "catching-up-with-friends" times in Paris means :
many, many good things to eat together...






Christmas with Family
Family is the most important ingredient
or a successful Christmas holidays.
I have to thank Mr. K.I., our special guest-star for this Family Portrait !
クリスマスは家族といなかったら本当なクリスマスではないと思います。






Christmas with Friends
Being in Paris for a week is a marathon
to meet your friends despite their own schedules and special plans.
And I also forget to take pictures with many of them...
友達も大切です！
皆忙しかったのに少し会えってうれしかったです。

Thank you guys for this perfect Christmas Holidays !
Take care, and come to visit me again in Japan. Let's celebrate again and again !

ステキなクリスマス、ありがとう！

Fini de rire : ce 17 novembre, je passe du côté adulte de la jeunesse. Plus de carte d'étudiant, plus de carte 12/25, mais un emploi, une adresse fixe, un chez-moi... (des factures) (une déclaration d'impôts) (ahem)
26 ans : l'année de la normalisation ! Pause !

Un ami m'a dit récemment qu'après tant d"efforts, je n'avais plus qu'à profiter de la vie. Et c'est bien ce que j'ai l'intention de faire. En commençant par mes deux salves de cadeaux d'anniversaires...

Le cadeau du mardi soir, bonsoir !

Tea-time at Tiffany's

Des tasses Tiffany, ma chère.
De quoi se la jouer Audrey Hepburn at five o-clock !

Qui dit anniversaire, dit... on prend un verre.
Avec du gâteau, pour mieux faire.

Le cadeau du mercredi, youpie !

Livraison express du colis familial...

rempli à ras-bord de bonnes choses à manger...

Et de délicats présents qui vont embellir mon nouvel appartement !

Le clou du colis : le tablier de la mort qui tue...
Fashion cooking

Merci à tous mes bien-aimés pour leurs si suaves attentions et leurs vœux d'anniversaire. J'apprécie grandement !
Rendez-vous pour la 27ème édition !

Des chaussons de fée...
en gage d'amitié.
Merci, Yukimi !

ETP 27 is not dead !
Thanks to Chris and Kumiko, we enjoyed a post-ETP session again at Jiyugaoka, Meguro-ku - people should get married more often. Between earth and sky, we were as happy for ourselves as for the nice couple. Who's next ?

クリスさん、くみこさん、おめでとうございます。

More pictures in the ETP 2009 album !

C'est la rentrée ! New look for Mogusa, who is back in Paris and who's going to blog like hell about the French trends, her international plans and her sweet twenty's dreams... And I'm proud to say that her new dressy design was made by... me !
Coming soon : Noemi no Nihon, new design for a new life !

モグサの新しいデザインです！今パリに住んでいる妹のために作りました。パリの生活やファッションや国際的なプランや若者の希望などについて書くようになります。私もすぐに、ノエミの日本のデザインを変えます！ちょっと待ってください。

Let's dance ! Life rocks !

I updated the ETP Japan album (right column) with the pictures of ETPA website.
Sweet memories ! The smiling faces of the Ending Ceremony at Westin Hotel : no more kanji tests, no more gramma checks, we all passed our exams with success... Happiness... But it was also the last time we were all together. I hope that we will meet again soon, dear ETPs !

(More pictures in the ETP Japan album)