fog linen work shopshoot

fog linen work shopshoot

1 Jun 2015

When I decided to visit Japan, I knew there was one place I had to visit and that was Fog Linen Work in Tokyo. I have a few pieces of Fog linen in my own home and I could always use more.



I sent an email to Yumiko and I was thrilled when she agreed to let me photograph her store.



I got a little lost trying to navigate my way around Tokyo and I arrived late. As I'm unfailingly punctual that made me a little embarrassed.



So what did I find inside? A polished concrete interior highlighting the goods for which Fog Linen is known.



Lots of wire baskets, linen, wooden bowls, beautiful glassware and some brass pieces, which I loved.



Home wares are located on one side of the shop while the clothing is located on the other side of the store. I absolutely loved the wire light fittings in the shop.



I was particularly drawn to the home wares, but I guess that's no surprise.



The beautifully finished clothing.



Aren't those brass clothes hangers gorgeous?



Linen scarves and slippers.



I came home with a brass bangle for a friend, but I could have bought the whole shop. Sanity prevailed because I still had 2 more weeks to travel.



Now that I'm home I do wish I'd been able to buy more but I guess there's always internet shopping.



Thanks again to Yumiko and the shop girls for putting up with me. 

I hope you've enjoyed my little visit to Fog Linen Work,

Bye for now,

Jillian

Read more

tokyo - part II Tsujiki, Meiji Shrine and Asakusa

tokyo - part II Tsujiki, Meiji Shrine and Asakusa

15 May 2015

I began my second day in Tokyo with a visit to Tsujiki, home to the fish markets. I was still feeling pretty queasy but I wanted a sushi breakfast so over to the markets I strolled, about a 15 minute walk from the Park Hotel provided one heads in the correct direction. I didn't.



Now this is a very old market and very busy and there are many strict rules one has to follow when visiting. Guys zoom around on little motorised carts and there is a traffic controller on site to prevent accidents. I found it all a bit scary.



There are 2 parts to the market - the inner market which is closed to the general public until 9.00 a.m. and the outer market where kitchen equipment is sold as well as some fruit and vegetables. All the sushi shops are located in the outer market.







It's all a bit Dickensian and there are plans to move the markets.






Did you know the market has it's own shrine?



My reward. The freshest, tastiest sushi I've ever eaten and the nicest miso soup I've ever had.



With my tummy filled with sushi I did a shopshoot at this lovely place.




Then it was over to Harajuku to visit the famous Meiji shrine.





The shrine is located in a lovely leafy green tranquil setting.



The gates are absolutely huge.



An impressive wall of sake containers.



Some details I found.



The shrine itself.



The impressive roof line.




The following day I travelled to Asakusa, another historic district of Tokyo. It was very touristy.




Some details, all in red.



Cute overload!



The temple was enormous and crowded.



I still managed to find a few quiet areas though. 

That's the last of my Tokyo photos for now as I still have my Fog Linen shop-shoot to share with you. Next time I'll bring you some photos from my trip to Nikko.

So until then,

Jillian

Read more

tokyo - part 1

tokyo - part 1

13 May 2015

Hi every-one, as promised I have some images to share from my time in Tokyo. I stayed at the Park Hotel near the Tsujiki Markets and Ginza and it was a lovely way to begin my trip to Japan.



I arrived the last day of Golden Week, a series of 5 public holidays, so the streets were busy with holiday makers. During the weekend and holidays the roads are shut in Ginza and turned into a pedestrian thoroughfare.




I spied this handsome chap (and yes I am talking about the dog) outside the Wako Department store.



The middle image was the view from my room and the one on the right was taken from the hotel lobby. The one on the left was taken from the observatory at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government (TMG) Building.





The TMG has 2 towers. It's the imposing building you can see above and is next to the Shinjuku Gyoen Garden. As you can see it's a popular place for a lunch time nap!



The hotel was one stop away from the Tokyo Railway Station and I seemed to be at the station on a daily basis. It's been newly renovated/rebuilt and it's a very impressive building so I took lots of photos.



The railway station is in the Marunouchi district, which is quite lovely with tree lined streets, restaurants and very exclusive shops.






It also features some impressive old buildings and is close to the Imperial Palace.





Brightly coloured hanging baskets lined the streets.





I found this pretty little garden area.





It was part of the Marunouchi Brick Square Complex.



Where I came across this wedding party. This art gallery is also part of the complex. It's a faithful reconstruction of the original Mitsubishi Building that was built in the 1800's but demolished in the 1960's.




That pretty much covers my first day in Tokyo. On the second day I visited the Tsujiki markets; did a shop-shoot and visited some famous shrines. More photos to follow soon.

By for now,

Jillian 

Read more