118. joyeux noël

It's my first time in years since I've been happy or excited about Christmas. This year, since I am Japan it makes things a little different. Most of the time, I don't feel like it's Christmas because in Melbourne, it's summer and probably dying in the heat. Or if I'm at home with little sis, we'll always be watching movies and be bitter, haha.

Yuri and I decided to countdown to Christmas together, so we met up in Shibuya and had dinner, then I accompanied her to work and went back to her place in Hiyoshi to countdown. We really wanted Christmas cake, so we thought of getting a little one at the conbini but they were selling cakes near Hiyoshi Station, so we just decided to get one there. We took cheesecake and hurried to the store to get candles. Although we didn't get to countdown, it was still fun rushing to the places to be in time for it.

We went to  Keio's campus in the cold and tried lighting up the candles but it was sooooooooo windy so it took a while, lol. Finally we lit up the candles and made a wish. Even though it was so simple, I was happy because we were both laughing at how funny it was we were actually doing this and joking about what the guys we like would do too, haha. Totally delusional but still makes us happy talking about it. I made up that we must finish the cake or our wishes wouldn't come true and oh my god, we were sooooo full from all that cake but somehow still craved for ramen.

The cheesecake was so good though... but maybe I will lay off cheesecake for a while.

We decided to share a small bowl of ramen since we definitely couldn't finish one on our own. After ramen, we walked to Keio and it was so nice because the trees were so tall and there were so many stars out that night. I never look up at the sky ever, so that night was really beautiful. There were some guys dressed up as Santa and the reindeer wishing everyone Merry Christmas which I thought was pretty cute! Also, earlier in Shibuya, a lot of people dress up in Santa outfits, it's just so cute. :)

Yuri was saying how there's a river further down the road, so we decided to walk out in the cold since we were still so full. It was a nice walk off the food. Although we didn't stay long near the river side, it was just nice being out in the middle of the night wandering around. I haven't done this in years. We arrived back at her place close to 3am and went to sleep since she still had class the next day.

On Christmas day, we woke up late and basically rushed to Yuri's class at the Mita campus. We decided to hang out some more, so I waited for Yuri to end class. We walked from Mita to Tokyo Tower since she's never been there. It didn't take long, only about 15 minutes! We didn't do much at Tokyo Tower but take photos and went to the little park next to it.

Little sis and I were there last time and I thought the park was so cute since it had a little stream. We spent the rest of the evening at Hamamatsucho getting dinner and just chilling at Starbucks. We left Hamamatsucho at about 10pm since Yuri had other plans and I went home to try to get to bed early but I just couldn't sleep. -__- I still love Hamamatsucho.

Also, I bought a ticket on Christmas day to see DEATHGAZE next year in Tokyo. :) Probably one of the best Christmas gifts I could ever give myself, haha.

I'm glad I decided to extend my trip till 2014 in Japan, if not, I would have been back in Singapore being a bitter bitch and probably crying that I'm not in Japan. I can't wait to spend New Year's in Nagoya! <3

117. 鉄の夢

I can't believe its already Christmas eve and soon, 2014 will arrive.

Earlier tonight, I went to see THE NOVEMBERS at Shibuya O-Nest. This time, they were opening for nhhmbase. Sometimes, my luck astounds me. The minute I walked into the venue to exchange my ticket for the drink coupon, Yusuke (vocalist) walked out, I just turned my head and was surprised to see him. So, it was good that I went to the venue late?

I was happy even before getting to see the band, so I was in a really good mood while they took the stage. I wanted to see them play other albums since the last time I saw them, they mostly played To (melt into) and (Two) into holy only. They played material mostly from their latest album, zeitgeist and Fourth wall. I was glad they did, since those were more upbeat songs and I was enjoying myself getting lost in the music. They are so good live, I wish their fans would be more enthusiastic about their music. :/

They played for an hour and I left once they ended. I felt nice to walk out in the cold alone after so long and I'm glad Shibuya wasn't that crowded today.

On Sunday, I met up with Elaine to get the ticket to their show. We decided to meet at Shimokitazawa since I always wanted to go and she said it's a good place for music. I really liked Shimokitazawa. It's not crowded, more chill and has cute shops. We had udon for dinner! I swear I will miss udon so much when I go back, I've been addicted to it lately. After dinner, we went to get dessert and just chilled there and talked for hours. Seriously, I enjoyed talking to her so much, even with our age difference.

Maybe the reason why we can get along so well is because her birthday is the same as Steph's and  I've known Steph for almost 10 years now. Also, it always helps that she likes the same international bands as me like Finch, Brand New, Taking Back Sunday, Thursday etc and obviously, the reason why we knew each other was because of THE NOVEMBERS. So we were just talking about how cute Takamatsu is in general, haha.

It's funny how I always meet great people away from home.

Later, I'll be meeting Yuri to countdown to Christmas together. I can't believe we're going to Nagoya again this weekend. It makes me so happy that we're going back there! I can't wait!

I'm definitely going to write another post before I leave for Nagoya. 2013 has been such a wonderful year, but before the year ends, there's Gray and his Christmas... ( I really miss Fairy Tail ): )

by Hiro Mashima, Fairy Tail. 

116. the blackest nightmare ii, nagoya

Last night I was in Nagoya to see lynch. again. I got up early yesterday and took the Shinkansen to Nagoya, weirdly this time I was more excited than last week's show. I had major butterflies in my stomach. Maybe because I was alone?

I arrived in Nagoya at about 2 in the afternoon and found my way to Zepp Nagoya. It was easier than I thought it would be, it was only a 15 minute walk from Nagoya Station. I didn't know what to do once I got to the live venue because there was only a cinema and arcade next to it, so I walked back to the station to go to the cafe that Yuri and I went last time. I spent about an hour there and decided to just go to the venue which was such a bad idea because it was freezing! My hands were all numb from texting people. T__T It was so fucking cold in Nagoya plus it didn't help that it was so windy.

I had the cute ducky again :D

I didn't get into the venue till about 5ish and they started on time! They played the same set as Tokyo except for the encores. They were so much more chatty and happy compared to last week. Everyone got to see AK's grandma too. I think they did better in Nagoya for obvious reasons, Hazuki was really concentrating on his voice, so last night almost everything he sang was good. He also threw water to the crowd and some splashed on me -___- Thank god he didn't spit if not, I would have killed him because that is just disgusting.

I didn't get to stand in AK's area because it was so crowded by the time I got in, so I stood infront of Yusuke. I was pretty much at the same spot as last week, lol. Yusuke was so cute last night, I really didn't feel like headbanging because AK was looking over. Yusuke saw that this girl next to me was hardcore headbanging and her looooonnngggg hair kept hitting me, and he signalled a "sorry" sign to me. I know right >< It was kinda painful when her hair hit me.

I only headbanged to EVILLY and THE BLASTED BACK BONE  but I could feel my head dying already. I kept coughing after that for some reason, maybe it was really toooooo cold. Yusuke saw me coughing and signalled me to drink water. I was thinking "awww he's so sweet", but I fuckin' had no water. AK was looking towards my direction and I smiled at him and he smiled back. Seriously though, I think it's so easy to see them in general because I don't know why the spots I always stand, the girls infront of me are all so short. -.-

I am still so in love with AMBIVALENT IDEAL. I love how Hazuki sings it live. And always, I love the whole entire EXODUS EP live, still especially INVINCIBLE.

I had no clue what they were talking during their MC time, all I knew was about the daruma and about AK's grandma.  It was so funny because AK looked over when they were talking and I just looked confused I think and he kept giggling. Obviously, he already knows I can't understand Japanese that well. AK was cute yesterday during the MC because he was awkward and said like "yeahhhhh!!" lol, he was funny.

They talked for so long before they started their encore. Hazuki was taking photos of the crowd and the damn daruma. So they played melt, alien tune, DAZZLE, Discord Number and LIGHTNING first. It kind of feels like they didn't want the live to end because they took a while to get off stage.

During the second encore, they talked even more and played HIDDEN and to my surprise, they played NIGHT again. And they took forever to get off the stage this time. I don't think anyone would mind if they stayed on it forever, haha. Yusuke was cute at the end, he pointed to me and kinda like put his hands on his eyes to make a binocular shape thing, which I think he was trying to say he was looking at me or something. AK came over and also pointed to me and did a heart shape sign. So cute <3333 I was too surprised in the moment and I didn't know how to react, think and feel. But now when I think back, I'm happy. Hazuki took a while to leave the stage, he was smiling the entire time and kept saying how he loves everyone.

It's funny to me that they would actually do this type of things on stage because for the past few times I've seen them, they don't seem to pay attention to the crowd. So I was pleasantly surprised. Also, I never would in a million years think I would get their attention at all, so yes, I am happy. I love them. <3

I'm in love with Nagoya and can't wait to go back. <3

115. only in dreams

On Monday, little sis and I got up early to head to Mitaka. This time, I finally managed to get tickets to Ghibli Museum. We haven't been there for almost two years because everytime I get to Tokyo, the tickets are always sold out thanks to the growing popularity of Miyazaki's work.

I bought the 12pm tickets because I knew we wouldn't be able to get up soooo early especially after lynch.'s live the previous day. The first thing we did was head straight to the cafe because we were starving but waited for about an hour to get finally get in. We both ordered the pork cutlet sandwich since I'm not a fan of Omu Rice.

little sis had hot chocolate!

After lunch, we went straight to the Saturn theatre to watch the short film, this time it was Mon Mon the Water Spider. It was such a cute little film but I still prefer Mister Dough and the Egg Princess. We went to walk around as usual, and they had a special exhibition called The Lens at Work in The Ghibli Forest, which mainly focuses on little objects and things you see through lenses and how to make film strips and pinhole cameras. It was fun and reminded me of my art college photography lessons because we had to learn how to develop films, photographs and make our very own pinhole cameras.

After which, we went to the Ghibli stores where it was overly crowded as usual. :/ So we left Ghibli Museum at about 3-ish and wanted to go to the Owl Cafe but it was closed again. ): We went left Mitaka and got on the train and went straight to Disneyland. 

When we arrived at Maihama Station, it was still early since we got the After 6 Pass, we hung around and went to roam around the Disney hotels while waiting. The disney hotels were so cute!  I wish I could stay there for at least a night but it's really expensive. Soon, it was 6pm and we got in really quickly despite the queue being really long. 

Everything was decked out and ready for Christmas. Honestly, I've never enjoyed Christmas very much but being in Japan makes me like Christmas a little more. First, we went to the disney shops but the merchandise weren't that cute, so we slowly walked to  Santa's Village and Cinderella's castle. Cinderella's castle was so pretty! *__*

We went straight to Fantasyland, where I went crazy over Alice's Tea Party and It's a Small World. Everything was so cute. After only seeing the attractions, we decided to have dinner at the Queen of Hearts Banquet Hall. Little sis knew for sure I would want a  Alice in Wonderland themed meal. I had chicken and little sis had fish, I got dessert just so I can have the cute Alice in Wonderland tea cup. Everything is there was so cute. I love Alice in Wonderland so much! My favorite disney films are Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan and Little Mermaid. 

After dinner, we walked around and saw some of the lines for certain rides were short so we just decided to get on anything. First we went on Pinocchio's Daring Journey, which I thought captured the film so well. Only thing is again, because we are in Japan, everything is in Japanese. After the ride, we walked to Toontown, the little houses were so cute ^^ I'm glad little sis was happy because she has never been to Disneyland and as for me, the last time I went was when I was only 4 in the U.S. 

We went into Goofy's and Chip N' Dale's house and Donald's Boat. Took photos at Toon Park because it was too cute. Got on Gadget's Go Coaster and Rodger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin. Little sis doesn't know anything about Rodger Rabbit and told me the whole ride basically looks like someone who is on drugs, which is half true. I watched Who Framed Rodger Rabbit when I was a kid but can vaguely remember anything.

After that, we want to watch the Light Parade and everything was so magical <3

We went off to the other parts of Disneyland after the parade and made it in time for the fireworks at Cinderella's castle. I was kind of bored of the fireworks because I don't really enjoy fireworks in general. The other parts of Disneyland was kind of boring so we decided to get back to Fantasyland, which I'm happy we did because we went to the Haunted Mansion to get on the Christmas special, Holiday Nightmare. I was so happy because I love Nightmare Before Christmas to Death and the ride was so cute and took about 15 minutes. I think little sis and I might have gotten too excited on the ride, we were making so much noise and shouting and everything. lol

After Haunted Mansion, we ran to catch Peter Pan's Flight because it was almost closing time. We were the last ones on the ride. ^^ The ride was so cute, we sat in a ship and it flew over London and Neverland. I was so happy I got to see the lost boys! <3

After that, it was already closing time at the theme park so we left Disneyland and got back home late and had supper on the way. I felt like I was living in dreams because the whole day was so themed, the first half of the day was Ghibli and the later half was Disney. Nothing could have been better.

114. the blackest nightmare

Little sis arrived in Tokyo on Thursday night and I've been spending all my time with her until she left back to Singapore this morning. On Friday and Saturday, we didn't do anything much because most of my plans didn't fall through. On Sunday...

lynch. THE BLACKEST NIGHTMARE tour at Zepp Tokyo. Obviously, I was excited. It's my fourth time seeing them this year and I still get butterflies in my stomach. This band makes me feel so much, I still can't put it into words how much I really do love them.

We got up early, headed straight to Odaiba for Ramen and hung around until it was show time. It didn't take too long to get into Zepp Tokyo. Little sis basically ran in and got us good spots for the show, it wasn't too front as the usual but it was good enough. Once again, they opened to Pantera's Mouth of War.

When the curtains fell, the backdrop was so amazing/epic, it was just a simple band logo but still, being to so many lynch. shows, we haven't seen any of this kind of stuff. They started with EXODUS, followed by ASHES. After that was THE BLASTED BACK BONE and I went a little crazy there, I can't really remember the order of their setlist but they didn't play all the songs I wanted to them to. ): It was still fun headbanging obviously. Little sis went crazy to EVILLY.

The interval was BEFORE YOU KNOW IT, and the lights shined on Hazuki right after that ended as he sang BE STRONG. I don't really like that song but its been stuck in my head for days now. -__- After that, they played AMBIVALENT IDEAL !

During this live, for the first time, it felt weird to headbang (normally I go psychotic) because I was standing directly infront of AK and I noticed he kept looking at my direction and was giving me a  "I know you" face. So, I felt kinda weird to be so crazy and letting him judge, lol. But he was so cute because I smiled at him and he smiled right back. Little sis was complaining on how much I look at AK now instead of Hazuki. I still love Hazuki the most though...

Yusuke also, weirdly, kept staring at our direction. I thought Yusuke would never look at people to be honest, but he threw his bottle to me and I basically ran from it. lol He was laughing as he saw me moving away from it. I was scared of the girls that were being crazy trying to snatch it.

I love how the whole EXODUS EP sounds so heavy live, especially INVINCIBLE. The drums are way more amplified and it was soooo goood to headbang to it. Now listening to it on my ipod, I feel empty. It's as if I want to see them all the time now. :/

They played unknown lost a beauty!!!!!!!! When Hazuki said it I was jumping around like some crazy idiot and obviously, I didn't care much about AK judging to that song and just headbanged hardcore for that one song, and after that was pulse_!!!! So the crowd went crazy and moshed and after the mosh, little sis and I were pushed back a bit. The girl infront of me was tall, I couldn't see anything after pulse_, so I tiptoed and when my head popped up of the crowd, AK saw and was giggling. Omg I wanted to die. Seriously, I think I've been crushing on him ever since I met him. He looks so fucking cute when he smiles. Obviously, Hazuki has the nicest smile but AK...

They had two encores and they were talking for a bit during encore 1, where Hazuki took out his Daruma and was drawing the eye on one of them and joking about how he is actually 41... but really, he is only 31. After much talking, they continued with UNTIL I DIE. I was soooooo happy they played it since it is my tattoo now. <3

They also played STARZ, Discord Number and LIGHTNING. For the second encore, they only played HIDDEN. They played for two hours. It felt so short. I honestly think the best live of theirs that I've been to is the very first one at Zepp Divercity because they played so many songs I love and for 2 hours 30 minutes.

Since, I felt it was too short, now I really want to go to their last Zepp show in Nagoya this Saturday. I'm still thinking about it but leaning towards going. I can't ever have enough of them. Here is the setlist, not in order :

• EXODUS
• ASHES
• THE BLASTED BACK BONE
• EVILLY
• I BELIEVE IN ME
• ADORE
• ALL THIS I'LL GIVE YOU
• BEFORE YOU KNOW IT
• BE STRONG
• AMBIVALENT IDEAL
• MIRRORS
• NEW PSYCHO PARALYZE
• THE FATAL HOUR HAS COME
• MOMENT
• I'm sick, b'cuz luv u.
• VANISH
• INVINCIBLE
• 59
• unknown lost a beauty
• pulse_
• NIGHT

Encore 1

• UNTIL I DIE
• Discord Number
• STARZ
• LIGHTNING

Encore 2

• HIDDEN

Little sis was a little disappointed they didn't play melt. I know they always change their setlist but I didn't really like this one. T__T After the show ended, I went to buy some CDs, since I am still slowly collecting them. We didn't hang around for long, we left to go to Oedo Onsen, just two stops away from Odaiba. I seriously think this is the best decision little sis came up with. If we didn't go to the onsen, our necks would have probably be in a whole lot more of pain.

Also, I was trying my best to cover my tattoo the entire time and successfully did! We ate quite a lot there too, since concerts really take out a lot from you. It was the best way to end such an amazing night. By the time we got home, we both crashed on the bed almost immediately. 

113. to melt into

After getting back from Nagoya last Thursday, I had to rush off to meet Elaine to get my tickets to see THE NOVEMBERS. In the end, I went alone because she actually lost one of the tickets and wanted to see Sir Paul Mccartney instead. I don't blame her, come on, it's one quarter of The freakin' Beatles.

So, I went to meet her near her office and went off to Shibuya to get a quick dinner and got to FEVER 30 minutes before the show started. Honestly, I didn't know what to expect because indie music and its' culture is so different from my usual rock/metal shows. I was actually curious to see what the fans were like. She was already telling me beforehand what to expect.

So, when I arrived, there were already so many people waiting outside FEVER. I was amazed by the number of guys that were at the show, I would say almost half of them were guys. Some of them, you could totally tell were trying to be Takamatsu or Kobayashi wannabes. But to be honest, I like the vibe more at indie shows because everyone is so chill and I love the way most of them dressed. I'm such a simple person when it comes to dressing, I just like it all black, plain and layering - which most of them were decked out like this. The only thing that made me stood out was because I was wearing my DEATHGAZE shirt, I had no choice though, I didn't have time to go back and change.

The girls were also not bitchy at all. These girls next to me were so cute, they were talking among themselves but I could hear them, they were saying how I was a "bijin" and how the guys probably would talk to me. But really, they didn't. Some guys just kept staring which I found annoying to be honest. I always get this in Japan.

The ticket number Elaine gave me was like a priority number kinda thing, so I got in really fast and managed to stand in the third row infront of Kobayashi. I was happy because I like him the most out of the band.

It didn't take long to start, I thought I was over them because I really am not into their recent stuff, but when they took the stage I was sooooooo happy. It's a different kind of happy compared to lynch., but THE NOVEMBERS are also my favorite band. I always had a habit of loving two bands at a time, one heavy and one softer.

They opened to melt, and it was so dreamy and everything I felt all the time listening to them was just right in front of me. They sounded so good live too, even if the sound system sucked. Kobayashi's voice is so much more dreamier live than on the cds. I thought I would be bored at their live but when they got to the faster songs, like 永遠の複製, 彼岸で散る青, was fun to sway to them.

Elaine was telling me earlier how all the girls like Takamatsu and I just couldn't see why, because she's also one of those girls. But when I saw him coming on to the stage, I was surprised because he looks so much cuter in real life and like a typical indie prince. So you can tell why all the girls like him. Really, photos don't do him any justice.

I thought they were good for an indie band because all the indie bands I've seen are boring as hell. They don't move at all, but THE NOVEMBERS did move and you can tell how much Kobayashi and Kengo were into the music. They did a covers of dip and Nirvana. During some of their songs, especially 再生の朝, I actually closed my eyes and just listened to them. I felt like I was floating on a cloud, in my dreams. They played for exactly 2 hours, since they were only playing songs from (Two) into holy and To (melt into), I was happy they played my favorites and am even happier they played these albums because it was around this era that I fell in love with them.

-setlist-
1.melt
2.瓦礫の上で
3.37.2°
4.はじまりの教会
5.小声は此岸に響いて
6.夢のあと
7.human flow(dip cover)
8.天井と管
9.日々の剥製
10.STAY AWAY(NIRVANA cover)
11.Louder Than War (2019)
12.永遠の複製
13.ニールの灰に
14.彼岸で散る青
15.終わらない境界
16.holy
17再生の朝

Photo by Daisuke Miyashita

And actually I can see myself in the photo! Haha. After the show, I kind of rushed out of the venue because my back was killing me. I had been carrying all my clothes and stuff I got from Nagoya for the whole day and felt like I was about to drop at any second. I hurried to buy some merch and I'm so happy with them because I've always wanted NOVEMBERS pins/badges for the longest time. Luckily, Shindaita Station is not that far from Shibuya, so I got home quite quickly. Took a hot bath and dropped dead on my bed till the next morning.

I really want to see THE NOVEMBERS again but it's always so hard for me to.

112. until i die

After wanting this tattoo for such a long time, I'm so fuckin' happy I finally have it and got it done in Nagoya. It's funny because I actually dreamt of getting this tattoo months ago and it just made so much sense to me when I woke up from that dream. That was when I told myself, I have to have it.

In my dream, I was actually talking about tattoos to someone, I can't see his face, in dreams everything is always a blur. But we were talking about Hazuki's Until I Die tattoo. The person in my dream told me that Hazuki got his tattoo particularly on his neck because it is  near his throat, and in Until I Die, the song by lynch., he sings :

I'm leaving for the last time,

However I will be singing, 

Yes, until the day I die 

So it made sense to me that he tattooed it near his throat because he sings I will be singing until the day that I die. Still in my dream, I said to myself I want to tattoo until i die on the lower part of my right arm where I can see it all the time. Also because I use my right hand to draw. I always tell my sister " I will draw and paint until the day I die."

When I woke up, it made so much sense to me and I really wanted to get it done because I need to keep reminding myself to never give up on myself and my dreams and to do art until the day I die. Nothing else. There is nothing more I want in this world but to draw for days and paint for nights. Nothing makes me happier, and if I could live off just my art - which I definitely will one day, it would be a dream. 

I've been trying to find a good tattoo studio in Tokyo since the last time I was here in August but I couldn't locate it. But I am happy I didn't get it done last time. I'm even happier now getting it done in Nagoya because it means so much more, and since lynch. is from Nagoya, it only makes sense (to me at least). On top of it, it was such a good way to commemorate my trip to Nagoya with Yuri because it was such a good trip and the happiest I've been in a long time. Honestly, there is no one else I'd rather be with than her in Nagoya.

Plus, I met one of the members from lynch. (AK), so it was also good to remember it. Here, I leave you with one of my favorite songs of all time. I will never stop loving this band more and more.

111. proof, nagoya iii

On Thursday, it was our last day in Nagoya. We got up early because we had to check out at 10am and also because my appointment was at 10.30am. We didn't have time to go anywhere to have breakfast, so we just grabbed some orange juice and onigiri at a nearby conbini and made our way to 8 Ball Tattoo.

When we arrived, Yashin wasn't there yet. The guy that helped us the day before was nice and tried talking to us but we couldn't understand his accent again. I felt so bad. All I could understand was "Nagoya" and "Sakae". Soon, the sound of the motorcycle was getting louder and closer to us, so I thought it must be Yashin and true enough, it was. I like his bike though, it's one of those badass cruiser motorbikes. I can't wait till baby sis gets her license!

He came in and apologised for being late but I really didn't care that much. It was so early (well early for me) in the morning, I excuse almost anyone for being late in the morning because I can never get up early for anything. His hands were numb from riding too fast and it was also cold outside, so we waited a while more till his hands defrosted.

Yuri and I were looking at the tattoo magazines, and there were some with yakuza in them. When Yuri told him about the yakuza, he said it wasn't a real one and took out another book from his studio and said that one had a real one. I thought it was cool. Then Yuri was telling him about how her parents hates tattoos and I said my dad did too and he asked if it was really okay to get the tattoo. And I'm like, argh, I just don't care.

He showed me three designs he did for my tattoo and I was surprised because I got to choose! Yuri and I agreed the third design was nicest, so I stuck to that. After that, he told us to go into his studio. Being in his studio made me miss art college, because everyone had their own studio and we obviously decorated it with things we love. His studio was cool, I love the tiny motorbikes on his computer and almost everything he hanged on the wall. Especially love that he had a bookshelf full of tattoo books from different countries. His bookshelf is similar to mine and made me miss my room back home.

I just love looking at artists' studios. Being an artist myself, I pride myself in decorating my room/studio. I love how much character there is in every artists' studio, for mine it's mostly band logos, musicians, cute things and some of my favorite artists' work. I just love artists' studios. He set up everything and was ready to get started.

Honestly I was a little worried and scared because it was my first tattoo but both Yuri and Yashin told me it wouldn't hurt that much.

It was really quick, like only 10 minutes. I was less painful than I expected it to be. I was really happy with the outcome! <3 When he was done, he was joking about tattoo-ing "Gomenasai Otosan" under my tattoo. lol After that, we just hung around his studio because he said the tattoo would bleed a bit so we had to wait for it before he cleans it off. We were just talking about tattoos in general and he was showing  us books of tattoos from different countries. Yuri told him that I was an artist and showed him some of my work which he said was kawaii but honestly, what do you even expect him to think of it when he does all these yakuza, oni, tattoos? lol I loved the fact that he knew it must have taken me forever to draw all my girls' hair! Everyone always just thinks it so fuckin' easy but it really isn't. I take days sometimes to get it done.

After more talking, we left and said goodbye to Yashin. He told us to come back when we can. I would go back to get another tattoo from him! He's really nice. We went to get some food after because we were starving. We had no idea what to get so we just went to Komeda's. I ended up getting the teriyaki sandwich and Yuri got the burger I had the day before! The teriyaki sandwich was so good! The chicken was cooked nicely and it was so smooth.

After our meal, I ordered a coffee shake just because I wanted to take a picture of how cute the "cup" was, but the coffee shake was soooo goood too. Even Yuri who doesn't like coffee said it was good. It was more milky and sweet rather than bitter usual taste. The shake was so fuckin' smooth. I love it. I'm gonna bring little sis to the one in Tokyo when she comes.

We went straight to the shinkansen because I needed to get to THE NOVEMBERS live at Shimokitazawa, which was at 7pm. We were sad to be leaving Nagoya, and didn't want to actually. The train ride back to Tokyo was much faster than it was to Nagoya weirdly. Yuri ordered some matcha ice-cream and let's say she was really funny about it (inside joke). Haha.

I really really like Nagoya and I'm not being biased because all my favorite bands are from there. It's so different from Tokyo. It's way less crowded and more chill. Also, it's easier to get around Nagoya because everything is less complicated and closer to each other. Sometimes I really feel like I'm wasting so much time travelling around Tokyo. I love the fact that Nagoya really reminds me of Melbourne. I just feel at peace and comfortable there.

Yuri and I are planning on moving to Nagoya in the near future. I hope we really can. Seriously, what is more perfect for me? A little Melbourne in a country I love, Japan? Yes please. 

And as Yuri has already said on her blog, everyone always asks us "What's in Nagoya?!" The honest answer - everything. Well, everything important to me at least.

Mount Fuji on the way back. T'was a lovely day.

110. in the sky with diamonds, nagoya ii

On Wednesday, Yuri and I woke up early and went to get breakfast at Komeda's Coffee. I didn't know anything about Komeda's but Yuri was telling me about how EYA goes there all the time and she wanted to try it while in Nagoya because it originated from there.

It was surprisingly good! I ordered a normal burger and cinnamon coffee. I love cinnamon, so. Haha. We also shared a coffee jelly parfait, that was good too. 

After breakfast, we went to find 8Ball Tattoo studio since I wanted to get a tattoo for such a long time, I thought Nagoya would be a good place to start since my tattoo is lynch. - related and they are from here. Yuri was already telling me about tattoo artists from Nagoya when we were still in Tokyo, so I decided to look them up before we arrived here.

It didn't take too long to find the studio and once we got there, we immediately felt awkward when one of the guys was trying to help us. It didn't help that we couldn't understand his accent either, haha. To be perfectly honest, I was always scared to go to a tattoo studio on my own because the guys look intimidating but I was happy Yuri was with me because one of the tattoos artists, named Yashin who Yuri follows on instagram recognised her and came out from his studio to talk to us. 

He was really friendly and nice and already knew we were just gonna be in Nagoya for a few days, so Yuri was helping me explain the tattoo I wanted and he managed to fit me into his schedule for the next morning, since my tattoo was small. 

After that, since I can't speak Japanese that well, he chatted with Yuri for a bit. He was giving us his business cards and stickers! I love stickers so I was glad he gave us some, haha. He asked us what we were planning to do and we told him we wanted to go to Nabana No Sato, and he told us it was really pretty over there but soooo cold. And erm, Yuri and I were wearing sleeveless dresses and we looked at each other and showed Yashin that what we were wearing and he was so funny, and freaked out for us. Haha. 

After some more small talk, we left the tattoo studio and got on the train to Kuwana from Nagoya Station. It took about 40 minutes to get to Kuwana, but I love the scenery on the way there, since we were heading to a rural area.

Once arriving in Kuwana, we took a cab to Nabana No Sato. We were thinking if we should take a bus because it'll be cheaper but gave up on that idea because we were scared to get lost. It didn't take long to get there, about 10 minutes. Once we got there, we were greeted with the trees ready for fall. They were so pretty! The ones in Tokyo have yet to change color, so I was really happy seeing these.

The sky was so pretty that day too, the clouds were all pink and fluffy like marshmallows.  After walking around for a bit, we were getting hungry so Yuri decided to get a meat bun since we saw people walking around with it. I didn't get anything in the end since I wasn't really that hungry just yet. We were just sitting around waiting for the sun to set. 

When it got dark, all the lights literally looked like diamonds twinkling in the sky. It was sooooo pretty and magical, I was happy that I went with Yuri because she was the one that found this place online. 

While walking through the light tunnel, I decided to take out my polaroid camera since it was so bright in there. We were happily taking taking photos on my camera until I ran out of film. I'm glad I brought my polaroid camera along, if not I would be totally kicking myself. 

We walked around for an hour or so when it was dark. They even had an onsen at Nabana No Sato because it's actually a resort in Nagashima island. I really wanted Yuri to try the feet onsen but we couldn't find it on our way out. So we just left because it was getting so cold and my fingers were so numb after all the walking.

We took a cab back again to Kuwana Station and arrived in Nagoya at about 7ish. We went to get cake and sweets at Nagoya Station! 

I got this cute ducky and I had no idea what it is. But it was so good. It's like a sponge cake but filled with pudding <3 and the little things that make the ducky's face were milk chocolate. After our sweets, we headed back to Sakae Station since Yuri was going to meet up with one of her friends in Nagoya. 

I headed back to the hotel and had a warm bath because I felt like I was falling sick. I couldn't stop sneezing and my throat was really hurting. So I stuffed orange juice down my throat and tried to sleep before she got back, but alas, me and insomnia. Insomnia is my really good friend.