Category Archive for Cute Yummy Time
CUTE HALLOWEEN PUMPKIN FOOD! TOKYO KAWAII RECIPES, KABOCHA PIZZA & ICE CREAM CAKE, SEASONAL HOLIDAY MEALS IN JAPAN.
I love how in Japan, everything is seasonally themed to the max. I ate so much kabocha (Japanese pumpkin) around Halloween that my mother was genuinely concerned I’d turn orange!
Big hair bow barrette: gifted from And Devour
Lace Lolita bracelet: gifted from Broken Velcroe
Vampire cape: Black Peace Now
Purple and black dress: Algonquins, from Ragtag Harajuku. Got it used for 1500 yen!
Black tights with holes: a DIY project.
Shoes: John Fluevog
Here I am with my adored pumpkin pizza — only 200 yen from Sunpierrot. Yukiro and I were devastated when the Japanese bakery stopped offering our favorite snack. Thankfully, it’s come back as “Halloween pizza”.
Naomi convinced the Norway TV crew to pick up Halloween-themed breads and cakes for lunch. The cute ghost has cheesy custard inside; the pumpkin face is filled with anpan (red bean paste).
What other kabocha (Japanese pumpkin) delights did we devour? At the convenience store, we found Häagen-Dazs pumpkin ice cream with a jam swirl. G-suS tried the kabocha pizza for the first time and loved it.
Pasela Karaoke had a special Halloween menu. (Remember when we filmed karaoke singing for Dutch Pepsi TV?)
The offerings included a witch cocktail, kabocha pizza, and this ridiculous “toast cake” with an ice cream and candy witch.
If we hadn’t walked all over Tokyo for the Norway TV shoot, I’d have gained so much weight!
The restaurants in Lumine East Shinjuku offered kabocha pasta, among other goodies.
Godiva sold witchy boxes of chocolates. The restaurants near Meguro station had specials; there was a long lineup for the Halloween sushi.
Behold, my other love: yuzu (a small Japanese citrus)! I had a strong yuzu cocktail and kabocha appetizer at the new Samurai theme restaurant. (Video and photos from this restaurant coming up.)
Ohh, if only it were Halloween every day of the year…
Life would be so spooky and sweet!
For more about cute food and weird theme restaurants, please take a peek at my books.
Are you a fan of eating pumpkin? Out of the Halloween dishes above, which one would you ravage?
[contact-form 1 “Contact form 1”]
PS: Please join my new mailing list: just enter your contact details above and click Arr! I only send newsletters every 2 months or so, and you can opt out any time. If you subscribed to my old mailing list, don’t worry — you’re already back in.
Japanese Word of the Day: Ikumu = To strain
Song of the Day: Nightmare Before Christmas – This Is Halloween
SHARE & COMMENT
VERSAILLES NEW TOUR DATES, SUMMER 2010 EUROPE! BRITISH PATHE COLLECTION: VINTAGE FILMS FROM VICTORIAN & JAZZ ERA. DIGITAL MULTIMEDIA LIBRARY WITH OLD JAPAN FASHION FOOTAGE.
Susie Bubble (of fashion blog Style Bubble) recently learned of British Pathe’s giant archive of films (1897-1970). She was amazed by the wealth of material available — free to stream — on the site. Thinking I’d have the same jaw-dropping reaction, Susie referred the site to me. And boy, was she right. I could spend hours watching rare footage of Victorian ladies, 1920s jazz dancers, Hong Kong’s skyline in the 1950s, Emperor Hirohito attending the premiere of Ben Hur…
Cute Japanese food (1968) (click to view)
The British Pathe has over 90,000 reels: there’s something to hold everyone’s interest. I searched for “Japan” and came across this remarkable food demo at a London restaurant. Believe it or not, the Japanese were making food cute even in the 1960s! In the video, Chef Kusama Toshio carves birds from sweet potatoes and places them over vegetable flowers.
When you search for “Japan,” the highlights include…
† Very early 1930s mute reel about Japanese ways
† 1963 footage of Japanese fashion models in Australia
† Japanese students in London, 1970
† 1950s Geishas entertain men at a business meeting
† Japanese Royal wedding 1959: “Crown Prince Akihito has married a commoner, so breaking Japanese tradition of more than 2,600 years”
† Two year-old Prince Hiro, 1962
Tokyo ladies’ fashion show (1954) (click to view)
Here’s a video of Japanese models displaying the latest designs at Tokyo Kaikan Hall. I love the kimono and princess-style ladies overcoat.
Victorian corset striptease (1960) (click to view)
For all you Victorian/Rococo/Steampunk lovers, British Pathe is an excellent plae to find retro inspiration. The clip above shows a Victorian-attired girl performing a striptease, and models showing off historical corsets.
British Pathe is a wonderful resource for anyone intrigued by bygone eras. Come take a gander at the videos, and let me know if you find anything that amazes you! (You can share the link in the comments, which are always appreciated.)
VERSAILLES has announced Summer 2010 World Tour dates! The epic heavy metal Visual Kei band is hitting Europe and South America. Will you be at any of these J-rock concerts?
Apr 30 2010: Tokyo JCB Hall (I’ll be there!)
Jun 4 2010: Sao Paulo
Jun 6 2010: Santiago
Jun 9 2010: Buenos Aires
Jun 11 2010: Lima
Jun 13 2010: Mexico City
Jun 27 2010: Moscow
Jun 29 2010: Helsinki
Jun 30 2010: London
Jul 2 2010: Barcelona
Jul 3 2010: Montpellier
Jul 6 2010: Amsterdam
Jul 7 2010: Cologne
Jul 9 2010: Hamburg
Jul 11 2010: Budapest
Jul 13 2010: Paris
Japanese Word of the Day: Instrument = Gakki
Song of the Day: Seal – Kiss from a Rose (for Adventure Teamster K!)
LA CARMINA
