Tokyo to Paris

Mmmm blogging whilst on holiday was more of a chore than i thought it would be.... but there's so many great pics, now that i'm back in Sydney i still want to share it. 

Meeting some locals, who wanted to show off their art.

The train system was a challenge, but quick, efficient and surprisingly simple to work out. We used it a lot to maximise our short stopover. 

Tokyo seems like dozens of little cities rather than suburbs around one main city area, vast! It's easier to catch the train somewhere then let the walking begin. We had a lovely walk from Harajuku to Shibuya. Constantly surrounded by hundreds of people you are never short of something or someone interesting to look at.

Best noodle bar in Shibuya

 Tokyo went by too fast, and can't wait to go back and do it properly. 

Travelling in Tokyo Tip # Beware of walking round train stations in peak hour! My husband and i got separated at Tokyo Station on the way to our plane. There was a flood of people exiting platforms, and when you are pulling luggage, a stroller and a 5 yr old - there's no room for error. Brad on his own, and me with Remi; we then discovered there's 3 different trains to the Airport, all varying in speed. We managed to meet up at the Airport train station an hour and half later after Remi and I quickly got on a slow train to the airport, and Brad managed to accidentally travel to the other side of Tokyo in the opposite direction from the airport, but then with the help of an American GI living in Tokyo he got on a super speedy train that arrived 10 minutes after me! We got to our plane as they were boarding, thanks Air France for being so helpful and escorting us to our gate. 

The Bastille in Paris was a welcome sight after an 11 hour flight. Arriving as the sun set, walking up 5 flights of stairs to our apartment was a pleasure and a gorgeous view awaited us from our balcony. 

 We booked this great apartment (Appartement Folie Mericourt) through Cross Pollinate who have apartments and B&Bs all over europe. Travelling with kids Tip# stretch the budget to get kids their own bedroom, Remi slept like a dream when she had her own room. I think it seemed more like home.

We arrived in Tokyo on the Hottest Day in 100 years!

I finally made it to Tokyo, and with only a two day stopover before heading off to Paris I had to hit Fabric Town. Yes, there is actually a place called that in Tokyo - Nippori Fabric Town.  (click this link for a great map.)

When you get there just follow the signs, you can't miss it.

But it's a sleepy town old Tokyo and the shops didn't start opening until about 10am. And as we arrived in Tokyo on the hottest day in 100 years, seriously.... this fabulous cafe was a welcome haven, Cafe Bird. Especially since my husband Brad and I had our 5 year old Remi as a traveling companion. Best iced coffee i've ever had and it really gave me the zing i needed to tackle the fabric. 

With limited time i headed straight for the mother of Tokyo fabric - Tomato. There's actually 4 Tomato shops all on the same street  specialising in accessories, interiors and variety fabrics.  

So i spent about 2-3 hours running around about 5 different levels of the main variety fabric store and the notions/accessories next door. They only take CASH, and minimum cut is 1 metre so be prepared. I had Brad and Remi helping me to start with, but they saw my eyes glaze over and left me to it. There was much to keep them occupied in the area. 

There were amazing japanese fabrics in traditional and contemporary designs, as well as lots international favourites from america. It just went on forever........

Another handy helper i had was a zine i bought from www.askingfortrouble.org

It's an amazing shopping guide for Tokyo and has directions on how to get to Nippori Fabric Town, it was only £1 and was great as Tokyo can be quite overwhelming. 

A lovely blog to read for hints and inspirations is Japan Craft Journal

(i'm actually in Paris, it's taken me a while to get around to blogging - too much strolling, eating and just soaking up the parisienne atmosphere, so stay tuned for more from tokyo and paris. We're off to the Loire Valley and Dordogne tomorrow...)

Off on Holiday

France and Tokyo here I come. 

I'm off in 9 days so the next blogging will be from

the streets of Tokyo. Then onto Paris and south into

the countryside and a taste of Spain. I couldn't go to

the south of France without a visit to Bilbao to see the Guggenheim.

On the hunt for new and fabulous fabrics and anything else i can find.

I'll be back in Sydneyland early October.