The Friday Five: Things on My Mind

I wasn’t sure that I’d be able to come up with five things that have been on my mind today because ever since I booked my trip to Japan, it’s just about all that I have had on my mind! Okay, okay, here are a few things that have been on my mind lately.

1. Japan

I have been reading a lot and talking to anyone I know who has been to Japan. My discussions are definitely making me even more excited. My Japanese is slow-going, but I hope to know more than arigato (thank you) by April.

2. The Office

I never watched the US or British versions of The Office. Until now. I have had a pretty exhausting week, and I opted for it one night. It makes me laugh out loud. I know I’m not alone on this one.

3. The Duchesses

Who has been watching Duchess Kate and Duchess Meghan touring and attending events? I’ve caught updates and photos here and there, and I can’t help but be interested in what they say and do (and what they wear!).

4. Local travel

One of the reasons why I love living in Waterloo is that it’s close to so many lovely places. Toronto is only an hour away. In the other direction, we have Stratford, where I was just a couple of weeks ago. And London, too, is just over an hour away, and I’m happy to be heading there this weekend to see friends. While I do love to travel far away (see point #1), I have been enjoying learning about local gems, too, over the years I’ve lived in Southwestern Ontario.

5. OOTD

What do you think about Outfit Of the Day (OOTD) posts that you see online and/or on Instagram? I post my outfits regularly on Instagram (not styled, not posed, no fancy lighting, no photographer), but I wonder if I should keep going. I do scroll back through these photos when I need an outfit idea or when I want to see how I wear some of my favourite pieces, so in that sense, the photos serve a purpose. I’m curious though…Do you like seeing what your friends and favourite bloggers wear each day?

That’s it for this week. Have a great weekend!

Personal: A Walk Down Memory Lane

It’s happening. It’s finally happening. After years of saying “I really need to go to Japan,” it’s actually happening. I booked my trip a couple of weeks ago, and I’ve been reading anything and everything in preparation. I have 6 months to plan and finalize details of my trip as it is in April 2019. I.Am.So.Excited!

I haven’t been to Japan since I was about 5 years old, and you can bet I’m going to try to recreate some of these photos from the 80s.

What are the chances I can find this place?

(side note: I used to love my Cabbage Patch t-shirt)

I’m pretty sure these are supposed to be for washing your hands rather than for drinking. Does anyone know?

And I had to include this one of my dad. He carried around that Beta video camera everywhere we went. Could you imagine doing it now? Luckily, a few years ago, we transferred all of our family’s Beta videos and slides (yes, slides, too) and 8mm film (yes, that, too) into electronic forms, so we were able to see photos and videos that we hadn’t seen in 30 years!

What are the chances I can find any of these places? They’re likely all from Kyoto. Wish me luck!

And if you have any recommendations about Japan, leave a comment, please!

Travel: Kobe Kitano Japan

Ever since my visit to Langdon Hall, I’ve been hooked on the Relais & Chateaux website. Relais & Chateaux hotels are the finest from around the world; they have some of the best restaurants, incredible service, and extremely well-appointed rooms.

One gorgeous Relais & Chateaux hotels is the Kobe Kitano Hotel in Japan. Stunning!  4-0024-0034-0044-005I’m adding it to my “must see in Japan” list. I’m also going to buy a lottery ticket.

Design: The Claska Hotel in Japan

If I do make it to Japan like I have been planning to, I would definitely like to check out the Claska hotel. It looks ridiculously clean and calm. The 21 rooms are designed in 5 styles: modern, tatami, contemporary, DIY, and weekly residence.

The Modern:

japanese_room503_slide1-thumb-1260x840-453japanese_room503_slide2-thumb-1260x840-454-1The Tatami:

tatami_room605_slide1-thumb-1260x840-457 tatami_room605_slide2-thumb-1260x840-458The Contemporary:

contemporary_room704_slide2-thumb-1260x840-462 contemporary_room704_slide1-thumb-1260x840-461The DIY:contemporary_room701_slide1-thumb-1260x840-493 contemporary_room701_slide2-thumb-1260x840-494The Weekly Residence:

weekly_room602_slide1-thumb-1260x840-501Images via Claska.