火曜日, 5月 30, 2006

Karaoke for 3 please!

So, after our Jamacian bar the three of us decided to Karaoke in Kanazawa. WHAT A FUN TIME! I've only karaoked with large groups before, but with only three we could sing much more and WHATEVER we wanted. Good times. 2 hours FLEW by!!!



Check out the NICE bathrooms at this Karaoke joint!
The never ending hall to the toilet was funny too!
BARBIE GIRL! "You can brush my hair and touch my anywhere!" hehehe



Some of the weird Japanese men that came into out singing box. What does the guy in the suit have a leather purse?

Being Silly






Yeah, so we went to this Jamaican bar in Kanazawa to start off Saturday night and low-and-behold all the ash trays were wooden woodies!! So we had a little fun with the camera. I love Melissa's expressions....hehe

Our Ryokan in Kanazawa

Melissa looking all cute and hostest like!

The antique mirror/makeup box that I'm DYING to find here in Japan. If anyone spots one similar to it, PLEASE let me know - cool!?! :) Thanks Y'all!!!

Ryokan are Japanese style inns. They come in all sizes and are found across Japan. A stay at a ryokan is highly recommended to all foreign visitors of Japan, as it offers the opportunity to experience a traditional Japanese atmosphere.

木曜日, 5月 25, 2006

Higashi Geisha District

The Higashi Geisha District (Eastern Geisha District) is the larger and more spectacular of the two districts in Kanazawa. There you might be able to spot a geisha (even though we didn't) and tour a former geisha house which is open to the public. Looking down the street, you wouldn't think anything was open but there were tons of little stores and tea places right inside. Even though it's only one street, I'm glad we ventured out to find it!





Kanazawa Gold Leaf

The history of Kanazawa gold leaf can be traced back to the latter half of the Sengoku period (1428-1573), when Maeda Toshiie, the feudal lord of the Kaga clan governing the southern part of the area now known as Ishikawa Prefecture, sent a document back to the country from a campaign in Korea, explaining how to produce gold leaf. The Shogunate subsequently set up a gilders' guild and controlled the production and sale of gold leaf throughout the country. After the Meiji Restoration in 1868, however, Kanazawa gold leaf workers took the opportunity on the abolition of governmental control to successfully develop both the techniques and extent of production. Being of such a high quality, Kanazawa maintains its position as the number one center for the production of gold leaf in the country.
The leaf is very thin and in the case of gold leaf is between 0.0001 mm and 0.0002 mm thick. For this reason, it is possible to apply the leaf to materials however complicated the pattern might be. What is more, none of the brilliance of the raw gold is lost at all, and the beauty and splendor of the finished products never cease to captivate the heart of the beholder. It still has a wide range of craft applications in the fields of textiles, lacquer ware, ceramics and on various types of screens, often applied to paper. It is also used on signs and individual carved characters as well as on the mizuhiki decorations for gifts and on the best art mountings. Large amounts of gold leaf in particular are used on household Buddhist altars and on shrine and temple buildings, too. The industry is sustained by 200 firms employing 1,000 staff, among whom they are 26 Master Craftsmen.

Yayy - Year of the Dog! :)

This is a pic of the musical jewelry box that I bought there. I love it!!!

Some of the free tea they offer their guests with gold flakes inside. Quite yummy! We even ate more gold on the tour. Fun stuff!
Some of the golden art displayed around the shop!





Even the bathrooms were covered in gold leaf. :)

Out and About - Niigata

Pics from a few weekends ago at Shame! Just the ladies :)


It's all Inside - JCPenney

Summer Sale
Save 20-50% & beat the heat on select apparel, shoes & accessories.

Women's Shoes - A color for every mood.
What's hot? Women's Sandals. Express your natural side with embellishments for your feet!



Accessories - Summer's best styles are here, and we have the ones that sizzle. 30% off blue Acustaquides (English Sold Out!)


Jeans - Find your perfect fit by the brands you know and love. Premium denim: We've raised the bar on denim with quality fabrics including upgraded features such as hand finishing, deconstruction and/or embellishments.


Handbags - The hottest styles for summer are here and in the colors you can't resist! 50% off shoulder bags. Leather under $40.00.
Shirts & Blouses - Top off your look in new summer styles. Lots of styles, lots of colors. Stock up on your favorites!



Jackets & Coats - Top off your look in sleek style. Ultra-soft and lightweight. Four front patch pockets with flaps. Front bottoms. Cotton. Washable. Imported.










So, as you can tell - Shanna and I had a little fun playing JCPenney models all over Kasai. Not too shabby, eh? I thought it'd be fun to corn it up with actual JCPenney statements. hehe Enjoy!!!