2013 Whitstable Oyster Festival

Yesterday I attended the first day of the 2013 Whitstable Oyster Festival. Whitstable is a fishing town on the Kent coast. The festival is inspired by ceremonies held back in Norman times when the folk of Whitstable gave thanks for the sea and everything they were able to harvest from it.

The festival lasts all week however the best days to attend are the Saturday and Sunday as that is when the food festival at the harbour is. The food festival is a showcase of traditional Kentish food including preserves, cheese, fudge, cider, beer, strawberries and of course oysters! There is also a separate beer festival.

Whitstable

 



(Right click and select 'open link (in new tab / window)' to see this panoramic in its full glory)

 

The Oysters - yum!

 

 

 

The students of Chaucer College

 

Chaucer College is part of Japan's Shumei University based in Canterbury. It allows Japanese students the chance to experience life in the UK (Kent in particular) for five months. There is a heavy influence in volunteering and getting to know the local community. It is a wonderful school as it teaches the students about traditional English life and also brings the magic of Japan to Kent. When I move to the coast I would very much like to help at Chaucer College.

 

The students performed traditional drumming and a soran bushi (traditional fisherman's dance).

 

 

The Landing of the Oysters parade

This man is great XD I hope he's a minor royal lol

 

Dead Horse Morris - Morris dancing is the most famous traditional folk dance of Britain. It is rooted both is Moorish dancing as well as British folklore. There are very traditional Morris dancing 'sides' (groups) who wear white, ribbons and bells as well as modern variations that mix Morris dancing with subculture fashion and music such as gothic Morris dancers. There are also sometimes characters dancers such as a green man, a giant crow, a 'molly' (man dressed as a woman) and a demon horse. British folklore is highly underrated but I think it's great! 

 

Captain Sam and his wife are giants created especially for Whitstable! Giants are also part of British folklore however recreating them in papier mache is a recent thing. I think they look great! His wife in particular is beautiful and reminds me of Toyah Willcox! 

Accessories from Japan I

Very soon I will show you how to make three Japanese street fashion inspired accessories out of faux fur (it is TOO hot here to be thinking about faux fur right now lol)

So here are some photos of the accessories I bought whilst on my trip to Japan.

'Lariat' KG by Kurt Geiger low tops + Japanese ankle socks

 

I never buy designer brands and I never buy anything at airports but I saw these at the Kurt Geiger in Heathrow and the Riddler fan girl in me NEEDED them (also they were on sale lol). The cat is the cat who has been banned from seeing me anymore. You can see she is taking the ban very seriously.

 

Metamorphose (temps de fille) white Mary Janes + Japanese ankle socks

 

Metamorphose is a lolita brand which mostly specialises in sweet and classic lolita styles. I love lolita and I love Meta! I have two Meta dresses (would you like to see photos of them?) These are my first pair of lolita shoes and I love them! I find shoes very difficult to buy (they just never fit right), especially shoes with heels so I was wary of buying lolita shoes. They usually come in S, M and L rather than actual sizes (and of course if you order them all the way from Japan you want them to fit) but these fit my feet great!

 

These specific shoes were bought from the Metamorphose shop in Kyoto's gigantic Teramachi shopping district. It was incredibly hard to find, I won't lie. The shop is right in the middle and not on ground level so you must keep your eye open for a mannequin wearing a full lolita outfit in a glass case. There will be a sign stating it is Metamorphose and an arrow bent like stairs. DO NOT GO UP THE STAIRS. Take the lift to the fifth floor. It is very freaky as the lift is like one from a horror film. Luckily when you reach the fifth floor you arrive in a single room full of pink and bows and two lovely assistants waiting to help you. Here is more info. I really recommend shopping in Teramachi and Kyoto in general.

 

Pearls

 

The white pearls come from Singapore, the black pearls come from Hong Kong and the pearl on the purple bow comes from Jersey.

 

Bow ring

Whilst in Takayama we were supposed to visit a sake brewery however the guide didn't know. To make up for it she took us to a traditional craft shopping street. About half way down was a shop called San Ai Handmade. It is adorable! I could have bought everything however limited myself to this green and pink ring by CHONIi CHONIi and a pair of tabi socks.

Takayama is a wonderful city to visit if you are interested in Japanese history and tradition. I especially recommend going during the Spring or Autumn Matsuri, which are two of the best float festivals in Japan.

The other ring is a mood ring I picked up from an American service station. The big bracelet was a gift from an ex, the smaller pale pink shell bracelets were from Camden Town and the rest are from where I was a little girl way back in the 1990s! Back then bracelets made of rubber tubes with glitter floating in were all the rage.

 

More on socks

 

The traditional Japanese sock is called a 'tabi' sock. They were designed with the big toe separated from the rest of the toes so that you could wear them with flip-flop style sandals called 'geta'. All three of these socks come from Japan but the middle pink and grey sock can be bought from a shop called Muji which has stores all over the world.

Here are the two socks I wore in the shoe pictures. I bought them in Kyoto but all across Japan are shops that specialise just in socks (there must have been at last five in Kyoto's main shopping streets alone). I bought these Coudre Un socks from a shop called Crazy Dance in a young fashion department store called OPA but there are loads of franchises all offering the same offer of three pairs for ¥1050. That works out at around £3 each which may sound a lot but they are of very good quality - much better quality that English socks - designed to be shown off and to last, rather than to just be hidden in shoes. One Japanese sock shop, Tabio, also has a few shops in London but the range of designs is nothing like their Japanese counterparts.

I've also included English alternatives. Lace trimmed socks are very popular at the moment so easy to get. I bought mine from Marks and Spencer (you get a pink and cream pair for £5) but I've seen a variety with much more delicate lace around the cuffs from Top Shop. The patterned socks came from Marks and Spencer's children's section! You got five pairs for £3! Bargain!

 

Here is the final pair of Coudre Un socks I bought from Kyoto as well as the tabi socks I bought from Takayama. I don't know how clear it is but as well as patterned cotton the Coudre Un socks also include glitter and mesh sections. Definitely special occasion only socks!

 

The tabi socks are by Kyoto Kurochiku, a traditional item shop. They are festival socks so were expensive. In Japan you wear traditional wear to festivals and religious events but the pattern of your clothing depends on the season. Because these have pale colours, flowers and rabbits these are meant for spring festivals.

 

Links:

• Kurt Geiger
• Metamorphose
• San Ai Handmade
• CHONIi CHONIi
• Muji
• Coudre Un
• Tabio
• Kyoto Kurochiku

What's in your handbag?

Lovely Blythe from Blue Roses invited me to enter Money Supermarket's competition to show the contents of my handbag satchel for the chance to win lots of nice prizes (including a real handbag).

I tag Miss Jojangles, Jessthetics, Yummy Like Cake and you guys - anyone can enter as long as they have a blog! Let me know if you do - I bet you have some cool stuff! The deadline is the 1st of July 2013.

And now...what's in my handbag (or maybe...what isn't in my handbag?)

My beloved H! by Henry Holland satchel (£35)

 1) fox tails (handmade), 2) Buddhist happiness charm (¥1000 / £6.63), 3) steampunk goggles (£18) and 4) reusable shopping bag (£4.50)

 

 1) iPod touch, headphones and USB wire (around £200), 2) purple leather fingerless gloves (£18), 3) anti-viral tissues (£1.99), 4) an emergency Snickers bar (45p), 5) Radley purse (£42), 6) charm (¥600 / £3.98) 7) sugar-free rhubarb and custard drops (79p) and hipster-ish lemon mints (£2.49), 8) spork (free), 9) Japanese hotel combs (free), 10) funny looking bits of nature (free), 11) Oyster card (£20 per top up) and useless Network Rail card (£28 I'll never get back), 12) body spray (£1), 13) pen (stolen from mum), 14) cherry chapstick (£1.05) and my favourite lipstick (£1.99), 15) 'that time of the month' stuff (£7.50), 16) business cards (£9.00), 17) keys (heaven knows), 18) 'excellent' Shinto shrine fortune (¥100 / 66p) and piece of lucky Buddhist fir tree (priceless), 19) coupons (free), 20) serviettes (free) 

 

Are you surprised not to see my phone? That always stays in my pocket unless I'm wearing a dress.

Minx Reviews: Emiko Superstar

Sorry I forgot to do this last week - when I start writing I get completely carried away sometimes! Anyway, I thought I would start with my favourite Minx graphic novel Emiko Superstar by writer Mariko Tamaki and artist Steve Rolston.

Emiko is the kind of girl who drifts through life. Bad things happen but she's always too scared of the repercussions to ever try to shake things up...that is until she sees Poppy, a beautiful, alternative teenage performance artist, at the mall. She is faced with a choice: attend young executive summer school with her 'safe' frenemies (but the closest she has to friends) or explore an alternate side of herself at the not-so-legal performance venue 'The Factory'. At first Emiko is fine just watching the performances but soon finds herself performing pages from the diary of the young mother she babysits for. She is an instant success but soon finds all that glitters isn't gold when 'The Curator' of The Factory (and Poppy's sleazy older boyfriend) comes on to her.

I think out of all the Minx heroines Emiko is the one most appealing to the intended readership. She is an everyday, intelligent, slightly introverted girl (much like the average Minx reader) who decides to leave a world and friends that dissatisfy her and reinvent herself for the summer as a character with no restraints on her freedom of expression (probably the biggest angst a teenage girl has) . Because The Factory is not some alternate world, just a hidden place on the other side of the tracks, it makes the idea that anyone can explore a different side of themselves much more accessible. Mariko doesn't try to over glorify the alternative scene though. Yes Emiko makes good friends there, but she also finds parts of it unnatural to her nature / personality and is especially unsettled by the motives and pushiness of The Curator. Mariko and Steve depict life at The Factory as beautiful but transient with those unable to move on paying the price. The biggest example of this is Poppy. Poppy is Emiko's idol and appears to revel in her role at The Factory and with The Curator but is also the most unhappy. She is like a butterfly trapped in her chrysalis with the lifestyle that created her slowly suffocating her and her life's full potential.

The art is also very likeable. Everything has a gentle roundness to it like the character designs for Lilo and Stitch. The panels are characterful and detailed without being crowded. Emiko is also a refreshing character design being short and curvy rather than tall and skinny or massively out of proportion like a your usual DC female.

The only niggle I have with Emiko Superstar (and it is a small one) is that Emiko refers to her school friends as being geeks (and she does not mean the cool kind like yours truly ;-) ). I'd say the people she hangs out with aren't geeks but friends of convenience (we've all been in that situation where you haven't managed to make any real friends so hang out with the first group willing to take you). Mariko somewhat assumes that if you're a geek you're uncool and unpopular (therefore lumping the three together) but that really depends on what circles you move in. I'm happy being a geek and *shocker* I have friends who *bigger shock* think I'm cool(ish). Being a geek doesn't necessarily make you uncool. Being a douchebag does. I think the best way to perceive it is that Emiko is a geek AND unhappy with her position in life. Throughout the story she remains herself (therefore remains a geek) but comes to understand herself and her needs better.

You'll like Emiko Superstar if you like:
Andy Warhol and his Factory, Kids on the Slope, Adventureland and modern American poetry and prose such as the work of Jack Kerouac, William Carlos Williams, Allen Ginsberg etc

Also by Mariko Tamaki:
Cover Me, True Lies: The Book of Bad Advice, Fake ID, Skim and Set Me on Fire.

Also by Steve Rolston:
Jack Spade and Tony Two-Fist, Queen & Country, Pounded, Mek, One Bad Day, The Escapists, Tales of the TMNT #28, Degrassi: Extra Credit vol. 4, House of Mystery #4 and Ghost Projekt.

A Selection of Japanese Craft

Whilst in Japan I was very lucky to not only learn about wasabi but also take part in various traditional crafts.

Washi Paper

Wa means Japanese and shi means paper. It is a traditional paper made completely by hand (as you can see in the picture below). It is made by stripping, drying and pulping together the fibre from the gampi tree, the mitsumata shrub, the paper mulberry and the tororo plant. The pulp is put into a big vat and the paper maker dips screens into the vat to produce the sheets of paper. The sheets are then pressed and dried.

Here are the sheets of paper my mum and I made:

 

 

Calligraphy

 

There are five styles of Japanese calligraphy. The character I produced is in the kaisho / regular script style (a formal style). Japanese calligraphy generally involves black ink, a brush, washi paper, a weight to hold the paper down with and a name seal. There are three main types of brush strokes (all of which you can see in my character). The first stroke is one where you press down at the beginning and the end of the stroke, the second is one where you press down at the beginning and trail off the pressure as you reach the end and the third is where you press down at the beginning and flick at the end (but not too much). Unlike writing you must have a rigid arm and hand. You must hold the brush 90 degrees to the paper. To generate the variety in strokes you have to be very confident - pressing lightly will produce thin lines which are not very aesthetic.

 

This character is wa which we now know means Japanese. It also means harmony. (I don't think the photo could be any more unflattering if it tried).

Tea Ceremony

Traditional tea ceremonies last up to six hours and not only include tea but a whole meal. They are very formal affairs with many rules. The green tea used is the bitter matcha tea. The matcha is whisked into the hot water rather than infused. To make the tea more palatable it is served with very sugary sweets. Sweets, bowls and kimonos are all carefully chosen to reflect the season the ceremony is taking place in eg in spring petal patterns in pink are preferred. People are allowed to talk during the ceremony at certain points however subjects must be peaceful ones such as the weather rather than ones that could cause arguments such as politics. If you are given a bowl to drink from with a pattern on which has an obvious front and back you much turn the bowl so that the pattern faces away from you to honour the pattern, your host's decision to pick it and the person who made it.

Here is an example of a spring tea ceremony sweet on a traditional pottery plate:

I also took part in an origami lesson (I made a box and samurai hat) and an ikebana (flower arranging) demonstration.

Origami is paper folding. Proper origami does not use tears or scissors and uses only one piece of paper. Here are some simple origami patterns for you to try.

Ikebana is incredibly complicated and takes years to master. The two main differences between Japanese and Western flower arranging are: 1) whereas Western arrangements are meant to be viewed from all angles ikebana has a back and front, 2) ikebana is as much about the negative space between the plants as the placement of the plants themselves - less plants are used and therefore much more importance is placed on the individual plants that are used in ikebana compared to Western flower arranging.

Here is a video that explains the basics of ikebana: