Tokyo post 12 April

 I'm getting tired now - it's been 23 or 24 degrees for a few days, and the constant exertion of trying to exist in a land where I can't read the signs and can only understand a little of what is said, is very wearying.  I think I need a holiday from my holiday! It's still great to be here though.

Monday was a sumo day, walking around the area where a lot of the sumo stables are located, and the Tokyo arena, and buying sumo souvenirs.  Tuesday I went to Nezu Shrine where there is a beautiful hillside covered in flowering azaleas, really amazing.

In the afternoon I went to Nippori fabric town, and tried to walk straight to Tomato fabrics without looking right or left. But I did get sucked into a few of the many haberdasheries and fabric shops. These are some leather zip pulls and leather sew-on flowers, and some woven ribbons. Then I went straight to the Tomato store on the left hand side of the road and resolutely did not cross to the other branch opposite nor any of the enticing stores over there. I was very conscious that I didn't have DH and his muscles for carrying the purchases, and fabric is heavy. Not to mention that I am beginning to worry about getting me and all my loot to college on the train.

At Tomato I was looking for bag fabrics.  There is a heavyweight cotton here, almost like a light canvas, which is great for bagmaking and comes in many lovely prints.  I got a mixture of half yards for pouches and 1.5 yards for bagmaking.

cats in a sushi bar!

Today after watching some sumo practice, I headed over to Noe cafe. It was a bit of a trek, two trains and a walk, but turned out to be so worth it.

The owner, whose name I don't know, is a big-time collector and visits all the big shows such as London, Paris and America and must spend a fortune.  She also seems to have subscribed to every Betterley series ever released and builds all the kits herself superbly, as well as kits by many other artists. The upstairs of the cafe is her exhbition room which is just crammed to the gills with the most amazing mixture of scales and themes, all mixed in with antiques and laces and dolls and needlework tools etc etc. You hardly know where to look. Everything is exquisite and in the best taste. She is an artist by training and has arranged everything so beautifully.  I took so many photos but can only show you a few.

loved this half-scale box with the ribbon - she had another one in a different theme

she made the houses on the right and left, and taught them as classes I think

Then I went to Ikebukuro to visit some of the geek shops in Sunshine City, and on the way back stopped into the branch of Yuzawaya in the Tobu department store where I picked up a Clover magnetic needleminder, a threadcutting ring (which I hope will expand to fit my big fingers), two little bag handles and some 'cat sushi' fabric that I will make a gift from.

I've done so much as I am out and about every day, but it seems pointless and boring to give you a big list of where I've been. One of the more amazing things was a sound and light show of cherry blossom around a big area in Shinjuku Gyoen park. They had lit up a lot of the trees, and also were using laser effects on some of them which made it look like petals were falling then rowing back. Everyone was given a lit lantern to take on their walk through the dark park on paths outlined with lamps, really quite magical.