Wanderings

A long silence

Image from here.

Hello. It's been a long time since I've been here. I have to apologise for the extended silence. Three whole months have passed. My boyfriend and I spent some time travelling around Japan, living out of suitcases, exploring nooks and crannies, sampling delicious gyoza and okonomiyaki restaurants, and driving to places we'd never been before. 

Then, after a short holiday in New Zealand we made a big and rather life changing move to Sydney. I'm currently sitting in my new, empty(ish) apartment enjoying our first evening of internet connection! It doesn't quite feel like home quite yet but I'm excited to sink my teeth into life here. I promise to be far more frequent in my blogging and hope you've been well. I have many rolls of developed film to share and stories from the road which I can't wait to share!!

Gemma. xx

Into the wild

Some fun I had with the latest issue of Jille magazine and a 1951 copy of National Geographic. It's been so long since I collaged. I forgot how enjoyable it is!

Troublesome feelings

We all face the creeping feeling that anxiety brings from time to time. Once it rears its hideous head, it can feel impossible to push down. Anxiety has to be one of the ugliest states of being. It's slow burning, unapologetic and all consuming. Over at the New York Times there is a wonderful series that explore such feelings from a collection of talented writers. You can see more here.

100 yen love package giveaway!

I'm doing another 100 yen love package giveaway, this time on Always Sometimes Anytime. Simply comment here and tell me the best gift you've ever received under $10 -  then you're in to win! Good luck!

きれいな 浴衣

I'm lusting over these amazing yukata at mina perhonen. How nice it would be to own one of these beauties? 

  Yukata is a casual summer version of Kimono. It's a lot less restrictive and lighter to wear which is essential for the hot Japanese summer months.  You can see more here.

Drawing by Mickaël Le Goff

I love this wee video capturing the magic of drawing by Mickaël Le Goff  featuring French and Chilean artists, Johanna Tagada and Camila León in Berlin.

Lovely!

A bunch of ladies and a cat

 
 

Here are a few drawings I did for my lovely friends over at Always Sometimes Anytime. You can see the full write up here!

Teenage wasteland

The Life archives are an easy thing to get lost in, dishing up one historical gem after another. In particular I loved the 1964's photographs of Japanese youth, captured by Michael Rougier.

"Nowhere in the world does youth seem to dominate a nation as they do in Japan. They are overwhelming and everywhere, surging, searching, experimenting, ambitious at some times, helpless and without hope at others. Isolated on a tight little island, they have not, except on the surface, become international like their counterparts in freewheeling Europe."

Japan - a story of love and hate

If you have an hour to spare I would really recommend watching this BBC documentary of the life of one man living in rural Japan, suffering the effects of  the 'bubble burst' of the early 90's. It gives an incredible insight into such a closed door society and those who live in poverty. While it does not represent everyone in Japan, it is a unique and heart wrenching story filled with interesting characters, humour,  brutal honesty and some sad truths about the current state of Japan. 

Blossom hunting

We drove up the mountain to find the last of the blossom trees to sit under, and watched the petals fall.

                                                                                              

Cheeky dance moves

One of my not so guilty pleasures is watching songs from Indian movies of the 60's and 70's. They're the perfect amount of cheesiness, cheekiness and romance. The boys and the girls never kiss, the dance moves are ridiculous and the fashion is so so good! Dhadkan Har Dil Ki is a perfect example and the good news is there's an abundance floating around on YouTube. 

Adventures in Seoul

Food! Drink! Vintage shopping! Stationary! Adorable Korean children!

My holiday to South Korea was wonderful.  Seoul exceeded all expectations with lovely people, delicious food and most importantly, an abundance of 5 grain bread and cheese (which tends to be hard to find/expensive in Japan). I was the happiest girl ever. More pictures coming this way soon!

Every morning

A photo series by Nanako Koyama. Breakfast habits can be a fairly intimate and individual thing and her series captures people in those moments beautifully. I'm ashamed to say that I'm a roll out of bed, shower and run out the door kind of girl. There is never any time for breakfast. I wish that was that kind of person I was, but in my heart I know I'll always take the 15 minutes sleep over the food.