bee house teapots

I am in love with the beautiful colors of these japanese ceramic Bee House teapots...

I indulged myself with a lovely matte rose version that is a happy little plump pot and perfectly sized for the one to two cups of green tea that I like to enjoy every evening. The teapots come in every size and shape imaginable, so it's quite fun to just poke around on the Bee House website...

I discovered my Bee House teapot at Teavana but I've seen these at coffee and tea shops all over. There is just something so cute and satisfying about the shape of these pots...

hello kitty flash drive

via nitrolicious...
I don't usually post about cutesy electronics, but this one I just had to share....

Are you ready for the cutest little flash drive that you've ever seen?

It seems that Mimobot has been producing cutesy flash drives for years, but in September they will be releasing a special Hello Kitty edition to celebrate the famous bow-wearing kitty's 35th anniversary. If you are familiar with these lovable Japanese Sanrio characters, then you will also recognize USB flash drives featuring Badtz-Maru, My Melody, Kuromi, Keroppi, and ChocoCat.

(My love for Tokyo's Kiddy Land has been revealed on this one...)

japanese digital perm

For all of you straight-haired girls out there who have always yearned for a little bouncy waviness to your hair, I have something amazing to share with you: the Japanese digital perm.

I have been addicted to this technologically advanced version of the perm since I went to Tokyo over a year ago and now I can't see myself ever going back to the stubbornly stick straight hair that I've had my whole life. For all of you who have tried every type of hairspray, curling iron, hot curlers, wax, and curling product out there, this is the true method that will actually work and allow you to have naturally looking waves everyday (obviously I am a huge convert). The Japanese digital perm is much different from the stinky perms of the 80's. It involves multiple steps that I have finally deciphered, since none of the hairstylists I've been to have spoken English.(Before: my hair is super duper straight)

• haircut. The extremely important first step is a layered haircut, which thins out the bulk of your hair to avoid the excessive volume that was caused by 80's perms (I call it the unfortunate "triangle look"). I'm wary of layers, but in the end it is barely noticeable and just makes the curls more natural looking.
• heat-activated conditioner. A chemical conditioner is painted into your hair in small sections over your entire head and left to saturate each strand for a length of time.
• wash. The conditioner is washed out.
• curlers. Your hair is rolled up into large heavy curlers that each have an outlet for an electrical connection on the end.
• heat-activation. A foam insulation pad is inserted between the curlers and your head to avoid burns and each curlers is plugged into a central station. This is the craziest part because your head weighs a ton and you feel like your hair is being cooked by a robot.
• relaxer. The curlers do their job and then they are removed. Your hair will be super duper curly in tight ringlets...but don't be scared, this is not how your hair will stay! To create the loose curl look your hair will be saturated with a relaxer.
• blow dry. After the relaxer is washed out, your hairdresser will teach you how to properly blowdry your curls so they look beautiful.

(After: this is my first perm in Japan when my hair was shorter.)

One of the main differences between the digital perm and the regular chemical perm is the heat activation process. After your perm is completed, your curls will be re-activated by heat instead of water. There is a special method for blow-drying your hair and shaping the curls with your hand to create the exact loose wave look that you desire. The process is also very programmable (literally, since it is electronic) so they can tailor each perm to match the exact size and tightness of curls that you are looking for.

The entire process takes at last three hours, but the curls don't really fall out...they basically stay until your hair grows out so I re-perm every six months. The price is fairly high at about $175-200 for the perm plus around $60 for the cut, but I think that it is completely worth it.

To get a digital perm in the U.S. you will need to find a Japanese or Korean hair salon. If you live in New York, I highly recommend Kiwa Salon on the F.I.T. campus on 27th St b/w 7 and 8 Ave. Make an appointment with Tany. If you are interested in going to Kiwa, let me know and I will get you a discount since I am a regular customer.

UPDATE: I already had a lot of responses for the discount and gave out my new customer discount cards! Sorry to those of you who have contacted me. I am trying to get in touch with Kiwa to see if they can give a discount to more people and I will post if I figure it out. Sorry!

muji usa online store

Image: Racked

I am so happy to announce that Japanese minimalist retailer MUJI now has an online store for their US shoppers!

If you are not already familiar with MUJI through their selections at the MOMA store or their retail store on Broadway in New York, it is a brand that designs everything (and I do mean everything) with "beauty through simplicity" as a constant design concept. They produce an extremely complete range of household projects at affordable prices. It's kind of like a Japanese modernist interpretation of Target.

Here is a beautiful description of their brand from their website:

"MUJI is not a brand whose value rests in the frills and “extras” it adds to its products.
MUJI is simplicity - but a simplicity achieved through a complexity of thought and design.
MUJI’s streamlining is the result of the careful elimination and subtraction of gratuitous features and design unrelated to function.
MUJI, the brand, is rational, and free of agenda, doctrine, and “isms.” The MUJI concept derives from us continuously asking, “What is best from an individual’s point of view?”
MUJI aspires to modesty and plainness, the better to adapt and shape itself to the styles, preferences, and practices of as wide a group of people as possible. This is the single most important reason people embrace MUJI."