Tokyo trip - Day six

The second day of the International Bazaar was slower, but went well and finished at a decent time of 2pm! All the vendors slowly packed up and said their goodbyes to each other for another year. I've made some great friends from doing the Bazaar and feel very lucky to have met them! I also made a new friend, Keiko Fujishita who creates beautiful pottery items. Our stalls were next to each other and she was a lovely person to be next to.

I just had enough time to go back to the apartment and freshen up before heading out to Shimokitazawa to meet my dear friend Michiko. Shimokitazawa is a great little town just 5 minutes out of Shibuya on the Inokashira line. It has a laid back feel and is made up of lots of bustling little streets full of independent bars, restaurants and shops. We took some time wandering around, dipping into shops and having a fiddle about. There's a fabric shop I like there, so we dipped into that and, needless to say, I came out with some purchases....

I loved the bird fabric and found a fab floral fabric to use as a lining.

Theses apples are great and will make a fab cosmetic bag.

I couldn't leave without picking up these two cat fabrics that are so different in style! They will both look great as coin purses, card cases and glasses cases.

We then went on to a vintage kimono shop and, among other things, I picked up this stunning piece. I love the colour combination.

Another shop we went into, called Wargo, sold beautiful chrysanthemum-shaped obidome. These are the brooches that go on the obijime, the 'strap' that goes around the obi, which is the 'belt' that goes around the kimono!

The obijime come in lots of lovely colours and you could spend hours choosing the right combination.

Some of the obidome had been attached to leather belts or bangles, showing the different uses for them.

All this shopping had made us hungry so we headed off to a fabulous izakaya in the neighbourhood where they served beautifully fresh sushi and sashimi. God I miss that when I'm in the UK!

Of course we couldn't leave without sampling the sake options! This one was extra dry. Note the overflowing cup! This was done traditionally as a sign of prosperity. The saucer underneath catches the overflow and you just pour it back into your cup once you've made room for it!

A new addition

Cheeky Leopard has a new member of the family - this little kimono fabric handbag!

It is a simple envelope style, using two different kimono fabrics and with a hidden metallic snap closure. The strap is made from a vintage gold obijime and is long enough to be worn over the shoulder or across the body. You can find it in my store here.

 This bag is made from two different kimono fabrics. One is a red and cream stork design and the other is a multi coloured chrysanthemum design, which has been used on the flap of the bag.

I decided to use bright pink cotton for the lining, for a bit of fun.

The gold of the obijime looks fab with it!

The obijime is used when wearing a kimono and is the sash that is tied around the obi belt, to keep the obi on, but also as an added decorative element. They often come in vibrant shades and you can also add a further decorative element using an obidome, a small brooch which is threaded onto the obijime.

This image above shows how an obidome can look. I love the fact that an aqua theme has been used here. The kimono has water swirls and fish printed on it, the obi is a gorgeous turquoise colour and has reeds as week as dragonflies embroidered onto it, and then the obi dome is a fish design.

The images above and below show the last two steps of me having a kimono fitting.

I had a wonderful experience of being shown how to wear a kimono, not long before I left Tokyo, by an experienced kimono teacher and her apprentice. The teacher chose a stunning blue and white kimono, multi colour obi and turquoise obijime.

You can read about my kimono experience on my Tokyo blog here.

Kimono lesson

Yesterday I had the chance to try on a kimono properly, just days before leaving Tokyo for good! I feel very honoured to have had the opportunity and you can read about it here.

I just had to mention the colours - they were stunning. Anyone who knows Cheeky Leopard bags, knows that they tend to be bright and vibrant, so when this kimono and obi were brought out for me to try on, I was in heaven! Note the beautiful way they tied the obijime.