a couple of Monday musings.... (ritual union + Sayuri in sunglasses + Yamazaki Whisky Tour)
a couple of things...
1. ritual union: we got our official wedding pictures from
Parker Young Photography and YOU GUYS. i mean the obviously speak for themselves. here are a few of my favs... (and a great song to go along with them...)
dress,
J.Crew Weddings. shoes,
Christian Louboutin. sash,
custom. Jao's suit,
custom. Jao's tie,
The Tie Bar. makeup,
Tom Ford Beauty. jewelry,
gift from Jao's family.
2. it was
Cherry Blossom season here in japan! the sakura were out in full force for about 10 days around the country, and we got to see it from Osaka to Nagoya to Tokyo to Sendai. on this tour de sakura, which we took with Jao's parents who were visiting us for a week, i started reading Memoirs of a Geisha again, and now that i've lived in Japan for 18 months...the book has opened up so much to me! it's no longer scenes i made up in my mind, now it's real and i can see it all happening, i understand SO much more, things that seemed odd now make sense, i know exactly what Sayuri is talking about when she describes kimono parts or the sake cups or the tatami rooms...but i digress....!
While in Nayoga, we went to the castle and out to a nice lunch, followed by a walk through a beautiful Japanese garden...and i did all of this in my informal summer kimono, my yukata! it was honestly a dream come true, wandering around the castle and the gardens, surrounded by cherry blossoms, in my zori, tabi, yukata, and obi...my fan in my hands and my little flowers in my hair.
i felt like Sayuri, enjoying the sakura, but in my sunglasses...!
the stunning sakura-lined Meguro River in Tokyo.
a Japanese garden in Yokohama
Jao being creepy at Shinjuku-goen
Sayuri in sunglasses at Nagoya-jo castle.
i love this because it looks like a creepy fake background-glamor shots thing. but it's not. it's just really that beautiful there.
in Sendai at Tohoku University.
3. Yamazaki Whisky is so next level i can't really deal with it. we went to the distillery which is just outside Osaka, and oh. my. god. not only was the tour awesome, there was a tasting of Yamazaki whiskies (regular, 10 year, 12 year, and 12 year special barrel) and some major whisky sniffer purchasing! we love whisky and while everyone apparently says that Japanese whisky is the "next big thing," i mean...whatever, i don't know what that means but i do know that Yamazaki Whisky is INCREDIBLE. the flavors are more complex than say...Woodford or Maker's Mark, but in a beautiful way.
OMG i'm so exciteddddd it's whisky tour time! (pants,
James Perse. sweater & tank,
J.Crew. jacket,
J.Crew. scarf,
Jao's from a trip to Jordan.
distill that beautiful whisky.....
tasting time!!! we started drinking whisky at 11:51 am on a Monday. it was awesome.
the Yamazaki highball - the drink of Japan
the 4 special whisky varieties we were privileged enough to try - traditional Yamazaki 12, Sherry Barrel aged Yamazaki 12, Puncheon Barrel aged Yamazaki 12, and Mizunara Barrel aged Yamazaki 12.
you'd think that the same whisky aged in different barrels wouldn't necessarily be THAT different, but seriously it was like drinking 4 totally different liquors, all with a distinct warm, smokey finish.
4. the month of April is an
astrological shitshow (according to Susan Miller, anyways). i mean it's like retrograde this, eclipse this, watch out for this, enemies will come out of the woodwork, etc. like damn girl, she makes it sound like Judas is coming straight for us all! turns out, this is true and once again, life imitates art imitates horoscopes (that's right, right?). however, something that Jao and i learned in this banana-ness is that taking the high road, even though it's slower (and it's obviously less satisfying to drive safe and slow), really is the best way to do it - AND it's important to keep each other in check. one of my favorite sayings in life is...i always try to take the high road, but i usually get off at the first exit. however, having someone to keep me on the straight and narrow so i don't get my claws out early, it's a good thing.
bring it bitches! photo credit: Frank Miller Art
moral of the story : taking your claws out on the high road isn't allowed so it's best to have a partner to file them down for you.
but anyways - that's my Monday thoughts. kimono, sakura, horoscopes, whisky, wedding pictures.