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lol perhaps it's to do with getting older & living independently overseas by yourself - but I find my taste in food is changing ... no longer can I scoff down a large block of Cadbury chocolate - halfway through I start feeling nauseous! Instead I'm liking avocado !! I used to hate avocado with a passion & here I am creating delicious healthy filling salads with it! Eeeep! Must remember your body is a temple! It's appreciating this! Haha

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if you can't tell already I love jazzing up my outfits with bright yellow! Another spring day in Tokyo - perfect for my vintage white maxiskirt, tailored yellow blouse from Vietnam, thrifted grey cardigan & longchamp yellow floral shopper with black suede flatties peeping out ^_^

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The beauty of spring in Japan - hanami season - nature showing off her new dresses ^_^

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love bright colours especially sunshine yellow - as spring arrives in Tokyo lately - I'm bringing out the bright colours & bare legs! Gimme sun!! Wearing yellow silk dress picked up in the street markets of Thailand - sweet cream cardigan from a Japanese boutique & the cutest black suede loafers with gold trim (also bought them in orange too)

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Sunday high tea outfit at the Shang-ri La hotel in Tokyo Japan. Wearing a tokyokaleidoscope dress handmade from a vintage kimono, red silk Zara cape, gold Kate Spade New York clutch & gold strappy heels I picked up my last visit home to Australia.

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a night at the Pink Ball in Tokyo Japan trying to find a cure for breast cancer

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It's all about the accessories - vintage red leather weave clutch, vintage bling ring & top hat moustache And then the little touches of gold trim through out my vintage yellow pants & trimmings on my suede loafers ^_^

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been loving this weather lately - perfect for bringing out all of my tran seasonal fine knits without the heaviness of a winter coat! ^_^ wearing oversized Vanessa Bruno cashmere knit - vintage bright yellow high waisted jodhpurs pants - vintage clutch from Australia with customised chain & some sweet suede loafer flats

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love having the splash of colour in winter! Teehee and altered with snowflakes inside! ^_^

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this was probably my favourite purchase this winter - vibrant red winter coat from Ted Baker London - teaming it with other bright colours - that's how I survive the dreary-ness of winter

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lady in red on the Orient Express

on the Orient Express for Valentines 2013

our private little carriage for after dinner, tea & coffee & cookies

im a aussie summer girl through and through, so when winter hits in tokyo, it does make me a little sad not being able to utilize all my bright colours & silks in the wardrobe - this valentine's though i really wanted to wear a white silk pleated high waist skirt I'd made with some kimono fabric I had left over, so I managed to put in some brightness with the brilliance of my new Ted Baker London coat which i absolutely adore, teaming it with my Marc by Marc Jacbos Knit and somehow staying warm in this frigid cold.

I love my heels as well, so it was the perfect occasion to bring out my impulse buy of black suede Nine West heels with some glittering diamontes attached to the heel.

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valentines on the Orient Express

i always find it a little bit of a shame when anniversaries, birthdays, special events fall on a working weekday as it makes that wee little bit difficult to celebrate right with all the craziness that goes on - however this valentines, my schedule allowed me to finish at 4.30 and head towards a lovingly decadent french michelin star restaurant, with the chef formerly being of the Orient Express. 

Chef George Somura use to have his little restaurant in Ebisu but has moved out to Kiba area, so he can fulfill his dream of having his restaurant be reminiscent of his days on the Orient Express.

Deliciously fragrant, and oh so tasteful - the food does not disappoint, though if you're going there hungry be prepared to wait, this is slow fine dining at its utmost. And after your main dinner is completed be prepared to be escorted onto the train formerly known as the Japanese Orient Express and enjoy your final tea or coffee in a wonderfully vintage, turn of the century train.

Below some of the fooding photos *heart*

awaiting my dinner - stomach growling

a delicious lobster bisque soup awaits & look at that puff pastry!! ^_^

white rabbit & liver terrine with seasonal vegetables

hmmmm my venison carpaccio with home cured ham - delish

Chef Somura's signature dish from his stint on the Orient Express - Caribou 

Iberico Pork - delish

the fanciest caramel ice cream presentation either - i wasn't feeling the other desserts as much from all the rich food, so simply asked for caramel ice-cream and out came such pretty presentation!

moving to our private carriage for tea & coffee & biscuits

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traditional japanese kaiseki for valentines weekend

one of my most favourite things about staying in ryokans (minus onsens) is the FOOD!!! a standard occurrence when booking a ryokan is to have the traditional japanese kaiseki dinner and a japanese breakfast ^_^

dinner ranges anywhere from 8-18 small dishes of increasingly yumminess, whilst breakfast is a very substantial affair with rice, grilled fish, miso soup etc.

here are some snippets from the deliciousness of my izu valentines weekend <3

my favourite selection of the dishes served for dinner

the yummy breakfast awaiting use - result: i fell into a food coma!

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the view of izunagaoka city from the mountain top

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plateau of the mountain - pretty walkway down to the other side of the mountain

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“two paths diverged… & i took the one less travelled and it has made all the difference” robert frost

random hike in izu, onsen country - beautiful nature

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valentines away in izu

was taken away for a weekend getaway for an early valentine's surprise - destination: izu (famed for it's onsen countryside)

such a lovely relaxing surprise after so much hectic going-ons in the past several months.

our gorgeous tatami room in our ryokan, cannot wait to curl up in those fluffy marshmallow futon blankets!

a couple of the private onsens we had on hand, to lie in and just relax away - so soothing - such a wonderful surprise

the sweetest owner of the ryokan - too adorable with her trying to communicate to use in English

teehee will post the fooding photos separately they each deserve their own caption, along with the scenery photos! xox