Nifty Thrifty

Earlier today I...

1) 'fixed' my favourite green suede autumn/winter coat.

2) fixed my broken brown bag

3) re-sewed and properly aligned the buttons on a 'new' secondhand navy velvet-ish dress.


The suede jacket (in the loveliest shade of green!) that mum bought for me from HK a few years back had pleather accents that had started peeling off in storage. So I aided the process a little since the peeling was really quite annoying (dropping bits of yellow 'dust' everywhere and looking quite ugly), but for the longest time, didn't quite know what to place over the ugly-looking yellow bit beneath the peeled-off-pleather. So today, I cut up a dark gray wool-blend tights that I got for 100yen, but in a size too large such that it can practically slide off my ass when I wear it. So I sawed a strip of the tights onto the jacket and kept the leg parts as legwarmers-cum-armwarmers! The previous crotch area part can even be a neckwarmer methinks! Killed 2-3 birds with one stone - great!

BEFORE:




AFTER:


========================
The strap of my usual brown bag that I bring everywhere, completely broke off whilst I was crossing the road yesterday! The bag's been with me for about a year I guess, since I got it last year in Taiwan with mummy. Such a waste that the strap broke, since every other part was still in very good condition! So today I attempted sewing the strap back on with normal needle and thread - and I actually managed to do it, much to my own surprise. The material was quite thick though, so every stitch was almost a painful struggle and now my poor fingers are now sore and thoroughly-poked. But look at my pretty stitches! Not too sure how well the bag will hold up though heh.



==========
In other thrifty news, I went back to Shimokitazawa again yesterday with Rachel, since the boots were only 987yen and I couldn't decide which pair to get the other day. Ended up getting a black winter coat too! For all of.... 700yen (10sgd)!! I LOVE SECONDHAND SHOPS! And my, there were tons at Shimokitazawa. I bought a black pair of boots too - very timely because my feet are starting to feel cold. Unrelated, but we were both so hungry at 7ish/8 that we tried a cheese niku (meat) maki (wrapped sushi). And it was DELICIOUS! A ball of rice flavoured with meat juices, wrapped in thin slices of roasted meat, topped with cheese which they blow torch to melt it just when you order one. Served with a leaf of cabbage - gastronimically satisfying!

Sugamo

Wednesday so no class today; instead, went to Sugamo with Rachel and Isabel. Sugamo is perhaps the Harajuku equivalent but for obaasan (old ladies!) and darn, my soul must be pretty old since this is probably the place I like best so far.

Reached Sugamo (巣鴨) station in just about 10 mins (2 stops after Ikebukuro on the JR Yamanote Line) and wandered out to look at the map since none of us thought to bring one or write the directions down. A very helpful old man sitting there happily engaged us in conversation though - or what limited conversation that we could squeak out haha - and very kindly pointed us to the place in question - Jizou Dori (地蔵通り). That totally made my day - nice old people are so happifying!

So why is this place my favourite place thus far?

Because there was no lack of streetside food stalls and so many old people! I like! The atmosphere was certainly different from that in Harajuku, Shinjuku and Kichijoji. There were many stalls set up by the roadside, ranging from thermal underwear, to pajamas and track pants to trinkets, shoes and of course FOOD! Food: not just in the form of cooked streetside food, but even pickles, dried goods, marinated seafood and more. Apparently a flea market only happens on the 4th, 14th and 24th of every month though, but there didn't seem to be any flea market (like the ones I've been to anyway) so perhaps that referred to the ad-hoc structures of these roadside stalls. Permanent shops were mainly selling clothing items, bags, Japanese sweets and shoes for older ladies. One interesting fixture was the prominence of bright red underwear though!

As for the food, I had pancake-shaped okonomiyaki (150yen), 1 custard and 1 cheese filled pancake (100yen each), 1 stick of unagi (300yen), 1 chinese pancake with meat filling (200yen), 1 chicken skin yakitori (130yen), 1 chicken meatball yakitori (130yen) and brought home a box of kiwi berries (400yen) - which are YUM! There was a few more stalls that I could have patronised but my stomach was reaching it's maximum capacity. Besides, we only reached there at about 4pm and stalls started tidying up by 5pm since it gets dark early here. Will certainly be back then! I have to try Japanese sweets some day as well, but probably not anytime soon since honestly they never really look very appetising >.<. Oh and apparently there's a very interesting (but not exactly cheap) souvenir shop as well. And old-lady fashion here is quite cute hehe.

There's a shrine within as well, and it seems to be of a certain significance. Probably will try to read up about this.

I'll be back!

(PS. At the train station, there were SO many posters about Momiji and the places where it blooms and stuff. Now I REALLY REALLY want to go! Raaa! )

Ooi-Keibajo Race Track Flea Market

Sunday 27 September :

Decided not to go to the Tokyo Game Show but instead, made a trip down to one of Tokyo's big flea markets - Ooi Keibajo Race Track Flea Market. Travel-wise it was pretty far, having to take the JR Yamanote line down to Hamamatsucho (30mins) then transfer to a Monorail (that goes to Haneda Airport) and alight 2 stops after Hamamatsucho. Rachel and I then walked about 3-5 mins, and we commented on the pungent animal smell on the way there: "Smells like a zoo here!" Turns out we were just outside the Race Track.

Quite an interesting day at the flea market, especially when you see so many different types of goods, and hear so many different accents! The 'stalls' were simply located below the elevated one-storey carpark, hence providing some sort of shelter in case of rain - though not that there was any. Everything was on sale - and I mean EVERYTHING. From kids' toys and cards to guitars, to bicycles (saw one for 8,400yen! so cheap) to tissue paper (bought some) to alligator leather and old electronics/netbooks/washing machine, luggage bags... The list (and sights) went on. Well and of course there was clothes.

Arrived there about 12noon or so and started walking around. By 3pm most had begun to pack up and leave. But some started lelong-ing and reducing prices like crazy in the last minute. One example was 2 pieces of clothes for 10 yen - that's 0.075sgd for each piece! Best buy of the day had to be the A4 Printing Paper - 150yen for 1 pack - since we have to provide our own paper for printing in school, and most of those we've seen cost about 400-800yen (6-11sgd). Second best buy had to be well, I guess everything else.

Spoils of the day:

Gray Autumn/Winter Trench - 1500yen (22sgd)
2 scarves - 50 yen (0.75sgd)
1 dress + 1 black turtleneck - 10 yen (0.15sgd)
4 boxes of tissue - 150yen (2.20sgd)
1 pack A4 Printing Paper - 150yen (2.20sgd)
1 cowl neck winter l/s - 100yen (1.50sgd)
1 x owl brooch - 300yen (4.50sgd)

Perhaps the only item that was a little bit pricier was the owl brooch - but that's a gift so =).

------

Dinner was at a Sapporo Ramen place on the way back to the dorm - not bad at all. Had the Shio (salt) ramen that was a a little bit spicy but very yummy. A tad pricey though but very yummy after a tiring, cold day. Still can't beat the Harajuku Ramen though. Will certainly have to search out more yummy (and affordable) Ramen places!