One of the things I love most about Japan is how seasonal it is. There are a series of special events specific to each month. If you’re living in Tokyo, by now you’ll already have planted your asagao green wall (in attempt to combat some of this months humidity), bottled your umeshu (plum wine) and are madly stocking up on ‘magi cool’ cooling neck scarves. Here are a few Hello Sandwich Summer 2011 Tokyo recommendations.  I hope you’ll enjoy.

Come along and visit the Hello Sandwich booth at the Tokyo Art Book Fair, 16th – 18th July.

Visit the Summer Exhibition at Nidi Gallery.

Enjoy the beautiful Tanabata displays all around Tokyo, or head to Hiratsuka for the super amazing giant display! Buy some fire crackers from the convenience store or ¥100 shop and have some childhood days style fun in the park. Stop into Mois cafe in Shimokitazawa for an afternoon Gin and Tonic!

Pop into Shibaura House for a bi-weekly Hello Sandwich Tokyo Craft Workshop!

Stay cool in an air conditioned gallery and wonder around the Paul Klee exhibition.

Pack a bento, your Sunshine to you picnic rug and head to Inokashira Koen for a mini picnic. Extra points for cheeky chuhais!

Get your art and design book fix at Nadiff.

Rent yourself a mamachari (grandma style bike) and head along Kanda River.

Have lunch with the best view (and not too high either in case of earthquakes) at the Yoshitomo Nara A to Z cafe! They have an amazeballs rooftop terrace too, did you know?

I hope you’ll enjoy this wonderful city! More Hello Sandwich Tokyo tips can be found in my Tokyo Guide!

Love Love
Hello Sandwich, xoxo

If you are in San Francisco Bay Area, please stop by the Creators For Japan fund-raising event this weekend, Saturday April 30th & Sunday May 1st at New People. There will be lots of beautiful and heartfelt handmade arts and crafts, as well as baked goods, with 100% of proceeds will be donated to Artists Help Japan Fund with Mercy Corps. Japan still needs our support, and Creators For Japan’s goal is to raise money through art and crafts sale for relief efforts to assist the victims of Japan’s catastrophic earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear emissions. You can show your support and follow on facebook, as well.

New People
Saturday April 30th & Sunday May 1st
1746 Post Street • 1st Floor
San Francisco

i just had to give a shout out to designer satsuki shibuya of ZAKKA NOUVEAU this morning! i am so in love with these sweet fabrics and the adorable accessories made from them. zakka nouveau will be releasing a limited edition project called ‘stitch+connect’ where each day, for the next month, a special product will be made. 100% of the sales from stitch+connect (minus shipping + materials) will be donated to the buyer’s choice of charities satsuki has listed, who are contributing to aid in japan.

what’s this stitch+connect concept? each product will be uniquely different and assigned a unique limited edition number, and will include patchwork from remnant fabrics, which is the ‘stitch’ part + to drive home the idea that one can contribute somehow with the things that they have around them = the connect part!  born and raised in los angeles, satsuki is also a blogger, and a self-described “nature-loving, kooky japanese-american girl who is ironically allergic to raw fish and sake”. love her work!

from now until this friday, march 25th, the kindly folks over at mammoth collections are donating 100% of their profits to aid japan via doctors without borders relief fund. great art, even greater cause. go buy some art!

for japan, by alicia bock.

well, first off, i have to say, it’s not really been a fab week to say the least, nor is it in all probability a very fab friday for us. i think our thoughts are heavy with concern for japan, as well as fears for our own loved ones. natural disasters can do that to you – there’s not much we can do to avoid this to protect our families and friends (save for trying to be good to our planet). so we feel saddened for the people of japan, and kind of vulnerable and unnerved. at least i think that may be the collective feeling.

heartfish press.

thus, it’s hard to blog about ‘pretty things’ without feeling like it starts to become trite. but, it’s also my job, so it’s a weird line to cross – do i do my best to help cheer you with distractions, or help to remind us of how we might help? so today, on a not-so-fab friday, i’d like to share some more ideas from designers and artists doing their best in the only way they know how – creatively – to help out japan. proceeds from the sales of these products will all go to aid in relief efforts for japan. if you know of others please feel free to leave the links in the comments. please be well, everybody.

joshua smith designed t-shirt for the salvation army japan.

steven beckly (above) and kevin twomey (below), just two of hundreds of photographers who’ve donated their prints to life support japan, via heather elder represents.

one little bird studio.

heath ceramics online.

hilda grahnat’s prints for shop japan.

mike perry; and you have been here sometime.

pocket mirror from oktak; who doesn’t want that’s shopping tote; yes cup from koide studio; hello sandwich gift wrapping zine (via lilacmoon studio).

scout books.

Shinjuku, 6:43 by Joseph O. Holmes, via 20X200.

dlk designs.

if nothing else, the past week has made me more grateful. i’m grateful for my sweet pup, lucy. and the roof over me and the pretty things i collect and the place i rest my head. my furnishings may be secondhand, but they mean something to me and i decorate my home with love, as i am certain many of the people of japan have done as well. i cannot imagine their anguish over lost memories and memorabilia, let alone their loved ones. i too, am most of all grateful for my family and friends, and you guys (who might as well be family at this point!). thank you.

i don’t think i have the words to express the shock and sadness i feel when i see the images of japan. i can’t imagine what it must be like for the lives affected there, and i don’t know where one begins to pick up the pieces after such immense devastation. i just know that i wanted to say that i’m thinking of you, people of japan, and those of you who have loved ones there. my heart goes out to you, and i write this in the hope that you readers might do what you can to assist japan in beginning again. they’re going to need every single one of us.  賛美しなさい.

this new furniture company makes me want to truck all the way to japan! truck furniture has recently opened in osaka, japan, and although i can’t read much of their site, i did figure out that if you see something you like, they are easily contacted for more purchasing information, and i was able to get on their mailing list for shop updates, by entering my email address here.

truck’s pieces have a great, mid-century modern feel, but maybe just a touch of a less structured feel and perhaps a rustic leaning, utilizing wood and metal in their construction and upholstered in funky plaids, for fresh modern re-purposed look. check out more from truck furniture on their stylish new website.

konichiwa, it’s nicolle again from sacred lotus photography. are you ready to take a little vacation? i often dream about traveling and photographing beautiful exotic places, bringing with me suitcases full of cameras and film. today we will be traveling to the land of tea houses and temples. welcome to japan! let’s look at it through the viewfinder of one of my favorite cameras, a vintage polaroid sx-70.

the beautiful polaroid photos in this post were taken by photographer rob spicer while he was traveling around on holiday. each shot to me captures the essence of japan. it is such a mysterious magical place!

Hi everyone! This is Hijiri from Heart Fish. I am super honored to be here again, thank you so much for having me, Victoria, and always so nice to see you guys, sfgirlbybay readers!

Today, I wanted to share this cute book called “A Year in Japan” by Kate T. Williamson. It’s been one of my favorite cafe books around my house, the hand-written pages and the illustration had me at the first glimpse. (and it’s always so interesting to read/see about Japan in different perspective!)

She is a writer and illustrator who studied film making at Harvard University. She spent a year in Kyoto, Japan, where she observed Japanese life and filling journals with her thoughts and sketches — here are some of the pages from the book! Enjoy!

[ thanks again to guest blogger hijiri of Heart Fish! ]