New Year's Eve in Yokohama

En français
I went to spend New Year's Eve with some friends in Yokohama. There is a attraction park there and we wanted to see the count down.
We left Chofu in the afternoon. We first walk near the lake before going to have diner in China Town. It's nice to visit China Town with Chinese people because they can explain you stuff that you wouldn't know if you were alone. Also that's a good way for me to improve my Chinese.
Then we tried to go to the rainbow bridge but after not knowing the way then kind of finding it, we discovered that it was kind of far to actually get there and we went to the attraction park. We tried several games. I just went to the roller coaster that was my friend's first time and he still found it a bit short, for me there is nothing like ええじゃないか. Some did Dance Dance Revolution and ended up with a crowed looking at then, too awesome. We then went to look at the count down on the big wheel followed by fireworks.
All in all that was a very different New Year's Eve than the usual meal we have in France, but I didn't loose anything in the change. I started the new year with people a really like and that was really the funniest and most exciting new year I have ever had.
Travel table of content

PS : Unfortunately my camera's battery died before the end of the evening.

Christmas Amigurumi once again

En français

So it's kind of a habit now for me to make Amigurumis for Christmas and to ship them all over the world do nice people asking for them. I know this Christmas I decided that I wasn't actually going to take requests. The reason for that was that I had a lot of nice people around who I could make something for. So I created an army of Totoros, 26 of them to be precise (well I still have 1 to finish and 2 to actually make). I never actually made that many Amigurumi in such a short time before.
But I think them liked them.

And as I know some of my readers probably want one as well, and as I created the patterns myself, as a Christmas gift for you I'm going to tell you how to make one yourself.

Body and head 
Make an amigurumi ring.
1) 5 sc in the ring.
2) 2 sc in each sc around : 10 sc
3) (1 sc in the next sc, 2 sc in the next sc) 5 times : 15 sc
4) (1 sc in the next 2 sc, 2 sc in the next sc) 5 times : 20 sc
5) (1 sc in the next 3 sc, 2 sc in the next sc) 5 times : 25 sc
6-11) 25 sc  
12) (1 sc in the next 2 sc, 2 sc in the next sc) 8 times, 1 sc in the next : 33 sc
13-20) 33 sc
21) (1sc in the next 2 sc, decrease once) 8 times, 1 sc in the next : 25 sc
22) (1 sc in the next 3 sc, decrease once) 5times : 20 sc

Fill up with stuffing
23) (1 sc in the next 2 sc, decrease once) 5times : 15 sc
24) (1 sc in the next sc, decrease once) 5times : 10 sc.
Sew to close.

Arms (make two) 
Make an amigurumi ring.
1) 3 sc in the ring.
2) 2 sc in each sc around : 6 sc 
3) (1 sc in the next 1 sc, 2 sc in the next sc) 3 times : 9 sc
4-9) 9 sc
Finish off

Ears (make two) 
Make an amigurumi ring.
1) 3 sc in the ring.
2) 2 sc in each sc around : 6 sc 
3) (1 sc in the next 1 sc, 2 sc in the next sc) 3 times : 9 sc
4-8) 9 sc
9) (1 sc in the next 1 sc, decrease once) 3 times : 6 sc
Finish off

Tail
Make an amigurumi ring. 
1) 4 sc in the ring.
2) 2 sc in each sc around : 8 sc
3) (1 sc in the next 1 sc, 2 sc in the next sc) 4 times 
4-5) 12 sc
Finish off


Stomach 
Make an amigurumi ring. 
1) 6 sc in the ring.
2) 2 sc in each sc around : 12 sc
3) (1 sc in the next 1 sc, 2 sc in the next sc) 6 times : 18 sc
4) (1 sc in the next 2 sc, 2 sc in the next sc) 6 times : 24 sc
5) (1 sc in the next 3 sc, 2 sc in the next sc) 6 times : 30 sc
6) (1 sc in the next 4 sc, 2 sc in the next sc) 6 times : 36 sc
7) (half turn)  (1 sc in the next 5 sc, 2 sc in the next sc) 3 times : 39 sc

Eye
Make an amigurumi ring. 
1) 5 sc in the ring. 
Close the ring.
Finish off

Sew the forms on the Stomach and eyes at the end.
Only the body and ears are stuffed up so the arms are free to move.

Merry Christmas !!

Japan : Trip to Kansai 海遊館

En français
In the afternoon, we went to 海遊館 (Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan), one of the largest aquarium in the world. They have 29000 animals from 470 different species. It is so big that they even have manta rays and a pair of whale sharks and several dolphins. A whale shark can measure 12.65 meters at most and weight 36 tonnes, those in the aquarium were of course smaller but still really impressive.
The aquarium is extended over several floors and finished with a museum part where you can even pet rays and shares. We went out to see the Christmas illuminations in front of it.
Travel table of content

Japan : Trip to Kansai 大坂城

En français
The first morning of our trip we went to visit 大坂城 (Osaka castle). The construction started in 1583 and several people continued to improve and renovate it during the next centuries. Now it's a museum so the interior doesn't look like a Japanese castle anymore. However we can discover the mystery of the construction and of the seals of the divers Japanese clans which participated in it's construction as well as the life of people there few centuries ago.
We also walked in the park around the castle and eat some 肉まん　and たこ焼き.
 Travel table of content

Japan : Trip to Kansai introduction

En français

From the 19 of November until the 23rd, I have been visiting Kansai with friends. They went few days earlier and we took the bus on the Friday night to join them in Osaka. We had a lot of problems to find our bus. Things can get pretty hard when you can't read basic information and don't even know where to read them but with some help it all turn out fine and we managed to get on this exciting travel to discover another side of Japan. It took us the entire night to travel between Tokyo and Osaka and we met the others at the hotel in the morning. Then we had time for shower and breakfast before leaving for our first day of discovery. In this new series of posts I will show you our activities in Osaka, Nara and Kyoto.
Travel table of content

まほろまてぃっく (Mahoromatic)

En français
まほろまてぃっく is a manga serie written by 中山文十郎 and anime directed by 山賀 博之. The manga was run between 1998 and 2004 and the anime diffused at the end of 2001 and beginning of 2002.

It is the story of an fighting android Mahoro who has been created to fight against alien invasion. For her good work she is given the choice to do what she wants for the last 398 days before she stops functioning. She decides to become the maid of 美里 優, the son of her last commender who died during the war. She then moves in with him and starts to develops feeling but the aliens are still there and as she has access to all her weapons she needs to keep on fighting. 美里 優's classmate andcrazy teacher are also around to either be friendly or come between her and 美里 優.



I think this anime is really funny. I like how Mahoro freaks out every time there is something perverted in the house and her continual fight with the teacher. I also like the little poems at the end of each episodes. Watching this was a lot of fun.
Cinema, Manga, Animation Content

Japan : Trick Art museum

En français
You probably remember how some times ago I went to 高尾山 with some friends. (If you don't have a look here). At the end of the previous post I was telling that three of us had decided to go to the Trick Art museum. Should I say the craziest and more courageous of us? Probably according to what happened to us in there. But I think the video is going to do all the talking. Welcome to the best museum ever, ever, ever... did I say best ever?
Travel table of content