I ♥ China vol.1

CUC Anima out of Beijing made this amazing stop motion animation film that's streaming on China's version of YouTube, called YouKu. Check it out. It's great!

I ♥ Japan vol.1

This is probably my favorite appliance in my kitchen. A Zojirushi Rice Cooker. I did loads of research last fall before finally settling on this model. I make a lot of rice, so it is an excellent hard worker. I think my favorite feature, though, is the timer. Thanks to that and the porridge setting, I can set an alarm for 7:00am and have piping hot oatmeal as soon as I wake up! If you've ever thought of getting one, this definitely is worth every penny. 

In my attempts to cut back on my beloved coffee, I've been drinking loads more herbal tea lately. I'm not about to say that it's the same, I still miss having a nice cup of coffee. But finally getting a decent nights sleep is more than enough proof to keep away from the stuff. I found this pitcher at Whole Foods, and love making my tea in it. I'm sure there are loads of ones available from America, but I really like the narrow footprint this Japanese model takes up in my fridge. If you like it click here!

Based on the uber-popular manga and anime series from the late 1990's, Rurouni Kenshin is one of the best Japanese imports I've seen in awhile. Rurouni is a term invented by manga author Watsuki Nobuhiro, meaning wanderer or vagabond. The film's hero is the shy Rurouni, who wields a reverse bladed sword only for defense. This is definitely worth checking out if you can manage to get your hands on a copy. Loads of amazing fight choreography and an awesomely skeezy opium crime boss make this fully entertaining. Check out the preview here!

I am so glad that someone shared this Shugo Tokumaru video with me. An artist and musician on Polyvinyl Records, Shugo Tokumaru has inspired me to be creative again. His stop motion videos are stunning and cheerful, and I can't help but watch them over and over again. 

So, that's all for my current Japanese obsessions. Hope you enjoyed! If not, well...ok.

xo

Nutmeg