Monthly Archives: January 2014

Mountain Dew Corn Snacks!

Posted on January 29, 2014 by superhappyawesome

So, this is a thing. Here’s some thoughts we had while trying them: It’s like super sugary breakfast cereal that’s punching you in the tongue. Sweet lemon lime Cheetos tingle like

Posted in Food!, Japan, you so crazy! | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Today’s Watercolor: Cherry Blossoms

Posted on January 28, 2014 by superhappyawesome

It’s not quite cherry blossom season yet, but my old blog post for the Sakura Frappuccino has been getting crazy attention recently. Today was so warm that it was easy to dream of cherry blossoms, so I thought I’d post … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Japan | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Old Tokyo in Color

Posted on January 23, 2014 by superhappyawesome

Traditional Japanese art tends to be highly stylized, so it’s wonderful to see an historical yet realistic representation in the art of Cincinnati born artist Robert Frederick Blum. He lived in

Posted in Art, Japan | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Today’s watercolor: Kusatsu Onsen Mascot Yumomi-chan

Posted on January 21, 2014 by superhappyawesome

We went to Kusatsu Onsen last weekend, so I decided to do a little painting of the local mascot Yumomi-chan. The water in Kusatsu is super hot, so it’s traditionally cooled by women with large wooden planks. You can read … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Gunma, Japan | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Today’s Watercolor: Daruma

Posted on January 14, 2014 by superhappyawesome

The Maebashi Daruma Festival was last week! We had lots of fun as always 🙂 This picture  doesn’t quite capture my new sparkly gold paint, but I really like how it looks in person!  

Posted in Art, Gunma, Japan | Tagged , , , , , | 10 Comments

On the last day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…

Posted on January 6, 2014 by superhappyawesome

Christmas penguins! It’s the end of winter break, and the first chance I had to pick up my brushes in about two weeks. I actually started this one before the holiday vaguely based on this article on Slate and the … Continue reading →

Posted in Art | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Happy New Year!

Posted on January 1, 2014 by superhappyawesome

I actually sent out traditional Japanese 年賀所 or nengajo this year! I always love receiving a big stack of of cards on New Year’s day, but I’ve always been daunted by the process of making them. I finally buckled down … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Gunma, Japan, Modern Traditions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment