I stumbled upon these cutesy Nippon postcards when last time visiting the Palais de Tokyo, a Japanese cultural center nestled in the 16th district of Paris. This active cultural spot hosts regularly changing exhibitions, mostly modern but sometimes also socially inclined, and it also has a vibrant bookstore, a reasonably priced coffee shop and now their newest addition, a small clothing store/gift shop. Japan has been on my mind since my dear brother just took a trip over there.
I’ve started having some interest in Japanese culture and way of life. I find many similarities between Scandinavian and Nippon lifestyle, and especially design. Often times if I see a design artifact I cannot immediately figure out whether it is Finnish or Japanese. I like the pureness and structure in what the Japanese produce. Things have been put into place carefully and details do count.
When I have breakfast, my ultimate calm moment of the day, I try to place the food elements geometrically on the plate. This brings me some kind of satisfaction and a feeling of classiness. A chic life starts in a very simple manner, is at reach of many – and most of all, it pleases me this way.
I also am a big fan of the cartoon-like, never-grow-up spirited side of the Japanese. Thirty somethings who, without any complex, declare their never-fading infatuation for Hello Kitty. I’ve equally fallen for this cutesy feline creature – it started when I was eleven and I see no end to the love story. Her candy colors just make my day. And with the ever so adorable Hello Kitty card that I received from my traveling bro, carefully posted on our refrigerator door, the effect is guaranteed.
![So[phis]tix](http://www.makinen.fr/susa/wordpress/wp-content/susu_img/sophistix.gif)
March 22, 2009 at 11:02 AM -
Très jolie blog!^^
kisses and see you on my bloug:
http://www.ticoda.com/
March 23, 2009 at 7:53 PM -
i love finding Postcards like these.
March 24, 2009 at 4:45 AM -
I do love Scandinavian and Zen aesthetics – clean lines and simplicity. But I think Japanese love pink a little too much.
March 29, 2009 at 10:32 AM -
Tiara – So nice to see some French folks over here. I visited your blog and it looks interesting. You seem to have a lot of talent. J’adore ton dernier post sur Mademoiselle Chanel – je suis un grand fan aussi!
Mo – The postcards sure are perky and cutesy.
Ming the Merciless – Yeah, not everyone is a pink person. Pure lines, on the other hand, suit and calm most people, especially in the interiors.