Wod Wear

Photos by Kidperez Photography - All Rights Reserved.

Makeup by Niki Medina

Hair by Akemi Kobayashi

I had the honor of modeling some hoodies for my friend Niki's (yes, the makeup artist) new online store Wod Wear. Akemi modeled one of the T-shirts as well. I'm very tempted to get a hoodie for myself - I could really use one for the cold Tokyo weather. 

Wod Wear will also have an accessory line coming soon. Check out their Facebook page here if you like what you see :)

Love,

Samantha Mariko

lights & shadows

(blazers: borrowed; boots: Zara)

Photos by Kidperez Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Makeup by Niki Medina

Hair by Akemi Kobayashi

The final images from my second photo shoot with Kidperez Photography. Last time we did an outdoor shoot in Toyosu (check out the blog post here), but we both wanted to try something different and this is what we came up with. I've never done a studio shoot with such colorful lighting - the shadows with the colors give the images a cool effect so I was really pleased with that. Would you believe me if I said these photos were taken in Niki's bedroom? :) 

Good night everyone <3

Love,

Samantha Mariko

fukushima trip part 2 - never give up

(going over our discussion topics one last time)

(with Akane)

(Ms. Nozomi and Ms. Akemi)

(Akane and I at the after party)

( with former Olympic gymnast Naoki Iketani)

From day 2 of my trip to Aizu, Fukushima. As I mentioned in my previous blog post, I was a guest speaker for "Aizu Engine 007 - Fukushima Never Give Up!" which was an event to give hope and encourage the people of Aizu to overcome the hardships after the nuclear explosion. Many well-known actors, writers, athletes, and artists were invited to share their stories to the people of Aizu. I participated in a talk show with 3 other models - Nozomi Igarashi (former Miss Universe finalist), Akemi Fukumura (runway coach), and Akane Nakajima (model and TV host). With Ms. Nozomi as the host for our event, we discussed many topics related to modeling such as how and why we became models, any interesting episodes we have had to encounter as models, and beauty and health tips we follow. Even though I was on stage talking to the audience, I learned a lot from the other models as the discussion progressed.

After the talk show, each of us went to a different restaurant in the area to eat delicious food and get to know the people of Aizu. I was lucky enough to have dinner at a restaurant called Kiriya, a lovely soba place with a great atmosphere. I took the position of MC and introduced some of the other participants, including former Olympic gymnast Naoki Iketani. I wish I had pictures of the food I ate, but let me tell you, I had some of the best Japanese cuisine there.

After this dinner event, the participants of Aizu Engine gathered at a fancy bar for an after party. I had sparkling sake for the first time - so good! 

I had a great time in Fukushima getting to know Aizu and meeting many amazing people during the short time I was there. I hope anything that I contributed during the event changed someone's life even in the smallest way.  Thanks for reading! :)

Love,

Samantha Mariko

fukushima photo diary part 1

(handmade candles!)

This is just a handful of the many pictures from my trip to Fukushima, Japan. Akane and I (we worked together for NHK World's "Tokyo Eye") were invited as guests to participate in "Aizu Engine 007 - Fukushima Never Give Up!" So many aspects of Aizu, Fukushima were affected by the tsunami and the nuclear explosion - some of these include farming, fishing, and even tourism. This event was created in hopes to bring Aizu back to how it used to be before the nuclear explosion, to bring hope and courage to the Fukushima citizens to overcome this difficult period (more about this in my next blog post). 

The first day of the trip consisted of over 5 hours of road-tripping so we ended up not doing much. The morning of the event, our manager took us to Tsuruga Castle in Wakamatsu. This was my first time touring a Japanese castle so I was pretty excited. This castle was  actually rebuilt quite recently, but I could still feel all of it's history oozing out of its pores. Going inside the castle and reading the history behind it made me realize how much Japanese history I forgot... Anyways, while the actual castle was beautiful itself, the scenery surrounding it was quite amazing - the trees were looking their finest in bright shades of red, orange and golden yellow. All this beauty made me forget about my freezing toes (it was probably below 10 degrees Celsius).

More about the event in my next blog post, so stay tuned!

Love,

Samantha Mariko

rio de sol winter lookbook 2012

Bikinis in the winter?! I know, that's what I thought when my friend/designer asked me to model the swimwear and jewelry line for Rio de Sol. The brand specializes in high-quality Brazilian swimwear and the collection includes a wide variety of styles and colors. Despite the cold weather, I was really excited to collaborate with her and fellow model, Marie, for the photo shoot. We (also including the make up artist and photographer) took a mini road trip to Yamanashi prefecture (west of Tokyo), all the way into the beautiful mountains. Beautiful, but freezing. It was almost 10 degrees Celsius and it started raining during the middle of our outdoor shoot. But the images turned out beautifully, so it was worth it in the end. Plus, we had Pancake the bunny participate in the shoot with us!

You can buy these sexy bikinis at katty.asia, which is the only store in Japan!

You can also view a video from the photo shoot here :)

Stay warm everyone <3

Love,

Samantha Mariko

Instagram outfits

(Outfit 1 sweater: Gap; hat: Loaves; leggings: Topshop; shoes: Zara; necklace: Forever 21)

(Outfit 2 sweater: Topshop; skirt: Zara; boots: Dolce Vita for Target)

(Outfit 3 sweater: Topshop; pants: Le Ciel Bleu; boots: Dolce Vita for Target; necklace: H&M)

(Outfit 4 shirt and hat: Le Ciel Bleu; skirt: Zara; sneakers: Converse; jacket: Vintage Levi's; jewelry: Forever 21)

Some recent outfit photos from Instagram. I linked the items I purchased recently - everything else I already had in my closet or I couldn't find it online. Which outfit do you like best? Enjoy <3

Love,

Samantha Mariko

when tomorrow comes

(dress: H&M; hat: Uniqlo; heels & coat: ZARA; bracelet: gift)

Photos by Lisa (paintwithstars.blogspot.com)

I'm so excited to share the photos from my shoot with Lisa, a photographer, writer and musician from Northern California. We shot at Rikyu Park in Shiodome, Tokyo. I had no idea this place existed - truly an amazing and gorgeous location. The weather was perfect, so perfect that I wasn't freezing in this H&M dress and barely-there heels. Even though we were still in the city, I felt at peace with the quiet & greenery surrounding me. I think the fact that Lisa & I are both from California made the collaboration so much more enjoyable, too. Rarely do I do photo shoots where the photographer captures a variety of expressions and emotions. So thank you Lisa :)

Please check out Lisa's blog (above) & don't forget to hype my look on Lookbook!

Thank you loves <3

Love,

Samantha Mariko