thankful

 

 

 

 

And this is how I spent my Thanksgiving weekend. Koedo ("Little Edo") Kawagoe on Saturday afternoon, with a good friend to keep me company and take some great photos for me. We feasted on Unagi (eel), had lots of delicious dessert food as we walked around the streets of Koedo, then trekked over to Kawagoe Castle, the second castle in Japan that I've been to since I moved here. Everything was so beautiful. Life is beautiful and I am so happy to be alive. Just too thankful this year despite all of the ups and heavy downs this year.

 

 

 

More photos from this weekend coming soon in my next post. Hope your Thanksgiving weekend was enjoyable!

 

 

 

 

Love,

 

Samantha Mariko

all of the lights

(coat & shirt: Zara, sweater: Uniqlo; pants: Le Ciel Bleu; shoes: Underground;

clutch: Wego)

photos by Lisa from paint with stars photography

I had the pleasure of shooting with Lisa again, this time during the evening hours in Midtown, Roppongi. I really wanted to check out the pretty illuminations, and it seemed like Lisa enjoyed them, too. It was a bit difficult to get some good shots in the dark, but she her amazing photography skills shined through.

This coat is an old-time favorite of mine... I think this is my third year wearing it. I probably should invest in a new gray coat, but I love this one! And I finally, finally found the perfect white shirt at Zara for 4000 yen (about $40 USD), which I think is pretty reasonable.

Are you all looking forward to Christmas/ holiday lights this year? I know I am!

Love,

Samantha Mariko

shinokubo street style

 

(hoodie: Life is a Joke x Eleven Paris; sweats: Zara; shoes: Converse;

beanie: old; clutch: Wego)

 

photo cred: Arisa

 

 

 

I feel like Sundays are meant to be dressed down, which is why I grabbed the most comfortable pieces in my closet.

 

 

I finally spent some quality time with my good friend Arisa in Shinokubo. We stuffed ourselves with delicious Korean BBQ and hottoku, and chatted away for 3 hours straight.

 

 

 

 

Love you girl!

 

 

 

Hope everyone had a relaxing weekend :)

 

 

 

 

 

Love,

 

Samantha Mariko

Icona Pop in Tokyo

Yep, just saw them live tonight at the Womb Shibuya and I'm still trying to relive it. Icona Pop is a unit that you definitely need to see live. Their vocal abilities, stage presence, energy - it's all there and my friends and I enjoyed every minute of their performance. Caroline seemed more the playful performer, while Aino was really into producing the best possible sound. I was totally digging their futuristic suits as well. 

 

Two of my favorites were "Nights Like This," "Ready for the Weekend," and "On a Roll." Loving their electro-pop sound so much!

 

What a fantastic night. So pumped for the rest of my week!

Love,

Samantha Mariko

my week on instagram

 

So sorry for not posting for a while! It was a really hectic week this past week - I was working 6 days and trying to squeeze in events and meetings in between. I don't really do this much, but I thought I would tell you about my week through my Instagram photos:

 

 

Fridays are for selfies (well, not really but I think so). So excited it is cold enough for my furry jackets and coats! 

Assisting at Le Ciel Bleu's AW Lookbook shoot for November. The model was super sweet and rocked all of the clothes! 



My first time having Chinese-style hotpot. Got together with some of my musical friends and basically talked and ate for 3 hours.

 



I found a hands-down, the most delicious ramen joint right by my place. The shio-tonkotsu is my favorite - it was so good I even finished every last bit of soup which I don't usually do when I eat noodles.

Spent quality time with one of my good friends at a stylish café on Cat Street in Shibuya. Girl talk and such over coffee and café lattes. Perfect!

 

 

 

 

Do you use Instagram? If you do, follow me @samanthamariko and I'll do the same!

 

 

Good night and have a great week ahead!

 

 

 

 

Love,

 

Samantha Mariko