analogy lounge

this great hideaway in the buzz of tokyo is a true gem in the midst of these efficient and polished bars. In the area of Ebisu I stumbled into this rooftop lounge and had one of the greatest lunches in tokyo. The food itself was good, nothing outstanding  in the infinite pool of great and fresh dishes served anywhere in the area but the superfriendly service and great decor makes analogy a must visit while in town. Take either the Hibiya or Yamanote line to Ebisu station, exit on the east entrance and take a left towards a gently sloping 'hill'. I'd say a good 300 meters and you see the Analogy Lounge sign on the right hand side on the side of the building. Don't lose faith even if the climb through the narrow staircase seems never-ending. On the top a bliss awaits :)

Dream on dreamer..

had a great night out yesterday celebrating my friend's birthday. we were dancing the night away and got talking about traveling. it's more than clear that i love it and in particular the movement of it. i want to make clear that one can travel anytime anywhere. You can go to a hot, sensual place just by dancing an intense salsa or to a soft tranquil moment by reading a poem. i believe in experiencing by being present and it can happen physically or mentally (you won't believe the places i've seen in my dreams :) and the day timetravel becomes a physical activity i'll be sure to try it right away!

In the meantime, take a moment to marvel the physical abilities of Joaquin Cortez the king of flamenco. I'm just in pure awe of the talent and of course the very attractive exterior ain't a negative in any way...

here are some great looks for traveltoes! In these comfortable chic ensembles you're good to go from sunbed to subway. Really feels like it's time to get the toes in some pretty sandals and take them for a spin around town. Helsinki looks like a livable place again now that the people are on the move. So let your personal sun shine on through and make those around you feel the heat!

today another beautiful day in the life of a spring maniac. Have been traveling inside of my head to places far far away with the book Girls of Riyadh. Definitely a fun read and a great insight in the life behind the veil, of which at least I had no idea of. Pick up your favorite book or a new unknown one and dive deep into the world of possibilities and new ideas.

Spring is here!

                                             

It’s a beautiful day outside and I have a definite feeling the summer is on it’s way and we don’t need to face another gloomy and cold day before next fall.

Vappu (1^st of may) is only a week away and the whole town seems to be in the mood for smiles and love.

Last year this time I was in Japan, paying my first visit to the country of gadgets and geishas. And what’s more to my interest, the elaborate updos and wigs geishas nowadays wear. I was fortunate enough to be in Kyoto on the 30^th of April when the last performances of Miyako Odori were in play and we scored leftover tickets to the show just 20minutes before the last performance.

There are plenty of theatres in Kyoto that hold similar shows but they’re all called different names based on where the theatre is located and which district the performing maikos come from.

 

The show was spectacular, just the way I always thought it would be (think the movie memoirs of a geisha) and the tatami seats on the balcony of the theatre offered a good view of the whole stage.

 

After the show on the same day there were plenty of dressed up maikos and geikos on the streets and I got a couple of great pictures of them. My local guide said I was really lucky to see so many of them, lots of tourist end up disappointed to realize there are only regular looking people around. In my opinion the time at the turn of april and may, though the cherryblossoms are already gone, is a great opportunity to spot the town in it’s splendor of spring.

Wellbeing in Kerala

We have a training day for indian head massage the coming sunday and I remembered the very efficient Ayurveda massage I had in Kerala. The previously mentioned owner of Saj's booked us a 'massage and steam bath' combo at the medical parlor he attends on a regular basis.

Sounded great and I'm always ready to try anything new and presumably relaxing on a holiday..

The place looked like a potion shop from the 20's with all the brown glass bottles lined up in the front with no obvious labels on them. There were separate sides for both sexes and I was greeted with 3 women who wasted no time in getting me naked and pouring a cup of oil on my head. I was given a pair of gauze G-string ( I was told the guys were left without) which pretty much just soaks to your skin with the oil used.

A nice head massage including the insides of my ears and nose and i was whisked onto a curved plank of wood which served as a massaging table. Trying to balance yourself on your back on a convex piece of wood all covered in oil while two strong pairs of hands briskly swing their way all over you was definitely a challenge :) My muscles felt really loosened after 45 minutes of work and you could see the masseuses sweating so a thorough job was done.

I had been dreaming about the promised steam bath for a while before the massage was over and was hopefully peering towards the half-open door at the back of the room.

To my surprise the showed me into a cubic meter sized wooden box where there was a bench inside and your head would stay out after they closed the latch on the top.

So there you sit, all helpless and the two girls start going through your bag on the bench! Luckily they were only curious of the book I was reading and I explained them about the twists and turns of Bergdorf Blondes. Meanwhile someone had placed a wash basin at my feet and a flexible hose from the nearby boiling steamer was pulled to it. Finally I realized what the bath was about and was happy to feel the warm steam spread in the cold box I was in. As a Finn I'm used to and quite like the sauna-like atmosphere but the locals seemed to be very concerned about my ability to tolerate the heat. They kept on asking if it's ok and I kept on telling them to turn up the heat and the minute I said it was good and ok they shut the whole thing down and pulled me out.

A quick shower and a vigorous rub with a towel which left me with two great starts of dreads on my head and I was good to go.

I met a couple of fairly confused looking guys in the lobby (they said a shyer bloke might have felt a bit intimidated with two big guys telling you to strip and oiling you all over :) and we all agreed our skins were soft and despite all the weirdness of it we felt great and the experience did what was promised. I can't remember the name of the place (I'm not sure we were even told) but call Saj or find any local traditional Ayurveda center and I'm sure you'll enjoy it!

fever...

Still having the worst time this year, i hate being sick (as if someone likes it i guess...)

The raising fever got me thinking of the ever so warm india. I guess most people have been to Goa and allthough it's a wonderful place to chill and meet people I'd definitely recommend a good 17 hours south on a train and get off at the lovely town of Cochi, Kerala.

A cluttered city centre with all the normal challenges u meet in an indian town as a blond tourist, but Fort Cochi -a short ferry ride or a bit longer tuktuk (open air condition -of course) adventure over the bridge from the mainland is so worth it when u get there.

We stayed at a great little homestay at Saj's which was pretty much a walking distance from the 'center' of the island (finnish people surely get the Suomenlinna vibe from the place).

The owner of the place can help u with anything and gladly recommends all sorts of nice activities, more of which later...

Alcohol seems to be banned in the state except for the internationally owned hotel bars and of course there was none in fort cochi. Luckily we found a nice seafood restaurant almost opposite the unoperated (old?) cityhall that served 'special tea' for the thirsty tourists.

After spending a couple of days wondering around the fort it became quite obvious that this was the place to be and one could spot all the parties 'dining' with several one-litre teapots on the table :)

Slowly but surely

Stuck home with a cold, stuffing my face with antibiotics to get myself back on track tomorrow.. Wondering around the WWW and realized that Jazzanova will also be playing at the Flow festival in Helsinki 13.-16.08.09! I've wanted to see them for a really long time and a bunch of other great acts seem to be getting together to perform at the probably best festival that Finland has to offer.

Check out www.flowfestival.com for the still growing list of acts there.

Getting started

There have been so many great places on my way so far that i haven't the idea where to start. I've visited 4 continents and all of them have bedazzled me with their signature looks and atmospheres. I'm a hairdresser and have a thing for all beautiful beings wether they may be human or insects. Beauty is everywhere around us and taking it in wherever I may be makes my life that much easier to steer towards new and exciting ventures.