Mogu Takahashi Exhibition at Cafe Drole

Popped down to the Mogu Takahashi exhibition 'Kawaii Ugly San' at Cafe Drole in Nakameguro yesterday which was full of doodle-style wall displays and random colourful objects dotted around the cafe. I really like Mogu's work for its playfulness and free-flowing style. She also makes really cute postcards, notecards and clay tags - Kawaii desu! Mogu is off to Europe next but Drole Cafe is still worth a visit for its quirky décor and oishii cakes. Definitely in the run for being one of my favourite cafes in Tokyo. There's also a second Cafe Drole in Daikayama which I discovered when I got lost on my bike on the way to the exhibition - seem to find a lot of things by getting lost in Tokyo!

Cover Jam and Kate Coffee in Shimokitazawa

Spent the afternoon with Sam-san at Kate Coffee in Shimokitazawa, a really cute place upstairs full of retro mix and match sofas and chairs. They also create their own zines, leaflets and postcards with lots of hand drawn doodles and sell lovely handmade bags and pouches by Kick. Their curry lunch plates and cakes are delicious too! Next stop was round the corner at Jam Cover which has to now be my ichiban shop in Shimokitazawa. It's amazing but beware you could loose hours in here there is so much to look at! It's a hoarders paradise. They have lots of plastic retro jewellery, broaches and hair clips but also create their own fabrics, letter sets and stickers. Pretty much anything stationary you could think of they have - even number stencil sets and label templates to make your own tags. A lot of their designs look Scandinavian but there are also a lot of Parisian trinkets. I love their Russian doll note books and vintage necklaces draped over old books.

A to Z Cafe Omotesando

Elissa eating her 'body friendly lunch'

Loving Yoshimoto Nara's A to Z cafe in Aoyama, a joint project with Graf Design Collective. Sat on the roof terrace and cooked like a true gaijin (it was completely empty) but it was worth the heat for the view over the quirky Aoyama architecture. Tried the 'body-friendly' lunch, translated on their website as 'lunch and try a hot body in a friendly and open space'! Inside is mismatched furniture, decorated with Nara's iconic characters and has a mocked up workshop (a room within a room) in the middle of the cafe showing some of Nara's others works. Cafe/mini gallery/bar. Pretty interesting place to hang out day or night. 

Photo by www.theworldsbestever.com