Instead of sharing the usual offerings from big brands, this year I’ve decided to share a selection of unique gift ideas from fellow independent artists, illustrators, and designers from around the world who are working hard to make a living doing what they love (and some of my products, too).

September was a huge month for me that I’ll never forget. I was fortunate enough to travel to Japan for the second time this year—not for language school, but to participate in an artist residency at the beautiful Almost Perfect gallery in Kuramae, Tokyo. Situated in a renovated 100-year-old rice shop…

新年は目前に迫っているので2018年を反省するのは当然です。なんとなく私は今年は時間が経つのが遅く感じました。もちろん浮き沈みがあったけど、今年は楽しくて特別な経験も多かったです。

Not only is Tokyo my favourite city in the world, but it’s my favourite city for cafe hopping. Anyone who knows me knows that I’m a huge coffee nerd, and while many people might associate amazing coffee with cities like Melbourne, San Francisco, and New York, I believe Tokyo is the best in the world—not just in coffee quality, but in attention to detail, customer service, and cafe atmosphere. This blog post is the first in a series where I’ll talk about my favourite cafes across this wonderful city. Here are my first top five!

Okonomiyaki (お好み焼き) is a gorgeous comfort food, far removed from the more refined washoku and delicate sushi folks usually associate with Japanese cuisine. The word "okonomiyaki" can be broken down as お好み (o-konomi) meaning “preference” or “choice,” and 焼き (yaki) can be translated is “grilled” or “cooked.” The name alludes to the fact that you can choose whatever ingredients you want to add to the batter or topping, making it a highly personalised and fun dish to eat. 

People are usually quite surprised to learn that, although I’ve been in love with Japan since I was twelve years old, I never had the opportunity to visit until I was thirty-three! In this new blog series, I’ll talk about the best hot spots around the world for travellers who may not be able to visit Japan, or who simply want to feel nostalgic about a journey long ago. First up, Copenhagen!

To kick off 2017, one of the most unbelievable things happened to me—a Japanese TV crew visited my house in the UK to film me talking about my love for お好み焼き (okonomiyaki). It was part of my audition for the TV Tokyo program called 「世界！ニッポン行きたい人応援団」, or “Who Wants to Come to Japan?” as they call it in English, which invites foreigners with specific interests in Japanese culture to make their dreams come true with a visit to Japan.

Packing light has never been something I’ve been good at. Wearing one outfit twice in one trip rarely happened, but remembering how I felt when I struggled to lift two full-size suitcases (essentially my entire wardrobe) onto an escalator in the London Underground made me re-think how silly it all was.