Honeymoon

Art Materials What I am taking to Japan

Honeymoon, Planning, Travel

I am so excited to be visiting Japan in March. When me and Gav thought about our honeymoon, we knew that we didn’t want a beach holiday because as a far as I am concerned Seychelles has the best beaches in the world. So I would rather just go and see my family and friends then visit the Maldives or Jamaica. You are a bit spoiled when every few years you get to visit paradise and call it your home. So we didn’t want beach and we didn’t want just snow. Luckily with Japan we get to have everything we want. Beaches, lakes, snow, sushi, cherry blossoms.

Note pads that I need to turn into one journal

Japan offers everything

It really does, great food, antient cultures, a land that is devoid of religion but filled with spiritualism. A history rich in tradition and folklore. It has beaches and snow-capped mountains. So even though we are only going for 3 weeks we plan to fit in a lot of sightseeing. I also want to take this opportunity to draw.

So not only will I be visiting some amazing art shops in Japan but I will also take advantage of the great views and characters. My art supplies will be coming with me. They will be scaled down to an art journal which I will try to prepared and filled with notes and maps to help us navigate Japan.

What I am taking

I can’t take too much especially as I can buy some bit there but so far I will be taking a small watercolour block as well as my travel journal with my itinerary already in it.

So far it looking like my this

• Art journal

• Watercolour block

• 2 HB pencils

• Maped sharpener which I have about 5 of

• My Winsor and newton watercolour half pans ( rearranged into what colours I think I will use)

• Gouache white

• Tombows

• Fine-liners

• Water-brush

• 2 brushes

• Atomiser

I think that’s it. I can always buy more Tombows and Fine-liners in Japan as this is where they are made but I am excited to see what other watercolour pens they have available that I can’t buy over here. I work in an art shop so I don’t need masses. I also want to pick up some beautiful washi tapes which again, I know are expensive but this is my honey moon and art supplies make me happy.

This is all going in a small case so I can easily access everything and put my new purchases in here as well. So looking at the pictures I may have to edit them again! Just over a month to go and I am so excited. Hopefully I will be able to share some of my pictures and illustrations on here, but only if I think they are good enough.

I can’t wait to visit all the art shops as well. If you have any recommendations please let me know!

Curating and Planning my Japanese wardrobe

Honeymoon, Organising, Planning, Travel, wardrobe

I am finding planning my Japanese wardrobe difficult. March means it may be cold and warm so I need to bear that in mind: we are also travelling a lot of the country so I needs to be minimum however it’s 3 weeks of clothes!!

Challenges

  • Weather changes
  • Snowboarding clothes
  • 3 weeks
  • Everything has to be comfortable
  • Limited space in the suitcases
  • We want room to bring things back!
  • Shoes need to be slip on or easy to remove

Most of this I already have but there are a few pieces I need to buy. I want my wardrobe to be mix and match

Weather Changes

We are going in March so the weather will cool and mild hopefully but as we are visiting the north and south we will be having all sorts of weather changes. Everything will need to be breathable and good for layering.

Snow boarding clothes

With the exception of my jacket which is pictured I didn’t put any of my kit in the picture. I am taking my goggles, knee pads and gloves as this is my basic amour. I will pack my new snowboarding snood as well because this doesn’t take up any room but it is tricky. I am still contemplating my trousers but I will have to see how small this all packs down. They will definitely deserve a packing cube of there own!

3 weeks

3 weeks is a good amount of time but at the moment I feel like I have a few too many pieces so I may have to edit this down even more. It’s about everything working together. We will be living out of our suitcases travelling the country. I have looked into laundry places and I think it will probably be a good idea to visit them at least once.

Comfort is king

I generally don’t wear uncomfortable clothes nothing is ever too tight but in Japan I need to make sure my clothes and especially shoes are super comfortable. We will be walking everywhere!

Gavin mentioned to me he will be buying new trainers ones that slip on so he can get out of them easier. This is smart thinking so I won’t be taking my knee high boots. My Chelsea boots and sandals will be fine although I will have to go bare foot when I wear them. I will have to have a pack of sockettes in my bag at all times.

I am also taking my gym gear. Incase I get up early and want to go for a run plus I can use them as a layer for snowboarding!

Chosen items

There is still a lot to consider but I have started washing and ironing my clothes and hanging them up on my rail to see if I need anything or better yet if I have anything I would rather take. I bought a pair of Marks and Spenser jeans and they fit so well I am going to buy another pair. My vests are a little bid grubby so I will be buying some basics and I think that’s me done!

I never wanted to spend a fortune on my wardrobe but a few nice pieces to spark it up. I will keep you informed if I buy anything else or add to it. Looking at this as a picture I know I can cut back and we have also looked at some of our hotels that have laundry service so we can invest in that and hand wash any items by taking some liquid detergent with us.

Honeymoon Planning

Advice, Honeymoon, Personal Experience, Planning, Travel, Wedding

Here is some advice for planning your honeymoon. Maybe the best part of the wedding is the fabulous little rest at the end of it, with all the stress you will have gone through you will need it.

You can go to the most exotic parts of the world: Maldives, Seychelles, Barbados or you can go to romantic city’s like Paris, Venice, Rome the Greek isles or you can explore a place or country you have never been to before and always wanted to.

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Climbing Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh

Recently my friends decided to honeymoon around the iconic UK. They drove to the quirkiest quintessentially British hotels all with a slight Art Deco theme from Land End to John O’Groats, yes that way around.

They ate in the best restaurants and basically had a 1930’s honey moon that was Instagram perfect.

They made me reevaluate everything I wanted to go along with them.

Honey moons don’t have to be exotic, but they should reflect what you want and what is within your budget.

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Saint Brelade, Jersey

Budget

Modern weddings aren’t what they used to be.

The whole point of the wedding list was that people bought you things for your new house to start your new life together. Nowadays many people live together before they get married so they already have the guest list filled.

Me and Gav have been together 9 years, 10 when we get married. We have bought our own house and filled it up with things we love. And although I would love some new appliances I can’t ask guests to buy me a £1000 Smeg fridge but we will be asking for money/ vouchers to put towards our honeymoon.

We can afford a honeymoon by ourselves but every penny helps.

For my best friend’s wedding she wanted Honeymoon money, so using her travel company we bought her a trip to the Cai Rang floating markets of Vietnam.

She loved it and we didn’t have an issue giving money as a gift and nor should you!

A wedding gift is optional, we always give money so they can buy what they want.

There doesn’t need to be an etiquette uproar about this. The older I get the more I understand that people would prefer you to be more upfront about gifts.

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Beau Vallon Seychelles

Honeymoon Planning

So, work out how much you would like to spend on your honeymoon.

Like with your wedding you need to sit down and discuss what you want to do, ten days on the beach/ by the pool. An active honeymoon where you backpack/hike across an undiscovered part of the world. Live the American dream and drive route 66, Vegas New York.

Do you have enough holiday allowance to go for longer?

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Drinking in the Beer Library Vilnius, Lithuania

If you book your honeymoon out of season then the flights will be so much cheaper. I mean ridiculously cheaper, I have never paid more than £700 for a flight to Seychelles and this year I am going in August and have been quotes £1700. I can’t avoid the times but I did have to shop around for a slightly cheaper flight.

We always go snowboarding before or after the school holidays. The only thing you have to be aware of is the weather in that country. Monsoons and Seasons differ everywhere you go.

My family are coming from all over the world for our wedding, so I want to spend a lot of time with them. I will be taking time off work to be with them, then we will have a mini moon somewhere in Europe for a few days after our wedding,  to rest relax and take in the time spent on our day.

I am slightly in love with Croatia and Montenegro at the moment so some time by the water would be great, plus the food is supposed to be amazing.

We plan on a two-week honeymoon the next year, this will give us approximately 5 months to save for the proper honeymoon.

I have always wanted to go to Japan- I love the food, the cultures of old world versus new, the etiquette and politeness contrasted with the chaos. Gavin is a big geek and loves the Japanese cultures as well.

Plus, we can snowboard for a few days with Mount Fuji in the back ground, oh and did I mention that Japan has amazing gins? Oh yes, we will be in heaven.

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Val D’Isere, France

Honeymoons can be expensive or not- just like your wedding you can make it as unique as you are.

We plan to rough it for the first week then have a bit of luxury to relax on the second week and stop off somewhere on the way home fore a few days. We don’t mind going economic if it means we can spend our pennies and eat in gorgeous restaurant like Tapas Molecular Bar in Tokyo.
Honestly, I cant wait. I am going to eat Sushi every day!!! Drink Gin and saki. Sleep in a Shoji (paper house) snow board down the mountains, visit the Cherry blossom trees ( if they are blooming) stand in a Japanese garden of perfection in Minami-Ku, Kyoto. Eat amazing food from vending machines and visit a cat or hedgehog café.

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Carana Beach, Seychelles

Go shopping in the stationary shops Tombow’s, Mitibushi and Pentel are all from here and I plan on filling a suitcase full of washi tape!

Can you tell that I am excited? I am starting to think that two weeks just won’t be enough but that is what wedding anniversaries are for.

This really should be the stress free bit as no one should interfere or have an opinion on your honeymoon ( not that they should on you your wedding but hey ho.)
Have fun with it!

Keep within your budget! And don’t forget that you can visit the most exotic places on a shoe string budget.

Trust me I have done it!

Have fun
Dana

All the pictures I have taken on my trips abroad

Chamonix, Mont Blanc, France