Influence Asia 2015, Asia’s largest social media awards show that took place on 7 Dec 2015.

Really honored and thankful to be a part of this huge event that brought together some 36 top influencers from 5 countries, Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia.

After a series of rigorous selection process, the top influencers from the countries were first selected by a judging panel before being invited to the show. I was blessed to be selected alongside fellow nominees, Daniel Food Diary, Seth Lui and Rubbish Eat Rubbish Grow (represented by Brandon) for the FOOD (Singapore category).

This is us at the red carpet event. :)

The star studded event that saw performances and appearances from Tiffany from Girls Generation, Jay Park, RedFoo (LMFAO), Elite Daily, A Plus, Utt, Peter Chao, Raisa, Joe Flizzow, SonaOne, Dandee, Shigga Shay, Gareth Fernandez and little Yebin took place at Suntec City Convention Centre Level 6.

I was also incredibly blessed with the support from hair salon COVO in making my hair beautiful for the event.

This was my pre hair set up look.

In the hotel room with my furisode kimono on the bed. 

Lets take a look at my hair from the back too. 

Its time to get started on my hair set up!

The service from COVO Hair salon was amazing, with no discomfort and everything was completed well within time for me to get ready for Influence Asia’s red carpet. Thank you!!

Stylist Megumi was really such a sweetie and she totally captured my style in this low braided bun.

The set hairdo not only matched my furisode kimono so well, it also lasted and stayed secured for the whole day for more than 12 hours until I got back to the hotel from the Influence Asia event.

Hair salon COVO is known for their experienced Japanese stylists who come with Tokyo’s top class techniques, skills and that Japanese omotenashi service. This is also why I knew I would be in good hands.

On top of the surprise of being part of Influence Asia 2015, I was even more shocked and surprised that I was voted as the Influencer of the Year (FOOD – Singapore) Award.

It was really lovely to be staying at Pan Pacific Hotel and their lovely spacious room with equally awesome view of the Marina waterfront area.

Hair Salon COVO

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The official opening of Isetan Scotts Supermarket Phase 2 today last Friday welcomes shoppers with new 4 brands, Johan Paris, Chateraise, WA-Dining and Matsuzo, and the reopening of Nishino Pharmacy.

Matsuzo confectionaries are sweet yogashi style delights made from sweet potatoes that are brought straight from Miyazaki and Kagoshima in Japan. Savour the sweet potatoes in different way through this Japanese スイートポテト – Sweet Potatoes style.

Sui-to Poteto is a Japanese classic created by Matsuzo Inoue, the patisserie of the exclusive Imperial (Teikoku) Hotel in Tokyo.

Reminding me of the deli stores found at deepachika is WA-Dining, a purveyor of Japanese delicatessens and bento boxes.

They pride themselves in the use of hig h quality Japanese beef and seasonal vegetables in preparing Sozai (Japanese Delicatessen). You can order these for takeaway, or get their convenient bento sets or even order for your house parties as well.

Some of you might be familiar with Johan Paris bakery and Chateraise cakery, both brands with existing presence at the Isetan Jurong East Supermarket.

What is special is that their Scotts branch offers exclusive items, for instance the Yuzu bread (so delicious) and Matcha Chocolate bread from Johan Paris; and a much wider collection of patisseries by Chateraise.

Johan Paris (ジョアン) is a Japanese bakery with French origins established since 1983.

Some of the favourites from Johan include their corn bread, Nihombashi bread, and the new Yuzu bread.

They are known for freshly baked Japanese-French bread using fresh ingredients in Japan. And Isetan Scotts Supermarket is its second store in Singapore.

With more than 460 cake shops in Japan, Chateraise (シャトレーゼ) is popular with the Japanese for using fresh ingredients by working closely with the farmers in Japan. Their cakes and pastries are also very reasonably priced with prices start from just over a dollar to under $5 for a slice of cake!

I highly recommend their swiss roll, creme brulee roll, and their literally melt-in-the-mouth soft mochi. Their strawberry shortcake is pretty good too!

Sake lovers – there is something for you too. In addition to the 4 new brands, you can now enjoy Japanese sake at the newly open Kaku-Uchi sake bar in Isetan Scotts Supermarket.

Do note that the sake bar opens from Sunday to Thursday, 11am to 9pm, Friday, Saturday and eve of Public holiday from 11am to 9.30pm.

I visited them after the launch event party on my own as a paying customer and the service at the stores were excellent and the breads and sweets were delicious too.

This is why I continue to love Isetan, for bringing the Japanese Omotenashi and Japanese offerings.

Isetan Scotts

350 Orchard Road
Shaw House
Singapore 238868

Website (English)

Supermarket
Sunday to Thursday, 10am – 9pm
Friday, Saturday & eve of public holidays, 10am – 9.30pm

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EKIBEN has arrived in France!

East Japan Railways and partner Nihon Restaurant Enterprise (NRE) will be opening a limited time first-ever Japanese Ekiben (Train bento) lunchbox shop is in Paris Gare de Lyon.

Paris-Gare de Lyon is one of the six large mainline railway station termini in Paris, France. It handles about 90,000,000 passengers every year, making it the third busiest station of France and one of the busiest of Europe. (Source – Wiki)

It opens from 1 December 2015 and ends 31 January 2016 – Hurry now!

With exhibition ventures in Singapore and Taiwan, this time, East Japan Railways and NRE aims to spread the BENTO culture even further overseas to France. The store, aside from the delicious lunch boxes for sale, will also showcase an introduction of over 130 years history and charm of BENTO in Japan.

Bento, Japanese box lunches has been steadily gaining interest and popularity all around world. I am so totally jelly that France has a Ekiben store!

At this ekiben shop, there will be exclusively created Ekibens for Paris – named the “Paris-Lyon lunch”, as well as other Ekiben lunchboxes that incorporates local produce and meat such as the well known Charolais cattle in France. And of course the elements of washoku (Japanese cuisine) such as  tempura, sushi, pickles, traditional Japanese food cooked food are also in the menu.

 (Images provided and copyright of NRE)

Check out the 5 types of bento boxes for sale.

All of them look absolutely delicious and so pretty! Gosh, I want to try all of them.

Now… anyone can pack me in a luggage to France? haha

Want to know more about Ekiben (Train Bentos) and even check out NRE’s bento factory in Japan? Read more in my earlier blog postings.

EKIBEN (limited time)

Address: France Paris Gare de Lyon Hall in 2

Sales period December 1, 2015 (Tuesday) – January 31, 2016 (Sun)

Opening hours: 8 am to 8pm

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Ebizo Ichikawa XI is from one of Japan’s oldest and most prestigious kabuki families.

This October, the ‘Crown Prince of Kabuki’ will be coming to Singapore to debut two new kabuki plays, Uwanari and Mimasu Kuruwa no Kasauri. Uwanari has not been performed in a hundred years will make its debut on the 17th of October in Singapore, making a significant moment in kabuki history.

The limited three-performance show will be running for two days on the 17th and 18th October at Marina Bay Sands.

I watched Ebizo last year when he first perform kabuki in Singapore. If you are fan of traditional theatre art and also a fan of Japanese culture. This is definitely something that you should not miss out.

A gifted performer with a commanding presence, Ebizo Ichikawa XI has been bringing back kabuki to the younger generation, and has gained a strong fan base both in Japan and internationally.

And way too excited to share with you that I am giving away one pair of tickets (worth S$145 each) to this show. 

First performed in 1699 by Danjuro Ichikawa I, Uwanari is one of the famed Kabuki Jūhachiban, a set of eighteen kabuki plays that epitomise the Ichikawa family’s acting style. Though several of these plays continue to be performed in Japan, Uwanari had fallen out of the repertoire, at least until Ebizo Ichikawa XI chose to revive it.

Now, after lying dormant for a century, this old classic will be reborn on the stage of The Grand Theatre at the Marina Bay Sands.

© Shinsuke Yasui Uwanari, which means “second wife” and “jealousy”, is a passionate tale of jealousy, hate, and love. In it, a man divorces his wife and marries another woman. But while the newlyweds enjoy marital bliss, the jilted wife fumes, and plots her revenge on her ex-husband and the woman who replaced her. Passions will flare and dark schemes will bloom in this in riveting play, all told through impassioned dance.

Along with Uwanari, Ebizo Ichikawa XI will also be debuting a brand new piece in Singapore, Mimasu Kuruwa no Kasauri. Set in Edo, the old name for Tokyo, the performance is centred around an umbrella seller in the Yoshiwara district. With his fine wares and irresistible charisma, the umbrella seller charms passers-by into buying his umbrellas, and conducts a brisk business until he’s beset byruffians who want a piece of his profits. However, their attempt at intimidation backfires when the umbrella seller reveals himself to be Ishikawa Goemon, Japan’s greatest thief and outlaw. In adazzling display of athletic prowess, Ishikawa Goemon soundly beats the thugs and sends themrunning, and is lauded as a hero by the entire district.

Tickets for Japan Theatre 2015 will go on sale on the 11th of July 2015 through Marina Bay Sands (marinabaysands.com/ticketing), and are priced at S$89, S$115, S$145, and S$185, and VIP tickets are selling for S$350.

Date/Day Showtime
17 October 2015 – Saturday 3pm & 7:30pm
18 October 2015 – Sunday 3pm

[Giveaway]

Answer by commenting below: What are the titles of the 2 kabuki plays that will be performed by the ‘Crown Prince of Kabuki’, Ebizo Ichikawa XI?

Terms and Conditions:

• Winner will be selected by 29 Sept 2015.
• Only one winner will be selected to get one pair of tickets (worth S$145 each) to the performance.
• There is no age limit for audience entry
• Note that the show does not permit photography nor videography during the performance
• Reselling of complimentary tickets are prohibited.
• The organizer reserves the right to make changes to the terms and conditions.

Giveaway Result

Congratulations to Janni who has won the giveaway.

Note:

Winner will be contacted via email and will have to reply with your details within 3 days. If not, organisers reserve the right to choose another winner. I will go down the list should the first winner not respond. Thank you all for taking part!

The post [Giveaway closed] Ebizo Ichikawa XI’s Japan Theater 2015 appeared first on Little Miss Bento.

One Piece Bento! Gomu gomu no~~~

Do you know Luffy from One Piece? Monkey D Luffy is also known as Straw Hat Luffy is the key character of the Japanese One Piece manga and anime. He is also the founder and leader of the Straw Hat pirate and possess powers with rubber properties after eating the Gomu Gomu no Mi Devil’s Fruit.

Made this bento for my stage appearance at the Funan Anime Matsuri held at Funan shopping mall over this weekend.

Since the Anime Matsuri is all about Japanese popular culture, I thought that a manga theme bento would be most apt.

I am no cosplayer, but I certainly hope that this bento would delight the otaku fans there.

Personally I love One Piece, it is still my favourite manga/anime series.

Thanks to my husband who first introduced me to One Piece, I fell in love with Luffy and his pirate gang.

I wouldn’t say I am an otaku, more like a J-fanatic as I certainly am in love with many aspects of Japanese culture and part of it is the Japanese animation.

I had a late night yesterday, so I wanted to make a bento that would be impressive and fast.

Seaweed cutting bento was an excellent choice. Took me about 30mins to cut the seaweed and I spent another 30mins to cook and assemble the bento.

As the seaweed outlines are very thin, to assemble on the bento, I used oblate sheets.

Have mentioned this numerous times and shared tutorials on my blog (for seaweed cutting bento) as well as in my bento cookbook “Kawaii Bento”.

The side dishes were spicy fish meat patties, broccoli, lettuce, hard boiled egg made into Thousand Sunny, and carrot pieces which I cut using my One Piece theme vegetable cutters. Got the vegetable cutters in a whole set together with some rice molds some time back.

If you missed my stage appearance today at 12noon, don’t worry. I will be appearing on Sunday’s show at 11am too to do a bento demo session.

Hope to see you there!

Follow my bento creations, food art and food styling journey on my Facebook my page here or my Instagram here.

More information about my bento cookbook titled ‘Kawaii Bento’  here. My second cookbook titled ‘Kawaii Deco Sushi’ will be out in July 2015! 

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Baymax Inari Sushi Bento and a cup of Sakura & Berry tea from LUPICIA!

This bento is super yummy~ And so so easy to make. I hope it inspires you to make Baymax bento and foodart too.

I packed my bento in under 30mins! The Baymax Inari Sushi can also be made for picnics, parties etc.

All you needed is some sushi rice and aburaage (fried tofu pockets). If you do not like sushi rice, you can just cooked Japanese rice as usual. It tastes equally good with the aburaage.

The side dishes included baked teriyaki salmon fillet, mini sunny side up using quail egg, blanched sweet peas and broccoli and lettuce. I also added a sakura flower deco at the side.

Packed this in my Afternoon Tea bento box. I love the contrast in its white bento box and the wooden lid which also acts as a mini tray for a lovely cup of tea!

A subtle sakura styling today for my bento as I enjoyed my breakfast Baymax bento (haha yes I ate this for breakfast) with a hot cup of LUPICIA’s Sakura Berry Tea.

Did you know that LUPICIA, a Japanese tea brand, has opened their second store at VivoCity in March? In time for Sakura season! 

Founded in Japan since 1994, LUPICIA has over 100 stores in Japan with overseas stores in US, Taiwan, Australia and Singapore. Their first store in Singapore was opened in June 2013 at Great World City.

At their VivoCity store, you will find more than 60 of LUPICIA’s bestselling black, green, oolong, and herbal tea blends. There are also specialty tea zones such as their Chai teas and Matcha Au Lait. And definitely teawares and accessories too.

I was so excited when I found out that LUPICIA in Singapore also carry seasonal limited edition tea blends!

At LUPICIA VivoCity store opening launch, the place was decked up in pretty sakura theme decor in conjunction with the retail of their four limited edition cherry blossom teas:

SAKURA: Signature springtime blend of black tea with salted sakura leaves. Expect rich umami notes which is perfect for pairing with Western and traditional sweets.

SAKURA VERT: This was my personal favourite, reason being that the taste was the closest to the salt pickled sakura flowers that the Japanese also use to make tea. Sakura Vert is a blend of Japanese green tea with sakura leaves with a lovely fresh aroma and savoury notes of pickled cherry blossom flowers. This is perfect for enjoying with wagashi and sweet desserts.

SAKURA & BERRY: A blend of sakura tea leaves with fresh strawberries and raspberries. LUPICIA recommends this for those who enjoying their tea with milk. I imagine many ladies would love the berries notes.

CERISIER: French word for cherry tree, Cerisier is a decaffinated black tea with cherries and peaches. It is topped with pink sugar crystals and pink healthflowers.

At the launch party, we were blessed to enjoy the various new teas with pairing of sweets. Many of the sweets and patisseries were flown in all the way from Japan.

For a limited time only, while stock last, all these four tea blends come in limited edition topaz tins for the loose leaf, and also in boxes of 10 tea bags and in gift sets.

Other seasonal and limited blends available at LUPICIA include their winter strawberry teas, cocktail teas and the Book of Tea Hommage à Brillat-­‐Savarin – which is a collection of 30 curated tea blends for pairing with food.

LUPICIA online store (Singapore) website

LUPICIA Great World City

#B1-12 Great World City 1 Kim Seng Promenade Singapore 237994
Tel: +65 6737 0334
Store Hours: Mon-Sun 10am-10pm

LUPICIA VioCity

#01-K19 VivoCity (in front of Jamie’s Italian) 1 Harbourfront Walk Singapore 098585
Tel: +65 6221 4336
Store Hours: Mon-Sun 10am-10pm

Follow my bento creations, food art and food styling journey on my Facebook my page here or my Instagram here.

More information about my bento cookbook title ‘Kawaii Bento’  here. 

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I was so so excited when Sakura chan from The Ninja Girls told me that Rin Crossing is passing me the tableware from Japan! (Arigatougozaimasu~ Sakura chan and Rin Crossing!)

These speech shaped plates are the cutest!!!! Really super kawaii!

And this tableware from Ceramic Japan Co. Ltd is just one of the many Japanese products that Rin Crossing is bringing to Singapore at the International Furniture Fair Singapore 2015 held at the Singapore EXPO from 13 to 16 March 2015.

Rin Crossing is a Japanese online platform that introduces artisan products from Japan. There are so many beautifully designed goods shown on their website, I am dying to get my hands on them!

Rin Crossing’s  Booth Number at the International Furniture Fair Singapore is 4C-78. Get ready to be wowed by their decorative items, interior goods, fine art pottery, soft furnishing and upholstery from Japan.

I am so excited to go to IFFS this year ;)

Oh yes, these speech bubble design tableware from Ceramic Japan Co Ltd are even sold at the museum shop at MOMA New York!

When I think of chat and speech bubbles, I thought of LINE, emoticons and online speech.

So I decided to make Brown bear from LINE, and plated Brown Bear foodart on the plates. I also made some words like ‘LOVE’ and OMG! haha. 

The International Furniture Fair Singapore 2015 is a trade exhibition, but the last day of the exhibition is open to public!

Do check out this exciting show that features over 400 exhibitors under one roof showcasing the latest furniture and furnishing products!

The International Furniture Fair Singapore 2015

Official Website

13 – 15 March from 9:00am – 6:00pm (for Trade admission only)

16 March from 9:00am – 12:00pm (for Trade admission only)

16 March from 12.00pm – 5.00pm (for Trade & Public admission)

 

Rin Crossing

Website (Japanese)

Website (English)

Booth Space at IFFS 2015 is 4C-78

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Follow my bento creations, food art and food styling journey on my Facebook my page here or my Instagram here.

More information about my bento cookbook title ‘Kawaii Bento’  here. 

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