Osaka 2011

Andrea and I came back from our trip to Japan a couple of weeks ago. Although it was blisteringly hot we had a blast. The first city we visited was Osaka. While there we visited with my friend Takeshi; his Aunt and Uncle drove us around the first two days to Wakayama and Nara. Osaka is known for being a city where it's citizens love to eat and they did not disappoint. 

Ojisan feeding one of the 1200 deer. 

Inside a soba shop

Spice

Isuien Garden where we sat and drank Matcha while taking in the tranquility of the garden

Walking around a market in Nara

Artful manhole covers were commonplace in Japan

Okonomiyaki with Takeshi

Osaka Castle

Instagramming Amherst Island and Kingston

Earlier in the summer, I took a trip out East with my girlfriend to Ontario. We spent our time visiting her family and relaxing in Amherst Island and Kingston. For those of you that don't know, Kingston is a college town home to Queens University and Amherst is a small island of a about 100 people 20 minutes away from Kingston by ferry. The pictures below are from the trip and include some shots from Becky's father's sheep farm. All pictures were taken with instagr.am.

Ferry.

Cafe on the Island.

Poutine at the Tucan Patio, Downtown Kingston.
Penitentiary in Kingston.

The Barn.

View from the Barn.
Island Road.

Church in Downtown Kingston.


Chip Truck.

Japan

Later this morning, my girlfriend and I will be heading to Japan for around 3 weeks. I'll be taking in the sites, visiting some friends, and doing some shopping. Feel free to check out my twitter, which I should be updating throughout the trip. いってきます！

Pickup: Dress Shirts from Vegas

 To start me on my dress shirt hunt Andrea got me these in Vegas as well. The J Crew one fits me pretty well off the rack, is a slim cut, and has a point collar. 

This Brooks Brothers tattersall shirt is advertised as a slim fit but is still baggy on me so it will need to be taken in. 

This Brooks Brothers pink button-down has the same problem and will need to be taken to the tailor as well. Otherwise the shirt is a nice collar and will look good with a blazer and some chinos. 

Pickup: Casual Shirts for Summer

Andrea and her family visited Las Vegas again in July, this time for her grandma's 80th birthday. I regrettably was not able to attend but they were nice enough (again) to grab me some stuff at the summer sales. Thanks again!

First up, a patterned cotton long sleeve PS Paul Smith shirt

Gant by Michael Bastian - Regent Print Contrast Button Down

Brooks Brothers Gold Fleece - Slim-Fit Polo

RRL - short sleeve selvedge cotton shirt

NSF - Striped oxford cloth long sleeve shirt

Pickup: Clark's Desert Boots

I've been meaning to get a pair of these for a while now but always keep passing them by. Andrea was recently in Vegas again and was kind enough to pick me up a pair. The story behind these shoes is well known so I won't go into it in detail. You can read about Nathan Clark, the creator of the Clark's Desert Boot, here.