I will post about, salsa, bachata, beauty, fashion, photography, and life in Japan. I want to share everything that I find to be interesting, beautiful, and fun. I studied Theatre Costuming and Japanese, graduated from WVU in Morgantown West Virginia, and moved to Tokyo in 2017 to pursue my many dreams. I studied abroad in Nagoya at Kinjo Gakuin University in 2011 and you can read about that in my older posts here. I currently work as an English teacher using theatre.
They say that money can’t buy happiness, buuuut it got me salsa and bachata lessons, and I can’t stop smiling.
😁
So, it’s official! I have started taking salsa and bachata classes from today with HTDC salsa in Tokyo, Japan. What a time and place to be starting Latin dance! I started my day (actually, the second hardest of my regular work-days of the week) late because I was tired and didn’t feel like it, but knowing I had dance to look forward to helped. I got up, ate breakfast, went back to bed to cuddle with husband, then put on my big girl pants to head out and face the day. As usual, it wasn’t easy, but I kept reminding myself of what I had to look forward to. Work ended and I felt reaaaalllyyy excited AND nervous which I didn’t really feel before with this same group of awesome dance people that I’d already known and danced with at social dances. It was my first time learning choreography with them at an advanced level.
Oh, that’s another fun tidbit! I’d previously learned only the basics from my best friend who introduced me to salsa and bachata, and danced only at social dances, but the teachers at HTDC recommend that I take advanced! There’s beginner, upper, advanced, and expert, and bachata.
It’s hard though. It’s a challenge. Taku told me I could do upper and it would be maybe too easy, or do advanced, and it would be hard, so he recommended the challenge, and I accepted. I want to improve. I think that after one day, I’ve already learned a lot and improved though. They’re working on routines for Yes We Dance event, which I don’t think I can actually participate in because it’s a work day for me.
Hey guys! So, if you didn't know, Too Faced is my favorite makeup brand, has been for a while, so I was super happy when it finally came to Japan!
Today I wanna compare 2 of their liquid lipsticks that have similar colors and scents. I love pumpkin, and they have 2 pumpkin scented/flavored lipsticks. The pumpkin spice is from last year I think, and the pumpkin spice latte (PSL) one is this year.
So first of all, let's talk about the scent. The pumpkin spice one smells like pumpkin pie and slightly more gingery. The new PSL one smells like cinnamon and coffee. My first take was like apple cinnamon scented candles though.
They both have a slightly sweet taste and in the ingredients list is stevia sweetener, which is a thing Too Faced always does that I love! I think the older one is slightly sweeter tasting.
So, now for the colors and swatches! The new PSL is a slightly darker and redder color, so I like it better for that. The old pumpkin spice is oranger and lighter, especially in the tube it's noticeably lighter.
Ok, so like, one of the best things about living and working in Tokyo is that during my lunch breaks, I can just hop on over to one of the super cool Japanese fashion shops I'd read about online for years while in the US, just dreaming about visiting one day. Now I can just go whenever! So that's exactly what I did today. Plus, I was already dressed up princessy for my work's in-class Halloween party.
This event was from October 28th - 31st in Nakano Broadway in the basement near where the Spank! shop is located, in a little event space. The first thing I did was a workshop where you can make your own arm warmer thingies. For ¥1500, you can choose a set with or without lace, then one type of bow and one type of bead or button, then any other extra bits are ¥50 each. Then, with you can sew them on yourself, or I think they could do it for you if you can't, but I'm not sure because I just did it myself.
There's also a booth with candy shop from Koenji, and I got a cute light-up light bulb keychain, which I might make into a necklace to match some similar light-up earrings I already have. Then, she told me that they have a kind of stamp sticker rally thing where if you do all 3 of the things there, so can get a Polaroid and a certificate, so OF COURSE I had to buy one of the cute accessories they had (which I was already thinking about getting anyway)
My legs and abs are sooooore, but I'm happy. I've lost 2 kilos since getting so much into dance recently, and my whole weekend was spent dancing!
It started off with Midsummer rehearsal. We had an extra long rehearsal day, so I already knew couldn't make the weekly swing dance event I usually go to. The fairies didn't have too much to work on, so I requested that we work on the dance a lot, because I am majorly sucking at it, even though I've been doing so much (totally different genre) dancing lately. I don't have a lot of space to practice at home, and watching the videos of the dances doesn't help me very much, and I wanted to practice as a group. We did it so many times, and I think I've (maybe) finally got it!
Then on Sunday night, starting late, as all these latin dance events always tend to, the event that had West Coast swing and bachata in Roppongi last week happened again this week. It's every Sunday at Studio Pepe hosted by Pa' Lante Dance company, but the lessons change. The bachata lesson always happens, and it quickly covers basics for the newbies, then usually a new intermediatish level move after. At least that's how it's been the past 2 times I've been so far. Before the bachata lesson there is another type of dance lesson, and this week was a zouk lesson which I skipped because I have no idea what zouk is or if I wanna try to learn it. I danced LOTS and it was really fun! I met some of the same people from last time, plus some new faces. I have noticed that there are a lot more briefly passing through travelers and new arrivals now that Japan has opened back up.
Then on Monday, me and husband finally used our amazing wedding present from the Moband members! It was a dinner ticket to like a suuuuper fancy place and it covered a $300ish dinner for 2. We ended up choosing this really fancy sushi course thing that was at the Tokyo Hilton hotel. It was DELICIOUS, but these fancy course meals always leave you hungry XD This one gave a decent amount sushi-wise, but we both agreed that we could have easily eaten a whole second platter of the sushi, each.
This was mine, because they asked us at the beginning if we had any food allergies or things we didn't like, which I did, so they accommodated my pickiness
This is the original
Then, red miso soup that was super yummy!
They noticed that husband is left-handed and placed the dessert spoon accordingly for him!
Black sugar ice cream, red bean paste, and mochi
After eating, we went home and cuddled and read together for a bit, then he took a nap while I worked a little on the Midsummer costumes. Then, I went to my second salsa social dance with the HTDC salsa people in Ebisu! I went for the first time on Halloween. It's every other week on Mondays, the social dance, and I'd been super looking forward it! Their first trial lesson is free, and I already knew the basics, so I just went to the social dance this time. After Midsummer is over, I think I want to start taking salsa lessons with them, because they are so good at dancing, teaching, leading, following, and they're just all such cool people! I was talking with Taku, the teacher guy, and right when a new song began, I asked him to dance, and he said he was just about to ask me to dance! We've danced together 3 times in all, but it's funny because always right when I decide to ask him to dance, he asks right before me, but this time, I beat him! The dance teachers always know what they're doing, and the dance will definitely be fun because they know how lo lead well, even if you're a noob like me XD.
It's always fun to watch and see who you think is a super good dancer, and then don't be intimidated, just ask them to dance! It's how you can learn new stuff, build your confidence dancing, and the best part? Making friends! Like seriously, everyone is super nice and patient if I can't figure out a move that's new for me, and some people even teach me how it goes and then try it again. Many people in the latin dance community can speak English, and are patient with my Japanese either way.
As I mentioned before, I was planning to try west coast swing again at an event along with bachata.
We had rehearsal for Midsummer on Sunday. Husband was practicing the fighting and action scenes after rehearsal, and I was talking costumes with people. He was still rehearsing, but I had costume stuff I wanted to shop for so I decided to go early. Off I went to the Nippori area which is (hahahahahaha, I knew this already and totally forgot) closed on Sundays!
So, I decided to head to Roppongi early, before the dance thing and wander a bit, because I don’t know Roppongi at all. It felt like a whole different country.
I went to find where the event I'd planned on attending was, and walked past it to hang around Roppongi station, and read my book and drink some wine by myself while I waited for the thing to start. Then, I headed back and paid the fee to enter. I saw the cool West Coast swing couple I'd met, and got checked in by another guy I didn't know, who I later learned was the bachata teacher.
I was super shy at first, but the West Coast Swing lesson was the super basics that I'd already known, so I felt better. After that was a basic bachata lesson, which I also felt pretty ok with. I don't know much bachata, but it weirdly feels really comfortable and easy for me to pick up. We learned a kind of complicated move after the basics, and he moved quickly with the lesson which was fine with me.
Then the social dance began! Lots of people joined by that point, and the majority of the dance music was bachata, with a bit of west coast swing thrown in. I danced maybe my first successful west coast swing dance this night probably XD There was some merengue also thrown in, but I didn't remember what I'd learned of it as a kid, so I skipped it. Also a few salsa songs were thrown in too! I was excited and asked someone to dance right away, and they asked me "1 or 2?" and I was like "...Huh?" and they said "New York or LA?", which I misunderstood as like a "where are you from" question, so I was like NY because that's where I was born, buuuut then he started leading something I did not at all understand, so that's how I learned that there are 2 types of salsa.
I danced with an Australian guy and mentioned that I was an English teacher, and he said there's a whole group of English teachers there, and he introduced me. One girl was super excited to see that I also have a tooth gap! I have a love/hate relationship with this little feature I was born with, but she made me feel happy to have it. Also, on the topic of my natural features that I have love/hate relationships with, my hair was a star this night.
I mentioned that I was half Dominican, and they all got excited and introduced me to their Dominican friend, and then I found out that the bachata teacher also is Dominican! They told him, and he lit up and asked me, in Spanish, if I could speak Spanish, which I could understand what he was asking me, but my natural reaction was to respond in Japanese to tell him that I didn't know Spanish, and everyone laughed XD
Anyway, I danced nonstop, met many amazing people, fell even more in love with bachata, and am planning to go again this Sunday (and maybe swing too if rehearsal lets me)! Then on Monday, I plan to go to the salsa place I went to in Ebisu again!
My work life is a crazy hectic mess, but I'm looking forward to the days I can dance to get me through the week.
After rehearsal and swing dancing, I went to Kawagoe for the Kawagoe Matsuri! Apparently it had been cancelled for covid for the past few years up until now.
My friend and I had been planning to go to this festival for months! She lives in Kawagoe and she is the one who told me about it. I had so many things happening on this day, but I was so excited for this festival! I missed the fast express train (fastest without paying extra, that is) by a literal second in the conbini grabbing snacks, and got the semi rapid, which meant I'd be 15 minutes later than planned. My husband, who planned to join up with us later, ended up taking the extra money express so he arrived one train behind me. I met my friend, we walked a bit from Kawagoe-shi station, grabbed some sparkling wine, then husband arrived! We met up and walked around and, wow, I can't even explain how in awe I was!
She explained kind of what was going on, and I'll explain it from a total outsider who hasn't yet actually researched what it was about. So. The big wagon thingies that are going along the streets, they like have to pass each other. When they do, they have to stop and 'greet' each other, so the people pulling them have to turn them around to face each other. The wagons have people wearing masks and acting as Japanese monster thingies on them, people playing Japanese flutes and percussion instruments, along with some kind of doll on the tippy-top. Also, the tippy-top can drop down to accommodate the power lines.
We wandered, ate, and drank, then headed back home!
A cool thing I saw a lot of was Coedo Brewery from Kawagoe is doing a collaboration with my favorite band Acidman. This is the second time they've done this collaboration. The first time was like 4 years ago, when I dragged husband all the way to Kawagoe during a typhoon to get a bottle. I still have it (empty) decorating my living room.
You know that feeling when you're falling in love? The butterflies in the belly, the can't stop thinking about the object of your affections, the listening to songs that remind you of them? That's me right now. Except, it's for dance. Yeah, that's right, I'm falling for salsa and bachata. Like seriously though, that's the closest way I can explain this feeling.
So, on Halloween, me and husband went to see our actor friend's show in Ebisu. It was all in Japanese and covered some difficult topics, such as racism, fast fashion and wastefulness, etc. After the show, I wasn't sure how much of it I really understood. We met up with our friend in the show for drinks after and talked about it in English, and I apparently really did get the meaning! Like, some of the small conversational details and jokes I missed, but I actually understood the most important parts of the story! This is the second fully in-Japanese theatre performance I've witnessed. The other was of another amazing actor friend, and it was more comedy and slightly easier to follow.
I was already planning to meet my best friend who made me try salsa after this. He taught me some of the basics so he could practice with me, and the first event I went to, he performed at. His salsa people were having their weekly lesson and biweekly social dance on Halloween. Husband isn't into dance like me, so he was on the fence about going, but we got a free trial lesson, as it was our first time, so he ended up trying it out. Our actor friend also gave it a try!
They learned the basics, and then as soon as the social dance part came around, I was ready to dance all night! They both left to grab drinks, and I hit the dance floor. About 3 dances in, they came back, and they were like...already itching to leave. Luckily our actor friend had to meet up with his cast for drinks too, because this was their last performance, and husband wanted to get to know them too, so he made his escape and tagged along! Meanwhile, I danced with some amazing dancers, some of whom I'd already met and danced with a bit at the other event I went to and it was SO FUN! So, both me and my husband ended up partying and missing our last train together in Ebisu, while Shibuya Halloween insanity happened one train stop away.
At around 11:25, after some kind of cuban salsa dance circle thingy that confused both me and my friend, the dancers started talking about their last trains, which I had completely ignored. I grabbed my phone (also ignored) right when husband called, and told him I'd been dancing and wanted to continue, and he said he was having fun and also wanted to continue XD Buuuut then the dancing stared to fizzle, and so did husband's group, so we met up (I got to meet the actors, and it was cool seeing what they were really like as people), and walked as far as we could which was a little beyond Yoyogi park before giving up and ¥5000 taxi-ing it home.
Now, I am constantly thinking and talking about dancing, listening to bachata music, and plotting and planning the next event I can go to. I tried west coast swing recently which seems to be kind of like the bachata of the swing dance world, but while I loooooove bachata, I just can't figure out west coast swing, and I'm not entirely sure yet if I want to... Everyone I met at the 2 west coast swing events I tried was SUPER nice and welcoming and a lot knew pretty good English too.
My favorite dances in order, right now are maybe bachata, salsa, then Lindy hop/east coast swing. I looked up a bit of background info about salsa and bachata, because I knew that they are Latin dances, but not much beyond that. I was pleasantly surprised to find that bachata is originally Dominican. I am half-Dominican, but never really had a chance to connect with that half of me since I was a child. Divorce, moving from New York to West Virginia, I forgot the little I did know.
This Sunday after my play rehearsal, there is an event with the west coast swing people that has a west coast swing lesson AND bachata lesson, and social dance, so I'm thinking to give west coast swing another (3rd) chance, and if I still don't get it, at least I can bachata!
My best friend has gotten super into salsa recently, and I've always been into dance, especially swing dancing. To be honest, I'm surprised it took him this long to get into some type of ballroom dancing since it fits his personality so well. Actually when we met, I'd thought he might have already been into swing dancing or something and was surprised to find that he wasn't. Anyway, fast forward to now!
His most recent passion is salsa, and he's taught me some of the basics and practiced with me a bit, which was really fun because I could actually follow! It feels really nice to be able to jump into a different type of dance and pick it up so quickly. Bachata seemed more difficult. I actually knew a little bit about bachata because one of my close friends in college in the US was really into it. That was the first I'd ever heard of it, but I'd never really tried it.
There were some performances, then someone would would ask me to dance, or when I was feeling brave, I would ask someone. They would listen and declare the song as either salsa or bachata, which I can now maybe tell the difference. It was surprising at first to suddenly be led into bachata, because I knew the basics of salsa pretty well, and bachata is a lot...closer, physically. Bachata is a lot more sensual than salsa, and dancing it was so much fun! The people I danced with were all really nice and it wasn't like weird, just fun connections with people who love to, and are good at dancing. It was really fun, and everyone was super cool!
Anyway, I think I've fallen in love with some more types of dance
