This is Yuri ‘Yurippa’ Suganuma’s featured article series in which she takes us on her adventures to cultivate new hobbies.

Yurippa has been interested in photography for some time now, but she’s been unsure which camera she should buy. So, she decided to head to some used camera stores,  Lucky Camera Shop andChuko Camera Box in Shinjuku to find the perfect camera that best suits her. Was she able to find the right one...? Let’s find out!

The first place Yurippa stopped by was Lucky Camera Shop. It’s located next to Isetan Shinjuku and has a kind of foreign, non-Japanese air to it. When Yurippa saw the eye-catching red exterior of the shop, it was loved at first sight. In any case, time to head in!

The store is lined with cameras made in lots of different countries including Japan, Germany and the US. Lucky Camera Shop puts a lot of effort into stocking foreign-made cameras and mechanical cameras with everything built in. They have a varied line-up, including famous Leica cameras.

The Leica parts were all expensive – the bodies and lenses were both over ¥100,000 ($915)!

Yurippa was shown a camera she was interested in from inside the showcase. The left was a single-lens reflex Olympus OM-1 and the right was a Barnack Leica. 35mm films are all the rage right now, and these were some of the first models to use them. Both are at a nice, compact size.

Yurippa was blown away looking through the viewfinder of the Olympus OM-1. ‘You can see things easily, so much so that everything looks even more beautiful through the viewfinder!’ she said.

Next, Yurippa also tried the Barnack Leica. It’s a valuable camera that has you feeling a little nervous touching it. She said surprised at how quiet the shutter was, to which the shop assistant explained, “This is a different single-lens reflex to that of the OM-1. There’s no mirror inside so the shutter is quiet.” Yurippa learned much about how cameras are put together differently, as well as the diverse number of types available.

The next shop Yurippa headed to was Chuko Camera Box. It’s a used camera store located along Shinjuku Electric Street (Shinjuku Denki-gai). The showcase is crowded with cameras, and the shop has an atmosphere to it like a secret hideout.

“It’d be great to have a camera that’s small and easy to use. One that I can take out and snap a photo with straight away. That’d definitely be fun!” said Yurippa while looking in earnest for a camera.

She continued to search with these keywords in mind, focusing on auto-focus film compact cameras. And then, she found it. In her hands was the Genba Kantoku from Konica. You can snap a photo just by pressing the shutter. It has auto-focus, flash and auto-load. “It’s a little big, but it’s affordable and seems easy to use!”

Chuko Camera Box is famous for its friendly store clerk and regular customers. Yurippa learned that the Genba Kantoku was formerly used for recording at construction sites. It’s durable and can get wet or be dropped and has an excellent lens. She’s finally made her purchase!

Yurippa loaded her Genba Kantoku right away with 35mm film. Simply take out the film tip and close it on its back. Film cameras can seem tricky, but there are easy-to-use ones like this too!

Yurippa was hugely satisfied finally getting her hands on her long-sought film camera. In the second part of this article, she will develop and print the photos that she has taken with her Genba Kantoku at a photo shop.

How about getting yourself your own film camera and to start up photography yourself?

Japanese model Yuri Sugunama, a.k.a “Yurippa,” is taking us on the third trip in her series series where she goes to personally experience Japanese culture and cultivate new hobbies. This time, she gets involved in a cooking lesson to make springtime temari sushi! Yurippa has always had an interest in homemade cooking but never really had the opportunity to challenge herself to it. So, how did she do...?

uki-uki cafe is located in Daikanyama which is just one stop from Shibuya on the Tōkyū Tōyoko Line. It's an easy place to get to just 5-minutes from the station tucked away in a quiet residential area. Upon opening the door to the café, you are greeted with a fresh space full of green plant life. You'll totally forget about the hustle and bustle of the city.

Teaching the lesson is uki-uki cafe's representative, Ayumi Kashiwabara. She's a food co-ordinator who promotes happy cooking that you'll unintentionally want to take a photo of. Not only does she serve food that makes your everyday dining table evermore buoyant, she also holds cooking lessons every now and then. "Call me Ayu-chan-sensei, okay?" she says with a pose. She's extremely friendly!

Today's challenge is making two items: 'temari sushi' and 'spring mizore soup.' First off, the temari sushi! You begin by mixing together 250g of rice with 25ml of vinegar, 15g of sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. This is then divided into 8 portions. Spread out some clingfilm and place ham in the middle. Then put one portion of rice on top and roll. Do this for all 8 portions. Roll the ham and rice into one and when taking the clingfilm off make sure that they stay together and don't separate.

Next is making plum lotus roots. Fill the holes of the lotus roots with bainiku plum. Use your finger to delicately press it all together. It's easy if you use a tube for this part. An excited Yurippa exclaimed, "This is the first time in my life I'm making food using bainiku plum!"

At this point, Ayu-chan-sensei added a small touch: "It'll look gorgeous if you do it like this." With just a little twist, she made it look even more fantastic by putting on thinly sliced lemon and sprinkling over some pepper. The two of them looked like they were having fun cooking next to each other.

Before dishing up the temari sushi, it's time to make the mizore soup. Add two teaspoons of Japanese dashi to 120ml of water and mix in one teaspoon of soy sauce, one teaspoon of sake, one teaspoon of mirin, and a little salt. Bring to the boil and just add some grated daikon. Daikon skin has nutritional value, so wash it thoroughly and rub dry.

Finally, add green beans into the mizore soup, put in wheat gluten, and... "All done!"

Yurippa's colourful temari sushi and mizore soup is complete and perfect for spring. Going out and adding seasonal a lunch mat, pair of chopsticks and tableware is fun too.

Yurippa was happy, commenting: "I can feel that food made by hand really is more delicious! It was easy and didn't take long, plus I like how exciting it looks. I want to invite my friends over to my house for a meal."

Cooking lessons are held once in a while at uki-uki cafe where you can learn how to make food that'll make your ordinary days more fun. If you think a cooking lesson is a little too much to handle, then just pop in to the café for a kawaii meal. Coming face to face with the food at uki-uki cafe will surely make your day that much happier.

Japanese model Yuri Sugunama, a.k.a “Yurippa,” is taking us on her next trip in this series where she goes to personally experience Japanese culture and cultivate new hobbies. Yurippa loves chocolate – she eats one tablet of the stuff day. In this Valentine’s-special second entry, Yurippa sampled different chocolates that are popular right now.

For Valentine’s Day in Japan, it’s custom for girls give guys chocolate and convey their feelings towards them. Guys return the favour on a day called White Day, which falls on March 14. So, since there’s one month to go before the big day, that means the most delicious chocolate in the world is about to hit shelves in Japan – popular both in Japan and overseas.

The first pick was the classic “KitKat,” a very well-known brand in over 100 countries. The Japanese brand of KitKat is actually made in Japan. It’s received much attention around the world for its original flavours. It’s also known for being associated with exam season for students – the word KitKat in Japanese (kitto katto) almost sounds like the phrase “Kitto Katsu!” which means “You will surely win!”

Yurippa tried out the new “KitKat Chocolatory” series, created by the chef and owner of “La Patissier Takagi,” Yasumasa Takagi. The “Sublime Valentine’s Assortment” costs ￥2,400 (tax excl.) and includes 7 KitKat bars with 6 different flavours. There’s dark chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate, matcha, raw, and a pink coloured ruby flavour. It’s a great selection to share and eat together with people.

The centerpiece of the collection is new Ruby KitKat, developed by the Swiss chocolate makers Barry Callebaut over a period of more than 10 years. The chocolate uses no colouring agents – the pink colour is made naturally to create an entirely new chocolate. Yurippa gave it her stamp of approval, saying it’ll be popular with girls for its vivid pink colour. She couldn’t contain her surprise for this newfound chocolate, saying “The berry flavour has a sour taste, but it’s different from strawberry chocolate. It’s something I’ve never tasted before.”

Next on the list is “Tea Chocolate Premium Matcha 7”. Costing just ￥1,000 (tax excl.), these chocolates are made by Shizuoka Matcha Sweet Factory “Nanaya,” who are known for producing the world’s most rich flavoured matcha gelato. These matcha chocolates don’t hold back on the milk so as to bring out the fragrance and taste of the tea leaves to the max. The set comes with 7 different matcha chocolates of varying intensity and 1 houjicha flavoured chocolate.

Yurippa expressed her excitement for the delicious chocolate before opening it. “When you open the packaging, the fresh smell of the tea whets your appetite so much you can’t wait to tuck in!”

The chocolate and tea leaves have a good combined balance of 3.1%, and the smell and taste of the leaves kicks in with a strong flavour combination of 21%. “The tea leaf combination is different but my impression of the chocolate changed dramatically!”

“If you eat the chocolates in order as written on the packaging, you can understand each flavour’s intensity much better! This chocolate would go better with hot milk or soy milk than coffee. The richer chocolate flavours are fairly moderate when it comes to sweetness, so if you’re on a diet then you can eat them without feeling guilty.”

The last pick is from the long-standing chocolate maker Mary Chocolate. The KANADE Japanese Sake Truffles (￥1,000) come in 3 flavours – milk, sweet and white – and are topped with carefully selected Japanese sake. Only the finest sake from Japan is used, such as Gokyo Junmai Sake from Yamaguchi Prefecture. Since the truffles contain alcohol, be wary not to hand them out to minors or people that are driving.

“There’s a good balance between the chocolate and sake, and depending on which brand of sake is used, you can enjoy a different flavour on your taste buds from each!”

Yurippa’s favourite was the milk truffle topped with Koyama Shuzo. She was very satisfied having recently acquired a taste for sake. “It brings out the enduring qualities of refreshing Japanese sake and a fruitiness. I really want people who like Japanese sake to try these! If you’re not too good with sake from Japan, then I recommend the white chocolate truffle with Ichiro from Dewazakura. The subtle fragrance of sake that you can feel inside the smooth texture of the white chocolate makes it really sophisticated.”

Yurippa gives friend chocolate to everyone on Valentine’s Day, guys and girls. Why don’t you try tasting this unique Japanese collection of chocolates recommended by Yurippa with everyone?

Japanese model Yuri Suganuma, a.k.a. ‘Yurippa,’ is beginning a new serialized project in which she goes to personally experience different areas of Japanese culture. In this first entry, Yurippa headed to FIGHT CLUB 428 in Shibuya to learn kickboxing, a form of martial art known to be very effective when it comes to dieting and getting rid of stress.

FIGHT CLUB 428 sits in the heart of Dogenzaka, a 7-minute walk from Shibuya Station. Serving up a convenient fitness menu and equipped with a bar, 428’s kick-back and welcoming atmosphere is its charm point.

It’s actually not that well known, but kickboxing is a sport that originated in Japan. Traditionally, it’s a martial art and combat sport that is fought without weapons and uses the game rules of Muay Thai.

The gym itself is clean, and women can also enjoy using the facility without worry. Female members of the gym are generally around the age of 25, and everyone there is extremely friendly, so it’s also a great place to make friends. You can also rent gym clothing if you want, meaning you can drop in empty-handed even if you’re on a trip.

Yurippa took a 1-day course (￥3,000) where she was taught by kickboxing teacher Ohno Umihiko. Just wow, being taught by a former kickboxer... not to mention how handsome he is!

Before starting training, you just stretch your body. Your muscles are quite stuff during the winter season making it easier to hurt yourself, so do it slowly and carefully.

One stretching is over, Yurippa moved onto the training basics – how to skip-rope. She was taught the proper way to jump like you see in movies and dramas: by using your ankles. But she was still a bit stiff somewhere, maybe because she wasn’t used to the jump roping yet, or maybe because she was still nervous from the gym atmosphere.

Moving on, Yurippa finally transitioned to the next phase: how to punch. The teacher wrapped bandage around her fists so she couldn’t injure them.

Once her bandages were on, her fighting spirit came through suddenly and she put on her war face. She settled on her fighting pose and was brimming with motivation!

She focused on jabs for the punching basics, learning to punch straight and how to hook.

The teacher praised Yurippa for having an aptitude for punching which raised her ferociousness even more. She went all out when practicing a finishing punch combination!

Her smug face and pose makes her look like she’s saying “How do I look? Am I cool?”

Don’t forget to rehydrate during training intervals. By the way, you can buy this bottle at the gym.

Next is punching the focus mitts while wearing gloves. Before punching the mitts, it’s customary to set your gloves on them first.

Kickboxing its more effective for dieting than it looks because it uses your whole body. You also have to twist around a lot, so you can really tone up your waist line.

The mid-kicks were a particularly good stress-reliever for Yurippa. If you aim at the mitts and kick with everything you have it makes a really great sound, so can be very exhilarating.

The teacher is very skilled in his way of teaching. Girl-Fighter-Yurippa has been born magnificently! Originally, Yurippa did slow activities such as yoga and was bad at them. She said that the movements in kickboxing are cool and it’s something she wanted to challenge herself to at least once. “Having finally experienced it, it was even more fun than I expected. I want to try continuing it!”

The gym also has a popular bar. The owner Ohno loves alcohol. He wanted more people to know about the gym so he built a bar than anyone can visit easily. The bar also comes with a special bonus: when the gym is full, people can order drinks for just ￥300! FIGHT CLUB 428 – the place where you can kickbox and enjoy a drink on the side. If you’re in Shibuya, then be sure to stop by.

Welcome back to MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON’s “Tokyo Stroll” series that recommends you travel destinations! Today, Hikari Shibata and Yuri Suganuma are leaving Tokyo and heading to the old capital Kyoto.

Together, Hikari and Yuri took the 07:00AM shinkansen train to Kyoto, arriving at 10:00AM. The first thing on their list was to fill up on some Kyoto gourmet! Sifting through Instagram and other SNS sites for the most popular spots, they decided to try some rare Kyoto confectionary at “Otabe Honkan”.

Having set their hearts on eating before sightseeing, they visited “Otabe Honkan”, a place they researched prior to their trip. After taking the subway to Jujo Station then walking for about nine minutes, they arrived.

They ordered according to what was popular online – “Kuchidoke Aisu” ( melt-in-the-mouth ice cream, ￥500 including tax), and the “Soufflé Sandwich” (￥162), which is new on the menu.

The melt-in-the-mouth “Kuchidoke Aisu” is an adzuki bean and milk shaved ice dessert which is topped with fluffy fresh cream and matcha. The Japanese word “ookini” (meaning “thank you” Kansai dialect) was written in matcha on the dessert – how cute! ♡

Hikari: The fresh cream wasn’t too sweet. Yummy!! Every now and then, I got a mouthful of adzuki beans. I really liked the variety of flavours ◎.

The new soufflé sandwich was made by adding velvety cream cheese to the bread dough.

Yuri: The soufflé was soooo fluffy! The cream cheese flavour and the sandwich is a match made in heaven!

Otabe Honkan works with a factory as a joint establishment. The factory produces a variety of popular brand confectionaries from different parts of Kyoto. Fresh Yatsuhashi is one of the famous products made by Otabe.

The factory also holds handmade sweet-making classes and allows visitors to the view the factory, so if you’re interested, check the link to the website below.

Off to Kyoto Tower – the symbol of Kyoto!

Stomachs full, the girls return to Kyoto Station and make their way to Kyoto Tower, which is the tallest building in Kyoto. The observation room is elevated 100 metres above the ground, and offers a stunning view of the streets. The many souvenir shops make it all the more popular with tourists.

On the 3^rd floor of Kyoto Tower, there is a Makizushi sample-making event! (Makizushi: sushi rolled in seaweed with a filling). There are many classes running here that allow visitors to experience Japan to the full. Yuri and Hikari decided to try out something very unique to Kyoto. They headed to the Otabe dojo to learn how to make fresh Yatsuhashi sweets by hand.

Before preparation, they got changed into specialist clothing and then took a commemorative photo…but what is this photo really for?

To make these fresh Yatsuhashi by hand, the girls made a steamed flour dough, stuffed it with anko red bean paste et voila! The thick and chewy texture of the mochi made the kneading process hard work! Yuri and Hikari were silently working all the way through, kneading and kneading and kneading until their work was approved by their sensei.

Here’s a picture of their highly praised Yatsuhashi. Our confectionary chefs made plain Yatsuhashi, matcha Yatsuhashi and Murasaki Imo (purple sweet potato) Yatsuhashi! Now it’s time to enjoy the snacks with a tea ceremony!

Yuri: We made these ourselves and to no surprise, they’re delicious!

Hikari: The dough is chewy and has a gentle flavour!

At the end, the girls received a souvenir gift and a certificate, and with that, class had ended. Inside the souvenir package, there was the photo taken at the start of the class! This put a smile on their faces.

>>next page Go to Kiyomizu-dera

A stroll around Kiyomizu-dera Temple

Looking for somewhere to enjoy the wonderful atmosphere of Kyoto to take photos, the girls headed to the area around Kiyomizu-dera temple. They made their way to Ninen-zaka and Sannen-zaka – two of Kyoto’s most beautiful streets. Whilst peeping around the souvenir shops on Ninen-zaka and Sannen-zaka, they soaked up the beautiful atmosphere.

You can find many of the most beautiful street views of Japan in Kyoto – wherever you choose as your photo spot, your photo will look good! If you want to take a really wonderful photo, check out Yuri and Hikari’s photo spots!

The girls pause to catch their breath – after coming all the way to Kyoto, of course you have to try the tea!

Kyo Baum Kiyomizu is located near Ninen-zaka. Here, the girls took a break to drink some green tea, which they felt was moderately sweet. Kyo Baum Kiyomizu was the perfect place to cool down after all that walking!

If you have room in your stomach then you might want to try a matcha-flavoured Baumkuchen (log cake) at “Kyo Baum”. The girls recommend the Kyo Baum Cornet (￥540), which is full of “Kyo Baum”. The log cake is coated in matcha fondant and coated with sugar. This is a popular Kyoto souvenir.

Yuri: The combination of fresh cream and the Kyo Baum is delicious〜

A hidden gem of a photo spot!

A quick stop at the shop to take a photo and they’re off again!

With the scenery of the streets of Kyoto and the Tower of Yasaka in the background, this photo spot is a very valuable discovery by YuRi-chan and Hikari-chan!

To end the day: A stroll along Kamo river, Gion

When you ask of a typical “Kyoto” spot, the answer would be Gion. Before returning home, our two travellers stopped by Gion, absorbing the typical Kyoto street view and walking along the Kamo river.

It doesn’t matter where you take a photo in Kyoto, it will always come out as a beautiful image. Check out Hikari-chan and YuRi-chan’s SNS threads to see pictures of their time in Kyoto.

Hikari: This is the second time I have been on a stroll around Kyoto but this time I had a completely new experience. I looked around the Otabe factory, experienced making traditional Otabe sweets by hand and much more – I made the most out of a day in Kyoto! I’ve always been a fan of matcha and I eat it a lot, but to actually eat matcha treats in the homeland of matcha makes me feel extremely satisfied!

Yuri: Kyoto is the best place for matcha treats! There are so many different types of delicious sweets! The freshly made Yatsuhashi and the Kyo Baum were so delicious – I could easily keep eating and loose track! Making Yatsuhashi by hand was a fun experience! Although we only spent one day in Kyoto, my heart and stomach were completely satisfied! I love to eat – this was the best girls holiday ever! I want to visit Kyoto again 〜♪

From tasting Kyoto-limited sweets and making Yatsuhashi to visiting tourist spots, Kiyomizudera temple and the Kamo river, this day was packed with adventure! What did you think? After spending a day with the girls in Kyoto, how about going yourself?