November + December 2025

Hello and welcome to the second ever Hanami Monthly blog post!

And I have already failed at my goal of posting once a month, oh no! I'll let myself off, though, as the past two months have felt very busy for me. I have had MCM Birmingham, Christmas shopping, and the end of my Japanese lessons!

It's a good job I did start drafting this post in November though, as I absolutely would have forgotten everything before then.

Before we get into it, I want to remind you all of the offer I still have ongoing! The first 10 people to use the following code SAKURA10 will get 10% off their first order with Novae Co.

To start off this post, I thought I would name some markets/events I attended, and give them each ratings!

First of all, there was Hyper Japan Manchester!

I'm going to give this one a 7/10

The overall vibe was very chill, but the hours were definitely longer than they had to be. As an attendee, I could leave whenever I wanted, but I definitely felt for the artists and traders.

I hope Hyper Japan returns to Manchester, because I would love to come again!

Birmingham MCM

6/10

As a trader, I didn't really leave my table except to go to the loo. But, I was still able to get my hands on a little haul of items. Overall, I give MCM a lower rating than Hyper Japan for one big reason: AI 'slop' in a curated event.

When so many artists get rejected, it seems insulting to have seen so many AI filled tables at the event. I hope this is something that MCM improves on in the future.

Matlock Victorian Christmas Market

4/10

I grew up in Matlock, so the Victorian Christmas Market was an event I always took for granted. Food, rides, and artisan traders. This year? 3D Printed items, AI 'slop', and a vastly reduced number of artists and traders. It was such a huge disappointment, and a big shame to see the market reduced to this. Especially when I know how much it can cost to table there.

In the end, I was able to buy some lovely items, and there were some amazing artisan traders. Hopefully next year things will be better.

Lastly, the Haddon Hall 'Mini' Mercatum

6/10

A mini version of the sold out event, with a £5 entry fee.

Since the mini version was entirely outside, I'm not super sure of how I feel about the entry fee. Especially since there was always a parking charge. But the stalls there were nice.

My favourite was the lavender stall, where I bought some lavender syrup amongst other items. I'm looking forward to enjoying it with some matcha, as it had a lovely sweetness with the sample.

I definitely would recommend the actual Mercatum market, and would skip the mini version in future. It was just too cold, and also very quiet.

MCM was the biggest event I have ever traded at!

And it also brought in my biggest profit, which I am so glad about. Yippee!

I had previously borrowed a lot of money from my mum, so being able to finally pay her back was such a huge relief. To have a little leftover for Christmas presents? An added bonus.

The love for the Mochi Bunny Plushies was so big, too.

I think sometimes I get in my head a little about my designs, and what items will and won't sell, so completely selling out of the mochi bunnies was an absolutel unexpected dream. My mum had been saying all in the lead up to the event that I would sell out, but I didn't believe her.

I actually sold out on the Saturday and had to ask my twin to bring more for the Sunday! I think that might be my biggest success at any event.

My biggest fail? Only selling one of my hand painted daruma. I spent so so long painting 9 new daruma dolls, and so I was so sad to only see one go. Thank you to my friend Sofi for promoting it!

It does mean I don't have to paint anymore for a while though! Silver linings!

I hope to do MCM Birmingham again, if they let me back in! Please let me back in!

Maybe one day I'll have grown enough to try London, too. But that might be a more distant plan.

Speaking of plans!

I currently have a couple new product samples in the works!

embroidered beret design

I am hoping to sell embroidered berets in the future!

Since I wear a lot of hats and berets already, I decided I want to try designing some myself. I currently have a cream and pink one in the works. They will have the same embroidery design, but in slightly different colours!

I hope others end up liking them too, because I would love to offer them to my range of products.

Maybe I will have to design some cute handbags to match too? I might have to do some interest checks over on instagram for those.

Lastly, to finish off this blog post, I have finished my Japanese lessons!

The University of Sheffield offers something called 'Languages for All' which means even those who aren't official students can attend Japanese classes. So, I got to spend a term learning Japanese from official tutors!

I wish I could continue into next term, too, but health issues and other busy plans would just make it too difficult for me.

Even so, I am so glad I got to spend the past few months on it!

Towards the end, though, the tutors had to go on strike. So, this is just my little show of support for them. With the rise of AI, education is falling downhill, and it is scary. Now, universities are wanting to reduce tutors to cut costs? I am concerned, and I think more people should be.

Hopefully, things will improve in the future. And hopefully universities change their minds. Until then, I ask for them to do better.

And that's the end of the November + December Blog Post!

Thank you for reading to the end!

Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas, to those who celebrate,

and to a Happy New Year!