Walking in Nippon-ya and Moritaya

Today we walk through the expensive giftshop, Nippon-ya and the cute store Moritaya.

We have an assortment of cute plushies. You can see cute sea animals, such as the pink dolphins, the whale, Nemo and a seahorse. But our focus was on the cute Mt. Fuji plushie. Super kawaii, but unfortunately, I couldn't find his pair. Every Mt. Fuji has a Ms. Fuji (pink), but this Mt. Fuji was a lonely one with no Ms.

Then we have boxes of yummy Japanese dessert erasers, with a red fishy on the cover of the packaging. Adorable! But I don't like to buy erasers (for my collection) in sets, I usually buy them individually at Ichiban'kan and elsewhere in the store. The main reason for that is that some of the stuff in the box, I already have, and sometimes there's just something not too cute or delicious in the box.

Next we have a (badly taken) picture of cow charms. This one, unlike Fuji, has a pair. And not only do they have a pair, they have a pair of twin babies as well! A totally happy family!

Our last charm at Nippon-ya is some good luck fishy charms, that I have no idea what they say. They're probably representing good luck in love (pink), good luck in wealth (yellow) and good luck all around(red). That's what I'd think.

Now in Moritaya, we have some cute (and overly expensive) 'Milk' charms. I believe these are the kinds that you stick in your car window to show off to people, but I can't really remember. These little trinklets, (I'm going to take a wild guess) are about $3 for their cuteness.

We meet Milk's cousin, Tofu. This is a Hannari Tofu Plush doll, coffee version(I'm assuming). I have the green tea version of this Hannari Tofu Plush doll, very adorable. But I think his cousin, Milk, is just as adorable, if not more (Seeing as I like to drink milk more than I like to eat tofu).

Here is Milk and Tofu together at a family reunion. See how happy and smily all of them are. Super adorable, cute and small for a super uncute price of $8.

And now we meet Milk's 2nd cousin removed, Sushi. Sushi is a fairly new addition to the family, to me at least. (Which is why I really wish the picture was taken better). As you can (maybe) see, this is Shrimp Sushi. Not Crab or Califonia Roll, but Shrimp.

Our last stop for today is cute farm animal charms, Cow and Lamb. These two adorable kiddies are the best of friends, and would love it if you bought them both at the same time.

Thanks for coming today! Check back tomorrow for the final Japantown (7/17/10) post!

Walking with Rilakkuma

Today (still part of 7/17/10), we walk through Kinokuniya as well as Moritaya in seach of cute San-X character, Rilakkuma (Relax Bear) and friends.

Some people don't know that there are three Kinokuniya "stores" at my Japantown. But, yes, there is. There's the main, and biggest one, that's the bookstore. And on the same floor, across the hall is the Stationary section where you can find all your paper stuff, pencils and notebooks. And there's a new Kinokuniya store built a floor below, dedicated to all things cute (San-X characters). I didn't go to the Stationary across from the bookstore, merely because I forgot this time, but I totally should and would have.

First up, we have some adorable Rilakkuma hand towels for $1.95 plus tax. For me, that's pretty cheap, but how would I explain coming home with a hand towel to my mum. I couldn't explain it, and it wouldn't make sense, so I didn't buy it, obviously.

Then, we have Rilakkuma notebooks of all shapes and pictures. Each one is super adorable, I wish I could've boughten all of them, but that's pretty impossible. The small ones were $1.95 plus tax and I forget how much the bigger ones were exactly, like $5 something. Each notebook has pages consisting of two different Rilakkuma images. Personally, I wish every page had different images, as I love Rilakkuma, but unfortunately, that was not so. Guess which one I bought?

Now, if the last two pictures didn't make you squeal, this has to make you squeal over and die, I know it did just that to me. "I have pockets in my back ~Try to make me walk with your FINGERS!" Oh my gawd, how ADORABLE is THAT?! Like, I'm not even kidding. I have never met anything as cute as this in my life. And, yes, I did try to make him walk with my fingers. It was a little bit difficult as the top part of his body kept falling over, and also because my fingers aren't very coordinated.

This was actually found in the Kinokuniya Bookstore, not the Stationary, but it's part of a Rilakkuma theme. There were two boxes of Rilakkuma on the shelf for about $7. Inside the box is some kind of figurine on a stand that shakes. I have no idea what it's real purpose is, besides being cute, but I wanted it. Personally, I think the animated and drawn version of Rilakkuma looks cuter than the real version, but this was okay. I went into Kinokuniya after eating the Curry Soba, so I found this and thought (out loud) "I'll get it when we come back after Karaoke." and I ended up not getting it because I was low on cash.

That's it for Kinokuniya, so now we move on for more Rilakkuma cuteness in Moritaya, another cute filled shop.

Here's some cute Rilakkuma plushies for sale in Moritaya, for how much, I forget. I love Rilakkuma, but I honestly have to say, that the plushie with him wearing a hat is totally not cute, mainly because the way his right (left for him) leg is twisted in a weird position. I suppose that he's "running", but I can't say so for sure. Then we have Rilakkuma and his friend, Korilakkuma , relaxing and sleeping with a leaf resting on their face.

And we have a basket full of Rilakkuma plushies, not yet put on shelves. They look super cramped inside that basket, poor Rilakkumas (and Korilakkumas). I would buy all of them and proudly take care of them as their owner, if I could.

Then we come back to Nijiya where the deliciously cute Rilakkuma Chocolate Lollipop exists. And I'm faced with a difficult decision, which lollipop to get. Personally, as I looked at them the Korilakkuma lollipop looked cuter. But I really want Rilakkuma. And then I looked through the shelf to see if there was any other character, like Kiiroitori (the bird) , but there wasn't. And I found out that was the last Korilakkuma lollipop. So what was my decision?

I choose the Korilakkuma lollipop!

That's it for today, come back tomorrow to see more cute Moritaya pics.

(Click here to buy plently of Rilakkuma stuffs!)

Walking the Kinokuniya

Today (still part of the 7/17/10 day) we walk through the Kinokuniya Bookstore, mainly focusing on the T-shirts I found there.

So this is a purple tee with an "attached" tie and pocket. Damn, I totally should've boughten this shirt. Because it would've been perfect for Nerd Day (Tuesday) and/or Purple Day(Thursday) at the summer school I teach for Spirit Week. But it was way too expensive for my budget, it was about $15 [I think] and I only brought $20 that day, plus I already spent $6 on the Karaoke.

Then we have a "Soy Shy" tee. Under the cute tofu in a kimono says, well the same thing "Tofu Shy Square Kimono". This was pretty cute, but not that much.

Here's a cute one that says "Mi So Happy". Haha, I hope you all get it. If not, just know that the bowl is "Miso Soup". So yeah.

We have a cute robot, alien like thing that's crying a single tear while screaming "noooooo!" (That's 6 "o's" mind you). It's adorable and I would totally want that. It would be very useful. =)

Then we have a tee that wasn't actually found in Kinokuniya, but it's just as cute and fits in with the theme. It's a TokiDoki shirt. With two cute boy and girl monkeys on a date, eating hot dogs while sitting on a hot dog bench. Super cute.

And of course, I saved the best tee for last. "It's NOT a Taco. It's a Tako!" Super duper kawaii. With a picture of a Takoyaki stand, "Mr. Tako's Yaki". And we have some Takos manning the Takoyaki stand. Super adorable. And four Takoyakis (Octopus Balls) on top of the stand. I can't remember what the text in the speech buble said, so sorry. I totally want this shirt so bad.

So now we move onto some books that I saw on display outside of the Kinokuniya Bookstore. A book called "Yum-Yum Bento Box" (Ogawa Maki). I was attracted to this book because of the cute designs of the bento boxes. I really want to make a cute bento box, but I neither have the skills in cooking or making intricate designs like that. Maybe someday. Next to the book is one that's titled "i Heart macarons" (Ogita Hisako). Has any noticed that macarons look like pretty patties? Or is it the other way around?

Here's another Bento book, but I don't know the exact title. But this book was the one I actually spotted first, instead of the one I previously showed you. But the reason was probably just because this was higher on the display shelf.

And the last book is a papercrafts book called Paper Wonderland. I really want this book. You probably don't know, but I do print out and make some papercrafts (badly, mind you that). Perhaps one day I'll show some of the ones I've done, but that's another day.

Here's two charm pieces that I was considering buying. The one on the left is a "big food" charm and the one on the right is "Strawberry Love Mascot". They were $3.35 and I was considering buying it, but decided against it at last minute.

This is a cool figurine thingy. It's soba noodles, what a coincidence because I just had curry soba, and a pair of chopsticks is holding some strands up. "Floating in midair". Totally cool, but not very cute.

I was going to buy this postcard, $2, but I decided against it very last minute. I really really wanted it, but I just didn't have enough money (I could've probably, if I gave up on something else). It says "Very Hot - Panda".

That's it for today! Come back tomorrow to take a walk with Rilakkuma.

Walking through Tanabata Trees, On the Bridge, and Karaoke

Today (same day, 7/17/10) I walked through the mall, the specific spots of today's post is 'On the Bridge' cafe and the Tanabata trees.

So these are the Tanabata trees that are up around the mall. The trees are up for the whole month of July even though the Tanabata festival is only one day in July, the 7th. Some wishes pretty much say the same thing, wishing for good health. Some wishes are what people want. It's all the usual, but there are some pretty funny and interesting wishes as well.

This one says, "I wish (insert name) forgets that she gave me her wallet ... and a Jetpack". This wish is annoymous, with no name. I thought it was pretty funny and interesting.

This one is hilarious. "I wish for the strength and courage to defeat Lord Voldemort - Harry Potter". Real funny. And I love the little picture of Harry as well. I don't know who you are, but nice job.

This one is mine. I basically wrote that "My wish is to move to Japan. And to be happy always.". Though I'm pretty sure that I wrote it grammatically incorrect. (And in case you can't tell, I wrote it in Japanese because, yes, I take Japanese at school).

This one is totally cute. It says, "I wish for (insert name) and (insert name) to get together." Signed with a heart. Hmm, I wonder who wrote that.

Here's the last one, and it's a funny one as well. "I wish I can successfully invade Russia -Napoleon". Well, that's it for the Tanabata wishes. Let's move on.

So today I went to Japantown to go Karaoke-ing with my friends. It was originally supposed to be me, A, N and S going. (A had invited all of us) But N, on the night before, cancelled on us saying she was busy. So A told me that this girl that I kind of knew was going to come, Q. So I arrived at the meeting point at 1PM and I saw A and Q. I hugged A and I waved a polite 'hello' to Q.

I asked, "Where's S?" And A told me, "S can't make it today. She has a doctor's appointment."

So I was a bit worried, and less excited about going Karaoke as I didn't really know Q.

First, though, we went to go eat at On the Bridge, because A was hungry (and Q was kind of too). I, on the otherhand, just ate brunch so I wasn't too hungry. Q ordered Jumbo Garlic Potato Fries, which I had last last time I came to Japantown. And A ordered Curry Soba.

A said that she wouldn't be able to finish her soba, so she decided that she would give me some, as I wasn't really going to order anything. It was pretty good. Way better than the one time me and my classmates tried to make our own soba for a class project. Q also offered me one of her fries, which I politely accepted.

The thing I love about On the Bridge, besides good food, is that they have three T.Vs set up, so the customers can watch anime while eating or waiting. That's super cool. The anime on our screen was a movie I wasn't familiar with, but I think it was a Hayao Miyazaki film based on the art work. I also like the interior of On the Bridge, very cute and nice.

So here we are in the Karaoke place, me, A and Q. It was blue. And we had fun. It really was quite fun after all. I probably would've enjoyed it a little bit more if N and S could come too. But being with A and Q was great as well.

That's it for today's post! Check back tomorrow for the 3rd part of today's events!

Walking the Aisles of Nijiya

Today, I walked down the aisles of the Nijiya Market in Japantown.

I went to Japantown with my friends to go walk around, but the main purpose was to go karaoke-ing. The pictures of this day(07/17/2010) is overload so I've decided to split this day into 2(or 3) posts. In this post, we have the pictures I took at Nijiya with my phone.

I don't know if I should say "secretly" or not as I'm not really sure whether pictures are allowed or not. My main purpose of taking these pictures was actually to keep check of the prices of the items I wanted(though I didn't really deal with it through the day).

You can see that most items are $1.79, a bit pricey for candy that small, but pretty average for imported Japanese sweets. On this shelf you can see the Yogurt Drops (the box of blue candies) for $1.79 as well as Chelsea for $1.79. You can also see Blueberry and Ume (Japanese apricot) gum on the shelf below, but you can't see (and I can't remember) the price.

This is an adorable Rilakkuma chocolate lollipop for $1.89. Of course, I snatched it up. Something that cute must be kept, and you'll see it some time (soon?) on my other blog. On the right of the chocolate lollipop is Gummy Chocolates for $1.69. I'm not sure whether that's good or not, it sounds okay, but who knows. On the left, is some Doraemon gum for $0.99. I'm not too big a fan of gum or Doraemon, but perhaps I'll make the purchase some other time.

Here's some Fujiya Country Ma'am on sale, though not for that much less, at $3.49. I totally want a bag of this, but I wasn't able to make the purchase today as I only brought $20 with me. Next to the cookies you can see another type of cookies, Collon, for $1.99. I don't think I would ever really try this as I've heard it's not that good. Below you can see Gummy Choco for $3.49 and below that is Pocky.

Super Lemon Candy for $2.99. I've had one of these before and it was pretty sour. I would totally buy some, but I think it's cheaper at my local market.

Some candy by the company, Lion. Kiechau Candy on the left and Soda Kids on the right. Below you can see Kasugai Grape Gummy Candy, to the right of it is the Apple flavor. And I'm not sure what the candy is on the left.

Some Melon Ball Ice! I totally wanted this! Like seriously. And I could've afforded it too, but unfortunately I didn't come back to Nijiya until the end of the day so I couldn't get it because it was too late. I should've gotten it at first! I wonder if it's just ice that tastes like Melon, or actually Melon Ice Cream. The packaging is super cute and awesome though, that's a fact.

Yummy looking Ice Cream Daifuku! Coming in three flavors, Chocolate, Green Tea and Vanilla. $2.99 for 21 ice creams (7 of each flavor!). And there's a Melon Ball invading in forbidden territory.

Here's some awesome looking Taiyaki shaped ice cream. Super delicious looking for $6.99. I totally want it (and the last one) but there was no way I could buy it and have it not melt by the time I get home. I really wish they sold these ice creams individually.

And finally the soft drinks section for $2.49 plus tax. The bottom brown drink is Kirin Milk Tea. I also see Natchan(the orange and green drink). I really want to try some Natchan!

That's it for today! Come back tomorrow or the next day for more posts of this trip!