Thursday, September 15, 2011

The one where I show you my apartment.

So, this is my new home. It actually is starting to feel like home. I maybe cleaned it just for these pictures.

Front door; note the lovely representation of my apparent patriotism draped above it.

Down the hallway...


...to my room.


Awesomely large closet.


Heading back to the kitchen...


bathroom-ish (minus the toilet, which is in a separate room across the hall), laundry...

...little shower. intended for people who are not tall.

Note all the yellow in my apartment, which I love. Most of it was here, conveniently, when I moved in.

Tiny kitchen. Everything is slightly miniature. It feels like one of those play kitchens that every girl had as a child. No? Well I did.

For example, that fridge is a lot shorter than I am. Speaking of the fridge, you just might find yourself on it.

Tiny table, tiny chairs. But lots of space.


It's not a bad little place.

Accio Bento!

Mostly, I love Japanese food. There are a few things that are hard to get down (ahem: raw octopus), but generally I'm a fan. Especially bentos. Bentos are lunchboxes prepared with a variety of foods, maybe rice, fish, pickled vegetables or ginger, something fried, some salad...all neatly packed into their own sections and generally looking pretty.

I haven't seen any bentos in real life that are as creative as this one, but when I do, I guarantee I will eat it.

(In case you weren't sure, yes, Harry Potter IS big in Japan).

http://blackhearts-selina.blogspot.com/2009/08/creative-bento-must-see.html

This one was actually made by someone in California, but it's too cute not to include:

http://sonomabento.blogspot.com/2010/11/expelliarmus-bentokus.html

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Only in Japan (pt. 2)

Like all the cool kids do, sometimes we hang out at the mall in Omagari. Sometimes...we probably raise a few eyebrows because of all the photos we take of strangely wonderful Japanese things.
Even though I already had some floss, I bought this. Because how often do you get to floss with hippopotamus AND small bird?
This...was definitely for sure not from the kids section. Who would shop there. Seriously.

Truly, a giant stuffed llama.

This was the cover of a book of photographs which, as far as we could tell, are all just pictures of this one angry-looking Japanese child. An entire book filled with that menacing face. Sometimes slobbering into the sand on the beach, or blowing bubbles out her nose (don't ask how). The creepy thing is, all of the pictures look just like they come from someone's family album. It's as if you're snooping on the life of some grumpy little girl as she eats, plays, rolls in the dirt, whatever else she does. The creepier thing is...I know someone who purchased it.


Other items found on various shopping trips:

Want some dripping of grape?

There is also a drink here called Pocari Sweat, and it is delicious. Perhaps, despite the horrendously unappealing name, these are delicious too.

I don't think any explanation is really needed here.


And finally...Japanese toys (that should probably frighten little children)!!