Shopping Craziness (like there is no tomorrow)

It’s officially July, no matter what time zone you are in…that means we have less than a month left in Japan now.

Feeling the pressure of time, and maybe because we don’t have much stuff in our house, I have been trying to buy some Japanese things that I really like and won’t be able to find anywhere else. I have been making lists and lists of stuff to buy especially from Daiso, 100 yen shop ($1 store). Good news is that even after we move, if I figure out that I really want something from Daiso, I can just ask one of my good friends who will be still in Misawa to simply send me that “something”! And they don’t have to pay for shipping since it will be mailing something from an APO to APO address overseas. Sweet, right?

Some of the things I have been buying are sesame salad dressing, my favorite brand of Japanese curry, sweet snacks, cute notebooks, gift bags, kids’ books for cutting/coloring activities, origami paper, Japanese sun hat (kind of looks funny but I love it), sticker activities for kids, bubble swords, ear phones, girly purses/wallets (for kids’ friends’ birthdays), and much more. After all, most of these things are just a little over a dollar and they are so cute!

This Saturday, I was able to go to a mall in Towada at which I had never shopped before. The word on Misawa facebook page was that they had the biggest Daiso around. It is true! Totally worth the drive of 30 minutes.

That day I remembered to bring my camera. So just for fun, here is a picture of the entrance to the mall—Jusco Supercenter is like Walmart Supercenter, but not as big.

That was the place I found a “Cheburashka” towel! 

If you don’t know what “Cheburashka” is, you must be not from former USSR. Cheburashka is a popular cartoon character of unknown identity, meaning I am not sure what animal he is. He is super cute though, and he has a friend, Gena (“G” is pronounced the same way as in the “guinea pig”), the crocodile. I think Japanese simply love anything cute, especially cartoon characters. The same way as Stitch from “Lilo and Stitch” is probably one of the most popular characters at these stores. I have to say that “Winnie-the-Pooh” must be the most loved cuddly cartoon character around here.

Moving to the luggage department. I was checking out prices for these fun suitcases….so wanted to get one that has wheels on all four corners…but this must not be the place. Japan is expensive, what else can I say?

Now, Nintendo 3DS, for example was 14,970 yen which is almost exactly what Amazon sells them for—around $188.

This whole time at the mall, I was looking for a Japanese pencil case that Katya wants for her birthday. It’s the kind that is double sided (so you can flip it) and has a magnet that helps it from opening. I remember having such pencil cases when I was young, obviously mine where from Turkey or something. My search was unsuccessful—still couldn’t find the right kind.

On the way back, I tried to snap some pictures as I drove. To remind you about how rural our area is, here is a picture of a typical school in the country. Those wide windows are a good sign it's a school.

Fields all around.

And these trees along the road from Misawa to Towada are just beautiful. Misawa IS beautiful during the summer!

My final stop was a store called Universe. It’s a big grocery store. I only planned to pick up a couple of favorite snacks for our trip back to the states. Well, I got a basket full of all sorts of yummy things.

I have to stop feeling like this is it, like I’ll never be able to find these tasty snacks again. I might not find the same exact ones, but I am sure England has much to offer as well.  I think that in three years, when we are leaving England, I’ll be buying cases of fresh Cadbury Chocolate Eggs.