Unexpectedly popular shops
Last weekend I went to Tokyo! Yatta! I had to see Tokyo on my trip :) Not just because it's Tokyo, but because I had to visit Miki and Saori!
I felt lucky to have not encountered rain at all during my trip. I did happen to leave Tokyo in the middle of a thunderstorm, but I had been in a train station and didn't have to run through rain. I just got to watch frightening flashes of lightning light up the sky purple (!!!!!).
My trip can pretty much be summed up into two words... Food, and shopping.
Among the cities I visited (as far as I can remember..): Shinjuku, Akihabara, Kameido, Makuhari, Kaihimmakuhari, and Minamifunebashi; I spent the most time in Akihabara and Minamifunebashi.
Akihabara can be called an Otaku haven, I suppose, because of the massive amounts of places selling games, cell phones, anime goods, DVDs and CDs, and buildings dedicated to nothing but hentai. I went there with Miki on Saturday on my quest for Rhythm Tengoku Gold and Bimoji Training. I've increased my DS games fourfold. After returning to the US, and getting my DS flash card ( *^*)/ , I should have many many more lol.
Ok anyway I've deviated from the point of this entry.
During my travels in Tokyo, I would occasionally come across some chain restaurants or stores known in the US.
I'm sure you're all familiar with the glocalization of McDonald's and Starbucks around the world, but what about Baskin Robbins and Krispy Kreme?
Moreover, Krispy Kreme is extremely popular. I've only passed a few while there, but each time we saw one, there was a line snaking out the entrance! Holy crap! I mean Krispy Kreme is good, but is it really that good? They have something called Mr. Donut here, and one of my friend believes it's better, but perhaps Krispy Kreme's popularity has something to do with its novelty as a foreign donut shop. And because I haven't been inside, I'm not sure if the menu was glocalized to Japanese taste or just the globalized menu of that in the US.
I did, however get to see the 31 flavors of Baskin Robbins. That one is definitely glocalized. Flavors like matcha, red bean, and popping shower (Saori's favorite! It has something like pop rocks in a fruity ice cream mix) are available. Saori tells me in Japan they shorten the name in conversation to "31." I tried Mango Tango, and it had chunks of actual mango in it... delicious!
All the Starbucks shops we passed had big lines too, but that's not that unusual.
And of all the Disney characters to be famous in Japan.... I see a lot of Stitch and Aristocrats. Do you guys even remember Aristocrats?! That's really really old! Still, I see stationary and cute little things for girls with the character Marie from Aristocrats. Helen would love seeing what kinds of random things they put Stitch on. :)
Shopping this weekend in the huge Minamifunebashi renovated mall felt more like shopping at home with Japanese contemporary fashion and design.
It could also go without saying that there was a fair share of cute as decoration and merchandise. But it was nice to experience something familiar.
2 more days til Ayumi's release
9 more days til OLIVIA's release
11 more days til I come home~
I felt lucky to have not encountered rain at all during my trip. I did happen to leave Tokyo in the middle of a thunderstorm, but I had been in a train station and didn't have to run through rain. I just got to watch frightening flashes of lightning light up the sky purple (!!!!!).
My trip can pretty much be summed up into two words... Food, and shopping.
Among the cities I visited (as far as I can remember..): Shinjuku, Akihabara, Kameido, Makuhari, Kaihimmakuhari, and Minamifunebashi; I spent the most time in Akihabara and Minamifunebashi.
Akihabara can be called an Otaku haven, I suppose, because of the massive amounts of places selling games, cell phones, anime goods, DVDs and CDs, and buildings dedicated to nothing but hentai. I went there with Miki on Saturday on my quest for Rhythm Tengoku Gold and Bimoji Training. I've increased my DS games fourfold. After returning to the US, and getting my DS flash card ( *^*)/ , I should have many many more lol.
Ok anyway I've deviated from the point of this entry.
During my travels in Tokyo, I would occasionally come across some chain restaurants or stores known in the US.
I'm sure you're all familiar with the glocalization of McDonald's and Starbucks around the world, but what about Baskin Robbins and Krispy Kreme?
Moreover, Krispy Kreme is extremely popular. I've only passed a few while there, but each time we saw one, there was a line snaking out the entrance! Holy crap! I mean Krispy Kreme is good, but is it really that good? They have something called Mr. Donut here, and one of my friend believes it's better, but perhaps Krispy Kreme's popularity has something to do with its novelty as a foreign donut shop. And because I haven't been inside, I'm not sure if the menu was glocalized to Japanese taste or just the globalized menu of that in the US.
I did, however get to see the 31 flavors of Baskin Robbins. That one is definitely glocalized. Flavors like matcha, red bean, and popping shower (Saori's favorite! It has something like pop rocks in a fruity ice cream mix) are available. Saori tells me in Japan they shorten the name in conversation to "31." I tried Mango Tango, and it had chunks of actual mango in it... delicious!
All the Starbucks shops we passed had big lines too, but that's not that unusual.
And of all the Disney characters to be famous in Japan.... I see a lot of Stitch and Aristocrats. Do you guys even remember Aristocrats?! That's really really old! Still, I see stationary and cute little things for girls with the character Marie from Aristocrats. Helen would love seeing what kinds of random things they put Stitch on. :)
Shopping this weekend in the huge Minamifunebashi renovated mall felt more like shopping at home with Japanese contemporary fashion and design.
It could also go without saying that there was a fair share of cute as decoration and merchandise. But it was nice to experience something familiar.
2 more days til Ayumi's release
9 more days til OLIVIA's release
11 more days til I come home~