Japanese characters

Meet our new toys!

Doraemon, Hello Kitty, Anpaman

They are actually cell phone accessories. My husband requested for the Doraemon and Anpaman accessories. He wanted to attach them to his USBs so he won't lose them. He was expecting the usual tiny cell phone accessories. Turns out the latest fad in Japan now are these huge accessories. So there, he'll probably just keep these as part of our toy collection. The Hello Kitty one though is love. I really wish I'd have a daughter to pass this collection on to.

Presents from Japan

Three weeks ago, my Japanese best friend sent me a parcel containing the Uni Qlo shirts she had bought for me. The first time the mailman came, I was in deep sleep and missed the door bell. I still get giddy every time I get a parcel. My friend also sent Japanese snacks and cute cell phone accessories. Of course, there has to be something Hello Kitty...

Hello Kitty nori (seaweed)

How can I possibly eat this cuteness??

Save Japan by Uniqlo

June 25th was an exciting day for me and probably for all Uniqlo fans all over the world.  It was the day the brand launched its Save Japan collaboration with ten world famous artists.  I was finally able to help even in my own little way.  Since there is no Uniqlo store where I live, I asked my brother and my Japanese best friend to buy some of the shirts for me.  They were both lucky as there were no long lines in their respective Uniqlo branches.  A month before, I have already been reminding them to line up before the stores open.  My best friend and her boyfriend were in Yokohama on the day of and went to the store five minutes before opening.  They were the first ones in the store. Haha!  This was the line in Soho, NYC.

via thegspotnyc

I can't wait to get my hands on my tees!!  Here are the designs that I chose:

images via uniqlo.com

Thank you Uniqlo for this wonderful project!

Japanese snacks

I go wild whenever I visit a Japanese grocery.  I buy snacks as if there's no tomorrow.  Well, there's no Japanese store near our place so I go berserk when we visit the one next to my parents'. 

When the tsunami and quake happened a few months ago, I read in the news that most countries became strict in letting goods in from Tokyo.  That got me really worried.  So this time around, I made sure that I buy enough stash that will last me for a month.

My must-have Japanese snacks

I bought three big bottles of my favorite Kirin Lemon Tea, six boxes of chocolate and strawberry Lucky sticks (by Meiji), and black pepper potato chips (for him).  One of the things that helped me withstand summers in Japan is lemon tea.  At home, I drank it like it's water. And on my way to work, I would buy some more either from the convini or the vendo.  Drink it ice cold and it becomes even more heavenly.  The Lucky sticks I only discovered a couple of months ago.  When I was living in Japan, I was very loyal to Pocky.  But outside Japan, Pocky is super expensive.  Lucky is just $0.99 compared to Pocky's almost three dollar price.  Meanwhile, he's still on the lookout for potato chips that can come close to his favorite salt and pepper chips from Japan.  The one I bought is a differnt brand so we'll see if he likes it.  I hope I can make my supply last!

For Japan

Prayers are powerful...

Photo via phandroid

and so are your donations.

The American Red Cross is one of the agencies helping those affected by the earthquake and tsunami.  Let's help the people of Japan.