We spent most of yesterday morning in Japantown in San Francisco. Most of that time was spent in Kinokuniya, the bookstore. I love Japanese craft books and magazines and while I order some on Ebay occasionally, I much prefer to look at them first and that's where the odd trip to Japantown comes in. I lucked out yesterday, found quite a few of them. I am always amazed at the quality of the Japanese magazines, all glossy, full of excellent pictures. But I am even more amazed at the huge variety and even more so at the amazing quantity of magazines exclusively dedicated to shopping. Wonder how that's going right now.
The next stop was a supermarket where I really didn't recognize much of anything other than the soup and rice bowls and these incredibly cute little chop sticks for beginners. No, I don't need them, I'm past the beginner stage but they were just too cute to pass up.
Then it was on to Ichibankan. To me, it's a Japanese version of either a Five & Dime or a 99 c store. Full of cute things, just about all of them plastic and all inexpensive. I couldn't pass on the Pooh Bear bowls, they'll be good for snacks, and the lunch boxes. I know I took too many pictures but I had to show how cleverly they open up to hold sandwiches etc.
