Waffle Mascot

I sometimes get asked to do create mascots, logos, or banners for people.  This is one from my vault.. he didn't get chosen for the final waffle, but he's still pretty cute.  Just in case you are wondering, I use a free vector-based program called Inkscape to draw in, and I sometimes use a Bamboo Splash to draw with.  I'm really hoping to find more time to draw and design fabrics, because its so much fun!

A nostalgic trip to Japan through some of my kawaii souvenirs

Fushimi Inari Temple, Kyoto

Fushimi Inari, Kyoto

I love love love visiting Japan.  The people, the culture, the history, the food, natural and architectural beauty... its no wonder people love to travel to Japan.  However, there is one thing that makes Japan one of my all time FAVORITE places to visit.... the shopping!!!

Dotonbori, Osaka

I started feeling nostalgic today because I was cleaning up my room and came up some of the souvenirs I bought on my last two trips to Japan.  Japan often has the reputation of being very expensive, but maybe because I live in Hawaii (which is very expensive anyway!) I find Japan to be reasonable.  Plus I am a very good bargain shopper.  I thought I would share some of the things I bought on my trips, along with where I got them and the price, as much as I could remember them. 

Jelly Sticker Sack (Tokyu Hands, Shinsaibashi, Osaka for ¥300 or around $3.00)

Shu Uemura eyelash curler... they had stopped selling these in the US for a little while, but I think they are selling them again. It's definitely cheaper in Japan though! (From Don Quixote, Shinjuku, Tokyo for ¥10,000 or about $10.00)

A Daruma! You fill in the left eye when you make a wish and fill in the right eye when your wish comes true. My wish hasn't come true yet! (I got him from a coin machine/capsule machine at the Kofuku-ji shrine in Nara for ¥500 or around $5.00)

My favorite sheet of piggy stickers! (From Loft in Shinjuku, Tokyo for ¥100 or around $1.00)

A kawaii sea animal fabric pouch (from Kaiyukan Aquarium, Osaka for ¥700 or around $7.00)

A teru teru bozu, a good luck/nice weather charm (from Nakamise Dori/shopping street, Asakusa, Tokyo for around ¥3.00 or around $3.00)

Really awesome pa nail polish, which comes in an amazing range of colors (including iridescent and glitter varieties) from various beauty stores and places like Tokyu Hands (¥280 each, or around $2.80)

The most adorable mini glass figurines! From Komachi-dori/shopping street, Kamakura (price varies, but none of these were more than ¥400 or $4.00. The average price was around ¥300!)

Kawaii fabrics cuts from Nomura Tailor, near Kawaramachi shopping street in Kyoto (¥500, or $5.00 each)

What trip to Japan is complete without a little UFO catcher action... I won this tiny llama from a random game store near the Hep 5 mall in Umeda, Osaka (each UFO try is usually ¥100 or $1.00. The trick is not to spend like $20.00 before you win!). 

This is probably my favorite thing I ever bought in Japan... he's a little goldfish beanbag! (From the Chirimen Craft Museum, Kyoto for around ¥300 or $3.00)