Some shots of color encounters in Tokyo. Greens and yellows appear to be big.
Rather lovely construction barriers in Daikanyama
Bento boxes at Loft
The 2nd floor women’s bathroom at Kiddy Land in Harajuku
Little tofus from a mini-crane game in Akihabara
Pretty socks from Kiddy Land in Harajuku
We’re in Japan now. Yesterday was spent hunting down aquarium stores, visiting Junie Moon and debating if I’ll finally get a Blythe doll (conclusion: maybe) and shopping in Shibuya. While in Shibuya (the epicenter of youth and shopping and creepy nationalist demonstrations), we had to check out a couple of game centers. One of which inexplicably smelled like poop, but overall they get a B+.
To recap my obsession with crane games in Japan, I love them because their toys are actually really good, their toys reflect the current popular characters, and depending on the game center, the employees may open up the game and move the toys around so that they’re easier to win.
We were happy to see that Rirakkuma is still a favorite offering in these games of luck and skill.
These little Rirakkumas are each bearing chicks that have different birthdays printed on their stomachs.
And yesterday we were introduced to Kapibara-san, the new guinea pig character from Try Works, which is like San-x, except with a guinea pig character.
We were especially impressed by the animation on this slick TV monitor in a seemingly completely unsupervised and un-security-guarded center:
We tried our darndest (about 1,000 yen worth) to grab one of these little guys, but in the end, we had to give up and purchase the very same toy at the Loft department store for 800 yen.
Crane game: 1
Us: 0
Tomorrow my husband and I are leaving for our much-awaited Christmas present (from him to us): two weeks in Japan! We’ll spend a few days in bustling Tokyo (shopping, shopping, shopping), a few in Okinawa, (beaches and snorkeling and kayaking), and a few around Nagoya (friends and hopefully a little rural side trip).
My internet access will be a little spotty, but I hope to update the blog with yummy Japan things as often as possible.
To kick off an exciting two weeks, here are a few randomly selected favorites from past rising-sun-land experiences:
Manga: Avant-garde publication Garo from the 1960s – discovered in the Shibuya Mandarake.
Movie: Densha Otoko (“Train Man”) – a silly otaku-themed romantic hit that I saw at the reserved-seating Roppongi Hills movie theater.
Music: Glay concert my friend took me to in Nagoya in 2005 – crazy coordinated participatory arm gestures for 3 hours straight!
Craft: An old knitting magazine I picked up at a flea market – check out those charming choppers.
It’s an extraordinary day in Mochimochi Land when not one, but TWO new patterns are added to the shop!
Announcing…
Hrumph
A grumpy little monster, he may resent you for knitting him, but that’s his problem!
And everyone’s favorite treat…
Sausage Dogs
These pups are linked together sausage-style. All the better to sniff one another’s butts!
This is a free and easy pattern for you to make and share. Please check out the Mochimochi Land Shop for more patterns that you’ll love!
Happy Spring! These little guys are popping up everywhere. Make one or more to celebrate the season.
I’m currently looking for a couple of people to test knit a baby elephant named Pepto.
If you’re interested in testing the pattern, and if you think you could test it within the next two weeks (knitting the pattern should only take about two days), please send an email to info [at] mochimochiland [dot] com.
Update: Thank you to those who volunteered to test Pepto! For others who are interested in test knitting Mochimochi Land patterns, please keep checking the blog for future opportunities.
This looks like trouble….
Don’t be alarmed! Mischievous Mouse is just playing with his friend Sleepy Snake.
You do have permission to be alarmed, however, by the terrible toupees both are wearing.
I’m happy to say that my snake and mouse set is almost finished!
The mouse is done, so I thought I’d show a little sneak preview:
I think the toupee in particular turned out nicely. In fact, it closely resembles the hair of someone else in this household….
The snake is felted but still needs to be made up. Here’s hoping he also turns out well.
