Shopping « GaijinPot Blog Network: Japan’s best blogs

Shopping

Japan’s Service Sector ranks the world’s top, but at what price?: September 15th, 2009By Ashley Roushom; In July I had an opportunity to make a short trip back to Europe after several years of not traveling anywhere outside Japan. After a long and exhausting flight we arrived at the hotel and the first thing that came to my mind was shower. After I couldn’t find any shampoo » Continue Reading; CommentsComments

Naha Ichiba, an experience for all five senses: August 13th, 2009By Keith Graff; Virtually every tourist who visits Okinawa will make the compulsory pilgrimage to Kokusai (international) Street just to walk around and browse all the tourist traps along the way. Many westerners will stop at one of several McDonald’s restaurants along the way just to look for the subtle cultural differences in the menu. Still others will » Continue Reading; CommentsComments

How to pack for a year and four seasons: August 7th, 2009By Erika Scott; I’m an avid traveler and frequent flier but when it comes to packing, I dread it and will wait until the eleventh hour to start. If there is room, I will fill it, even if it is not necessary. I’m always guilty of packing extra pairs of shoes. Personally, I like » Continue Reading; CommentsComments

Ask First, Buy Second: July 31st, 2009By Lieske Leynen; A while ago, I went to the grocery store. When I entered the building, there was a beautiful display of flower-shaped cookies. They were on sale for one-hundred yen. My immediate reaction was “It’s edible and pretty.” And into the shopping basket the flower cookies went. When I got home, I took the cookies out and » Continue Reading; CommentsComments

Woop Woop, That’s the Sound of the Police: July 15th, 2009By jesp; Cycling is a big part of my life here in Japan, so big in fact that I own two bikes, one I keep at the train station in the town I teach at and the other I keep at home for getting around Sendai. I generally adhere to the rules of the » Continue Reading; CommentsComments

Marie-chan: July 12th, 2009By Lieske Leynen; Growing up The Aristocats was one of my favorite movies. I loved the singing cats and the scheming butler. But above all else I loved the idea that when I wasn’t looking cats got together and held trippy jazz parties in which they played musical instruments and sang about how » Continue Reading; CommentsComments

Lost? No translation necessary!: June 24th, 2009By Sylvia Saracino; Living abroad at different times in my life has enabled me to have so many unique and eye-opening experiences. Although some of them have been “special” in a bad way, most have just been special. Case in point: that creature in the photograph above. Soon after I started my new job, a » Continue Reading; CommentsComments

One of Eighty-Eight: June 23rd, 2009By Lieske Leynen; I went to the pharmacy down the block one day to grab a carton of milk last week. It was a cold day and on my way out of the store, I nearly ran into someone while trying to button my jacket with one hand and put my milk into my » Continue Reading; CommentsComments

Supermarket Sweeping Tokyo: June 5th, 2009By Dayna747; As a cook myself, one of the first things I wanted to know about Tokyo when I first arrived was where do I go to shop for food? There’s nothing familiar or comforting about shopping in a supermarket in Japan with no idea how to read the labels and use brands » Continue Reading; CommentsComments

New Ways to Use Ofu and Konyaku: June 2nd, 2009By shufuinjapan; In my quest for superior housewifery, I have come across two foods with a very long tradition in Japan being used in modern and useful ways. Firstly I would like to thank Akira Hokuto (北斗晶）the former female pro wrestler, turned celebrity chef for some of these ideas. The first is Ofu (お麩). » Continue Reading; CommentsComments