All be it within monetary and luggage-allowance restrictions, I think it's reasonable to say that Japan brought out the raging-blood-thirsty-foaming-at-the-mouth-consumerist in me. Oh dear, sounds nasty huh? And for the unfortunate by-standers: believe me, it was.
Most of this rampage was conducted in a couple of Ұ100 shops (not to be compared with Poundstreatcher's) and the fabulous five-storey fabric shop Tomato but I found many opportunities in which to open my purse and shell-out the yen and some other occasions in which, I regret to inform my dithering indecision had me walk away from a most opportune moment. Shame on me!
So I thought it only appropriate to show off the spoils of my shopping-spree now that the gifts have (mostly) been given...
1. Tapes, tapes and more tapes mostly collected in Ұ100 shops and some from a brilliant wee stationery shop somewhere near the Carrot Tower. The sweetie bags up the back by Aiueo came from Tokyu Hands. In case you can't tell from where you're sitting, it's a cartoon lady face with purple / yellow hair and when you fill the bag and tie the top you give her a wee pig tail - eeek!
2. I got some very special stickers for adding to my 'part-made-in-Japan' items soon to be coming to the shop, with 'hand made' written in both hiragana (?) and English. A commendable example of one purchase justifying another! The lovely floral fabric is soon to be a shower cap. And the pink squared speech bubble tags - oohlala need I say more?!
3. Kitty watering can: I found this on the way to the temple of kitty you can get a slightly larger one here too! The plastico maple leaves were decorating shops everywhere, I suppose the way plastic cherry blossoms do in spring. They were Ұ100 of course. Also spottable: a ceramic Miffy salt cellar (not a knock-off I'll have you know!), a second-hand Miffy book (temple yard-sale) for practising my Japanesees, and lovely cherry and mushroom patterned fabrics (Tomato) and a plastic potato. Don't ask.
4. The only snag about Tomato for me, was that apart from the pre-cut pieces on the quilting floor, like this stack of fat-quarters, all fabrics were cut at a minimum of 1 metre. Dang. But compared to FQ prices in Scotland (or say in John Lewis) they were mighty reasonable at between Ұ130/270 or £1/£2 and of course Japanese! The green Mitsubishi pencil in the foreground I admired for it's slogan: 'Made by elaborate process'.
5. I got a lovely selection of stationery items like these cute froggy envelopes (when you fold the top down his eyes pop out!) an exercise book with a dormouse on some spotty red envelopes and more spotty fabric.
6. The deliciously dainty little chocolate box hanky came from RAAK a beautiful knicker-twistingly exciting shop that I stumbled upon in Kyoto. Very Japanese orange and red fabric with a lovely square pattern woven in, was yet again from Tomato and purchased in three colour ways! Can't wait to get working with it.
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