Today my parents and younger brother left for the airport at 7am. My flight was at 4pm so I had 7am- 12pm to shop for whatever I wanted to Tokyo!
If you don't know me, I am a huge stationery fanatic. Leave me in a clothing store with my life savings and I will walk out with exactly the same amount as I had initially but give me 20 min in a stationery/ homeware super store and BAM! I will probably emerge slightly bedraggled, carrying a small plastic bag of expensive but useless things ( I LOVE STICKERS!! and coloured pens! and containers! and cooking spatulas!)
No photos from my camera today- all iphone snaps only in their raw unedited glory- as I was a GIRL ON A MISSION. Only 4 hours to hit my favorite stationary/ homeware stores in Tokyo!! LET'S GO!!
Well, not so fast.
A Girl On A Mission has got to eat.
Back to simple nutritious eating! I never worry about what I eat on holidays. If it's not as nutritious as I'd like it too be or too imbalanced (i.e a meal is too high refined carb vs. it's protein/ good fat ratios, then I'll just sample it and limit it to that. I really believe health is in not being obsessive. You need to be aware yes, but obsessively calorie counting and worrying is really not healthy so please don't do that!
FIRST STOP- Don Quijote! Otherwise known as Donki! This is a 24h 6 level superstore found throughout Japan with all the cosmetics and everything your heart could possibly desire at (usually) cheaper prices! I was here to pick up lots of cosmetics for my girlfriends -.- Every time I tell them I'm headed for Japan my whatsapp will be bombarded with requests to buy all sorts of Japanese beauty products. You really have to give them credit-- even when they don't stay in Japan, they have their finger right on the pulse of whatever is trending or in fashion! I had to request for pictures as well because I'd never heard of any of them HAHA.
Anyway, on a sidenote- every time I go to Japan I feel a bit embarrassed that I don't wear make up :/ It's like the girl in front of me is so polite and professional and obviously put in a lot of effort that morning to doll up just to serve me at a store counter and I looked like I just rolled out of bed and appeared at the store. (Not true, I brushed my teeth haha). I'm not against make up or anything. I believe in being au natural and feeling confident in who you are but I also see nothing wrong in putting in some effort to present your best face forward, literally. If anything, I'm really impressed with people who have the skills and really make the effort. It just all seems so professional. The Japanese just have a way of inspiring people to put in a little more effort whether it's in packaging or make up or service or anything. I SHOULD DO IT TOO.
Meh. It'll take me a really long time for my make up skills to match up to theirs. If ever. Maybe I should look out for a self help book. Hehheh.
Okay, enough of the random soliloquy.
Random snaps of donki!
All the beauty massage products you could ever dream of. There's a massage roller for your double chin, your legs, your arms, your pit fats, even to slim your fingers! -.-
Do you like LINE? I'm in love with Brown and Cony. I just think the way brown is constantly meh is so funny. And of course, I love white rabbits so Cony with her expressive bubbly-ness, I really identify with :)
Donki sells everything. From Halloween costumes to Prada bags and everything in between. This is their thermal jar section. SERIOUSLY I really regret not informing all my blog readers that I was going to Japan (It was a last minute decision- I literally booked the ticket and flew in 2 days)so I could help you guys buy and encourage you to pack food to work! Really good thermal containers in Japan are abundant and can be found at really reasonable prices Zojirushi which is the Rolls Royce of food jars cost only $25 in Tokyo compared to $80 at Takashimaya in Singapore!
I love wooden bowls/ spoons/ forks etc *happy sigh
300 yen is about $3.60. For a double tiered bento box. Made in Japan. Yes. Didn't buy because I'll never be able to bring such a large box to work.
I did buy this though! And when I returned to Singapore, I filled with with wholemeal pasta, pasta sauce, topped with mozzarella and baked it in the oven. OOEY GOOEY GOODNESS!
The cosmetics section- not many pictures sorry because I was frowning over each packaging trying to use my limited Japanese to figure out if it was toner/ lotion/ make up remover I was holding. These are just things they never ever teach you in class. Ikoma, are you reading this? Haha.
Just before I left I saw this- Kale powder! In sachet form! How interesting!
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Next up!! LOFT at Shibuya!!
(insert many many hearts here)
I LOVE THIS STORE.
If you are a stationery/ planner junkie or you are #washiobsessed- YOU MUST VISIT THIS STORE. It's 7 levels of pure heaven.
Are you a scheduler/ planner junkie? Because I am. I love taking out my scheduler and filling it with stickers and decorating it. When I was younger I used to be unhealthily obsessed- I would plan my day RIGHT DOWN TO THE MINUTE. I would plan what to study, when to study, who to meet, what to do. I love lists! I love paper and pen! No digital gadget can ever compare! If I had to be somewhere I'd never been before, I'd ask my dad to take the bus with me and use a stop watch to time how long it took from my door to the door of the place I was supposed to be at. So if it took 1 hour and 3 min, I would schedule 1 hour and 3 min to get there the next day + 5 min in case of jam and + another 5 min because it's always respectful to wait for people instead. Now with google maps and bus apps it's much easier but I realize a lot of people don't really care about being punctual :( Punctuality is respect guys! You wouldn't be late if you are meeting the prime minister right? Why is meeting anybody else, any less?
But I realised as well that I never had to say anything to any of my friends. They are a beautiful bunch and they try very hard when they meet me and forgive me when I slip up as well. Like healthy eating and living better, we are looking at effort, not perfection :)
Sakura themed letter pads!
This was really cute! Are you forgetful? write what you need to do and loop this round your wrist! They are paper bracelets!
Liz Lisa stationery!
So smart! Corkboard hooks!
WASHI TAPE. Be still, my beating heart.
Coharu Printer!!! Do you guys know what is this? It's a printer that prints on washi tape!! I was so tempted to buy this but it's 5355 yen! I couldn't resist in the end and ordered it off rakuten though- it's only 3000+ yen there! It retails for double the price in Singapore! If you want to get your hands on it RIGHT NOW, you can also go to Stationery Superworld at Suntec City. It's on discount now at $75+, usual price $99. The tapes are insane though. The printer only uses coharu tape and it retails in Singapore for $8.50 for ONE. It's only 357 yen in Tokyo which works out to about $4.
The BENTO SECTION. *heavy breathing* HAHA.
Half a floor dedicated to just bento sets and accessories!
Toiletries/ Cosmetics/ Kitchenware section:
The vitamix is my dream blender. I always tell my boyfriend I don't want him to propose with a diamond ring but with a vitamix! He can propose with a coke tab for all I care- I rather spend the money on kitchen appliances HAHA.
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Alright! That's all for LOFT! I'll share with you guys what I bought in my next entry. On to TOKYU HANDS!!!!! Shibuya is my favorite place to shop in Tokyo because it's only a 15 min straight bus ride from my brother's house in Roppongi and it has all my favorite stores in one place. Tokyu Hands is located just down the road from LOFT so it's really accesible!
Another multi level superstore-
Nice to know after huffing and puffing up 5 flights of stairs I only burned 10 calories. Haha.
Super cool hi-lighter tape!
Colour pencils that can be ERASED. The future of color pencils is here.
My favorite. This holds 5 different colours in one set. It's about $12 for a full set in Singapore. And only $6 in Japan
Sakura themed washi tape! How could I say no!?
This is the soup jar that I use- I highly recommend it! The sticker on the pink one says "stock is limited"!
Ahhhh. Happy :) Lots of stationery and cook/ homeware :)
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And off to the last store! 3 coins is in the middle of Tokyu Hands and Loft. EVERYTHING in this store is 300 yen- hence the name 3 coins!
Pretty ice packs for packing salads to work!
Ran out of time so had to hot-hoove it back to the apartment to grab lunch and catch my bus to the airport!!!
Did you know that public buses in Japan have free wifi?
Stopped by at Roppongi Hills basement to grab lunch- I love the multitude of healthy lunch options Japan has! I really think that it's not about going up in arms and saying Singapore shouldn't sell unhealthy food but it's about offering people options to make their own choices. I really dream of being a caifan stall seller. Haha. Imagine finding green smoothies in a hawker centre!
One of my favorite lunch options at Roppongi is this place called Dexee Deli. It's really simple to order from them (it's a bit like ordering caifan). For today, I ordered a 'regular' set which comes with one 'main' and 2 sides. From the poster below you can see that there are other options available.
If you can't decide what you want, there are pre packed brown rice options for those on the go too. I checked all of them out and they were all really nutritionally balanced- Good job Japan! :)
Here's my lunch!-
Brown rice with a tofu pattie, mixed mushroom, potato salad and a side salad! Everything tasted so fresh and amazing and most importantly, not oily/ salty!
If you follow me on instagram, you would know I have a deep love for sporks :)
Was in a hurry so I only ate half and 'dabao-ed' the other half in a container to eat onboard the flight. I REALLY DISLIKE airline food (it's doesn't taste like food at all!) so I normally bring my own food even on full service flights. I've since learnt that bringing broccoli/ tuna onboard is a mean thing to do because nobody likes the smell of broccoli/ tuna except me. Haha. I normally try to bring sandwiches or food that have no smell at all. Do you bring your own food onboard? What do you normally bring?
Alright! So that's all from me today! I'll show you what I bought tmr in my last entry for this spring trip to Japan! In the meantime, here's a pretty printed matcha cookie to tide you till then :)
Lots of love :)
