CUTE JAPANESE STATIONERY, PENS, KAWAII HOME ACCESSORIES. SWIMMER & OUTLET: SOUVENIR SHOPS, STUDIO ALTA SHINJUKU.
Caution. These photos from the Swimmer store (in Studio Alta Shinjuku), contain cute-faced cakes and stationery. Readers may suffer from kawaii overload!
Can you believe the bunnies and bears are edible cookies? Nothing beats dessert design in Japan.
If you want to learn how to make adorably decorated food, please consider my book Cute Yummy Time (which has more than 70 healthy recipes).
Pretty much everything in the Swimmer store has a cute face on it.
At $20-30, the aprons and bags aren’t out of reach.
Imagine filling your entire home with Swimmer stationery and home goods.
Happy hangers, kitty lunch boxes.
Would you use these iPhone covers? They’re too saccharine for my taste.
I posted more photos of Swimmer here, and took photos of the Laforet store.
Also found in this department store: Outlet. It’s filled with cute goods at low prices.
I bought my cat the bottom left mat. He doesn’t like the texture — but will sit on it when it’s turned upside down!
Outlet is excellent for Japan-cute souvenirs, like character socks.
Or a Hello Kitty alarm clock. For about $13, why not.
What do you think of these Tokyo stores? Cuteness heaven or hell?
Coming up: more photos from Shinjuku Studio Alta, including the Liz Lisa store.
PS: Thanks to Maqaroon for illustrating me and Basil Farrow! Joanna says, “I drew him fatter and fluffier than all the other kigurumis.” She’s launched a new kawaii brand that sells postcards, stickers and prints — very sweet.
Song of the Day: Nyan Cat (seems appropriate for this post)
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PANDA CAFE IN HONG KONG: ASIA CRAZY, WEIRD THEME RESTAURANTS, MONGKOK DINING. SWAROVSKI BEAR NECKLACES.
Hard to believe I’ve now known Seba for over a year. We met last Halloween in Tokyo; remember our SaTaN and Candy Spooky concert video?
Since then, we’ve had a multitude of adventures around the world (with more in the works). Let’s flash-back to Hong Kong, and our visit to the Panda House Cafe in Mongkok.
A panda theme restaurant sounded like a cute spot for lunch. But it ended up… not quite as expected. Read on, for the story. (Bear necklaces gifted from Soho Hearts, who produced our Panda charity necklace.)
Panda makeup means loading on the black eyeshadow. To add depth, I drew on bottom lashes with a liquid eyeliner pen from Japan, and added brown eyeshadow above. Fake eyelashes top off the look.
Black and white punk top, and short skirt: Spider (photos of the Mongkok Gothic Lolita store here)
The cafe had the right idea going: panda bears on the menus, and in every inch of the restaurant. But the execution wasn’t quite on point.
First, the theme restaurant was located in an apartment building for locals (it felt like we were visiting my grandparents’ Mongkok flat). Second, as you can see, the place was a tad dusty and run-down…
The collection of plush panda toys was impressive.
However, the general wear-and-tear was a downer.
I like to see the positive sides of places I review. For example… this drink looked great in photos!
The menu consisted of Chinese-meets-Western cafe fare.
Fusion is always a crapshoot. In this case, the tuna salad didn’t quite work… but we appreciated the careful decoration of sliced processed cheese on top!
I can’t say I’d recommend the Hong Kong panda cafe. However, with the right attitude, anything can be an adventure (even if it doesn’t pan out as expected).
We invite you to check out our Panda Bear necklace with Soho Hearts. Proceeds go to help the Sendai government rebuild the areas hardest hit by the earthquake.
Are you a fan of pandas and purikura, as I am? Ever had a day that turned out all wrong — but still ended up being fun?
PS: Come join my spooky-cute world! Simply click >>
Song of the Day: Kunoichi Panda – Kanaderu Tabi no Tochuu de (Sendai-based Jrock band)
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