False Advertising and Another Zoo
I don't know about you, but I love thrift stores, flea markets, bazaars, second-hand shops, re-sale, used, recycled, whatever you call it, it's cheap treasure: what's not to love? I haven't quite figured out what the deal is with the Japanese and used stuff. They build disposable houses: a house 15 years old is OLD and needs to be torn down. We got some really cool antique kimono drawers/dressers at a recycle shop for almost nothing (they are neither in great shape nor gorgeous, but they still would've cost 4 times as much in Seattle). I got one of the schoolbags that all kids carry throughout their grade school careers (they are SO COOL) for 500 yen and they are normally 20,000. I couldn't believe it was true. I'd been told that the Japanese are in to shiny new stuff. Used, old, bleh, they don't want it. And yet. I've been to a vintage shop that charges what I call outrageous prices for used flannels and jeans. I guess it's because they're 'imported.' Whatever.
Last Saturday was the worst, though. We were all excited to go to the Largest Resale Show in Japan or whatever hyperbolic description was given on a website about events in Yokohama. We almost rented a van in case we found some cool old furniture (we are still looking for a coffee table and a china cabinet-type thing). It took us about 2 minutes after we had paid the entrance fee to realize that it was completely not what we were expecting.
Purses. And furs. And more purses and furs. Some sparkly jewelry. Ick. And the 'resale' prices? I saw a fur for what translates to $38,000. What is it with the obsession with purses? This is not an Asian phenomenon. American women are terrible about it, too, at least that's what the movies and TV tell me.
False advertising!!! It was a Purse and Fur Resale Show and they should've said so.
Desperate to salvage this fiasco, I eagerly dove at a box of jewelry marked 100 yen. I dug around in there and found some fun stuff. I was even getting excited. I dropped my pile of about 8 items on the counter and watched as the guy began to ring them up. I watched the numbers shoot way past 800 yen, so I voiced my bewilderment with the most useful of Japanese words: sumimasen? I pointed at the "100 yen" on the box. Turns out it meant "and up." Again, false advertising. I walked away from that counter with nothing. Bastards.
In the end, it was OK, tho, because there was a tiny corner that had neat, cheap stuff, including 'lucky bags.' These are mystery bags full of fun stuff that a lot of stores have for the New Year. M got one that wasn't a mystery (there was display), full of all sorts of crystals and cool rocks, for a good price. A guy gave D, who said he was thirsty, a beverage. Nice of him, but it was Sparkling Coffee. Who give a can of coffee to a 7 yr old? Also, it was completely undrinkable. Bad invention.
After we left that almost complete waste of time, we had a lovely late lunch at a Malaysian restaurant. Very cool decor, OK food. M and D tried eating the flower that came in their drinks (I was surpsrised when M asked the server if it was edible). Their tastebuds were not impressed, so I finished them. I just really like the idea of eating flowers.
We also went to the Pokemon Center, which as a big, all-Pokemon store in the Landmark Tower. The kids were in raptures, of course. Pokemon is seriously genius. Not the show or the cards, but the marketing potential. Hundreds of characters to put on everything and make toys, games, and cards of, and new ones come out all the time. Serious kiddie crack.
We also found a vending machine selling cute poo in several bright colors. As we saw in a previous post, the Japanese can make anything cute.
Sunday was much more fun. We met Helen, Ian, and his son Malcolm at Zoorasia. Kind of invloved to get there, but it was nice, if windy (really windy and cold in some of the more open spots).
Anteater!
Ass! Helen and I had a discussion about how the British make a distinction between the animal and the posterior. The latter is 'arse.'
Ian and Malcolm with, not an ass, a horse.
Red Panda. Cute, but alas, sleeping.
The boar! My animal!
If you throw money to the fake alligator, he won't eat you.
Ocelot. So cute. I once knew a guy who's family had one as a pet when he was a kid. Lucky bastard.
Kangaroo.
Also a kangaroo. I never before stopped to consider what weirdly-built animals they really are.
Okapi: Zoorasia's 'signature animal.'Which means they sell a lot of stuffed okapi toys in the gift shop
M & D riding a fake okapi.
Porcupine. Note the creepy white eyes.
Neat playground so the kids could spaz out for a minute while the adults froze in the freezing gusts of wind from which there was no shelter.
No, this is not a mystical mountain man.
It is the butt of one of these:
Monkey love!
Helen color-coordinated not only with herself, but also the fake peacock:
Malcolm was pretty shy. Except when he was hitting Jeff.
The family being eaten by a fake snake.
My boys. So cute.
After the zoo, we decided, since we were sort of in the neighborhood, to go to IKEA.
Helen was adopted by M & D. She is now their sister.
IKEA (pronounced 'ee-kee-ya' here) is pretty much the same as in the US, except there are 3 times the people (and I thought it stiflingly crowded in Seattle) and everything's in yen.
And they have cheap beer in the cafeteria
And they have a shuttle bus that takes you to and from the not-so-nearby train station.
Helen mentioned she was going to the Blue Corn, and as I hadn't gone out over the weekend, I decided to go with her. A mellow night, as spending an entire day with children had pretty much worn Helen out. But we had fun with the tiger that she bought at IKEA.
The kids went back to school on Tuesday (YIPEE), and I celebrated by taking myself shoe-shopping at Yokohama station. I did not find shoes, but I did find one of the most fascinating toilet stalls in one of the depaatos. I couldn't believe all the gadgets they had in there! In addition to the usual heated seats with bidet and TP dispenser, there was a 'flushing sound' device, a toilet seat cleaner, a mystery button, a murphy-bed changing table, and a toddler seat. All they needed was a TV in there, and maybe a mini-bar. I wish I could've gotten a wide shot of the whole shebang. Consider this your 'random photo of the week.' Even though it's 2.
Life should be going back to 'normal' now that the holidays are over, there are no guests for a month or so, and the kids are back at school. Gotta get back to the painting and the learning.
Last Saturday was the worst, though. We were all excited to go to the Largest Resale Show in Japan or whatever hyperbolic description was given on a website about events in Yokohama. We almost rented a van in case we found some cool old furniture (we are still looking for a coffee table and a china cabinet-type thing). It took us about 2 minutes after we had paid the entrance fee to realize that it was completely not what we were expecting.
Purses. And furs. And more purses and furs. Some sparkly jewelry. Ick. And the 'resale' prices? I saw a fur for what translates to $38,000. What is it with the obsession with purses? This is not an Asian phenomenon. American women are terrible about it, too, at least that's what the movies and TV tell me.
False advertising!!! It was a Purse and Fur Resale Show and they should've said so.
Desperate to salvage this fiasco, I eagerly dove at a box of jewelry marked 100 yen. I dug around in there and found some fun stuff. I was even getting excited. I dropped my pile of about 8 items on the counter and watched as the guy began to ring them up. I watched the numbers shoot way past 800 yen, so I voiced my bewilderment with the most useful of Japanese words: sumimasen? I pointed at the "100 yen" on the box. Turns out it meant "and up." Again, false advertising. I walked away from that counter with nothing. Bastards.
In the end, it was OK, tho, because there was a tiny corner that had neat, cheap stuff, including 'lucky bags.' These are mystery bags full of fun stuff that a lot of stores have for the New Year. M got one that wasn't a mystery (there was display), full of all sorts of crystals and cool rocks, for a good price. A guy gave D, who said he was thirsty, a beverage. Nice of him, but it was Sparkling Coffee. Who give a can of coffee to a 7 yr old? Also, it was completely undrinkable. Bad invention.
After we left that almost complete waste of time, we had a lovely late lunch at a Malaysian restaurant. Very cool decor, OK food. M and D tried eating the flower that came in their drinks (I was surpsrised when M asked the server if it was edible). Their tastebuds were not impressed, so I finished them. I just really like the idea of eating flowers.
We also went to the Pokemon Center, which as a big, all-Pokemon store in the Landmark Tower. The kids were in raptures, of course. Pokemon is seriously genius. Not the show or the cards, but the marketing potential. Hundreds of characters to put on everything and make toys, games, and cards of, and new ones come out all the time. Serious kiddie crack.
We also found a vending machine selling cute poo in several bright colors. As we saw in a previous post, the Japanese can make anything cute.
Sunday was much more fun. We met Helen, Ian, and his son Malcolm at Zoorasia. Kind of invloved to get there, but it was nice, if windy (really windy and cold in some of the more open spots).
Anteater!
Ass! Helen and I had a discussion about how the British make a distinction between the animal and the posterior. The latter is 'arse.'
Ian and Malcolm with, not an ass, a horse.
Red Panda. Cute, but alas, sleeping.
The boar! My animal!
If you throw money to the fake alligator, he won't eat you.
Ocelot. So cute. I once knew a guy who's family had one as a pet when he was a kid. Lucky bastard.
Kangaroo.
Also a kangaroo. I never before stopped to consider what weirdly-built animals they really are.
Okapi: Zoorasia's 'signature animal.'Which means they sell a lot of stuffed okapi toys in the gift shop
M & D riding a fake okapi.
Porcupine. Note the creepy white eyes.
Neat playground so the kids could spaz out for a minute while the adults froze in the freezing gusts of wind from which there was no shelter.
No, this is not a mystical mountain man.
It is the butt of one of these:
Monkey love!
Helen color-coordinated not only with herself, but also the fake peacock:
Malcolm was pretty shy. Except when he was hitting Jeff.
The family being eaten by a fake snake.
My boys. So cute.
After the zoo, we decided, since we were sort of in the neighborhood, to go to IKEA.
Helen was adopted by M & D. She is now their sister.
IKEA (pronounced 'ee-kee-ya' here) is pretty much the same as in the US, except there are 3 times the people (and I thought it stiflingly crowded in Seattle) and everything's in yen.
And they have cheap beer in the cafeteria
And they have a shuttle bus that takes you to and from the not-so-nearby train station.
Helen mentioned she was going to the Blue Corn, and as I hadn't gone out over the weekend, I decided to go with her. A mellow night, as spending an entire day with children had pretty much worn Helen out. But we had fun with the tiger that she bought at IKEA.
The kids went back to school on Tuesday (YIPEE), and I celebrated by taking myself shoe-shopping at Yokohama station. I did not find shoes, but I did find one of the most fascinating toilet stalls in one of the depaatos. I couldn't believe all the gadgets they had in there! In addition to the usual heated seats with bidet and TP dispenser, there was a 'flushing sound' device, a toilet seat cleaner, a mystery button, a murphy-bed changing table, and a toddler seat. All they needed was a TV in there, and maybe a mini-bar. I wish I could've gotten a wide shot of the whole shebang. Consider this your 'random photo of the week.' Even though it's 2.
Life should be going back to 'normal' now that the holidays are over, there are no guests for a month or so, and the kids are back at school. Gotta get back to the painting and the learning.
posted by Sandi at 10:30 PM
1 Comments:
hehehe....
that was a fun day! slept like a baby that night...must spend more time with m&d as they help me sleep.
could have had something to do with the copious amounts of beer though...
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