Sunday, January 31, 2010

I heart Sweet Potato Vendors

That is my sweet potato in the bag, and I was so super excited to eat it when I got back to the hotel. How amazing is it to step outside of Walmart and be able to buy a hot sweet potato for snacking on? I so wish that we had this in New York...the pretzel + hot dog guys could totally expand their business to include root vegetables.

Happy Tiger's Year, Walmart!

Paper banners for your front door, living room and every room in your house.
Lucky fish and lucky knotted hanging decorative things.
Stacks of tiger stuffed animals for the kids.
Lucky red underwear for guys to wear on Tiger's Year Eve. I think the word "lucky" has many meanings in this context.

Harajuku Girls in Shanghai

My coworker and I went to the mall to check out some competitive products at Wal-mart. Inside of the mall, there was a Sephora, which must have just launched Gwen Stefani's Harajuku Girls perfume...because there were life size models of them flanking the entrance. Since I own all of the scents of the perfume because I love these little characters, this particularly delighted me.

Hello Shanghai!

This morning, I arrived in Shanghai, and it is sort of cold and rainy. The next two weeks are going to be pretty hectic and stressful, and I only hope that I have the energy to sustain through it with a cheerful attitude. I am always both excited and nervous when I arrive in China, wondering what this trip will bring in terms of amazing food experiences, business opportunities with my cross functional partners, and the ubiquitous IT meltdowns.

Hello Kitty Polaroid

I saw this today in the duty free shopping at Narita Airport during my layover on the way to Shanghai, and I was incredibly tempted to purchase it, despite it being about $100 USD and that I would probably only ever find the special Hello Kitty polaroid film for it whenever I flew through Japan for work. This is the info I found about it on Gayakuman:

Fuji Instax Mini 25 and Hello Kitty Mini 25 is a nice Polaroid camera from FujiFilm. Those cameras are a collaboration products from Fuji and Japanese photographer Yonehara Yasumasa. Basically, the Hello Kitty model is a re-package from Fuji Instax Mini 25 special for Hello Kitt’s fans. The Instax Mini 25 also packs in a self-shoot mirror, a close-up lens for focusing from 35cm, intelligent flash, a motorized 3 position, collapsible lens and a two-shutter design for landscape & portrait pics. If you buy the Fuji Instax Hello Kitty Mini 25, you will get a signature Hello Kitty sticker, a red camera strap and one pack of Hello Kitty illustrated, the price is only $165.

Thursday, January 07, 2010

Nike Store in Harajuku



When I watch this video, I get all nostalgic for Tokyo and it made me realize just how much I miss Japan. I had thought about visiting my friend Yuki this spring for the cherry blossom viewing and I really think I need to make that a reality. I have all of these miles with nothing to spend them on, so a trip to Japan needs to be planned. I am in dire need of beef curry noodles (even if I no longer eat beef), amongst other things, to say the least. Just thinking about planning a trip to Japan makes me so excited, I can barely contain my joy.