New Sanrio Character: Hummingmint

I mentioned in my last post that deer are my favorite animal so it's no surprise that I have been so excited about this new Sanrio character named Hummingmint!  The Sanrio Japan website offers this description:

ハミングミントは歌を歌うのが大好きな小さな子鹿の女の子。チャームポイントはピンクの♡の鼻先と白い♡の模様。1月デビューのおしゃれな新キャラです！"

Hummingmint is a small fawn girl who loves to sing songs.  Her charm point is her pink heart nose and white heart pattern.  She is January's stylish character debut! 

Hummingmint is not the first deer Sanrio character.  Deery Lou, a brown, male deer character, was created in 2002 but I have not seen much of his merchandise in the past few years.  Deery Lou's color scheme is a lot more vibrant than Hummingmint's whose signature colors and product designs remind me a lot of Swimmer brand items.

There is already a selection of merchandise available, all of which I am quite taken with.  My sweet friend Kaley already bought me this cup and chopsticks set as a gift!

I still have my heart set on getting the little plushie and a backpack to use when I go out with my camera.

Check out the new Hummingmint merchandise here!

Let me know who your favorite Sanrio character is in the comments.  Is it even possible to choose just one? ~♡

Gudetama Cafe at Yokohama's Village Vanguard Diner

Have you heard about Gudetama, the new addition to the Sanrio team?  Gudetama's name is a combination of the Japanese words "gudegude" ("dead drunk" says my dictionary) and "tamago" (egg).   I think it's reflected pretty well in the illustrations.  Like most Sanrio characters, he is kind of adorable but I think he is a bit stranger than the rest.  Even so, he earned his own themed character cafe and my friend Natalie and I went to go check it out at Village Vanguard Diner in Yokohama.

The line wasn't terrible.  They said that the wait would be 2 hours but we were seated and served within closer to an hour and a half.  The cafe was really small too so I was a little surprised by how quickly it moved.  Like the ever changing Guest Cafe in Shibuya Parco, the staff allowed us to place orders while we waited in line so that food would be ready shortly after we were seated.

サンリオの新しいグデタマというキャラクター知ってますか？ ちょっと変なキャラクターだと思います。っぱりこのキャラクターのカフェがオープンしました。横浜ルミネにあるヴィレッジヴァンガードで 時間限定のカフェがオープンしました。私の友達のナタリちゃんといっしょに行きました。長い列で並んで待っていました。でも、待っていた時間が長くないでした！ 2時間だと言われたけど、実は1時間はでした！待ってるの時に注文をできましたよ。待っていた時に注文をしました。

The menu
メニュです。

The Gudetama merchandise is so cute!
グデタマのグッズはかわいいですね〜

plastic food samples
サンプル

I ordered the eggs benedict (no bacon) because I am vegetarian so I was limited in options.  I was sad that my food didn't have a face so I lived vicariously through Natalie whose taco rice did.

私はエッグズベネディクトを頼みました。でもこの食べ物にはグデタマの顔のシールがなかったです！シールがなかったので寂しいですね。ナタリはタコライスを頼みました。タコライスにグデタマの顔のシールがついてありました！

I also took these silly vine videos.

も、面白いのビデオを撮りました。

  

The walls were really cool! 

壁はすごい〜

I thought the food was pretty good and the price wasn't too much either.  I was happy I got to go to this cafe!  Natalie and I had a lot of fun.

このレストランの食べ物は美味しくてかわいかったです！そんなに高くなかったです。グデタマカフェで食べてよかった。私とナタリは楽しみました。

You probably noticed that I wrote this blog post in English and Japanese.  I want to do that for all of my posts going forward so that I can continue to improve my language skills.  I don't think I could have written this entry a few months ago so I am feeling pretty good.  That being said, I'm sure there will be some awkward or silly sentences in there because I am still learning.  If you notice anything that seems super off, please let me know and politely correct me so that I can continue to learn!  I will really appreciate it.

今日の記事をブロッグで英語と日本語で書きました。日本語でちゃんと書きたい！毎日頑張って、日本語上手に成りたい。もし間違えた日本語を見たらコメントを書いてください！それで、勉強になります。よろしく！

My Melody Cafe and Shibuya Shopping!

I am so happy that I finally made it to one of the kawaii themed cafes in Parco!  My friend Natalie and I got to the My Melody Cafe at around 11:15 am, 15 minutes after it opened and the wait was already about 2 hours long but we happily got on line and stayed there for the whole 2 hours.  We were the only non-Japanese people in line and I was kind of surprised.  The two hours passed very quickly and when we approached the entrance of the cafe, one of the staff members allowed us to place our orders in advance.

me and My Melo-chan

Is this a good look for us?

We decided to just order dessert food because it looked cuter.  We did not plan this in advance so lunch became dessert.  I never claimed to be a health blogger.  That being said, I would not recommend this route without eating something in advance.

We both ordered this iced latte.  It was really cute but also kind of strange.  The top layer was this thick, strawberry creme and the coffee was just the part with ice underneath.  The cream on top just kind of stayed there like it was floating in the cup as we drank the coffee part.  But we eventually mixed it in and it tasted pretty alright.  The stenciled My Melody character tasted like it was made of powdered dried strawberries.

I ordered this cute roll cake with strawberry creme that tasted like what was in the latte.  It also came with the fruit decorations and the themed cookie.  It wasn't outstanding but it looked really cute so I wasn't mad.

Natalie got this parfait that was really cute!  I tried some of the strawberry flavored popcorn and it was really good.  She said that there was some kind of jelly in the bottom of it.

We also got to keep the placemats and coasters that came with our food.  There was a souvenir shop and special limited gacha toys but we didn't get anything.  I think that it was worth the wait just to have the experience but it's not like the food was particularly outstanding beyond aesthetics.  I'll basically do anything for cute food, obviously.

Since we were already in Shibuya, we decided to go to 109.  If you don't know 109, it's one of the most famous malls in Japan and has many brand name stores.  Some of the stores there include Swankiss, Punyus, Kokokim and Fig and Viper.  We made a point to walk through the whole mall.  I don't have any photos because many stores in Japan are very strict about photographing their products.

I mostly did shopping for my friends' birthday gifts so I can't post photos of those because they're a surprise.  Today was kind of sad because there was a lot of clothing on sale but none of it was anything I liked all that much.  However, I did buy these amazing tights.  They were kind of a splurge at 2,000 JPY but they were the last pair and I would never see then again if I didn't buy them so...

I can't wait to wear these when it gets colder!!

At nearly every store we went into, someone who worked there saw my shirt and said "Sailor Moon, kawaii!!!" I had a nice conversation with the guy who was working at Swankiss and a girl working at Liz Lisa.  Even when I was outside, a guy who was advertising for an izakaya yelled "月に代わって、お仕置きよ！" (in the name of the moon, I will punish you) after me.  So embarrassing.

We made a point to find the Galaxxxy store too and I hadn't been there in 2 years since I was last in Japan.  I found that they had different things than what was listed in their online shop.  There was a jacket I really wanted but I couldn't justify the purchase even though it was on sale.  I was really into the video game themed clothing and things today.  I think that's my new aesthetic interest.  I aspire to be some kind of magical pixel space girl.

For dinner, since we needed to supplement our dessert for lunch, we went to Uobei sushi!  This is an amazing hidden gem of Shibuya.  It's one of those sushi places with plates that are 100 yen (~$1) but the difference between this restaurant and others is that the sushi comes directly to you after you order it instead of you picking it up off a conveyor belt.  It's really fun!  I actually learned about it from my friend Elleanor.  She shows clips of it in this video here!  It should have been super crowded given what time it was and the price of the food but we didn't even have to wait.  I think most tourists don't know it's there because it's on a side street.  Another cute thing about this place is that when you order a certain amount of sushi, a rock, paper, scissors game comes up on your screen and if you win you can get a coupon or a coin for a sushi keychain gacha machine.

We also went to LOFT which is this amazing store that sells all kinds of toys, stationery and electronics.  They didn't have the Rilakkuma toys we wanted but they had these.

These big Tara McPherson bunnies are the best and they reminded me of home because I miss working at her gallery/store.

Fuchiko toys are so funny and strange.  I'm kind of obsessed with them but I haven't even bought any yet.  This display was amazing.

Of course no day is complete without purikura.  I somehow managed to salvage this shot from my crappy flip phone, truly a miracle.  They're much easier to access from a smartphone.

Then of course, I had to get on a crowded train home and stand almost the whole 2 hours because my stop is last and no one knows that by looking at me so no one offers me a seat.  It's always the worst and I feel so tired from walking at the end of the day, but I always somehow manage to get a second wind when I get home which is why this post happened.

I'm sorry it was just iPhone photos today!  Carrying my DSLR around all day can hurt my back/shoulders so I don't want to do it all the time.  Thank you for reading and of course if you have any questions or comments, feel free to post them here or in my ask.fm.

5 Cool Collabs

There are a whole bunch of really cute wishlist-able collaborations available now just in time for the holidays.  Here are a couple of my current favorites, with images of a few of many products from their lines.  I don't own anything from these collections, but I can dream.

Tokidoki x Sanrio

I absolutely love both Sanrio and Simone Legno's work.  For the longest time, I was under the impression that Tokidoki was designed by a woman, but I was wrong!  Simone Legno is actually a really cool dude.  In his own words, “Tokidoki is the hope, the hidden energy that everyone has inside, It gives us the strength to face a new day and dream about something positive and the hope that something magical will happen to us.”  So it's very fitting that he worked with Sanrio for a new line of products including bags and plushies that can be found here.

Tokidoki x Sanrio Characters 8" Plush: Cinnamoroll, $28.00

Tokidoki x Sanrio Characters Handbag, $75.00

Onch Movement x Sanrio

Sanrio is on a roll this season with a second amazing line of products designed by artist Onch Movement.  Onch has done some work with Hello Kitty previously through his line with Forever 21.  His jewelry is always really cute and unique.  I have followed him on social media since discovering his work and he seems like a genuinely kind person which makes me like his designs a million times more.  Although I anticipated these products being a bit more out there than they actually are, I think they are still very cute and a lot easier to wear for every day compared to some of his past creations (eg. bacon bracelet).  His Sanrio products are available for purchase here.

Onch x Hello Kitty Necklace: Candy Chrome Bow, $66.00

Onch x Hello Kitty Necklace: Dear Daniel, $125.00

Takashi Murakami x Shu Uemura

Takashi Murakami is by far one of my favorite artists.  Japanese artist Murakami created the art movement "superflat" which has continued to inspire younger generations of artists.  He previously did a line of bags with Louis Vuitton but that was a good couple of years ago.  Murakami is back with a high-end line of makeup products, inspired by magical girl anime, through Japanese brand Shu Uemura.  I really wish I could try some of these but I have no idea where to even find this in a physical shop in the US.  However, they are available online here.

Heart-full Pink Parallel Eyes and Cheek Palette, $69.00

Lip and Cheek Fun-tasy (5 colors), $25.00

Meadham Kirchhoff x TopShop

I wasn't always huge into fashion and I still don't even know most of what is going on.  Meadham Kirchhoff caught my eye recently and I was 50% upset that it was inaccessible and 50% pleased that it's hard to find because it's quite expensive.  Someone heard my prayers and  now this TopShop collection is a thing that I was really excited for, cried about once I saw the prices, decided to go to TopShop during my lunch break and play dress up instead of making any financially irresponsible decisions.  They didn't have a lot of it in stock in the store and it does seem many items have sold out online already.  The one dress I tried on was really cute but it fit weird  because it was definitely made to be worn by a person with a small chest.  It was also so see-through that I can't even post a picture of myself in it.   Probably all for the best though.  Shop for it here.

Rainbow Print Pleated Skirt, $90.00

Red Glitter Mac, $400.00

Dylan's Candy Bar x LeSportsac

LeSportsac always has really cute prints that I feel like mostly slip under the radar.  I noticed these cute prints while walking past their SoHo store and was shocked that it was the first I was seeing of this collaboration because they are largely covered with images of candy and how is that not exciting?  Shop it here.

LeSweet Tote with Pocket in Sugar Stash, $128.00

DCB Voyager Backpack in Candy Spill, $168

That's all I have for now. I hope you thought these products were as cute as I did.  Let me know if you get your hands on any of these things.  I am interested to hear all about it, especially how the Murakami makeup is.  I guess I will probably never know.  (◡‿◡✿)

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