Shopping in the Shade

Yesterday I made a special trip just to go to what is, so far, one of my favorite city shopping locations.  We originally discovered the Omotesandō area because that is where the single Japanese Wendy's is located.  I realized then that it would be a much nicer place for a day of  city shopping than the Ginza district.  For starters, one of the main streets is lined with large trees so you can walk in the shade on wide paved sidewalks.  (Ginza is a lot of plain concrete and exposure to the elements.)  Oddly enough, Omotesandō doesn't seem to get much press--it is very close to Shibuya and the Harajuku District which get much more attention. 

In addition to the Wendy's, there is a new Ben & Jerry's (also the only one in Japan, I think), a TGIFriday's and interesting looking pizza place I hope to try one day.  There are also many other restaurants and cafes around the area.  On an adjacent street there is an H&M (but I was very disappointed to find that they don't have a baby section--the one in Odaiba does), American Eagle Outfitters, Forever 21 (much nicer than the ones in the U.S), United Colors of Benetton, Gap and a Topshop.  Much of the rest of the shopping is very high-end, in fact, part of the reason I went was to check out a particular baby stroller but it turns out that stroller is extremely expensive in Japan.

I checked out what Wikipedia had to say about the area and was interested to learn that the architecture is a big draw.  Apparently a lot of the stores were designed by famous architects.  Wish I had known that before I went taking pictures---all I knew was that it was pretty, shady and very modern. ;)

shady street

the new Omotesando Hills mall, which I was not that
impressed with.  also note the Wendy's employees
luring people in for lunch

apparently I should've taken photos of Louis
Vuitton and Dior for the architecture but
oh, well....here's the Burberry

in line at Ben & Jerry's two hours after enjoying
a Frosty....you got a problem with that?

oh, American Eagle....I can't fit in your clothes right now
and you're more expensive here, but I still like you a lot

Pet Shop Girl

Today I went over to the Super Viva Home store for the first time.  I had always thought it was pretty much straight-up Home Depot, but it turns out to have a substantial Target/Walmart-like section, including a garden department and some furniture.

And....there was a pet department.  Several places around here have pet supplies, and there are puppies and kittens in the mall, but the Super Viva Home had a full pet store in it.  A wall full of aquariums, puppies, kittens, lizards, hamsters......but I quickly realized that there were a couple of surprises.

For example, Chad narrowly escaped coming home to a chicken clucking in the front yard.....he'd feel like he was right back in China, don't cha think?

you might think I'm crazy, but just imagine the fresh eggs

 The chicken would need a duck to keep it company.....

they seemed to be in the crate of their own volition

....and the chicken and duck would need a tortoise to keep them in line.....

he was either vain or getting ready to attack himself

....and a tortoise needs a hare.....

the bunny wasn't unusual....just cute

....but this guy is the last thing I need.  Matter of fact, if you're in the market for a frog, I can cut you a good deal.

I bet he's really lonely at night

Gaijin On Film

This is absolutely hilarious. And I'm sad to say that there are a few to which I can totally relate.

FYI, "gaijin" is a slightly derogatory word for "foreigner".