Magazine: Spring August 2020 with Rilakkuma Eco Bag Furoku

In which I find just the thing for my next walk to the store and am reminded there’s still a world out there.

I bought this magazine for the furoku, of course, so let’s break with tradition and start with that!

I mean, not only is it good old Rilakkuma (and I like a rather minimalistic design with him sometimes, like here with just the brown and his face), but I also really like a good eco bag. I often walk places as opposed to driving, so they help when I shop. But one gripe is that they don’t tend to have an extra pocket for keys or a wallet or whatnot, so this caught my eye due to its zippered pouch.

It’s all a bit wrinkled from being in the box, but it’s a nice, sturdy, roomy eco bag that’s definitely going to be seeing a lot of use.

As always, things look way more presentable when photographed by the magazine, so I’ll include their photo below. I’m also really enamored by the 7-11 version of this issue, pictured at left, with its stainless steel coffee bottle.

I probably didn’t take the amount of time I should in discussing the magazine’s contents, but it’s been an awfully long time since my nails were even basically presentable, so looking at manicure stuff is not all that fun. I realize these are supposed to be nails you can do at home, but they are not nails I can do at home.

I do still like looking at makeup, though, and I found it interesting the eyeshadow look below was based on a yellow/orange tone — I myself have really pale skin that can look very sallow under certain light or with certain colors, so I always avoided yellow eyeshadow. When I finally tried some on, I was really surprised that it not only looked okay, it actually really worked for me. So I find myself seeking out a color I never thought I would, and it’s extra convenient to run into it here.

Let’s instead look at furoku for related magazines, shall we? Below on top, we have Sweet, a magazine I think we’ve mentioned before. It comes with some really cute Peanuts furoku with its July issue; I definitely wouldn’t turn down either the Snoopy alarm clock that comes with the version sold at 7-11 (left) or the bag and water bottle holder that come with the standard issue (right).

At the bottom, we have kind of a different take on the whole furoku thing — as opposed to a regular magazine with extras, this is generally a catalog or small book attached to an extra exceptionally nice item. The price is generally almost double that of the other magazines we’re reviewing here, but still less than twenty dollars; these tend to be a real bargain! Here, you get a book on birdwatching from the Wild Bird Society of Japan and a versatile bag to hold your stuff while you watch them.

Below, the top is from Steady magazine. Not only have we talked about this magazine before, we already covered this particular furoku here! Beneath, though, we’ve got InRed magazine. On the left, we have the regular July issue, whose furoku is very similar to that in the post I just linked–well, for two-thirds of it, at least; it’s the big and small box (no medium) plus a tissue cover, all of which feature Moomin. On the right, we’ve got the 7-11 exclusive, which has a different type of bag as furoku, though still with the Moomin theme.

Next are the two versions of this magazine for September 2020. Since I’m fond of Mickey Mouse only with exceptionally unique or nonstandard designs (and even then he’s really not a particular favorite), I think I would pass on the 7-11 version with the Mickey fan. I’d rather have the quilted shoulder bag from Ray BEAMS that comes with the standard issue.

Finally, we’ve got an ad for another special book, this time a catalog of fashion brand Milkfed products, with a featured item that’s an impressive ten-pocket bag.

I like how it emphasizes the bag’s multiple uses, not only as a “mom bag” or at the gym, but also as a bag for a man. If I have to be stressed constantly, aging at an accelerated rate during a period of history that I can only guess will be called The Dumbest, Meanest Era Ever and slowly becoming more gray hair and flab than person, I’m glad to progress and change where I can. It feels extra great to see the Japan I really do love being better about gender roles and body types and whatever.

I’ve pretty much decided to bury myself in nostalgia and cute character goods and anime at all times I’m not working for the time being; it’s my coping mechanism for 2020. But I’m honestly glad that something like a Rilakkuma eco bag makes me check in a bit with what’s out there. There are always nice things to see, even in the craziest times.