Magazine: Otomodachi August 2020

In which I know it’s odd to say I’ve found two favorite furoku in a week, but look at this! I’ve got another kids’ magazine to discuss today — Otomodachi! Otomodachi means friends, and this 90ish-page educational elementary schooler magazine is full of friends like Sumikko Gurashi, Sanrio, and more. At a cover price of […]

Book: Samezu, Itsudemo Samezu, and Same to Azarashi

In which sharks are adorable, surprisingly educational, extremely hungry dorks. My introduction to Samezu was confusing, to say the least. I love sharks, first of all, hammerhead sharks in particular, so the minute I saw a picture of Shumoku I was hooked. However, I had a lot of trouble finding information and merchandise at the […]

Dagashi Sagashi: Japanese Penny Candy and Snacks: Intro + Umaibou x 5

In which I talk about a tasty topic and start a new series of posts. Did you ever see the old episode of The Simpsons where Bart is at some grumpy old woman’s house and all she has to entertain him with is a book full of cake pictures? He asks—does she have any real […]

Magazine: Oekaki Hime July 2020

In which we find a whole pile of Hime, and just when we can’t tell which one is which we get distracted by fun furoku. These Hime publications seem to have no end! There are so many of them, all titles ending with ひめ (hime means princess). There’s Jewel Hime, Kisekae Hime (kisekae can mean […]

The Get List: Tokyo Catch: Sumikko Gurashi Halloween Plush Mascot (4/4)

In which I’m delighted by plush quality, gender equality, and Halloween frivolity. Japanese can make it both easy and hard to guess someone’s gender in something like a manga setting. On the one hand, there are stereotypically feminine/masculine personal pronouns and ways of speaking (but these change and are complicated by things like being so […]

Magazine: Steady June 2020

In which I receive, no joke, my favorite furoku of all time. Lest you think I spend my money only on candy, toys, and magazines oriented toward children, I’ll have you know I also spend appalling amounts of money on clothing and makeup. I figure I may as well make sure to leave the most […]

Book: Sumikko Gurashi Gakkou Daisuki

In which I do poorly on a quiz meant to prepare children for elementary school and then am abused by stamps. I thought today I’d write about something I picked up in my latest CD Japan order — this book, Sumikko Gurashi Gakkou Daisuki (Sumikko Gurashi We Love School). It’s made for kids entering school […]

Magazine: Pucchigumi July 2020

In which I’m inordinately delighted by a magazine for first through third graders. I’ve been watching a lot of videos from pretty much my favorite YouTuber right now, fromegg, who not only features the coolest Sumikko Gurashi collection ever but also opens a lot of Japanese magazines. It made me a bit nostalgic for the […]

The Get List: Tokyo Catch: Sumikko Gurashi 80s Sailor Stadium Jacket Plush (3/5)

In which, for once in my life, I seem to have more pictures than words — and I couldn’t be more pleased with these wins! It’s ironic that these were such relatively easy wins, because they are among the most darling plush I’ve seen in a while. They are perfect! Each one measures about 6 […]

The Get List: Tokyo Catch: Gudetama Music Plush

In which I tie emotional trends to character good trends and talk a lot about my weird, picky eating habits, and there’s Gudetama in there somewhere too. Gudetama isn’t one of my favorite Sanrio characters, but that isn’t his fault at all. I get him a great deal — honestly, I feel Gudetama is very […]