Used with permission of Just Hungry
Two blogs I read all the time are Just Bento (about that very subject) and her sister blog Just Hungry (about Japanese food and culture generally.) Both are written by Maki, Japanese woman with a finely tuned palate and a deep love of food and culture. If you really want the down low on what Japan is like from the inside follow her blogs. She was recently back home and did a blog tour of the country, and in Kyoto took us to many places off the beaten track such as tiny little stores that sell artisan sewing notions like these animal pins, which are the essence of kawaii (a Japanese love of cuteness that lasts long after childhood. ) The link to her blog post has many more wonderful photos as well as an examination of hand sewing needles that reads like treatise on samurai swords, and I say without a trace of irony. I want to go to Japan!
OMG, those pins are wonderful! I enjoyed them even before I realized they were creatures.
I would still wear Hello Kitty if I could! I even signed my divorce papers with a Hello Kitty pen (is that bad?). Love, love, love those pins. I’d put them in a special pin cushion and just admire them.
I would love to find out where to buy those pins! We spent 3weeks in japan in ’08 and 09 and spent significant time in Kyoto both times- can’t get enough! I did find a fabric store, but it mainly dealt in quilting fabric. I did buy some beautiful silk for a blouse. It’s very difficult to find out where specialty stores are located without speaking Japanese. If you get the chance to visit japan, don’t hesitate-go!