With all of its glittering lights, cutesy jingles, and endless shops, it's no surprise that Tokyo is basically a town teeming with temptation. Since I am but a lowly teacher with a lowly teacher's salary, I've been trying my best to ignore the siren call of the shops, but I'm not always able to pull myself away. Some things in Tokyo are just TOO cute and TOO glittery (and sometimes too delicious) to ignore! Below are a few of my must-buy items and must-visit shops that always help my wallet to lose a bit of weight.

Nail Stickers

I usually go for floral ones like these

My love for nails stickers is so strong that even my students have started to notice it after only knowing me for about a month! They always come up to me and grab my hands and ask to see what my "new stickies of the week" are. I kind of feel bad for wearing them at school since the students aren't allowed to wear any sort of polish... but even that's not enough to stop me from going sticker crazy!
     In Canada, we have nail stickers of course, but they always seemed pretty cheap and not very popular. Here, there is honestly a set of nail stickers for EVERYONE. Disney fanatic, gothic, lolita, you name it, there is a sticker out there for you! I just went to this Vogue Fashion Night Out in Omotesando with a few friends the other day and I splurged on some really cool stickers. The addicting thing about them is that they just slap right over your own nail and then they fall of in about one week's time... Meaning time to shop for more~!

Tsum Tsum

If you don't know what Tsum Tsum are, watch this video and EDUCATE THYSELF!

Sushi Carnival Tsum Tsum

Cuteness overload with this plushie tower

Basically it's just all of the Disney characters in mini, cylindrical form. I don't know how this makes them any cuter but IT DOES. Perhaps it's the magic of Disney, or perhaps it's their adorable, fluffy butts. Who really knows...
The danger with Tsum Tsum is that these adorable characters are available in every shape and form. The merch for these little guys are endless. I may or may not already have a Tsum Tsum towel, keychain, and plushie... I also have been spotted playing Tsum Tsum at arcades in Akihabara as well as obsessing over the app on my train ride home from work.

So hard to say no when it's only 100 Yen to play!

In the app you have to connect 3 or more of the same Tsums

Moni Moni 

whale moni moni steals my heart <3

First Tsum Tsum and now Moni Moni... Things are just so cute in Japan that they have to name everything twice. Moni Moni are basically little, squishy animals about the size of a bouncy ball. The unique thing about Moni Moni is that they kind of feel soft but squishy at the same time! I guess the best way to explain would be to say that they feel like powdered mochi? This is one of those strange addictions that I can't really explain to other people. Sure, they are cute, but they are also 1,000 yen for these super tiny things that don't really do much. Even so, whenever I pass by their lovely, colour co-ordinated shop displays I want to give in and buy them all.

Gudetama

Gudetama is basically my spirit animal. He is described as "the most unmotivated egg". Even his name is hilarious. "Gude" basically means "zero energy" and "Tama" means "egg". I feel like we have such a mutual understanding about laziness. Watch the video below to see Gudetama in action!

Gudetama and the Remote

I could watch Gudetama's videos all day long!! I haven't been able to collect much of his merch yet, but I am on the hunt for a really cute key chain and train pass holder!

Raw, fried, or boiled; he's cute in all forms!

Choco-Cro

To give you a breather from all of the cuteness I've been busting out, I'll let you in on a little Tokyo-Canadian secret... Choco-Cro is the new Tim Hortons. If you want the peaceful café atmosphere without shelling out a million dollars for a small cappuccino (Yes, Starbucks. That was a direct shot at you) then Choco-Cro is the place for you! Their coffee as well as their matcha iced lattes are to die for and as their name hints, they have pretty darn good chocolate croissants.

Another win with Choco-cro is that they have a special sealed off room for smokers. Most cafés in Tokyo have smoking and non-smoking sections... but it's really not that effective when there is nothing to divide those sections so the smoke just consumes everything. However, in Choco-Cro there is always a different glass door room that the smokers have to go into which is so nice when you want to enjoy your pudding croissant without hacking up a lung.

Tokyu Hands

Stickers, stationary, stamps, oh my! Aaaaand we're back to the cuteness! Sorry, that didn't last long! I am definitely a regular at my nearest Tokyu Hands store. Anything that sells a "creative life" has instantly caught my interest. I went in on a whim one day to pick up a stamp for school and I left with about 5,000 Yen worth of stationary, pens, stamps, and stickers. You honestly never know what they will have in this store. The array of knick-knacks is absolutely mind boggling in some of the larger stores. I guess you can kind of compare this place to Michaels to get the idea of what kind of fancy magic happens at Tokyu Hands. 

Before the Boom

How could I get through a list of my addictions and not mention a Kira-Kira (sparkly) accessory store?! This place has every accessory that you could ever possibly need/want at surprisingly affordable prices! Since the students at my school are not allowed to wear their hair down if it falls past their shoulders, I've been trying to sweep my hair up into a chignon as often as possible. My favourite accessory to buy here is this long chopstick-like hair pin which you can twirl your hair up into a bun with. Some are really ornate with a lot of bling and dangly bits, but some look super classic with their small, intricate patters and floral tops.

Well that's about it for now, but I hope you enjoyed reading about my addictions as much as I enjoy suffering from them! Hopefully I've passed on the shopaholic bug to you! And remember, you can always order a lot of cool stuff from Japan online! ;)

Hello everyone! 

As promised, Here is a short video illustrating some of my favourite moments from my first two weeks in Tokyo which mostly happened in Shibuya and Shinjuku. Since Movie Maker hates me and I'm terrible at using my computer for anything other than Youtube and Word, the video quality is super low, but I hope it helps you get an idea of what I've been up to! Just in case you can't bear to watch such a low quality video, I'm posting a few of my favourite photos from the first two weeks that you can scroll through as you please.

こんにちは皆さん！

約束しましたから、今私の〝二週間に東京で住む″ビデオをポストするよ！このビデオは私の大切な思い出がありますから見てください！映画監督じゃないですから、このビデオの質はすご～く悪いです（笑）。ごめん！ビデオを見えなければ、下の写真を見てください。

The first day of Tokyo Orientation for all JET participants in group B

Everyone looking so nice and spiffy in their suits for the opening speeches

Our first tour of Shinjuku! The guides took us to see the Robot Restaurant

One of my favourite parts about Tokyo are the crazy signs lighting up the city

My first Nomihodai and Awaodori show with my JET friends 

Game arcades are way too fun! I could spend my entire paycheck here if I wanted to!

We were able to watch a kind of broadway musical show at Disney Sea

I have very fishy friends... Haha! I had the greatest time with this trio at Disney Sea

The scenery at Disney Sea is absolutely beautiful!

Yes, that is Atlantis and yes, I am wearing a giant Minnie Mouse bow

The shrines that are in Tokyo are beautiful. Relics of the past hidden in a metropolis

I went to this shrine to watch a floating lantern festival

"What can you do when the back that you must look out for is your own?"
Made with black ink (and a few glasses of wine pour moi :P)

      So... I've been a bit of a failure at blogging... My bad. I want to blame the fact that I haven't had a stable internet connection for about a month, but half of the reason is because I've just been so super lazy. I'll write something and then I'll be too lazy to type it up and then in a natural Sam fashion, I'll lose the paper somewhere when I'm in tourist mode... Aiya...
     Luckily, ever since I went to Shibuya and checked out this AMAZING art store that a friend recommended (Check it out!), I've been thrown back into my art craze so at least I have something to show for my time away!

"A flash of lightning! The sound of dew falling among the bamboo" - Haiku by Yosa Buson
Black, grey, and white charcoal

     I've been obsessing over Japanese tattoo art lately (No, mom, I'm not planning on getting inked here, don't worry) so I'm planning on making more art similar to that style. Maybe something with koi or cranes. We shall see! Anyhow, I'm always looking for new drawing inspirations so if you have something cool in mind feel free to comment below and suggest something!

     I pinkie-promise the next blog I do will be about my Tokyo adventures from the first two weeks of my stay. Get ready for lots of Shibuya and Shinjuku escapades!