Posted on January 19, 2019
We've gone to Japan every year since 2014 and as we've grown more comfortable traveling and are more familiar with the surroundings, we've spent less time doing "touristy" things and more time soaking in the scenery and lifestyle.
Most year, Scott comes home with a "treasure" -- a thing that infused with meaning and memories and often has a story attached to it. This year, I came home with a few "treasures" of my own.
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- Gurihiru Loki Bag -
We had seen posts about Marvel Pop-Up shops happening in various areas around Japan and a re-tweet from Gurihiru caught our eye. They were selling these plush-type bags of various characters -- Captain America, Thor, Winter Soldier, etc... then I saw the Loki one and had to get it.
We hit various shops around Tokyo and while the shops carried similar pass cases, none of them had the bag. Apparently it was a Tokyo Comic Con exclusive item, and we weren't planning on going to the show.
I contacted one of my friends who was going and she helped me get one -- reportedly standing in a line longer than a "Disneyland line" to get it. :O Thanks so much Emi! ♥
Loki currently hangs in front of my drawing desk, trolling me daily. ★
- Tokyo Metro Fukutoshin Subway Symbol Magnet -
Anyone who travels around Japan knows just how often you need to ride trains and subways to get around, and it's generally a fun experience (aside from rush hour... avoid that at all costs.. ಠ_ಠ;;).
Scott saw a photo of what we thought were stickers in the Tokyu Hands twitter feed. Curious, we checked them out and found they were -magnets-!! It was a collection of Tokyo Metro-related symbols -- most I recognized, some I didn't. Regardless, I had to pick up the "F" for the Fukutoshin line (we rode the line often to get from Ikebukuro to Shibuya) -and- for the "F"... like "Furuichi". Ahahaha
It's currently attached to the side of my car. XD
- Hikaru Utada 2018 Tour Towel -
Long story short, after 2 lottery attempts, we got seats to the Utada National tour for the second show at Fukuoka's Marine Messe!
We weren't planning on returning to Fukuoka, after my... er.. mishap from last year, but as luck would have it, we got seats and decided we could give it another go and explore stuff we missed out on last year. I'm glad we returned -- it's a relatively small city, but it's neat to see how much it's grown/changed since I lived/worked in the area in 2002.
We got to the Messe super early to make sure we avoided the evening rush and got to see the crowds swell and move about. We picked up the towel early in afternoon and by sunset, we needed to to keep warm. LOL The check in process was so fast and organized and the show itself was fantastic.
Because there weren't any mass-transit modes of transportation back to the station and instead of waiting in line for the buses and taxis (which were snaking around the building and back...) we decided to walk the 30 minutes back to the station. Everyone was quiet and orderly, following the traffic signals, wearing the concert goods, feeling energized from such a great show -- it was a really neat experience!
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Do you have any special mementos from your travels?
It's such a great exercise in gratitude and thoughtfulness to reflect on not necessarily the things you buy, but the experiences you have and the memories you make. Even if I lose or give away these particular items, seeing images of them will remind me of all the good times. :D
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