Warm Feet, Warm Heart

I was standing here forever, trying to figure out what I wanted. There were so many to choose from. Long socks, ankle socks, five-toe socks...oh my!

Ended up taking so long that I decided just to take a photo and come back another day.

Take Your Pick

Onigiri, or a rice ball, is something every Japanese eats. This Onigiri is a sample in front of the Furikake shop inside Seibu Department Store. Furikake (pronounced furry-cah-kay) is seasoning that we sprinkle on top of rice.

There are a lot of different types of seasoning made from fish, seaweed, eggs, etc. My favorite is the Ume Furikake, which is made from dried plums.

Oh My Obanyaki

This is called 'Obanyaki' (pronounced Oh-bun-yucky). It's a thick round cake filled with Anko (sweet azuki paste), which they make on a big iron mold. They sometimes also make it with a cream filling, too.

We have an Obanyaki booth near the Tokorozawa Station and a lot of people line up to buy it on weekends. You can buy one for 50yen. It's really good!

A Very Merry Christmas To You

Some of the christmas decorations displayed inside the Seibu Departement Store. Christmas decorations are always so cheerful, you can't help but be jolly!

Wish you all a Very Merry Christmas!

Tokorozawa Station West Exit

This is the view outside the West Exit of Tokorozawa Station.

Stamp Away

This is one of the stamps I found at LOFT, a retail store inside the Seibu Department Store, filled with stationery, gifts, accessories, health goods, furniture, interior goods, etc. They have a big arts & craft section that I love.

Anyways, here in Japan we don't send out Christmas cards. Instead we send out a New Year postcard called 'Nengajo.'

These days a lot of people use the computer to make it with a Nengajo software. But since I don't have a printer at home and I like to make things, I use stamps, washi (japanese paper), and/or stickers for mine. Plus a whole bunch of color pens and pencils to decorate it.

2010 is the year of the Tiger and I've got about 60 postcards to make. What do you think about this stamp?

The More the Merrier

The Christmas lights around Tokorozawa Station have finally lit up! It's nice and festive now.

They only decorated two trees, but with the reflection from the station building, it looks like there are four!

The Crowd

I passed by the Christmas Lighting Ceremony in front of Tokorozawa Station the other day.

There was a small stage on the side of Seibu Department Store where guests, such as Tokorozawa's Mayor and the Seibu Lion's baseball players, stood to participate in the event.

Everyone was crammed together trying to see and take pictures. This is the photo I took when I happened to look up and see the reflection of everyone on the mirrored ceiling of the store entrance.

Quite a crowd, isn't it?

Sainokuni Road

These pretty flowers and trees are planted along the road behind Seibu department store.

It said on the sign that these plants are being planted and taken care of by volunteers. I'm sure it takes a lot of time and energy to spruce up the place. But I'm very thankful for the nice people who contribute to the city this way.

Uchidaya

Uchidaya Toriniku Ten (translated: Uchidaya Poultry Store) is located right behind the Seibu department store. It's a small shop but seems to be popular among locals. I hear they have good tasty chicken. People stop in after shopping, on their way back to the parking lot.

I really like this building, which is what first caught my eye. There are roads in the front and both sides of the building. And if you look really closely, they actually have a roof garden going.

This is a very interesting retro building.