I took a trip to a local Japanese gift shop in Pittsburgh on Walnut Street, called Kawaii. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I got to the store; I had never been in a specialty store like this before. As soon as I walked in, I was greeted with tiny trinkets and colorful merchandise. The walls were filled with stickers, key chains, stationary, trinkets, pens, folders; you name it. Everything was so bright and colorful; it put me in a happy mood. Most of the merchandise was really cute and adorable that would be great for American kids, although a lot of it was really tiny pieces that would not be good for a small child to get ahold of. There was a Hello Kitty section, a lot of merchandise with pig-related images on it, and a lot of cat-image-related merchandise.
I purchased some stationery with a pig and heart box image that I thought was really cute. It came with envelopes with a clear window on the front, that when you fold the stationary paper in such a way and add an extra paper for the address, it adds a fun image to the front window in the envelope. I don’t think we have any thoughtful stationary items like this that the U.S. produces. It was a cute little shop that I will most likely be visiting again.
http://www.shopkawaii.com/
Such a lovely envelope! I was totally fascinated by the image you posted. I love those two cute pigs, and especially the heart box. Actually, I have no resistance to tiny trinkets, particularly those with cute hearts. I agree with you whenever the surrounding is bright and colorful, I will always be in high spirits. Japan is renowned for its delicate things. Through your illustration, I can nearly image how enchanting the gift shop Kawaii you visited is.
ReplyDeleteyour Tunghai learning partner, Ina
Hi Ina! It was hard to try to describe the envelope! I had never seen anything like it before, and thought it was really cool. I bought that stationery close to Valentine's Day in the US, so I thought it fit! Kawaii was a fun little shop to go to, and I hope to go again soon! Do you have specialty stores like this?
Delete