Great Value Pringles were also at the store

Sometimes Japan doesn’t seem that different than the US; sometimes it seems like (gasp!) a totally different country.  I was surprised the other day when I saw Walmart bags.  There’s no Walmart nearby, but I guess the reusable bags are a hit (although most people already have pretty impressive reusable grocery bags).

Sometimes monkeys, bears, rabbits, pandas…

Instead of “caution! be careful! do not cross this line!” signs, Japan has cuddly creatures communicating “we like you but you should really step back to avoid turning an ankle or falling into a ditch.”  They are pretty darn cute.

Otherwise known as “parent and child.” Which is just kinda weird.

I’ve enjoyed most Japanese foods I’ve eaten, but this one took a little getting used to.  It’s mashed raw salmon with salmon eggs.  The salmon was fine – squirt a little soy sauce and a hint of wasabi and it’s downright tasty.  The eggs were really oily and popped in my mouth.  The strange thing, though, is eating something referred to as “parent and child.”  The name kind of messed with me a little.

Unhappy playground equipment

This playground piece of equipment is near our house.  It’s clever, really, with lots to climb.  But why is the playground bug so unhappy?

This is a $1000+ rice cooker.

The $1000+ rice cooker overwhelmed me.  I was laughing about the $3-400 ones…and then saw the row of rice cookers just get more and more expensive!  Thankfully we got ours for much less, but my goodness, this wasn’t even at a high-end electronics store!

A couple bucks for a single stalk of celery. What?

The celery also wasn’t at a fancy grocery store.  And it is expensive.  It had better tasted a lot more exciting than, well, celery.  Good news, though – i bought a head of celery last week for around 60 cents on the need-to-sell produce rack .

anime-looking kid mannequins

And mannequins…just look a little different here than back home.  But they look, perhaps, a little cuter.

I’ve had these pictures on my phone for quite awhile.  Thanks for letting me share a bit of random with you!