My first attempt to plan our trip to Japan started with maps. I should have known that one week would not be enough when I realized that I could not find Kyoto on the map because the map was not Japan, but simply Tokyo.  I consider myself fairly adept at reading maps and being able to “get a lay of the land” before I ever visit a place.  That was until I battled the map of Tokyo and Tokyo came out the victor.  I folded the map, waived the white flag and proclaimed, “Forget it!  We will figure out when we get there.”  

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Depachika – Food Lover’s Paradise

You can’t go to Tokyo without checking out a depachika, the lavish department store food basements that sell everything from dainty wagashi (traditional Japanese sweets) and bento to$500 melons and European pastries.  Depachika is a combination of  ‘depa’ (department store in short) and (‘chika’) and they are truly a food lover’s paradise.  In addition to buying wonderful meals and gifts, you can also sample your way through and end up quite full.  Some of the highlights included:

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Bargain Shopper and Proud!

Say what you want but I am a Dollar store junkie.  Some of must best finds have been at Big Lots in America, the Pound Store in London, and the 100-Yen Shop in Japan.  You can find these 100 Yen shops all over but the biggest one that I visited was the Harajuku Daiso with four floors full of things you just have to have.  I bought 4 lovely little yellow ramikans that I use ALL THE TIME.

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