Went to our old stomping grounds, Kunitachi, yesterday to meet our good friend Hiroko and look at sakura. Kunitachi is a university town situated west of what is commonly known as "Tokyo" -- Shinjuku, Shibuya, Ginza, etc. -- but is the second smallest town in Tokyo. It is a beautiful town with a cherry blossom lined street and plenty of open space. We walked among the cherry blossoms and ate octopus spaghetti while catching up with Hiroko. She has a big jazz dance performance coming up in July, so the rehearsals for that is taking up all of her time, but she was able to take a few days off this week to see us. We're going to Shinjuku today to shop like madwomen!

So, while Japan will never be environmental saviors, I must give props to my favorite little plastic convenient goodness that I discovered yesterday. Y'all must know everything in Japan is wrapped twice and then wrapped after you purchase it and then put into a bag and sometimes two bags. At Starbucks yesterday (the only time I go to Starbucks is in Nihon, yo, swear on god and every barista job I've had!) I was waiting for our to go order to be double-cupped with javajackets and placed in a bag with a cardboard insert (you can't fight it) when I noticed that they had placed little plastic plugs in our lid sippy holes. Stir-stick sippy hole plugs. Ingenious, and so Japanese (hotto kohii wa abunai!!!). I'm collecting mine and taking them home.

And after yesterday, I have been officially talked into those shorts that were all over the fashion mags in the States last Fall. You know the ones -- slightly above the knee, slim cut, and usually in tweed or cuffed. I told myself, NEVER! But the Japanese gals are working those shorts like nobody's business -- with flats, stilettos, and my personal favorite yesterday, over the knee dominatrix stiletto boots. Of course, they have the skinny bodies to pull them off gorgeously. I may be turned.