Today I decided to go shopping for some cute notebooks because I figured that would motivate me to get back into language studying (I’ve been taking a rather extended break). But as is my nature, I ended up buying a bunch of different goodies and no notebooks at all! I definitely started off with good intentions, but I’m easily distracted. 😉

I went to a local Japanese market that carries all kinds of household goods like containers and office supplies and dishes, hoping to find a cute notebook or two to take home. After browsing the stationary aisle, I didn’t really find anything suitable and stumbled over to the beauty aisle. Instead I found a foaming net! I’ve been hearing good things about foaming nets and have been meaning to try one out. I’ve heard that it’s bad to directly apply face wash to the skin and that you should foam it up first. However, it’s difficult to adequately make foam in your own hands, so you can use a foaming net to create lots of thick foam instead.

This packet was only $1.50 and comes with two nets, one large size for everyday use, and a small size for traveling. I can’t wait to try them out!

After striking out at the first store, I decided to try my local Sanrio. But I got sidetracked along the way (of course). I decided to stop at a Vietnamese boba and pho restaurant to get something to drink. I ordered an almond milk tea with boba:

It wasn’t the best bubble tea I’ve ever had (honestly nothing compares to the bubble tea shop that I used to frequent in college) but it was sweet and refreshing.

Amazingly, I made one more stop before I made it to Sanrio. I decided to check out a small mochi shop that was on the way. My favorite mochi shop recently closed so I’ve been on the lookout for a new one. The shop I stopped in makes slightly different kinds of mochi than what I’m used to but I was intrigued by their selection. I asked the lady working there to recommend some mochi to me. I told her I like red bean fillings, so she picked two cute pieces and wrapped them up for me.

The whitish gray one was topped with shamrock-shaped jellies (for St. Paddy’s Day), which I thought was very cute. The light green one was topped with a whole red bean and some leaf-shaped jellies, and the skin on this was was glazed over the top, and a bit softer and thinner than the whitish gray one. They were both delicious and I’m really glad I stopped for these.

I finally made it to Sanrio! But they didn’t have any notebooks either! I was looking for larger sized notebooks appropriate for note taking, but there were only small memo pads in stock. But I couldn’t just walk out empty handed…

I bought a mini Hello Kitty notebook with a super hero doodle theme. Every page has a different doodle, almost like a flip book, and I love how the spine is a shiny, iridescent material. I also bought a small pack of Hello Kitty sticky notes, which I thought would be useful for marking pages in my textbooks. I think I’m going to use the mini notebook as a sort of progress journal, to just make note of what I sections I studied, what concepts I learned, and how long I studied each day. You always get a mini gift at Sanrio, and today it was that heart-shaped clothespin in the picture above. I also purchased a cute mechanical pencil, but I somehow lost it between making my purchase and returning home! Maybe it will turn up, but I’m pretty sure it’s gone forever…

I didn’t think it would be so hard to find cute notebooks! When I was a kid, there was a small stationary shop near my school, and me and my friends would walk there after school to buy cute little notebooks and folders, pens and pencils, pencil cases, and lollipops. There was also a Morning Glory shop nearby, and sometimes my dad would let me shop there for school supplies. Since my hunt for notebooks was unsuccessful, I decided to head to the one place I knew would never fail me: the internet! Remembering my childhood, I looked around morninggloryus.com and ended up fining a whole bunch of cute stationary supplies. I ordered 3 different notebooks, along with a new pencil, eraser, and flashcard set and I can’t wait to receive them. I’m feverishly checking the tracking number as I await my delivery. When those goodies arrive, I’ll make another post to show them to you all!