Fabric Stores!

If you know me, the two stores that get me excited are hardware stores and fabric stores! My friend M knows all sorts of places for fabric (she also sews) and took me to Nippori, where they have a whole street of fabric stores! I was DELIGHTED!!!

They even had stores that sold 100yen per meter fabric, which is a bargain for even America. I saw lots of leather scraps (left), and tons of Japanese prints... I will be coming back to make purses! Today my main goal was acquiring the "ingredients" for making a fancy 1950's era hat, which I easily achieved with M's help.

There were so many exciting textures and patterns... I could make so many purses here! So much more variety, especially in purse-making supplies (i.e. pre-made leather handles, the metal snap frames I have to buy from a catalog in the States).

On the way to the fabric stores, we spotted a CHEAP clothing store, where I bought a very nice cotton blouse for 299yen! I couldn't believe it! In Tokyo, things are too expensive or too cheap... and you only get the cheap stuff if you know were to go. This holds for: clothing, food, restaurants, fabric, office supplies, paper, kimono...

Before our grand fabric adventure, we ate at an Okonomiyake restaurant where you fry your own food at your table. We had both okonomiyake (Japanese style pancake with veggies in it, very tasty) and yakisoba (stir fried noodles). See picture at left.

Later today, we went to TGI Friday's!! I was amazed to see one in Japan, American/Southern/Spicy food tasted soooo good. I will have to go back... I have had a strange craving for all things made with flour lately...