My Holiday Apartment

The major pastime for Japanese women is to shop. I guess it's not so different from American women, but wait a minute...these women put us to shame. Really, I've never ever seen so many power shoppers in one place all at the same time. Every women, and I mean...EVERY woman is carrying a shopping bag from somewhere and it doesn't contain her lunch.

We soon discovered why these young women have so much money to spend. If you're a girl in Japan, it's the parents duty to pay her living expenses until she's married. So this means all the girls live at home and blow their entire paychecks on everything imaginable. And the story goes, if a girl is over 25 and not married yet she's called "parsley"--that which is left over on the plate. Ouch!


While we were in the Gion District lookin' around, I happily stumbled upon one of the cutest shops I've ever seen, Holiday Apartment. Apparently, there are several of these stores around Japan.

If I owned a shop, this is what it would look like. Everything from handmade flower pins, tops, handbags and decor for the home. It was luscious and the girl at the counter was smiling from ear to ear when I repeatedly gushed over how friggin cute the store was.

I wanted to buy everything and ship it all home in a big container. I can see this crocheted flower garland hanging around my studio. I didn't buy it. I'm going to try and make a few myself. Yeah, when I find the time to learn how to crochet.

It was like stepping into a little French shabby chic boutique. The prices were very reasonable. Some of the antiques were a bit spendy though.

Cute, cute, cute. That's all I kept sayin.

Like I said, some of it was a bit expensive. That sign in the background, for example, is about $90.

Handmade flower bobby pins and brooches.
Just gorgeous!

I loved all the colors, the variety, and the cuteness. I kept putting things on the counter and the shop girl just smiled at me and bowed each time. I wanted more. MORE!

There was an entire wall devoted to handbags. I loved the ruffle one but couldn't make up my mind. You'll see what I purchased later.

Oooo....what's up for tomorrow? The big bald man buys a knife. Ya gotta check it out!

TIP-O-DAY: When in the Gion District, try the sticky rice on a stick. It's dipped in Teriyaki sauce, then grilled lightly. You can also have it wrapped in seaweed, but I skipped it. They're yummy and cheap, about 75 cents each! And, if you're going to be in Japan during July, it's SALE time from the 1st through the 20th. SALES, SALES, SALES EVERYWHERE!

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