Back to Mitsuwa, The Wallet Cries Again

At Tendon Hannosuke. Doesn't that just look great?

I can't help it. There's always something I want at Mitsuwa's and I always have to create a budget for it. Things are definitely more pricy at Mitsuwa's than back at my neighborhood, but there are some occasionally finds that are worth purchasing. Sometimes there are things that are even cheaper in New Jersey than in New York. My two friends and I picked the coldest day to go out. 29 degrees being the highest and ice created from the rainy puddles left from the day before. The wind was chilly and the trains were crowded in the morning. However, I think going out on a chilly day is better than staying at home where I get colder and colder by the minute.
When you're working within a budget, creating a list is the best thing you can do to control your spending habits. My list kept growing, but I made sure I included the lowest prices possible to remind myself that you can obtain these items elsewhere. In the end, I didn't buy a lot of things on my list which is a good thing actually. I went to a Michael's nearby to purchase some black acrylic paint and a wooden box. Luckily my friend sent me a 50% off coupon, because that box was not worth six bucks. It is some flimsy-ass wood that I can break in a second. That acrylic paint however was a deal. $0.69 per bottle. It may not be studio quality, but I'm not doing some crazy art student painting here.

My main goal was to buy soju at Mitsuwa's. I wasn't going home until I get myself that bottle of Chumchurum Soju. The soju that we see in our markets are roughly $12-14 for a 350 mL bottle. The soju I bought at Mitsuwa was $11.99 plus 7% tax for a 750 mL bottle. My friend thinks I'm crazy for drinking soju straight up, but I really don't like mixed drinks. No need to leave some watermelon soju for me. That soju was heavy in my messenger bag and my shoulder hurts from lugging it on the shuttle bus and subway. I also bought a lychee flavored Calpico to treat myself. Having Calpico for the first time, it was like drinking lychee flavored Yakult, but with some more sugar. No wonder my friends love it.

I walked into Kinokuniya which had finally opened in place of the Mitsuwa bookstore. Like I expected, they brought in more import goods and books that would reel in more potential customers. Even though the one in Manhattan has a larger selection of products, this one has a larger selection of magazines and import stationary. I stopped getting SHOXX magazine because it no longer featured bands I liked and I didn't buy any magazines that day because they don't carry the ones I want like CD & DL Data. The stationary section of the bookstore is now organized in the far corner and paid separately. I got myself two holiday cards that were really good quality and marked down to $2 each.

The food court had us walking in circles, We simply couldn't choose which stand to purchase from because they all looked appetizing. In the end after a lot of deciding, we decided to try the Tendon Hannosuke stand which specialized in tempura bowls. Prior to purchasing a tempura bowl, I got myself a melon pan from Hamada Bakery ($1.80). I got jipped from the melon pan. I thought there was filling inside it, but it was just bread. I could have gotten myself a pineapple bun from Chinatown then. At Tendon Hannosuke, I got the #4 which is a plate of tempura (kakiage, shrimp, fish, nori, and shishito pepper), soft boiled egg over rice, miso soup and a soy based dipping sauce. I don't why nori is included, but it takes up space and doesn't cost a lot. Like the traditional way of eating raw egg over rice, I mixed my soft boiled egg in my rice with whatever's left of my dipping sauce. Typically I don't eat raw egg, but I suppose it couldn't hurt once in a while. The tempura was not overly greasy and it was light in my mouth. The soup was not overly salty and it had pieces of kombu and tofu. Overall a very satisfying meal. My stomach was filled with $8.99. It looked small to me, but I somehow got full from it.

We spent the remaining time quickly browsing through the market for things we couldn't get elsewhere. I was at a loss, because I wasn't interested in a lot of the snacks. What made it depressing for me was seeing all those One Piece toy snacks. I wish they made toy snacks for animes I liked, not One Piece. For my friends they bought some goods you can't find elsewhere like Kewpie mayonnaise and Pocky on sale. The sky was already beginning to darken at 4pm.

I also walked into Times Square for the remainder of my day. After saying farewell to one friend, the two of us remaining walked through Forever 21, Sephora, and the Disney store. Despite being so cold, the night was filled with shoppers. Revlon had some stage set up and a show going on in Times Square. There were lots of people congested around that light filled space. I think the Disney store was the best thing I walked into that night. There were lots of people shopping there and toys everywhere. Even I wanted some of their toys. The store really captures the magic of Disney with their decor making it kid appealing. They had a large Sven where kids were taking pictures with. Frozen is really popular in the store and there were all sorts of merchandise to go with it. If I had a bit more money to spare, I may have gotten myself a large stuffed animal.