Century II Asian Festival

Konnichiwa!

I'm so excited to tell you all about my asian festival adventures. Wichita KS held a big asian event at the Cenury II building on October 26 that I went to with my boyfriend. Upon arrival we saw a big stage with various dancing acts from the different cultures of Asian countries. This was pretty cool, granted, but what we wanted to see was... FOOD.

Adjacent to the performance hall was a giant room filled completely with different food and gadget stands. It was so amazing!!! I've been to the festival once before, but that was in middle school, and i didn't remember it being this awesome.

Anyway, here are some pictures.

My itouch camera is crap, so unfortuntely you can't really see the dancers.

 A kokeshi iphone case, how can you beat that!

 traditional kimono

 hello kitty lanyards

sticky rice spoons

Unfortunately these were the only Japanese things available- o Japanese food, what a bummer :(- but don't leave yet because the other food was still incredibly delicious

 Can't remember what country this is. Can anybody tell me?

 Hey gyoza! That actually is Japanese right?

 This young woman competed in the Miss Asia Festival Contest. Wish I had been able to see who won :/

 Where is this one from..? More importantly, what is it!? I love all of these new foods :)

And that was just a FEW examples of what they had to offer. I was totally, completely in heaven. I tried some delicious Indian food. Not sure what it was, but it was like these huge triangular-ish fried things filed with this mushy orange stuff (I'm making it sound gross but it was amazing) sitting in some curried chickpeas. Then I also tried some banh bao (which was not my favoite...), shared some kimchi with my boyfriend, and got some thai iced tea for a dollar (drool). I really enjoyed attending and sharing my experiences with you, I hope you liked the pictures! I'd love to hear about any asian festivals you might have attended recently as well.

Keep it kawaii folks!

-Ainsley

A Day at The Spice Merchant

Konnichiwa!

I apologize for my lack of posts lately, everything has been so busy! (Life story of every high school senior). Today I'd like to show you my favorite place to get my Japanese tea, The Spice Merchant.

The Spice Merchant is located in Wichita, KS. It has tons of different flavors, including some really unique ones like Stevia tea. (I wonder if it's really sweet) I love driving by it because it is so adorable; it is shaped like a little Indian temple. (They have tea from several different cultures)

Here are some things I saw there:

Chopstick holders, with precious animations on them<3

A lidded Japanese tea vessel. I really want one like this, and would have purchased it, but this one only held 6 oz because the Japanese like their tea strong. I prefer 8 oz vessels because then the tea lasts longer.

These ones are more my size! I purchased the one in the middle. You might recognize it from my first Green Tea of the Month post.

I am absolutely YEARNING for this tea set. I practically drool over it every time I go to The Spice Merchant. Alas, I am unemployed and this particular set is about 70 dollars :( However I can always hope for it as a Christmas gift...              (hint hint mom ^-^)

I also purchased this cute "Kokeshi" mug. Kokeshi are japanese dolls; I recommend looking them up on Google because they are cute and also quite interesting. The mug spells out "Kokeshi" on the side, topped with the little girls and a big one on the side.

Anyway, if you live in Sedgewick County, KS you should really give them a visit. I hope you enjoyed my little "treasures". I can assure you I will continue to drink up their tea :)

Keep it kawaii folks!

-Ainsley

A Day at the Antique Mall

Konnichiwa! 

(I'm going to have to used romanized Japanese from now on, sorry)

Today I'd like to share with you two gems that i scored at the new antique mall in my town. It was recently built just a block away from my house, and it's awesome not only because it has antiques (which I adore) but it also has sections that are business vendors and "garage sale" type vendors. (And they have free donuts... score!!)

My first find is this detailed Japanese plate from either the Meji or Edo era (I'm not very accurate on my Japanese history sorry). I got this baby for only 6 dollars and i plan to get a plate holder so i can set it in the middle of my dresser in my bedroom.

My second purchase was a rectangular wooden map of Japan. Each of the big cities is marked by a small circle made out of abalone shell which I find quite beautiful. There is also a woman peering over the island. Her hair is done in a similar fashion to that of the women in the plate shown above. The man who sold it to me told me he found it in an abandoned house. I offered him $5 for the piece, but when I gave him my $10 bill he didn't give me any change, and I didn't have the guts to tell him I'd given him a 10. Oh well! I plan to hang it up on my wall above my bed.

I checked the backs of both items, and they are certified "made in Japan" :) I'll have to check the antique mall again soon for more Japanese goodies. (I have a serious "cultural item" hoarding problem, I need help). Hopefully you enjoyed seeing these good deals, let me know what you think.
Keep it kawaii folks!
-Ainsley