It's been nearly a year since I went to the Mitsuwa shopping center in New Jersey. I was craving Japanese food, kitsch and books so I ventured down to the NYC Port Authority where Mitsuwa offers a shuttle service. Finding the shuttle wasn't easy, and word to the wise if you are going to take it be there EXACTLY on time because the driver isn't waiting around for anybody.
As I wandered around the stores I found it very frustrating to be broke. Importing from Japan isn't cheap. I held back from buying dishes and Hello Kitty charms in favor of a magazine featuring the 2010 kawaii hair styles (a must since American hair cuts always look so drab). Then I had some beef with cabbage and chocolate rice cakes for dessert. The problem with Mitsuwa is very few people speak English. You can only get this specific dessert there and even after all my poking and careful pronunciation the sales woman STILL almost gave me the wrong thing. There seems to be a very constant theme that the buyer shouldn't touch the object until the given time. Things are put behind glass and out of reach. Everything is clean and lovely but takes 10 times longer to get when you can't select it yourself. In the end I left early mainly to keep myself from the temptation of buying. Still a great trip!
