Kawaii!

In September this year I moved from the Netherlands to Japan. I had never been to Japan before not even for a short trip but for some reason I knew I would like it. Even after the big earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster moving to Japan felt like the right thing to do at this point in my life.

And after being here for almost three months it still feels so right. I love Japan. I love the food, the excellent service in shops, the temples and shrines, Japanese ladies in kimono's, the view on Mount Fuji from my bedroom and all things kawaii.

Kawhat?!

Kawaii translates to cuteness or loveliness and is an important aspect of popular Japanese culture. You'll find it in all sort of things like manga, clothing, food, toys and stickers. Hello Kitty is kawaii and so is Pokemon.

One of the first things I fell in love with were the stationary goods. I have never seen such cuteness before! Many of the products available here are difficult to find in Europe and that's what gave me the idea to sell these goods online. This way everyone back home can enjoy them and it will give me a good reason to keep buying them. So now I find myself trying to negotiate prices with Japanese wholesalers...challenging since I only speak a few words Japanese and most of them do not speak English. And then there's the cultural difference...I will keep you updated on my journey trough this blog.