Today I received an unexpected and oh-so-sweet package of goodies from my friend Gabbi! It seriously made my day! ^__^

Everything was wrapped up in an adorably taped box:

It was sticking out of our mail box!

I took a picture of the unwrapping and opening but it came out sort of boring so I decided to focus on pictures of the goodies themselves.

 There was a little card fastened with the cutest kitty diaper pin!

I love the rainbow on the card <3

One of the first things I unwrapped: an Em and Sprout panda bag!!! I love their shop and this is one of my favorite designs! Sooo cute!

 Panda pocky!!! These were intended for Andrew (my husband) but I told him he only gets one of them, lol. I've never seen panda pocky before! I am so excited to try it!

A cute little postcard of a girl and some deer <3

 I love kawaii mugs~this one has cute sleepy animals!

A detail shot of some of the contents; she also included an adorable little potholder with kitties on it, some KitKat candies, a squeaky stuffed meat toy for my pup, and a plastic strawberry bowl that will go perfectly in my kitchen!

A picture of my awesome unwrapped package contents! There is also a little clear brown bear soap dispenser (sooo cute!), a froggy sponge, and a little soft seal wash mitt. I have this thing for Japanese sponges and bath stuff. Perfect!

Gabbi~you are the BEST! I love everything so much! <3

Random Kawaii Wishlist

I love how I think my kawaii buying will somehow cease, or that my wishlist will become shorter rather than longer. PSSSSH! Yeah right! ahahaha

I've been saving images and links for random kawaii stuff I want to add to my collection of lovies. 

Photo duuuump! ^_^

Sooooo cute! My favorite is the squirrel. These are pre-orders in a Rakuten shop.

Very similar plushes! I love all of these <3

ALPACA TEA SET!!! SOOOO MUCH CUTE! I love how the mugs look like wool!

Piyodamari! Friggin' tiny chick plushes in an egg case! YES PLEASE! omg. Seriously-check out their webshop. Kawaii overload >_<

Plush kitty pouches

 Cute fat kitties!

Tiny fuzzy Nemuneko! I want the cream, white, and grey!

Shopping Service Reviews: Part 1

Hey guys! I was actually asked by a member of the Arpakasso Online forums to write up some reviews of some of the Japanese shopping services I've used. I figured I'd provide the same information here in my blog in case anyone wanted to know more about certain services and my experiences with them =)

The two services I've used most recently and with the greatest frequency are Japonica Market and Tenso, so those are the two I'll be reviewing here!

Let's get started.


Service Name: Japonica Market (http://japonicamarket.com/)

General Information: a proxy bidding/shopping service located in Japan that provides auction bidding service and website shopping service. You place an order through their website, they invoice you, and bid/buy on your behalf.

Shipping : offers both EMS and registered airmail (up to 2kg) as ship options
- personal example shipping: 1 large 50cm arpakasso = 2400yen EMS international shipping

Usage Fees:
- 800yen fee for auctions/items up to 2500yen
- 1000yen fee for auctions/items up to 5000yen
- 1200yen fee up to 15000yen and so on
*There is also a discount offered on multiple items purchased from the same seller (example: first item from seller has an 800yen fee, second item from same seller has 400yen fee, etc. Check their website for more detailed info.)

My experience : I have used Japonica Market to place both web orders and auction bids. Very quick responses, friendly staff, and excellent service. I found the website very easy to use.

Bonus points: open 7 days a week 9:00 ~ 17:00 Japan time

Recommended ? Yes



Service Name: Tenso (http://www.tenso.com/en/)

General Information: Tenso is different from most shopping services in that Tenso offers a Japanese forwarding address for you to ship packages to from Japanese websites.
*Tenso does also offer traditional shopping services but they are a bit pricier than others I've found (1500yen fee for items up to 10000yen) and I've not tried that so I can only review their forwarding service.
Tenso offers free sign up. You will receive a Japanese address that you can use in shopping on Japanese websites like Rakuten, Amazon.jp, etc. You pay for the item(s) on the website and for domestic shipping within Japan. The seller ships your package to your Tenso address. When Tenso receives it, they notify you and invoice you for usage fee and international shipping. They also offer package consolidation if you have several packages from different sellers and wish to save a bit on shipping costs.

Shipping: EMS offered
- personal example EMS shipping costs: 1200yen for several small (16cm and under) Arpakassos or 3200yen for two 35cm Arpakassos

Usage Fees: usage fee starts at 490yen for packages up to 1kg in weight

*Note: they are closed Saturdays, Sundays, and Japanese holidays

My experience: Tenso has provided me with excellent and prompt service. I've been more than happy with my orders through them.
*Tenso may be a good option if you want to pay a lower usage fee and feel comfortable placing your own orders. Japanese websites can be confusing so I personally have only placed my Tenso orders through Rakuten because it saves my user information and address, making it much easier for me to place subsequent orders. Just a thought!

Recommended ? Yes


I hope these have been helpful! I'm trying a new service right now so hopefully I'll be able to provide another review soon.

Happy Easter! + Arpakasso Collection

Happy Easter to you! I actually prefer to call it Zombie Jesus Day because that's way funnier but I live in the Bible belt and making fun of Jesus might earn me a shanking.

I FINALLY have a picture of my complete Arpakasso herd! I've been promising pictures for ages and ages... anyway~onward to the cuteness! (oh, and I'm sorry that the lighting is really jacked up-I should have done outdoor shots because the lighting in my house is weird sometimes -__-)

Half...

 and half!

And some close ups!

 55 cm white with red flower Summer series plush

 5 cm green Cotton Candy strap and 14 cm pink Strawberry plush

 35 cm beige Kurikuri Baby, 16 cm green Play Color, 35 cm white Strawberry plush

 35 cm white Baby Birthday boy

 My 5 cm yellow Cotton Candy strap and 10 cm yellow Cotton Candy keychain

 55 cm chocolate brown Love plush, 10 cm pink Macaron keychain, huge purple Macaron plush

 The gang's all here!

 Ahaha, I feel sort of like a weird fashion photographer... 'alright, look to the left! No, my left! Good. Hold it!'

So much love!

Whew. So, there's my Arpakasso collection. I'll probably add a few more sometime soon but I think I'm going to take a break for the time being. I have my eye on that squirrel Kiiroitori plush from Shop Kawaii....