What's up, you guys? How are you? I hope you've been well and safe. I think after this upload, I can finally catch up to my camera roll. And then from there, I'll be catching up on book and film reviews.

I didn't have a lot to get at Kinokuniya. Originally it was just a Kanji workbook and flashcards for me to help refresh my mind by remembering Katakana and Hiragana characters. I couldn't find the book, or rather I decided to get it later. I'm trying to use all of the online resources I could use and then hit the books.

KINOKUNIYA HAUL:

x Two cute enamel pins from @everyday_olive
x 1 Polar bear Midori flashcard with a ring (I should have gotten more)
x Two Tokidoki Cherry Blossoms Unicorno figure (I got two of the ones I wanted): Sakurako & Yoshino

I felt deflated towards the end of my trip (as I was exiting the store). I feel like I had a nicer time in the Kinokuniya store I went to last year in Santa Monica. But I mean what did I expect, I live in a southern state. And living in the south, just means you encounter more racist people.

Thank God, my state has three more other locations. They're just 3-5 hour drive away. I kind of dread going back in the store, although technically it happened near the doorway/exit. Anyway, two of the workers (one guy at the cashier and another guy restocking shelves) were really nice to me. It made it harder for me to talk because the mask muffled my voice. But he was patient and still really nice to show me where the enamel pins were located.

The guy at the cashier was also polite and nice. I felt bad that I didn't wear gloves (only wore my mask), so I was working hard to avoid accidentally grazing his hand (not because I think he has germs), but I was trying to be responsible and practice social distancing.

I don't really want to elaborate on what happened near the doors. But it was kind of unpleasant. I look back on it and just think that, if I were blonde, I bet I would have been treated a hundred times better.

I can't wait to try out the other Kinokuniya stores within my state. I hope I have a better experience.

Anyway, I'm really glad I got my hands on Toki Doki merch, and cute enamel pins! They make my room look prettier and cozier :)

I went to H-Mart too to pick up DIY matcha ingredients. Not on the same day, but I figured I should tack it on here as well because my recent posts have been a lot of Japanese/Korean stores I've been to in my area lately.