by Austin Otaku on August 16, 2009
I forgot to mention in my post on Asahi Imports that they have a frequent shopper program that pays you back if you spend enough money with them. This is really convenient for people like me, who shop there weekly, but, even if you only shop there once per month, you can eventually get paid back on your purchases.
Program details: for every $20 that you spend, receive one stamp on your card. Once you collect 30 stamps, you’ll receive a $30 Asahi Imports gift certificate. … Okay, sure, that’s only a 5% return on your investment, but if you think about it, most stores don’t pay you back at all for shopping with them. And frankly, you can’t get a 5% interest rate on a savings account at a bank.
Frequent Shopper Card for Asahi Imports
Is it really such a bad return on investment when you get to support a local family’s business and buy a bunch of awesome Japanese groceries? I think not.
Asahi Imports Frequent Shopper Card
by Austin Otaku on July 22, 2009
With more than 60 days per year over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, a poorly designed road system, terrible drivers, panhandlers on every street corner, and plenty of ignorant but proud Texans, not much about Austin can be considered kawaii (Japanese for “cute”). So finding a shop that specializes in kawaii items is as rare as finding a good source of Hapi Puringu, Japanese pudding.
So, you can see how Momoko Gifts , located near to the UT campus on 24th Street, is quite the find. It’s a bubble teahouse that doubles as a Japanese gift shop and is brimming over with saccharin-sweet cuteness.
Opened in 1996, Momoko has the distinction of being the “first bubble teashop in Austin.” In addition to serving its specialty bubble tea with black pearls, this family-owned store sells a variety of Japanese gifts, including tea and sake sets, candy, incense, school supplies, and plenty of Hello Kitty, Kuromi, Yebypawka, and Domo-kun toys.
In a couple of weeks, they will also begin offering bento boxes, which are perfect for a quick lunch, and other food items.
Momoko Gifts is located on 24th Street between San Gabriel and Rio Grand Streets, next to Sushi Niichi.
Momoko on 24th Street
Hours: Mon. – Sat. 11am-8pm, Sun. 12pm – 6pm.
Address: 705 W 24th St # A
Phone: (512) 469-0232
by Austin Otaku on July 9, 2009
I’ve been mostly incommunicado for the past 5 days, not adding blog posts, not really tweeting on Twitter, and definitely not answering my phone. So where have I been? I have been in what is as close to an otaku’s/Japanophile’s paradise as you can get in the U.S. – Japantown, San Francisco, California.
The Japantown in San Francisco is one of only three free-standing Japantown (Nihonmachi) enclaves in the United States, which also includes Chicago, IL and San Jose, CA. It is made up of roughly 6 city blocks along Geary Expressway, just about 2 miles west of Union Square. Its sister city is Osaka, Japan, so it is also called Little Osaka.
Loaded with plenty of excellent Japanese restaurants and specialty shops, Japantown is a great place to stop through while visiting San Francisco for an evening out. However, just like Japan itself, Japantown also has a lot of subtle points of interest and events to keep you occupied for a lot longer.
I have plenty of dining recommendations for a later blog post, but for now, enjoy these pictures of Japantown.
[PSGallery=2cypl210pf]
