Dollar store haul

Whee! Today I finally had time to do some exploring!! I really wanted to go and get some kind of basic things that I was lacking (like dishes of my own, some paper, an umbrella, etc).

The first thing I did was get lost trying to leave the research facility where I live >___> In my defence, I've only left twice before (and both times at night!). In retrospect I ALMOST didn't get lost - I just went down a side-street and realized right away that it was not right. So then I remembered that a) google maps actually suggests a different route out of this maze, and b) I saw a labmate heading in that apparent direction when she left yesterday, so I walked to my lab (about 7 minutes from where I live) and then out to the nearest road. Well, that led to several fields and what looked like some mountains, so that wasn't right either. THEN I turned back to where I live and was just starting to get a bit concerned when I saw a car head down a road that I can't see from the building where I live. Huzzah! That finally did lead me to the loong road out to the main street. Oh, did I mention that it was about 5°C, raining heavily, and there were wind gusts up to 70 km/h? So by the time I finally made it here I was already soaked :p

The long and non-winding road.

That road is about a 7-minute walk, and from there it was about a 15-minute trek to the subway station. I headed downtown and made my way to the Daiso 100¥ store (100¥ =~ $1). Holy.Freaking.Cow. This place was seriously amazing. It's 5 stories tall and they have pretty much everything you could imagine (including yarn!!!!!!!!!!!). I was able to get every single thing I wanted to pick up in one place (except for a mic for my computer - though they did have a pretty decent electronics section). I will definitely be back and I will take pictures. My basket was so heavy that it wasn't possible today. Here is the store that was across the street. I like the name because "Book Off" sounds kind of like an insult.

I'm going to start telling people to Book Off since nobody understands me anyway. Not everyone. Just people on the subway who refuse to give up their spot to a clearly disabled person. Not that I saw that today or anything >_>

Anyway, I did a bunch more wandering around between this store, Odori Park (a long, skinny park through the centre of the city where there are festivals throughout the year), and Sapporo Station, which at least to me is the heart of the city. I was kind of hoping to do a bit more shopping, but my dollar store haul was heavy and I was cold and wet so I just headed back home. The subway was jammed because, as it turned out, there is a baseball game today and from the crowds it must have been starting shortly. The Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters play in a stadium that is just up the street from where I live. I really want to get some Ham Fighters paraphernalia because that is the best name ever. 

My Daiso haul includes a clothes hanging rack (because I was warned that the dryer loooves to shrink stuff), baskety things because I have no drawers for socks and things (the plaid thingies on the right), laundry detergent, tragically non-Hamtaro dishes, and a whole bunch of other stuff.

Now I am tired.