In 2025, Final Fantasy IX, one my all-time favorite games, celebrated its 25th anniversary. Luckily for me, I just so happened to be in Tokyo when a special exhibition commemorating that occasion was being held! From development materials that had never been displayed before to exclusive merch, it was definitely a dream come true for a fan of the game. Read on for my full recap!
In honor of Silent Hill f‘s release last month, Konami hosted a limited-time popup for fans to experience food, props, and decorations inspired by the game in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, CA. The event, called A Taste of Ebisugaoka, ran from September 27 to October 19, 2025, and while I didn’t plan to make a special trip to Little Tokyo for it, I happened to be in the area for a concert, so I took the opportunity to swing by!
If you’ve been following this site for a while, you’ll know that I am a huge fan of the Hobonichi Techo series of planners from Earthbound creator Shigesato Itoi’s lifestyle company, Hobonichi. I’ve been using them every year since I got my first one in 2017, and love looking at what other users do with … Read moreHobonichi Techo Meeting Caravan, Los Angeles Event Recap
If you have an interest in Japanese stationery, you’ve likely heard of Midori, a paper products company founded in 1950. They produce everything from stickers to letter sets, and are well known for their MD Paper line of notebooks, which are celebrating their 15th anniversary this year.
As part of the anniversary, Midori has released an updated line of MD notebooks, a series of 15 special notebooks with covers drawn by different artists, and is running pop-up events around the world! I was thrilled to find out that a store close to me, M.Lovewell, would be hosting the pop-up event from March 25 to April 8. Of course, I had to stop by the store and pick up some goodies!
One of the great benefits of moving to Orange County is that I get to finally experience all the cool local events I kept seeing online when I lived in Australia! One such event is Takumi Alley, a makers mart celebrating Asian creatives and Asian culture that was held on March 12, 2023.
Takumi means “artisan” in Japanese, emphasizing the intent of the market to celebrate Asian creatives and craftsmanship. I heard about the event through Bananabelle Brown, a cookie crafter who organized the market with Okayama Kobo Bakery & Cafe and curated the vendor lineup. Even though the market was outdoors and had to be postponed a day due to weather, it appears to have been a great success, and there are plans for more in the future!