The Old Harry's Music Store in Kaimuki

Book Off's New Home Update

Though I reported awhile ago that it seemed like most of Shirokiya's Book Off inventory went to a new home at Ward Warehouse, I DID notice that the new store was strangely void of the Japanese related Books, Movies and CDs that used to be sold in the back part of Book Off:

The "Japanese" Section of Book Off

Well, come to find out, THAT part of Book Off has found a new home of its own for now, and it is in the back corner of the town Don Quijote just past the Central Pacific Bank kiosk!

Kind of cool to see this location selling J-pop CDs and such since once upon a time it was the town Daiei where I purchased many of my childhood tokusatsu stuff, Kikaider, Kamen Rider and even Robocon! Almost like a link back in time!

Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com

Shirokiya’s Restaurant Town Food Court Opens!

Went to Shirokiya’s new “Japan Village Walk” in Ala Moana Shopping Center along with my friends and half the entire island population or at least it SEEMED that way! The Restaurant village had its Grand Opening this weekend and the air was full of excitement with giveaways and lots of loud taiko-drum infused entertainment as the masses perused the new shops and stores!

The new place seems to have it all: restaurants from Japanese to Vietnamese to traditional and even American stuff of the Cheeseburger variety, Bakeries and pastry shops and even gift stores welling Japanese wares that reminded me not a little of good old Iida’s back in the day!

One of the perks of dropping in on opening day was that they were giving out free gifts for the first 12,000 visitors: cute little amulets with your “Guardian Spirit” animal which you received and then were invited to read up on what your character meant in the neighboring exhibit!

And after spending the day having lunch and drinks, we couldn’t leave without topping it off with an assortment of those famous Hello Kitty Waffles for dessert! Mmmm...Got the custard, chocolate and regular ones, maybe next time we’ll get the Cream Cheese, Strawberry and Red Bean ones!

So much to see and I’m still not sure we saw all of it- we kept walking past alleys that we’d missed in the initial walkabout, but we’ll definitely be coming back for more! I gotta say, when we first showed up, the line to get in was so long and had snaked from Shirokiya around the corner and almost all the way back to Old Navy, and I thought we'd perhaps made a mistake coming so early, but one inside it was all worth it!
Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com

The old Shirokiya Food Court, before the move to the new Village Walk

Book Off’s New Home

A few months back I mentioned that the “media” side of Shirokiya “Book-Off” had relocated to Ward Warehouse under the name “Connect”…Well, I happened to stride on by this weekend, and I found that since Shirokiya’s big move to the Food Court Side of Ala Moana Shopping Center, The Ward Connect had officially become a Book Off, complete with signage and banners! Very Cool! Time to shop for some movies!

Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com

Book Off in the Old Ala Moana Shirokiya Store

 Sunset from the Wal-Mart parking lot in Mililani....

Japanese Bookstores Making Moves...

 Went To Ward Warehouse this weekend to find that the CDs, Books, Computer and DVDs section of Shirokiya has become a brand new outlet called "Connect", which has just taken residence there, next to Menchie's Yogurt (in the place that used to be Executive Chef) and with just a glance one can tell still has that easy-to-spot "Book Off" aura...

The news that Shirokiya was going to be moving places in Ala Moana Shopping Center made me wonder the fate of the CD/DVD side (since they were going to focus on the Food Stalls), nice to know that they've still got a good home! (Or, as long as this DVD thing lasts...Oi.
While I was there, I was shocked to find that Japanese Bookstore Hakabundo (which had also moved to Ward Warehouse a few years ago) looked like they were clearing out their magazine section... but then I discovered they'd opened a newer shop further down in Ward Centre, and there the Magazines were, good as ever! WHEW!

Kind of Sad news about Shirokiya moving...I have SO MANY memories going there as a kid for my Kikaider and Kamen Rider fixes, those cool '45 Singles and Albums...Those were the days!

Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com

The Upstairs Restrooms at the Old Spaghetti Factory in Ward Warehouse...

Back To Kawaii Kon 2013

It's Adventure Time at the 2013 Hawaii Kawaii-Kon!

Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com
 It's that time of the Year again (Gads, has it already been that long...?) when the fanciful Anime Expo Kawaii Kon makes its appearance, and though I hadn't given it much thought  in the last few months, when my friends called me up to tell me we were gonna be spending our Saturday there, I was all in!

 We actually got there fairly late, by the time we found parking and made our way there, it was already past 1:00 in the afternoon, most of the Morning Crowd had gone, and it was still a bit too early for the nighttime costumers to show up, but all in all we still managed to see some fun and interesting sights!

 One thing that was a twist was that this time we actually had someone in our crowd who KNEW all of the anime shows and characters- whereas before we'd marvel at how well the costumes were made, but had no idea how close they'd gotten to the actual outfit, THIS time, she was running around pointing out all the various "celebrity" anime characters, yelling out "HEY, It's Flame Princess!!!!"and a BIG highlight was the cast of the zany ADVENTURE TIME anime show (pictured at the top of this post)!

Sadly, even with four (four, count them, FOUR!) cameras at our disposal going off non-stop (or so it seemed), only a small handful of all the pics we took actually came out, a problem that bugs me to no end...! So throughout the 200+ pictures we took, all I was able to put together was this meager sample of the fun that was going on that afternoon!

Ah well, there's always next year, and my friends have already stated that we are DEFINITELY going to be coming in the year 2014, as checking in on Kawaii Kon is our new "tradition", LOL!!!

Hakubundo is Alive and Well at Ward Warehouse

Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com
Was cruising down at Ward Warehouse the other and was happy to see that Japanese Bookstore Hakubundo had moved there! Not only did it seem like the same good old Hakubundo, as always, they already had the latest NHK Taiga Drama Photobook displayed in the window (this time for upcoming Ayase Haruka drama“Yae No Sakura”, she looks soooo kakkoi on the cover, I’ll have to check that one out!)…

Ah, Hakubundo! You know, in the days before the internet, it was not only one of the few places you could buy J-pop CD’s, but it was just about the only place we knew of to order other J-pop goods like posters and Photobooks, and back then it was a ritual to mosey on down to the Chinese Cultural Plaza  (this was years before they eventually moved to the Pan-Am Building) and put in another order of J-goodies! 
It’s a good feeling to know that shop is still around!

More Pics From Kawaii-Kon

Overview of the 2012 Kawaii Kon

Still working through the 100+ pictures we took of this past Saturday's Kawaii-Kon and decided to continue uploading "All the Pics fit to Print", or rather, More Random Stuff from the 2012 Kon...

2012 Kawaii Kon pics

2012 Kawaii Kon pics

2012 Kawaii Kon pics

2012 Kawaii Kon pics

"Come At Me, Bro!"

2012 Kawaii Kon pics

2012 Kawaii Kon pics

2012 Kawaii Kon pics

Costumed Couple and A Girl and Her Teddy Bear

Sailor Jupiter hanging at the Game Room

A Photobombing Pumpkin and a Forlorn Fairy

2012 Kawaii Kon pics

 What kind of visions will we see at the next Kawaii Kon? Heaven only knows, 

but trust you're in good hands with Kawaii Kon Guards like this sturdy fella: