SHOPPING AT MITSUI OUTLET PARK IN KADOMA
10.12.2024

Before we left for Japan, Mami told me I had to buy new T-shirts as mine were old and tattered and a bit embarrassing. As most things are cheaper in Japan, I packed 3 of my less embarrassing T-shirts with the intent being to buy some new shirts in Japan. So straight after breakfast we did the dishes, cleaned the house and then jumped in the car and with Nana driving, headed off to Mitsui Outlet Park in Kadoma.

It was only a 15 minute drive but the traffic was heavy today and so it took 20 minutes to arrive at our destination. It is a very popular place to shop and has all the big brands like Adidas, Pume, Uniqlo and GU to name a few. The sports shops were too expensive, so went to Uniqlo and found some really good T-shirts for 1490Y which is $15 AUS. Also picked up a really warm light blue hoodie for 2900Y which is $30 AUS. Very happy about my purchases and I am now sitting in Starbucks, pretending to take the occasional sip from my empty cup, while I write this installment for today’s blog.

Mami and Nana have abandoned me, so they can go to the amusement parlour and test their skills at lifting a stuffed toy with a mini crane and dropping it in the winners tray. Mami is very good at this and last time she played this game she won 5 stuffed toys to Nana’s 0. They are both very competitive and will spend 3-5 hours in a Karaoke booth seeing who can get the top score singing. And no, the answer is I did not go to Karaoke as the karaoke machines do not show negative scores!

When Mami and Nana finally returned, after wasting money and Nana the 1-0 winner, we packed up our purchases and started off to the car park. As we walked, we noticed a bizarre event happening on the floor below us.

Five babies, whose only mode of moving was crawling or sliding, were lined up in lanes like an Olympic sprint. Mothers were placed at the end of each lane, urging their child to be the first over the line on the 6 metre ‘sprint’. It was hilarious! One kid stayed motionless on the starting line. Another kid crawled to the wrong mum, probably because she was enticing her child with a more appealing stuffed toy. Does this type of event happen in Australia? Would it even be allowed? Japan does some strange things that often bemuse and entertain foreigners and this was certainly up there with the best I’ve seen. (see video)

 

Dragging ourselves away from the budding Olympians, we returned to the car and drove to The Park Front Hotel, which is situated right next to Universal Studios theme park. We will spend the night at the hotel so Mami and Nana can get to the park early, and be at the front of the line for the best rides. And again No! I am not going to the theme park and will instead walk around Osaka while the girls are screaming their heads off at the theme park.

The hotel is very nice and at the moment Nana is asleep on her bed, Mami is fixing the website for the non FB users and I am typing up the blog. We all ate very large and delicious meals for lunch at the Mitsui Outlet Park and none of us are even thinking about dinner. There is a Tully’s coffee cafe very close to our hotel, so we may all head down there later for a snack and a coffee.

Just finished dinner, which was sushi from a sushi train restaurant、ice cream fromLawson and coffee from Tully:s. That’s what I call a balanced meal.😄

It’s now 7.30pm so we will watch a bit of TV, but Nana and Mami will want lights out early so they get pole position at the entrance to Universal Studios Theme Park. Just hope Mami’s snoring doesn’t keep Nana awake.

Hope you’re enjoying the blog. Let me know if there are any matters of culture, towns, cities, transport or whatever you want to know more about and I will try to fit them into the blog.

Cheers,
Rob&Mami