Holy Mitsuwa, Hadley!

Lately I've been wanting to eat nothing but Asian soups. I realize that's vague, but my tastes really have wandered from Thom Yum to Pho to Miso. Going in search of the necessary ingredients for these soups (lemongrass, Thai chilis, or soba noodles, for instance) has brought me to some fascinating discoveries.

Discovery #1: Bento boxes. Man, did you ever think lunch could be this cute?

If you're interested in finding Bento paraphernalia on the cheap, go visit Ichiban Kan. It's a wonderland of two dollar lunch box related cuteness.

Discovery #2: Mitsuwa. This place has everything; it's a wonderland of all things Japanese. It even has a food court with displays using that awesome replica food that's all over Tokyo.

In addition, the produce is awesome:


They have all my favorite Japanese candy:


And they have these sweet bean steamed buns that are, like, the most satisfying thing ever.

Discovery #3: Konnyaku.

I still find this stuff intimidatingly strange, but there's something about the color and consistency that fascinates me. I'll make a dish and report back. Do any of you have recipe suggestions?