return to normal?

Wow! It's hard to believe that our whirlwind trip to Japan is over, and that I'm back home trying to adjust to this time zone. Everything went so quickly, it almost seems like an incredibly detailed dream. I have so much to blog about the trip that I'm somewhat overwhelmed... do I describe things chronologically (day 1, day 2...), or do I talk about things thematically (food, fabric, friends...)? I'm not sure how to go about this.

But, the one thing I do know is that Mariko and I could not have made the trip and had as much success as we did without the help of some incredible people. Our last night in Tokyo was fantastic - we met up with many of these friends for dinner and dessert, and it was truly the perfect evening... good food, better company, and a finale of chocolate!

And so, I want to personally and publicly extend my thanks to these people who made our trip so much fun, as well as a complete success:

Kat was our self-proclaimed personal concierge while in Japan! Not only did she help us get our feet wet on our first day with shopping in Shinjuku and Kichijoji, but she also helped lay much of the ground work for our trip - making phone calls on our behalf, emailing us tips and tricks, and just being a wonderful resource. She also helped to end our trip on a sweet note by introducing us to Choco Cro - home of chocolate croissants fresh and warm out of the oven. Yum!

Darin was a charming and mellow addition to a largely female group. Not only did he serve as baggage handler and photographer, he also proved himself to be a skilled guinea pig wrangler! I had a great time chatting with Darin about all sorts of things, and I'm really hoping to see Kat and Darin in California sometime soon!

I consider Molly to be a sort of silent partner in superbuzzy. After all, it was she and Jan who made the very first purchases for the shop. You probably already know how down to earth and sweet Molly is, and I was thrilled to finally meet her in person. We had a delightful dinner and an intimidating dessert. I wish we'd had more time to chat, but I guess this means I'll just have to go back soon!

I first "met" Anjali through a fun little swap we did for trims and notions a while back, and I've been hooked on her blog and Japanese candy reviews ever since! Anjali made the trek to Nagoya to join us for our dinner with Molly, and they did an amazing job ordering a fantastic assortment of food. Since Anjali doesn't live too far from me in California, I'm hoping to see her again stateside! 

Jen is another friend who helped in much of the planning and organization of our trip. Although she has 2 gorgeous little munchkins that keep her more than occupied, she was still able to make her way to Nippori one morning to help us get oriented.  I had a great time chatting with her and visiting with her beautiful girls as we strolled past all of the crazy fabric and notions shops in Nippori Textile Town. Jen is an incredibly talented quilter, and I'm looking forward to following along with her work on her blog.

Stefana met us later in the day for our whirlwind shopping excursion in Nippori. She was an extremely patient and steadfast shopping partner, even though she's "in the family way"! We were lucky that Stefana was also interested in attending Yokohama International Quilt Week, and she agreed to join us the next day and serve as our personal translator! She was so much fun to have along, and she even joined us for a much needed foot massage at the end of the day. We also got to meet her charming husband at our last dinner in Tokyo, and he was very charming and extremely tolerant of the large gathering of crafty women!

Like Molly, I consider Chico to be part of the superbuzzy family. She's a brilliant artist and illustrator, but she somehow found time to make loads of phone calls and to research various companies before and during our trip. I really don't think we would have gotten nearly as much accomplished without Chico's constant help. She seemed to anticipate our every need! I finally got to meet and thank her in person during our last night, and I'm looking forward to keeping up with her.

Jun and Minato-san also joined us for our last night out, and it was so fun to meet more of the Tokyo crafty contingent! Minato san shared some of her incredible knitting projects (wow!), and we learned that she is Chief of Rowan in Tokyo! Jun's list of projects seems neverending (what a busy and talented woman!), but she's generously volunteered to help us with some final superbuzzy inquiries!

As you can probably tell, I'm completely overwhelmed at how much generosity we met in Japan. These folks were all so incredible, and I truly wish we'd had more time for fun and frolic. But, the tremendous news is that we accomplished far more than we dreamed possible, and exciting things are just around the corner at the superbuzzy shop! In fact, we should have an update ready sometime next week to showcase the first batch of our acquisitions... I think you'll be thrilled!

Comments

[Mariko]

Couldn't have said it better myself!

[kat]

So glad you both made it home safely and that your trip was successful. Can't wait to see all of the Superbuzzy finds!! Will definitely be seeing you in California sooner rather than later!!

[Anjali]

We will definitely be hanging out when I get back to CA. And don't worry, the Limon Pop Rocks weren't scary!

[molly!]

Thank you for your sweet words! I wish that we could have talked more, too! We'll have to make sure that there's a next time. :) (And I wouldn't call the Pop Rocks scary, either--they were good!!)

[Madeline]

Welcome back welcome back welcome back! I have been DYING to hear more about your trip. Although I'm quite sure you're going to be the real kick in my pants to actually GO to Japan. I can't wait to hear all about it and see everything you picked up!

[Laurence]

Welcome back! you must have so much fun meeting new people. I bet your suitcase is packed with new things for your store!

[laurie]

welcome home! (a little belatedly) i'm so looking forward to the shop updates and more updates about your trip. :)

[freecia]

Choco-cro. Yummmmmmm.