Hello Gotochi Kitty, Hello Japan

You know what's the worst? The physical act of moving. It's just...blech. Who needs it?! I'd say the two worst parts of moving is cleaning the kitchen and cleaning out the miscellaneous closet. The kitchen stinks because you throw out a bunch of food and you feel like a wasteful horrible person that hates the earth and starving children. It also smells awful. Do you know what it smells like when you pour maple syrup, fish sauce, vinegar and jam down the drain? I do.

The miscellaneous closet - we've all got one. You know the one I'm talking about. It's the one that's filled with random stuff you can't get yourself to throw away but can't use on a daily basis. I'm pretty sure there's a Friends episode about this closet. The one bright spot in cleaning out the Misc Closet was finding my collection of Gotochi Kitty keychains.

At the very end of any day or weekend trip in Japan, I've always made sure to pick up a new keychain. Every prefecture or region in Japan has their own Gotochi Kitty - a little figuring of Hello Kitty dressed up as something that region is well-known for. There's usually a few to choose from. For example, Kyoto is well known for their geishas and temples, so you can choose a Kitty dressed up as a Geisha or posting next to a temple. Some of them are boring like Kyoto's and others are hilarious. Like the port town of Kobe dressing up Hello Kitty as a pirate. Or the one I picked up in the beach town of Shimoda, where Hello Kitty is tan.

Souvenirs are silly and useless, but I'm glad I started this tradition. I took a little break from packing to go through all the keychains I've collected these past 2 years. They're good reminders of the funny memories I've made with friends around Japan. I haven't collected them all and I'm sure I never will but there is one I have yet to pick up which I'll be sure to do within the next coming weeks. My home of 2 years and an adventure all to itself, Tokyo.