It was pretty bustling, and from its namesake, the crowd was made up by middle-aged to old ladies. Apart from children that the aunty/uncle brought, I appeared to be the youngest customer there. Which, as you can imagine, made me feel a little out of place and awkward. But who cares, I just wanted to see what the place was like. I wasn't really expecting makeshift stalls, some selling second-hand goods, others selling supposedly new goods at low prices. It was rather like a giant flea market! Some of the shops reminded me of what I'd seen in Singapore, displaying jade jewellery, or very Chinese-looking stuff.

While many things there were quite aunty-oriented, there were others that were open to a larger spectrum of the population, such as getas, yukatas, and food! All those appealed to me, the first two because it is nearing the yukata season, and the last because I'm a glutton. There was a modernised clog which looked like a wedge that caught my eye, but sadly it wasn't 1000yen like the others, and was in the 3000yen range. :( I need to get footwear for my yukata!

As I was browsing through the bigger shops hoping to see something less aunty-like, my eyes glinted when I saw the yukata section. The obi and yukata were sold separately. While the former looked normal enough, many of the yukatas had very lovely designs. Some weren't very expensive, at about 3900yen, but there were others that were in the 6000yen range. Sometimes, it is really obvious you have to pay more for quality. There were so many different designs to choose from, and so many looked so sweet. At that point in time I yearned for another yukata, but I already own one and have access to my mom's as well, so it really isn't practical to get another one, no matter how badly my hands itched to grab one from the rack to claim as my own.

There was this bag shop having a sale, and the items looked like those I'd seen at Ueno, and was interested in. This time, having no time or company constraint, I made a beeline for the shop and ended up spending at least a good twenty minutes in there. In that time, many customers entered and left, while I was the only constant, remaining undecided and torn between three bags. Even if things are cheap, as long as their numerical values aren't tiny, I don't like to buy more than two at one go. A strange limit, yes, but it's a form of self-imposed discipline. Otherwise you'd see me as an even crazier shopper! So I deliberated, muttering to myself, looking at them close up, looking at them from a distance, inspecting for flaws... Finally as I became the only customer left in the shop (again) after there'd been a few exodus, I told myself I had to stop being so indecisive. So I put one back on the shelf and headed to the cashier. Therefore, even though it was supposed to be a sight-seeing trip for me, look what I came home with!

Pretty good non-aunty buys at an aunty place, huh? With those, two scarves and a pair of leggings in hand, Kaori came home a very happy girl. :D