At the Japanese Target store...

In this part of Japan, there is no Wal-mart, no Target, no Shop-Ko... or whatever it is that you have in your part of the USA. Instead, it is the You Me Town. Yes, it is spelled just like that, in English. Here is a photo I pilfered from the Iwakuni Beacon web site - it was dark when we went, so this photo is much better than one I could have taken when I was there.

You Me Town

One of Rodney's co-workers, Josh, and his wife, Yolanda, have been incredibly helpful to us, and took us out to have a look around town Wednesday night. Actually, we were in pursuit of some ice cream, but the local place Yolanda had in mind wasn't open. So off we went to something more familiar - Baskin Robbins 31 Flavors, which is inside You Me Town, facing the store's parking garage.

The entrance of You Me Town that is right next to the Baskin Robbins.

The flavors offered... and in English! The spouse wanted vanilla and I told him no. What a waste of a trip to 31 flavors if you just get vanilla!

The worker understood what we wanted in English, but spoke back to us in Japanese. Luckily this was not a difficult transaction.

I got something with a lot of caramel. Yum!

For four single-scoop cups of ice cream, like the one you see above, we paid 1,200 Yen. That's about $15. Fortunately, there is a small Baskin Robbins on base that's a bit cheaper. It is just under construction so it can add more flavors. ;)

After we got our ice cream, we got a brief tour of the store. It is more of a Super Walmart or Target Market, because it also has a grocery store. It is two stories high... on the second story is toys, clothes, household goods and a HUGE arcade. I thought the kids were going to lose their minds! We didn't have time to play, but I promised them we would come back. Here are some of the things I thought were interesting:

So many cool chopsticks!

OK, so those of you who get cold at work, you might appreciate this - a heated lap blanket that warms up when you plug it into your computer! And it's on sale! Score!

A Sham-Wow! With a face! I thought I had escaped this product when I fled the states... apparently not!

So there it is - my first trip to the Iwakuni Target-like store. People here rave about the "100 Yen" (about $1.30) stores, which, I have been told, are like the dollar stores in the U.S., but with better quality products. I can't wait to find one of those to see what they have!