Perhaps that's the main reason why I can't seem to move on from my trip to Japan last week, is because I was able to taste a bit of heaven in the land of the rising sun- and with the best brown rice!
While the whole of Japan seems to be Heaven overall [psst their McDonald's has the best Orange Juice hahaha!], there's this particular place in Fukuoka that made my heart so full, it almost burst into shards of unicorn goodness! Am I referring to the place with the best Tonkatsu? Not really, but dayuuuum I equally cannot get over their brown rice! HAHAHA! Ok, kidding aside, let me show you what Heaven is...
But my world, and my arms, stopped with what I saw next. Originally I intend on buying watercolors and brushes, but what I saw next made me abandon ship.
This made this place heaven, ladies and gentlemen! I just remember this running joke I have with my architect friends, where the true sign that your parents love you is when you have a lot of Copic Markers for rendering. For those who aren't that familiar with Copic, Copic is a brand of really amazing, high-end markers. Usually a piece of Copic marker goes as much as 250+ pesos or around $ 5-8 *insert crying face*, so you can just imagine how expensive it would be to buy a set! Surprisingly, this limited edition Card Captor Sakura Copic Sketch has been a 'steal' given that it is sold around Php 7,000++ or perhaps $ 120-140 in some online stores, but in Yamamoto Bumpodo this retails for 9,800 yen, or roughly around 4,800+ Pesos!!!!
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| Me |
Yeeeeessssss Henny! Yamamoto Bumpodo is the best place in the whole of Fukuoka for people who loves to surround themselves with art materials! This amazing store boasts 2 storey full of art goodies, having the 2nd part devoted more on sculptures and paintings. Yamamoto Bumpodo is near Akasaka station, which is the left side of Tenjin station. You could also go there coming from Ohorikoen station, if you're coming from a day trip in Ohori park- like what we did!
I think it's also important to take note that they close early, having official business hours at 10:00 am to 7:00 pm only. With that, my only advise for you should you wish to visit this wonderland is to allot at least an hour or two when visiting, in this case you'll get to really see the shelves, and also be able to compare prices. Unlike what happened to us, we were able to arrive here at around 6:45 pm already (which explains why the store looks like it's about to close), because we came all the way from Ohori Park after sailing a duck boat (Will explain that in separate post haha!). Having only 15 minutes to shop, the pressure is just too much to handle! Usually when I go to art stores, I have to have at least an hour to check the shelves, and to really think through what I have to buy, however in this case I just go with...
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| Reptar is my spirit animal |
So, what's inside this majestic place? (Apologizing in advance for the blurry pics, because I came in like a storm when I arrived).
There are a bunch of watercolor tubes you can go crazy at! They also sell a lot of different waterbrush brands, like kuretake, zig, pentel, and a whole lot more.
look at the Sakura Petit Color palette! They seem really identical with the Sakura Koi Pocketfield watercolors, which are available here in The Philippines!
But the fun doesn't stop there! Just when you thought that's already everything, you get to see a corridor leading to something even more majestic!
No, it's not the toilet- but hey, it's clean I tell yah hahaha! So what's on the other side?
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| Yes kuya, flaunt it! |
Pigmeeeents! You can use these powders to make watercolors, or even make your own paper basing on whatever color you desire. Aside from that, you'll also be greeted by these:
The Starry Colors Gansai Tambi set of 6 retails for only 1,200 yen, or around 500+ pesos only! Here in the Philippines it goes for almost 800-900 pesos! While the pastel ones are around 600+ pesos only, and so far aren't available in The Philippines yet!
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| Me freaking out as I get everything I could from the shelves |
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| Shaky hands because of too much feels. |
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| I DIE |
This made this place heaven, ladies and gentlemen! I just remember this running joke I have with my architect friends, where the true sign that your parents love you is when you have a lot of Copic Markers for rendering. For those who aren't that familiar with Copic, Copic is a brand of really amazing, high-end markers. Usually a piece of Copic marker goes as much as 250+ pesos or around $ 5-8 *insert crying face*, so you can just imagine how expensive it would be to buy a set! Surprisingly, this limited edition Card Captor Sakura Copic Sketch has been a 'steal' given that it is sold around Php 7,000++ or perhaps $ 120-140 in some online stores, but in Yamamoto Bumpodo this retails for 9,800 yen, or roughly around 4,800+ Pesos!!!!
Anyway, to finish this post, let me summarize some tips and FYIs should you ever find yourself visiting this heavenly place:
1. Go early! Don't go there 15 minutes before closing time! Despite the fact that they have really helpful and patient sales people who are willing to give you 5 more minutes after 7:00 pm, please do me a favor and go early!
2. Expect to buy a lot of stuff! They have from pastels to watercolors, and even different papers, washis, clays, and sooooo much more! With that...
3. Allot a big 'art hoarding' budget, otherwise, you'll have buyer's remorse if you don't buy what you want.
3. Listen to your gut! If it screams that you buy that item, go for it! Remember, you may not go back to Yamamato Bumpodo soon!
4. They accept credit cards too!
5. If you are tooo excited about this, check their site here ♥
In the end, I was able to buy a few things hahaha! I intentionally did not buy a lot, because I'll be visiting the art shop mothership in Japan sooooooon ♥ Better watch out for that!
Love, Always!
Nicole ♥
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