Raiding San Francisco’s Japantown for bento accessories and pens

Posted on September 11th, 2012 by Sacha Chua

Japantown was a thirty-minute walk from Union Square along a route that reminded me that yes, San Francisco is built on hills. It was quite a pleasant walk, actually: sunshine, a breeze, and conversation. I wanted to pick up some bento accessories for J-, whose love of all things Japanese might motivate her to prepare and enjoy more creative and healthy lunches in high school. I also wanted to check out the stationary store at which it was rumored that one could find nifty little fountain pens and other imports.

There were lots of cool bento accessories at Ichibankan and Daiso. I promised W- that I wouldn’t go overboard, so I bought just a few items: a few silicone food dividers and cups, a nori punch, and some sauce bottles. That should make the bento box much more fun to fill.

I’d also been looking for an extra-fine fountain pen, and the Internet recommended checking out Maido. When I went to the address given, though, I was somewhat disappointed to find a character stationary shop filled with cute gifts but a tiny selection of pens. Fortunately, the Kinokuniya salesperson directed me to the second floor, where I found the real Maido stationary shop. It was awesome! I got the Pilot Penmanship Fountain Pen and the CON-50 converter. That doesn’t seem to be listed on the Maido website, but here it is on Jetpens.

There’s a small J-town complex in Markham, but it’s nowhere near the scale of the one in San Francisco. =) Glad I got a chance to check this one out!

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