Starbucks You Are Here Collection Mug - Japan

Friday, July 20, 2018

Starbucks You Are Here Collection Mug - Japan

My husband and I have been collecting Starbucks You Are Here Collection Mugs which are only released locally. As I mentioned in my previous entry, we traveled to Japan during New Year's holiday this year. We really wanted to get You Are Here Collection Japan mug, which was just released in October in 2017. We visited many Starbucks branches in Tokyo but couldn't find one there. A Starbucks staff told us that it was too popular for foreign visitors and was sold out very quickly in October! We almost gave up finding one, but we were finally able to find it in Fukuoka prefecture! If you want to get one in Japan, I recommend you to check Starbucks located in non tourist places like outside Tokyo.

Anyway, I'm going to share this Starbucks You Are Here Collection Japan mug with you.

As I mentioned in my previous entry, spring is the best season to travel in Japan because it is the season when sakuras, cherry blossoms, start blooming in Japan.

Starbucks You Are Here Collection Mug - Japan

Mount Fuji, which is called Fujisan (富士山) in Japan, is the highest mountain in Japan. It's located in Shizuoka prefecture (静岡県) and Yamanashi prefecture (山梨県), but you can also see it from Tokyo on a clear sunny day. When we lived in Japan, we tried to climb Mt. Fuji in summer. It was not easy for me to go to the top of Mt. Fuji for my first time. I actually had mild altitude sickness, acute mountain sickness, which is caused by acute exposure to low amounts of oxygen at high altitude. We brought a few of canned oxygen, which we had purchased at a convenience store nearby Mt. Fuji. It really helped me, and we were eventually able to get to the top of Mt. Fuji. :) Actually, we climbed Mt. Fuji twice. For our second time, I didn't get altitude sickness because we tried to hike slowly. ;) Anyway, if you are planning on visiting Japan in summer and want to try to climb Mt. Fuji, I think that it will be one of the most memorable ones in your life. :)

Starbucks You Are Here Collection Mug - Japan

In this picture, two Japanese macaques, snow monkeys, which are called nihonzaru (ニホンザル) in Japan, are soaking in an onsen (温泉), a hotspring. If you go to Jigokudani Monkey Park (地獄谷野猿公苑) in Nagano prefecture in winter (November through March), you might see monkeys enjoying an onsen there.

Starbucks You Are Here Collection Mug - Japan

When you visit Japan, you should eat authentic sushi and ramen! The mug has pictures of ikura-gunkan maki (イクラ軍艦巻), shrimp nigirizushi, makizushi roll (maybe) and ramen. You can see nitamago (ramen egg) and chashu (a slice of roast pork) in this ramen.

Starbucks You Are Here Collection Mug - Japan

In Japan, there are many Japanese castles such as Osaka Castle (大阪城) and Nagoya Castle (名古屋城). A daruma doll (だるま) is a bearded man doll and is a good luck charm. You can select a goal or wish and paint in one of eyes. When you achieved the goal, you can paint in the second eye.

Starbucks You Are Here Collection Mug - Japan

Bonsai (盆栽) is a Japanese art and one of traditional Japanese hobbies. Some Japanese people most of whom are elderly men enjoy bonsai. It is planting a small tree in a small container and trimming it that mimic the shape and scale of full size. I heard that more and more foreign people have also enjoyed bonsai nowadays.