tokyo series: i ♥ muji
while in tokyo, hhh and i visited several different types of MUJI stores, even though there are MUJIs in new york and basically all the other cities i've visited in recent years. it was worth it: they totally save the good stuff for japan. first, we went to a fairly typical MUJI in shimokitazawa, which already had way more in the way of household goods and linens than stores in other countries. then, on our last night in the city, we were headed to rakushokushu maru (best meal we had in tokyo!) when we spotted a found MUJI.
found MUJI is a different kind of MUJI store--the first floor looks like some sort of exhibit, very curated and very sparse. the second floor is more commercial, and holds objects and goods sourced from around the world. while the items fits MUJI's general aesthetic, they don't seem to be produced exclusively for MUJI. it's reeeally quiet in found MUJI, and we tiptoed around like we were in a museum.
in contrast, the flagship Yurachuko MUJI Atelier is livelier than most other MUJIs i've been in. there's certainly a lot more going on: the first floor holds a MUJI lab, full of clothing i haven't seen in other branches. up the escalator, there is a large cafeteria, as well as a sizable grocery section. we actually had to visit twice, because i insisted on coming back to see all the areas i missed the first time around.
oh, did i mention that there is a full-sized house inside this MUJI too?
it was hard to pry myself away...