yumyumcherry

Shanghai Surprise (Madonna, eat your heart out…as if you have one….ouch.)

Okay, enough ‘Madge’ bashing…
Shanghai was indeed a surprise. Last visit (2005) was lukewarm. Grudgingly, I’ll admit, they seem to have gotten at least part of their act together. Perhaps the flames of the pending Olympic torch have even reached as far south as Shanghai. In any event, while the construction boom (MIND BOGGLING) continues, the overall experience seems to have been tidied up, but not sanitized.

Nanjing Road. Who can resist this landmark passage that throws back to those Imperialistic days…sort of like the ‘Bund.’

YYC thanks to Mr. Liu Wei and Ms. Qi Rong for sharing their knowledge of the city—Cantonese dialect—and love.

While we had resisted the concept of visiting Shanghai again, we are now looking forward to the Encore. Much more user friendly in the western Sense of the word. More people speak English willingly here than in Tokyo. Trust us on this one.

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Bastion of all things foreign (though not necessarily American) in Tokyo has now moved to new digs. The pre-fabricated building houses three floors of activities and restaurants that shore up the crowds until the ribbon is cut on the new TAC (complete with lodging, thank you very much—or arigato as the case may be).

The family style cafe on level one is best reserved for those actually with children (not to mention the ‘Patience of Job’.) While the menu is limited, if you’ve had at least a week of Ramen and Sea Urchin, that cheeseburger will indeed look like Paradise.

The Vineyards Lounge on the third floor is still awaiting its package license so unlike the old Vineyards at the established location it is strictly ‘drink on premises…’

The Mixed Grill (also third floor) features a more sophisticated menu (note to self: same salad bar as first floor cafeteria) and a quieter ambiance. The Japanese spouses, guests, significant others seem to appreciate it all far more than the members, but that’s what it’s all about.

Let’s do the Hokey Pokey.

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Mixi dots (sort of like that Dippin’ Dots ice cream that tastes like crap but is sooooooo cute in the cup).

Some of the most unique colour story that we’ve seen cosmetically in a while. A blended symphony of hues that are milled to the nano degree. Wow. Never thought you could work with purple and moss green? Guess Again.

YYC fave was the Jelly Eyes….a creme/powder fondant that glides on the face and can highlight even if you have no artistic skills at all.

Bravo for their inventive range of shadow and blusher combos.

If you do find yourself in Tokyo, snap up a bunch of RMK and ask questions later. We didn’t see it at Narita Duty Free, but you might. Ginza? Roppongi? Shibuya? Try Seibu. They have comprehensive staff and the skill level of their team far surpasses what we’ve seen at stateside counters.

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