I love it when I can immerse myself into a place or experience within my own city and feel like I’ve used a bit of Floo Powder to magically transport to somewhere thousands of miles away. That’s how I feel every time I visit Convoy District in San Diego.
Filled with Korean BBQ joints, foot massage stores, and Asian grocery shops galore, this area truly transports me. In fact, every single time I go (about every three months or so) I swear I will come back more. It’s that fun.
Shrimp Chips, Matcha KitKat and More
I love a good grocery store. Especially one filled with treasures I don’t recognize. I’m a sucker for Japanese packaging. They have a way of making even vitamins look fun and childlike.
There are three stores next to each other under the umbrella of Marukai in San Diego. One specializes in groceries. One home goods. And the third one is the mecca: there’s everything from beauty masks to sword-shaped pens to collector’s anime figurines. And fun snacks to boot!
I confess: I’ve been twice this month. I can’t stay away. The fact that there are two rows of fake eyelashes fascinates me, despite me having no need to buy any. I buy beauty products with no English instructions for the sheer pleasure of the unknown. I buy matcha-flavored anything. Suddenly, I can’t imagine how I’ve lived my life without travel-sized soy sauce containers. I’m an Asian store junkie.
Sushi…on a Conveyor Belt?
What better way to round out a day of fun pretending we’re in Japan than to eat at Kula Revolving Sushi Bar? This place is technology incarnate. From signing in on the iPad outside to ordering food, everything is automated. Sushi cruises by on a conveyor belt, and you take what you want. When you’re done, you slide the plate into a receptacle, which keeps track of how much you’ve had. After five plates, you get a fun little animation on your screen. After 15, you get a Hello Kitty prize. We didn’t quite get that far, but we’ve got something to aspire to next trip.