cute

Happy Valentine's Day to you from Japan!

Recently, a reader asked in the comments about what I have for breakfast. It is definitely not as elaborate as this one.

I normally stay away from kaiten-zushi (kaiten sushi) or conveyor-belt sushi restaurants, since the quality can be iffy. But I could really go for this adorable miniature kaiten-zushi miniature set! (I'm not sure why the itamae-san (sushi chef) has Angelina Jolie lips though....) It's a new themed set from Re-Ment (US site) (Japanese site), a Japanese company that makes amazingly detailed die-cast miniatures called Puchi Petites, mostly of food and related items like cooking equipment, but of other things too. The miniatures started out as omake, or free gifts that came with the purchase of candy, but the miniatures have become so popular that the candy, while it's still included, is now a mere afterthought.

Not quite edible, but how can one resist an animated paper model of that august diety, The Flying Spaghetti Monster? This is the newest paper model by Rob Ives of Flying Pig, a UK company that makes paper animation and other fun paper model kits. This one is available for download/purchase. I have a few of their models and they are a bit fiddly to make, but once they're done they make adorable accessories for around the desk or cubicle. (Just be sure you put them in a place where someone won't sit on it...as happened to my Schoedinger's Cat.)