I Bagged it in Japan

Not very surprisingly, I wanted to buy a bag in Japan. Those I liked most, however (e.g. a lovely grey leather bag from Banana Republic and a gorgeous beige/pink COACH bag), were not only expensive, but also bulky, so I ended up buying only a small foldable shopping tote and something which I have not seen here, but which is very popular and widely available in Japan: a little bag you put into your big one:

I got mine at Muji a week after Chiquita had bought a similar one there and was able to tell me she found it very practical for her Longchamp Pliages bag which has only one inside pocket. My theory is that these types of bags are popular in Japan because Japanese ladies seem to like bags without any zipper or other fastener at the top, such as the ubiquitious Louis Vuitton "Neverfull" bag, which, by the way, I am more than tempted to acquire in the near future (ahem). Pickpockets are obviously an unheard of thing in Japan as we often saw women with those "open top" bags and their wallets on show in the subway or other public places. You just don't see that here and if you did, you'd think, "Poor idiot, just aksing for her valuables to be stolen". Well, in Japan you also see men leaving their laptops and briefcases unattended when they go to the toilet in a coffeeshop.

Back to the little bag - I have not used it yet, but I think I'll get a lot of wear out of it in summer. Or when I succumb to the siren-call of Neverfulls...