Tag Archives: rilakkuma hawaii

Rilakkuma Lifestyle relaxes in Hawaii!

Hello, I hope everyone is staying cool during this hot, hot summer!

I will be graduating from medical school this Friday (finally!), and I just got back from an amazing vacation since classes have concluded! I will be sharing my Rilakkuma photos with you over the next several days.

First stop was Honolulu, Hawaii!

This was our first time in Hawaii, so of course we had to bring Shady (Aloha Rilakkuma Store Exclusive Plush) to make his first pilgrimage to Hawaii!

Rilakkuma Lifestyle in Hawaii - Waikiki Beach

First stop: Waikiki Beach! We were super lucky to find a nice secluded area without many other people—what a great opportunity for these bears to relax!

Rilakkuma Lifestyle in Hawaii - Waikiki Aquarium

To cool down, we visited the Waikiki Aquarium! Lots of amazing marine life, and Rilakkuma got to meet some cute jellyfish!

Rilakkuma Lifestyle in Hawaii - Diamond Head Trail

Hiked to the top of Diamond Head Summit Trail! Beautiful weather, scenic hike, and spectacular view of Honolulu at the summit!

Rilakkuma Lifestyle in Hawaii - Dole Pineapple Plantation Experience

Rilakkuma got to meet some interesting-looking pineapple species over at the Dole Pineapple Plantation! Have you ever seen a pineapple like this?

Rilakkuma Lifestyle in Hawaii - Makapu’u Point Lighthouse Trail

Another breathtaking hike on the Makapu’u Point Lighthouse Trail! A peaceful view of the southeast corner of Oahu.

Rilakkuma Lifestyle in Hawaii - Hakubundo

Of course, had to visit Hakubundo to check out their Rilakkuma goods! The Ward Center location had only a few Rilakkuma products (some coloring books), while the Ward Warehouse location stocked lots of Rilakkuma plush and stationary! Ended up picking up a Korilakkuma Strawberry folder and a Rilakkuma Bakery notebook.

Rilakkuma Lifestyle in Hawaii - Koko Crater Trail

Our last hike at Koko Crater Summit was definitely the most difficult! We climbed a strenuous 1,048 stairs for this 360° view!

Rilakkuma Lifestyle in Hawaii - Ono Seafood - Poke

One of the biggest highlights of our trip was the food! We ate poke everyday, and probably could’ve kept eating it everyday without getting tired of it haha. Could’ve made this entire photo album about our poke marathon alone, but here are just a few select highlights: this photo was taken at one of our favorite spots, Ono Seafood!

Rilakkuma Lifestyle in Hawaii - Paina Cafe - Poke

Rilakkuma visited the purported home of the original poke bowl: Paina Cafe!

Rilakkuma Lifestyle in Hawaii - Maguro Brothers - Poke

The fresh fish was excellent! Poke close-up from another one of our favorites, from Maguro Brothers!

Rilakkuma Lifestyle in Hawaii - Marukame Udon

Finally, a hearty bowl of well-deserved udon from Marukame Udon for this hiked-out Rilakkuma!

We had an incredible time in Honolulu!

The Aloha Rilakkuma Series from 2013 is one of my favorite lines, and looking back, I think the Rilakkuma designs were very representative of our experience in Hawaii!

I’m not much of traveler, but this trip really made me want to travel more often! I hope I get the chance to visit the other Hawaiian islands in the future!

Next set will be photos from Seoul, South Korea!

What are your favorite vacation destinations? Anywhere you would recommend for Rilakkuma to visit next?

Maybe I can take Baguette Bear (Bonjour Series Caravan Plush) to Paris one day hehehe. Stay cool out there!

Aloha Rilakkuma Fansclub Plushie!

Is it summer yet? Hahaha it certainly feels like it here in Florida – the weather is really heating up, and I’ve exchanged long pants and jackets for shorts and tank tops!

That makes it a perfect day to introduce Fansclub Aloha Rilakkuma!

Fansclub Aloha Rilakkuma - full

What an adorable hula dancer!

Fansclub Aloha Rilakkuma - lei detail

Check out his flower lei!

Fansclub Aloha Rilakkuma - tag art

Tag art!

Fansclub Aloha Rilakkuma - family

Aloha family photo featuring the Aloha Rilakkuma Caravan plushie and Lawson playset!

Doesn’t he look happy with all of his Aloha Rilakkuma family? So relaxed!

I do love this series a lot because it shows Rilakkuma doing so many activities: grocery shopping, hula dancing, surfing, and even sun tanning!

This adorable hula-dancing Rilakkuma was released by Fansclub in April 2013, during the height of the Aloha Rilakkuma release! He really gets me in the mood for sunny skies and warm weather :)

Thank you so much again and again to Trinie, for sharing this beautiful and relaxing Aloha Rilakkuma with me – he really fits in so well with the all of the other Aloha bears! :D

In other news, there are a few new things in the Rilakkuma world, like the Stripes Stripes Everyday Series Caravan plushie!

Stripes Stripes Everyday Caravan - Korilakkuma

Striped booties and a striped penguin!

Stripes Stripes Everyday Caravan - announcement

Penguin Rilakkuma and Polar Bear Korilakkuma will be at the Caravan holding Penguin Kiiroitori and a striped bear of their own! (I don’t think I’ve seen Korilakkuma wearing shorts before!)

How cute, a Korilakkuma caravan plushie! So nice to see the other members of the Rilakkuma crew getting some attention!

Simon, our resident Rilakkuma artist, really loves the little plush striped bear that appears in this series – I think he wants one just like the one featured in the caravan (bottom left corner), but I don’t think they’re for sale haha. I do like those Rilakkuma proportions for a maybe Craftholic-inspired bear hehehe.

And I’m also happy to share that another iteration of the Enherb x Rilakkuma collaboration was just released for this spring!

Rilakkuma x Enherb 2014 - Spring ad

Herbal tea can be perfect even when it’s sunny and hot out!

Rilakkuma x Enherb 2014 - Spring lineup

What a great selection of springtime flavors!

I love this collaboration! The strawberry rose honey looks really yummy, and I always love the illustrations that are paired with the teas :)

That’s all for now – off to study antibiotics! I hope everyone is enjoying the season!

Lawson Aloha Rilakkuma Playset!

Wah, I can’t believe I ordered this back in March and I’m just now photographing it haha – though in my defense, it only arrived after I came back from Asia.

Anyway, here it is, at long last: the Lawson x Aloha Rilakkuma Playset!

Rilakkuma x Lawson - Aloha Rilakkuma - full

Everyone’s going shopping!

Rilakkuma x Lawson - Aloha Rilakkuma - Rilakkuma, cart, and lei

Rilakkuma and his undetachable cart! His flower lei is removable though.

Rilakkuma x Lawson - Aloha Rilakkuma - Korilakkuma

This Korilakkuma is so wild to me haha because she’s proportionally much smaller than the Rilakkuma, like she could be Rilakkuma’s plushie… and she herself is holding an Aloha Rilakkuma plushie? Hahahaha I guess it’s cool that Korilakkuma goes shopping for Rilakkuma plushies just like we do.

Rilakkuma x Lawson - Aloha Rilakkuma - Kiiroitori

Eeee this Kiiroitori is so cute and small! And he bears a striking resemblance to the Kiiroitori from the Happiness series (2007) – I guess Kiiroitori has always been in charge of holding the money!

Rilakkuma x Lawson - Aloha Rilakkuma - items

My favorite details: Hawaii coffee, Rilakkuma cookies, and a Kiiroitori honeypot with a Lawson bag to take them home in!

Lawson/HMV started taking pre-orders for this set way back in February of this year – wow that was a long time ago! They sold out before the pre-order deadline of April 15, and were finally sent out in mid-June!

I actually haven’t finished covering all the cool Rilakkuma things my dad bought in Japan, so here’s another entry that jives with today’s Aloha Rilakkuma theme!

Kabaya Aloha Rilakkuma - front

I assembled this one myself!

Kabaya Aloha Rilakkuma - top

Well assembly is pretty easy – just 2 stickers for the background and the ground, and then fitting the 2 yellow boards and the figurines in the right spot!

My family really likes the guitar-playing Rilakkuma because there’s an old photo of my dad playing the guitar in exactly the same pose and expression hahaha so it’s kind of like seeing my dad in bear form.

This figurine set was made by Kabaya under domestic license – Kabaya seems to be mostly a sweets company, which makes sense (I guess) because this set also inexplicably came with an unmarked bag of candy inside (what).

This set is pretty cool because there’s a little link at the bottom so that you can connect it to other figures like it! Cool idea! I wonder if my dad will collect any more…

Anyway, just as a heads up, I’m starting medical school on August 5 – I really have no idea how much free time I’ll have (if any, yikes), but I’ll try to still keep posting when I can because surprisingly, Rilakkuma mania actually keeps me grounded and focused hahaha. I mean, Mary makes it work as a doctor AND a mom AND collecting way more than just Rilakkumas so we’ll see how well I can do haha

Aloha Rilakkuma Caravan Edition (and Rilakkuma Ice Tray Results)!

Well, as a typical Florida summer goes, when it rains, it REALLY rains… and when it’s sunny, it’s REALLY sunny.

And guess who’s prepared? Aloha Rilakkuma, Caravan Edition!!

Aloha Rilakkuma Caravan - full

Prepared for the summer sun!

Aloha Rilakkuma Caravan - face

How funny that the white parts of him (nose, belly) don’t get any tanner haha

Aloha Rilakkuma Caravan - lei detail

What a lovely flower lei!

Aloha Rilakkuma Caravan - with clerk

He really is quite tan compared to the rest!

He was released during San-X’s 2013 spring caravan (which recently ended), as part of the Aloha Rilakkuma series!

Like (not) My Only Rilakkuma, we picked him up at the Harajuku Rilakkuma Store :D He looks so toasty!

Maybe he’d like to cool down with some ice from the Rilakkuma ice tray after all that time in the sun?

As I mentioned yesterday, my sister and I tried out one of our newest Rilakkuma products last night – here are the results!

I thought they turned out great!

Rilakkuma Ice Tray - front

The front of the ice tray, all filled with raspberry lemonade!

Rilakkuma Ice Tray - all

Here they all are! Wow, they were so tough to pop out since the tray isn’t that flexible! From left to right: Rilakkuma head, Korilakkuma head, Korilakkuma sitting, Korilakkuma laying down, Kiiroitori, Rilakkuma siting, Rilakkuma laying on his side, Rilakkuma laying down.

Rilakkuma Ice Tray - close-up

The details actually ended up being pretty visible, but it’s so tough to capture in a photo…

Rilakkuma Ice Tray - in glass

Here they are cooling my water!

Hahaha well I thought they looked really good, but I didn’t really think about what kind of liquid drink to put them in.

Putting them in just water just made the water taste slightly sweet/sour haha, but they were still super cute!

Rilakkuma x KFC + Wishlist: Yamanote Line Rilakkuma! (ACQUIRED!)

Whew, I made it to the Philippines!! It’s great to be here, but that also means my Rilakkuma adventures will slow down significantly from the past week – which is totally okay because I have a huge backlog of plushies/hauls to photograph anyway haha it’s good to finally get a chance to slow down a bit.

On my last morning in Japan, I finally got my hands on something from the Rilakkuma x KFC collaboration: an Aloha Rilakkuma fan!

Rilakkuma x KFC - fan and box

Most importantly, I finally got the box!!

Rilakkuma x KFC - smile set #3

Set #3!

As I mentioned briefly in a previous post, this is the third set of items from the Rilakkuma x KFC campaign!

In this campaign, you can get one of six Aloha Rilakkuma items with each smile set (like a kid’s meal). I thought the chicken was pretty good – even better than the KFC in the States! But that might have been because I was hungry hahaha

I really liked the picnic blanket design (pancakes!), but I figured I could get more use out of a fan. My sister ordered a smile set too, and chose the same design fan. I think the hot dog design is super cute and silly, especially since you can’t even buy hot dogs at KFC hahaha

The fan turned out to be a good choice because yesterday was HOT and we had to wait in line in the sun for the bus to the airport. On top of that, the Philippines was hot upon arrival (like always), so even though I’ve only had this fan for 24 hours, it’s already seen a lot of use!

Getting this box/fan was so much trouble – we stopped by a KFC in Kyoto and they had nothing in stock… then in Tokyo, we asked our hotel concierge, and they gave us directions to a KFC that recently closed… then we got directions to one in Shibuya that didn’t carry any smile sets at all… but the employees there finally gave us information to another KFC in Shibuya that did stock the Rilakkuma products that was just a short walk away. Such a tiresome journey, but rather worth it, I think! I did everything I wanted to do in Japan, Rilakkuma-wise!

Also, new in the Rilakkuma plushie world: Rilakkuma x Yamanote Line!

Rilakkuma x Yamanote Line - set

Yay, two different designs!

This collaboration celebrates Rilakkuma’s 10th anniversary AND the Yamanote Line’s 50th anniversary as the green line!

In honor of the green Yamanote line and Rilakkuma, Yamanote car #10 will feature a special Rilakkuma design!

ETA (8/28/13): Acquired!

Wow, I wish I was still in Japan to see this! My family took the Yamanote line quite often in our short stay there. Of course, everything has to happen right as I leave Japan haha

In any case, I’ll certainly be trying to get my hands on these two plushie designs – one for me and one for my sister!

I think more details about this collab will be released in mid-July so stay tuned!

Rilakkuma x Lawson Keychain!

Hey, look what my sister picked up in Japan: it’s a Rilakkuma x Lawson keychain!

Rilakkuma x Lawson - shopping basket keychain

Looks like he’s holding an onigiri – yum!

This guy is part of a mini-set that came out back in April – with Rilakkuma and friends hanging out in special Rilakkuma 10th anniversary Lawson shopping baskets! Cute!

Still waiting for the Rilakkuma x Lawson Aloha Rilakkuma plushie, which is supposed to be released in late June – I feel like I pre-ordered it AGES ago!

Also, as I mentioned before, my sister is in Japan right now, and she’s spied some more Rilakkuma at Lawson!

Lawson has an ongoing campaign featuring the Aloha Rilakkuma series where you collect stickers for prizes: Liemzie (Tea Two Sugars Please) and Ariel (Rilakkuma Desu) have posted about this campaign already – and thank goodness for those posts because otherwise we would have no idea what was going on with these stickers haha.

Rilakkuma x Lawson - Cheese Hamburger

“Cheese Hamburger”

Rilakkuma x Lawson - Teriyaki Burger

One of my sister’s favorites: Teriyaki Hamburger

Rilakkuma x Lawson - Cheese Bread

Cheese Bread

Just so you can be reminded of Rilakkuma all the time, even when you eat!

My sister’s running her own blog on her experience, so I’ll try not to steal too much of her thunder, just wanted to share some of her awesome Rilakkuma-centric photos!

I think my sister is aiming for the bag (20 stickers), but we’ll see how much she can collect before the campaign ends in June – what a great customer loyalty campaign haha.

KFC x Rilakkuma!

Quick post – I just HAD to update about this!

Rilakkuma is teaming up with KFC Japan!

KFC x Rilakkuma 2013 - item selection

Aloha Rilakkuma themed!

In addition to the special printed boxes, this awesome collaboration features Aloha Rilakkuma themed magnet sheets, clear pouches, an oragami set, and a shoulder bag! Wow! This collaboration will be officially released on April 25th!

The items are all very cute, but I really want the boxes the most hahaha

Hopefully, this promotion will still be happening when I get to Japan! So excited!

KFC x Rilakkuma 2013 - Rilakkuma Lifestyle

Rilakkuma sure loves his KFC!

Update: Aloha Rilakkuma Net Shop Exclusive!

Hey remember last week when the San-X Net Shop Facebook page posted mysterious new Aloha Rilakkuma plushie designs?

Turns out, it really is an Aloha Rilakkuma Net Shop exclusive!

Aloha Rilakkuma - Net Shop Exclusive

Rilakkuma (17 cm), Korilakkuma (15.5 cm), Kiiroitori (13 cm) mini plushies are all removable from the giant Rilakkuma island! And it looks like the bear island doubles as a nice pillow :) and has a palm tree growing out of its ear haha

The pre-order for this plushie set is going on at the Net Shop until April 12, and is estimated to be delivered in June!

How special! I LOVE the Net Shop exclusives designs! They’re generally more expensive, but they usually come with a ton of great details like this one! Looks like the Net Shop’s continuing their trend of mini plushies, too :)

The only Net Shop exclusive I have is the Forest Series Squirrel Korilakkuma and Mushroom Rilakkuma plushies (which came out in 2010), but I may get my hands on a Christmas 2012 one soon too (out of season, I know haha). :O

Rilakkuma leftovers!

Here are the miscellaneous Rilakkuma things from the big, recent influx that didn’t quite fit in with the other posts but deserve a mention:

Miscellaneous - all

A Rilakkuma cell phone holder, Korilakkuma mug and plushie (most of these are my sister’s).

The blue envelope on the left and the Kiiroitori folder on the right came together, and were a gift to my sister from her generous Japanese friend: they’re part of an ongoing campaign celebrating a whole decade of Rilakkuma!

Each blue envelope has a mini-folder featuring a different Rilakkuma series inside – my sister lucked out and got a great throwback to a series that debuted in August 2005 that was centered around Kiiroitori’s life and activities! Old school Rilakkuma! Looks like Kiiroitori got stuck cleaning up after Rilakkuma’s mess though…

But that’s not all!

Miscellaneous - Korilakkuma mug

A Korilakkuma mug for Simon! The little tail in the back is so cute, but I think it’s kinda funny that Korilakkuma products with this theme are always just labeled “Rilakkuma” haha

Miscellaneous - towels

Hand towels!
Top row: Face theme (April 2009)
Bottom row: “Rilakkuma, Rilakkuma” (August 2012), Aloha Rilakkuma (February 2013), Let’s Play With Bunnies (December 2012)

Whew! All kuma-ed out for the time being.

Aloha Rilakkuma!

My sister’s in town for her spring break, and one of her Japanese friends (the same one who gifted us the Rilakkuma furikake before, actually!) gave her some Aloha Rilakkuma swag!

Curiously, I haven’t made a Rilakkuma purchase in over two months, but Rilakkuma stuff always finds its way into my life hahaha

Aloha Rilakkuma - set

From left to right (ish): tote bag, notepad, keychain plushie, pencil case, towel

Aloha Rilakkuma - keychain front

Keychain plushie! Just a miniature version of the 22 cm plushie, but without the plush palm tree.
The grass skirt has a realistic, crisp texture, and even the screen printing on the t-shirt is quite well-defined.

Aloha Rilakkuma - keychain back

Unlike the bigger plushie, his sunglasses don’t have a band that goes all the way around.
And that charm is just as tall as Rilakkuma!

Aloha Rilakkuma - pencil case

While I personally have no need for a pencil case, my sister is in college, so she’ll get a lot of mileage out of this!
Minor detail, but I really like how the sequined “Rilakkuma” is under a smooth plastic finish so the sequin edges don’t bend and catch on things.

The Aloha Rilakkuma Series is ongoing, and began in February 2013. This line is pretty major, with new Caravan designs, store exclusives, and collaborations rolling out week after week!

Speaking of which – do I spy a new San-X Net Shop exclusive??

Aloha Rilakkuma - Net Shop Exclusive design?

Rilakkuma wearing the yellow lei and playing the ukulele is in a lot of the promotional illustrations – I was wondering if/when they’d make a plushie of it!

May turn out to be a wider release, but I only saw this design announced on the San-X Net Shop Facebook page tonight and not on any other official Rilakkuma page as of me writing this post, so we’ll see where this guy will be available!