Downtown Famima.

Yes, that was me yesterday, bumming around the Millennium Biltmore in Downtown Los Angeles. I was visiting a good friend who was in town for the weekend.

Between Grey Goose at a sports bar (not my choice) and hanging around the hotel, I stopped at the DT Famima!!! for the first time. It's been open for a year or two already, but I always pass it up when at the MOCA Grand. Entirely underwhelming experience. Maybe I'm spoiled by living/working near so many Japanese markets that in tandem, get closer to the experience of actually living in Japan. [I was just mid-IM with a friend in SF who laments the difficulty in locating Japanese groceries. Surprising. I know SF J-Town is a disappointment, but give this poor guy some Kewpi Mayonnaise, San Francisco.]

Are the other Famima!!! locations in the L.A. area better? I kinda wish it was Lawson that made it's way over here instead--not that that's a fair comparison by any means.


Lawson rules. I'm not ashamed to say that this convenience store chain (konbini) is a huge reason for me to make my way to the mother country.

No photos. My camera was dead. No plans to return.