Danger!

I loved the 100 yen shops in Japan. I found the products there to be fascinating (maybe in part because I wasn’t sure what all of them were). But I also thought that the 100 yen products often looked better than those found at the American dollar stores; the stationary was cuter, the dishware was prettier and the food was more interesting (like chocolate filled mochi).

I would often go to the 100 yen shops just to look, which inevitably led to buying many things that I did not need. There was a section with stamps (that I imagine would be useful for parents and teachers) and if I was there now, I would have bought more of them. Way more. At the time I thought, “When would I ever use these?” I guess I was trying to show some restraint [sigh].

But my favorite stamp was and still is a bomb about to go off that says “Danger.” I’m guessing that it’s equivalent to a “Mr. Yuk” sticker (used to warn children from drinking the nasty things under the sink).

I love this stamp because it’s both cute and deadly—which is just a perfect combination.