Dropped by Mitsuwa Markerplace in the International Marketplace after a long while, and was pleased to see another ramen vendor taking the place of my old favorite Hokkaido Ramen Santouka which closed in the wake of COVID years back! The new ramen place was called "Ramen Taiga" and while not the same taste as Santouka, was pretty yummy and I enjoyed it!
Shoyu Ramen and Gyoza Combo
As I ate in the food court area, I noticed they installed a huge Gashapon section against the wall, surely a boon for those into those collectibles as Shirokiya Village Walk had to shut down, though the tourist kids I saw there were confused with the token system and just kept mindlessly cranking the machines for prizes, to no avail!
Yep, so much has changed or been re-arranged, but it was nice to see that the CANMAKE makeup display area is still up and thriving, and still featuring their cute spokesperson Fuka Koshiba as the pretty campaign face!
…and SPEAKING of Fuka Koshiba, we are at episode 6 of her thrilling drama Watashi no Otto to Kekkon Shite- MARRY MY HUSBAND, and HOLY HELL, is it AWESOME!!! Every episode is just a ROLLER-coaster ride of emotional battles-of-wits between the principle cast as Fuka's character struggles against cruel fate and tries to steer her life into bluer oceans!
Fuka Koshiba and Takeru Sato are terrific as the lead couple whom have GREAT chemistry and you really root for them-
Takeru Sato and Fuka Koshiba
Yu Yokoyama solidifies his reputation as a J-Drama SOB with his weaselly, narcissistic and deplorable turn as the shifty and adulterous Tomoya
And of course EVERYONE is raving about the new villainess that you "Love To Hate" with the evil and calculating Reina Isaka, the girl with the 100 watt smile that hides a heart as black as the Grinch! Below: We see Misa (Fuka Koshiba) saying a cheerful goodbye to her "best friend" Reina (Sei Shiraishi) after a day of fun shopping...
...only to realize once Misa is gone....
...that this Girl got some TROUBLE in mind planned for her!!! With friends like THIS, who needs enemies?
At episode 6 we are now into the final arc of the series and MAN, it is GOING DOWN! Forget Star Wars, with Misa and Reina facing off with their futures at stake, THIS is the real "Duel of the Fates!!!!"
Just can't WAIT for the next few episodes- thank GOSH ALMIGHTY that Amazon Prime is doing the unusual tactic of releasing TWO episodes per week- we are all in a feeding FRENZY with this show!!!
Fashion Design Store MIU MIU in Ala Moana Shopping Center had recently remodeled their entire store, going from their classic turquoise/marble and metal look to a more posh white and gold image... Can’t say I was overly thrilled by the new look as I really liked the old design (See below):
Old Storefront
Can't really blame them as the upgrade fits in more with the center's overall POSH aesthetic. Nonetheless, there was something that DID capture my attention while I looked over the new design, a svelte and chic looking suede outfit in the store’s front window:
At a glance it was INSTANTLY familiar to me…and why wouldn’t it? It was an outfit that I’d been DROOLING over the past few weeks at K-pop act IVE's youtube shorts channel, where stunning visual of the group Wonyoung was seen PROMOTING and MODELING that VERY SAME outfit at a recent Paris event!
MAN ALIVE, Miu Miu really knew what they were doing when they contracted Wony to be a fashion ambassador for this push- She is SO instantly captivating in everything she wears, and she looks like she’s been practically POURED into that ensemble, making it completely UNFORGETTABLE!!!
See the sultry and stunning Wonyoung signing for her fans at the Miu Miu event:
Is there anyone who exudes such an alluring aura? Man, even the way she signs her name seems so elegant!!! As you know, I've been a fan of Wonyoung since discovering her about a year ago during her IVE press promotions, and my infatuation has only grown!! Such style and class, it’s no wonder she’s been hailed as the K-Pop “IT” girl for so many years!
2026 EDIT!!!!
In October in 2025, Wonyoung appeared once again at the Paris MiuMiu 2026 Spring/Summer Launch in yet another fabulous and gorgeous ensemble, as evidenced in this clip where the good natured Wony asked Security if she could possibly sign for her Paris fans- At first her bodyguard balks, but the coordinators acquiesce and move the barriers so she can meet her fans!
Oooh, She looked so pretty here, I had to go over to the MiuMiu site and see the official promotional clip with Wonyoung modeling the above outfit- SIMPLY STUNNING!!!
I told myself to memorize the ensemble in case it ever showed up in the showcase window of the Ala Moana MiuMiu store, and during a visit to the Center this weekend, WHAT SHOULD I SEE IN THE window, but the VERY outfit Wonyoung was promoting!!!!! I gasped, "It's the WONY DRESS!!!" and immediately began snapping away!
Funny how it's the exact same outfit but doesn't look HALF as mesmerizing as when Wonyoung is sashaying around Paris in it! Now that's REAL PR!!!
Huh, just saw an old picture of BLACKPINK Jennie scampering about the Leahi area on Kilauea Avenue where I do my afternoon walk- AS ALWAYS, I gotta ask- where was I during this shoot?
Ironically enough, the googlemaps capture of this area was taken in 2019, almost exactly as the time Jennie did her shoot, so the area looked almost exactly the same! They even still had that Coldwell Banker sign up!
Going online, I found that not only Jennie, but all four members of Blackpink Lisa, Rose and Jisoo had taken photos there, and I decided to go down to Leahi and take new photos of the places they posed in to show just what the area looks like today! Some stuff has changed including a complete repavement of the road and LOTS of the trees and shrubbery cut back, but I think you can still recognize the place....
Jennie
Same spot today:
Lisa
Same spot today:
Rose
Same spot today:
Jisoo
Same spot today:
Looks like BLACKPINK really WAS "in my area" that day!
Too bad I missed them!
I've mentioned before, but this hilltop at Leahi and the area below it is fairly popular with celebs- Little further down the road is the place which i wrote about recently where Yuno Ohara passed by my Intermediate School...
...guess it's just a pleasing place for photo shoots!
