Thanks to our friend H2 for sharing with us her favorite Asian Grocery Stores in Portland. 

Fubonn Shopping Center
2850 SE 82nd Ave, Ste #1
Portland, OR 97266
(503) 517-8877

This is the largest Asian Shopping Center in Oregon.  It is Chinese-owned and houses a supermarket & deli, bubble tea, a bakery, a noodle house, a couple of restaurants, a beauty salon, clothing stores, jewelry and art stores, a bookstore, a gift shop, a music store, a Shiseido store, and even a Starbucks.

Uwajimaya
10500 SW Beaverton Hillsdale
Beaverton, OR 97005
(503) 643-4512

This large chain Asian grocery store has locations in Beaverton, Bellevue, and Seattle.  It is Japanese-owned, and you'll find lots of fresh produce and seafood.  They have an amazing selection of Pan-Asian items.  They even offer cooking classes.  There is also a bookstore, a restaurant, a travel agency, and a cosmetics store. 

Here are the Official Mascots of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.  Aren't they cute?

There are five mascots to represent the Five Olympic Rings and the five elements of nature -- the sea, the forest, the fire, the earth and the sky.  Beibei is the Fish, Jingjing is the Panda, Huanhuan is the Olympic Flame, Yingying is the Tibetan Antelope, and Nini is the Swallow. When you put their names together -- Bei Jing Huan Ying Ni -- they say "Welcome to Beijing."  

For more information about the mascots, visit the Official Website of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. to buy

When I was a kid, we used to play Chinese jump rope on the playground at school.  It's great exercise & a lot of fun!

This Chinese Jump Rope set by Klutz comes with 2 Chinese jump ropes and a spiral-bound book that explains how to play.  There are step-by-step instructions for 9 different games.  A great gift idea for a school-aged girl.

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Come join the Malott Japanese Garden Summer Festival at the Chicago Botanic Garden on August 16 & 17, 2008  from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. on McGinley Pavilion.

The summer festival (matsura) will feature:

Koto music by the Chicago Koto Group

Taiko drumming by Kokyo Taiko

Traditional folktales told by storyteller Anne Shimojima

A tea ceremony demonstration

Hands-on activities such as writing haiku, raking miniature dry gardens, trying chopsticks, and practicing calligraphy

Learning to play the ancient game of Go from the Chicago Go Club (Sunday)

Bonsai Show

Japanese Garden (self-guided tour with the Activity Card)

For kids:  craft stations for creating a paper fan or making a kite

Saturday and Sunday
10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Crafts & Activities
10:30 a.m. Tea Ceremony Demonstration
12:30 p.m. Taiko Drumming
1:30 p.m. Storytelling
2:30 p.m. Koto Harp Performance
3:30 p.m. Tour of the Japanese Garden

For more information, visit The Chicago Botanic Garden.

Check out Amy Adele's Asian Ballerina Children's Stationery.  How cute!  Your little ballerina at home will love it. 

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