A 5-Day, 2-Night Bullet Trip to LA: Souvenirs Edition

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As the final installment of the LA series, I'd like to write about souvenirs.
That said, there aren't really many souvenirs from California. Of course, the wine is famous, but it's a hassle to bring back, so I gave up on that this time.
There was a large shopping mall near the hotel, but I didn't have time to go at all, and even if I had, I think what I could buy would have been limited due to the weak yen.

So, the only place I did some shopping was at Trader Joe's, which I also mentioned in the article for the third day.

Souvenirs for the office

Trader Joe's has many attractive products, including snacks, but there is one drawback.
There aren't many individually wrapped items. Or maybe Japan just wraps everything individually too much.
So, it was a bit difficult to find things like small gifts to distribute at the office.
While wandering around the store wondering what to do, I found these small-sized chocolate bars.
I forgot to take a picture of them, so I'll post an image I found online.

A set of three was just under 2 dollars. Cheap!
I worried a little, thinking, 'Would my colleagues be happy to receive a chocolate bar?' but they are palm-sized and the packaging is stylish, so it didn't feel out of place when I brought them to the office. (What kind of chocolate would feel out of place at an office, anyway?)

By the way, before the trip, I had vaguely thought, 'Maybe I'll buy some Ghirardelli chocolate,' but when I saw Ghirardelli at Los Angeles Airport on the way back, it was about 40 dollars for two packs. Yikes!! I was really glad I had Trader Joe's.

Souvenirs for friends

The canvas eco-bags with the logo seem to be popular and famous, but I thought something a bit more casual and less bulky would be better, so I bought a few bags made of a material like a picnic mat.
This is the one I liked!

Not only is the alcohol pattern cute, but it actually has a pocket, or rather a belt, inside to hold a beverage bottle.

It seems like it would be appreciated by wine lovers, of course, and even if you don't put wine or drinks in it, it seems like it could be used as a sturdy eco-bag with a wide gusset. I think it was about 1 dollar. I plan to use any extras myself.

Souvenirs for myself

At Trader Joe's, seasonings are said to be just as popular as the eco-bags.
In addition to the Himalayan pink salt recommended by the guide, I found a blend of four colors (black, white, green, and pink) of pepper and immediately put it in my basket. It looks convenient, and the name 'Rainbow Peppercorns' is cute too.
Both come with a mill. I bought them without checking the price, but I think they were 2 to 3 dollars.

And!
My absolute favorite from this trip is the Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups on the right side of the photo above.

In the novel 'In Their Case' by Kaori Ekuni, which I brought on this trip and is set in America, a snack called Reese's chocolate appears frequently. It seems to be chocolate with peanut butter inside.
I couldn't find Reese's chocolate (the brand name) itself, but I discovered a similar snack at Trader Joe's, so I bought it to take home, thinking I really wanted to taste it.
When I ate it as a snack after returning to Japan, it was

sooooo delicious...!!!!!

The combination of chocolate and peanut butter is irresistible for someone who loves sweet and salty, and both the chocolate and peanut butter have an elegant taste that isn't too sweet. It would probably go well with a highball or red wine.
When I messaged my mom on LINE saying, 'This is delicious!', she asked my aunt (my cousin's mother), who was returning home later than us, to buy some for us. So, I might be able to get more. I'm happy.
For now, I'm carefully eating one a day. The size is just right, too.

Extra edition

I had a lot of time during my layover on the way back, so I wandered around the souvenir shops at Haneda Airport.
This is what I bought because I was irresistibly drawn to it.

I had known about its existence for quite a while, but despite being curious, I had never bought it.
The excitement of being back in Japan, the ease of knowing I only had a short flight left to get home (meaning it was okay to have something that needed refrigeration), and the 'New Arrival' sticker in the top right corner all spurred me on.

After getting home, I put it on top of white rice and ate it.

There is no way this wouldn't be delicious.

I really love these kinds of delicacies...
I think it would go perfectly with sake, of course, but I have a habit of wanting to pair salmon with rice, so for now, I've only been eating it with white rice. It's incredibly delicious. It looks like it'll be gone soon.

...In the end, for some reason, it turned into a souvenir from Haneda Airport (or rather, from Hokkaido), but I think I managed to do some pretty good shopping even on a bullet trip where the yen is weak and I couldn't increase my luggage.

If you are heading to America, please check out Trader Joe's. And once you return to Japan, let's eat plenty of white rice with delicious snacks.