consumerism won today

welcome to introspection ft. harsehaj! ⭐️ i’m harsehaj, a 19 y/o always up to something in social good x tech.

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onto today’s topic: consumerism won today 🤕 

i wrapped up my internship at a tea farm in japan’s countryside today and took the shinkansen along with philip to the next destination in our japan trip: kyoto!

blog post explaining + reflecting on the internship coming very soon! (:

we only spent a few hours exploring the area, but i came back to our hotel with a full new haul. 😭 japan’s major cities are seriously not healthy for my bank — the prices combined with unique trinkets are just too good to pass up.

like, beautiful chopsticks with free custom engraving? of course i’m gonna cop a few pairs. funnily enough, walking through a mall in toronto poses no problems — i only pay attention to things i actually need or reeeally like (which isn’t very common). i’ve noticed that there isn’t much variety in a mall, which is our main form of condensed shopping culture in north america.

it’s different in a lot of the countries i’ve traveled to recently, especially in asia. markets are buzzing, shopping streets are the norm and it’s like consumerism is plastered in huge neon letters across major cities. shopping is everywhere in kyoto — the stalls and small shops lining each street have something for every niche interest or hobby imaginable. 🛍️ i fall in love with too many plushies, parfait posters and clothes. the magnitude of choice is overwhelming. even worse, all the choices are good.

these last few weeks of my japan trip will be the ultimate test of my self-restraint. fortunately, i’m still under budget. let’s hope i can keep it that way. 💀 

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