London, Japan

So I spent this past week in London, the grand metropole of this distant dominion. As expected, I had a great time and was blown away by a great many things in the departments of architecture, urban infrastructure, cultural amenities and so on. More apropos for this blog, I also brought back a few impressions pertaining to London's retail scene and how it relates to Toronto's. Of course, those impressions should by no means be taken as an objective evaluation. They are merely the subjective views of one man, received through the prism of his own interests and experiences.

Firstly, I was somewhat struck by the overwhelming domination of chain stores in the main mid-market shopping districts. Regent Street, Oxford Street and Covent Garden are completely saturated with Gaps, Zaras, H&Ms, Aldos and the like. I felt like it would actually be quite a challenge to accomplish any substantial shopping with a strong local flavour - most of the same stuff can be found right here on Queen Street, and usually for less money. I know, complaining about this effect of globalization is a bit tired, but there it is.

On the flip side, one thing I was impressed with was the strong presence of some Japanese chains and department stores that we don't have here. Muji and Uniqlo are well represented and wonderful. Also, as New York has Takashimaya, London has a Mitsukoshi department store. It seems to me that the world of Japan-based global retail may be a good indication of a city's global credentials. By this metric, clearly, and not surprisingly, Toronto is not yet in the same league with the likes of NYC and London. I hope that changes soon. Muji has so many great little things to offer!

Continuing with the Japanese theme (bizarrely, I know), I also discovered a great okonomiyaki place in London. Abeno has two locations: one on Museum Street, just south of the British Museum and another, much more meticulously designed, near Cambridge Circus. Great food! In Toronto we have Okonomi House on Charles Street to satisfy our regular cravings, and it does its job well, but we could certainly use a bit more choice.

Sayonara, and cheers!

Wii!

So I was lucky enough to stumble upon a Nintendo Wii console at the small Microplay on Queen St. just west of Bathurst. After some time trying to find one online and following various wiintelligence boards, I was ready to give up until Nintendo got their supply chain in order. Then, during a random stroll, I happen to find one last one in a store, just like that! No early-morning line-ups, no inside scoops, no connections, no voodoo. I was pretty happy and surprised about that. Hopefully I didn't spend all my good karma on a gaming console, but the thing is so much fun that it would possibly be worth it.

The controller and bundled games are really fun to use. I've also rented a few games since I got the console. The Blockbuster near my place doesn't have much of a selection, but I did manage to find a few decent Wii games.

What impressed me the most about this little device are actually the non-gaming features. The news and forecast channels, constantly updating via wireless, are pretty useful and well thought-out, but the free Opera-based "Internet Channel" really blew my mind. The browser is fully functional and can even play movies off YouTube! Who needs cable? Who needs a computer?! With a $250 Nintendo Wii (and free wireless that we downtowners still enjoy courtesy of Toronto Hydro) you get everything you need to function online! When Nintendo releases the rumoured Wii keyboard, making things like Gmail more usable, we'll really be set to roll.

Yay! These kinds of more-than-you-expected gizmos really make me smile.