This is a little late, but I still wanted to write about how much fun I had going to this event at Tokyo Big Sight last weekend.

I’ve gone to this event a few times now, and I always have a good time. Basically, it’s like a giant flea market for artists, with two massive convention halls overwhelmed by stalls selling everything from frosted cookies to clothing to paintings.

The past few times I’ve gone, I went in blind, wandering the booths and seeing whatever happened to strike me. But this time, knowing I’d only have a few hours due to previous engagements, I scoured the website listing all the artists who would be there, and I made a list of booths to visit.

I ended up buying some stained glass, a beautiful rainbow necklace, a bag of frosted cookies (they had an event where you could pay 400 yen to stuff as many cookies as you could get your hands on into one of their provided bags within three minutes), and one unexpected cube.

There was a workshop where you could decorate your own cube candle that had not been on my list of booths to stop at, but seeing the cubes and how decidedly calming the light is with the cute paper designs had me buying one. I love this fake candle. I love the faint flicker of its light that mimics a candle, I love how it’s on a six-hour timer and that it turns on at the exact same time every day, I love how cozy it looks. It’s the treasured find I hadn’t walked into the Handmade Fest knowing I’d wanted.

I think what I like about these Handmade Fests is that you’re usually buying directly from the person who made the objects they’re selling, and a lot of them were happy to strike up conversations with customers or potential customers about their products.

What I like best, though, is that most of these artists had business cards that naturally provide QR codes to their socials such as Instagram.

Being able to follow an artist I like on Instagram and see their other products, what goes on into making them, what events they’ll be selling at next in case I want to buy something else, made it feel like there was a slightly personal touch to the things I bought, which is far more than I can say for when I buy something online or at a large shopping mall (Japan still has them).

I can’t wait for the next installment of what is turning out to be one of my favorite events here.