[Tenoli] Japan In NYC: Happy Thanksgiving Pikachu, Hello Kitty, and Takashi Murakami!

The Annual Macy*s Thanksgiving Day Parade is part of my thanksgiving tradition - without fail I tune into it every year even if it ends up as background noise to all the frantic cooking.
(And speaking of the parade, I almost missed my train home due to the overexcited crowd attempting to catch a glimpse of the performers during their practice - oh NYers. )

This year I'm going to make a special effort to watch as much of the parade as possible, snuggled up in my PJs with a bowl of cookie crisp of course. What I'm most looking forward to is the Takashi Murakami balloons that will make their debut this year along fellow Japanese character balloons Pikachu and Hello Kitty ( ^ o ^)/

I first heard of Takashi Murakami referred to by name when I watched the "Turning Japanese" video he directed and released earlier this year featuring the young and energetic Kirsten Dunst.
As both a Japanophile and a fan of the annual parade, I'm very excited to see the new balloons as well as the Takashi Murakami flower float!~