Japan Trip 2014 - Tokyo day 2

Monday, the 4th of August

 

We woke up very very early, I have no idea why but this year I've been waking up super early, I remember that in the first year here it was quite the opposite. I feel this is nicer for everyone though, especially my inlaws since they do not have to addapt to our timetable and we try to do the opposite instead.

 

Anyway the day before the hotel only had a smoker's room and those are pretty bad, the room is the same but the smell is just horrid, especially for non smokers but even I hate it. So we asked them to change room for the next day which was ok of course and therefore we had to pack our stuff before leaving the room and heading out.

 

Japan in the summer is slightly odd, because its quite cool indoors when you go outdoors its just odd. Some days the sky is gray and you are in the car for a while and it somehow feels like its autumn... until you go out and then its hell.... and you are sticky and sweating yet again.

 

Left: view from our window

Right: tiny shrine (want it for my dolls), apparently its not even for people to pray, it is said to bring good luck to the building.

 We went down and had breakfast first in something I had not seen before, Mos Burger I'm used to (and i LOOOVE it) but I had not seen a Mos Café before. I guess they are following the MacCafe model which i'm fine with.

Fast food breakfast isn't bad at all. Iced coffee, salad, toast, egg and sausage.

 Some photos of the hotel lobby, so cute!



We decided we should go to Ginza first. My husband knows someone who's work was on display in na art gallery there. Unfortunately it was still early so we walked around a bit, I never had payed attention to Ginza before and I fel in love with some bits here and there. Here are some photos:



 

 

Even with all that walking the gallery was still not open so I decided to have a cup of ice coffee in the first place we found, Lotteria.

 



Due to lack of space, a lot of stores and restaurants etc are located underground or on 2nd and 3rd.

 

After that we started heading to the art gallery but we couldn't find it so we got there later than expected, around 15 past eleven. The gallery was again in a top floor and it was lovely. The walls had some sort of pattern, white painted on white and it gave it a modern and interesting feel. The exhibit was also great, I liked almost every piece of art which is rare because I'm quite picky when it comes to modern art. The pieces were made with care and were very original, one of the artists used mainly geometrical figures to make bigger "drawings" (my husband's friend) - Seigo Aoki. There was another really amazing artist who made drawings in traditional paper scrolls by using incence to burn it... absolutely stunning work.
Anyway we went there that day because we read online that Seigo-san would be there and we brought some presents to give him. My husband wanted to surprise him so he didn't say anything. The thing was even though he told the art gallery owner he would be there at 11.30 he wasn't.

We waited for na hour... and finally gave up. The owners were lovely, chatted with us, we realised the owner was actually cousin of one of last Japanese ambassators in Portugal which was interesting. He told us when and how the gallery opened and

 

We then just went straight to Harajuku for some shopping or at least that was the plan.

We arrived fairly fast again by JR. I snapped a photo of the entrance to Takeshita dori but before venturing in we decided to eat something because it was lunch time.

One of Tokyo's most famous sights, the entrance to Takeshita street.

We just went in the first restaurante where we, from seeing the menu photos, felt like going in. It was one of those steak/hamburger shops. It was again located in the basement and we had to wait for a bit. Even though it was not weekend, due to the students being off school at the moment it was crowded which I am not a fan of.
I saw something with avocado in the menu and had to order it, i barely have any back home even though you can get it from a regular supermarket and I love it.

Avocado burger set - rice, plate, mini chicken soup and water of course.

We then went through a different path in towards the main street again but found the VOLKS store first (Tenshi no Mado). I went in and fell in love. I was never a huuuuge fan of Volks dolls because i found their photos to be more childish looking and I thought i liked more mature/cool looking dolls but there's something about being in a store like that instead of the "shopping mal" stores where you can also find azone stuff etc that drew me into them. It's like the perfect doll store, the building itself is amazing, super elegante and dreamy and the displays... everything is thought of.
There was one particular One Off girl I loved but unfortunately because they are one of a kind you have to participate in a competition of sorts where you then have to be lucky to draw the ticket that allows you to then buy the doll. o.o
On the 2nd floor you then have wigs, clothes, furniture, random bits you can buy. I did not buy a lot because the clothes sets I wanted are probably sold out and were not there but I got some little things just to remember the visit.

The beautiful Volks building, the staff was amazing, incredibly friendly.

We then went through the streets and looked around even though I was only there for two things: Closet Child and Laforet.

Really silly tshirts that were a bit too expensive.


Closet Child Harajuku branch (3 floors)

Closet Child is easy to spot and I go there every time so I can't really miss it.
For those of you who do not know it, it has 3 floors.
Floor one sells Classic Lolita and sweet Lolita mostly, but that means brands more than looks so: Iw, Vm, JJ, Ap, Meta, Btssb, Aatp...(and chocomint accessories)
Floor two sells Gothic and Punk so that means gothic and punk brands such as alice auaa, hnaoto but also Lolita in those segments like Putumayo, Atelier Pierrot, MmM etc...
Floor three sells more otome orientes stuff so mainly Etc, Jane Marple...
I went in and checked the first floor first. I wanted a cardigan I could wear that would cover my back tattoo and not full sleeved so it isn't hell in this weather and I found one I really like but wasn't cheap.

I then spotted a dress I REALLY wanted but was disappointed that it was a size 1 when I am not sure size 2 would fit even but I still put my hopes up and tried it on:

Juliette et Justine Ange jsk in black

I was unfortunately right, length was perfect, the dress is perfect and the bust fit with room to spare but the rib cage and waist... if  say I need na extra 15cm to fit, I wouldn't be joking. I was crushed.

 So I paid for the cardigan and went to floor two where there was nothing interesting. I was hoping for a new moitie dress but there were none left, they had the matching purse to this dress for 4000yen which is cheap! But I only own the white version (i'd kill for the black in the same size) and i own the matching bag in that colorway and I rarely use it, only with that piece as a set so it would be a silly buy.

Since I needed a petti to wear Lolita here, i just bought one and left.

 

On the third floor oddly enough I had more fun, they have so but sooo many Emily Temple Cute dresses there that, unless you are not a fan of their stuff, you will for sure find one you like. I saw many but since its not the look that suits me best (unfortunately Lolita doesn't look very "natural" on me) I had to pick something out and not bring more than one piece. I also bought socks that looked nice with it and later discovered they were knee length and i don't suit knee length so after wearing them here if i end up wearing Lolita at all i'll have to sell them or trade them for something else which sucks because i got them for a reason.

I always get amazed at how huge the bl stores are, they must really make a lot more Money than brand stores for sure. Its nuts!

Refreshments!

A store fla would shop in.

 After that we went to Laforet... and when we got there it was closed!!! And it was going to be closed the day after which meant i could not go there. What, why do these things always happen to me, what I am the unluckiest person in the world of lolitas visiting Japan or what?

Laforet, closed on the 4th and 5th of August for some weird reason.

The advertisement truck for AKIRA's single was riding all around Harajuku multiple times so I am now probably fed up with looking at that photo and of the song for a while.

The main Btssb store is now in Harajuku since they closed the Dakanyama location. Under it there's a lovely MILK store as well. It's lovely actually. I saw and loved Juliet but I did not ask to try it on because I don't know if I like it for 40.000yen.

A lot of bags for cat maniac fla.

 I then decided I should check Marui Annex properly so we went to Shinjuku.
When I went in Marui Annex the first impression in the bottom floors was "oh this is good, now i can come with my husband and not worry about him being bored"- since there are other things like novelty stores, etc but then when i saw it all and noticed a lot of my favorite stores were missing I was crushed.

It is not worth visiting it to be honest unless you need to go to Kera or you want some queen bee shoes, not even the blythe Junie Moon location is left... no priscilla.... I was really sad about this.
I left without buying anything but some random stuff I could get anywhere else.

I guess Lolita just really isn't doing so well as a whole which, being true, is a shame. It just makes me like Shinsaibashi even more now and I guess I might skip Tokyo next time because it makes no sense to spend all that Money to come by and then leave empty handed even though I was having a good time.

Shinjuku is lovely at night though, I adore the Daimaru building especially!

 A bit bummed I decided to just take it easy the next day and we just went for dinner. To get my spirit up I asked if we could just to eat a huge steak and drink beer and we did just that.

Beer, salad, soup.

Steak, butter on top. It comes wrapped in card or paper because its so hot it will get your clothes dirty until it cools down a bit.

Then it was time to buy tickets and head "home". Before going up i grabbed another beer and a sausage, i know sausage in a stick how odd is that for a midnight snack. haha

Our room, i loved the art on the Wall. We watched the weirdest anime ever, something about food mania it was really funny.

No decente glasses for beer makes me sad so I just drank from the can after that. The proper way.

And after a bath and watching a bit more of that weird weird funny show I fell asleep, I was beat.
Day three left. And then that's it for Tokyo, probably for a while.

Jo

 

Japan trip - Day 12

We must have gotten to Tokyo at around 7am. I remember that shinjuku was completely deserted and that it was also freezing cold. We always find it so funny that our bags are always outside waiting for us when we get out of the bus and how there's always a ton of staff helping out. I assure you that does not happen in Portugal.

Why did we take a bus, you ask. Well basically going from Nara to Tokyo by shinkansen (however fabulous and fast it may be) is absolutely and mindblowingly expensive! One pays around 150 euros a person to take that train. Night buses are a better option for those who do not want to splurge. They used to be very expensive as well but in the last years they have become pretty affordable. For the 6 hour drive you pay 30~60 euros a person which is a lot less as you can see. Of course its not as confortable and you arrive at the destination looking like a zombii but one has to have priorities. Anyway...

We just got out, grabbed our luggage (we each took a small trolley), took this shot and we left.

Our Oji- Tokyo night bus

Shinjuku is my favorite spot in Tokyo... well maybe tied with Asakusa. It's big, its lively, its still pretty organized for the amount of people that walk around the area every single day and you can just find anything you like there, from the average to the bizarre.

Street view accross the bus stop.

The building on the next photo is one of my favorites there. It's the local Isetan. Isetan is a department store. I used to go to Isetan a bit when I was studying abroad. Its a bit on the upscale side though.

Street view - Isetan

We were starving and it wasn't the best hour to find an open café. When that happens one does what japanese working people do, we go to one of those "always open" chain restaurants/stores. We knew exactly where there was one and we just had to walk for a couple minutes.

Street view - If you are a lolita you have to know what that is. That's right, its Marui One.

We finally arrived and YUM! I love this stuff, can't believeits only 3 euros and something.

A bowl of rice with pork slices and salad. Not something one usually eats in the morning here but not that odd there (even though that is the sort of thing people would eat after work)

Rice bowl, miso soup, salmon and "salad". My husband as most japanese just orders the usual breakfast menu. Yes eating fish ir normal in the morning.

After that we just walked around. It was so early that we couldn't do anything nor did we want to because it was so damn cold! So we just chatted and hanged out and eventually found a coffee shop where we spend a bit of time. I could smoke, he could browse the internet... we both had coffee so it was perfect!

His and her coffee.

After that we went shopping for some necessary items and when we were finished we headed over to Closet Child Shinjuku.
It was almost opening time but we were so hungry again. I didn't take many shots in the morning, sorry for that. :|
So we just went to another chain restaurante and got something.


What those places look like inside.



What I ate. Bowl of rice with an omolette and miso soup.

Everyone who knows me is aware that there's nothing i like more than a smoke after lunch and I was really feeling the urge to smoke at this time (didn't smoke for a day or two). I placed my hand in my bag and then looked around. I had forgotten i was in the anti.smoke country and main city.

NO SMOKING!

NO SMOKING I SAID!

Gah. How annoying.
So nicotine-less I went up to Closet Child and got a bag and a dress. The dress was an impulse buy though, I have this theory that the first thing and the last you get while in Japan is always an impulse buy.

We had arranged to meet up with Aviva at Ikebukuro later that day. I had tried to visit the closet child store there last year but didn't find it. So she told me she'd take me there.^
We got at the Station and we were confused. She had told us we would meet at gate 30 i think? (not that relevant) but there were no numbers at any gates so how could we know. Easy: ask someone. Not that easy if you can't speak japanese though.
We headed there and i recognized her from the back, no way i'd forget that long red hair of hers.
I said hi and i was really happy to see her, i really am very fond of her and her husband. We chatted along the way, about how things are going for her and all that jazz and she showed me how to get to cc.
My husband who does not appreciate shopping that much went to starbucks for another cup of coffee.

Closet Child Ikebukuro

I was really surprised with this store. A local lolita had told me it was small in both size and contente and i didn't think so at all. It's all a floor but it has a bit of everything. They even have doll clothes and dolls there! (too bad i didn't know how to pick clothes sizes back, just learned all about it this january haha).
I bought another bag (and worried about space!), found a dream dress for my friend, got another black dress for myself and drooled over everything else for a while. Contemplated a long mmm dress and the gold etc bow flats but didn't have such expensive items in my shopping plans.


After that we headed over to Harajuku. It might sound like i'm doing a lot of shopping in just one day but that's because the whole point of going to tokyo was basically visiting Aviva and shopping, nothing more. I had discussed this with my husband and we both compromised and decided this way.
Seriously going to Closet Child is worth it if you are looking for older items.

Street view - takeshita dori

Street view - shoe store (because i didn't want to take a lot more lolita related shots)

We went straight forn closet child and headed over to "my floor" which is the second. The secong floor is where all the gothic and punk brand items are. Last time I was there i didn't find a lot of moitie but this time it was full of moitie items, a lot of silent moon and whatnot. Silent Moon is still ridiculously expensive for second hand, they were all the same price they were at MaruiOne so i went for two non printed dresses instead. One of them was my husband's xmas gift.
After that we went to the third floor (the classic and otome floor) and i browsed through everything to see if i could find something else my friend would be dying to own (wasn't really sure so i didn't get anything). Instantly fell in love with a bustier/vest from Jane Marple and showed it to Aviva who also fell in love. I basically "forced her" into getting it. It was affordable, it was magnificent and i'm plus sized so i have to live my ideal style through others. And who better to pull something fab like that out than Aviva! Of course it looked amazing on her yay!
After that we went down to the first floor (mainly Ap and sweet but some other random items as well). I spotted some things i liked but i didn't want to spend 200-350 on a sweet dress so i left them. I did buy a black skirt (wow more black seriously?) though.
We also had the chance to witness how us foreigners end up having a bad name in Japan:
3 foreigners (i'm assuming they were american) using a camera shooting dresses and making mocking comments at the same time.
The shop attendant notices this and one of the guys antecipates her move and talkes to her in japanese. He decides to ask if they could film the store because they need material for a university paper. She obviously says no very politely and apologizes. The guy pretends he is a nice guy (and so does the rest of the group) and they say "what a shame" and stop recording.
Nice huh? That's the random foreigner for you, i, even if i would like to believe otherwise, think that some "japanese modern culture fans" would actually try to pull off something similar because of course having shots to brag about later at home is a lot more important than it is to be respectful, quiet and polite.
But anyway... we left. I had no more shopping plans but both of us wanted to visit the local Evangelion store. (we thought they'd have a café)

Street view - searching

Street view - searching 2

After searching for a while we finally found it! It was in the place where they used to have a... café of some sort? I don't really remember now. It's just in front of the Takuya Angel store if you ever want to visit, on the back street of cc.

Posing near that glorious store. Very fancy, not corny and otaku-ish at all!



This is the only shot I have of Aviva because we were running around.



Most awesome anime related staircase ever.

Tired but happy it was time to chill somewhere. We went to another coffee shop and I had ice coffee and Av ordered the delicious looking version on the right.
I don't really remember everything we talked about then (maybe she does) because i never remember details which sucks but It was great. I would have stayed there longer but our bodies were telling us that we needed to start heading to the hotel. We actually told the hotel we would check-in at a defined time and we weren't really on time so we started worrying a bit.

Lavazza coffee, delicious!

A gorgeous handmade card I got, its lovely and i'm going to frame it!

We got up and started heading to Harajuku station.


There were still xmas light up and they always result in gorgeous photos.

The incredibly gorgeous dress we saw at a store window. I wish i owned it <3

This made me miss home, my dad is a total Alfa Romeo fan.

We parted at the station and it was sad as usual but i know i will see her again, we must. <3 Thank you for the lovely afternoon.

It was then that we really realised how tired we were. We sat waiting for the train and I felt sleepy.

I spotted an Ap pink lolita there, and thought about my friend Ana of course. So this blurry shot is for you. Guess what she is wearing if you can :P

After this shot, I slept. All the way from there to the switch station and then Asakusa.

There's always a feeling of belonging when I get to Asakusa. Not only do I really love it there (and i am not a fan of the traditional usually so that doesn't make much sense) but also because we have always stayed at the exact same hotel every time we go to Tokyo.
There's a spinning sushi restaurant there in which we eat because its very cheap and we were hungry as heck... so we went to the hotel, did the check in and came back down so we could go there. The minute we got there, literally the minut we got there, they closed. We were too late!

Our usual affordable eating sushi place at Asakusa

So we just had to look for another place to eat. I was so hungry that I was even considering fast food but my husband was really in the mood for sushi.
After a while we decided to go in a place that was lively and where we had never been before.
After some deliberation he picked the Tuna set for both of us.

Yes I always drink beer and drinking beer is VERY expensive in Japan. This is the appetizer

The most fantastic sushi I had during this trip!

Because I am evil like that I'll just leave you with some photos of the food.

Otoro!!!!!

Ok I had to make a stop here. Otoro is known as being the best part of the tuna and the most expensive tuna you can eat. And seriously, its friggin delicious. I mean it, if you can, order some otoro when you visit Japan. If you are a fan of sushi and sashimi and especially tuna you'll just beg for more.

Soup.

Then my husband still felt like eating something so he ordered sea food. They literally grabbed it from the tank in the back of the balcony and he just snapped it out of its shell and cut it into pieces. They add nothing to that. It may be absolutely grottesque to most people. :|
I tried a bit because i'm like that and not even I liked it. And believe me I am not picky when it comes to food. See that little green slimmy thing on the bottom right? That's the animal insides or something. It was disgusting looking and he taunted me and ate a bit and left the rest so I assume that not even he liked it hahahaha

It doesn't look that bad i suppose.

Front of the restaurante/bar (very affordable for the quality, recommended!)

So after that it was time to go back to the hotel and sleep. I was absolutely beat.


Engrish! hahahahahahaha

 The next day was going to be our last day in Tokyo so I just wanted to take a relaxing bath and get to bed.

Blue Wave Inn - Asakusa (our usual hotel)

So basically that was it. I hope you liked reading and hopefully I'll be able to post about day two later today!
Love,
Jo