Trying to bring a community together.

Hello everyone!

Not sure if you know but I am Portuguese. Portugal is a small country which has been deeply affected by the recent economic crisis to an excent IMF has to interveen for a while. We are now supposed to be recovering and people are struggling a lot, that includes everyone. Salaries are low and at the same time despite food still being somewhat affordable things like electricity and gasoline etc are super expensive. I think in terms of gas we have some of the most expensive prices in Europe? Something like that. 

On the other hand despite it all tourism is blooming and the country still has many monuments back from when we were big in Europe (discovery age and whatnot) and the food is super rich and diversified. Alcool is affordable and we have amazing wine. Because we needed EU help in pretty much everything our transportation services, airports, some concert halls, football stadiums etc are somewhat new and modernized. Because of the crisis people had to try to survive in other fields and have opened new and exciting restaurants, cafes, shops a bit around (at least my town) even though there are still a lot of stores closing and empty.

We have a gigantic amount of music festivals all year but mostly in the summer and they always sell out despite the expensive (for a portuguese citizen) tickets. I always find that amusing. I make more than min wage and cannot afford them the way people go to them at least. The average music festival attendee goes to more than one and usually buys the most complete ticket version.

Fashion is also blooming here with interesting new designers and people apparently caring more about what they are wearing. Its nice to go out and see everyone bringing what it is for them, their a game. But despite all of this and despite lolita numbers growing in the world and all the events and all the buzz around lolita everywhere in Europe and despite the efforts, in Portugal, lolita is close to dead. Numbers do not increase (people leave and then sometimes someone new comes around) but the level of committment and support surrounding a community and events has fallen. I suppose we can't blame ourselfs for that, society is changing but it seems like other countries have managed to obtain some number growth so this is disappointing. After being here and in the fashion for 10 years or more I cannot help but feel a sense of ... failure while at the same time I am fully aware that there is little I could have done/can do more than what I did and still do (not as much I am not afraid to admit). 

So how does all this rambling fit with the post itself? Well as an effort to cater for the community we do have and knowing some people are not able to move to attend meetings (because traveling for an event is not something we do here, trust me, even tried that "give away free stuff" technique and it still did not work) I decided to arrange for an online national meeting on the 18th of July.

People seemed excited and we got a wooping! 17 participants enrolled. Wow, imagine that, 17 people. I bet you feel excited for me heh? 

The problem was that on the date apparently only around 5 people remembered to attend and those 5 experienced some kind of tecnical difficulties with tinychat which is unfortunately the only platform I know that is free and enables multiple people chatting with a mic and camera at the same time. Out of all those 5 people I am not sure how many were wearing lolita. So it was a bit of a fiasco which is sad. 

Well I did feel pretty which is good considering I've been very sick which is something I will not bother you with in detail. 

I was inspired by Carmilla's style I think. One gets inspiration from what we have in our memory bank without realizing. I went to a local store the other day when I was still healthy and I saw this floral crown I've been in love with for a while. But now it was on sale so I finally got it. It is the hugest flower accessory I have ever worn and i think that's what reminded me of her. Also I got that underskirt as you know and I was dying to use it and Carmilla's dresses are sometimes on the longer side so that sealed the deal. 

 Anyway this is also not new because I have posted about Paris but I am really proud of the way it ended up looking so here it is in a bit more detailed. It took a couple of hours to make because its all hand sewn and I used things I had in my crafts box which was great! I really like it but it matches almost nothing else. Its a bit like that pierrot hat i made for the Lver btssb outfit too. There's something about Paris that just makes me wanna go crafty.

Anyway I hope this post doesn't get misunderstood because this is my personal diary and I do want to be honest but I do not want to be too negative or anything, I always see myself as someone who is just honestly speaking her mind and usually very strongly based on reality other than my opinion.
It can be seen as a positive thing too, at least when you hit rock bottom there's a place to... improve? Maybe now the local community will reflect with what's been going on lately and for a bit and move? I don't know, I hope so. Not sure if any of the people involved read or even care but ya know. One does what one can.

I really hope I can be well again soon, I honestly do not know what is wrong with me so I cannot give this health situation a name yet but i'll carry on with the testing and visits to doctors to see what is going on. I hope I don't have to go to the emergency again though, I hate going to the doctor to be honest, I feel very helpless there even when i'm being discharged.

I hope you are all well, I really do.
Love always,
Jo

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

 

Egl Portugal x Lolita en Nuncaxamais (Sunday)

The next day we woke up a bit late and actually ended up taking a bit too long with all the house chores etc to get ready and as a result.

When we left people were actually being very nice to us, but I did leave with my daughter since this was not the oficial day for the event and people are usually much nicer to me when i have her with me.

A very nice woman asking me why I was wearing what I was wearing, she was very nice about it which is refreshing.

The view from where the meeting point was, in the main Oporto avenue, Aliados Avenue.

We walked to our destination, the brunch spot, the famous Progresso Café. We arrived and as usual the staff was super nice, We took a while to sit down and even more to pick what to eat and they were still super nice and patient.
Finally everyone ordered and everyone just waited while chatting. I was pretty tired and I took that oportunity to put some makeup on since i did not have time to put any at home (haha).
When food actually came, Mari ended up eating a big part of my brunch order to an extent the girls asked me if i wasn't hungry. haha She eats so much!

Brunch time!

We were supposed to go visit a Museum but considering the delay and also what the girls would actually experience in terms of sight seeing, we decided to go for a stroll instead.

I love this photo. 

We ended up reaching a place that I love, the Palácio de Cristal gardens. It was sunny so it was crowded! It was still nice to spend some time there and to take the outfit shots for that day, there.

I am wearing my enchanted staff pin, can you spot it? It's so cute!

I finally wore the matching bow i got at enchanted and these grimoire tights that do not match anything... but are so pretty!

Me and Darkmaid again, she is such a cutie, she always looks perfect!

After this, we started walking back downtown and we finally parted ways soon after. I am definitely missing having these girls here and I hope we can see each other again very very soon!

I hope you liked reading about out weekend!
Love,
Jo