2016 Kyoto Lolita Shopping

Going from Osaka to Kyoto is much simpler than I thought it would be. There are a variety of train speeds, but as long as you get on one that gets off at your stop, it should be fine. We took a faster train which skipped many stops, and then alighted and switched trains (on the same track) to one that made more frequent stops as we approached our final destination. Really, I find the maps quite self-explanatory, but if you have trouble, you can ask the station staff as they are quite helpful.

Wearing the BABY dress I got at Near

 In Kyoto there happened to be an Angelic Pretty sales event!

Both the Angelic Pretty and BABY, THE STARS SHINE BRIGHT shops are in a department store called OPA (see map) on the seventh floor.  Unfortunately, photography is forbidden in the entire department store!

However, it was still a fun experience to go line up before the department store even opened! I was third in line and there ended up being a long queue of Lolitas in front of the shop. Because it is a tourist-heavy area, there were many people trying to take photos of us :o  

When the doors opened, everybody filed in in one line and headed up the escalators like a Lolita train.  If you are not queuing for something, you can also just take the elevator ^_~v

Once we reached the Angelic Pretty shop, the shop staff (same shop staff from Osaka! She must be a manager?) counted the number of customers and cut up number slips for us. It turns out you do not get to shop and check-out based on the order you arrived in, but in the order you draw your number. This could be either good or bad. It may seem unfair if you've arrived especially early (I arrived at 10:30 for the 11:00 open, which is not terrible) and drew a late number, but doing it this way also prevents people from trying to cut in line or push out of order to try and get an earlier spot in the line.

Anyway, the first round of drawing was messed up somehow. I think it could be that a couple more Lolitas (my friend and her friend, actually) arrived right after the shop staff did the original count so they redid the drawing. I drew number 3 the second time around ^u^

The shop staff then announced the times for certain number groups, so numbers 1-9 were recommended to stay and later numbers could come back at 11:30.  It actually ended up taking much longer for the check-outs to happen. Though I picked through the Tops Set and Accessories Set for quite some time, in the end I gave my number to Laina so she could buy the special sets she wanted without needing to wait around for ages. 

Instead, I headed over to BABY, THE STARS SHINE BRIGHT which is back-to-back with Angelic Pretty and had a look around. The shop staff was very kind and let me try on the BABY Border Usakumya Set on Taiwan Teddy

It ended up costing too much, however, so I bought the BABY icing cookie brooch instead.

Afterward I wandered to a nearby street on my way to find the Metamorphose shop!

2016 Osaka Gothic and Lolita Shopping Part 2

Continuing on from the long day of shopping!  See Part 1 first if you've yet to read that for other shops.

After completing my first large bit of shopping, I was headed to the next shop on my list when I passed by this small Gothic Punk shop. The red skirt on the mannequin caught my attention, so I decided to check it out!

Small shop, First Label

Inside, the shop staff members were taking photos and videos so I just looked around casually until they were finished. Inside there were many accessories and tops, but it seems just about everything was one-of-a-kind! So I had to ask the shop staff about the skirt on the mannequin. While heading back to the front of the shop, I noticed some photos on the wall and realized I actually follow one of the shop staff on Instagram! So I asked her for a photo with my teddy bear XD

@taiwan_teddy and @angelyo_sei

In the end, I did not purchase the skirt, but I really do like this shop. If you like unique Punk and Gothic styles, it's worth checking out!

2016 Osaka Gothic and Lolita Shopping Part 1

There are many shops to introduce, so I will break this up into parts. I've also created a map of the shops I visited on a custom Google Map to make it easier to navigate, including photos I took whenever possible.
Map of shops in Osaka and Kyoto

I will not be talking about the "mainstream" shopping district in the area (close to Glico Ya, the large running man figure, which is also labeled on the map) but it's a good place to go for drugstore and electronic goods!

Important: Wear comfortable clothing and shoes! While it may be tempting to dress over-the-top, if you are going to be trying on clothing (some shops allow this) you'll be better off wearing easy-on-easy-off clothes. And of course, you'll be walking a lot so wear comfortable shoes!  I chose to wear a fully-elastic JSK I made along with a cropped chiffon blouse (which I later lost at the bnb!!! cry)
I did not wear a full petticoat, but rather a fluffy skirt that could be worn as an outer skirt as well. It saves on packing space to be able to use one article of clothing as multiple pieces.

Outfit from that day

From wherever you are, take the train to 心齋橋/Shinsaibashi Station (marked in purple on the map.) This will be at one end of the main shopping street, so you can then head towards 難波/Namba Station and you'll pass all the shops on the way!

Though I did look up all the shop addresses beforehand, I was still unable to find some of them, which I've marked with question marks on the map.

2016 Japan Trip Full Day 1: Pokemon Center Osaka

My friend Carol and I arrived in Osaka on Sept. 13 in the afternoon and spent a while getting to our bnb (booked through airbnb.com)  and then explored nearby. The first full day was Sept. 14, when we went to the Pokemon Center!

As you come off the escalator~

It is very easy to access and find. There are a number of stations you can go to. We took the JR as it was easiest from our bnb and alighted at Osaka Station. There are several department stores connected directly to the station. The Pokemon Center is located on the 13th floor of 大丸梅田　Daimaru store. There are various maps in the station to help you find your way as well, though it's unlikely you'll get lost.

Because it was mid-late September when we visited, Halloween styling was in progress!!!  Taiwan has very few Halloween things, sadly. I think we should just tack Halloween on to the end of Ghost Month and make it a two-month long celebration of all things spooky!!

OK, off-topic aside...

First Self Vacation: Osaka and Kyoto

Happy belated Moon Festival!  I'm back from my first time taking a vacation on my own!  I went to Osaka and Kyoto over Moon Festival break.
Well, I went with a friend, but we explored mostly independently ^u^v

I went with a friend other than Teddy, that is

Of course my main focus this time was the Pokemon Center in Osaka as well as Lolita shopping!  I also experienced an in-person lucky-pack sale at Kyoto-branch Angelic Pretty.  I also went on a last-minute trip to Universal Studios Japan, so that was amazing as well.

I plan to break the trip down into sections and post about where to find shops and what I experienced! This time of year is close to Halloween so there were  loads of Halloween special events and goods that will not be available if you visit at another time, however.

Anyway, it will likely take some time to organize all the photos I took, and I'm in the process of searching for and moving into a new place again, but I hope  to get everything posted within the next month!

Have a great day everybody ^u^v

Simple T-shirt Reconstruction

If you follow me in instagram you will likely have seen this simple T-shirt reconstruction I posted:

Slightly spooky?

 Though it's easy, I personally really like to see simple sewing tutorials. T-shirt reconstruction is actually what got me started in both sewing and Lolita fashion, actually!

I'd been reconstructing my Theater (school drama club) T-shirts and looked online for ideas and tutorials. I found the t_shirt_surgery community on livejournal, and one of the recent posts was a Lolita t-shirt surgery with links to BABY, THE STARS SHINE BRIGHT and Angelic Pretty websites!  I'd previously only known about Lolita fashion through visual kei, Mana-sama, and Moi-Meme-Moitie, but this completely different style of sweet Lolita led me to the egl community and the rest is history~

OK that had nothing to do with this post -_-;