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.
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.
I had intended for my first stop to be at Innocent World, but though we found the sign, when we went up to the 5th floor it seemed to be a residential area rather than a shop. There was nobody around to ask, so we simply left. Directly across the street from the building with the Innocent World sign, I spotted Atelier Pierrot on the second floor, so we headed there instead.
Atelier Pierrot sells a few different brands, so it's nice to look around. As most shops do not allow photos, I did not take any inside.
After visiting Atelier Pierrot, Carol and I split up as she wanted to visit the Shinsaibashi Shopping Street instead. I continued down the same street and saw Angelic Pretty.
Angelic Pretty will likely be the easiest to spot as the entire storefront is a bold pink color!
No photos are allowed inside. It is not a very large shop, but it's beautifully done and there is a couch for you to put your bags down (or for friends to sit and wait!)
The shop staff were very nice. One seemed to be a manager, as she was also at the Kyoto branch for the Lucky Pack event a few days later. The other shop staff appeared to be new or in-training. She was an adorable girl, who was fat (not chubby), but able to still wear Angelic Pretty clothing! I think that's great as it means Angelic Pretty is expanding their size ranges to accommodate a wider range of sizes! She was very kind and spent ages helping me try on bonnets and KCs to try and find one to match the JSK I bought. In the end, I did not find a fitting one, so only bought the JSK.
Note: Angelic Pretty has a points card, but you do not get one for Lucky Pack or SALE items. The JSK I bought was on 30% off sale, so I did not get a point card. It was my first Angelic Pretty item though!
Directly next door to Angelic Pretty is a shop called Near. It's inside a narrow corridor, and if they hadn't had a mannequin at the front, I'd not have noticed it!
Near appears to sell both brand new and secondhand clothing. There are old prints; some are brand new with tags! Most of the dresses are in plastic bags, and some come in full sets. I spent a long time going through the racks and debating which dresses to buy. To be honest, next time I would come to Near first, as it is more affordable. Then, if you've got money left to buy full-price items you can go to the Brand shops (provided you didn't come with a list of current-release items you intended to buy.)
In the end, I bought two BABY, THE STARS SHINE BRIGHT dresses with Usakumyachan and Kumakumyachan on them! One even came with the KC included ^_~
In addition to Sweet/Classic/Gothic Lolita fashion, they also sell Punk and Goth fashions, such as coats, pants/trousers, etc. Bags are mostly hanging from the ceiling, which is low. I ended up knocking bags off the hooks four or five times while moving dresses around.... Luckily, the shop staff was a very sweet woman who kindly helped me pick up the things I kept knocking over. If you are shopping in a group, I'd suggest you take turns going in the store! It's really too small for more than two or three customers at once!
Note: Near does not give a paper receipt! They will email the receipt to your inbox after the credit card goes through if you are paying by card.
I'd gotten a bit turned around by this point and so was headed back up towards 心齋橋/Shinsaibashi Station again, but luckily this brought me past Atelier BOZ on the second floor next to a hair salon.
Atelier BOZ is also a small shop, but very clean, has a couch, and you can try on the clothes before you purchase! I tried on the Red x Black dress in the above picture.
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.
I had intended for my first stop to be at Innocent World, but though we found the sign, when we went up to the 5th floor it seemed to be a residential area rather than a shop. There was nobody around to ask, so we simply left. Directly across the street from the building with the Innocent World sign, I spotted Atelier Pierrot on the second floor, so we headed there instead.
 |
| Quite easy to identify |
After visiting Atelier Pierrot, Carol and I split up as she wanted to visit the Shinsaibashi Shopping Street instead. I continued down the same street and saw Angelic Pretty.
Angelic Pretty will likely be the easiest to spot as the entire storefront is a bold pink color!
 |
| Rather worn, but still brilliant |
The shop staff were very nice. One seemed to be a manager, as she was also at the Kyoto branch for the Lucky Pack event a few days later. The other shop staff appeared to be new or in-training. She was an adorable girl, who was fat (not chubby), but able to still wear Angelic Pretty clothing! I think that's great as it means Angelic Pretty is expanding their size ranges to accommodate a wider range of sizes! She was very kind and spent ages helping me try on bonnets and KCs to try and find one to match the JSK I bought. In the end, I did not find a fitting one, so only bought the JSK.
 |
| Antoinette Decoration JSK |
Note: Angelic Pretty has a points card, but you do not get one for Lucky Pack or SALE items. The JSK I bought was on 30% off sale, so I did not get a point card. It was my first Angelic Pretty item though!
Directly next door to Angelic Pretty is a shop called Near. It's inside a narrow corridor, and if they hadn't had a mannequin at the front, I'd not have noticed it!
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| This is their attention-getting device! Come in! |
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| The actual shop is all the way at the back! |
In the end, I bought two BABY, THE STARS SHINE BRIGHT dresses with Usakumyachan and Kumakumyachan on them! One even came with the KC included ^_~
 |
| My Sweet Mates Kumya Strawberry & Lace Millefeuille Judy JSK |
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| Friend Usakumya Judy JSK |
In addition to Sweet/Classic/Gothic Lolita fashion, they also sell Punk and Goth fashions, such as coats, pants/trousers, etc. Bags are mostly hanging from the ceiling, which is low. I ended up knocking bags off the hooks four or five times while moving dresses around.... Luckily, the shop staff was a very sweet woman who kindly helped me pick up the things I kept knocking over. If you are shopping in a group, I'd suggest you take turns going in the store! It's really too small for more than two or three customers at once!
Note: Near does not give a paper receipt! They will email the receipt to your inbox after the credit card goes through if you are paying by card.
I'd gotten a bit turned around by this point and so was headed back up towards 心齋橋/Shinsaibashi Station again, but luckily this brought me past Atelier BOZ on the second floor next to a hair salon.
It is up a spiral staircase.
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| They had their Halloween decor out! |
The shop staff working on this day was a tall woman who was very kind and explained about the clothing with much care, though we were unable to actually understand each other much. Lots of pointing, keywords, and simply demonstrating coordinates and adjustable features of the clothes. She also gave me a free copy of a visual-kei magazine they had ^u^v
If you enjoy aristocratic fashion, Atelier BOZ is most definitely worth a visit! The accessories are also very ornate and elegant.
This post has gotten long and picture-heavy, so I'll end it here. The next part will share the other shops I visited (both Gothic and Lolita) so stay tuned and thanks for reading and following!
This post has gotten long and picture-heavy, so I'll end it here. The next part will share the other shops I visited (both Gothic and Lolita) so stay tuned and thanks for reading and following!
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