Konnichiwa mina-san! I was just sitting here, drinking some green tea, when I thought, well, if this is such a cute trend, then everyone should know about it, right? Well, today I’m going to tell you about one of the latest trends in Harajuku. Are you ready for this? ……It’s….SOCKS. Ok, well, not ONLY socks, anything you can wear on your legs basically. Tights, socks, boots,leggings, legwamers even! The leggings make legs look longer, and they seem to be particularly popular among fashionable women in their twenties. It’s a way to show some leg without showing some skin too, making it a sophisticated winter trend. Leg warmers are another popular trend right now.Not only do they keep your legs warm in the winter, they’re also quite cute and fashionable. Another trend that’s growing right now is boots. I believe the most popular are ones with a low heel, quite the opposite of the platforms us Gothic Lolitas wear! This trend is even worn by trend-setting Japanese model Yuu Hirukawa.

Yuu Hirukawa in Jockey Boots. © Marui Co., Ltd.

Yuu Hirukawa in Pecos boots © Marui Co., Ltd.

It seems that boots are a must for this winter. What are my legwear picks? Well, if you really want to know, here are some of my favorite legwear options. Please note, the Lolita inside of me took over when I was choosing these, so they are leaning more towards the Loli side then to the fashion side. I do have some that are purely fashionable though ^__^

Angelic Pretty Socks

I love these super kawaii Fan+Friend over the knee socks.

These Fan+Friend socks are breathy thin, so they aren't much use in the winter, but I love them all the same!

My favorite pair of Moitie socks! I love the ribbon with the writing on it!!

My favorite pair of Moitie socks!!!!!!!!!

These denim-like leggings are totally cool and great for casual wear!

Open toe leggings are a must-have item for your wardrobe! This style has an enclosed heel for a thinning effect on your ankles

Basic pecos boots for a causal style and relaxed fit.

Tight Fitting jockey boots with a belt strap around the calf for adjustment.

I would DIE for these boots!

These Angelic Pretty Socks are so CUTE! I don’t usually like Angelic Pretty, due to all of the…pink.but these black socks are actually pretty nice!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     These Moitie socks are the BEST! The style is so elegant, it actually reminds me of a Christmas present! ^__^.  I love the Moitie ribbon, it just adds to the awesome-ness! Enough Loli I suppose, here are some more casual/wearable by other people items.   These boots are the ones worn by Yuu Hirukawa in the Picture above ^^^^^^^^^^^

………………….                                                                        HEY, all you wonderful people out here, anyone want to give me ：
54,000 円
for these Moitie boots? I’ll love you forever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hahaha, just kidding, but seriously, I really love these things ^___^

Okay, so, I’ve told all about this new trend, and by now, you’re most likely thinking, so why is “Miso” in the title? Well my friends, that is because I GOT A NEW DOG!!! Yep, he’s a gorgeous little Yorkshire Terrier, who is five years old. We have named him Miso-san! Because he’s a really feisty little dog. My other two dogs are getting jealous of all of the attention he’s getting…So now I have to pay extra attention to them..Ugh, it’s  hard to play with dogs in a skirt….. What’s YOUR pet’s name? Drop me a comment and tell me.

♥ Ame-Chan

~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~**

こんにちは みなさん！ 今、ゆっくりお茶を飲みながら、これはとてもかわいい流行だから、みんなにも知ってもらいたいなって考えてたところ。
じゃぁ、今日はこれから原宿の流行最先端の情報を教えるね、準備はいい？
それはね、、、靴下！ まぁ、靴下だけじゃなくて、足に着れるもの全般かな。
タイツ、靴下、ブーツ、レギンス、レッグウォーマーなど！
レギンズは足を長く見せてくれるから、２０代前半の女性に人気みたい。
肌を出しすぎずに足を綺麗に見せる、上品で可愛い冬の流行です。
もう一つの流行っているアイテムは、ブーツ。
ヒールがあまり高くなく、ゴスロリが履くような厚底とは真逆なスタイルが流行っているみたいです。
モデルのひるかわゆう（←漢字を知りません）さんもこのブーツを履いています。
ブーツは今年の冬のマストアイテムみたいですね。
私の好きなのはどれかって？ 私が気になっているアイテムはこれです。
お気に入りアイテムを選んでる時、私の中のロリータ好きな面がでてしまったので、
今流行っているもの、というより少しロリータ系を選んでしまいました。 でも中には、ふつうの流行ものもあるからね。

このアンジェリック プリティー ソックスはとってもカワイイ！
いつもはそんなにアンジェリック プリティーはピンクすぎて好きじゃないんだけど、この黒いニーハイはカワイイと思う！

このMoitie のソックスが最高！ 上品だし、クリスマスを連想される！＾＾ リボンもカワイイ！

これはひろかわゆうさんが履いているのと同じタイプです。

誰か私に５４０００円をプレゼントしたい人はいない！？
このブーツがほしいの！ もしくれたら一生あなたを愛すると思う！
あはは、 うそうそ、でも本当にこれ、ほしいなぁ＾＾
さて、ここまで読んで、「どうしてMisoってタイトルに書いてあるんだろう？」って考えてると思うの。
それはね、犬を買ったの！！ すっごくカワイイ５歳のヨークシャーテリア。 ミソさんって言う名前をつけたの。
注目されるの大好きな怒りっぽい犬で、ほかの犬は嫉妬ぎみ。 だからほかの犬ももっとかわいがってあげなきゃ。。
スカートで遊んであげるのは大変。。
あなたのペットの名前は何？ コメントボックスで教えてね。

Its almost impossible to see all the different areas of interest… Each station you come out from has a different atmosphere from the others… some more some less… Shibuya is back to the crowds for sure… as usual… when we pop out of the station’s exit. we had no clue what to do and where to go… i asked Nathan to remind me to get a compass at the next place we see one… its no point going to street corners and trying to find out which street you are on… most streets have no names depicted obviously… so rather than guess… we had to go by Building names.

That works… sometimes… you see… some buildings don’t display their names either… weird eh?

So we stood at the exit for a few minutes… and brave explorers that we were… we headed ‘thataway’… also because i needed to find restrooms pretty quickly…

straight into the first major department store… look for signs and we split up to perform our respective duties…

and yes, you guessed it… we came out at a different entrance and had to get our bearings once again…

“That’s North.” i pointed… and thats how we carry on most of the time.

We headed ‘North’ up a gentle slope where all the ‘happening’ things were a-going-on… caught sight of Tokyu Hands, a 7 floor DIY store and grabbed a pair of badly needed leather gloves for Y2,000…

We finally reached the top of the hill and decided to continue on ahead to the Harajuku Park and swing right back in to Harajuku area…

We passed by some Market selling Eco stuff…

walked on a bit to a flea market:

made the right turn just before the Park and passed by some cool twisting music…

…just before we hit Harajuku station…

This was Sunday… yet we saw very VERY few Cosplay characters… i wonder why…

…

We crossed the road over to the shopping area… pausing a while to grab a snap with (fill in the blanks):

and headed down the crazy lane called Takeshita Street

it was quite a difficult decision. On one hand it seemed that all the shops were here… on the other… we were getting pretty tired…

Well… what your mind will tell you at this point of time is: “You’ve already come all the way here, let’s just do this…”

and off you go… braving the throngs…

reminded me of Swing Singapore…

Grace got her Blueberry … dang i said it again… Burberry Blue Label handbag and we struggled to finish up at Omotesando Hills…

By this time i was carrying a heavy little 6-year-old princess who couldn’t walk another step… until we reached Kiddyland of course…

Food in this area was expensive… within the Omotesando subway our legs gave way at Soup Stock Tokyo… a really expensive Soup Spoon equivalent…

How we got back to the hotel i have no recollection…

Next up…

Asakusa!

December 4th, 2009.  Harajuku, Tokyo. Oakley O Store.  Art exhibit.  Land of the rising Sun. Kampai!

Oakley Japan Art Exhibit

Tuesday 1 December (Melbourne time: 18:58 // Kanazawa time: 16:58)
Music: Livvi Franc – Now I’m that Bitch / Ai Otsuka – Planetarium [live acoustic]
Location: Classroom 8, 4th floor, Rifare – where the internet is.

Two minutes before this classroom closes – once we get kicked out we’ll move into the library. The people left behind in this classroom are me, Leon, Sra (7&8) and Chi Tat and Cynthia (5&6). Oh well, I’ll just continue this once I get to the library.

I think I’ve left it at a difficult spot last time for Harajuku. I don’t know where to begin now – the rest of the Harajuku trip was relatively I’m beginning to forget the formatting of these posts as well – and yes, I am keeping this to a format. =/

Anyway, let’s assume that the fabulousness of the toy store has been fully and satisfactorily described by me in the last rushed post. There is so much I think that I wanted to write about – little insignificant things, little funny things, but I’m having trouble remembering them now. To be fair, it’s been more than a week – my memory has never been the best. Hence, from Kanazawa onwards, the posts will be different, more condensed and they won’t be separated journal style by days. In fact, I think by now, I’ve forgotten what happened on what day.

Also, I’ll have to think of proper post title. GREAT. MORE WORK FOR ME. But I have decided to keep a record of what happened here, and so I will.

I also wonder how the posts have changed over time. I think they have gotten less systematic, perhaps. But I wouldn’t know. I don’t proofread. Proofreading is actually something really scary to me for some reason. I dislike, and that is a problem GIVEN THAT MOST OF MY ASSESSMENTS ARE ESSAYS. ._.

I’m waiting for my mp3 to charge. I’m hoping it will. My laptop says it does not recognise the device… I’m not sure if that is a bad thing or a terrible thing. Q_Q

Also, Ai Otsuka live acoustics are <3.

ANYWAY.

Enough babble.

Harajuku -> Shibuya -> Ueno Station -> FINISHED TOKYO. That is my aim for post 4. Do not really want to get up to a post 5. I will certainly go over 9000 words this post… :3

Aren't they just adorable? :3

Oh the poor thing. Aftermath of murder. D':

I think after the 6^th or so level, we began to tire of the cuteness and toys. In those six levels, we encountered GIANT pocky boxes worth ¥1000, onigiri playing cards, plushies, plushies and more plushies. AND OH YES, THE FIND OF THE DAY: Yumeiro Patissiere goods.

This was simultaneously a surprise and the funniest thing I’ve encountered all day. It was hilarious. I could not stop laughing.

Actually, it was the second most funniest thing ever.

No – I just checked. It WAS the funniest thing all day. I just made the mistake of getting my days mixed up – our elevators fail from a few days ago… yeah. Got a little lost there. ._.

But that elevator thing beats everything we’ve done in Tokyo. Freaking classic moment. I still laugh about it now. xD

The Yumeiro Patissiere goods were not all that amazing. Just little novelty toys for young girls. It was more the fact that we had been walking around this level and there was a section with lots of miniature toy cakes and I saw a poster or something which resembled the Yumeiro Patissiere logo. So a little excited I took a closer look. Unfortunately at that time, it was not what I thought. I was actually quite disappointed about that. So when I actually saw something that resembled Yumeiro and actually WAS Yumeiro… I LAUGHED OUT VERY LOUD.

I wish I could bring everyone with me to this store – I think there would have been at least one thing everyone would have found to their liking…

After leaving Kiddy World, we took a short break at a bench before heading off for dinner. Well, they were not really benches, but a bar where people sat. It did not look like a sitting place at all. I would have never guessed! I think it was at this time that I got a call from my parents and they were saying that I should not eat dinner too late, ahahah… the night before at Tokyo dome, I’m pretty sure we had dinner at around 10pm…. ^^”

For dinner, we thought to head down to Ueno and see what they had there. However, to get there, we had to get to Shibuya Station (which was a nice, safe and hassle free trip) and we somehow ended up looking for places to eat at Shibuya. I think it was because we either decided to explore some of Shibuya as we had planned or because there were so many lights there that we asserted that good dinner could be found here.

Either way, we walked around many many places looking, unsuccessfully, for a place to eat. I think I mentioned wanting to eat sushi and so we searched for sushi stores. Sushi was expensive – not so surprisingly. We mananged to find a place that did not tell us to spend ¥5000 or so on their raw fishes and it was soooooo nice! I had my tamago sushi. In fact, I had two plates of them. I LOVE EGG. Omnomnomnomnom~ I also tried other assorted fishes but they did not compare to the egg. *_*

Basically the place was a basement restaurant and we were going to go in to have a look, but they roped us in because we were gaijin and hence easy to freak out and manipulate. We headed down and while looking that the sushi heard the waitress from inside say “2 customers”. Oh dear… because of that, we felt obliged to go in. And the place was quite full. But it was such a nice place. Not pretty or homely – it was quite shiny and plastic in a sense, but it was very comfy in a strange sense. Perhaps because we sat around a sushi train going around and the sushi train was surrounding the sushi chefs. (YES, THERE WERE MORE THAN ONE. NOT A TYPO.) It was a very close environment. I would go there again because not only was it nice, the sushi was not too bad either. It was my first sushi in Japan so no matter whether it was actually good or not – nostalgia~ :3

After eating the sushi – which filled us up quite well we headed down to a convenience store for Leon to buy his corndog and then headed to Ueno Station.

We came quite early and thought it’d be a good idea with all our failures to try and find out where the train actually departed from before time. With our luck, if we did not do that… OH DEAR. JUST… OH DEAR.

The find was not really a struggle – it was hard, but we were smart enough by then to ask the station people for directions. And the old man spoke to us in Japanese – AND AND AND! We understood enough to find our way to platform 16! I think, looking back on it now, it was helping us in Japanese. Like, I do not understand now how it would, but living or well, running around like idiots at a place does help. Things that did not make sense to us then now make sense to us now and the Tokyo Metro lines really were interesting. A couple of days ago I would not have thought this. I would have just thought of it as a circumstance where we won a little in Japanese.

It turns out that on our ticket in the background, ‘Japan Rails’ was printed on it. We ran around the place trying to figure out what the hell kind of platforms trains would go from and assumed Japan Rails was only for Shinkansen… NOW BOTH YOU AND I KNOW BETTER, RIGHT?

To kill time, we dropped by the convenience store and bought some snacks for the trip. My first convenience store onigiri and melon pan~ :3

Melon pannnnnn~

Getting past the platforms for JR is the same as with the Metro system… also, there was the same awkwardness getting my luggage through the barrier – MORESO HERE BECAUSE IT WAS SUCH A BUSY PLACE.

It was interesting getting on the train. On the outside it was the biggest tank piece of lunk I’ve seen – inside it was obviously old, but comfortable enough. Except getting in there, me and Leon realised we had a problem. We were carrying luggage quite large in size – I was dragging around two. They had those things at the top to put luggage in, but our biggest suitcases weighed about 20kgs+ each… IT ACTUALLY MIGHT KILL SOMEONE UP THERE (we both got aisle seats so we were safe but really, accidentally killing a random Japanese man was not really on our to do list). We did not know what to do then. Leon went of searching again and after about five minutes came back and announced he may have done something illegal.

……

……………….

…he did wha—

………………..

………

…kay. Doesn’t sound like too bad a plan.

There was space at the back of the last seats in the carriage there were not in use and SO WHY NOT PUT THEM TO USE RIGHT. Well, admittedly, I was freaking out about the illegalness of this as well when I mimicked his actions with the suitcase, but after seeing other people store their luggage in other obscure spots—-

I am hearing emergency sirens… I wonder what is wrong… oh yeah, Japanese fire trucks are tiny!

Anyhow, after seeing people put their luggage in obscure places, we relaxed a little, because it obviously could not be bad right?

Right.

The train ride was relatively uneventful. I had stayed up for the first part of that night to record down what happened in the past days instead of sleeping because the window seat next to mine was empty which meant another passenger would be getting on at a later stop. I thought it’d be awkward for them to try and get through over my sleeping form.

What was funny about the passenger next to me was that he came in a normal suit and after dropping off his things he went to the bathroom and changed into sleepwear. THAT IS DEDICATION, I THINK. To his sleep anyway. Or like, proper clothing at the appropriate times?

Sleeping on the train was like sleeping on the plane – extremely difficult at first because it is hard to find the right position to sleep in, but once you are knocked out, you are dead.

We arrived Kanazawa around, if memory serves me well, around 6:30.

First impressions?

HOLY CRAP, IT WAS COLD. FREEZING. THERE WAS PRACTICALLY ICE IN THE AIR.

Welcome to Kanazawa.

Fine, I lied a little. Kanazawa is not THAT cold. Yet.

Shyt, I need money. Like all the time. Contrary to typical blasian behavior, I intend to use my asian genes for my own evil, manipulative ways; forever solving damn hard-ass hard mathematical equations and shit in my head. And the nigga in me ask for “fiddy cent” all at once. Hell yes. I love being blasian. Being blasian is the best. And there are enchiladas that come with the job, so when you can, just, uh, call a black market skin peddler your way and try to switch as fast a possible. You know.

-Blasian

It has occurred to me that people in the US don’t know an awful lot about Japanese music. I’ve been here for awhile now and I still feel like I know nothing about Japanese music. Here’s a little crash course. Before we begin, I want you to forget that it’s almost 2010. If you’re American, it’s much easier to comprehend if you start thinking like — oh, I dunno — 1997.

Remember 1997? I was seven years old for that year, but what I remember distinctly is Men in Black, Austin Powers, Titanic and boy bands. Pop is by far the most popular genre here, and there are dozens upon dozens of groups and individual singers whose songs can be heard in stores and in karaoke bars. The main difference between Japanese pop groups and the Backstreet Boys is that rather than actual ‘boy bands,’ the Japanese are referred to as ‘idol groups.’ This means that they do music, movies, musicals, commercials, dramas, variety shows and radio programs. The top three groups in Japan [SMAP, Arashi and V6] are all fronted by an agency called Johnny & Associates, which has specialized in male idols since the 1960s.

SMAP is definitely the top of the heap, and I couldn’t really tell you why. At first glance, it’s absolutely clear that they are terrible singers and can’t dance [in unison, at least]. The five of them are getting on 40 and have been on the scene since 1991. The leader of the group is notoriously known for being a bad singer and seems to remain popular on charisma alone. It’s undeniable, though. Their style is copied everywhere, their fan base is indestructible and they continue to make money. The most visible member of the group, Kimura Takuya [often shortened to Kimutaku], is in commercials for EVERYTHING and is one of the highest-paid entertainers in Asia. Here’s a video of SMAP dancing for a SoftBank phone service commercial that is played constantly on the huge screens overlooking Shinjuku and Shibuya:

Even though SMAP is the top group in Japan, the top three best-selling singles of the year have all come from a younger group from Johnny & Associates called Arashi. I have to admit, they’re better singers and dancers than SMAP, but they’re still not really my style. Well, the music speaks..er…sings for itself, so here’s a clip of one of their hits from this summer performed live on a variety show. Note that these guys are a pretty good representation of what well-dressed, good-looking Japanese guys should look like. Look at the hair.

I’m a much bigger fan of KREVA, the best-known Japanese rapper. He’s been around awhile now and has distinguished himself lyrically and technically. His newest album hit at the beginning of September and I bought it on the day it came out. He’s gotten a little more melodic lately and while his hip-hop style is still there, he’s become half rapper, half singer. It’s totally different from American mainstream hip-hop, which most would call a good thing. He’s got a lot of really great songs, but this one is the main single from his new album, and I think the music video uses brilliant film techniques. You can hear the hip-hop beat with a synth-heavy sample and how his relatively melodic delivery retains a distinct rap feel.

Lastly, I have to talk about everything else. That would take way too long; Japanese fans are the most fanatical in the world, and so basically every genre you could think of has an incredibly enthusiastic following. There is a burgeoning reggae scene, two Blue Note jazz clubs in Japan [to America's one!], and more rock bands than you could shake a drum stick at. But my favorite Japanese band is a ska band that’s been around for a long time, and its name is Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra. I love Japanese ska because it features a lot more brass than American bands like Sublime or Reel Big Fish. Not only that, but Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra [usually shortened to Skapara] has an excellent track record of catchy tunes and the successful ska-ization of many well-known songs. One that they’ve become well known for is their ska rendition of the Love Theme from The Godfather:

Man I love that.

Anyway, that’s pretty much what you should know about Japanese music. Of course American music is popular here, too. If you set foot in any clothing store or someplace like that, you’ll hear Drake and Lil’ Wayne before too long. I’ll always remember the first time I went shopping on Omotesando in Harajuku….those summer hip-hop singles came on and it was like I’d never left the States.

REMIX

表参道通り (Omotesando-dori) is a street in downtown Tokyo similar to “Rodeo Drive” in Beverly Hills, California.

It’s one of (but not the only) areas in Tokyo with many luxury brand stores.

Every year near Christmas time, the tree-lined street with but lit up with 「クリスマスイルミネーション」 (Xmas lights).

In the same way that there are other high-end shopping areas in Tokyo, there are also plenty of other places with beautiful Xmas illumination displays.
But 表参道通り (Omotesando-dori) was always one of the most popular places for couples to go on a date to enjoy the romantic lit up displays.

But in 1998, 表参道通り (Omotesando-dori) suddenly stopped decorating the street for Xmas.

There were still plenty of other places to see beautiful displays around Tokyo.
And in 2005, Omotesando Hills was built on 表参道通り (Omotesando-dori) and they have their own Xmas illuminations.

It’s been eleven years since 表参道通り (Omotesando-dori) had stopped doing their Xmas illuminations so I had forgotten about it.

But live on television last night I saw 表参道通り (Omotesando-dori) being lit up for Xmas again. The first time since 1998.
I can’t believe it’s been eleven years since I saw 表参道通りクリスマスイルミネーション (Omotesando-dori Xmas light display)! And now they’ve brought it back.

Zum Sonntag den 22. muss ich glaube ich nichts schreiben, denn da war ich einfach den ganzen Tag Zuhause.

Montags hatte ich keine Schule, da 勤労感謝の日[kinroukansha no hi = Tag des Dankes für die Arbeit] war.

An und ich haben die freie Zeit genutzt und sind zu zweit nach Harajuku Shoppen gefahren. Da ja nationaler Feiertag war, waren wir leider aber nicht die einzigen, die auf diese Idee kamen und so war das ganze dann doch ziemlich anstrengend, wenn auch sehr lustig!

Ich habe mir aber lediglich einen Handydisplay-Aufkleber von Rilakkuma gekauft, weil ich nicht wirklich Geld hatte und auch bis auf extrem überteuerte Stulpen nichts wirklich gefunden habe, was ich unbedingt haben hätte wollen^^

Natürlich haben wir aber Purikuras gemacht und obligatorisch für Harajuku: Crêpe gegessen!

Ich hatte ein extrem [!!!] leckeres, gefüllt mit Schokoladeneis, Banane, Sahne und Käsekuchen ♥ Wieso gibt es so leckere Crêpes nicht in Berlin? T__T

Dienstags war die Verabschiedung der Australier und deshalb gab es mal wieder eine große Versammlung.

Ich habe ja die ganze Zeit nicht wirklich viel mit ihnen zu tun gehabt, aber als sie dann weg waren, bin ich fast ein bisschen traurig geworden! ^^

Mittwoch war nichts besonderes und Donnerstags eigentlich auch nicht, abgesehen davon, dass An, Babo, Ren Yuka und Ryo morgens um 6.30 nach Osaka aufgebrochen sind und ich mir deshalb selbst Bento und Abendessen machen musste! Abends habe ich dann außerdem noch 恋空 [Koizora = Liebeshimmel] geguckt. Der Film ist so traurig T_T Aber toll

Freitags haben wir ins Haushaltslehre Kuchen gebacken Ich war ja am Anfang etwas skeptisch, ob das etwas wird, aber er war wirklich lecker Da Yasu auch erst nach der Mittagspause kam, hatten Moeno, Kazuma und ich auch mehr davon

Und bin ich nach dem Unterricht noch ein wenig mit Aoi und Mako in der Schule geblieben, um zu lernen und später kam noch Kanae dazu. Wirklich zum Lernen gekommen sind wir zwar letztendlich nicht, aber lustig war es auf alle Fälle

Im Anschluss habe ich mich noch ein wenig an den Tamagawa gesetzt. Im Dunkeln ist es dort echt toll ♥

Es wurde dann aber leider recht schnell viel zu kalt und ich bin dann nach Hause gegangen.

Ich war Abends schon am Verzweifeln, eine Beschäftigung für den nächsten Tag zu finden, da Kobayashis ja erst Abends wieder kommen wollten, als Ho-chan mir eine Mail schickte und fragte, ob ich Lust hätte, mit ein paar Leuten aus der Klasse zusammen zu lernen. Hatte ich natürlich^^

So kam es, dass ich mich am Samstag um halb 3 mit Ho-chan Izumitamagawa traf und wir zusammen nach Mukogaoka-Yuen gelaufen, wo wir uns um 3 mit den Anderen treffen wollten…

Auf dem Weg haben wir uns über ziemlich viel unterhalten…Tat irgendwie gut nach längerer Zeit mal wieder eine längeres  Gespräch mit jemandem zu führen, der direkt vor einem steht und nicht nur per Skype oder so.

Als wir am Bahnhof ankamen, war aber noch niemand da und so dehnte sich unser Gespräch dann noch aus, bis um 10 nach 3 endlich Kumiko kam. Weitere 10 Minuten später kamen auch Kameyama und Aoi endlich und wir sind zur Saizeria gegangen.  Dort haben sich erstmal alle etwas bestellt. Ich hatte ja immernoch kein Geld [Naja okay, 40 Yen = ca. 30 Cent^^], aber Kameyama hat mir was zu trinken ausgegeben Während die anderen am Essen waren, kamen noch Isegame und Sayuri dazu. Wir haben dann mit dem Lernen angefangen. Ho-chan und ich haben zusammen Mathe gelernt und ich verstehe jetzt alles viel besser!! Von daher hat sich das Lernen wirklich gelohnt

Zwischendurch kam dann auch noch Yasu dazu.

Gegen Ende haben wir dann alledings immer weniger gelernt sondern eher geredet und lustige Spiele gespielt. Z.B. dass man keine Wörter nichtjapanischen Ursprungs mehr sagen durfte. Jedes Mal, wenn man man eins gesagt hatte, musste man 10 Yen in die Mitte tun. Das wirklich lustig, denn ein meiner Meinung nach überdurchschnittlich großer Teil der japanischen Wörter sind eigentlich Englisch o.ä.

Am Ende kamen so sage und schreibe 600 Yen zusammen und davon haben wir dann einen Teil der Rechnung bezahlen können^^

Meistgesagte Wörter waren definitiv “OK” sowie “Bye bye”, als sich Ho-chan frühzeitig verabschiedete.

Gegen halb 8 sind wir dann aufgebrochen und auf dem Weg noch in einem Kaufhaus Purikuras machen gewesen. Dort haben wir uns noch eine Weile Handys angeguckt [Ich fand's eher langweilig, aber die anderen irgendwie wohl sehr spannend^^] und sind dann alle zusammen zurück zur Izumitamagawa-Station gelaufen, wo ich mich von den Anderen verabschiedet habe und bin nach Hause gefahren, wo ich dann das letze Mal alleine gegessen habe^^

Gegen halb 10 kamen dann Yuka, Ryo und Babo wieder, An und Ren waren dagegen noch bei ihrer Tante zur Übernachtung geblieben.

Am Sonntag war ich dann mit Sayuri zum Fußballspiel der Fußball-Clubs verabredet, da sie aber verschlafen hatte, kamen wir leider nur noch zur zweiten Halbzeit Es war trotzdem spannend und wir haben leztendlich 3:0 gewonnen

Für meinen Geschmack war es aber viiiel zu früh vorbei und so habe ich mich dann noch bis Abends Zuhause gelangweilt und, zwischendurch aber ein wenig mit Babo gespielt.

Abends kamen dann auch An und Ren wieder und außerdem Ryos Schwester Saori mit ihrer Tochter Sakura.

So ging die Woche dann eigentlich recht ereignislos vorüber.　Ab nächster Woche sind wieder Tests! -.-

taken from Shannon

I uploaded it on myspace and it was reported as inappropriate. I’m guessing some “Barbie” was offended. Silly unoriginal tramp…whoever did it.

Sunday 29 November (Melbourne time: 20:14 / Kanazawa time: 18:14)

Music: Ai Otsuka – Planetarium (live acoustic)

Location: MY JUST CLEANED AND REORGANISED ROOM. BANZAI. O:

So, dinner is around 6:30, and well… CAN I TYPE UP ONE HALF OF A DAY IN 15 MINS? I don’t think so. Let’s give it a try anyway.

After Takeshita Street, where Sarah and her boyfriend left then to go do something (Meet someone maybe? I forgot what they said…. ._.), we walked around ramdom large streets of Harajuku… actually, we also walked through Harajuku Street where the oh-so-very-fearsome store display of alien being and Spiderman was spotted. We both took photos with it – it was that much of a novelty. Though to be honest, I thought it was a kind of disgusting invitation into the store. Uh, does not suit my taste I suppose.

Leon had mentioned some Hello Kitty store that he went to last time he came to Japan, and so I think we went off in search for that. We could see no Hello Kitty world, land or anything that was similar to a Hello Kitty store. We found instead, a GIANT toy store called Kiddy Land. It was, if I remember correctly, six floors. What was most fascinating about this store was the display they had out front of the Disney characters tap tap tapping to some music. It was pretty cool. I was pretty amazed, and took a video of it… obviously very intrigued by this kind of stuff – in Kanazawa a few days ago, I came across a self playing miniature piano. The corresponding keys to the notes were played (ie. They were actually pressed down) but no one was sitting there playing it. What an amazing machine! Now to stick it in a haunted building… :3

Anyway, what was cool about this store was that each level was organised by the kind of character good there were. One level was Snoopy and Peanuts stuff, another was Disney. There was one level also that was for Hello Kitty and Sanrio products. THUS, THE MYSTERY OF THE ELUSIVE HELLO KITTY LAND WAS SOLVED. It was in fact a whole level inside a store, which made it seem like its own store.

This store… it was a toy store and the first thing I think of when I think of toys is trucks, fire engines and Barbie dolls. But this store was awesome – beyond awesome. There are plushies that I will buy and take home from there – about fifteen Australian dollars – <333333333 AND IT WAS ALL SO CUTE AND BLOBBY.

AND IT'S SO CUTE AND BLOBBY~ :3

KAY. DINNER TIME. LOOKS LIKE THERE WILL BE A PART FOUR.

…BANZAI? O:

Zlatan dunkade in en helvolley med bredsidan och el Clasico var över. Klockan är 05.02 nu och jag skall upp kl 10, dvs om mindre än 5 timmar. Men det var det värt. En ganska trist match som efter ett svensk-mål förvandlades till extremt öppen historia efter att Barcelona strax efter Zlatans mål fått en spelare utvisad. Real körde in växlen allt-framåt med följden att det blev en sjuhelvetes massa vassa tacklingar från Barças sida och hur säkert två näver med mycket fina målchanser för båda lagen. Men Barça stod på sig och vann till slut med 1-0 efter en ganska tråkig, för att inte säga nästa sömnig första halvlek.

I fredags var det också ganska sömnigt, fram tills 00.00. Blev klubb med Alex i Harajuku. En trevlig liten håla i marken som Alex hittat någonstans på internet. En massa band och lite Dj höll hus i något som liknade pop-klubbarna jag sprang omkring mellan i Göteborg för några år sedan. Bland annat spelade TTAs kvinnliga motsvarigheter, Love and Hates, vilket vara extremt underhållande. Ett annat band jag gillade var APRICOT, vilket enklast beskrivet var och är glad pop ungefär.
Stället hade även en galen dj som hade en luftgitarrist med sig (den fete på bilden i länken). Det innebar i princip att klubben förvandlades till någon slags allsång mellan banden då luftgitarrist killen var grymt underhållande samt grymt bra på att få igång den annars sjukt tråkiga publiken. Blir iaf ett återbesök nästa gång när det samma klubb håller låda i februari!

Lyckades även klämma in ett besök på en robotmässa med lil’Nin och Sho i lördags (ca 4 h efter att jag kom från Harajuku!) Underhållande, även om det tyvärr mest bara var industri-robotor. Och som den gamle Volvoarbetaren man är så vet man ju hur en sådan rör sig, då dom flesta såg ut som dom på Volvo i olika storlekar. Men en del coola saker fanns det! Slänger upp bilder lite senare.

Gwen Stefani, lead singer of the pop band No Doubt, has lead a Madonna-esque fashion revolt in both her recent videoclip for her single What You Waiting For and her solo album Love, Angel, Music, Baby. Her catchy 80’s inspired popish tunes, platinum blonde hair and Like A Virgin kit out on the album cover art only reinforce her homage to the material girl, even though it may be somewhat tongue in cheek.

But its her references to the Japanese Harajuku Girls peppered throughout the album and on one track in particular that has drawn interest from a diverse range of commentators.

So who are these Harajuku Girls anyway?

The Harajuku District of Tokyo and in particular Takeshita Street, a narrow street lined with shops is home to these funky fashionistas. Since the end of World War II, “consumerism” and “consumption” have become the national past-time for most Japanese and in particular teenage girls who often live at home with their parents well into their twenties. Their rent free existence provides them with the enough funds to flock to Harajuku every weekend, where they transform themselves into Lolita-esque baby doll caracitures.

It’s all a sort of a pop-art meets pop-culture meets Western decadence kinda street where often a t-shirt with a western image like Mickey Mouse can go for several hundred dollars a pop. This constant pursuit of rock n roll pop star hipness extends to teenage boys too. They in turn have opted for the western inspired hip-hop culture of disheveled jeans hanging half way to their knees, caps at all angles on their heads and of course lots and lots of bling.

Often the net result looks like something out of a Manga comic book as the fashionistas of Harajuku compete to look less human and more iconic. Not concerned about what we in the West may see as a conflict of style over substance, Harajuku Girls unlike the Goths, punks and bond girls that came before are not about rebellion from society. No, in fact these girls, like most Japanese, are often extremely polite and happy to pose for photographs with inquisitive tourists who gather every Sunday to take happy snaps of these super-model caricatures.

For the Girls of Harajuku, their most extreme vice may be a simple cigarette.

Gwen Stefani, lead singer of the pop band No Doubt, has lead a Madonna-esque fashion revolt in both her recent videoclip for her single What You Waiting For and her solo album Love, Angel, Music, Baby. Her catchy 80’s inspired popish tunes, platinum blonde hair and Like A Virgin kit out on the album cover art only reinforce her homage to the material girl, even though it may be somewhat tongue in cheek.

But its her references to the Japanese Harajuku Girls peppered throughout the album and on one track in particular that has drawn interest from a diverse range of commentators.

So who are these Harajuku Girls anyway?

The Harajuku District of Tokyo and in particular Takeshita Street, a narrow street lined with shops is home to these funky fashionistas. Since the end of World War II, “consumerism” and “consumption” have become the national past-time for most Japanese and in particular teenage girls who often live at home with their parents well into their twenties. Their rent free existence provides them with the enough funds to flock to Harajuku every weekend, where they transform themselves into Lolita-esque baby doll caracitures.

It’s all a sort of a pop-art meets pop-culture meets Western decadence kinda street where often a t-shirt with a western image like Mickey Mouse can go for several hundred dollars a pop. This constant pursuit of rock n roll pop star hipness extends to teenage boys too. They in turn have opted for the western inspired hip-hop culture of disheveled jeans hanging half way to their knees, caps at all angles on their heads and of course lots and lots of bling.

Often the net result looks like something out of a Manga comic book as the fashionistas of Harajuku compete to look less human and more iconic. Not concerned about what we in the West may see as a conflict of style over substance, Harajuku Girls unlike the Goths, punks and bond girls that came before are not about rebellion from society. No, in fact these girls, like most Japanese, are often extremely polite and happy to pose for photographs with inquisitive tourists who gather every Sunday to take happy snaps of these super-model caricatures.

For the Girls of Harajuku, their most extreme vice may be a simple cigarette.

In Romania nu prea a prins cultul Gothic, mai ales pentru ca multi nu il inteleg, sau, IN CEL MAI RAU CAZ, il confunda cu EMO. Eu, din sursele proprii si personale am observat ca putitni sunt gotici adevarati. Ceilalti, daca asculta muzica gotica, dar nu arata gothic, atunci nu exista=)))
Yeah… I am evil…BUT… asta e doar critica constructiva pentru asa zisii gotici romani. Multi uita ca a fi goth inseamna:

• muzica
• make-up
• hair style
• haine adecvate
• atitudine.

Asa ca daca nu intruniti aceste citerii… sa nu asteptati sa fiti numiti gotici.

Marturisesc ca am scris articolul asta la nervi,  satula de pokemoneala. Da stiu… in Romania nu avem haine, accesorii bla bla bla…daca nu gasiti….creati voi unele articole… Eu cred ca SE POATE MAI MULT,  decat niste panarame de tarfe gotice cu maiouri jegoase si insulete de la toneta. Pur si simplu mi se face greata cand vad ca nu aveti pic de bun gust vestimentar. Da… nu trebuie sa fiti toti la fel, dar nici sa pui pe tine tot dulapul de haine si vai doamne sa te crezi si buricul pamamntului.

Asta e parerea mea.

Acum va arat ce am gasit.  Majoritatea articolelor sunt hand- made, nu costa multi bani, dar necesita rabdare. Enjoy!

ps. Cu prima ocazie ma apuc sa comercializez unele articole create de mine.

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Am si eu o pereche de bocanci New Rock si ii recomand oricui. Sunt foarte comozi si arata si bine.

Monday 23rd November (Melbourne time: 1:08 // Japan time: 11:08)
Music: Do As Infinity – Fukai Mori / T.a.T.u. – All About Us
Location: <20 degree room, sitting on the (almighty) donut cushion.

So on this morning, I ended up talking to one of my roommates at the hostel. She was sneezing quite badly and I asked her if she was sick. She said no, and that it was probably her allergies just acting up. However, it is winter here and obviously that means no random flying bits of pollen to attack us poor sufferers with. This was a little strange, but I did not think too deeply into it. She was still sneezing somewhat badly, so I offered her a tablet. For some reason, my parents insisted I carry some allergy medication. I have not used any as of yet – and I do not know why… after all, it is winter here in Japan.

Somehow the conversation turned one way where I discovered that she was from Melbourne as well. WHAT A COINCIDENCE! She was a landscape architecture student doing her Masters and was here for something university related with a bunch of other people. I don’t think I made a friend though because I don’t even know her name.

Anyway, what was trippy about this encounter was that her accent was recognisable, but in a foreign environment it took me a while to connect the feeling that I should have understood something that was so very simple with the fact that she was from the same country.

A little while after that, me and Leon checked out of the place and headed to the station. We survived the (deadly and oh so very lethal) elevator ride and crossed roads safely. However, we spent a bit longer searching for the station than we anticipated because we wanted to use the entrance with the elevator (we were NOT going to drag our luggage up all those stairs again… @@). We had walked right past it because it was tucked away at the corner of a building.

Apart from looking like a total fool dragging two suitcases through and trying to put the ticket through the barrier at the same time (as at the barriers, there is always some police-y kind of guy manning his station and he sees all… *gasp* O:), everything worked out relatively fine there.

We got to the station… and oh shit. This was where we failed epically with the lockers. Finding some was not the hard task. Neither was putting our stuff in them. It was when we tried to test our keys that we screwed up real bad. The thing with the lockers was that they were for one use only. “Ichinichi ikkai”. Unfortunately, we did not read the sign properly and it did not have a translation in English. Admittedly, I suppose it was our laziness. So to test out our keys after renting the locker, we stuck it in, turned the lock both pretty much one after the other and then tried turning it back to lock… it did not work.

It was an attempt to turn, and we were stopped midway… meaning the locker would not let us lock it.

Asdfsdkfjdfklk.

*crycrycry*

Defeated, we tried to look for other lockers which would accept bills as we did not have enough ¥100 yen coins left. Failed. The only lockers that accepted them were full. So in the end, I bought a drink and used the change from that to buy the same locker again.

During that time, I managed to figure out how to call Sarah on her mobile phone – Leon was running around looking for lockers while I looked after our luggage. He had been running around for a while and standing there with so many suitcases, I felt quite awkward. So like I began to play with my phone. However, just pressing up and down buttons listlessly gets quite boring really after a while and then I remembered that I had failed multiple times in calling Sarah with this phone over the last two days.

She was apparently on her normal number with international roaming turned on. This confused the heck out of me. With the phones we rented, weneeded to enter certain numbers in before dialling. I did not know how to work this. At all. I still do not quite get it, but I figure that I can play around with my phone a little and get it to work if I ever need to call internationally again.

I decided to give it another go calling her. I was so surprised when I heard the dial tone! It felt like such an accomplishment also – I tried and failed on the day of Akihabara, tried and probably failed in SMS, so Facebooked her instead later the night before.

Hence, 100x the satisfaction, I guess?

But I got through this time, and she was in Harajuku for the day. So ditching our plans to walk aimlessly around Ginza and Shibuya, we headed to Shibuya station and managed to get one of the Station guards to explain to us in Japanese (!!) how to walk to Harajuku. There was not Metro line to Harajuku – it was only JR. We had trouble finding the exit because it was different to the ones in the stations that we have been to. Actually, Shibuya Station was amazing – like a maze, with so many shops… it was quite the landmark.

When we did find the exit, we managed to walk to Harajuku without getting lost. Sarah was apparently in front of Harajuku station on the opposite side of the road. We got to the station, but could not see her. And well, she and her boyfriend, Martin would have been relatively easy to recognise, right? Being tall, and not Japanese, right? We could not see them, but there was another entrance for Harajuku which was where we found them. (I had no idea there were two and was sort of… panicking at that time.)

Walking towards them, Leon decided to wave his arms around to try and get their attention but they did not see us. Or well, his arms waving frantically. It was funny seeing him wave his arms around like that because I’m pretty sure a couple of Japanese people paused to look for a second. (The power of gaijin! :3) Though whether this was because I wanted to make sure he was not waving to them or because it was just funny, I don’t know. Eventually, he decided to stop waving, and while we were waiting at the traffic lights across the road in front of them, Sarah saw us and waved. I could not help it but I actually burst out laughing.

We went to Takeshita Street to shop and get crepes. There were so many crepe shops to choose from! And looking at the crepes, I had so much trouble deciding. Cheesecake or ice cream? Chocolate or strawberry? Strawberry or caramel? Etc. etc.

いちごケーキ生クリーム　<3

What was more amazing about the crepes from Harajuku was not the variety or the taste – it was how quick the made them! At Melbourne Central and Box Hill, they take like 5 minutes to take your order because of the line, and then another 5 minutes to make your order. With the crepes here, it was basically, order, start conversation, get your crepe handed to you. YOU HAVE ONLY BEGUN CONVERSATION AND YOU GET TO EAT. THAT IS FREAKING AMAZING.

So the purpose of this trip was for Sarah to get herself some kick ass boots, Leon to buy gifts (and fake glasses~) for Sammi and for me to… BUY ALL I COULD. (Which I couldn’t do by the way. T_T)

The stores there were suuuper impressive! Freaking crowded, so colourful and specials everywhere! It would have been disastrous for my wallet… had I not felt I already spent enough the day before in Akihabara.

Would... you go into this store?

Next up, will be the tales of toy stores, dinner and Ueno stations.

I love LAMB but being the poor girl that I am I mostly just stare at her shoes as pieces of art that maybe one day I will be able to buy. Well lucky for us I came across Gwen’s Harajuku shoe line that is more sophisticated then her past Harajuku shoes and cheaper than her LAMB ones. There are some super cute ones I have to share with you guys and you CAN afford them.. thanks Gwen. By the way you can find most of these on http://www.heels.com or Nordstrom.
Here’s some of my favorite must haves:

Harajuku Lovers Women’sDobson Heel – Black

New $89.99

Harajuku Lovers Women’sAvallon – Grey Suede

$94.99

Harajuku Lovers Women’sArlanda – Grey/Natural

$94.99

Harajuku Lovers Women’sArlanda – Black/Multi

$85.49

HARAJUKU LOVERS : AIRLIE – BLUE PLAID or Black

$87.99

Uma das moças da APIC me convidou para ir em Asakusa no domingo, 11 de outubro, pra conhecer um dos templos mais famosos de Tóquio, o Templo Senso-ji. É conhecido como Asakusa Kannon porque conta-se que dois pescadores apanharam no rio uma estátua de ouro da deusa budista da misericórida, Kannon, e o mestre dos pescadores construiu um santuário no século VII e depois outros homens santos e governantes foram aumentado e enriquecendo o templo. Este templo sobreviveu ao grande terremoto de 1923 mas foi completamente destruído na segunda guerra mundial (como quase toda Tóquio, aliás). Ou seja, tudo que se vê é relativamente novo, mas tudo construído no estilo Edo.

Portão Kaminarimon.

É pertinho do metrô. Inclusive a saída do metrô já tem uma lanterna vermelha enorme. Vira-se à direita e já se vê a multidão. Eu cheguei às 11hs e estava lotado de gente…. voltei mais duas vezes lá. Uma no sábado 24 (estava chovendo) pra comprar lembrancinhas pra levar para o Brasil no fim de semana seguinte e outro no sábado 21 de novembro só pra tirar mais fotos. E nesse dia estava ENTUPIDO de alunos. Deve estar perto da época de provas e eles devem estar indo lá pedindo bençãos e boas notas.

Na entrada há um enorme portão (Kaminarimon – Portão do Trovão) com uma lanterna gigantesca e duas estátuas de cada lado, os guardiães Fujim e Raijin, fazendo caretas…

Eu no portão... e mais zilhões de turistas tentando tirar fotos!!!

Depois da entrada há uma imensa alamenda ladeado por uma série de lojinhas tradicionais que vendem souvenires, doces, roupas e artesanato. Como no último dia que eu fui era mais cedo eu cheguei a ver algumas das lojas fechadas. Muitas lojas aqui em Tóquio pintam ilustrações nas portas. Algumas muito bonitas.

Na alameda logo após o portão olhando em direção ao templo... e olha que esta foto foi tirada no dia que cheguei antes das 10hs! Reparem na quantidade de mascarados!!! Medo da gripe suína.

Loja fechada. Eu já vi portas com desenhos mais legais ainda, mas eu estava sem a câmera.

Ao fim da alameda mais um portão com 3 lanternas. Depois disso o prédio principal do templo. Lindo…. O teto é todo pintado, e lá ao longe a imagem da deusa Kannon. Os devotos jogam moedas, batem palmas 3 vezes e fazem seus pedidos. Também pode-se colocar uma moeda e pegar papeizinhos com uma sorte (dessa vez eu não fiz isso… mas bati palmas 3 vezes!!).

Segundo Portão. O nome é Hozo-mon.

Pavilhão Principal.

Parte do templo onde estão os tesouros. A estátua da deusa Kannon tá lá dentro... bem pequenininha.

Teto do pavilhão principal.

Interior do pavilhão principal.

Ao lado do templo há outros prédios fofos e um pagode de 5 andares. Como vcs podem ver eu fiquei tentando pegar detalhes arquitetônicos do telhado de um dos prédios com o pagado por trás…. realmente os telhados aqui são um barato… Muitos têm uma versão nipônica das nossas carrancas… maneiríssimo. Ah sim… reparem na suástica no detalhe do prédio a frente do pagode, logo abaixo da cimeira. Aqui, nos mapas em japonês, os templos são todos identificados por suásticas.

Pagode de 5 telhados.

Pagode com detalhe do telhado do prédio a frente. Reparem na suástica...

Foco nos detalhes do telhado a frente.

Um dos budas do jardim.

Depois de explorar o templo, ficamos andando em volta. Um bairro normal cheio de lojas e lugares para comer. Há também um parque de diversão pequeno. Minha acompanhante perguntou se eu não queria ir. Eu disse que não… por quê? Porque outros integrantes de outros cursos eram verdadeiramente loucos por parques de diversão e queriam conhecer todos…. Por alguma razão eu não acho parques de diversão muito divertidos. Especialmente os tradicionais.

Perto do templo há um prédio famoso porque tem um “troço” projetado pelo Philippe Starcke no telhado… O prédio é um cervejaria e eu realmente não faço idéia do que seja aquilo… Prefiro ficar vendo os japoneses em roupas tradicionais oferecendo passeios em riquixás.

Admito... achei horroroso!!!

Riquixá!

Depois de piruar em Asakusa, minha acompanhante, desculpe, ela se chama Yukiko, me levou pra conhecer os arredores de Harajuku. Pegamos o metrô, cruzamos a cidade e paramos em um estação que fica em uma enorme, larga e moderna avenida chamada Omote-Sando. Essa avenida é cheia de lojas famosas como Chanel, Gucci, Prada e outras. Tem também uma loja ótima pra turistas: Oriental Bazaar. Onde eu também voltei pra comprar lembrancinhas no dia 24 de outubro. Tem de tudo que se possa imaginar de tradicional lá dentro. Subimos a avenida e chegamos ao parque Yoyogi, onde também está localizado o santuário xintoísta mais importante da cidade, o Meiji Jingu. Na entrada do parque há uma torii imensa (eu também voltei nesse parque no dia 21 de novembro pra tirar mais fotos). O parque é imenso, super arborizado e as pessoas levam crianças vestidas com roupas tradicionais lá para serem abençoadas no fim de semana. De acordo com Yukiko-san, a mortalidade infantil era muito alta em Tóquio antigamente, então as famílias levavam as crianças aos 3 e aos 7 anos (acho) para serem abençoadas e agradecerem por estarem vivas. Também ocorrem muitos casamentos lá. Eu até vi um, mas não cheguei a tirar foto da noiva, mas tirei dos convidados.

Mega torii no parque Yoyogi.

Barris e barris de saquê (tinha mais do outro lado)... mas tira o olho que é do templo!

Entrada do santuário Meiji. Ah... manhã de sol... que maravilha!!

Ôi ki fofa!!!

Ôi ki fofo!!!

Convidados do casamento.

Estas duas, depois de simpática e pacientemente terem posado para uma porção de turístas, resolveram tirar fotos uma da outra.

Novamente no templo as pessoas jogam moedas, batem palmas e fazem pedidos. Aqui elas também compram plaquinhas de madeira, escrevem seus pedidos e penduram para que sejam devidamente repassados pelos monges. Vc vê plaquinhas em absolutamente todas as línguas. De uma delas eu realmente tive que tirar foto. Na saída passamos por algumas pessoas fantasiadas, mas o forte mesmo da galera modernosa é no domingo à tarde.

Placa votiva no templo Meiji. Tô torcendo por vocês!!!

Como eu disse, eu voltei ao Oriental Bazar no dia 24 de outubro pra comprar lembranças. Eu saltei na estação certa, mas meio perdida sem saber se eu queria ir pra direita ou pra esquerda. Comecei a andar e reparei que havia algumas crianças fantasiadas… estranho… Em certo momento em que eu percebi que estava indo na direção errada e comecei a voltar eu vi uma família inteira fantasiada!!! Pensei comigo mesmo que devia ser uma família daqueles jovens que gosta de se fantasiar em Harajuku….Só que mais a frente havia mais gente fantasiada… especialmente crianças… E aí eu percebi que algumas levavam baldinhos com cara de abóbora.. AH-HA!!! Dia das bruxas!!! Tudo bem… o dia das bruxas seria só no fim de semana seguinte… mas talvez houvesse algum evento infantil por lá…

Uma das muitas famílias fantasiadas pra parada.

Achei a loja e entrei. Depois de algum tempo escolhendo coisinhas, não é que estava eu lá, distraída quando comecei a ouvir SAMBA do lado de fora? Como eu já estava me encaminhando pro caixa, lá fui eu e saí da loja e estava rolando uma parada de Halloween ao som de samba brasileiro!!! E bem tocado ainda por cima. Abaixo o vídeo exótico que eu já havia mandado pra um monte de gente antes…

E as fotos que eu tirei… As crianças são muito fofas. E o legal são que há muitas famílias fantasiadas… eu quase persegui a família cabeça de abóbora pra tirar uma foto boa deles. E os cachorros?! Pena que não consegui tirar foto do lobisomen… eu já tinha parado de fotografar e ele passou correndo agarrando as pessoas (de leve) pelo ombro. Muito boa a fantasia.. devia estar quente embaixo de todo aquele pelo e as garras deviam ter uns 8 cm de comprimento.

Essa bruxinha ria ria e ria!!!

As crianças são muito fofas... parecem um bonequinhos!!

Pumpkin family... E eu os perseguindo até conseguir uma foto razoável...

A galera arrebentando na bateria (no bom sentido).

Eu ainda vou voltar a Harajuku, só pra tirar fotos dos malucos fantasiados… Eles adoram… fazem pose e tudo. Mas tem que ser num domingo à tarde.

Nós já mostramos Melissas no catálogo da Angel e a Laura nos avisou que no catálogo de alto verão da marca lá estavam elas novamente:

Lady Dragon

Lady Dragon de laço

Olha a Lady Dragon preta aí de novo!

Harajuku

Severine

Lindo, né? Eu sou super consumidora da Angel (já até mostrei blusa e camiseta por aqui) e estou aqui babando por algumas peças dessa nova coleção.

Yes! Time for more Japan Pics!

The next day we took great tours of Kyoto and Nara, both old capitals of Japan. Tokyo was very modern so it was nice that we got to see more traditional buildings around town.

The countryside was beautiful.

At a stop some kids saw us and were so excited to see foreigners that they stopped and started waving at people on the bus. Like I said, Japan is full of nice and friendly people.

Getting closer to the temple.

On the way there we saw a very old gate. The tour guide said this is the oldest gate in Japan. It was made somewhere around 700 AD.

The entrance to Todaji temple was near a deer park and they let the deer roam around everywhere. There is a legend that when one of the deities came down at this place to help the people of Japan, he arrived riding a magical deer. When he returned to the spirit world he left the deer. The Japanese believed that these deer are actually descents of that very deer, and they can be found roaming freely around the park. It’s actually illegal to hurt any of these deer because of this.

You can buy cookies and feed them to the deer and if you do, be prepared. You will be quickly stormed and attacked. The deer will swarm you and bite until you have no choice but to drop the cookies and run. My wife learned this first hand.

Insanely massive wooden carved statue at the entrance gate. There is one at each end. This one represents the omega or the end.

Todaiji temple. The roof weighs over 2,000 tons.

Inside the temple is a HUGE Buddha. The second biggest statue in the world, just behind the even huger Jesus statue in South America. You can fit 47 people standing up just in the palm of his hand. Crazy.

The Buddha statue is surrounded by tall carved statues that guard Buddha from evil spirits.

Inside they had a model replica of the temple.

This hole is the size of one nostril on the Buddha statue. They say that if you can fit through it, then you were blessed to go to heaven. Guess if your an adult your screwed.

Later that day we went to the stone lantern park.

The park was made up of thousands of stone lanterns. Only a few nights a year do they light them all. Imagine all these centuries old lanterns lit up at once. Something to behold.

After the walk through the park you enter a Shinto Shrine.

Where they still have Shrine Maidens!

After another day in Kyoto we headed back to Tokyo. First day back we went to hippest place in Japan. Harajuku!

This was the place for shopping and fashion in Japan.

Even cooler at night. More crowded too.

Speaking of crowded, next we went to Shibuya, a district in Tokyo containing the busiest intersection in the world. The Shibuya 109 building has been in countless anime and games such as Death Note and the World Ends With You.

Still don’t believe me it’s the busiest? It pretty much looked like that at every light.

Shibuya had a club Sega!

And another Ultraman Ad! Holy crap I love this country!

Shibuya looked a lot like times square, but bigger, taller, and tons of cool and creative ads. That’s typically how shops are in Japan. One store might be on the 3F, but a completely different on the 6TH.

More big bright buildings in Shibuya. At this particular intersection they played video game music during your crosswalk. I think I heard Mario Bros. and Mega Man.

Sadly this ends part 2 of the tour of Japan.

Next time Tokyo Tower and Akihabara, the otaku mecca paradise for people who love anime, music, figures, and video games. Also see the king of monsters himself, Godzilla! You can’t miss it!

]]> http://minhamelissa.com/2009/11/26/get-her-look-daryane-trajano/ Thu, 26 Nov 2009 21:40:58 +0000 Thaina http://minhamelissa.com/2009/11/26/get-her-look-daryane-trajano/

(porque eu me empolguei e agora eu quero transformar tudo em seção! )

Abrindo alas para a temporada de Melissa com shortinho!
Ela é irmã do Diego, que se inscreveu no Desafio Interblogs para “só” para tentar ganhar uma par de Melissa para ela. E foi ele quem mandou looks da irmã para o blog! Quem não queria ter um irmão assim?

The December issue of InStyle magazine, which has Taylor Swift on the cover, features a piece of HSN jewelry. But the necklace is already on Wait List.

The $250 crystal and silk ribbon necklace is from HSN’s RK by Ranjana Khan line. There is a picture of it in the “Try One!” feature on Page 197 of InStyle.

Interestingly enough, that same InStyle issue also has a “Beauty Talk” Q&A with No Doubt lead singer Gwen Stefani.

In it, there is a photo of Stefan’s new Snow Bunny Harajuku Lovers perfumes. That collection of five eau de toilette dolls was a Today’s Special on HSN earlier this week.

But in InStyle, it just says that the Harajuku Snow Bunny collection can be purchased at Sephora.com, no mention of HSN.

WHAT IS A HARAJUKU BARBIE?? WATCH AND FIND OUT!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7SkdWsybaQ&hl=en

Visit : NIKE AIR FLIGHT Club Soccer Nokia Cellphone

These are the original perfumes by Gwen Stefani, but now they are dressed for winter. G, Love, Angel, Music & Baby are back and as fashionable as ever in theirr snoods & snow boots.!They are sooo cute and because of the price they are perfect stocking fillers