Sensei ^^

Hiragana / Katakana chart

Classes end at 5PM so we took the train straight to Shibuya.

At the train station.. it was pretty dark already, partly due to winter.

The moment right after we stepped out of the station, I started spamming photos LOL. Partly because I saw an imbala big poster of the GazettE advertising their new album PLEDGE :X

My first look of Shibuya

2010 Christmas.

PLEDGE – the Gazette. SCREAM FANGIRLS SCREAM

Picture of me.. I know I look fat lolol

We decided to split up and walk in groups or something and meet up in front of Starbucks later because there were 19 people in total and it would be too big of a hassle to walk together. I rushed off to find a CD shop (ends up the CD shop was the one that was right in front of my face when we walked out of the station fml). Walked along the road and found a guitar shop, there were guitars everywhere inside! Plus the best thing was that it had 6 floors, all full of guitars (except for one that was dedicated to bass). Went inside and found Nightmare’s Ni~Ya’s pick so I got it for someone

The guitar store.

Entrance, had to camp for this picture because a lot of people were walking to and fro.

I went to look around at Shibuya 109 as well, didn’t actually went in to look at stuff because they were too expensive. I took some pictures outside at the Christmas decorations for Shibuya 109 though, partly because the building had an imbala big picture of SNSD on it. Took it for my SNSD loving friends so that they can go FUUUUUUUUU-, yeah.

The huge poster of SNSD at Shibuya 109

UNIQLO !

Stopped by Shibuya 109-2 as well, it’s like Shibuya 109 but its a store that’s dedicated to guys. Apparently it was endorsed somehow by SCANDAL, went into the main entrance and saw their awesome jackets on display.

SCANDAL

Yup.

I went to buy some socks as well at Shibuya, 3 for 1,050 yen which was pretty reasonable.

A few street snaps:

I turned back and went to Tsutaya which I only then realize it was a shop selling CDs and DVDs at the 1st and 2nd floors. I went into the store hoping to find the GazettE’s new album PLEDGE, and when I saw it I nearly fangirl screamed in the store itself. GG.

PLEDGE – the Gazette. It came with a free poster as well ^^

For anyone who knows Japanese, please translate this if you are free ^^”

Autographs by various singers/idols/etc.

More autographs lining the walls

Found a whole bunch of Miku’s CD as well

TSUTAYA records

I bought the edition B one, comes with a free poster of all 5 members ^^! I went to poke around as well and found Versailles’ DESTINY -The Lovers- CD too so I bought it.

Last picture of Shibuya before heading back.

We met up at 9:30PM in front of Starbucks and headed back for Ikebukuro. Very satisfied with loots ^^!

More videos to come! Encoding now!

Hello Girls’ Generation.

SNSD will be making Japan’s Christmas season shine bright with a new large-scale illumination electric display to be put up in the middle of Shibuya.

According to SM Entertainment, the illumination will be up on the exterior of Shibuya’s representative fashion building, Shibuya 109, starting from November 30th.

SNSD signed a contract with Shibuya 109 to celebrate this Christmas season for exactly one month, lasting until December 25th.

Representatives of SM Entertainment stated, “In the illumination, the girls are shown with their new and modern ‘line dance’ concept fit for the Christmas season. We are predicting a hot response. SNSD has been attracting attention not only for their choreography, but their fashion as well, and are highly popular amongst Japanese teens and 20s. This illumination will capture the attention of the people walking the streets of Shibuya.”

-

Source: Allkpop | Shared by: rawr6127

- M

and the original sketch….

2nd stop, SHIBUYA 109!! This building is the heart of tokyo fashion for the young & trendy … 7 floors of pure bliss.  The stores within ranges from various styles like girly n frilly, edgy and modern, classic and chic, & rocker glam.  Tokyo fashion is constantly changing and some of the trends we saw consisted of denims paired with lace, screen printed tops, cropped over-the-shoulder tops in stripes, solids, and lace paired with anything floral, nautical tops, dresses, shorts, and jewelry, boater & military hats, and lots and lots of maxi dresses paired with cropped tops or vests (our favorite).  Its against rules to take pictures in this building (no camera signs everywhere you turn), but of course we couldn’t resist … here’s what we were able to manage …

Another famous building of Tokyo is La Foret in the famous Harajuku… filled with more designer end brands and includes Tokyo’s very first TopShop

More of our adventerous day at 0101 Jam & 0101 City …

(a cute japanese sales girl we had to take a pic with … loved her outfit: lace top with dramatic shoulders and floral mini skirt paired with a wide leather black belt and black ankle boots)

And onto the shopping, our favorite hehe …

denim mini with a lace insert

nautical pleated stripe tube top with a ruffled hem … looks so cute in person, and the intricate pleating detail made this piece stand out from the rest

pleated and lace tiered shorts … yes shorts!! can it get any cuter?!

another version of the pleated tiers and lace, but this time in the form of a romper!

look familiar?? its the adorable romper from our vintage getaway post… our favorite!!

lacy flowy top

bandage mini skirts … love the hot pink!

floral mini dress with zipper detail

floral printed denim shorts … how cute is it? like we said before, its the next big thing!

this sexy black tee with a v-shaped mesh insert in the back that shows just enough skin …

this other sexy black top and torn stringy back, really like the draped criss cross of it

another top with back detail, this one with lace

simple black maxi with a unqiue web detail along neckline

lacy crop top with floral tank – saw many of these while in tokyo

white crop top – also great with high waist skirts, shorts, and of course MAXI DRESSES!

Tokyo … til we meet again …

]]> http://jaredinnakano.wordpress.com/2010/04/29/please-name-this-celebrity/ Thu, 29 Apr 2010 11:05:05 +0000 tokyo moe http://jaredinnakano.wordpress.com/2010/04/29/please-name-this-celebrity/

Ok, fan girls. Please help me out. Who is this barely legal looking actor/model/singer who’s hawking Panasonic’s technology wonder of a wet-and-dry electric razor? I figure one of my readers will surely know.

I love how lurid the campaign is: the image is saturated with water drops, his hair damp and immaculate, his skin eerily unmarked by age or imperfection. But mostly I love how he welcomes our attention. Perhaps he needs it ^^

ps: There’s also a video version of this ad in the Tokyo Metro. I hope no one gets so distracted they fall into the tracks. . .

Take me to Tokyo!

Official English link for the show here. This weekly program is all about Japanese fashion for girls, made by girls! It is presented by the ultra cute singer and actress Beni and the very handsome and CAN’T UNDERSTAND WHY HE DOES NOT LOOK 40+ ojii-san-like Ikki Sawamura. I think they make a great combo! Beni is trendy and young, whereas Ikki looks cool and is up for the show, but he knows NOTHING about fashion and often makes a fool out of himself! He makes perverted jokes and says things that are inappropriate.. just like an ojii-san ;;^^.

Anyway, back to the program! The topics that the program has introduced so far include:

Tokyo Girls Collection Spring 2010

Gothic Lolita

Hime Gyaru

Men’s fashion

All-things-sweet jewelleries

Shibuya 109 (a super-popular shopping centre in Shibuya)

(Some of the videos are in Chinese because it is being aired in Hong Kong as well as Japan)

Watching Tokyo Kawaii TV makes me want to shop non-stop in Shibuya, Harujuku and Shinjuku! Shopping in Tokyo is amazing! They have so many cute clothes and accessories~ Moreover, everything fits me perfectly since I have a small build and I am tinnnny! Me miss Tokyo ;w;…

Definitely give Tokyo Kawaii TV a go if you want to get more information on Japanese fashion! You can watch full-length episodes (in Chinese) here.

Images from the official website and J2 website.

1. The Japanese are generally very polite and respectful. They treat you with extreme respect. Especially those working in sales, at the cashiers, their attitude towards their job was very impressive.  I am humbled by the way they all stood up to greet you when i walked through the checking point at the subway station to the airport train. There were many of them at the checkpoint. I felt awkward walking towards them as there was only Janice and I there. They all bowed with respect. We felt so shy and we both giggled to ourselves commenting on their repectful attitude.

2. In the Subway stations, i noticed that the Japaneses automatically stand on the left side of the escalator, forming one line. I was impressed. So, we just had to follow the same, so that whoever that was in a hurry can quicken their steps on the right side of the escalator. And most of the staircases in the subway areas have arrows marked on the floor to show which way up and down. Just to help with the better flow of people during peak hours i guess. I must say they are very oragnized, in other words, being thoughtful of little details. Once i bought something from Loft and the salesgirl put a plastic cover over the carry paperbag to protect it from getting wet in the rain. And it wasn’t raining heavily at all. Just a small drizzle. How thoughtful of her!

3. Wherever we went for food, we were served with icy water with ice cubes without fail. And water is free of charge. Very pleased with that! Once i asked for hot water, the waitress served it in a teapot with a cup and saucer. I was impressed.

4. The hi-tech toilets in Japan! haha…Most of the shopping centers and major places have the automatic toilet with multi-buttons of functions and of course the very warmly heated seat! =P Some toilets i visited were almost touch-free. The toilet flushed itself. Even cooler, haha…it had a fake flushing sound effect button too! haha…to cover up some embarrassment.

that’s about it for now. can’t think of anything else. Oh…one more, the pretty girls at Shibuya 109 were like…really like..life-size barbie dolls! from head to toes they were like the girls from manga. big eyes with long lashes, perfect hairdo, slim and stunning in their floral tops and high heels. They almost looked identical. There was even a sign said no photography near the escalators to remind tourists like us who have never seen such pretty girls (haha) not to take pictures of them or the place/shops they work in. lol.

basically Tokyo is a very cosmopolitan city. I wonder if I would like to live in a big city like Tokyo. hmm…coming from a small town myself…i am glad to be back in Perth at the moment. I think i had enough of the one week bustling streets crowded city for now…however i do miss Japan. Seem like there are a lot more to discover of the rich culture & places. Hopefully i can go visit the other parts of Japan too. someday.

Next exciting thing that happened was i found a Rilakkuma store!! The store is Tokyo Station … like it’s IN THE STATION. Tokyo and Shinjuku stations are so crazy … they have like malls down there!! lol
anywayyyyy this store is the most amazing place! i love it!!
I just want to buy everything in the store lol



Purchasesssss
i love all the stuff i bought!! it’s so cheap compared to in the states… : D
I got a beach towel, cup, socks, plastic makeup case, hand towel, pencil, hoodie w/ sweatpants, & a stuffed animal!!! I love all my stuff omg. it’s so nice to have a stuffed animal again lol at school my bed is FILLED so it was lonely lolllll

Ok so now yesterday Vicky, Jean & I went to Sophia so Jean could get her commuter pass(Vicky & i did it the day before) & took look at all the tables for the clubs&circles. It’s currently Freshman Week : D
We looked at a bunch clubs/circles and got some flyers but didn’t sign up for anything at first.
But then when we where going to the Post Office so Jean could get some money these guys came up to us. They were like “Are you freshman?” and we were like “no. We’re Juniors (well i’m still a sophomore but i didn’t want to complicate things lol!) they said they were part of a circle & kept asking us if we’d follow them & hear a little explanation. We were like ‘noooooo this seems sketchy’ (don’t forget we’re in the middle of Sophia with hundreds of other students around) but we finally gave in & we’re like sure.
So they lead back towards all the club&circle tables. They take us the Bear’s Tennis circle table. Vicky, Jean & I are laughingggg idk but it was all so funny. They wanted us to sign up for their circle (which we did). Oh and like so my favorite animal is a bear, and i was wearing my rilakkuma(bear character) sweatshirt so i guess everything just came together. Everyone was so excited about it lol and they liked my name, and the fact i was from New York 8D i gave lots of high-fives.
The guys&girls running the circle seem really nice & the one girl told me that it’s ok if you’ve never played tennis much & that they do lots of other things..
And i talked to one of the CIEE advisers and she definitely urged me to join because it’s probably just a social club. She had a friend that was in a Tennis circle and he maybe played once in 4 years… you go eat dinner with them, and hang out. It’s a social thing more than sport/competition thing : D
So ya, I need to get involved in a circle to practice my Japanese & just get full experience …. so i’m thinking of really doing this circle

So after looking at the clubs we went to Shibuya 109 & Harajuku 8D
I wore my new cowgirl boots : D i love themmmm
I feel so cool~

me with a sign lol (sorry it’s a little dark .. i tried to lighten it but … didn’t work so well OTL)

We all wore heeled boots and dressed up!
Vicky’s boots unfortunately were killing her so she left early but it was still lots of fun : D
After Vicky left we continued on to Harajuku. We windowed shopped in Laforet & then got crepes!!

Jean! (dark again sorry D: )

Meeeeee
you can see my hair better here : D
A shop girl in Shibuya 109 liked my style :’)

so ya fun past couple days~
hmmm and now here I sit eating Easter candy : D
Hope everyone is dong well~

EDIT: Here are the other photos from my birthday that Jean took : D


^idk what my face is doing here .. i look so weird lol

«Le più vanitose sono le Gothic Lolita,  vestite di nero e di pizzi dalla testa ai piedi, con zeppe altissime. O al contrario vestite tutte di bianco, con il velo di trine, come delle spose. Hanno dai quattordici ai vent’anni e camminano piano, una accanto all’altra, come fossero in un salotto aristocratico o a una sfilata di alta moda. Invece sono in mezzo a una strada dell’isola pedonale di Harajuku, il quartiere più pazzo e più colorato di Tokyo, vero palcoscenico per le tribù di ragazze della metropoli giapponese. Le Gothic Lolita sfilano per farsi ammirare dai passanti che le osservano dai marciapiedi,  e par farsi desiderare dai loro coetanei maschi,  che occhieggiano le loro calze a rete e le giarrettiere in bella vista.  In mano portano borsettine a forma di valigetta nero e acciaio, oppure le riviste di riferimento della loro tribù metropolitana: Lolita Bible e The Gothic.

Ma non ci sono solo loro: le tribù metropolitane di ragazze sono tante, a Tokyo, e tutte danno spettacolo qui, nel quartiere di Harajuku,  cuore dello street style giapponese, regno incontrastato delle teeenager più creative e più esibizioniste. A cento metri dalle Gothic Lolita c’è il punto di raccolta di un’altra tribù, le Visual Kei (parola quest’ultima che in giapponese significa “stile”). Non a caso queste teenager si ritrovano intorno alla statua in bronzo di Elvis Presley, davanti al  Rock’n’Roll Museum: le Visual Kei sono fanatiche delle band di Jrock, il rock giapponese. Si vestono sovrapponendo i capi più eccentrici che trovano nei mercatini, e portano nei capelli extension di tutti i colori.

Non meno sgargiante, vicino a loro, è un gruppo di Decora (da “Decoration”): sembrano evidenziatori ambulanti,  con gli abiti di mille colori accesi e accessori in toni fluo. Rigorosamente in minigonna, fingono maliziosamente di essere brave bambine, secondo una stile finto-ingenuo molto di moda fra le teenager giapponesi, e che si riassume in una parola: “kawaii”, cioè “tenero e carino”.In realtà, ingenue non sono affatto, queste ragazze. Le Harajuku Girls sono tipe sveglie. Non imitano, inventano: abiti, mode, gusti. Qui, non a caso,  stilisti e cacciatori di tendenze vengono a ispirarsi e spesso a copiare idee. L’ultima tendenza è quella del kimono vintage: alcune hanno preso dai solai delle nonne i vecchi, magnifici kimono, li hanno strapazzati e bruciacchiati (con le sigarette) e magari li portano sopra i jeans. La parola d’ordine è style crossing.

Madri e nonne giapponesi, però, spesso non apprezzano affatto questo riutilizzo ironico dei kimono, né apprezzano lo stile di vita delle Harajuku Girls. E’ evidente che oggi la distanza – di costumi e di valori – fra le ragazze giapponesi e le loro madri è diventata abissale. «Mia figlia, tutta vestita di pizzi neri e con la faccia coperta dal cerone bianco, quando esce mi pare un vampiro, o un cadaverino», dice sconsolata Tomoko, una casalinga cinquantenne che abita nell’immensa periferia di questa metropoli da 13 milioni di abitanti. «La mia generazione, come quella dei miei genitori, si è ammazzata di lavoro per assicurarsi un buon futuro. E cosa fanno i nostri figli? Si travestono, giocano a sfilare in strada, non fanno progetti, non fanno sacrifici… Il futuro, per loro, sembra non esistere. Parlano solo di shopping o di locali». In effetti, è impossibile non cedere alla tentazione dello shopping compulsivo e stravagante a Tokyo: irresistibili i centinaia di negozietti e piccole boutique specializzati in abbigliamento e accessori J-girls sulla Takeshita Dori, la via centrale del quartiere di Harajuku, chiusa al traffico proprio per facilitare le sfilate open air delle ragazze. Per non parlare della mecca dello shopping al femminile, il grande magazzino Shibuya 109, nel trendissimo quartiere di Shibuya, appunto.

Gatti in un Cat Cafè di Tokyo

Non c’è da stupirsi, poi, che l’argomento sulla bocca di tutti i ragazzi siano i locali alla moda:  a Tokyo ce ne sono davvero per tutti i gusti. Ma gli anatemi di mamma Tomoko sono forse un pochino esagerati. L’ultima tendenza, per esempio, è  all’insegna della voglia di tenerezza, con i bar animalisti fra cui spiccano i “Cat Cafè”. Come funziona un Cat Cafè? La cliente – perché  molto spesso si tratta di ragazze -  entra,  ordina una tazza di tè verde, si lascia affondare in una comoda poltrona o si sdraia su un morbidissimo tappeto e… le danno un gattino da coccolare, o con cui giocare rotolandosi sul tappeto. In pratica, l’affitto orario del gattino è compreso nella consumazione. Le giovani tokyote vanno pazze per questa “felino-terapia”. E anche i gatti sono contenti, perché sia i proprietari dei locali sia le loro clienti sono animalisti e li stra-coccolano.

Certo non ci sono solo locali così “kawaii”, cioè così teneri e carini. Le ragazze di Tokyo sono molto disinvolte sul piano sessuale (sicuramente molto di più delle loro coetanee europee) ma talvolta non hanno un luogo dove stare in intimità con il proprio ragazzo. Così magari, dopo aver passato il pomeriggio a farsi ammirare nelle strade di Harajuku, la sera si ritirano con il fidanzato in un Net Cafè, che in Giappone chiamano “manga kissa”. No, non pensate a un banale bar con internet point, né a un motel: si tratta di un mix di questo ed altro. I manga kissa sono locali low cost – perciò adatti alle tasche degli studenti – aperti 24 ore al giorno. I clienti – di solito una giovane coppietta – pagano l’ingresso e poi possono leggere migliaia di manga (i famosi fumetti giapponesi), giocare alla playstation, guardare un dvd di anime – i cartoni animati molto popolari in Giappone, anche a luci rosse -  mangiucchiando nel frattempo una pizza. E tutto ciò nella più completa privacy, perché la coppia è chiusa in una micro-stanzetta (a volte un loculo) dove le poltrone sono reclinabili e volendo si può fare sesso, fra un videogame e un sito hard al computer.
In questi ultimi anni i manga kissa sono diventati popolarissimi fra i giovani. Suscitando la preoccupazione di madri come Tomoko. Ma nel loro pazzo girovagare fra il giorno e la notte, le ragazze esprimono il vero spirito di Tokyo. Una metropoli che non si annoia, non si ferma, non dorme mai.

GLI INDIRIZZI PER IL JAPAN SHOPPING ON LINE

Un tocco di Giappone in casa o in un accessorio fancy per capelli. Lo shopping Japan style, grande scuola di fantasia ed eclettismo, si può fare on line sui siti giusti. Dove anche il risparmio è garantito.

www.jbox.com: un grande portale per chi ama il merchandising legato ai personaggi dei fumetti e alla cultura pop nipponica. Calendari, dvd, T-shirt e migliaia di oggetti griffati manga. Volete una scatola bento (lunch box) con il muso della gattina Hello Kitty? Questo è il posto giusto per scovarlo.

www.japan-shop.com/store/1094.html: altro portale con i link a tutti i maggiori e-shop a tema Giappone. Potete trovarci raffinati libri illustrati, candele, i gadget tecnologici più amati dai ragazzi, ma anche kimono, ventagli e oggettistica per la casa: dalle porcellane agli incensi.

www.tokyostyle.us: i cool hunter americani vanno a caccia delle ultime novità del Tokyo style e le propongono in questo sito. Come i cerchietti per capelli foderati di stoffe di kimono vintage o i calzini tabi, con la separazione dell’alluce e tradizionalmente bianchi, ora rivisitati in fantasie eccentriche e coloratissime. Più tante collezioni di abbigliamento donna.

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://platinumgames.com/2009/11/06/bayonetta-released-in-japan/ Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:34:47 +0000 Yusuke Hashimoto http://platinumgames.com/2009/11/06/bayonetta-released-in-japan/ http://themargaritamix.wordpress.com/2009/10/30/abandoned-all-alone-in-tokyo/ Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:39:00 +0000 Margarita http://themargaritamix.wordpress.com/2009/10/30/abandoned-all-alone-in-tokyo/ …ok, it’s not as bad as it sounds actually, it’s just that almost all my classmates left this week, to go on a trip to the Kansai-area (Osaka, Kyoto, Hiroshima etc), that TIU arranged. Unfortunately this cost 100.000 yen (about 10.000 SEK, 1000€ or 1000$), so there was no way in h*ll I could afford that. The lucky bastards from Oxy and Willamette Uni got the trip paid by their universities, so of course they all went. Unfair! Ok, I shouldn’t complain, I don’t pay for uni in the first place…good thing to be Swedish sometimes (besides getting that EU-passport, that is).

Because of all this, there was, of course, no classes, so I’ve been free since Tuesday. What to do in Tokyo when you have a free week? Explore, of course! Not so much fun all alone, so I emailed all my Japanese friends in the Tokyo-area, to see if anyone wanted to join me, but they were all busy/had exams/work/no money (and some people apparently thought  that they were the only ones I contacted and got afraid…Jeez, even if I’m interested it’s not like I’d only contact one person if I had free time…I do have other friends as well… Guys sure are retarded, as my dear Nat always says…). I spent Tuesday back at TIU with Andy, correcting some of our PA Asuka’s thesis, and then some time at Crea Mall in Kawagoe, where I found a very nice pair of fashionably ripped jeans, a sweater and socks. And shoes. Crea Mall is dangerous…

Luckily for me, Alyssa was still here, and willing to explore Harajuku with me on Wednesday! We walked around there for a few hours, spent way too much money on clothes (well, I did…at H&M of all stores! Damn it! Does it make my “crime” of shopping in Swedish store get lighter by the fact that it was H&M in Harajuku?), and ate too much as well. When we considered Harajuku to be all explored-out, we went to Shibuya and spent about 1-2 hours at Shibuya 109, a veeeeery high building filled with tons of expensive stores (where I spent more money…what can I say, I need winter-clothes…or ehh a winter-dress and a bag?).

Takeshita Dori, Harajuku.

Scary stuff outside a store in Harajuku.

HOOOOOT guy on a big poster in Shibuya! Apparently nicknamed “Yamapi”…gotta find out more about him, daaaaamn he’s hot!

After walking around all day, spending too much money and having a lovely time, we finally headed back home…or so I thought…Alyssa decided it was time for karaoke, and so we did a 2-hour stop at Karaoke-All back home in Kasumigaseki. Singing Japanese songs, for practice! It’s damn hard, since I still read very, very, veeery slow in Japanese…gaaah! Soooo annoying! Gotta learn to read faster, it’s no fun singing only in English! Give me one more month and I’ll do it!

On Thursday I went to TIU again to use internet, then went to the post-office, where I all alone successfully managed to open a bank-account and put in some money as well! I’m very proud of myself I might add! Not that I had to talk much though, but still! I did it! Alone! In Japanese! Give me another month and I’ll also figure out how to ask how to make a withdrawal…

After this little adventure I headed back to Tokyo, alone this time, to go on a job-interview at this place where Japanese go to learn English. Unfortunately it was only part-time job, once or twice a week, and I need something full-time for the winter-break… At the interview there were also an American and a Canadian girl, who I walked a bit with afterwards. Very nice girls, but I’m here to speak Japanese, not more English…

Some awesome news: my friend Malin, an old classmate and colleague from Stallarna, is currently doing exchange-studies in Taiwan, and found a very cheap flight to Tokyo, so she’s coming over next weekend! Tokyo, beware of the Swedish invasion! Stallarna represent, yeah! Will be a very intense and fun weekend… Malin, be prepared to walk a lot! I want to show you as much as possible! So much to see, so little time….gaaaahhh!!!

Ok, so today I had an appointment at salon WHO GA in Akasaka, so I headed back to Tokyo – again! Asians have very different hair from us Europeans (all Japanese think my hair feels like a baby’s hair and are all awed by it…personally, I detest my hair, but hey, the grass is always greener on the other side, right?), so I had contacted my embassy a few weeks ago, and asked them if they knew where I could find a hairdresser who understood European hair. The answer: Yuki-san at Who Ga! All the Embassy goes there! Plus hundreds of other gaijins! Yuki-san himself lived in NY for about 20 years and speaks perfect English, and understands thin and ugly hair more than well. So if you’re a gaijin lost in translation back here in Tokyo, wondering where the heck to get a decent haircut, preferably by someone who speaks English, I can definitely recommend salon WHO GA in Minato-ku (an area in Tokyo)! Very nice and stylish place and most of the staff speaks English (oh and girls: really cuuute guys working there!). They also offer nail-care if you need that, plus tons of English magazines to flip through while waiting.

You can get there by taking the Marunouchi-line (red line) and get off at the Akasakamitsuke station, walk westwards along Aoyama Dori for about 100 meters (past a big Starbucks on the left, amongst other things), then turn left on the second street, (right before a bank I think, the Mizuno or something was it?) walk under some random arch in the beginning of the street, then walk straight for about 200-300 meters (past tons of little restaurants, izakayas and shops), and there it is, to the left, on the second floor. You’ve got to look out for the blue and white sign though, so you don’t walk past it, but it was quite easy to find (hey, I found it after all…). Their website is http://www.who-ga-newyork.com and you can reach them on number (03) 5575-0855!

After this I met up with  my oneesan, and we headed to Roppongi Hills, my first time visiting! During the 6 hours or so that we were there, we actually only had time to walk around in the same building! It’s that big! Tons of shops (for rich people…), restaurant and, museums in the same place! Here’s the place to go if you’re hunting for a rich partner, or if you’re just rich yourself and have tons of money to spend on designer-stuff. Or if you’re just sightseeing, like us. We had some discount-tickets, so we could get in really cheap to the exhibition of Ai Wei Wei’s art (strange stuff) and the observatory up on the 52nd floor.

Wait, what? We’re going all the way up there???

Very new, very modern, very Roppongi.

Art? Or just a very weird table?

I promised oneesan to get rich and invite her back to Roppongi for dinner in the future. Hopefully in the near future. I guess all I’ll have to do is take frequent walks around Roppongi Hills’ mansions and hope to meet a nice and rich guy…? Naah….rather get a nice job over there instead… Tons of businesses had their offices there too by the way, not too shabby…

Tomorrow I’m heading back to my celebrity-doctor in Kawagoe, to see what he has to say about my persistent zits and hopefully get some more medication against it. After that I’m apparently having lunch with Alyssa and our okaasans. Sunday will be spent at the TIU-festival with oneesan, her colleague and his daughter, who wants to get to know me for some weird reason. We’ll see what happens. Can’t wait for my dear American (and the German, of course!) classmates to come back. Even though I complain about talking too much English all the time, I’ve missed them! It’s been way too quiet without you guys here! Vedetle my dear (oh yes, you know you’re “Vedetle” for ever now mwahaha!), you should not go drinking without me apparently, you need a sempai to look after you, obviously! Jay, my lovely wing-girl, I need you here to back me up and get me to chill and not do stupid stuff, such as emailing certain people even though I had promised not to. And Kei, why the heck are you so far away, when I need my handy little automatic translator/imooto to hug? And all you other guys: I expect you all to have taken lots of nice photos to show me, so I can whine over not being able to go with you! Omiyage?

Memories of Time

3 more days to glossy junctions, twisted fashion, hot springs, temples (at J‘s insistence) and many a steaming bowl of ramen stewed in hours of bone and cartillage goodness.

And Shibuya 109? I’m told it’s like Far East Plaza on steroids.

Can’t wait!

:: melissa modeling the cutest apron that we BOTH ended up buying!!! ::

click on “more” for more! =)

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