So, Belle my lolita bestie in Melbourne decided to go to Japan. I got invited to a facebook event 9 months out and told to save the date…. Having just bought a house with my partner I really wasn’t sure that I could afford it. Now cue letters, phonecalls, skpe, facebook posts and hints to my partner over several months that I should be allowed to go with her. I had a talk with Chris and we decided to tell Belle, if sale flights came up with Jetstar to Japan, for the dates she would be going, that she could count me in. Fast forward to October and I got the email….. sale flights to Japan! Woo Hoo!
Since Belle is in Melboure, she flew over earlier with Victor and I met up with them once I hit Japan. So here I am, first day in Tokyo, meeting up with Belle and Victor in Harajuku and to top things off, its my birthday.
If you plan on hitting up Takeshita Dori for your shopping in Harajuku, its best that you go to the North exit. This pops you out just across the street from the famous sign and it’s worth taking a picture because the decorations are always changing.
One thing about shopping in Japan, shops (by address) are really hard to find. I have made it a habit of mapping everything I find after failing to find some shops on my first trip. Even if you have the exact location (google maps these days making things easier) you can still miss a shop. This is because sometimes the only signage is in small Japanese text, next to a entrance for a shop that is in a multi story building, that doesn’t even look like it should have shops. Strangely I have come across quite a few shops that appear to be run out of apartment blocks!
At the top of the street there are 2 great accessory shops, Paris kids and Wego. Paris Kids are well known for their cheap jewelry and accessories, they have a great selection that often goes really well with lolita. Wego is a shop that I hadn’t heard of, but stumbled across. They have a much wider range
of accessories, not just jewelry but head wear, shoes, bags and clothing. They seem to have a high turn over of stock and every time I have visited they have had reduced stock at really good prices.
If you keep heading down Takeshita dori just before you hit the bend at Bodyline on the left is a small shop, Marion Crepes. I definitely recommend pausing a trying one of their desserts, its well worth the visit.
Belle and Victor order their desserts, while I snap a picture. One thing about Victor, he always looks immaculate no matter what he is doing.
As we had all day we did some exploring and went off the main street to check out some smaller shops. I came across this adorable shop called Alo Alo which stocked pet clothing and merchandise. While I don’t personally own a dog, my family at home does so I had to pick up a cute knitted one for him. In comparison to the last couple of shops I was at, the prices were more on the expensive side, but worth a visit if you have pets.
If you are on a Lolita pilgrimage, its most likely at one point you owned a Bodyline JSK, or blouse or shoes. So after ordering on their mess of a website you most likely will want to see what its like in store. Its hard to miss the large building and even harder to miss the large red Bodyline sign. Head up the golden stairs and you will be greeted with both cosplay and lolita clothing from floor to ceiling.
Most shops in Japan are smaller and generally hard to navigate, especially in a petticoat and this is no exception. I found it really interesting to have a browse and was actually pleasantly surprised by the quality (for the price) of their wigs. They are well known for their bargain lolita prices, but since you are now in Japan, only a little bit further down the street is the holy grail of cheap lolita, Closet-Child.
There are 2 Closet-Childs in Harajuku, the main one on Takeshita Dori and a smaller shop off the main street that stocks Vivienne Westwood. The main store is 3 stories of glorious brand which generally is a load cheaper than what it was new. I say generally because there are always the popular prints that skyrocket in price and Closet-Child are well aware of their value.
The first floor is sweet lolita containing a large stock of Angelic Pretty, Baby the Stars Shine Bright, Alice and the Pirates, Metamorphose and more. It’s quite easy to spend the entire afternoon just here and going through every rack, display cabinet and shelf. I always find a huge array of well looked after and in a lot of cases still new items. The second floor is gothic and features brands like Moitie, Black Peace Now and h.naoto. The top floor house the Otome brands such as Emily Temple Cute and Jane Marple.
I had my birthday money and my points card and was ready to blow my budget. I did a great job of that too, picking up a new Angelic Pretty coat, Alice and the pirates Masquerade OP, Innocent World Library JSK, Emily Temple cute poodle print JSK, a cardigan, 2 blouses, 3 berets, a hat, a bag, a pair or shoes and lots of accessories, phew!
If you are in store and don’t speak Japanese, try Kai-in ni naritai (“I want to become a member.”) You definitely want to pick up a points card here. Unlike brand stores where you have to spend several thousand yen per a stamp, its only 1000yen here and the stamps add up really fast.
After Closet-Child we hit up Laforet and bought far less, its much harder pay full price after getting alot of bargains earlier. Still its definitely a thrill to shop in actual brand shops while wearing lolita. After Laforet we headed down Omotesando to visit Kiddyland and Oriental Bazaar. Omotesando is a beautiful tree-lined boulevard which lights up at night. Most of the expensive designer brands have stores along here and its lovely to stroll down along.
Kiddyland is a huge multistory toy store and has toys for both kids and adult alike. Its a great stop if you are a fan of Ghibli or Rilakkuma but also stocks a range of standard fare like lego, Sailor moon and Harry Potter, to name a couple. Oriental Bazaar was a shop I found on my first visit to Japan and is great for Japanese travel souvenirs and I always stop in to pick up some gifts to take home.
After a marathon shop it was time for dinner, so we hunted for a place that all three of us were happy to eat at. On our way we spotted a Ghostbuster themed menu at J.S Burgers cafe with black buns. It was great to take a seat and really handy to have Belle around who helped translate and order for us.
After dinner we strolled back to the station and picked up some last minute purchases, it was a awesome day and an amazing way to spend a birthday!
♥ Alyssium♥
Read on for Japan Again day 2
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