Category Archive for Tokyo + Japan
WON BEST POP CULTURE BLOG AWARD! ANGELIC PRETTY OSAKA. SWEET CLASSICAL & GOTHIC LOLITA SHOPS, LOLI JAPAN CLOTHING.
Ahhh you guys are the BEST. I won ~50% of the vote for Best Pop Culture Blog at the Canadian Weblog Awards! Thank you to everyone who voted, and for your continued support — I couldn’t do any of this without you.
We Pirates are having a pillagin’ wild time in Tokyo with the Norway TV shoot. We’ll have Halloween Japan coverage coming up for you (if Tropical Storm Chaba doesn’t sink our ship.) You can keep wind of our updates on my Twitter.
Til then, ready for more Osaka Gothic Lolita Punk store photos? We’ll start with the pretty-in-pink Loli brand: Angelic Pretty. Pastel toys and poofy skirts in the window — the boutique looks like a giant doll’s house.
“Sugar, ahh, Honey, honey. You are my candy girl, And you got me wanting you.”
I was charmed by the 1950s-style dresses at Emily Temple Cute and Milk shop.
My friend bought these gold Dr. Martens boots in London.
The Shinsaibashi district of Osaka is filled with little indie shops. Honey Comb has boned corsets and ballerina poof skirts.
Shocker sounded like a promising place to shop…
… but it turned out to be shockingly bad. I hit my head on the birdcage as I went up the stairs. Inside, there was nothing but casualwear and t-shirts. Now that’s a Shocker.
I’ll soon compile all my Osaka shopping photos and maps in a single guide. Til then, you can check out my Tokyo Goth alt rock guide here.
Another month, another edition of my Global Gothic column for Lip Service. A reader asked me: “Do you know if there is a Goth scene in Seoul? Where can I go for alternative fashion and shopping?”
Indeed, there is a small Goth community, mainly in Seoul and Busan. As you can see above, the fashions are quite influenced by Gothic Lolita. For the full scoop on Korean Gothic, come read my Lip Service article.
Has anyone experienced Korea’s Goth and Lolita scene? Out of the Osaka stores in this post, which aligns most closely to your personal style?
Japanese Word of the Day: Jisaboke = Jet lag
Song of the Day: G-Schmitt – LSD (Japanese punk with a twist.)
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ROBOT CAFE IN YOYOGI, TOKYO: OTAKU BAR & RESTAURANT, JAPANESE ROBOTO FIGURES, RARE TOYS & COLLECTIBLES.
I aim to visit every bizarre theme restaurant in Tokyo — and Robot Cafe in Yoyogi needed to be crossed off the list. I rounded up Professor Fearstone (head of Horror High School) and we circled around the block several times, looking for signs of otaku. Finally, Gundam appeared and saved the day.
I was filming with the CNN TV show earlier that day, hence the same outfit (more photos here).
Little cake hat: gifted from Agent Lover. So cute, and easy to attach.
Gothic Lolita dress: Innocent World, from Closet Child Harajuku.
Long, sheer overcoat: Ozz Croce, from Closet Child Shinjuku.
Orb-print tights: Vivienne Westwood, from Marui Womens Shinjuku.
Swashbuckler boots: Alice and the Pirates, from Closet Child Harajuku.
Coffin backpack: h.NAOTO, from Closet Child Ikebukuro.
Robot Cafe is, obviously, a hangout for nerdy types. The decoration was a bit too close to “otaku reality”: every square inch of the slightly shabby establishment was covered in toys, superhero belts and collectible vinyl figures.
Growing up? Becoming an adult? No thank you.
Manga and anime heavyweights left their signatures on the wall.
Every customer received a loyalty card with a cute girl on it. You can rack up points on return visits.
The special cocktails came with sexy vinyl girl figurines. Kim chi, hot rice, soy sauce and raw egg mixed together — a favorite Akihabara dish. Don’t know it til you’ve tried it.
The drinks were not very strong, so we sought another theme (and alcoholic) fix. Onward to Showa Disco, a Shinjuku bar dedicated to Japanese pop idols of the 1960s, 70s and 80s.
The Backstreet Boys look like the Ninja Turtles next to this old-time Japanese boy band.
You could request Italo Disco songs, such as covers by Japanese girl duo Wink. We were the only people there, other than a middle-aged couple reminiscing about their days of glory. Want to see more? Check out this post about Showa Disco.
Any Italo Disco fanatics out there? Who are your favorite artists from that horrible and genius era?
PS: thanks to you, I made it to the final round of the Canadian Weblog Awards! The polls are closing tomorrow, so please take a second to vote for La Carmina. Huge hugs.
PPS: Add me on Twitter for my latest Tokyo updates! Such as… “Bought a RIDICULOUS amount of yuzu juice, pumpkin pizza and nail clippers.” “A Nightmare truck drove by, covered w/ photos of the #visualkei #jrock band + blasting their new single. 10th anniversary album out 10/20.”
Japanese Word of the Day: Otonagai = People who buy a lot of child-like goods
Song of the Day: Wink – Boys Don’t Cry (Italo cheese alert!)
LA CARMINA
