Category Archive for Tokyo + Japan
NARA, JAPAN: A TRIP TO THE ANCIENT JAPANESE CITY. TODAIJI TEMPLES, TRAVELLING TO SACRED BUDDHIST GROUND.
Ah, Nara. The ancient Japanese capital. A sacred/cultural ground, located about an hour from Osaka. A peaceful haven for the elderly to stroll…
Until these two cyber freaks came along.
If you’re in Kansai, we urge you to make a day trip to Nara. As I wrote in my CNNGo article: “The cultural capital dazzles with six Buddhist temples, a Shinto shrine and the Imperial Place.”
Nara gave me a chance to stretch my photography muscles. (Some of you have asked – which cameras do you use? These images were taken with a Sony DSL 700 with Minolta lenses. The others are with a Canon Powershot S90.)
How we suffer for high fashion! Yukiro endured the heat through a furry jacket and walked for hours in high-heeled purple knee boots.
The path to Todaiji Temple had a festival atmosphere. Traditional food and colorful game stands. We ate takoyaki (octopus balls) and yuzu ice cream twice!
Todaiji Temple is the largest wooden building in the world. Inside, we were in awe at the gilded Buddhas and fierce protector statues.
Under the Bodhi tree.
Top: h.NAOTO Blood (I wear it in our Abandoned Curse B-movie)
Skirt: Algonquins
Purple lace tights: Very old…
The secret gardens were closed, so we snuck in and surreptitiously took photos. We heard the caretaker’s approaching footsteps and ran!
Wait — what about the infamous sacred deer, the tame beasts that roam around Nara Park? Those photos are coming right up. You’ll die when you see how we incorporated them into a fashion-forward photoshoot…
Have you ever been to Nara, Japan? What were your favorite attractions?
Japanese Word of the Day: Onoono = Each
Song of the Day: Kazoku – Ukigumo (A superb song from a Visual Kei group that disbanded. Found this video on Lemon’s channel.)
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EGG STORE IN STUDIO ALTA IKEBUKURO: GYARU GAL CLOTHES SHOPPING IN TOKYO, TRENDY YOUNG WOMEN'S JAPANESE BOUTIQUE.
Ah, a young Japanese women’s boutique we haven’t cracked before! The Egg Store is a gyaru (gal) fashion explosion. I found it while shopping in Studio Alta at Ikebukuro Sunshine City (one of my favorite spots for inexpensive accessories).
The boutique is a spin-off of Egg Magazine, the publication best known for plastering Ganguro / yamanba gals like black-faced Buriteri on the covers.
Today, the gyaru faces in Egg Magazine are less extreme. Still, the look is all about the streets, colors, and crazy eyelashes.
The Egg Store has a well-curated selection of one-offs.
There are lots of summer sales going on right now…
There’s nothing like shopping in Tokyo. I don’t buy a whole lot, but I love to look. Mountains of design inspiration everywhere you turn.
You’ll never find checkered shirts, cut-off jean shorts and baseball caps in my boudoir. But I enjoyed taking a peek into the world of this style tribe.
What are your thoughts on Egg Magazine and gyaru fashion? Have you seen my photos of cute stationery stores and toys in Ikebukuro Sunshine City? Or my new Ikebukuro shopping and eating maps?
Japanese Word of the Day: Tamatsuki = Billiards
Song of the Day: DJ SiSEN’s epic playlist. Industrial/power noise/Goth.
LA CARMINA
