Category Archive for Tokyo + Japan
LAFORET HARAJUKU: GOTHIC LOLITA PUNK ALTERNATIVE BOUTIQUES, TOKYO CLOTHING STORES. ROCKING HORSE SHOES, BABY THE STARS SHINE BRIGHT.
At Laforet, the Harajuku department store that stocks your favorite alt brands, I was surprised to see a gaggle of Gothic Lolita and J-rock teens on the staircase.
Pirate eye patches, striped socks and Sweet Loli JSKs?
Laforet often holds special events in the two basement floors, such as Visual Kei band signings. (There’s a Heidi x h.NAOTO event on Saturday, August 21…)
If I went to high school in Tokyo, I’d skip class and be in line!
Minnie Mouse would wear this Metamorphose temp de Fille ensemble.
The Angelic Pretty shop is the sweetest, frilliest place on the planet.
Atelier Pierrot and Alice and the Pirates are more to my liking.
I couldn’t believe my eyes… this new Lolita dress, hanging in Atelier Pierrot, had a price tag of 14,175 yen. I had found almost the exact same dress — a Metamorphose version with the same fabric — for about half the price in Closet Child! (Photos here.)
Baby, the Stars Shine Bright always has cute stocking prints. Which one would you like to wear: the playing card symbols, strawberries, cherries, or Gloomy Bear in a basket?
Hello Kitty is everywhere. What do you think of this guro-version of Kitty, which puts her in bandages and surrounds her with skulls?
Hold onto your hats — I have many more Laforet Harajuku photos for you in the next few posts. You can see photos of basically every Gothic Lolita Punk store in Tokyo in my shopping guide.
PS: please tune in to my Twitter for up-to-the-second updates about Closet Child, Tokyo life and the Pepsi TV shoot!
Japanese Word of the Day: Okotaru = Goof around
Song of the Day: Patty Ryan – Love is the Name of the Game
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NEW TOKYO TV HOSTING JOB: DUTCH PEPSI WEB EPISODES ABOUT JAPAN POP CULTURE & FASHION! NETHERLANDS PEPSI PICK A NEW ADDRESS.
Time to spill the beans on my latest TV gig. (So excited, just can’t hide it!) Dutch Pepsi contacted me to be part of their “pick a new address” campaign. The host, Bo Jeuken, is travelling to Tokyo and I’ll be whisking her away on a Jpop adventure with my spooky friends. The cameras will follow us around as we try on Goth/Lolita/Punk clothes, belt out karaoke songs, dine at eccentric theme restaurants and nightcrawl til dawn… (Just a day in the life!) Pepsi Netherlands will make the episodes available online, so don’t worry — you won’t miss any of the fun.
You may see us soon on Jingu Bridge, the famous Harajuku hangout for cosplayers…
Dress: Carina e Arlequin, from Closet Child
Leather jacket: Bensoni
Purse: an old Hugo Boss, spiffed up with a Club Marz sticker and Takoyaki-chan
Lolita knee highs: Spider
Shoes: Leche by Yosuke, from Marui One Shinjuku
Professor Fearstone (head of Horror High School) took time off from terrifying youngsters to spend an afternoon with me in Harajuku.
Every Harajuku trip must include a stop at Kiddyland, the gimongous toy store. You’ll find plush toys and merchandise for every cute character in existence, including Miffy, Totoro, Snoopy and Moomin. A whole floor is devoted to Hello Kitty and her Sanrio posse. I got my cat, Basil Farrow, a “magical octopus” that’s supposed to twirl and swim in a water bottle. Instead, it sank and did nothing…
We stopped for red wine at Cafe de Pou. Not a toilet-themed restaurant, but a quaint European-style eatery. Professor Fearstone did a glorious sketch of yours truly with Sailor Moon hair. You can see more of his drawings here.
We kissed the stuffed pig mascot goodbye, and mingled with the Harajuku Goth teens…
Then we filmed scenes in Ebisu for the next edition of Horror High School, the comedy-meets-horror series set in a Japanese classroom. It’ll be released soon… meaning you’ll have a lot of spooky Japan videos to watch in the next month!
Are you excited for the Dutch Pepsi episodes? What type of wild Tokyo activities would you like to see us do?
Japanese Word of the Day: Seikatsu = Life, existence
Song of the Day: Cat Stevens – If You Want To Sing Out (I LOVE the film Harold and Maude. “What gives you a sense of satisfaction?” “Attending funerals.”)
LA CARMINA
