Time to open the mailbag and answer a few Reader Questions. (Thanks for your comments and messages — I read them all!) Photos in this post are by nightlife/subculture photographer Qhoto, who I finally met in Osaka.

First, I’ll answer the number one most asked question: where can I buy Gothic Lolita Punk clothes in the US or Canada?

If you want to buy new Japanese Goth / Sweet Lolita brand items from a physical store in North America (where you can try the clothes on), your options are limited. East Coasters: go to Tokyo Rebel in NYC, Lower East Side.

West Coasters: head to New People World, the San Francisco J-pop center. It houses boutiques for Baby the Stars Shine Bright, Alice and the Pirates, and 6%DokiDoki. (The Black Peace Now boutique will close August 2011.) There is also Q Pop Shop in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, which sells Sex Pot Revenge, Swimmer, Algonquins, Super Lovers, and other Goth Lolita Punk brands from Japan.

Fortunately, many Japanese Goth / Loli / Rock brands offer international shipping. These include Metamorphose, Angelic Pretty, Baby the Stars Shine Bright. At Marui One and CD Japan, you can choose from a variety of brands (including Algonquins and Moi-meme-Moitie). For used items, try Closet Child. (You can find links to these brands and more on the right sidebar of my blog.)

You can also buy Japanese Gothloli brand items on eBay and other online auctions / retailers. But there’s no need to stick to the labels: Western brands such as Gloomth are excellent, and I’ve found excellent Lolita-esque items in vintage stores (for more tips, check out these posts.) Finally, you can visit my Online Garage Sale as I sell Jrock/Gothic clothing here.

Dear Carmina,
Hello! I’m a big fan of your blog and your work. Keep going strong! I have a big question for you that I just couldn’t really find on the internet, no matter how hard I looked. After I graduate college, I really want to try working in Japan for a while, because… well, frankly speaking, life has been rather dull lately and I wanted a big change of pace and kick it up a notch. I’m going to be taking the Japanese Language Proficiency Test 2 once I graduate (and have some asskicking self study sessions haha). I’m rather uncompromising with the kind of job I want. As an aspiring writer and artist, I’d like to do something that would help me develop those skills. Because of my love for Japanese street fashion, I was wondering if it would be realistic to try working for Kera magazine. I could imagine the set of job skills that they would want, but I’m not entirely sure how realistic my goal is. Is it even possible? With the economy tanking and written media slowly dissolving, plus me being a foreigner (though I am Asian, maybe that helps?? T_T…or not) maybe it’s not entirely plausible. I’m also curious about the working environment in places like Japan. I’ve heard it’s a lot more rigid than in places like America.
Good luck! And thanks so much for taking the time to read this.
-Susan

Dear Susan,
The bad news first: it’s a difficult road. Many of my foreigner friends are near-fluent, with years of work experience in Japan — and still, they have a hard time finding and maintaining jobs. In order to get a decent job at a medium-to-big company, such as Kera, realistically you need to pass JLPT 1 or graduate from a Japanese translation program, AND have something exceptional to bring to the table. Japan’s corporate culture is also frustrating. No matter how well they speak and excel at their jobs, foreigners will tell you they never quite fit in…

Now for the good news! Many Westerners have done very well in the world of Japanese fashion/subcultures, especially as writers and entrepreneurs. My friend Tiffany Godoy is a shooting star — she wrote the book Japanese Goth, contributes to fashion magazines and newspapers, launches fashion projects and… I can’t keep track! Her book’s co-author, Ivan Vartanian, started the company Goliga Books. Other inspiring entrepreneurs include Nathan of HearJapan, the digital music label that houses your favorite Visual Kei acts.

My main advice to you is: go with the flow, and make your own way. It doesn’t make sense to limit yourself to one specific job. Instead, use your outsider status as an advantage. Create your own work. You can be a bridge between cultures, and do incredible work in the world of Japanese fashion that will surpass any “dream gig” at Kera.

PS: Be patient. My friend Mai Sassy Girl is doing extremely well as a fashion promoter and writer and all-around-dynamo (notice that many of us have multiple roles?) But she started as an English teacher, building up her connections and language skills for a few years. And she’s a go-getter — she went out to parties, did great work on her blog — which got her to where she is now.

PPS: Constantly build up your Japanese language skills. I’m finding the Smart.fm free interactive learning programs to be very helpful.

It’s Elegan Black here. I wanted to ask for a piece of advice on two tiny subjects. Oh and also, I hope you come to Greece!

Problem 1: I had said in a comment before that I have recently re-pierced my ears and now I have two piercings on my left one and three on my right. But I want to do some more on the upper part of the ear. I don’t want to do any facial piercings but my ears, I want them super-pierced. Especially after I saw the Goth owner of a manga shop down in Athens wearing the connected-with-chains piercings. However, my mom (the usual suspect, huh ?) doesn’t want me to do any more than I already have. She says the usual stuff about it being over the top and giving the wrong impression… but she tells me I can wear fake earrings. This is stupid, what’s the difference between having real ones and having fake ones? Wouldn’t that still give “the wrong impression”? I managed to make a deal with her though: if I become the top student of my class again, she’ll let me pierce my ears! Still, it’s so unfair…

It’s true that a lot of my Goth friends have piercings. However…
1) Most of them started getting piercings when they were older: age 16, 18 and above. They also built up piercings gradually (ie, getting a new one every 6 months or year). Going slow is smart, since it allows proper healing and ensures that you aren’t rushing into decisions.
2) None of us think it is “more Goth” to have lots of piercings. It’s a matter of personal, aesthetic choice. (Did you know Sebastien and I have no piercings at all, and Yukiro only has one in his earlobe?) Also, many of my friends take out their piercings when they go to work or formal occasions. As silly as they may be, dress codes exist and people do (unfairly) judge those with piercings…

I think it’s awesome that you can talk to your mom and come to a compromise. To be honest, she seems more open-minded than a lot of parents I know. So take your time (just as we all did). Even if you have to wait a bit, you’ll still have 70+ years of your life to have super-pierced ears!

Problem 2: Goth clubs. I’m still not at the time to be allowed to go downtown, where all the Greek Goth clubs are, but I’d like to be prepared for the holy time of high school. How does someone dance to Goth music? A friend of me who’s frequently visiting Goth clubs tried to teach me while dancing to MSI’s “Shut me up” and told me something about moving shoulders, hips and headbanging somewhere in the mix. I wouldn’t like to go to Goth heaven and dance like a Britney replica… And what is your advice about ‘first time at Goth paradise’ in general? Maybe it’s too early to even think about it, since I’m fourteen but I’d love to dream.

Going to your first Gothic / Industrial club can be intimidating, and it’s understandable to feel awkward about dancing in public. I think the best introduction to this world is by going with trustworthy friends that have been to Goth clubs before. This way, you’ll always be with someone and you can follow their lead.

I wouldn’t over-think the dancing — just have a great time with your friends. Do the South Park Goth dance. Be a zombie. A Little Monster. Nobody will look down on you if you’re respectful and having fun!

Now I turn to you — how would you respond to these queries? Do you have pearls of wisdom to add? You can read previous Reader Questions here, and contact me if you’d like me to dish out advice.

PS: Happy birthday (September 14th) to Miyavi and DJ SiSEN!

Japanese Word of the Day: Jouki = Steam
Song of the Day: Glass Candy – Candy Castle (Modern italo disco.)