I love Tokyo party blogger Mai Sassy Girl! We met through work, and immediately hit it off. Mai photographs Japan’s electro/fashion nightlife, and her motto is: “Life is too short. Just have fun no matter where you are.” Now I can get behind that.

Makeup: I’m wearing the same dollar store fake eyelashes as in my CNN International/CNNGo TV shoot (close up photos here). The paw print stickers are from Daiso Harajuku, and the girly light pink lipstick is Kanebo, from a Japanese drug store.

I took Mai to the Ikebukuro location of Closet Child, my favorite clothing store on Earth. There are several locations in Harajuku and Shinjuku (see my photos here). The Ikebukuro one was recently enlarged and is not as heavily-trafficked, so I highly recommend that you make the trip.

To get here, ride the subway to Ikebukuro and follow the signs towards Sunshine City. Follow the arrows to Sunshine 60 Doori (street); you’ll see the giant shopping/entertainment complex, Sunshine City, ahead. A block before you reach the entrance, turn left and look for the Starbucks. Closet Child is on the third level.

Except for the inexpensive jewelry, everything in Closet Child is secondhand. There’s a fantastic selection of Visual Kei and Jrock used CDs and memorabilia, such as fan zines, T-shirts and tour merchandise.

It may be hard for you to fathom, but in Japan, Mana-sama is not popular any more. There are shelves of magazines and CDs for Plastic Tree, The Gazette and Arc-en-Ciel… but nothing for Mana’s bands. The Malice Mizer “Merveilles movie” was in the discount bin for 400 yen ($4). And look at the price of Gackt’s LP (1780 yen) compared to Malice Mizer’s (500 yen, which I bought). Tragic!

If you ever see me in the streets, don’t hesitate to say hi — I love meeting you.

Vest: Gramm, from Closet Child Shinjuku
Royal cat t-shirt: Banana Fish, from Closet Child Shinjuku. RIP! This brand is no more!
Lavender skirt: Algonquins, from Closet Child Shinjuku
Black knee highs with white hearts: from a cheap Ikebukuro accessories store

Ikebukuro’s Closet Child has a large selection of Gothic Lolita Punk brand clothing, and since everything’s used, the prices are 25-75% off. The styles may be from older collections, but the garments are in great condition. You can often find obscure/limited edition JSK prints and Lolita accessories.

Don’t forget to look at the kawaii and rocking horse shoes, and stock up on candy jewelry… This is the only Closet Child in Tokyo that has a section for dolls such as Blythe and doll accessories.

But sometimes you’ll find ridiculous items in the mix, such as this clothes hanger. Incredible. Who would pay 840 yen (about $8.50) for a normal wooden hanger that happens to have “Mary Magdalene” printed on it??

For more photos of Tokyo Gothic Lolita Punk stores, please take a glance at my shopping guide. More Tokyo and Osaka boutique photos to come.

Is it surprising to hear that Mana’s on the decline in Japan? Visual Kei is a relatively small scene over here…

Japanese Word of the Day: Oshiire = Japanese-style closet
Song of the Day: Madder Mortem – Where Dream & Day Collide (Gorgeous steampunky new video from the Goth/progressive metal band.)