(*´ω｀*) Places: #3 Shibuya

Shibuya

渋谷

Of course, we all knew Shibuya was expected to crop up sooner or later! Shibuya is quite possibly known for it's Fashion - alongside with Harajuku - and lets not forget Shibuya night life! So.. what do people first think of when they hear the name 'Shibuya'? ♪  With my 'miniature survey', the most obvious and common answer was the 109 building, closely followed by 109 Men's and Forever 21, which formerly was HMV.  ★ The top picks were all Fashion related, therefore giving Shibuya a Fashionable reputation. Next picks were the former HMV building, Tower Records and Like an Edison, which is located on the ground floor of Laforet. Shibuya is a hotspot for the younger minded people.

During my travels to Tokyo, I usually find myself in Shibuya before walking my way to Harajuku, it's a pleasant walk and I'd rather see things than sit on a train. As always Shibuya is a large city and it is easy to get lost in, so always be aware of buildings around you in case you ever need to backtrack. ☆ Center Gai / センター街 is a narrow street, either side there you will find many more fashion shops, music stores and yet again - arcades. Shibuya is always up to date with the up coming trends, and streets are littered with beautiful young aspiring fashionistas. Popular things to do while in Shibuya - other than shop, would be purikura. 'eggnam' is a popular purikura centre, and as the name suggests it is popular with many egg models. ヽ(゜▽、゜）ノ

Shibuya Night Life varies widely between the age groups, but you will never be too bored, you can do everything from Karaoke, ヾ(≧ー≦)ゞ clubbing and generally chilling out at a bar, Shibuya is also home to many live houses, or concert halls. ☆ Surprisingly some are difficult to locate for first time explorers, even with a map it can be considered a task alone. C.C.Lemon is one of Shibuya's largest live house which can seat over 2,000 people. A popular live house commonly known to people who do not live in Japan is known as 'Shibuya O-West/East' (there are other in this 'O-Group).

I felt that this post wouldn't be complete without mentioning a certain famous Shibuya name that is, Hachiko / ハチ公 for now I will not go into his great history so I will forward you to his wikipedia page instead. However, if you are ever in Shibuya and arrange to meet up with a Friend there, Hachiko is a popular meeting point. (っ´∀｀)っ Though it is often crowded with like minded folks and tourists, but Hachiko is a well known name and meeting point so it is to be expected! Overall, Shibuya is a very lively place to be. If you love the hustle and bustle of a busy city, you are bound to love Shibuya.

(*´ω｀*) Places: #2 Harajuku

 Harajuku

原宿

Next stop, Harajuku! During my trips to Tokyo I will always visit Harajuku more than once! It's just a short walk or train ride from Shibuya, conveniently placed between Shibuya and Shinjuku it's an easy place to locate. Harajuku is well known for it's street fashion and vibrant, visual style worldwide! It is a popular destination for young tourists who want to grab themselves some bargains. I tend to find Japan is ahead of the current fashion trends. While in Japan 2010/2011 the 'Norwegian print' was very hot, only to find a couple months later that shops in the UK were selling very similar. I also noticed the trend in furry boot covers too! Which were popular in Japan with Gyaru.

Takeshita Dori / 竹下通り is a very busy and lively pedestrian only street. Either side of the street you will see a variety of Japanese fashion shops. Amongst the fashion shops there is a variety of restaurants, cafes and even a wide selection of crepe stalls. Your trip along Takeshita Dori would not be complete without a delicious crepe! Takeshita Dori has such a variety of fashion stores that I would not be able to name just a couple without feeling like I had missed out other great names, so please browse the pictures here @Tokyo Fashion to get an idea of the wide selection Harajuku has to offer! There's also a cute little pet boutique hidden between various stalls. A popular chain I like to visit is called 'Closet Child' they sell a lot of second hand and new goods. There is always a big selection of well known Japanese brands for sale, everything from SEX POT ReVeNGe to Baby The Stars Shine Bright (a bad comparison). Located neatly in a corner of Takeshita Dori, Closet Child also owns a second hand store for Vivienne Westwood items, of course don't expect to find huge discounts on these second hand goods, it is Vivienne Westwood after all!

Closet Child, Harajuku also owns a store that sells Music Memorabilia! Which is popular amongst the Visual Kei lovers or those who enjoy JRock in general. You can pretty much find everything and any merchandise that is sold from past shows, or online shops which are no longer available. Closet Child is very much my guilty pleasure where I end up spending hundreds of pounds at a time on items such as cheki, tour goods and lots of CDs. Closet Child also sell rare FC goods, magazines both new and old and will even help unsigned bands get noticed by giving away free demo CD to customers. It's a very small but unlimited shop, the stock is always amazing and never fails to amaze!

Finally, I would like to add, Takeshita Dori is definitely not for those who dislike close spaces and a mass of people! Expect to be bumped into! Here the term, 'go with the flow' applies very well. However don't worry, usually people are not rude, so if you want to cross from one side to another, there will always be a chance to wade through the moving crowd.

Harajuku is a very fun and lively fashionable place, it's young culture is always refreshing the fashion scene with new trends, there is always something amazing no matter what kind of day it is, Harajuku will always breathe a breath of fresh air into the fashion world.

(*´ω｀*) Places: #1 Akihabara

Akihabara Denki Gai

 秋葉原電気街

Whenever I make a trip to Tokyo, I always try to visit Akihabara at least once! I recommend anyone with a young heart and mind to visit Akihabara. As the name suggests 'denki gai' meaning 'electric city', Akiba is well known for it's electrical goods and computers. (＞＜*) Commonly however Akihabara is known mostly for the Anime - an Otaku's heaven. オタク - known as 'nerd' or a person with an obsessive interest to a certain theme and/or character. It's not a word to be thrown around lightly in Japan, however in Western cultures the phrase is very over used. ( ￣ー￣)ﾉ

Akiba, like Tokyo is known for it's bright lights, loud music and bustling streets. The streets are often crowded with a variety of people, tourists, workers and general people who are shopping. Amongst the tourists you will often spot one or two groups of Maids. Between arcades and shopping malls there are a variety of Maid Cafe / メイドカフェ well hidden in the high rise buildings. Maid Cafe have been popular for over a decade now, and are very popular amongst the male population in Japan. It's considered a 'fetish' to some, as most Maid Cafe have a theme and sometimes embracing an Anime theme, in which your favourite 2D character suddenly becomes 3D! (〃＾-＾) Each Maid Cafe will have it's own theme to avoid a harsh competition, alas there are so many now in Akihabara that competition to get new customers is a heated battle of handing out fliers and tissue packs. As mentioned before, some Maid Cafe can be considered more of a 'fetish' place to be, increasingly a lot will now offer certain 'services' such as massages (as long as their guest remains clothed!). ( ･_･) Of course this is an extra charge on top of your already allotted paid time.

 

There are also many Arcades in Akihabara, and you don't have to be a kid to enjoy this lively and wonderful atmosphere! Arcades in Akihabara are again always located in a high rise building, with multiple levels of fun and entertainment. Usually the lower floor consists of UFOキャッチャー which is similar to the Western version of crane grabbers! UFOキャッチャー are commonly filled with a variety of things! _〆(･･　) Everything from plush toys, hand towels, pillows, keycharms, keitai strap, household items and even food! As Akiba is known for it's 'Otaku' fame, many UFOキャッチャー will also host the latest figma to add to your collection! Each floor in the Arcades will host different games, usually the first two will consist of UFOキャッチャー and steadily moves on to your button smashing fighting games, DDR and even Guitar Hero. ☆ Sometimes on the basement level you will find popular Purikura machines and usually these areas are Female only - unless you are a couple! No Men allowed! ( -ω-)

UFOキャッチャー always looked full to burst! Holding a variety of cute prizes! Many of the Staff will celebrate your win too! They're enthusiastic and always willing to help you (spend your money) and win!! Usually the whole floor Staff will cheer, blow horns and whistles - which of course will draw a lot of attention to you for a couple seconds. ♪(⌒▽⌒) ノ☆・゜:*:゜

Around Akiba you will find a variety of Cosplay shops. Personally after walking into a couple while in awe, I will always end up in the AV and adult fetish section and rather awkwardly will shuffle my way out after reading the word 'bukkake' (σ´□｀) ... (Please don't google that!)
Akihabara will and always will be in my number one recommendations for fun places to visit while Tokyo!  I hope you will enjoy it as much as I do!ヾ(*′エ`*)ノ

♥ハッピーバレンタイン♥

ハッピーバレンタイン♥( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ

Happy Valentines Day!!

 

I am not usually one to celebrate Valentines Day, even while I was dating someone, I don't believe in it, but I fully respect others around me who do celebrate it. I hope all my readers & lovers had a wonderful day!

So how did I spend my day? Being chatted up by the Post Office worker, though he is a lovely old man. We ended up talking about Japan and asked me my reasons for liking it so much. It's a difficult question: I just do?

After that I went to Boots I have a voucher to use and abuse, initially I was going to buy make up - then I was stuck with, what kind do I really need? With my outbreaks recently, I don't want to put anything on my face unless necessary, and I really thought Boots would have face masks, but the one in town is so small. Instead I ended up with deodorant and Garnier 'Intensive 7 Days Ultra-Softening Lotion' - you can never have too many lotions and creams; apparently I do. 

Even though Town is rather small, there's still at least half a dozen second hand stores here that I like to visit. I did see a couple nice tops, but I will check back on Friday in hopes of it being there again.

 

Great Find! I love Moomins, so this was an wonderful find in the second hand store and for 50p too! Naturally I am a bargain hunter, RRP is £4.99 too!

 

Despite it being Valentines day, I did get a card from Toni which amused me so much. It sums me up rather well in a card, she even kindly reminded me how I am forever angry. I love you too, Toni. I also got some free samples from Nivea, though a little late on the 'New Years Resolution' right? 

There is an interesting story that follows, the envelope was addressed to 'Maggie Smith' - yes I opened mail addressed to someone else? But I know I applied online for some samples. When my Mother returned home I decided to show her, jokingly: 'Who the hell is Maggie?!' -- Then after a long pause she turned to me and said: 'Your Great Grandma was called Maggie.' Is this a bad or good omen? 

 

I also forgot to share the last post, I got my letter from Yuzu it was so cute! (Ignore the fail attempt at hiding postal details) It makes me cringe at how basic my parcel had been! She include a cute letter and a few small gifts.

 

Ahh~ even a photograph of Kanon too! I was so happy. Although a lot of people are more than aware of my undying love for him. In a few weeks I will write back~ it's nice to send and receive.

As you may have read in my last blog, I am the owner of DELeTE UK - however there was some incredibly bad news, so the past two days have been little more stressful than usual. (Thus the lateness in my Valentines Post) Basically their Guitarist Koki had gone missing, we all had last contact with him on the 10th and since then none had been made. His Friend, Renji was worrying himself sick too - the whole band as well. So they made blogs over at Ameba, asking Koki to respond, even if he wanted to withdraw from DELeTE, he didn't care, he just wanted to know Koki was safe.
It was pretty heart wrenching to have Renji apologise to me so many times, not only because of his bad English, but because he felt like he had betrayed fans and Staff. So it was just as difficult to respond to him, not knowing how to tell him how I felt about the situation. Though DELeTE are continuing, even though Koki is currently absent. According to DELeTE AUS, Koki has been located and is okay - but it's a rough translation. However I am still waiting for his return, both via Twitter and his Blog.
This is just an added 'bonus' of supporting smaller Japanese bands, they communicate more with their Fans, however the moment something bad happens - you feel powerless to help them.

✌ Decoden + "Work"

Whoo~ Mail Gets! (=｀・ω・´=) I am really into デコ電 / デコデン - or Decoden. It's a popular trend that originated in Japan, where many High School Girls would decorate their cellphones - MP3 players, gradually it expanded to the point they would decorate, make up brushes, mirrors, contact lens cases and even pens! Decoden has steadily increased popularity outside of Japan, to Korea, China, Europe and America.
Many Decoden pieces are made using multi coloured crystals - either acrylic or swarovski which can be super expensive, but super effective too! Some girls will either create their own pieces using metal or acrylic charms, while others will stick to only crystals and create a well known character! They range from flat bases - to 3D pieces which REALLY stand out in the crowd. Feeling creative? check this page!

I really wasn't content with my case, I own a Blackberry Curve and I did pick up a plain pink case for less than £3 from Tesco. (*ノωノ)チュキ but after a little less than a year I was already getting bored of it, and I had left it half finished also. As much as I love the 3D cases, they're a little clumpy to hold on to, and you can't put it down on the table very well unless you put it face first. (｡-_-｡)ﾉ
Since last year I had my eye on one case in particular - and despite my 'no spending' scheme, I caved and purchased  (。・ω・。)。*チュ・゜*キ*。・

It needed a little touching up, a couple gems were easy to remove and replace, while I added a few extras to fill in the gaps. Sadly I don't have a deep enough blue to fill in the most ANNOYING gap on Stitch's mouth.

 

My next decision was to pick which few straps I wanted to attach. Though I totally love my unofficial Stitch head, so he won! (ノ=´∀｀=)ノ I'm still undecided about the other two, and then suddenly remembering the straps Juu had sent me!!

 

 

End result! Well; not 100% yet - I need to figure out when my contract has completed, then the next plan is to buy a new housing case, both pink and blue! Though there will still be some black, sadly that is unchangeable.
All in all, a good days work~  +｡ﾟφ(･ω･*)+｡ﾟ

On a totally unrelated note - a very cheeky person by the name of Koki from DELeTE asked me to become UK Staff for his band. ♪ DELeTE STAFF UK ♪ I would love to see more UK Fans following the Twitter, and the boys too. There has been a sudden popularity surge with DELeTE - but the boys truly need it and are reaching out not only to their Japanese Fans, but Worldwide!

Renji (L) Koki (R)

❅ Snow! ❆ 雪 ❅

It snowed here in England! So wonderful but causes so much trouble. I'm pretty sure England was the last to get the snow in Europe, we have actually had it lightly considering the rest of Europe and temperatures as low as -36C! (*´∀｀*) Brr~

Speaking of snow, my Father asked if I saw the News about Japan and the snow they are getting, at first I didn't believe him, but WOW, up to three and a half meters of snow?! That is scary. ( ノω-、） The sad thing is, most of the snow ploughs are on the opposite side of Japan removing rubble and debris from the disaster area of March 2011. I am hoping Japan will catch it's break sooner or later, they more than deserve it. (╥﹏╥)

Today my Family and I were supposed to be going for a meal to celebrate my Grandma's Birthday, and I was going to see my Aunt and Uncle again, so I was super excited to see them again! Also to catch up with my Uncle too, since I haven't mailed him. However the snow pretty much cancelled all our current plans. Which was a total bummer, since I had such a cute outfit too, so I will save that for another day to show off. As for now it will be a secret! ( ^▽^)σ)~0~)

 

Sid! He is always very curious, too curious. We left our shed open while clearing the drive and he decided to venture down into the snow. The snow on the trees was thawing out too so he ended up getting dripped on! Finally Sid wanted to come back up, but decided to dash along the middle of the garden! Cold paws! ⊂(ﾟДﾟ⊂⌒｀つ≡≡≡

Random pigeon in our badly chopped tree. Somehow doubting this tree will blossom in Spring this year, sadly. It looks too battered and there is no sign of any blossom buds either. Which totally just reminded me of my strawberry plants! (;´Д｀) Ahh! Hopefully they not be too frozen and die. Well, I guess that is all I have to blog, I see a lot of 'Inspiration' blogs at the moment, but right now the buzz isn't reaching me.

(。・ω・。) 50 Things I Love

Happy February! 
While reading through my blog subscriptions, I noticed the lovely Sarah had posted "50 Things I Love" and it inspired me to challenge myself and see if I could produce 50 things of which I claim to love. (。・ω・。)
I decided to list these randomly, like a lucky dip of numbers, mainly because I didn't want to give things an unfair trial - but perhaps the first 10 are my top ten favourites. 

01 ♥ DJ☆ぴんぴん ヾ(*′エ`*)ノ
02 ♥ Stitch!
03 ♥ Gachapin (●´ϖ`●)
04 ♥ Travelling to places!
05 ♥ Meeting Friends, new & old.
06 ♥ Japanese Pop culture. (*´ω`*)
07 ♥ Cheki! Collecting & taking my own.
08 ♥ みきと (つω`*)
09 ♥ Kapibarasan! ありがとうみきと
10 ♥ Fashion, alternative - influenced from Japanese street snaps.
11 ♥ Long hot baths.
12 ♥ "JROCK" - indies from the underground scene.
13 ♥ Japanese cuisine, but please no drunken shrimp!
14 ♥ プリクラ - Purikura, in London / Japan / Wherever!
15 ♥ Cupcakes & Muffins - major sweet tooth!
16 ♥ All Cats! I love every single cat!
17 ♥ Pugs! Pomeranians! Papillon! Tiny purse puppies!
18 ♥ San-x characters - totally better than Sanrio!
19 ♥ デコデン (ノ∇≦*)
20 ♥ Phone straps! Too many for one phone!
21 ♥ Tea, milk tea & green tea. Please no ice.
22 ♥ Abandoned Buildings.
23 ♥ Hugs, cuddles & holding hands with Friends.
24 ♥ Sunshine & relaxing in it.
25 ♥ Neon colours! (●´∀｀●)
26 ♥ Japanese Horror Movies.
27 ♥ Penpals! eMail & snail mail!
28 ♥ Receiving parcels full of goodies!
29 ♥ Collecting things: JRock Fliers / Stickers / Letter sets / Keychains!
30 ♥ Pixels / .gifs for blogging!
31 ♥ Retro characters: YumYums! & Popples! & Care Bears!
32 ♥ Spank! girl clothing / 6% DokiDoki
33 ♥ Fairy lights / soft lighting.
34 ♥ Sunflowers! With flowers as big as my head!
35 ♥ Halloween, mainly a reason to redecorate my room!
36 ♥ Perfumes! Vivienne Westwood, Gwen Stefani & Jean Paul Gaultier.
37 ♥ Monomania brand & bear, I love Yuki also.
38 ♥ Listen Flavor, Super Lovers & Cocolulu brand~ (=´▽｀)ゞ
39 ♥ Oversized & "bat wing" shirts, although they hide my frame.
40 ♥ Songs on the JR Train platforms in Japan. (●´艸｀)ヾ
41 ♥ UFOキャッチャー (*´ε｀ *)
42 ♥ Reading a good book, especially with it raining outside.
43 ♥ Disney Pixar.
44 ♥ メロンソォダ
45 ♥ Jeremy Scott x Adidas!
46 ♥ "Creative writing" ie; RP. ◔◡◔
47 ♥ Fast food & unhealthy Take outs. Come to me, calories!
48 ♥ My unhealthy list of Men I claim to love; ぴんぴん, みきと, 聖, ﾁｬﾑ, カノン etc --
49 ♥ My Family & Friends.

50 ♥ My enemies, I love you for making me stronger. Thank you.

 That, was actually a lot difficult than I imagined. Especially trying to be creative and not wanting to list typical things like 'I love Chocolate'. But thankfully it wasted a couple minutes (almost an hour - oh my!) so now I am sleepy, it's almost midnight here in the UK, so good night!