Work smart, not hard - don't be a fool, buy cheap! Latest Japanese fashion trends

Guys, I’ve had it with Tokyo. No, seriously. I’ve had it.

What, no hello, no hi how have you been? No, none of that. I became too much of a Tokyoite, looking fresh and oh so cool from outside but being bitter on the inside. Besides, who the hell even says hello here? Right, only people who study Japanese. Or store attendants.

By now I’ve just been in Tokyo way too long. And it’s true what they say, after the 4th, 5th, 6th or at least after the 7th year you will start hating Tokyo. Or grow bored with it. Or it’s a mix of hate, boredom and disgust, like in my case. Or you already gave in to everything and accepted it, then congrats. Or you lost your brain somewhere among the zombie crowds, in which case I feel sincerely sorry for your loss.

Either way, hey, I finally got out of the drained state (tokyo vampire lemonade hah) for a second, and lately I have been thinking of restarting this blog. There was so much I wanted to write about the last few weeks and finally, finally after watching 3 seasons of Sex and the City (yeah, I actually never properly watched it) I thought: hey, I should write! I should share all the things I have to say! Maybe there’s something useful in what I have to say.

Let’s start with all the cool stuff about Tokyo that’s still actually rocking, besides food (which will make you get stomach or another form of cancer sooner or later but let’s save that for next time):

Fashion

The fashion is still freaking awesome and cheap considering the not too bad quality (I am not even being sarcastic I can’t help sounding like that even when I want to praise Japan).

Yes, Gyaru fashion toned down and everything became really onee-san-y or leaning towards Kyabajo/Agejo-ish fashion because let’s be honest, those girls are basically the only group left wearing that fashion. Those or the freeters, NEETs and maybe some of the high school/universtiy students.

With the identity crisis among the Japanese and the rush of working women who are stressing through managing their household chores as well as their office (lady) jobs that demand more and more overtime hours, what time is there left for fashion? Actually if you look more or less decent after finishing a 50 hour work week plus additional unpaid work at home, you will be happy to just throw on anything and go out to have fun, if you still have the energy that is.

No idea where women like Sayo Hayakawa take the energy &time to raise a child alone on top of all of that work

(I swear I am not being sarcastic)

Where, I ask you, is the time to find your own identity or fashion sense? Or fashion, for that matter?

And hence, what you see these days is either the old gyaru-ish toned down, the childish-sweet inspired or the foreign inspired fashion. And by foreign I mean mainly European/American or Korean. I’ve mostly really seen a raise in Korean fashion (hence I probably don’t go out much anymore haha). There’s nothing much to see besides that. But at least it has become cheap!

Since the wages are dropping while taxes are rising (I feel like half of what I am writing should be put in a paper about Japanese culture), we can see that ‘I will buy it all as long as it is cheap & cute’ attitude. Fabric, quality, size? Yeah, don’t care too much about that, it just gotta be cheap.

There there, girls, now let me introduce you to the shop that every girl and there Japanese mom is already shopping at: Puci Puri (actually: puchi pri taken from the french petit prix) / Qoo10

Let me tell you one thing, I have seen these sandals a lot and even in Shinjuku already... last summer! And they’re still going strong.

Also, want one of those trending mini Furla style bags but not spend all that $$? Save that money for your next trip out of Japan and go with this one!

I have bought these cool bags myself and they were cheap considering they look exactly like in the picture! Of course the quality isn’t that amazing but how amazing do they look?! The design is just art! This art smells quite a bit of plastic though, so be warned. But then again, I've seen one of the other versions hanging on the shoulder of a young woman in Kabukicho just 2 days ago!

If you’re like me and love the mere feeling of collecting and owning beautiful shoes and bags, this store is for you! However, don’t forget to notify the seller you buy from once your item arrived or else they won’t get the money you paid. For Japan it’s a quite new shop system to buy from other countries, directly from foreigner sellers and this has been heavily promoted since at least last year (I found it by chance through a purikura sales promotion mail).

The awesome comfy shoes that I bought, rarely wear because of the super thin heels but nevertheless needed to possess

Though be warned, that stuff is still cheap and that means cheaply made. Besides the bags, I have bought 2 pairs of shoes of which one was quite awesome and the other one rubs against my feet until they bleed but they also look quite awesome. I’ve also bought a shirt that I wasn’t very satisfied with, it had a way more unflattering cut than expected. So be sure to always check the reviews!

Do you have any experiences with that site? I would be glad to hear about your experiences. To everyone else happy shopping~

dark star skies: tokyo winter adventures pt.1 [the glasses, nights out, psycho pass event]

Aaaaand it's gone I am back.
It took me really long to get back to this blog, I am very sorry about that (I hope someone still reads this!) but that has several good reasons. First of all I actually had a problem with my eyes (dry eyes, something like a chronic conjunctivitis) so I tried avoiding working on the computer and looking at computer screens in general. Still do, in a way, but it's hard haha. Then I was in Tokyo! Then, at least, I also caught a really bad cold and was, on top of all that, very busy with some essential things.

Well, well. I feel like I should all be saying 'my time in Japan was amazing' and yes, it was, of course, but going back to there every now and then has become very normal for me. Don't get me wrong, I still think it's the most amazing country I have ever visited and the country I want to live in but I have calmed down about it and can't 'hype' about it as much.

What I still hype about is great books or Psycho Pass! You can get me with that haha. But first things first, with photos in a chronological order, I am going to tell you a bit about my stay there.

The very first thing I did was getting new glasses in Tokyo! Cause they are so damn cheap there and much better compared to the ones I can get in my own country. I also got sun glasses (with prescription) but they aren't as cool actually. But they were cheap and I can wear them on lazy days off when I don't want to put on eye-make up!

Truth is, the sun glasses might look way cooler in the picture than they are because they actually cover my eyebrows if I don't wear them 'low' on purpose (I don't like how they sit on my nose :<). But yeah, just for those occasions it's okay I guess?!

Then went out a lot with mostly female friends. Did not have the nerve to hang out with guys. Actually because most guys always tell me to stop wearing glasses lol (passive-aggressive lol)

Last picture... can you spot the Brand X store? No? I couldn't either when I was first told about it haha.


Then there was a Psycho Pass event in Odaiba! This is the first event/goods shop I went to regarding Psycho Pass/anime... actually, yes, the first time in my life.
There was an event where they showed the first 4 episodes of the DVD but it was rather boring...

 Odaiba is really beautiful. No wonder everyone always wants to go there!

Then there was a shooting event where you could use the dominator. It was actually pretty lame, too. So lame that our team mates (some Japanese girls) stopped making an effort shooting all the enemies at some point haha.

Bought some goods (spent 900yen on Gatcha and never got Ginoza or Togane lol), the post cards came free with the event, you could choose a character. Then also took a picture together with my darling Ginoza-san, for the first time <3 Just for this it was really worth going there.
Want to make me happy? Go with me to Psycho Pass events hah. A few guys actually got it right!

Then a few days later I bought a hat at Shibuya 109 (1,080yen!) because I really like these kind of hats that have slightly longer... what do you call it, sides? And then the glasses combinations with it. It didn't look as expected and I will probably end up wearing it more without glasses but still I like it and you can't do anything wrong with what you like.
Then one or a few days after I had a more casual style for something business related. I was actually wearing upper lashes but you cannot tell at all. Hence why I stopped wearing lashes to these occasions later lol.

After my business-related event I met with my friend who invited me to her home in Saitama. I only changed my long pants to short parts and then went there directly.

What happened after is going to be in the next post! Be prepared for some spooky shrine visit at night! (I always just seem to manage shrines visits at night/when it gets dark lol).

nails & dreams (+ sale promotion)

Hello dear readers!

Sorry for the long absence. It's September now, getting colder, but I am also getting closer to my goal because now I have finished my thesis and handed it in and I feel like a major burden letting go of me. 

this one sugarfree drink helped me through the last pages~

(one shot booster! omg I have to post this because it's yu-gi-oh 5Ds related haha)

Though, I am still a bit nervous about the result and I feel like I can only 'let go' myself once I have passed. But soooo much disciple was necessary for me to pursue this one goal. You can't imagine what kind of fight with myself this was. Sometimes I felt like giving up and running away but I felt like I gave a promise to myself that I couldn't possibly break. Some things always reminded me that I am working for something that is worth it and that will bring me somewhere in life. I am talking like it's such a big business but I am not even sure if I passed yet... but since I already moved out of my apartment, I might as well show you what kept me going because I saw it on my way to university for the past 2 1/2 years. It's weird that it's on my bus route to University... in the first semester I lived somewhere else so I did not see this. But when I saw this every morning, I thought it had to be destiny. God, I am theatrical haha.

I don't care if this makes me look silly. Everyone needs something to keep them going, right? And it took me a while to notice him from the bus window actually but eventually I found myself looking for him every morning. I don't like original Yu-Gi-Oh that much but it made me thing of 5Ds (spin-off) so much. If you know a bit about the anime, you will realize it's about pursuing your dreams. It's about rising from the ashes, from being no one to be someone you want to be.
If you are pursuing a dream, you might like one of my favourite characters, Jack, 'the fallen King' and his wonderful words:

だからこそ自分達の手でやりとけたい！
 That's why I want us to settle it by our own hands!

俺は諦めん！俺達の夢を、こんなところで、終わらすわけには行かない！
I won't give up! I can't let our dream end at this point!

This is it. This is what I felt like so many times and I felt like I have to get up and get myself through it no matter what. There was no way other than to go forward for me at some point and after all of this is done, I will be sure I can do anything I want. I can achieve anything. 

Even if you don't have money and can't afford to go the path you like, you can always find a way around it to pursue your goal. Maybe it will turn out slightly different from what you imagine on the way but you can reach your goal. Don't let anyone tell you you can't. You wouldn't know how far it pushed me when people said that I can't do something or that something seems unreachable.

Also don't fear time. You will get older but dreams take time. It's the road to happiness that will make you happy if you don't forget what you are fighting for. You will get older, yes, but you will become happy on the way too. Each year you will look behind and realize all the amazing things you have done and achieved. Don't fear change, either. It will all be for the best if you work on it. And even slow success is progress.

Long deep talk. For those of you who have dreams and are unsure about things, I hope maybe this gave you a little hope that you are not alone.

Other than that, I don't have much to tell other than I have already redone my nails twice during the past months, haha. They're simple but I like how long they got!

I love the pastel pink and blue! Wonderful soft, feminine colours. Because I used a substitute for the cleaner, thumb and index finger fell off rather quickly and I had no chance to renew them while in the dorm... such a pity because my real nails were already that long.

I have been out sometimes, too, like yesterday when a friend went to a concert around my area and we had the chance to meet before that. But I forgot to take pictures because I got drunk after one beer haha. Well, I guess that proves I had fun!

Besides I found an older picture (from 2012) that I took when I wanted to sell some things. It was right after I came back from Japan. Look at that body!!

I am 'only' about 6-7 pounds more now but well, not that the exam phase and all the University stress is hopefully over I can get towards a body like that again. I mostly want to get skin like that again D: Which will be rather hard because that was mainly the work of my birth control. Oh but, I will push myself towards healthier eating and the life I want to live~

Also random side note: FB thought from my profile picture that I am Ageha model Airi Misaki (who poked me once without me poking her!! omg! I like her haha). Now if that isn't a start to a healthier/greater self!

That's all for now! Messy post because my dreams are a bit of a mess still~ 

But, if you are interested in Gyaru brand clothes (d.i.a., Gravil/tutuHa, Ghost of Harlem, Taboo, Garula), please have a look at the clothes I am selling! Especially if you live in Germany or Europe! Most are in a very good condition/like new or completely new~

Take care everyone & don't be afraid to dream a little bigger ♡

as promised, you never came back again [cry while you can]

Long absence again. Being busy with three presentations that I all had to prepare for last week, I had already pretty much forgotten what blogs are. I had also forgotten what it is like to feel bored. But on the other hand, once you start 'working' on something, it is not as hard to get motivated to do more for it as you keep going. Once you stop, you fall into that hole of 'I have no motivation to do anything'...

Winter has been rough and it seems the mornings are the only bright things these days (that get ruined by class ugh). I hope you all live in a brighter and warmer area! - Speaking of that, it already got terribly cold and as I went to the local christmas market here in Bonn with a Japanese exchange student after all of my exams, I realize that I am really needing another coat for winter.

 

I have been hunting down a warm yet stylish coat for at least one year already though. There was one coat in NewYorker that I saw and got because I had a coupon to get 30% off. I had been eyeing it for one or two weeks and there were only 2 left in the military green colour. Of course it's not very warm so I am still not sure whether I want to wear it or not :< It reminds me totally of SLY coats that I often spot in Japan. It has the same kind of fur-ish lining but you can't take it off on my coat. I have to admit though - it is a bit cheap-looking on the inside and I had to remove several loose threads but for 50€ (!) I think I will keep it.

left: SLY (25,200yen) right: NewYorker (~49€ discount price - regular price 69,99€)

Strangely on the website the inner lining of my coat is beige instead of green as it is on the one I have (actually it looks like in this one from VENCE) and also - it looks quite ugly on the picture. Must be the models fault because it looks better on me haha. No, well, when coats are buttoned up they just don't look as cool as when they are open.
I am still debating though... ! The arms have no warm inner lining, so that my arms actually look slim because I took a smaller size rather than a bigger one... but... I get cold on my arms!!。(´д｀lll)
I can still wear my thinner coat from Ghost of Harlem beneath but that will make me look like... a fat military penguin... 。(´д｀lll)  But, I am freezing no matter what coat I buy (unless it is a ski jacket but hell no) so maybe this debating all makes no sense.

What about you guys though? Would you rather freeze and cry through winter and look stylish or is your priority to stay warm 24/7?
Of course there is peole who always feel cold (like me) and people who do not really get cold... also depends on the area you live in. And - on how much outgoing you are haha. For example I get the feeling that in Japan all the buildings and trains are heated really well so it is way easier to get through winter with a not super-extremely warm coat. One more thing that Japan does terribly right.

I think that is all for now. Overall, as negative as I might (?) sound, the good experiences are still overwhelming the bad ones. I want to rant a lot about things but I am quite happy with myself and once I get through the next few months, I can prepare my future life after graduation~ (Still dreaming though because I can't believe it will come true! haha)

For now I am praying to get through winter~ And also I am praying that my iPod that I need for several things will not break because I really can't afford to buy anything new like an electronic Japanese dictionary that I need for my Japanese exam(x_x；)

With that I am wishing you all a good start into this winter~ ☆

highlights in august/september (tokyo part 3: last day in Shinjuku, flight, date-night out)

Oh no, October has already started. How time flies when you are enjoying not doing anything for a while! (still have lots of studying to do that I wanted to start before the semester begins ; ;) There is something that I really like about October, which is the start of a new season/the start of a new semester/the start of a new blog name (haha) or new work that I mostly think of about this month but - I don't like that it is cold! The worst about this is, even my teeth are really sensitive to this cold (><)

But enough of that, here is the last part of my Tokyo adventure time trip

On the last day of August I had a good time with the guy I met in the club (who is hanging in my room in Germany haha.) He was really sweet and I did not even expect that he would really meet me but to my surprise he did show up which really made me happy. The last days of your travel always turn out the best, after all... Anyway, I will talk about this under the cut. If you are interested in the story, continue reading until the end~

Actually once September started, my departure was approaching very quickly. It was on September 3rd but in the morning and I had to leave my guesthouse in the evening before so that I had to pack everything on the 2nd already. I also tried to call JAL to reschedule my flight to another date but ugh, this took ages and they had to call me back after checking whether there was still available flights in the same economy class as mine and of course, after checking for about 10 days, they called me back, said there was nothing in the same price class, then checked another 10 days and said the same. The cheapest option - that should have been 15,000yen - turned into 45,000yen which was too pricey for me. 

Ah, so I packed things up quickly, went to Shibuya for some very little omiyage shopping quickly and also bought something from d.i.a. because how could I leave Tokyo without buying something from d.i.a.!

After I came back home I got my essential things, 'checked out' and met my bf at the station, got mad at him for being an ass and not helping me with my luggage up the hill (he was eating at the station because he had not eaten all day... can you imagine he was eating AT THE STATION right before we met to go out to EAT. who the hell sh** ** **** ****) 

Anyway, after my little and very subtle anger fit we went to Shinjuku because I wanted to spend a bit of time there. We put my luggage in a locker and since he already ate, went to Alta first. I wanted to buy tons of stuff but I remembered that I won't really be using sun glasses and some clothing here anyway so I refused to everything and spend my money on food. First sushi, then we walked around (and I had to wait for my bf to finish playing his games at the game center where we took purikura before ugh) and then we ate some more at an izakaya and had one last drink.

We caught the last train to Chiba were he lives and where I spend the night. As we were waiting for the train I took a last picture of Alta that we could see from the platform. It took a while to Chiba and it was funny how the more you got out of Tokyo the darker it looked outside of the stations. There was almost nobody outside at this hour either. We walked at least 20 minutes to his place and it was really quiet and everything was closed, I started to feel so lonely (TT)

This building and scenerey reminded me of Hokkaido somehow... even though I have never been to Hokkaido, it had that calming melancholy feeling that I get when I think of Hokkaido. But, we went to a 7eleven on the way and I have to admit that it became a bit less lonely because there were some night-active people. Again, that helped with the Hokkaido feeling haha.

I caught about 3 hours of sleep and then I already went to the airport and home. I got off on the wrong terminal first... but managed to get to the right one by a free highway bus, luckily. This is the first time that this happened to me in at least 3 years haha.

Once I was on the plane, everything felt good. Personally I just love flying, being surrounded by strangers and this feeling of not being on earth. I do not like the air pressure and how it dries my skin but the atmosphere and feelings this gives me are exotic (just until I get home ugh). Some more or less boring pictures from the flight now. Also we had the Yoshinoya food special there, not bad~ But sort of did not fill me up as much as the usual meals haha.

 

That was it. Needless to say, my trip was awesome even though, as always, great and not very great things happened. I am thankful for all experiences.

As for the date-night out I had with the guy I met, read below if you like~