Etsy Store Grand Re-Opening

Now 100% more models! I want to especially thank K. Spencer Jones Photography for the pretty and vivid fashion shots and my models, Natalie Leora Jensen...

and Thelma Duff!

Models are not the only changes. I've also lowered the shipping costs because I have a more feasible method now.

And in honor of the grand re-opening, I've also taken 25% off most of the shirts! Click here to visit the shop and thanks for your support!

Etsy shop now open!

The Etsy shop is open! Authentic, cute and engrishy apparel from Harajuku! どうぞよろしくお願いします。

Alright, so eBay was a bust. However, MetroCon was not! Thank you to everyone who stopped by my booth! It was nice meeting you all! It's wonderful to meet so many people with an interest in Japanese culture and travel.

To supplement anime conventions, I now have an Etsy account! Please check it out. I'll be listing more stuff tomorrow and the rest of the week. It's 12:38 am here now, so I'm done for the night...

Zzz…(*´〜｀*)｡O○

The boutique is open!

Finally! I've managed to catalog and photograph all my merchandise from Japan and have begun listing in on eBay for your buying pleasure! CHECK IT OUT!

There's not much now, but I will continue to list more clothing and stationery as the week goes on. Thanks for your patience and I hope you enjoy what you find!

Day 2: Shibuya

True to his form, there's the ever-faithful Hachikō waiting for my return to Shibuya. For those of you not familiar with this statue's story: after his owner's death, Hachikō returned to wait at the Shibuya train station every afternoon for 10 years and has since become a beloved symbol of loyalty and is a popular spot to meet up with friends.

Personally, this is my favorite district of Tōkyō. It's got something for everybody. Chocked full of department stores, shops, arcades and cafes, it's easy to spend the entire day here wandering around all of Shibuya's little side streets. If you're looking for touristy items, look else where. This is where Tōkyō's 20-somethings come to shop for the latest in everything from clothing to music to home goods.

I forgot how intense it is to commute in this city and all the little unspoken rules when you're out and about. For instance, some train stations are absolutely labyrinth-like and not being that familiar with the layouts of each station, I've got to do a little research before I go. There's no stopping and reading signs. If you're not sure where you're going, just keep walking - briskly and follow the signs. When riding escalators, keep to the left so that those who are in a hurry can sprint to the top without being obstructed. As a tourist, I don't care if I miss a train and have to wait 5 minutes, but to the locals, this is unacceptable so lead, follow or get out of the way!

Below is a video of Shibuya's scramble crossing at rush hour. I just happened to catch a crossing where two girls got stranded in the middle of the intersection and were nearly ran over. This is the first time I've ever seen anyone jaywalk in this country and now I know why no else does it - EVER.

So, let that be a lesson to you!

I've already touched upon Shibuya in a previous post so it's pretty obvious how much I love this district. I made sure it was the first place I went. Last time, I had a baseball game to go to, so I couldn't stick around. This time I stuck around until twilight to see Shibuya come to life. Below is picture of center gai street at night.

Tomorrow? HARAJUKU!

一円九！109!

Ah, the iconic 109 (ichi-maru-kyuu) building in Shibuya, mecca of the ギャル (gyaru or "gal") culture in Tokyo. This was one of the top items on my list of things to see while in Tokyo, but due to my traveling schedule, it had to wait 9 days into my trip. I wanted to devote as much time as possible to Shibuya and all its wonder. At 109, you'll find an ecclectic array of clothing, accessory and shoe stores along with cafes and nail salons.

Some of you might not be totally unfamiliar with 109. If you played "The World Ends With You" for the DS. You might recognize it as the "104" building in the game. And yes, the game is laid out almost exactly like the real Shibuya - building fascades and all. I was pleasantly surprised and able to (sadly) navigate my way through all the streets without any problems because of it.

I stood at the entrance for a moment to let the fact that I was standing at the portal of all things cute and trendy sink in. Once inside, we decided to go to the B2 floor and work our way all the way to the top. It's 10 floors consisting of about 12 stores apiece - a daunting task I was more than willing to take on. A complete list of stores can be found here.

I can't do much in the way of purchasing clothing for myself because Japanese sizes are a lot like binary: 0's and 1's only. But I did manage to find a lot of cute accessories at very reasonable prices.

Only 20 more days until I can go back and I promise to do a very thorough sweep of each floor grabbing as many photos and notes as I can for those interested in going.