初音ミクのひな人形 (Hatsune Miku Hina doll)

2年前、真多呂人形という人形会社は初音ミクのひな人形を作りましたが、この人形は発売されないし、男雛もありません。なぜなら、制作者は「自立した女性が自分の力で夢を叶える」ということでした。製作者の３分で見ることを勧めることをした後、私は初音ミクのひな人形は幸せがいっぱいことや微妙なことだと思いました。

本来、ひな祭りは女の子の幸せと結婚を願います。でも、現代、女は結婚しないこともあります。そして、女雛と男雛で飾ることで、女の子の幸せと健康は結婚と繋がるそうです。今、女は主人が必要ではないし、自立できるようになる社会を作っていると思います。

ただし、障害がある女はちょっと違います。社会は自立できないし、成功とか幸せとかは無理だという雰囲気があるそうです。私は就職していますけど、障害があるので、昇進できないと思います。これは今の考えですけど、将来に違うかもしれません。自分として、仕事以外について、痩せたいし、健康になりたいし、私の疑問がなくなるといいです。この社会は私に似合いませんが、夢を叶えることで、世界はもっと良くなるかもしれません。

初音ミクのひな人形のように、自立と幸せが欲しいです。微妙な女になっても、強くて、成功で、自立な女ができます。

よかったら、初音ミクのひな人形の記事をチェックしてください。
2 years ago, Mataro doll company, which specialises in traditional Japanese dolls, produced a Hatsune Miku Hina doll. A Hina doll is a doll that is displayed during Girl's day or Hina matsuri, which is held on the 3rd of March. The unusual things about this doll were that it was not for sale and did not have a male doll to accompany it. The reason why this is the case is that the manufacturer wanted to represent how an independent woman could achieve her dreams by herself. After looking at the doll's face for the recommended three minutes, I thought that Hatsune Miku was full of happiness but still delicate.

Primarily, Hina matsuri is used to wish for a girl's happiness and marriage. However, today women may not get married. Also, by displaying a female and male doll together, it seems to connect a girl's happiness to her marriage. Nowadays, women do not need a husband and can be independent.

However, for women with a disability, it is a bit different. It seems to be that a woman with a disability cannot become independent and happiness is not possible. While I am employed, because of my disability, I don't think I will ever be successful. While this is how I feel now, maybe the future will be different. Outside of work, I want to lose weight, be healthier and lose my self doubts. While this world does not suit me, by achieving my dreams, maybe the world will become better.

Like the Hatsune Miku Hina doll, I want independence and happiness. Even if I am a delicate woman, I can be strong, independent and successful.

If you want to look at the article I first discovered the Hatsune Miku doll, click here.

Goals for 2020

2019 has ended with me starting a full time job. While it is not science related, it is a start. Because of that I can now afford to buy more Lolita clothing. However, there is one issue... most of my current Lolita wardrobe does not fit me. I knew I gained weight doing my Honours degree but I thought I lost a good amount of it.

Despite the aforementioned issue, I wore Lolita to a meet up once this year after more than three years since wearing it. I was nervous at first, but did get more comfortable with it. Maybe I'll wear Lolita more often in 2020.

In order to expand my wardrobe and feel ready to buy more, I will need to lose weight. For me, this isn't just about losing weight, it is also about getting healthier. This is because some of my habits are not that healthy. For example, I do have a tendency to overeat which is difficult to overcome when there is an abundance of food and being short does not help.

Therefore, in 2020, I intend to get healthier, lose weight and wear Lolita more often. If I can fit into more of my Lolita wardrobe, I intend to buy more Lolita clothing in the new year. Speaking of buying more Lolita clothing, I do like the Eternal Doll Set lucky pack from Angelic Pretty for 2020 but it would not fit me at my current weight and may also not fit at my healthy, natural weight but I'll see where my weight loss leads me.

I also intend to post a few health related posts as well as Lolita related posts. I don't know what I'll post about in terms of health yet but if anyone has any suggestions feel free to comment.

Doing a double twisting double tuck when everyone else gets by with a back tuck

This is part 2 of my Finding a job with autism series. For part 1, click here.

This post is difficult to write but I feel it has to be done. For too long, the voices of those with autism have been silent or ignored. This has had an impact on how people with autism exist in this world. Using something that was recently done in gymnastics, I will explain how people with autism have to do a bigger effort than neurotypical people in order to make their way in this world.

Recently, Simone Biles was the first person in the world to do a double twisting double tuck (double double) off the balance beam, which is an amazing achievement.  This could be used as a metaphor for the amount of difficulty people with autism have to do in order to function in this world. On the other hand, neurotypical people can do similar things in a social setting with the amount of difficulty that is needed to jump off or just do a back tucked somersault (back tuck) off the beam. However, the double double looks like a back tuck until the person with autism makes a mistake or a person knows them for an extended period of time and picks up on the differences. But the differences can look a lot worse than a back tuck off the beam.

The first thing that feels like a double double off the beam to me are questionnaires that are used in order to screen candidates for a job. While most people may fake the answers to a certain degree, I have to guess what the potential employer wants as an answer. If I answer the way I want to, employers may not see me as a “team player” and choose to not give me an interview. Even though it can be stated to answer the questions naturally, if I do that, it might allow the employer to reject me. One screening technique that is worse than the questionnaires is a facial emotion recognition test.  Unless it is related to the requirements of the job, it is a tool of discrimination against people with autism. While I can read basic emotions, I find it hard to pick up on the more subtle signs of human emotion due to having autism.

Job interviews are another thing that requires more effort on my part to be successful in. So far I have not been able to get a job when I have had to do an interview. I believe this is because I have to adopt neurotypical ways of speaking and use mannerisms that are not natural to me. On top of that, I still have to sell myself, which is already difficult. If employers are serious about employing people with autism, they need to remove interviews and allow the candidate to sell themselves through their work rather than having to behave like a walking advertisement or a snake oil salesman.

Other social situations are demanding and the anxiety of not knowing how to react in these situations is demanding and can be exhausting. This leads to me having to “mask” no matter how unsuccessful it can be at times. It is easier to pretend to be normal as a child due to social situations being easier or that children are more accepting. However, high school is a tougher environment to be in. I was constantly bullied in high school. This has lead to me hiding my autism and feeling hurt when people pick up on me being different.  It is not their fault that I can feel offended but from my experiences in high school, it does hurt me because I fear being bullied or discriminated against again.

It may be easy to say “It’s ok to have autism” or “be proud of having autism” but in this world, it is a lot harder to think that way.  For the neurotypicals reading this post, if any of you know or think you know someone with autism, be more understanding and consider that what is jumping off or doing a back tuck off the beam may be a double double off the beam to them. Also, pointing out the social difficulties may be hurtful to them, no matter how sensitive you think you are in doing it.

Note: This blog post may not be reproduced partially or in full without my written consent. If you wish to use this blog post in any form, you must write to me first.

Why I can’t get employed with a disability

This is part 1 of my Finding a job with autism series.

More than three years since my last post, I have done an Honours degree and have been unable to find a job but have done casual positions for a few elections.

After doing an Honours degree, I want to do a PhD one day but before then, I feel that I need some more experience in research. This means that I have to find a job as a research assistant. But finding a job when I have a disability is harder in a world that does not seem to think that people with a disability make good employees.

In 2018, it was discovered that many Japanese government agencies were not meeting compulsory employment quotas for people with a disability even though they met these quotas on paper. This happened because the employees counted for this quota were not properly confirmed as people with a disability and agencies seemed to be exploiting loopholes. This caused a scandal in Japan.

While Australia does not have employment quotas for people with a disability, there is a scheme called RecruitAbility that allows people with a disability to advance to the next stage in the employment process if they meet the minimum standards for some public service jobs. This could be seen as a way for the public service to increase the number of employees with a disability. However, this journal article stated that out of 1,193 positions opting in to the RecruitAbility scheme, only 43 people with a disability were employed. In other words, only 3.6% of positions were filled by someone with a disability. This is not acceptable when a large number of people with a disability are unemployed and looking for work.

From my experience, while I have been able to get a few video and face to face interviews for jobs that were advertised under the aforementioned scheme, I have not been successful. I know that as someone with a disability, it is harder for me to find a job but the disability I have, which is a form of autism, makes the interview stage a lot tougher.

As someone on the autism spectrum, I have to compete for a job under a system that disadvantages me. The system requires me to have certain abilities in social communication that I do not have due to my disability. No wonder why in 2015 the unemployment rate for people with autism was 31.6% in Australia compared to 10% for people with a disability in general. If this is to change, employers need to be creative in how they find suitable employees. Maybe remove the interview stage and find other ways in choosing someone for the job. A job trial or a chance to provide a sample of the work required are my suggestions.  As someone with autism, there is a good chance that I will not do well in an interview but if I was able to show my ability to do a job in another way, I might be able to get a job.

The longer I stay unemployed, the harder it is going to be to find a job.  It would be nice to find a job before the end of this year.  Unfortunately, I am not the only one struggling in finding employment while having a disability. If things do not change, Australia will be the next country with a disability employment scandal.

For part 2 of this blog series, click here.

Note: This blog post may not be reproduced partially or in full without my written consent. If you wish to use this blog post in any form, you must write to me first.

アンジェリック・プリティの Strawberry Whipのレビュー (Angelic Pretty's Strawberry Whip Review)

今日のプリントのレビューは日本語と英語で初めて書きました。今日のプリントはプリティさんのStrawberry Whipというシリースです。

Today’s print review is the first one written in English and Japanese on this blog. The print I am reviewing today is AP’s Strawberry Whip series.

まず、ワンピースです。　普通のワンピースの姿ですが、ヘムはリボンが可愛くて、プリントによく似合います。そして、甘ロリの物ですが、チョーカーはワンピースが上品になると思います。けど、シャーリングがないので、色々なサイズに合わないかもしれません。アイボリーはデザートのクリームのような色だから、綺麗です。

First is the OP. While it is in the usual OP shape, the bows on the hem are cute and complement the print. Also, the choker does make the OP look elegant despite it being a Sweet Lolita piece. However, because it has no shirring, it may not fit a variety of body shapes. The ivory colourway is pretty because the main colour matches the colour of the cream on the pastries.

次はミニ袖ワンピースです。襟は広いので、リボンがないと、つまらなくなると思うので、それをしたら、ネックレスをしてみた方が良いです。このワンピースはシンプルなカットなので、プリントは見やすいです。シャーリングと袖のゴムがあるから、色々なサイズに合います。そして、ピンクはプリントがもっと可愛くなると思います。

Next is the mini sleeve OP. Because the collar is wide, if you removed the ribbon, it would become boring. Because of that, you should probably place a necklace instead of the ribbon if you choose to remove it. As the OP has a simple shape, it makes the print pop out. Also, as there is shirring and sleeve elastic, it should fit multiple body shapes. The pink colourway makes the print cuter, in my opinion.

最終はジャンパースカートです。ワンピースと同じように、ヘムはリボンが可愛いし、フリルはクラシカルな感じがちょっと付けています。でも、クラシカルロリータの物ではありません。ジャンパースカートなので、ブラースやカーディガンと着るても綺麗です。シャーリングがあるので、色々なサイズが着られますが、ミニ袖ワンピースの方が広がることになれると思います。ラベンダーはプリントのデザインが見やすくなるそうです。

Last is the jumper skirt. Just like with the OP, the bows on the hem are cute and the frill adds a bit of a classical feeling to the JSK. However, this is not a Classic Lolita piece. Because it is a jumper skirt, it will look nice with a blouse or a cardigan. Because there is shirring, it should fit various body shapes but I believe the mini sleeve OP is more elastic. The lavender does make it easier to see the print.

  

赤はカントリ風になると思います。このプリントは可愛くて、綺麗だと思います。プリティさんの苺のプリントは素敵ですが、次のプリントは初恋の香りなどの白い苺があったらいいと思います。Strawberry Whip を買うことが出来れば、何の色とワンピースとかミニ袖ワンピースとかジャンパースカートを決めることが難しいです。なぜなら、全てを好みます。

The red colourway does make it have a country feel in my opinion. This print is cute and pretty. While AP’s strawberry prints are lovely, I think it would be good if the next one had white strawberries such as Hatsukoi no kaori (an expensive white strawberry in Japan) on it. If I could buy Strawberry Whip, I would find it hard to choose which cut and colour because I like all of them.

少女の夢 (A girl’s dreams)

これは初めての日本語と英語のブログポストです。良くないですけど、読んでください。英語の訳はポストの下にあります。This is my first blog post in Japanese and English. Feel free to read it. The English version is on the bottom of this post.

甘ロリが好きです。なぜなら、可愛いし、パステルカラーが好きだし、モチーフも可愛いのです。今まで、ロリータのブランドの洋服はプリティーさんのCream cookie collection のジャンパスカートと Dramatic Roseのスカートです。けど、プリティさんと他のブランドの洋服を買いたいと思いますが、お金をもらう為に、就職しなければなりません。これは優しくないです。

そのことを待っている間に、ロリータ関係のヘアメイクを勉強してみたいです。例えば、カチューシャを持っています。けど、着方を知らないので、青木美沙子に書かれた「ローリタファッションBook」の考えをしてみたいと思う。そして、マニキュアを使いませんけど、使いたいので、練習します。長い髪が持っているので、色々なヘアアレンジをしてみた方がいいと思います。

ロリータをもっと着たいと思います。でも、生活なロリータになりたくないです。今、ロリータのサークルを所属していて、楽しいです。

自分として、ロリータのために、体型をキープすることが必要と思います。太り過ぎないように、ヨガをしたり、低カロリーダイエットをしたりします。今、ヨガに対して、鶴のポースとか、逆転のポースとか、車輪のポースとか出来ることが目的です。

ロリータの以外の夢、研究者になりたいですが、今こそ、難しいです。それから、頑張ります。

I enjoy wearing Sweet Lolita because it’s cute, I like pastel colours and it uses cute motifs. Up to now, the only brand garments I own are Angelic Pretty’s Cream Cookie Collection jumperskirt and Dramatic Rose skirt. However, I want to buy clothing from other brands as well as from AP. In order to get the money needed to do that, I have to get a job, which is not easy.

While I am waiting for a job, I want to learn more about hair and makeup that is related to Lolita. For example, I have a katyusha but I do not know how to wear it. Because of that, I will try some of the ideas from Misako Aoki’s Lolita Fashion Book. Also, while I do not wear nail polish, I want to try using that too. Because I have long hair, I think it would be good to try various hair styles.

I want to wear Lolita more often but I don’t want to be a lifestyle Lolita. Currently, I am part of my local Lolita group and enjoy it.

As for me, because of Lolita, I think it is necessary for me to keep in shape. In order to avoid gaining weight, I do things such as yoga and watching what I eat. My current goals for yoga are to be able to do inversions, crow pose and full wheel pose.

My dream that is not related to Lolita is to become a researcher. However, it is difficult to do that at this moment but I will try my best.

New Years 2016

Happy new year!

To start off the first post of the new year, I am going to update on the yoga goals I created in June. Currently, I am able to hold shoulderstand and forearm stand for one or two seconds and have improved on my headstands. As for arm balances and backbends, I have improved a fair bit.

As I have done a Loliday post a month ago, I will only describe my hopes for my Lolita life in 2016. I would like to wear Lolita more often and post my coords online using my new Instagram account. While this is mainly a Lolita fashion blog, I will be posting yoga related photos in there as well.

Photo from See To World.

International Lolita Day December 2015

For this International Lolita Day post, I am going to discuss a few things that I mentioned in my previous Loliday post related to my Lolita life and what has happened since then.

Adding on to the only meetup of early 2015

Since the International Lolita Day of June 2015, I have attended one extra meet up. I was planning to attend another one on top of the one I went to after the previous Loliday post but I became sick and as such, was unable to attend. However, I do have plans to attend a Loliday/Christmas meet up later this month, which would be good.

Dramatic Rose and extending my Lolita wardrobe

While I have not worn or tried on my Dramatic Rose skirt since June, I do feel that it would still fit me because I have lost even more weight and maybe I'll wear it later this month. As for adding on to my Lolita wardrobe, I have been unable to do so as I still haven't found a job yet (how long does it take to find a job in Australia in this day and age?). Maybe I'll find a job someday.

Spending excess yen on Amazon Japan

While I did not mention this in the previous post because I have only done it recently, I bought some Japanese books online, including one GLB and Misako Aoki's Lolita Fashion book. I hope I can learn something off those two books.

While this year has been so-so with regards to my Lolita life this year, I hope the rest of the year is better with that and/or 2016 is a lot better in general (I doubt it though).

Angelic Pretty's Dreamy Jewel

Today, I am going to review AP's latest release, Dreamy Jewel. It is an unusual print for Lolita because it uses jewels as a motif.

First is the OP. It is a long sleeved piece with a lace neck line and the rest of the dress has the Dreamy Jewel print on it. The red does make the print stand out and look elegant. However, the OP has no shirring, making it restricted in terms of sizing as well as the time when it can be worn due to the long sleeves. It does look elegant though.

Next is the ribbon JSK. It also has the print all over the piece with a bow on the chest. Due to the shirring, this could fit a variety of sizes but if you have a non-standard Asian shape, I would recommend trying it on before buying it, which is nearly impossible to do without a local AP store. The JSK does look nice and the pink does bring out the details of the jewels and the background. It also is more versatile in terms of season and dressing it up or down (it would be difficult to put any Dreamy Jewel print into a casual Lolita coord due to the jewel print, in my opinion).

While I do not normally review anything other than the OP/JSK/skirts of the reviewed print, I had to include the Dreamy Jewel tights because of the detail and how it would look nice with a plain Lolita main piece (by main piece, I am referring to OP, JSK and/or skirt) or a non Lolita outfit as well as Dreamy Jewel. Personally, I would buy these tights if they would fit me. As I do not know what the sizing range is, if anyone knows the sizing limits to AP tights, please comment below. With the tights, they look extravagant and I don't think anyone would know that these came from AP/another Lolita brand if they have never seen them before. Also, they would suit any length skirt as it is split into three different sections, which would create a different effect for each length.

Overall, I would buy this print in any colour as each one has its charm and I would try pairing any main piece with mainstream jewellery including a jewelled hair accessory in order to bring out the jewels in the print. If I had the money, I would buy something from this print right away (I wished I had a job now and not just because of the money).

Post Shiny Pokemon Week

Today, after 10 days since starting my Shiny Pokémon Week, I have hatched a shiny Shroomish via the Masuda Method. It took 1,016 eggs for this to happen and as you can see from my previous posts, I was getting frustrated but it worked out in the end. With regards to the hint in my previous post, Shroomish and Skitty are both in the Fairy egg group.



 

 

I named my Shiny Shroomish 　あきし (Akishi), which can be translated as "Autumn warrior". It is a suitable name for a male shiny Shroomish because it has autumnal colours and is a mushroom, which can be associated with autumn. He has a Sassy nature and his ability is Poison Heal, which is a good ability to have in order to confuse opponents with a poisoned Pokémon healing itself.

 

Also, he has a perfect HP IV thanks to his Korean Shroomish mother (his father is my own (Japanese) Chikorita who has a Serious nature, which is in accordance with the rules I have set on the first day of the Shiny Pokémon Week). After the long stretched out time that passed in order to get a shiny, I have taken a break from Pokémon breeding at the moment.

Shiny Pokemon Week Day 7

At the end of this challenge, I have hatched 900 eggs but no shiny Pokémon came from those eggs. Throughout the week, I played Pokémon Omega Ruby for at least three hours every day (today, I played for more than three hours). Even though I was unlucky during this challenge, I will continue hatching eggs until I get a shiny and when that happens, I will reveal the Pokémon species I was hatching and the mating couple. I believe I am going to have so much fun naming the shiny with the idea I have. As I did not obtain a shiny Pokémon, I will give you a hint as to the species. The hint is that is in the same egg group as my first gen VI shiny.

Shiny Pokemon Week Day 6

Today, I played Pokémon Omega Ruby for a bit over three hours. Out of curiosity, I looked at how many eggs other people had to hatch before they got a shiny Pokémon. A few said that it took around 1,000 eggs before they hatched a shiny. As my total for one Pokémon so far is over 700 non-shiny Pokémon hatched so far, I have a fair way to go before I reach 1,000 (I hope I hatch a shiny soon though). I don't care if it takes me 5,000 eggs before I get a shiny, I am getting at least one shiny Pokémon from this challenge even if it lasts for longer than a week.

I am aware that if I hatch 683 eggs, none of them are guaranteed to be shiny. However, there is a 63% (0.63) chance of hatching at least one shiny from these 683 eggs. This %chance was obtained from this online calculator (note you may need to divide 1/683 on a real calculator in order for the website to use it). Without boring or confusing you with the mathematics behind it, the calculation (or formula) this online calculator uses is called binomial probability and the website I have provided gives an easy to understand explanation in the FAQ section. Note: This would be useful for calculating the chance of obtaining a shiny with any hatching method (I would not use it for Dexnav shiny hunting and anything similar).

Below are the chances of obtaining at least one shiny from the number of eggs I have mentioned in this post.

700 eggs hatched =64% (0.64) chance
1,000 eggs hatched = 77% (0.77) chance
5,000 eggs hatched = 99-100% (0.99-1) chance (note: The online calculator mentioned does not like numbers above 1,000, so be careful with this).

The point I am making with these probabilities/chances is that there is no guarantee that a shiny will be hatched using the Masuda method but with perseverance, it should happen sometime.

Shiny Pokemon Week Day 5

Today, I played Pokémon Omega Ruby for at least four hours today and I am still having bad luck in getting a shiny. Almost 680 eggs hatched and no shiny. Given the odds of getting a shiny through the Masuda method (1/683), there was a good chance that one of the 680 Pokémon hatched should have been a shiny. Even if more than 683 eggs were hatched, there was no guarantee that at least one of the Pokémon hatched would have been a shiny. Even if it takes more than a week, I am still hatching eggs from the same parents the non shiny Pokémon came from until I get a shiny Pokémon.

Shiny Pokemon Week Day 4

Today, I played Pokémon Omega Ruby for over three hours and my total hatched egg count from the start of this challenge is over 530 eggs without a shiny, which beats the record I have for my shiny Skitty, which is 424 eggs by over 100. Maybe I'll be lucky and get a shiny tomorrow or maybe I won't get a shiny throughout this week at all. At least I tried if that is the case but I am not stopping until the end of this week. I wanted to give up today because I had no luck but maybe something will happen. I wonder what the nature and gender of the shiny Pokémon will be.

Shiny Pokemon Week Day 3

Today, I played Pokémon Omega Ruby for three hours and even though I have hatched around 350 eggs, I have not obtained a shiny yet. Starting this challenge, I knew that it was going to be hard but if it was easy to obtain a shiny, they would have less value than what they already have. The Masuda method has an approximate chance of 1/683 of hatching a shiny, so I should keep on going even if it is the end of this week before I obtain one shiny.

It's strange that in the Pokémon world, a rare Pokémon (e.g. a shiny) would be valuable but in the real world a rare human can be seen as repulsive. Also, if a shiny Pokémon has perfect IV values, which is also rare (for an explanation, go to Bulbapedia). On the other hand, a human has more than one rare quality, he or she can become even more undesirable. This way of thinking with humans is not fair and in my opinion, it needs to stop (I know this because I have a disability and I am a Lolita (It is a choice but do I deserve to be discriminated against because of who I am or what I enjoy?).

Shiny Pokemon Week Day 2

Today, I played Pokémon Omega Ruby (the game I am using in order to obtain shiny Pokémon) for more than 3 hours. Even though more than 200 eggs were hatched, no shiny has been produced yet (I am not revealing the Pokémon I am hatching until I obtain a shiny). I should not give up because it took over 400 eggs before I got my first shiny for generation VI. I still felt like giving up during the first time I used the Masuda method for my shiny Skitty but I got there and I played with that Skitty in order to help me lose a bit of weight before I went to Japan. This was done in order to improve my chances of fitting into Lolita clothing over there.

Even though I am only hatching shiny Pokémon this week for the purpose of seeing how many shinies I can get in one week, who knows what I might do with the resulting shiny Pokémon in the future. I know it will be hard in terms of patience and perseverance but I will manage to continue until the end of the week.

Shiny Pokemon Week Day 1

This week, I am challenging myself to see how many shiny Pokémon I can obtain through the Masuda method in one week. The rules for the challenge are as follows

1. Spend at least 3 hours hatching Pokémon eggs each day.
2. One new parent must have the same nature as the previous shiny. (e.g. If the shiny had a quirky nature, one parent for the next shiny must have a quirky nature also).
3. Each breeding pair must follow the Masuda method.

I will be updating daily throughout the next 7 days and will include the hatched shiny Pokémon for the day as well as the parents. So far, I have not hatched a shiny even though I played for more than three hours today and I started the week with my new shiny Rayquaza (it does not count for this challenge) which has a serious nature.

Lolita Blog Carnival: Plan Your Ideal Holiday Trip to Tokyo for Frills

In this post, I will describe my ideal Lolita holiday to Tokyo. I would like to go to Shibuya, Harajuku, Shinjuku, Ikebukuro and Disney Sea. As with the hotel, it would need to have a wardrobe that will store two Lolita outfits because I would like to go to a brand event. Also, there would be a travel companion for peace of mind when out in Harajuku wearing Lolita and also to take photos. Below is a list of things I would like to do in Tokyo.

Ideal spending money: at least enough for 1-2 Lolita pieces (skirt, JSK, OP) and other things

 

Anywhere

 

- Eat at Mister Donut and Mosburger (Mister Donut has unique donuts and the rice burger at Mosburger is delicious)

 

 

Above: What I ate at Mister Donut Ikebukuro. I wish Pon de Ring donuts were available in Australia.

 





Shibuya

 

 

- Get breakfast at Krispy Kreme, ideally get a Japan only and/or a seasonal donut.

 

- Go to 109 and browse the shops (especially the sock/stocking stores, KOKOkim, Ruby Rose and Club KT (Hello Kitty store)

Above: Shibuya 109 at night during Christmas.

 

-Walk around Shibuya and play at random game centres

- Go to the Disney store

- Take a photo with Hachiko

Above: Photo of Hachiko. Note to self: next time in Tokyo, ask someone to take a photo of me with Hachiko or buy a selfie stick.

 

Harajuku

 

-Wear Lolita

 

- Go to Takeshita street, shop at Bodyline (caution: can't try anything on and no refunds. In other words, do not buy anything there if you are unsure if it will fit), go to Daiso (huge one on Takeshita street) and shop at Closet child (hard to find unless you look up)

 

Above: Takeshita street sign. It's amazing that it can combine a TV like screen with balloons.

 

 

-Take Purikura

 

- Eat at Santa Monica crepe on Takeshita street (as long as it's stuffed, any crepe may be good)

 

- Walk around the backstreets of Harajuku

 

- Go to 6% DokiDoki (seems to like foriegners)

 

- Go to Laforet and browse all floors

 

- Visit Meiji shrine and Yoyogi park (I have been to Meiji shrine but not Yoyogi park)

 

 

Ikebukuro

 

 

- Go to Sunshine City alpha and look around

 

- Eat at the Sunshine City "restaurant floor" and choose a restaurant based on what I feel like on the day

 

- Eat at the Milky Way café

 

- Go to Closet child

 

- Walk around Ikebukuro and play at random game centers

 

 

Shinjuku

 

 

- Go to closet child (would go to all three shops as they won't have the same stock)





 

- Shop at Marui Annex and maybe Marui One

 

- As long as I have a map/ smartphone with one or two map apps, get out of Shinjuku station at a random exit and walk around

 

- Take advantage of the free observation desks at the Tokyo Government Metropolitan building



 

Disney Sea



- Spend 1 or 2 days there

 

- Buy Duffy and/or Shelley Mae on the first day

 

 

Brand event

 

- Ideally plan a coord before Tokyo and adding on in Tokyo in order to reduce stress

 

 

 







Link to Lolita Blog Carnival

 

Other blogs participating

 

McDuff's Auditorium

Candied Dreams

Alice in Lolitaland

Courtly Dreams For Burgher

The Bloody Tea Party

The Wonderful World of Minnie

 

 

 



 

 

 



Angelic Pretty's Classic Fairy Tales

It has been a long time since I have done a print review but today I am reviewing AP's Classic Fairy Tales series. At first, I thought that the print is more BTSSB or Innocent World than AP because of it being more classic Lolita and it's not what AP is known for.

First is the OP, which has removable sleeves, making it good for all seasons. It has a collar which makes it look like the wearer is wearing a blouse underneath when the detachable sleeves are used. The waist bow blends into the OP in a nice way. One problem with the OP is that it has no shirring, which does limit its sizing. The vertical trim lines on the bodice do look nice on the OP. Overall, it is a nice classic OP.



Next is the skirt, which is in a standard AP skirt size, making it flexible in terms of sizing to an extent. The skirt has a simple construction, which makes the print stand out and the bows can be removed. However, I would not remove the smaller front bow. That is because there would be a gap in the lace trim on the waist, which could ruin the effect. Overall, this is a nice skirt that I would consider buying if it was my style.

 

Finally, The JSK, which is flexible in terms of its sizing, meaning it could fit a variety of Lolitas. The bodice does look nice with its vertical lace trim and criss cross ribbon. This JSK looks like it could be won with a blouse or an outer in lieu of the former. The waist bow does blend into the JSK in the same way as the OP but I feel that this would suit a curvier Lolita well due to the low neckline, which is why I think AP made the right choice in making this include shirring. Overall, this is a well designed JSK.

 

As for the print, I feel that it is similar to Baby and IW but has an AP twist to it. While it is not my style, I do like the print series. (However, things could change just like with my Dramatic Rose skirt. While I was not interested in the print at first, I grew in love with the skirt over time.) If I was to buy this, I would consider buying a green JSK or skirt as the lighter colour does bring out the print well and the JSK and skirt are more flexible in terms of creating a coord with.





Lolita Blog Carnival: Your Process For Putting A Coord Together

It's been over a year since I have done a Lolita Blog Carnival post. However, I am doing another one about how I put a coord together. I will describe my basic principles and use my first Cream Cookie Collection coord as an example.

Above: Cream Cookie Collection coord from December 2014. (original post link).

Look at the colours on the main item

First, I would look at the colours of the main item, taking into account if the colours are pastel, bright, dark etc. as well as the actual colours (i.e. black, red, pink). For example, with my Cream Cookie Collection JSK, the main colour is Sax with other featured colours being pink, brown and white/cream. As the JSK was pastel, I chose a light pink bolero to wear over it (the bolero is peeking out from the fur coat). This also affected my choice to buy the cream Shy Bear necklace as most of the JSK was pastel/light.

Consider motifs

Next, I would look at the motifs on the main item and choose the other items based on the motifs. If the print had no motifs, I would think about motifs that would work with the main item. For example, the ribbon barrette was chosen to go with the ribbon grid on the JSK and the biscuit earrings (may be hard to see on the photo) were chosen to go with the main motif of the JSK. If it was an item without motifs, I would choose one or two motifs for the other items but not overwhelm the coord with excess motifs.

Consider the venue/season

Finally, I would consider the venue as well as the season for the coord. For example, I also chose the bolero for the coord as the venue for the AP event would probably be heated (as with most places in Japan during winter). If I had more time to prepare/AP released a head accessory other than the Cream Cookie Collection barrette), I would have chosen other items in order to be better presented for the event/venue. However, I aimed to get an AP JSK for the event due to it being run by Angelic Pretty but did have a backup from an indie brand (Infanta's Creamy Cat JSK). Also, if it was spring/summer, I would have worn socks instead of tights.

The points I have mentioned above describe how I would put a coord together. I did use a similar process for my last coord, which was for a local meet up (At the moment, I am not considering posting anything from local meet ups).

Link to LBC

 

Other Blogs participating

Vanilla Bear

My Little Gothic Bubble