G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S

I thought I'd take a moment to muse over some gyaru topics.
Firstly, I've been able to actually go shopping this month which has lead me to delve back into gyaru and my own gyaru style. Shopping in 109 is quite inspirational and CocoLulu shop girls have made me gaga for their clothes.

I'm especially loving this hoodie right now.

My only problem with Co&Lu is that I can sometimes feel very tomboyish in my baggy jeans and high tops so I have to think a bit harder about how to balance it out so I still feel cute and feminine. This is such a minor gripe though because the happy, energetic feeling I get from just LOOKING at their clothes gets me giddy! I WANT TO BE A CO&LU girl!!

These clothes are just MADE for summer and in the winter when it's dark and cold they cheer you up!

Unfortunately for me though Co&Lu in 109 only stock sizes S and L which is fine for me when it comes to tops and hoodies but jeans are a different story. British hips were not ment to fit into a Japanese size M sadly. Although I'm not sure that even an L size would look good on me considering the idea of the item is to hang loose on the hips for the casual look.

Moving swiftly on. Gyaru-sa, Gal Circles. I've had my share. Although I love gyaru and love to talk about gyaru with like minded girls I no longer feel like I have to be part of the community. My point of view, coming from my own experiences, is that a Gal circle should be something natural. A group of friends who enjoy this style. I think maybe western girls who know about this style seek out the community because they want people to share it with. But I think this can often be problematic when friendships are based on surface alone. I'm not saying that wonderful friendships can't come out of these groups and also that it isn't wonderful to meet new people with the same interests but for me personally I'd rather explore gyaru with people I consider close friends a.k.a Toni (http://mysparetimeretreat.blogspot.com/). There are alot of UK gals who I really like and respect but I wonder if I could ever be in a Gal circle again considering my change in attitude.
This has all been bought up by a recent event where I was reminded that you can love gyaru style more than anything in the world but it doesn't mean you'll get along with other gyaru. I think maybe one of the reasons there seems to be so much drama in the western gyaru scene is because circles form based on need, either to copy the Japanese concept of Gal circles or the need to find people to share the passion with but alot of the time it isn't considered whether personalities will clash resulting in feelings getting hurt.
Alot of Gals out there want everyone to get along and have fun being in a circle but you never know if someone will come along and rub you up the wrong way.

For now I'm happy not being in a Gal circle, although I respect all those out there who are in one and happy. I'm cheering you on!

Soz lol

Bit of a hiatus there. Let's recap the last month or so..

I MOVED. Yes we are now out of the guesthouse and into our lovely Tokyo apartment. We used a gaijin rental agency called Fontana

http://www.tokyocityapartments.net/about-us/

Moving with Fontana has been a really stress free time and i recommend them highly if you want to live in Tokyo. The staff are friendly, there are no key fees and you can get pretty much any furniture you may need for them for nothing. The apartments all come furnished but if you need anything else like chairs, tables or tvs Fontana will look in their storeroom for you and get you what you need. Check them out!

I'm now coming to the end of my 1 week summer holiday from school. Before the holiday started I was teaching summer school kids (aged 8 and 9) art. It has proven to be quite a challenge to get these kids fired up about art work. I'm teaching them how I liked to be taught, which was to be shown some artwork, discuss what was interesting about said artwork and try and take some inspiration from it to create something new. But honestly, I think these kids just want to play with clay =_=
I have to say, as much as I miss work and my kids it's been great to have a rest! I had the oppotunity to go to the mountains for a "Bonkura BBQ" hosted by people from the ParaPara community. It was probably the most awesome day I've spent in Japan. The mountains we just breathtaking, and the BBQ was beautiful. One of the best things was swimming in the river with everyone and just relaxing with friends.


GORGEOUS!
After we went to an onsen which was one of the things I wanted to cross off my To Do list. It was amazing and I would have loved to have been able to sit in there for hours but honestly after 20 minuets I was ready to pass out from the heat.

OH YES I also fainted on the train! After being ill one weekend I thought I went to a beautiful firework display in Yokohama with a workmate, I spent all day in the sun and humidity and fainted on the train to Shinjuku. Luckly that was my stop so I was carted onto the platform then wheeled to the rest room and told to lay down for a bit. Bit of an adventure. I was helped out by some lovely girls in yukatas who gave me cold tea!

My week off has resulted in me becoming a Shibuya whore, that is a whore for Shibuya shopping! Shibuya always seemed a bit of a let down to me before, maybe because I had such high hopes for the shopping and fashion district. But after a little shopping spree in 109 on the weekend I felt alot more at home. I went with a friend and it actually felt like being back home with my ultimate shopping maye Toni (http://mysparetimeretreat.blogspot.com/ CHECK OUT HER BLOG) . My love for clothes seems to be reignited a little bit, and CoCoLulu has definately had its influence on me.
Also I had my first experience in a Japanese salon. I went to an adorable place around the back streets of Shibuya for my extensions. The whole deal took about 45 - 50 minuets, and I was only 6,400 yen (about £47) lighter. Honestly not a bad price for the amount of hair I got (50 pieces down to the bottom of my bra line). Most other places seem to charge in the region of 9,000 yen but I'm pretty sure the hair will be higher quality and they will bring you a cup of coffee aswell. However for my first braided extensions these are perfect! Photos will eventually be put up when I can be bothered to dress up for them. There is a gyaru meet tomorrow in Shibuya which I will try to document for all the Gal lovers out there. I'll keep you posted. Hopefully.

Peace.

Money talks, money talks. Dirty cash i want you..

Wow that last post was pure frustration wasn't it? Let's move swiftly on.

My camera is out of action due to having a bent USB cable which I will replace sometime after pay day. So I can't bring you any photos of my new bike "Unit 1" or any of the new snaz I've shot.

This post is going to be about Japanese trade secrets, probably useless if you're not in Japan or thinking of coming here but here we go. I won't lie when I say that money goes very quickly over here. Even for someone like me who doesn't go out drinking often and doesn't go shopping at all. Even compared to living on your own in the UK i find Japan leeches your money even more, alot of this has to do with my concept of Yen, meaning that my mind hasn't really adjusted to the fact that Y1,000 is actually doesn't stretch that far here. I mean if you go to the corner shop and buy lunch and a coffee you're looking at a grand. Another way Tokyo zaps the monies is travel. Back home I would walk everywhere or be lucky enough to be given a ride, but here you take the train everywhere and everyday. From Nakano to my work (40mins and 1 change) costs me Y1,000 return, so Y20,000 a month (around £150) which is a BIG chunk out of my pay packet. And I would have gone on paying this unless I was told by my co-worker to get a monthly pass. Now I've never heard of these before, they weren't mentioned in any of the guidebooks and even people who have lived here for years didn't mention them. They're called commuter passes and you can buy them from special JR ticket machienes, you have to input your details and it will give you a paper ticket (or update your Suica train pass) to last you a month. You pick which route you take on what lines and it will give you a mega discount bonus for a month. Instead of paying Y20,000 on av. a month the commuter pass charges me Y13,300. A whopping saving there already! Also if you decide "Hey I'd like to go to one of the stops along my route" at anytime of the month then the card will not charge you anymore, so I can explore any of the 13 stops along my route for free. The Japanese seem reluctant to advertise this fact but I'm telling you now if you use the same route on a regular basis YOU NEED ONE OF THESE.

Another good idea is to keep an eye on Craigslist. Sometimes in the job sections are random one off jobs for foreigners they you just have to send an email to apply for. They are a good way to make some extra money and can be extremly fun. I applied to dance on a music video for Team JyunJyou

http://ameblo.jp/teamjj/

I spent a Saturday in a club in Shibuya with a bunch of other people being filmed dancing to a concert. Super fun, met some great people and got paid! You have to keep an eye out for these oppotunities right?

Another money spinner is food. Eating out alot can drain your money hella fast although places like Matsuya (you order what you want from a ticket booth and hand it to the servers) offer plates of food for Y290. If you enjoy eating the same food most nights a week then this is pretty cheap. Ramen bars offer up huge bowls of nutritious broth for Y1,000 and these will keep you full all day. Bento-ya means you can pick whatever you like for your box lunch so you can keep it cheap but these still work out slightly pricey and convinient store bento's are hardly worth what you pay for them (and they make me feel sick) . Supermarkets are favourite because I love to cook but the goods can really range in price, also I find cooking for one person quite hard as all my vegetables, fish and meat don't get used up in a week so I have to get creative with how I can combine them all for my breakfast, lunch and dinner. Also RICE! Buy in bulk! You can pick up a big bag for Y2,000 (5kg lasts me 6 week for lunch and dinner). Even with supermarkets I find you have to shop around though, some supermarkets will charge Y168 for spinche whereas my local will charge Y88, so it really is worth it to explore. Also try and find some markets where sushi and sashimi are so much cheaper.

If you have any more money making/saving ideas lemme know!

It's my party....I'll cry if I want to

Yesterday marked the 23rd anniversary of me being on this planet. I always find birthdays a bit odd and uncomfortable since theres this pressure to make the day feel special but that usually means just getting drinking to excess just "because it's your birthday!!". I'm not that imaginative when it comes to planning birthdays so I usually just cave in and say "Yeah OK pissup it is" but yet again this proved to be the worst idea. I've been feeling a little run down this week and haven't been sleeping well due to the humidity, couple this with being hormonal and homesick and it became bad times. Since I didn't really have any plans i agreed to go to a Para night that Max was going to. I don't know why I didn't just say "I'm just go wander around Akihabara" I guess since I have no money that would have been a bad idea too but it certainly beats giving away Y1000 and then blowing another Y2000 on karaoke that tried to charge us Y17,000....then going to a para club where nobody whould talk or even look at us then getting thrown out of our reserved booth and being denied a glass of fucking tap water! In the end I threw my drink on the floor and filled it up in the bathroom. I seriously just wanted to bomb Japan last night and I feel like an idiot for thinking I could make the day "special" by doing all this stuff. At the end of the day just being in Tokyo is special enough and I didn't need a fucking party because it made things worse. I'm now hungover, angry and tired. I would have been upset regardless but at least it wouldn't have been put down to "Oh, she just can't hold her drink very well". In all honesty I just wanted to be home yesterday with my family. I was made a beautiful video by my best friend Holly with everyone wishing me a happy birthday, that in itself made the day spiecial enough for me. The comments I recieved on Facebook, those make it special enough.
This morning I woke up at 5am and just wished so much to be home. I'm loving it so much here and I've got an awesome thing going with my job and my life here....but Goddamn I wish I could just teleport back for a little while...just enough time for a hug and a cup of tea.
So this is the tough time where I need to be strong and not give up. I'm certain this feeling won't last long. I think the lesson learned is just "Recognise your feelings and do what YOU want" If I'm feeling sad and homesick don't cover it up with fake cheeriness and think it's ok to have a few drinks....It will be the worst of times. It not like I was even that drunk, just stupidly tired and homesick.

So now it's time for work.

Yatta Yatta YattaYatta

Ouu laziness got the better of me there. Soz lol

Right lets crack on! About a month ago Max, Carly and I all thought we'd be super cool and find an anime convention to go to in Tokyo. We looked for one at the famous Tokyo Big Sight, home of the biggest anime conventions and we found one called "Dream Party" ....PERFECT!
The ride on the monorail to Tokyo Big Sight is AWESOME I'd just like to add. They designed it to go round the best scenic route possible, past all the amazing architecture and eventually past rainbow bride and to the seaside (well...sea at least)






So we made our way through Tokyo Big Sight and noticed THOUSANDS and THOUSANDS of women making their way out...suspicious we thought. They all seemed to becoming from downstairs and we were heading upstairs, but we'll come back to them later. So we paid our Y2,000 to get into "Dream Party" and made our way into the huge warehouse where we were confronted by a stage and a few stalls with huge groups of men hanging round them. Not exactly what I'd pictured but whatever. They only woman besides ourselves that we could see were working on the stalls and in cosplay outfits. Weird. So we turned a corner and got stopped because Carly had been given a different coloured broucher than us....again we thought that was weird so we hopped back to the desk and got it swapped. Then we realised what the big deal was. We were being let into the 18+ area which was the magoritiy of the conventions tables and on these tables they were selling moe and love simulator games.

:O

XO

:O

AWESOME!! The whole thing was a riot and we walked around as the only gaijin and the only people not buying anything. Although if I'd had the money I would have gotten me one of these..

PRETTY SWEET RIDE EH?!

It was all a bit weird with guys seeming to queue for ages for 1 leaflet...not even a good leaflet with some boobies on it either...like just writing. Strange times. Of course there were voice actresses there giving little talks on their respective porno game stalls and live acts of cosplay girls singing moe moe songs. Feds were patrolling and you weren't allowed to film or take pictures so we snuck to the back but as it turns out there were far more interesting things to film than the stage. It was all getting a bit off the hook. Otaku were uniting and throwing their nuts all over the shop, every 5 seconds the feds would come and tell them to quieten down but ohhhh the raving otaku cannot be stopped. Carly, Max and I fell apart laughing at the antics, of course we joined in and became one of the mob and it was all fantastic fun!

Get a load of the moves!



YES!!

After wondering about in a serreal haze we trecked back downstairs to where there were STILL thousands of woman walking out of. We snuck into the warehouse sized room and....SWEET JESUS ITS A DOUJINSHI CONVENTION!!

:O

XO

D:



How did this happen?! Sorry, but the photo does no justice to how HUGE this place was...and this was only half of it! I was told again not to take photos but DANG. So we spent another hour wondering round in a daze of porn, this time of the gay variety, most of it Durarara related O.o (U WUT?!) Again nothing was bought. We couldn't even pick anything up to look because the artists are sitting right there and it would've be awkward...

Thing is everyone is just walking around reading their porn, talking with their friends about it and it's so natural. There was no weird, seedy vibe going on, it was a fun atmosphere and everyone was just chillin' with their comics. If I was into dating sims and doujinshi I would have been pissing my pants....I was still pissing my pants but from the sheer excitment at actually getting to experience this totally bizaar and awesome cultural activity unique to Japan. ROCK ON NIPPON!

I think this sums up my feelings on the day...




I have no idea where we went after for food, a few stops on the monorail. Came out after to see the PERFECT sunset over Tokyo.

And a Statue of Liberty...


So I have yet to experience a "real" anime convention in Tokyo, but I'm sure I will sometime and when I do I'm gonna be ready!

In real news, my job is still awesome! The kids are great and I feel like I'm beginging to find my feet as a teacher. It all comes with time I guess. I also reallllly liked being paid! For the first time in months I've been able to spend money without really feeling guilty! Glorious!
I went a bit blind a few weeks ago and went to hospital to get it checked out. From this one experience I have to say I find the Japanese healthcare system to be pretty good, they're very thorough with tests (the doctor even gave me some eye drops to freeze my pupils so it looked like I was on some kind of drugs for 6 hours!) and very kind. Of course it isn't like England and you have to pay for healthcare, it only came to Y2100 but at least I had the peace of mind that I probably wouldn't go totally blind. AND HEY I DIDN'T! My eyesight is back to normal :D
My Japanese is improving ever so slightly, I'm still rubbish but I'm making efforts now and I have lessons that I practice on my hour communte to work every morning...DON'T GIVE UP

Over the last few weeks I have been decovering a few secrets to save and earn money (sounds dodge but it isnt...) so I will post about that next time.

Ahhh this post was lazy ne?

What a way to make a living

Let's updating more! Jeez I really have been quite slack with posting recently. The main reason being that I have another job! I'm now officially a pre-school teacher! 9-3:30 Monday to Friday with the occational meeting or afterschool club thrown in afterwards. I work for an international school which means I don't have to know any Japanese at all, but most of the other teachers are fluent which means they can talk to parents more easily and answer emails in Japanese.

I must admit I was pretty daunted when I went to my interview and the director was telling me about the curriculum and I was like....I have to actually TEACH these kids?! Bearing in mind I have no degree and no real childcare experience. But regardless I accepted the job and went to work the day after Golden Week and I absolutely love it! We have between 7 - 10 kids in every day and they're all adorable!! They're aged between 1 - 3 years old, some of them are little shits but I love them anyway and most of them aren't fully toilet trained so yes that means I have to deal with changing nappies, but even thats ok! The staff are lovely too, of course I'm still the new girl so there's a certain adjustment period to go through, I'm not in the crew just yet which, I'll be honest, is a bit weird considering I came from a job I was at for 3 years where I felt like my coworkers were like my brothers and sisters! But just like when I started that job it took me a while to really interact with the staff. But I'm feeling more and more comfortable everyday, and I'm begining to accept my role as a real teacher, not just a classroom assistant who helps the kids go potty. I'm expected to come up with lesson plans and ideas for the weeks themes aswell as help adjust the curriculum based on the class's achievments and level of progress. I also have to write weekly reports to the parents and administration. It's a real learning experience for me and I guess my first "real" job where I have a sense of real resposibility. I think it's a great oppotunity for me to grow and learn how to cope with such things on my own.

I found it a bit weird that I was lucky enough to find 2 jobs in 3 weeks with no degree or tefl course qualifications or anything. Every job I looked at on the internet required me to have a degree and most people I talked to told me the same but the reality is that if you put in the leg work, are flexable with your hours, have good interview skills and really want to work in this country you shouldn't have much of a problem. Of course it also helps if you're British :3
I feel like I've always been lucky when it comes to getting jobs, I've always seemed to be in the right place at the right time so I don't really have to go through any real stress or pressure. If you are thinking about moving to Japan to work just be prepared to do some legwork and explore every option because you never know what oppotunities could come your way.

I have to say I'm feeling pretty proud of myself right now, I can't believe that just 6 weeks ago I came to this country to live for a year with barely £700 to my name and now I'm managing to make a real life for myself out here. I have very little money left now but I'm more than capable of budgeting so I have enough to last me until next pay day. Over the last 6 weeks I have realised alot about myself, about how I love to feel settled in one place rather than the "backpacky" lifestyle people my age seem to be so fond of, how I love to have a space to call home - Of course my real home will always be with my family but even out here I like to feel like my bed is MY bed...not like I'm just renting it out, and also how I like routine. I need to feel like I'm being productive, I couldn't bare it if I was on holiday for this long, even if I could afford it. After I started work I felt so much more at ease with myself and also about living here, like it wasn't just an idea anymore, it was a reality.

Next time : TOKYO BIG SIGHT (prepare for lulz)

For the Moe consciousness

OH AKIHABARA! How I have heard of your wonders! But oh lord I didn't expect to be quiet as uplifted as I was by todays adventure.

Entering Akihabara is like leaving the real world and entering dream world, where everything is anime, games, moe and maids. There are literally hundreds of shops, each with several floors to explore filled with crap you didn't even know you wanted. Thousands of people wonder around with bags filled with their favourite figures or pillows or comics. While most of this is geared towards men and alot of what is on sale is hentai or ecchi related there was still plenty of stuff for me to enjoy. Japan has succeeded in reigniting my love for animes I used to watch when I was a teenager.

Firstly there is TONNES of Evangelion stuff around, I suppose to promote the new movies ("You can (Not) advance" is released on DVD on the 27th :D) so I was super snap happy!



I'm glad to see old series like Eva and Gundam Wing still have a place in the manic world of otaku where there are a million an one new animes to take their place. Nostalgic series are the best!

Akiba is also renound for its maid cafes. A bizaar trend that nowhere else in the world has caught onto. We as westerners cannot comprehend that somthing that seems like fetish work can be so completly innocent. Oviously there are certain establishments that are a bit dodgy and offer 'extras' but for the most part the world of Maid-o is sweet and clean. We went to one particular cafe called "Mai Dreamin". As soon as you step into the cafe you feel like you've been transported to a different planet. Away from the harsh grey of the world outside and into a rainbow! There are fluffy clouds coming out of the ceiling, ribbons lining the bar, massive plush toys on the stage and every girl is wearing a maid costume! There are no bouncers, no security cameras, nothing, because noone there is ever expected to cause a ruckus. Even though there is a bar and I expect patrons can get quite loud on occasions you never get the feeling that the girls are in any danger, which is astonising since I could never imagine such a place in England.
To make their money the girls sell glossy photos of themselves, cd's of songs they sing and the privledge to have a poloroid taken with a maid of your choice. Since you arent allowed to take photos of the girls yourself you're pretty much forced into this but the photos you get are something to keep forever, as they write a thankyou message on the back and decorate the front with stars and hearts!
We spent two hours in there enjoying the singing and whole sugary sweetness of it all. We had to pay around Y3000-4000 each but for such a unique experience it was sooooooo worth it. I won't ever forget my first visit to a maid cafe XD

Akiba is a strange place indeed and maybe not for everyone visiting Japan, I would still recommend it for tourists but if you have no interest in anime, gaming, moe or electrical goods then you're going to find it very weird indeed. The most important thing about it is to keep an open mind, and I'm sure you'll love Akiba as much as I did!


Us outside the legendary "Gamers" shop, home of DiGi Charet

That about covers it for Akiba. I'm writing this with the flu and so I'll be staying in to blog more tomorrow. Coming up, Greeary day, Jobs, Dealing with Homesickness and Tokyo Big Sight

Love to all my readers xxx