A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to be able to be asked to do a podcast on westerners views on gyaru and gyaru culture in the UK. I hope everyone realises that while I love the gyaru style and use elements of it for my own style I don't think I'm dedicated enough to call myself gyaru. Nevertheless I tried to put forward some of my opinions on gyaru culture.

The podcast isn't available yet but as soon as it is I shall post it. I am a little worried seeing as I had 4 hours sleep because I was clubbing in Shibuya until 6am! I don't think I was able to convey some ideas very coherently so please enjoy laughing at that!

I was asked to do the podcast by two wonderful people Matthew and Terri who run this fantastic place in Meguro called Tokyo Hacker Space

http://www.tokyohackerspace.org/

I didn't realize but there are many Hacker Spaces around the world! I was so surprised at the type of work that goes on in the Hacker Space. It's a place where anyone can take their ideas and use the resources to make it real, weither that idea is to do with art, the environment, computer hacking, fashion, language, music...anything! All the Hacker Space's tools can be used and they have a huge library on many subjects that are available. Workshops go on all the time and when they also hold BBQ's, movie and anime events and talks on various subjects. It really is a wonderful place to meet creative people from all over and I hope to get to visit them again soon!
Terri and Matthew were so kind to me and made me feel very at home, they even gave me ideas and tips for making my own podcast or video blog which I hope to get off my lazy arse and actually DO one of these days! They asked me lots of questions about the UK gyaru scene, what resources are used etc and gave me some facts about gyaru I didn't even know myself!

My podcast will be on..

http://www.japanpodcast.net/

Terri and Matthew do wonderful shows with lots of interesting insights so please take some time and listen to them!

In other news, work is going well. I've been asked to take on some extra English classes in the afternoons for older kids which is great. It's a fantastic opportunity for my teaching skills to level up and it'll mean a bit more money for shopping!
I've been checking out the party scene in Tokyo a bit more, I've been to a few dance music events in Shibuya and I love them. Before it felt like I hadn't been out dancing in an age, even though I LOVE to have a boogie! Le Fabric hosted a school girl themed event but Nozomi and I were the only ones dressed up!

It was a great night but the crowd got a bit thin towards the end and getting the first train back in the morning was a little weird in a full school girl costume! At least I didn't get ID'd on the way home like Nozomi. I didn't know that in Japan all minors have a curfew and will get pulled off the streets if they're caught out D: So very different from the UK where gangs of kids can stay out all night in front of my old work making a mess and skateboarding.

I went to a club night recently near Shibuya where my workmate was DJing. Great night although I ended up going for soba at 3am so I missed alot of it! Also Nozomi did the classic Japanese "I've-had-too-much-tequila" thing and passed out on a table.


Even though I'm going out more I've not been bad drunk for a long time. I'm finding it easier to keep myself in check so I don't end up a stupid mess like when i first came here. Maybe this is me growing up a little bit. Although I know I don't feel anything drastic I can see that I'm not the same person I was when I left England. Especially recently I feel like I'm taking on more responsability and it's not phasing me as much. I'm also taking responsabilty to make sure I get out and take oppotunities to see some amazing things, over the summer I felt very boring and that I wasn't using my time wisely enough but now I feel like im hitting my stride and I feel more confidant exploring Tokyo. The trains and cities don't intimidate me much anymore so I feel I can actually go and meet people. I went to a gaijin bar called the Pink Cow this week and it was probably the friendliest bar I have ever been too. The barmaid and 2 regulars chatted with me for hours and I ended up completly neglecting Jasmine and the two men we came with! I'm sorry, but I am definately going to pay it another visit.

Next time COSPLAY AND TOKYO GAME SHOW

I be looking for labels, I ain't looking for love...

I'll get everything negative out of the way first. Today was an utter failure. I hoped to go to the bank to sort out some finances. I was told there was a branch of my bank in Shinjuku near the shopping centre Alta, but alas I wondered up and down the main road with no bank. So I thought I would take a trip to Harajuku to scout out some hair salons. Of the two I found that actually did extensions the cheapest price I was offered was Y20,000...I was thinking more like Y12,000! So I turned back up the main street and tried to do some shopping. BUT NO, the universe was not my friend today and I couldn't decide on anything to buy except some AWESOME underwhere that turned out to be too small (they were all in packs and marked S,M,L).

Ok, that's out of the way! Yesterday I had the opportunity to meet up with an old friend Emma (http://blooomzy.blogspot.com/) . Just seeing her and hearing her voice was a surreal experience just because she reminded me of home and all my friends from my town! It actually made me really really happy rather than more homesick. It was great just being able to talk about home our experiences of Tokyo.

109 was obviously hit. I think the only shop I actually spent money in was CocoLulu...


I treated myself to the new "ACTION" hoodie, mentioned a few posts ago, and the complementing tee.



Dirty mirror!! D:

Wow and I only realised on the train that they gave me some cute buttons

I actually had a bit of inspiration while walking around 109 and thought it would be a great idea to do a virtual makeover for people I know. Just because when I go shopping I always see things other people would look fantastic in. One Spo currently have this incredably sexy Russian/military theme going on and I imidiately thought of Toni. Since One Spo have no online store I had to use one of my photos! So forgive my poor editing Toni, but I thought this outfit suited you to a T!

PRESENTING THEGETGOTOKYO's VIRTUAL BLOG MAKEOVER #1
:Toni in One Spo Autumn 2010


X3

Tomorrow I will hopefully manage to do the things I planned for today but also I am going to Le Fabrique for the house/trance night 'Disco Manga' which happens to be a 'Back to School' theme :D Perfct for me an my school uniform love!
After I came back from Shibuya I took myself to Donki to pick up this little number...

Also had a great message in the tag...

Thanks Teen Girls, I will!

I told you that Im crazy for these cupcakes, cousin.

Obligatory lazy Sunday post.
Due to my sickness still not letting up I have done very little today apart from play Star Ocean for a few hours, watch Six Feet Under for a few hours and nip down the shops for some Oreo's and juice!

For once I will actually show you what I wear down the shops


Despite not making effort with my clothes I try to practice my makeup every day whether I am leaving the house or not


You can also see how bad my extensions have gotten! I know I probably wouldn't get best quality for paying Y6,000 but I didn't want to go hella expensive on my first try. Now I know better though. I mean I seriously tried to look after these extensions, I bought treatments and really good quality conditioners, slept with my hair in plats every night and brushed them gently as so to not damage them but they were dry and brittle within a week. Extensions are amazingly cheap in Tokyo because they are extremely popular, I guess mostly due to the gyaru boom. Even though they are so cheap I still find spending that much money in one go difficult...like I feel like I shouldn't be spending it on myself so I guess I went for the cheapest option I found...which turned out to be a bit rubbish. So in the name of research I will be going to a different salon this week to document getting some better extensions!
I'm going on the hunt for English speaking salons too so I can give some reviews on service...basically if they don't bring me a coffee its an instant fail!

Swallow a little of that sea, now taste a little bit of the salt in me...

Hello there Internetland.

It's been a busy time at work as the holidays are now coming to an end, which means I've had to wrap up my summer school art classes, finish the progress reports for the class and help dismantle our classroom in preparation for the move to our new school this weekend. Also I have fallen a bit ill with a tempreture and lightheadedness...which has scared me a bit since the last time I was ill here I actually fainted on the train at Shinjuku station! The humidity here is unreal, obviously being a Brit I've never known a summer to go on for so long. My experience of summer is one week of blasting sunshine then back to gray skies. Here in Tokyo we've had the hottest summer on record since the war ended with everyday temperatures in the mid 30's....and it isn't going to start letting up for another month! I'm all for sunshine but I literally feel like I don't want to venture too far from home because of the heat! I know that keeping hydrayted is essential and having vendo-machienes everywhere makes that pretty easy but even so I'm not used to this intesity and find that it saps my energy so so quickly. Now I understand why I always see women with black umbrellas, long black sleeves and visors.
Staying in all the time gets me down sometimes but I know that this heat is not good for me. At the moment I'm planning to do things in the autumn when it has cooled down a bit and I feel like I can go on day trips!

Amoungst the mayhem that is the weather (Yes I'm allowed to talk about the weather) I've made a new header for this blog, the old one felt a bit outdated as the picture was old and crap! Maybe the new one is better?
Eventually I want to make this journal more colourful and fun to reflect my current fashion obsessions like Co&Lu. After Tuesday this week and taking myself on a little shopping trip and will try and make an effort to take photos of my purchases. Also I have the oppotunity to meet up with an old friend from my hometown Emma, or you may know her as bloomzy. From...

http://blooomzy.blogspot.com/

Also this week I have been asked to do a podcast for this website

http://www.japanpodcast.net/

I've been asked to talk about gyaru, and I while I don't consider myself an expert on the subject I'm excited to have the oppotunity to express my views to the internet, so please look forward to that!

I'm also still waiting for a link to the music video I was in a few months back. It seems incredably hard to find! I may just have to bite the bullet and buy the DVD! GASH!

Just going to end with some phone photos as my camera cable still hasn't been fixed. For now enjoy some awesome kids wearing CocoLulu *_~

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!