Japan Trip 2015 - Harajuku (Angelic Pretty Release)

Hello! This is a suuuuper late (4 months? Yikes!) post of my Japan Trip I took in spring of this year. I had everything written down, but it was erased somehow, so this is going to be as well remembered as my memory can handle. 

We took the train to Takeshita Dori from Ikebukuro early in the morning to make it to the Angelic Pretty Saturday release for Melty Berry Princess. Though the print is really cute, I was mostly there to see how an Angelic Pretty release actually worked. I'll also be adding some info below for those who want to know some tips and tricks to release day!

Walking to Ikebukuro station.

Rushing to Takeshita Dori for the release! Of course I'll take a quick photo though!

We arrived outside of Laforet at 10:30am and there was already a line outside. It was crazy! There were already so many people in line and a crowd of tourists trying to take photos. The outside area was really packed. I can't believe Japanese lolitas have to deal with this every week! The coordinates I saw were really pretty! There were a lot of Katarina and Dream Marine which had only just been released recently. Only one other girl was wearing the same print as me, but I was too shy to ask her for a photo...

So many lolitas!

Sea of lolitas!

After scanning the area, I put myself in line. I was near the back end. A little before 11am, the shop girls put us in groups of five so that we can start choosing numbers. It was so nerve-racking! One-by-one each lolita chose her number. There were squeals, screams, and cries of despair. It was pretty intense. Then, it was my turn!

Nervously waiting for my turn.

Picking!

 Anddddd-

I have the crappiest luck ever. The number you choose determines the time you go into the store. I believe it's 10 people every 30 minutes. Because my number was so high, I didn't get to go in until really late. By the time I entered the store, everything was gone;; I wasn't expecting much to be there, but the release was really popular!


Some tips for those who are willing to brave a release:
1. Get there early! Even though it's a lottery system, you need to be in line at a certain time for the drawing or you might not have a chance to choose a number. The shop girls need a chance to count the participants to determine how many numbers will go in the lottery. I was there at 10:30am and the line was already long. As long as you are in line, you will draw a number no matter where you are in the line.
2. Number choosing is around 11am! This means if you chose a really bad number (like me) you can have time to maybe go into a cafe or back to your hotel room and try for your items online. You should still try to see what's happening at the store around your number's time. You have one, why not? :)
3. Wear lolita! Shops have been cracking down on resellers and this is one of the ways they are trying to keep them from buying all of the stock. Wearing a nice outfit will keep your eligibility in tact, but it will also give you a chance to meet some local girls who might be wearing the same print as you. You don't have to wear AP (as far as I know), but the whole line will probably consist of all AP anyway haha.
4. No boyfriends allowed? I've heard different information and I believe it's based on which store you are at and what print is being released, but at the time I was as AP Harajuku, they would not allow boyfriends and/or non-lolitas to choose a number. I've heard that less popular releases might be able to squeak in your significant other, but that is at the AP shop's discretion. 
5. Have other stuff planned! There's a chance your luck is as awful as mine and you have to wait before getting into the store, but don't let that ruin your day! Harajuku is full of great shops and eateries to keep you occupied until your time comes.

If you have any questions about releases, feel free to ask me!

Outfit Rundown:
JSK, Headbow, Tights: Angelic Pretty

Blouse: Offbrand

Bolero, Bag: Innocent World

Shoes, Beret: Ank Rouge

Accessories: Automatic Honey

I will be posting more about my April adventures! Until next time!

10th Annual Japanese Cherry Blossom Festival

This weekend I was able to have a free day off of work so my boyfriend and I decided to take a trip to the annual Japanese Cherry Blossom Festival. The day was really beautiful, but it was pretty hot to be wearing lolita. Luckily, the garden it is hosted in is located in a shady, cool area so the added relief helped me out a lot, along with my trusty parasol.

We headed down to the event past noon and it was already really crowded! The area it was held at is normally popular on the weekends because it is the central hub of our city's museums and parks. It took us some time to find parking. We ran into a friend of mine (who was wearing the cutest pink yukata in all of existence!) and she happily gave us her parking spot as she was getting ready to leave (Thank you again! *cries*).

We waited in line and got our tickets. It was only $6 for admission. The garden has been under renovations for the past few years. The last year we went, they had just planted new trees and were installing a beautiful stream that ran through the garden. It was also rainy and damp that day so we only stayed for a little while. This year was really nice and I was glad to see there were so many people interested in seeing the cherry blossoms bloom. The garden is a little small and the walkway down to the trees is very narrow so it took us some time to dodge other spectators heading in the opposite direction, but it was well worth it!

We took some photos and were amazed to see how much the trees have grown! We made our way back up to get a bite to eat from the many booths we got to select from. There was yakitori, okonomiyaki, takoyaki, and so much more. My boyfriend was nice enough to wait in line for some takoyaki as I shuffled away to take some photos of the other areas of the garden.

When I came back, he bought had bought some pork buns, takoyaki, and a taiyaki for me! It was really yummy, especially after a day of walking! We were even lucky enough to run into some friends when we were getting ready to go eat. It was a really fun and beautiful day! I hope it will be just as beautiful the next year we come!

And of course, some outfit shots in the park! :P

Outfit Rundown:
Skirt, Tights: Angelic Pretty

Parasol: BTSSB

Blouse: Ank Rouge

Jabot: Innocent World

Shoes: Bodyline
Accessories: Offbrand and gifts from friends

I wanted to match the cherry blossoms and this skirt is the only bit of sweet pink I have in my wardrobe. I was glad I had a good reason to wear it out!

Until next time!

Angelic Pretty Release: Dream Marine

Tonight was the release of Dream Marine, an aquatic-themed Angelic Pretty print that has been highly anticipated since the AP tea party/fashion show in December of last year. My friend and I were attempting to grab a few pieces and have been eyeing it since the photos went public. Even though I have an exact amount of zero aquatic-themed things to match with this, I decided to jump for the skirt in white since I thought it was the cutest style and I plan to wear it more casually. 

Fell in love with the white skirt from the preview!

In anticipation, we attempted to guess the popularity of the release and which colorways would sell out first. I believed the white and navy would be the most popular. Since it is an AP chiffon release, we thought it would sell quickly, but not as fast as other releases that have come out recently. Boy, was it a mad house!

When the website stocked, it was lagging page after lagging page. Based on the front page, AP stocked the op, jsk, skirt, headbow, tights, and crew socks. After the first few tries, I was able to snag my skirt. I tried again for the socks and as of right now, I have no idea if I got them or not. My payment page kept giving me errors, so crossing my fingers it all goes well! From what I saw, the op was the first to sell out, followed by the jsk and skirt. The most popular colors were white and navy, followed by sax and lavender. Then, the website pretty much died and was unresponsive for a few hours. AP put up a maintenance post until it the store page came back up again.

When my stuff does come in, I'll have some pictures up. I was so glad I was able to get something from the release. This will be my first AP chiffon print. I'm eyeing another AP spring release and I hope that one isn't as crazy as this one!

Edit: I got my socks! Luckily they didn't sell out when the site came back up. They didn't get entered into my cart those other times so I'm glad the site gave me a third chance at them!

Hello! It's nice to meet you!

Hello and welcome to my blog! 

I've been thinking about making one for a long time and today seemed like the perfect day (at 8:08pm on a Friday of course). I am a Japanese fashion enthusiast. I enjoy dressing in Lolita fashion and I have slowly been branching into Otome. I haven't been wearing jfashion for too long (maybe 3 years?) but since I first started buying clothes, so much has happened! I made a ton of friends, went to many events, and of course, got cuter things to wear.

My preferred styles are more towards the classic/sweet side of things. I love wearing chocolate prints and berets! Definitely berets! My blog will probably consist of many chocolate-y things. I have quite a sweet-tooth! My favorite brand right now is Angelic Pretty, especially their more classic styles.

Anyway, I hope you come check my stuff out! Feel free to call me Gnars. ;)

I love chocolate! Did I mention I love chocolate?