Harajuku: Takeshita Dori

It was surreal for me being able to step into the streets of Harajuku for the first time. Next to Kyoto (which I learned from Rurouni Kenshin), Harajuku was the part of Japan that I used to read a lot about before. When I was a kid, my papa used to bring home airline magazines whenever he comes home from Saudi. One particular magazine, which I still have with me (locked back home), has in it cover two Harajuku girls. Of course, I didn't know that before. But after reading the main article about Sundays in Harajuku, I was hooked. It was also the article that caused my brief fixation on Lolita fashion (hence, my twitter and instagram username 'chabilolita'). I used to save pictures and pictures of dresses in Lolita style, and I even wanted to dress up as one.  Eventually, as I learned more about the cosplay culture in Japan, my love for Lolita fashion died down, but my want to go to Harajuku remained the same.

I went on a Friday, so it wasn't too crowded. I was able to walk effortlessly through the street of Takeshita. I went to Daiso, and was able to buy a few school supplies, and then I visited some of the clothing stores around. I was actually looking for a bag that day. But unfortunately, nothing was within the limits of my budget (cheapo). Still, I had so much fun. The craziest thing that I saw was this bulky man, probably around his 40s, dressed in a frilly, puffy, and very pink ballerina-ish Lolita costume. The craziest/weirdest/worst part is that he's wearing a very, very pink underwear too - and yes, everybody saw that, or rather, he showed everybody. I didn't have a picture of him because I felt shocked and scared for a moment. Then, I was about to take a picture of him when he bent down and showed everyone his undies.  So I thought, "Nah, never mind. I wouldn't want that in my blog or in any part of my camera/computer." But now, I kind of regret not taking his picture. Haha.

Harajuku offers a lot for fashionistas out there. I actually went back there this week and noticed that some shops are now selling yukatas, which I'm planning to buy soon. Hopefully, they still have it in the following weeks!