bloomzy /

Life in Japan; Day trip to Kamakura

For the second installment of the ‘Japan picture series‘ I am taking you all on a ‘Day Trip to Kamakura’…well I’m going to show you pictures from a recent trip I took there, but I hope you will all enjoy it just as much as I did.

Kamakura is a city in Kanagawa prefecture, which is about 1hr train journey from Tokyo (Yokosuka line). It has a lot of history – which I had to do a presentation on recently, hence my interest – and it is a popular day trip for tourists and Tokyoites alike. There are lots of sights to see in Kamakura, including; Buddhist and Shinto shrines (also ‘the great five Zen temples’), bamboo forests and of course, the famous ‘Daibutsu’ (big Buddha).
We visited Engaku-ji (Kita-Kamakura station) first…







After our visit to the temple, we hopped back on the train to Kamakura station.

Kamakura is a lively city, with plenty of traditional restaurants and shops – the rice cakes here are well known and there are plenty of places to pick some up. There are also quite a few tourist-y shops too though but they don’t mark the atmosphere or city itself ;D
After a look around Kamakura we headed to see Daibutsu – you have to take the Enoshima electric railway to Hase station.

It can be very crowded, especially during the Summer and on a public holiday.

↑↑ Look at the little girl ↑↑
I think this shows just how big he is.

If you’re interested in Japanese art, like I am, then you’ll love this.
It’s really beautiful!!
You can also go inside of Daibutsu, for only 20円. However it’s only the inside of a bronze statue, with some steep stairs and a very poorly organised in-out system. So if you’re like me and don’t like being too squished then it’s probably not worth it.
But what if all that doesn’t interest you?!

Well maybe you could go surfing (Kamakura is a well known spot for it), or wake-boarding, or maybe just to catch up on your tan…on a sunny day of course ;D

So what did you think of Kamakura?
Have you been? Would you want to go?
Also, I am now on bloglovin’ so feel free to check it out, and send some love ;D

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bloomzy /

Happy New Year!!


♥ ♥ ~HAPPY NEW YEAR~ ♥ ♥

Picture is unrelated, it’s just there so you know I’m still alive haha ;D

I have a little time before the boyfriend comes back home with his family for us all to go out for food, so I am taking this advantage to send your some belated New Year wishes.

I hope you all had a great time celebrating it with friends, family and loved ones. I went to a temple with the boyf and his family, and then went to an Izakaya and Karaoke with friends to welcome 2011.

I have plenty of posts planned soon!!
Including more ‘Japan posts’ as I have been escorting the boyf’s parents round Tokyo (and other places) being a tour guide – so I took the opportunity to take plenty of pics for the blog. I just hope you’ll enjoy seeing them.

What did you all do for NYE?
Any New Years Resolutions? Any Gal related??

I haven’t really thought about a New Years Resolution…the last few years it was just ‘to have as many new experiences as possible’ but I feel like I should change it.

bloomzy /

Merry Christmas~

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!
I am currently enjoying my free time with my friends, my boyfriend and soon…my boyfriends family. Yes, they are coming to visit for a while so I may not get to update much whilst they are here. I am looking forward to seeing them though, and also because they have my Christmas gift from my parents!!
How did you spend your Christmas?
Did you eat plenty?
I loveeeee Christmas food, but it’s not the same in Japan.


Edit: I have been busy everyday since my boyfriend’s family arrived and it will probably continue until they leave on the 5th. So no posts right now, sorry!!
bloomzy /

Model Update; Gal Auction


In collaboration with goodbuy some of your favourite models from JELLY, Popteen, Popsister, NUTS and many more magazines are selling off some of their personal effects.

Some of the models included are: Sayoko (nuts), Yui Kanno (popteen), Kumickey (popteen) and Maya Mori (jelly). However the list doesn’t stop there as 43 models are offering their own items for the auction. You can check out the full list here.

So what kind of items are on offer?!

– Kumickey is auctioning a Liz Lisa hat and an Amoureuse vest. Current bid: 1,670円

– Mai Miyagi (JELLY) is auctioning off 3 items right now from Backs, Me Jane and Liz Lisa.

Most of the auctions come with a signed Polaroid of the model wearing/showing the items.

These are the same as ebay auctions so they all have a time limit (not money) – most of them are 31st Dec. A few of the items that have sold went rather cheaply, at around 3,000円. Some of the auctions have already ended but keep an eye out because you may just be able to grab something from your favourite model!!

You can view all of the auctions here.

And for all you secret Gravure fans…there is also a Gravure Idol auction.
With simple vest tops going for around 12,000円 I think we know who and why people are bidding on those o.O

Source; 1, 2
bloomzy /

Meet-up with Thanh-Thao~

This is a rather belated post, sorry!!

A few weeks ago I met with the lovely Thanh-Thao of Rainy Days.
A mutual friend of ours, Kirin, had mentioned she had met with Thanh and then after we chatted for a bit we decided to finally meet ourselves.
She is a lovely, sweet girl who I envy very much for being able to speak so many languages. I guess I can gain inspiration to work harder by spending time with people like this.
We had decided over the weekend that we would go to Namja Town (inside Ikebukuro Sunshine City), mainly for Ice Cream City and the Gyoza Stadium haha
Namja Town was much bigger than I had expected and there are cats everywhere! So if you’re a cat lady (I’m looking at you ;D) then you would love it. There was definitely lots to do but we headed straight for the Gyoza Stadium…
I adore Gyoza, as all my friends know and I was really craving cheese-filled Gyoza so I snapped some up from a rather enthusiastic and charismatic stall owner. To be fair, because there are so many Gyoza stalls all competing in such a small space most of the people there have to be charismatic etc.
Then afterwards we checked out Ice Cream City, which had lots of crazy flavours.
Thanh is such a cutie! Here she is modelling the entrance to ‘Ice Cream City’ where you can buy regular flavours, or maybe you fancy something along the lines of miso soup, garlic or HORSE?!
There are over 300+ flavours to choose from!
After being creeped out by too many crazy flavours to choose from we headed to ‘Desert land’ and choose the prettiest looking cake from the selection of stalls. We had the ‘House of Sweets’ which was a complete guilty pleasure, but it’s not so bad if you share, right?
I’m not a big fan of strawberries but these were glazed so they tasted mostly of sugar…which is fine by me haha

I love their Christmas tree!
After Namja Town we took a walk around Sunshine City, which we both decided is one of our favourite places to shop. There is an Alta inside and plenty of great restaurants to choose from – I am totally food orientated sometimes haha
And of course, we did Purikura~



I think glasses suit Thanh better than me XD

I had a really good time!
I hope we can meet again after New Year with Lou, and maybe some other bloggers.
Then afterward meeting with Thanh, I met with my boyfriend as he wanted to take me out to dinner. So we headed for an Italian and then I dragged him to purikura. He’s not a big fan as he thinks it makes guys look too girly…but that still doesn’t stop me getting him to do it.
♥So here is his debut on my blog♥
bloomzy /

Model Update; Tsubasa @ Dennys


Some of you may be wondering what Tsubasa has been up to lately, especially after she closed her blog. It’s definitely hard to keep up with her, and since her tweets tend to take up my feed I stopped following her.

So you can imagine my surprise when I went to Dennys (24/7 family restaurant) and found her plastered all over their special edition Christmas menu!


Tsubasa has collaborated with Dennys restaurants nationwide for a limited period (2nd Dec ~ 26 Dec) and created a special menu. It includes;

‘Mothers salad’ – 1,080円 (around £8/$13)
Salad with an apple and vegetable dressing.
Tsubasa created this ‘mothers salad’ with a homey feeling in mind.
She choose it from memories and love, as her mother used to often make something similar.

‘Roasted rib steak with fried oysters’ – 1,280円 (around £10/$15)
Comes with sweetcorn, spinach, potato wedges and onions.
Featuring a new steak sauce, made with fresh vegetables.
– Nothing else was written about this in the press release so I imagine it was just Denny’s trying to sell their steak (which is very popular and featured on most seasonal menus) with a new sauce.

I haven’t tried either of the meals as neither really appeal to me, but they seem reasonably priced. So if you happen to be in Japan and want a taste of Tsubasa then maybe this is the set for you!

…there are actually more pictures of Tsubasa on various menus but I took them on my boyfriend’s iPhone and he is currently at uni whilst I lay in bed with the flu, again D:

Edit: Added the pictures I took of the menu/s.

bloomzy /

Stay warm and fabulous this Winter!

At the request of one of my readers I decided to make a post about how to stay fashionable AND warm this Winter, in Gal. I know it’s something that I find important as I often feel the cold, so I hope you all enjoy it too.

The post is split into 4 different categories; Outer, Onepieces, Socks & Legwarmers and Accessories. All of which are centred on items that will keep you cozy and warm this Winter, but won’t be any less fashionable.

Outer

This season there are a variety of different styles of outer wear for Gals to pick from. However I decided to pick 3 of the most popular and different (because not everyone dresses the same, right?) styles right now.

First up, the Fur Coat
It was big last year and it’s back again this year. The fur coat is gorgeous, sexy and fun – not to mention warm! So it makes sense that it is popular again this Winter. Of course not everyone can afford real fur, and a lot of people don’t agree with it – however whereas it may be a little more difficult in Japan it is easy to find affordable, comfy faux fur coats in Europe and America etc.

I’m a fan of the Glad News leopard print fur coat myself as it mixes two of this seasons big trends. If you’re after a cosy, fun, rock-inspired and sexy coat than this style is for you.

However you can always just choose a simple fur coat for a classic feminine look -like this one by Dazzlin’ (it’s fake fur) that comes in various colours and prints.
Another big hit this season is the double button coat, which had a big feature in this month’s JELLY magazine.

Of course I had to feature the WC coat I purchased recently as I am so in love with it, and have received a ton of compliments for it. So for me that was a good buy!

One of my favourites, and a popular choice this Winter is a cross between the double button and fur coat – like this one from LDS. However there are a number of these out right now, including trench coat style, fur cuffs and leopard print fur finish.

This style I picked for the Mode fans out there; the ‘puffer’ jacket (as I like to call it) which was first featured in popular stores such as Emoda and Murua. However other Gal stores have recently picked up on the trend, so this is definitely one to watch out for this season. I have seen lots of Mode-style Gals working these right now – and even though I am not a personal fan they certainly look good in them.

If you like the loose/big top and tight bottom trend then this is the coat for you!

Onepiece

Of course onepieces are always in fashion but this season, sweater dresses are big.
You may remember me purchasing one from HONEYS recently.

They are comfortable, cozy and most definitely warm – not only that, they are big in Gal right now. The majority of Gal stores have their own version of the sweater onepiece, however the most popular right now would certainly have to be…
…WC’s version. Gals and non-Gals alike have gone crazy for it, and I have seen so many people wearing it in a variety of ways, which can relate to other sweater onepieces too. Of course if you just want a cozy, casual coord then you could try pairing it with leggings and boots or try denim shorts, patterned tights and heels – it’s up to you, there are tons of options!

Socks & Legwarmers

Socks aren’t really something many people would automatically link with Gal, but this Winter they are everywhere in every colour and size.

Patterned knee-high socks are big this season, whether they are diamonds or nordic print they are the perfect accompaniment to a dress, skirt or shorts. So if you’re not a fan of tights and would rather wear bare legs but don’t want to be too chilly then this may be the option for you.

Short socks paired with short boots are also big!!

Legwarmers, preferably fur look great with boots and heels alike. They are EVERYWHERE this season, and it’s almost impossible to not see at least 1 person wearing them when you take a walk down the main streets of Tokyo.

I’m not a fan of legwarmers myself, but if you pick up the latest Gal mags you will be sure to see some cute coords featuring them.

Accessories

Shawls are big this Winter, and they’re also a great to stay warm!

They are so popular right now and I have seen them on tons of girls.
My friends and I have affectionately labelled them ‘Picnic Blankets’ as they are kinda similar. However I still love them and I think they look great with a cute dress or pants.

They’re also a great alternative to coats if you’re not a big fan, or it isn’t cold enough for one.
If you want to keep with the fur trend but don’t want to splash out on a coat, or you just need a new scarf. Then a fur wrap is a great choice. They are popular with both feminine and sexy-style Gals and work with most outfits – I’ve seen them with tiny onpieces, hime-inspired outfits and even Cocolulu!

And finally, hats – the easiest and one of the most fashionable ways to stay warm during Winter!!There are a variety of hats out there to match your style or coordinate.
Whether you prefer a tomboyish, fun look…
Or a cutesy, feminine look…
There are plenty to choose from.
And don’t forget the best hat of them all this season, the bowler haha

What will you be wearing to stay warm this season?
Do you have any favourites? Or something you dislike?

Source; 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8