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A Blast from My Past: Japanese Gyaru Fashion & Life in Japan

A few weeks ago I went back to my parent’s house for a few days. Whilst I was there I decided to raid the attic, and see if I could find my old textbooks. I found myself knee-deep in university papers and old cuddly toys from my childhood. Amongst these were a few boxes of items from my time living (and studying) in Tokyo, Japan. Suddenly my objective was out the window and all I wanted to do was reminisce.
Japanese fashion has been a part of my life for over 10 years now. One fashion sub-culture in particular took up a decent amount of that time – gyaru. With hair high enough to reach the gods, and enough make-up to make an MUA weep, gyaru was an enigma wrapped in a mini skirt and fuzzy leg warmers. I was automatically drawn in, and spent most of my time reading magazines and blogs dedicated to the style. Gyaru is the reason behind me starting this blog in the first place! So you can imagine that finding these magazines and books was something quite special. Memories flooded back: Buying the Ranzuki Hair & Make-up Book in a small conbini in Kyoto. Adding points to my WC loyalty card as I bought everything and anything from the brand. Getting a ‘hair set’ (that has since created perpetual hair envy) with a friend for our joint birthday party. 
I met some amazing people because of gyaru, people who I can now call good friends.  So naturally it will always be a big part of my life and although I’m sure there were bad times, I can only remember the good. Recently I’ve missed my time living in Tokyo, but I do wonder if going back might tarnish those memories. It’s safe to say that things wouldn’t be the same now, but maybe that’s a good thing? Gyaru has faded from it’s origins and seems to be evolving into something all together different. So for now, I’m happy to keep my memories as just that. 
Interested in reading more about Japanese fashion and how my blog started?
Check out my Style Evolution post or browse my Japanese Fashion tag.
bloomzy /

Submit Your Questions About Japan!

After discussing adventures and experiences this week, I’ve decided to do a post about my time in Japan. I get a lot of people on here (and Twitter) asking me about my time in Japan, so I thought I’d open up to you all. I plan to do a post answering any questions you might have about living/studying in Japan, or just about Japan in general. 
You can leave your questions: 
By commenting on this post. 
By tweeting me: @bloomzy_
Or on Instagram: @bloomzy 
 I plan to round up all the questions early next week, so you have until then to get your questions in. 
 Remember, there are no wrong questions. 
 I can’t wait to see what you have to ask!
bloomzy /

Photo Diary: Tokyo, Old & New

Central Shibuya and Ichigaya Fishing Centre – Tokyo, Japan

I wanted to do another photo diary post from Japan as it seems like I haven’t done one for a while.
As I was looking through my photos from my time living in Tokyo, I was reminded of one of the reasons I love the capital city so much – the mixture of old and new. It might seem a bit cliche or it may not even make sense, but to me Tokyo manages to perfectly mix traditional (or ‘old’) and modern culture. Of course there are times when the two don’t match, but it’s surprising how harmoniously they get on in such a bustling city.
The new
Shibuya is arguably one of the most modern districts in Tokyo, known as a mecca for young people.
In the photos I included you can see Shibuya station, which is constantly packed full of commuters.
I also included photos of popular shopping malls Shibuya 109 (aimed at young women), and Shibuya 109-2 (the male equivalent of 109, which also has a few women’s stores). The adverts on the sides of the buildings change constantly, keeping you up-to-date with the music, food and tv you should be partaking in.
The Old
Ichigaya Fishing Centre may not seem that ‘old’ but the past-time of fishing goes back a long way in Japan.
As you exit the highly modern commuter train (Chuo/Sobu line) and look out across from the platform you will spot the fishing centre hidden amongst skyscrapers, and high-rise office buildings/apartments – the set-up definitely stands out against its backdrop. The customers who frequent the centre use traditonal methods to catch the fish.
Don’t worry though, all the fish are put back in the pond after being caught and weighed.
bloomzy /

Food and Architecture in Tokyo, Japan | Photo Diary

Food and Architecture in Tokyo, Japan

Looking through my photos from my times in Japan you will see a lot of food & architecture. Those are the two main things that I go a little crazy about when visiting another country, especially when it’s for the first time. Well these pictures were taken on my second trip to Tokyo (before I moved there), when the fiancé and I went wandering around Tokyo Tower, through back streets and temples. The food pictured above is a ‘traditional’ Japanese breakfast, with rice, miso soup, bacon, egg, salad and natto. If you ever get the chance to try natto, then do, because Japanese people love to know whether you’re a fan or not – it’s basically the Marmite of Japan. The second photo is of a bowl of ramen and gyoza, if I remember it was from a cheap-ish chain restaurant. Japanese ‘fast-food’ is similarly priced to the UK kind but doesn’t feel anywhere near as bad when you’re eating it – ramen, rice & meat and noodles are probably the most popular. I’d recommend Yoshinoya, Ichiran Ramen & Coco Ichiban Curry (my favourite!).

All these photos are making me crave Japanese food.
I think I will have to start cooking it more often…or head back soon!

 

 

bloomzy /

Photo Diary: What do you want to see?

Jizo statues at a temple in Tokyo, Japan

If you’re a regular to my blog, you will know that I often post ‘photo diaries’.
These are just a small collection of photos from my travels, or events that I have attended etc.
I plan to continue with my Japan & Paris photo diaries as I have plenty more photos to post.
However I thought it might make a change if I did a couple of ‘personal’ photo diary entries.

Leave a comment with something you would like to see a photo of from my daily life.
e.g. My favourite item of clothing, the view from my window, a funny sign etc.
bloomzy /

Photo Diary; Life in Japan

My neighbourhood in Japan

This time I wanted to show you a bit more of suburban Japan.
When I first moved to Tokyo I spent a couple of weeks exploring the neighbourhood. 
I loved the area I lived in, and the people, so I wanted to share it with you.
I think these photos really show how calm and serene a place it was, and probably still is.
It was always lovely to come home to somewhere like this, after a long day in the hustle and bustle of Tokyo. 

My favourite of these though has to be the sleeping kitten. It was a stray that suddenly turned up in a nearby park, frail and alone. The nearby residents fed and took care of it, making it a home from some polystyrene and a bathtub cover. After a few weeks, one of the old ladies took him in and gave him a collar.
To me it really helps summarise the sense of community and family I felt when staying there.
bloomzy /

My Style Evolution

Tokyo 2010/11 – Paris 2011 – England 2011/12
 
My Style Evolution is something I have been wanting to write about for a while.
I think it’s obvious from this blog, and my pictures that during the past 2 years my personal style has changed quite a bit. When I thought about it, I realised that is could easily be attributed to time, place and culture – see, I did listen in Sociology!
Tokyo 2010/11
My year7 months studying in Tokyo were a major influence on my personal style.
At that point I had been interested in Japanese fashion, mainly「ギャル」fashion for a while, so of course it seemed only fitting that my main source of inspiration during my stay in Japan was ‘Gal fashion’. During this time I only bought clothing from Japanese brands, dyed my hair often and even bleached it.
Paris 2011
When I first arrived in Paris I was still heavily influenced by ‘Gal’. I had always loved European fashion, and being somewhere as wonderfully fitting as Paris saw my style evolve a little more. I took less inspiration from Gal and began to take it from the women and city of Paris.
England 2011/12
Moving back to England meant I had some time to relax and contemplate the last few years, and my own personal style; it had really changed a lot. I no longer felt such an affinity with Gal, and it didn’t inspire me as it used to.
Instead I took inspiration from Western fashion magazines, as well as Japanese. I began shopping primarily in places such as Topshop and H&M. I finally set on a hair colour and style that I loved; which has stayed with me for the past 7 months.
 
So where am I now?
I’m in a very comfortable place. My style is my own!
Once again I look forward to putting an outfit together, or reading about the latest trends in Western and Japanese fashion. It’s true that I don’t ‘follow’ Gal anymore, but I still have a love for Japanese brands and street-style, and I think it will always be a source of inspiration to me. As it has been in the past, my style can’t really be labelled and I like it that way. It’s a bit of everything that inspires me along the way.
 
And the blog?
Well that’s changed a lot too, you will certainly be seeing a lot more personal/lifestyle posts, along with the usual beauty product (Western and Japanese) reviews, and of course outfit posts. For those who have stuck with me this long, thank you so much for being a part of my style evolution, and for my new readers I hope you will enjoy what is to come.