Shop (till you`re broke)

(green tea and vanilla, yum)

So, I am slow to update this week... Last weekend, Chingyi and I went to Tokyo. Pretty much, that is "the thing to do" on the weekends. However, I spent sooo much money, I wont be going back for a while. (a.k.a next month, lol). We got paid that Friday before we left, and even though I wrote myself out a budget with all my money meticulously accounted for, there were certain things I didn't take into consideration so... yes, I am poor right now. lol.

This time, we looked for the absolute cheapest way to get there. It took us 1/2 hour longer than my last trip, but we paid only ￥1170 one way! So cheap.

We went to Harajuku first and I showed her the wonder that is Kiddyland. I wont tell you what I bought there... but let's just say the spending started with a bang. lol. What I WILL tell you is that I bought the cutest little Kleenex box, er, case? Has a cute little llama on it. Always always I am looking for things to cutify my ugly apartment. Chingyi is equally enamored with cute things as I am, so it was fun to go through together. Ah! What a shock I got! On the Sanrio/Hello Kitty floor, there was a new line that had been released that day! You'd never guess (no, seriously...)... Yoshikitty... as in, Yoshiki from X Japan! Oh my gods, I think I may have burst out laughing when I saw it. It's kind of like... KISS doing a crossover with Carebears. Just not something you would generally think of.

Afterwards, we had Italian food at a restaurant overlooking LaForet. We got window seats, best seats in the house!, and watched all the people down below making their way through the busy Harajuku streets. We played "spot the lolita" and noticed that everyone we saw went straight into LaForet. You know where we were going! Yes! Back to AP! Afterward, we went to the ever famous Takashita Street. Tiny tiny street absolutely PACKED with people, stores lining both sides. We ate crepes and I went to spend more money in Closet Child. Yay!

Having finished with my spending binge, we headed to Chingyi's #1 stop: Akihabara. She is very into BJD, or Ball-Jointed Dolls. These were NOT the dolls they sell in Kiddyland, which are pretty but not BJD, and only about $136. Mostly the store we went to hand clothes and accessories, not the dolls themselves. However, they did had one line there.... I was shocked by the price even though I knew it would be a lot... I cant remember what it was now but $1000 wouldn't be an exaggeration. While they have very pretty faces, I am afraid the appeal is still lost on me... I was happy to admire, though.

We stayed out as long as we could, but we were pretty wiped out, so we headed to our hotel early, about 8:30. Finding a hotel for dirt cheap without it being....dirt cheap, was somewhat of a challenge. In the end, we settled on sharing a double for a measly $36 each. CHEAP! Despite the price, the room was really nice and spacious! I was most impressed. I took a picture but due to the shape of the room, it was impossible to get a good angle. You'll have to trust that it was nice. Nicer than our hotel in Ota had been.

The next day... we went to more of Chingyi's stops. Most important among them was the Pokemon Center. She absolutely loves Pokemon. The "center" turned out to actually just be one store, packed with Pokemon. Man, she was so excited! It felt like role reversal from me with the loli stores. I sat back and laughed. Her purchasing competition was half her height and 1/3 her age.

The last stop of the day (before a mad dash to the trains home) was the giant Gundam in Odaiba. This is a life-size figure (not human size) of a Gundam (giant robot) from a very famous Japanese anime/cartoon. I have no interest in the show whatsoever, but hey, it was rather a once-in-a-lifetime thing to see, so why not? However, on the way there, guess what I saw...

...and you thought I was in Japan!! Ha! Joke's on you!

The Gundam area was completely packed. PACKED. Chinyi just took a picture and left. It was pretty cool, but since we weren't fans, it was not all that it should have been, you know?

...and because I don't have anywhere else to put it, here is a random 'FRUiTs' type modeling shot that Chinyi took of me in my new dress and shoes. Don't I feel fashionable.

(click)