harajuku shopping!

Oh my ... seriously, I have never seen so many shops.  And I shop.

Street after street after street.  Centre after centre. Level after level.  Boutique after boutique.  Rack after rack.  Suburb after suburb.

Am exhausted again just thinking about it.

So, have just got back from 3 days shopping in Tokyo.  A lifetime must trip if you've never been.  And you probably will have to go again just to see it properly.

I loved Harajuku the best.  The ecclectiveness was amazing.  The cliche style girls were out in force - like super cute real life dolls ... the girls were styled in all flavours of sorbet colours ... tutus, platform heels, extension everything to decorate themselves into the most stylised idea of beautiful I have seen in real life.  It is so facinating ... why some Japanese are completely obsessed with turning themselves into 'other than human' characters!?

But Japan wasn't all Harajuku cliche fashion.

I was really suprised how much 'cheap' shopping was about.  For some reason, I never expected to find Chinese fashion product in Japan?  But it was there ... by the truck load.  And all on sale.  I swear,  Aussie girls would run a mile if they were ever in a shopping centre like it in Aus ... but they SCREAM at you.  For such tiny girls ... they are really loud.  I guess the market is so competitive ... but really ... banging instruments, screaming through megaphones, dancing on podiums ... it was all very extreme for a dress that cost 3000 yen.

The houses were AMAZING.  We just don't have shopping like it in Australia.  Poor Brisbane with one little Louis Vuitton and an excuse for a shoe department in DJs.  Sydney and Melbourne (even the GC) fair better that we do but even still it cannot compare with a whhhooooole street of CHANEL, DIOR, LV, GUCCI, PRADA, FENDI, DOLCE & GABANNA, CHLOE ... and more and more and more ... as exhausted as I was after all my (looking) I'm sure I was floating at the end of the day ...

But my favourite was all the Japanese independant stores. 

I found a shopping area called Laforet.  It was like a big siver organic rocket ship of shops.  Kitson marks the entrance (so packed) that opened to 6 levels of really interesting Japanese independant boutiques.  The style was really mixed.  I saw a lot of simple lines and an overall earthy approach.  The girls were doing a 'bohemian/country' thing ... not sure if that mix is going to roll here but I suppose 6 months will reveal all. Rock/punk/street was really strong for the boys.   The shops were very neat and beautifully merchandised.  Alot of attention was put into making a special unique experience for the shopper I thought. 

But back in Aus now ... to our little island of creativity.  For how teeny tiny we are, gosh I think we do well.