Tokyo, I'm on my way!

HURRAH! 

I have finally made plans for a winter vacation. I won't be doing much for Christmas, but on New Year's...

I'm heading to Tokyo baby! 

Some friends from our home university in Hawaii will be visiting Japan, so we decided to meet them in Tokyo. We are staying at a hostel near Asakusa shrine, which will surely bring us good luck for the new year.

To save a bit of money, we booked our bus tickets in advance, and opted for a night bus. A word to the wise for those traveling by bus in Japan, book your trip about a month in advance. Almost all the cheap tickets were gone! 

Navigating the site for JR Kantou bus tickets is like working through a labyrinth of pain. The good news is, once you've managed to reserve your tickets, you can pick them up at a conbini (vice paying online with your credit card). 

I am all ready trying to decide what to pack! Shopping in Harajuku is a must, and I also want to see the Ghibli Museum, Akihabara, and certain cafe in Ikebukuro called The Milky Way cafe. I should make an official to-do list...

Since it has been so cold (all of a sudden!), I finally broke down and invested in a lolita coat. This red pea coat by Metamorphose was only 5,000 yen used. The bear-eared hood is detachable. 

The emerald green socks are from Metamorphose! The shop had snowflake printed things out, and they were also having a sock sale. ^^ The shop tenant at Nagoya Metamorphose is the sweetest thing too. I showed her a dress I just bought, and she helped me find socks to match!

These socks also go with my Romantica Train Jsk, for a more Christmas Eve look...

And for New Year's, what better print that the alcohol-covered Merry Making Party?

I hope this will all fit in a little weekender bag... uh oh...