LBC: A Constellation Themed Coordinate

Hello Darlings,

It's been a long time since I participated in the "Lolita Blog Carnival" topics, but I've been meaning to get back into them. This one jumped out at me in particular- to coordinate a Lolita outfit inspired by a constellation.

When I think about stars, I think of my favourite constellation- Orion, the hunter. I always look for his belt in the sky, three diamonds in a row, easy to spot in the velvety black.

He's been depicted several different ways; bearing a shield, or raising a beast off his hind legs with his strength. My favourite depiction though, is of Orion the Archer, and that was the inspiration behind this military-inspired Lolita coord.

It includes one of my favourite Jsks, by Excentrique.

Orion the huntress- Military styled Jsk and blouse, with a handmade cape, regal crown pin by Miho Matsuda. Suggested accessories: berets, heeled boots, school bags. 

Jsk: Eccentric

Blouse: F21

Pin: Miho Matsuda

Hooded Cape: Handmade

It is a beautiful Jsk alone. The halter and boned corset waist give the wearer a very nice silhouette.

It is one of my favourite Jsks… not just because I am a sucker for Military and Uniform styled Lolita, but it also happens to be what I wore the day I got engaged at the top of Tokyo Tower.

We had been vacationing in Tokyo for about a week and a half, to celebrate both New Year's and my fiancé returning home from Afghanistan. Tokyo Tower was on our bucket list, but somehow it kept being pushed off until almost the end of our trip. Even when we had reached the site, my fiancé kept finding other things to look at instead… the shrine in front of it, a ramen shop on a side street… and as we went up from the base, to the main observatory, to the highest deck, he became increasingly lovey and nervous.

At the highest observatory deck, you can see all of Tokyo from three hundred and sixty degrees. I was awestruck, walking circles and pointing out places we had been and recognised. 

There was a man on staff there who asked if my fiancé and I wanted our picture together. We took one, my fiancé's arm over my shoulder. The man on staff bowed lightly and stepped forward to hand the camera back, when my fiancé said, "Wait-- can we have another?" 

Then I looked to my side, and saw my fiancé down on one knee, a ring in his hand…

The man did take another picture after, but my face was puffy from crying.

That night, we went to Ikebukuro for a celebratory dinner. We had spotted an "Alice in Wonderland" Cafe there before, and we thought, what a better time to check it out?

The sign outside the venue. You descend a vast, winding staircase to the lower levels, step in through some doors, and are face-to-face with a life size story book coming out of the wall. A White Rabbit at the adjacent desk greets you, and calls Alice to escort you to your seats.

My "Kiss from a Jack" raspberry cocktail.

My vegetarian "Cheshire Cat's Tail" Margherita pizza.

My fiancé's beef stew… with a rose shaped tomato and Cheshire Cat puff!

It was definitely one of the best days of my life so far… and that's why it's one of my favourite dresses. :3

And here are the other Lolitas who participated in this week's theme (in no particular order)! Take a look!

Lolita Dokine 

Kira Kira Shoujo 

Golden Week in Tokyo

... or should I say, Golden four days in Tokyo. My university had class until Wednesday afternoon, with its fair share of quizzes and essays. By the time I boarded my 4 PM highway bus, I was ready for a vacation... and the semester has barely kicked off!

Months ago, my friend from Hawaii (Sam) said she wanted to visit Tokyo for Golden Week. I started planning accordingly, reserving early bus tickets and making spare space in my closet. Since she was coming with three other friends, all of us shared a rental house two train stops away from Harajuku. 

We had a blast, and I got to see a lot more of Tokyo on this trip!

This is a huge post with a lot of photos, so read on under the jump-cut!

Things to Come

Hello Darlings!

In February, I returned home to visit my family for Spring break.

Before I left home, I got to celebrate my 21st birthday with my family. My present was to come home and see them. My last night home, we had a spread of all my favourite foods, and my mom let me pick out bouquets of pink, magenta and purple gerber daises. I put them in a vase with a huge purple bow around the neck.

I spent most of Spring break behind the pedal of my sewing machine, and managed to knock out a lot of cosplays!  I'll have to dedicate a future post to solely cosplay, I don't think I can tie it into this entry.

 I returned to Japan last month, and dove into a spiral of Placement Tests, studying... and a whole bunch of adventures!  From the "Bear Cafe"in Sakae, to seeing the land where "Dreams Come True", to seeing one of my favourite J-rock groups.

This is a sampling post! In the next week or two I want to write proper articles, so I can explain these things and maybe you can go and see them yourself! In the meantime, let's see what's in store. 

Upon returning to Japan, I proceeded to eat far too many sweets. My Japanese friend graduated from college, so we had a party at Sweets Paradise in Nagoya.

Not long after, my lolita friend invited me out to twin our AP Honey Picnic sets, and ate lunch at a "Bear Cafe".

Not long after that, rain started falling, cherry blossoms started budding, and it was time for Hanami (flower viewing).

This weekend, we went to Disney Sea, to celebrate my friend's graduation again...

And tonight, I just got back from seeing Alice Nine in Nagoya.

Tomorrow... I think I can actually take a breather!!

Time has been soaring by. Coming back to Japan for a second semester has been the best decision... I'm more comfortable with the language, I know what to expect from my courses and teachers, and the best part is, I came back to a bunch of friends waiting to see me. That makes all the difference. 

Without my friends, I'd be nothing! Not just the fellow riyuugakusei who speak English; but the Japanese ones who live here too. I am so grateful and lucky that they'd invite me into their busy lives, to invite me to things like going to Disney Sea. 

Not to mention we speak only Japanese while we're out, which is amazing practice! You learn expressions and develop a natural style, which I may argue, is impossible to master in a classroom alone. 

Thank you for sticking with Darkly Darling, even with stretches of inactivity. I really hope you continue to follow me on my adventures, and it inspires you to set out on an adventure of your own.

Till next time! 

Cherie

Tokyo

Hello Darlings! In the past few months I lost my motivation to keep this thing updated. But now I'm visiting my parents for Spring break, and thought it was the perfect time to play catch-up. 

My last promised update was my New Year's Adventure to Tokyo, right?

I booked bus tickets to Tokyo with some friends from my university. It was very convenient, the JR Express Highway bus picked us up right in front of a Lawson conbini near the train station. 

The trip up to Tokyo from Nagoya took six or seven hours, and cost roughly 3,000 yen. The bus dropped us off in front of Tokyo Station.

We saved a bunch of money by booking Sakura Hostel in Asakusa, a culturally rich and historic district. It ended up being less than 3,000 yen a night per person when we split a six-bed room. Not bad at all, especially during the New Year's rush!

Staying in Asakusa definitely had it's perks. For one thing, the hostel was right behind Sensoji Temple. It definitely felt like good luck staying there for New Year.

Sakura Hostel was clean, friendly and homey. The staff mans the desk practically twenty-four hours, and is multiculturally friendly. The staff comes from all over the world; rest assured, someone will always speak English or Japanese at least. 

The main lobby is the hub of activity in the mornings, with a cafe, couches, a flat screen TV, a smoking patio, a laundry area, and free wifi. 

Every room is locked with a swipe-key, and you can request extras if your group plans to split up (It's a 1,000 yen deposit for each additional key, to be returned upon checkout). Each floor has sex-separated communal bathrooms, which are kept impeccably clean.

There's lockers in each room to stow valuables. Clean sheets, blankets and pillows are provided when you check in. The rooms are wider than I was expecting, with windows, personal lights above each bed, and heating/air conditioning. It was the bare essentials, but we hardly spent time in the room anyway.

The only downside of Sakura Hostel is it can be tricky to find. Luckily when we arrived in Asakusa station, we met a local who offered to walk us there. She was studying English and seemed to enjoy the conversation. ^^

It's not that Sakura Hostel is inconvenient or far, but Asakusa is mainly composed of winding alley-like streets, which start to look the same after a while. If you're ever visiting or sight seeing, try to pick out landmarks or tall buildings on the sky line to get a sense of direction. 

Speaking of landmarks, we spotted the new Sky Tree while we were wandering around!

Asakusa station is the last stop on the Ginza Line. It goes directly to Shibuya, and from there you can go to Akihabara, Ikebukuro, Harajuku, you name it! 

On our first day in Tokyo, we met up with my friend in Shibuya. We met at Hachiko, the iconic statue of the  loyal dog, where I've dreamed of standing since I was little.

I fulfilled another lifelong wish making the trek across Shibuya Crossing to the Starbucks...

Later that day, we headed to Harajuku, and went shopping on the famous Takeshita dori.

This street is packed with clothing and accessory stores. You could find everything from a store selling just socks to a shop selling second-hand Vivienne Westwood. 

Though the Mori Girl trend seems to have moved on from the mainstream, many stores were still carrying Wonder Rocket and vintagey fashions. No matter what your budget or interest is, you can probably find something worth buying here. 

Bodyline is located on Takeshita dori, and in close proximity, Harajuku Closet Child.

At this point I was kicking myself for not packing any lolita. I was starting to feel like a bum in my torn up jeans, boots and Peace Now raglan. I couldn't help myself in Closet Child, and went for AP's Little Bear's Cafe Jsk in mint. I also spotted the matching black bow for my treasured "Radioactive Cupcake" Jsk. 

In general, I didn't see lolitas in Harajuku. A pair of OTT sweet lolitas came into Closet Child when I was shopping, but even on the streets there were none in sight. 

There's been speculation that the lolita trend is starting to slow down, and I truly felt that way during my stay in Tokyo. Even Closet Child had relatively slim pickings, compared to the shop blog entries I used to fawn over years ago. That's a subject I may save for another entry, since I felt the same decline in lolita in Nagoya.

Other photos from Harajuku...

One of the only cosplayers I saw, as Reita from the GazettE. There was also a Ruki in the shop behind her, dressed in the costume from "Silly God Disco", but they didn't want their photo taken. 

Harajuku Bridge was empty each time I went.

An h.Naoto display in La Foret.

Till Next Time!

Cherie