Day 3 - Kappabashi (Kitchen Street) in Asakusa
We were in the area after eating lunch at Ippudo, so we walked over to Kappabashi. My friend J had two specific items she was looking to replace that her family had purchased years ago from this same street. We walked around for a bit and I didn't take as many photos as I usually do, but we looked at a lot of home/kitchen/cooking/baking items as expected but didn't buy very much.
Day 4 & 5 - Shibuya 109
We spent about an hour here in the morning on Sunday where I bought some tights and socks I needed from Doll Kiss, but no other big purchases. As is always the case during the autumn and winter seasons, I have a terrible time trying to find items I'm willing to purchase since most of it is really impractical in Hawaii. I've also just kind of been slowly moving away from buying this kind of clothing but I was very determined to look around and see if there was anything that might spark my interest. Not even Liz Lisa and a novelty item got me to make a winter clothes purchase.
I returned on Monday at night to give all the stores another try and ended up walking out with a belt from Evelyn (something I went into the trip knowing I needed but forgot the day before) and a purse from Samantha Vega! More information about these at the bottom of this post.
Day 4 & Day 5 - Harajuku Takeshita street
Similar to Shibuya 109, we stopped here twice because I wasn't decisive enough on the first visit. On the second visit, my priorities were Paris Kids, Daiso, WC (for a gift) and Tutuanna. We also stopped at the Kamo Soccer store at the beginning of the street for my husband. We actually spent the most time there in Daiso. Even though we have a couple stores in Hawaii now, they're also sold out of everything!
We stopped here mostly just to introduce J to the mirror walls since I enjoy riding up and down the escalators in them, but I also stopped quickly at Jill Stuart to look for a gift for my sister-in-law but unfortunately didn't see anything suitable.
This was mostly just a novelty thing since none of us are big LINE friends fans. It was crowded as heck in there on the first floor and difficult to move around.
Day 4 - EATME Harajuku main store
This is my 4th visit to this store but I can never remember how to get there off the top of my head. It's not actually that hard to find and it's tucked just behind the main street with a very subdued look that almost makes it seem like a cafe or even a hair salon if you ignore the name. It doesn't actually have a ton of stock on the floor which is always a bit of a disappointment for me, but at least this time I walked away with a skirt and a necklace!
Day 4 - Garrett's Popcorn Harajuku
Ever since I figured out that the line bleeding out of the store actually moves moderately quickly, I don't mind waiting in it as much. I love getting just the Caramel flavor which is probably sickly sweet to most people who prefer the Chicago mix. Having just gone to Chicago in September, I think that the size of the Japanese bags are actually a little smaller than their US counterparts. My Medium was definitely not the same but I can't remember if there's a price difference as well. The seasonal flavor was Snow White Pistachio which was caramel popcorn with a "snow" sugar coating with some cranberries and pistachios mixed in (I think). We got two small bags of that, a caramel for me, and a couple of mixes for omiyage.
Day 4 - Amano Dry Goods Store Yokohama (Yokohama Bay Quarters)
Ever since my parents saw this store featured on a TV show, we've always stopped at this or the Tokyo station location. My husband's grandma is actually in love with the shijimi miso soup made by this brand so we were sure to buy as many of those as possible. And a bunch to give away to coworkers and relatives for Christmas stocking stuffers!
Apparently I didn't take any photos in the actual stationary store and just this photo of me in the bathroom on the fourth floor. But I find it easy to go to this location for pens and the like because it's so close to JR Shibuya station, connected by the Tokyu Department Store on the 3rd floor.
Day 5 - Loft Shibuya
We stopped here specifically to look for Christmas cards. I got some really cute wood die cut ones from our trip last year and we really wanted to gift some to our parents this year given the opportunity. They had so many choices and I had a really difficult time picking! They also had these wooden music box type things and I loved the sea themed one but couldn't justify spending $75 at the time. I'm going to see if I can possibly get it from the US later but I'm doubtful.
Day 6 - Takashimaya Shinjuku
Takashimaya in Shinjuku is one of only a few landmarks near JR Shinjuku station that I really can count on so it wasn't difficult to navigate here. We went specifically to go to the Tokyu Hands and find a drip bag coffee that my mother-in-law found during our April trip and was a huge fan of. We couldn't remember what floor it was on so we spent a whole bunch of time on the escalators, but bought whatever was on the shelf when we found it. We also shopped around on the basement floor where there's a KITKAT Chocolatory and a Nespresso kiosk.
What I purchased
EATME fake leather zipper skirt and rose ring necklace
I was very determined to make a purchase from EATME this trip. I had a list of items I was looking for in store (wanted to buy but wasn't willing to pay full price + tenso shipping), but unfortunately they mostly had the recent winter releases in stock, which is expected and makes sense but a bummer for me. I did manage to make it out with the skirt I've had my eye on since the preorder and a necklace that I think will be really useful, but I was really hoping for a dress or two! I guess I'll just wait for the winter sales online instead.
Samantha Vega bijou ribbon purse
I've needed a small(ish) white purse for a while in a girlier style. I knew I wanted something from a Samantha Thavasa or Samantha Vega but missed my chance to get one from the local store in Ala Moana. I spotted this one in Shibuya 109 and spent about an hour trying to decide whether to buy it or not, but obviously pulled the trigger. I ended up using it on the last day of the trip and I'm really happy with its size, structure and details.
Paris Kids Harajuku accessories
You can't beat the prices at Paris Kids for simple accessories, and I knew I wanted to get some hair ribbons/bows in black to be able to accessorize some of my EATME items a bit better as well as some of my darker items in general. My accessories have been pink heavy for a while, so I need to round it out a bit better. The earrings were also high on my list to purchase since I'm trying to wear dangly earrings more often and I thought this was a good place to start with some sweeter pairs (in silver and gold since I don't prefer to mix metals with other metallic accents if I can help it) and one edgier pair as well.
Evelyn bijou rubber belt
I have a somewhat similar belt from Delyle Noir in white but I really wanted to get a black counterpart to be able to have a little variety since I was wearing that one with basically everything that required it. There's a number of stores in Shibuya 109 that sell this type of belt, but Evelyn has it for a pretty reasonable price and I liked the bijou detail (plus that was the store I was in when I finally remembered I wanted to buy one). They also sell it in two sizes (S and M). I purchased it in M for a more comfortable fit.
Quick try on photos with most of the items which are majority accessories! -
Just a small handful of items, and I really had to twist my own arm to purchase the Samantha Vega purse since it felt a bit like a splurge, but I'm really happy to add these to my wardrobe, especially the accessories! I actually did better than I usually do during the winter season. Instead, my luggage was filled with omiyage and I think that's definitely more worthwhile.
This is the end to my Japan trip Winter 2019 series! I'll be including a small wrap up section in my upcoming monthly life update (December 2019), but I hope you enjoyed reading about my trip in this event/activity-based way. Let me know if you prefer this or the chronological organization better! I think activity-based is a little less overwhelming for readers but is it too little in each post? Not enough pictures? Not enough information? Leave me some feedback if you have time. Happy Holidays!
Hi Emi! I just stumbled onto your blog and really enjoyed reading through your Japan trip posts! I liked the way you organized it by event and activity. Even though there was some overlap between posts, I thought each post had a fresh take and the information was really easy to digest this way! As a reader, it was engaging and genuine.
ReplyDeleteHow many steps do you average per day during this trip?
The range of activities you did looks so fun! The cooking activity in particular was something I did not know you could do in Japan. Love your style, I'm inspired to be as fashionable when I go travelling as you are!
- An-chan
Thank you so much for your feedback! I'll definitely take this into consideration.
DeleteSince I had some connectivity issues at the beginning of the trip, my fitbit didn't sync to the right timezone for a few days, but we usually walk around 22,000 steps a day if we're doing a lot of sightseeing. A Disney visit is closer to 35k though!
There's a bit more data at the bottom of these 2 posts if you're interested - https://emiiichan.blogspot.com/2015/12/japan-trip-autumn-2015-part-10-travel.html
https://emiiichan.blogspot.com/2016/06/japan-trip-spring-2016-part-13-travel.html
Oh wow that's a lot of steps! It's always interesting to see how much walking occurs on trips. And thank you for the links! I know what I'll be binge reading haha.
Delete- An-chan
Tokyu Plaza looked amazing and Rojita seemed really cute; I haven't heard of it before. But anyway~ did your bf propose?! Not to be a stickler but I've definitely noticed a change in language from earlier this month!
ReplyDeleteYes, we're married now!
DeleteCongrats on your marriage! I’m so happy for you both and wish you a lifetime of amazing adventures
ReplyDelete