Electronic District and Harijuku
July 2008

By Sassy

Entry Four

I woke to breakfast - a bowl of the biggest grapes I'd ever seen. Each one individually wrapped and sweeter than any I'd ever tasted.

My mornings were normally spent on the veranda, but on this particular morning, a huge flying cockroach was buzzing about. It seems most things in Japan are pretty big, except for the Japanese themselves.

I turned on the TV, this time watched a morning show. The G8 summit complete, they were discussing presidential fashion. I nearly choked on my grape witnessing them mock our poor and predictable taste. There seemed to be general disappointment that the first ladies club uses the pantsuit as its uniform.

Today's adventure would take us to the Electronics district. Akihabara Electric Town is another Tokyo "downtown", our mission was to price out Nikon cameras in the hopes that it could be cheaper in the homeland. Another subway ride brought us to a commercial area that looked very much like the crowded Shibuya, but here the vast majority of shops were, as the name suggests, new and used electronics. Apparently the district gained its notoriety upon opening the first stores for personal robots, but I saw none of these. The shops that caught my eye in the urban chaos had tools, computer and electrical parts, cameras, cell phones and laptops.

Akihabara Electric Town

You could literally find anything here. The store we entered had several floors: the main floor housing cell phones and laptops, another floor holding camera's and photo printers, another with PC products, the top floor with all things Mac. Nikon cameras were up to $400 more than they would cost in Canada. Other products, like Epson photo printers, had models I have never seen in North America, supporting better quality at a slightly lower price. I'm guessing their trying to compete with local brands. Cell phones were like eye candy. Every shape and color, every imaginable function. Latops were midnight blue, cotton candy pink, and even sparkly.

Our mission proving unsuccessful, we decided to visit Harajuku. Quite a fan of goth and counter-culture fashion, this destination was a must. There is a small neighborhood of eccentric fashion, where quite a few go on Sundays in outlandish outfits just to hang out. They even carry suitcases with them and change outfits through the course of the day. Groups stood around holding up signs that said "Free Hugs!" Life stylers can be found here too, on any day of the week. Finding a place where I could dress up in anything that I fancied was delightful!

The subway took us back to Omotesando, where we walked along the expensive shopping district, towards Meiji Shrine. It is the bridge just before the shrine that youth have designated as the Harajuku catwalk. This time we took a right away from the shrine and into Harajuku shopping heaven.

Here the cramped streets catered to every sub-culture of fashion: hippy, rockabilly, punk, hip hop, goth and lolita - some that didn't really fall into any category. All at - gasp - reasonable prices. I don't think I could find an outfit over $250, Toronto and NYC alternative boutiques have given me sticker shock on a regular basis. I was in fashion paradise, skipping from store to store, hugging racks of clothing out of sheer joy. Gothic Lolita, visual kei, and every other twisted art statement available for easy purchase!

Visual Kei is a style that has grown popular amongst young musicians. Often it is both flamboyant and androgynous. They make of themselves a piece of artwork, which I think is born of the Kabuki and Geisha culture - where one can be a living work of art. Japan started a movement of Costume Play, which is spreading across the globe, of which I am an avid follower. Japan has in its culture a tradition of escape through dress and style. This invigorating and liberating form of expression and play has become quite addictive. Costume play is to transform yourself into something entirely new, and beautiful. I feel like a butterfly stretching out its wings upon leaving the cocoon. It is a powerful experience to look into the mirror and see an ethereal presence staring back at you.

Visual Kei

Gothic Lolita, however, is my personal obsession. The style is not really meant to be inherently erotic, though its contrasting beauty stirs taboo fantasies. This fashion tries to emulate porcelain dolls, and Victorian children. Elegance, detail and flamboyance are valued. Lolita girls are to be dainty, ladylike and sweet.

I was quite happy to leave with both a French maid uniform and a Lolita outfit! Both will eventually reach my gallery.

Gothic Lolita

Making our way back we found ourselves stopped at a busy intersection for quite some time. I sat on a low stone wall circling an office building, and noticed a little pile of lighters, probably a dozen in all. One by one, I tested each - all all of them worked. I was informed this was common in Japan. People leave lighters out by the common smoking spot for other employeese to use, just as people leave umbrellas in subway stations for those who might not have one on a rainy day.