Recent Posts
LA CARMINA. Trendy Japanese Fashion † Harajuku street style † Women's Clothing
Return To Blog Listing
Popular blog on wild Japanese street fashion, with a focus on Gothic Lolita Rococo Punk. Daily posts and photos, trend commentary, outfits and style profiles of Tokyo's craziest alternative designers and Visual Kei J-rock bands. By La Carmina, author
Recent Posts Tagged With 'tokyo gothic lolita'
CLOSET CHILD VIVIENNE WESTWOOD & VISUAL KEI J-ROCK MUSIC STORE IN HARAJUKU, TOKYO JAPAN. VINTAGE SECONDHAND GOTHIC LOLITA PUNK CLOTHING.
In the past few months, Closet Child (my much-loved Goth Loli Punk secondhand store) has undergone a significant Harajuku expansion. In addition to the renovated three-floor store on Takeshita Doori, there’s now a branch for vintage Vivienne ...
COSPLAYING AT EDELSTEIN SCHOOLBOY CAFE IN HARAJUKU: ANDREW ZIMMERN’S BIZARRE WORLD TRAVEL TV SHOW. SEXY JAPANESE SCHOOLGIRL!
We’ve reached the final location of the Bizarre World episode I co-hosted for Travel & Discovery Channel. The Tokyo spooks met us at Edelstein in Harajuku — a cafe where the waiters cosplay as awkward teenage schoolboys! (I wrote a...
AKIHABARA SHINTO BUNNY MAID CAFE: ANDREW ZIMMERN’S BIZARRE WORLD TV SHOW FILMING & PRODUCTION. MARU MUSIC COSPLAY CONTEST & AN CAFE.
Everyone has been asking me when my Tokyo appearance on Andrew Zimmern’s Bizarre World will air. I wish I knew! At the moment, I’m working with the show writer on my segment. Rest assured I’ll give you plenty of notice before it h...
VERSAILLES AT V-ROCK FEST 2009 IN CHIBA, JAPAN: LARGEST VISUAL KEI J-ROCK MUSIC FESTIVAL. D’ESPAIRS RAY, PENICILLIN, PLASTIC TREE.
Yesterday, you heard one account of V-Rock Fest. Today, Yukiro Dravarious shares his thoughts on the world’s most glorious Visual Kei extravaganza — which took place near Tokyo, Japan last weekend. (All photos courtesy of V-Rock. Above:...
JAPANESE ABSINTHE: GOTH SKULLS DIVE BAR IN TOKYO, BAR BREADLINE. BUYING & CARRYING LEGAL ABSINTHE IN JAPAN.
Is absinthe legal in Japan? It surely is! There’s even a bar in the outskirts of Tokyo dedicated to every permutation of the dreamy green fairy. Between the Alcatraz ER theme restaurant shoot with Andrew Zimmern and the Department H party, a...
CUTE 1980S HARAJUKU GIRLS FASHION. FAIRY KEI RAINBOW TUTUS IN MANIA Q, PASTEL CAT T-SHIRTS, BANANA FISH SHOP TOKYO.
Back to the cuteness! In June, I posted photos of Mania Q, an adorable little fairy kei hub on Takeshita Doori (Harajuku). This month, I awwed at the 1980s retro cat tees and pink skirts on display. Gosh, I love fairy kei. The next time you’...
ANIMEGAO DOLLERS IN COSPLAY MASKS & BODYSUITS, ALIEN S&M SUSPENSION SHOW, HENTAI & FETISH OUTFITS IN TOKYO JAPAN.
My head was spinning at Department H. So many fun fetishes and costumes in a tiny Uguisidani venue! “Dollers” sat in one corner, in full bodysuits and anime girl masks, pawing demurely and wordlessly at each other. This entwined coup...
AKINA CONTEST WINNER! WHAT ARE YOUR HALLOWEEN PLANS? JAPAN FETISH GOTH COSTUMES, MINNIE MOUSE, LEOPARD MAKEUP.
First off, thank you for sharing your heartbreak stories in this post; my heart goes out to you! The lucky contest winner, chosen by a random number generator, is Fiona Rawrhhs. Congrats, you won a Goose Gown dress from Akina! I have so much excit...
FAIRY KEI HARAJUKU STORE: SBY HAPPY ROOM. CUTE BUNNY PURSES, 1980S SCRUNCHIES, BIG SEQUIN HAIR BOWS.
Let’s take a quick break from the Andrew Zimmern coverage for some Fairy Kei shopping in Harajuku. SBY Happy Room is on one of the Takeshita Doori side streets (see my Gothic Lolita Punk store guide for more.) With a name like that, how could a...
ANDREW ZIMMERN’S BIZARRE WORLD AT ALCATRAZ ER THEME RESTAURANT: SYRINGE & CHEMICAL BEAKER & PENIS COCKTAILS!
Possibly the best. Photo. Ever. A bloody vampire, Cheshire Cat and fetish flower girl with Travel Channel TV host Andrew Zimmern, sucking on the brains of a decapitated mannequin. Andrew joked that this is one photo that doesn’t require red eye...
HARAJUKU JAPAN GOTH CLUB FASHION! TRAVEL CHANNEL AT ALCATRAZ ER MONSTER PRISON THEME RESTAURANT IN SHIBUYA.
How bizarre is Andrew Zimmern’s world? He travels around the globe, scarfing strange foods and diving bald-head-first into subcultures. And he gets to share his experiences with Travel and Discovery Channel’s many viewers. Posing with a t...
TRAVEL CHANNEL TV SHOOT: ANDREW ZIMMERN’S BIZARRE WORLD! SHIBUYA CENTER GAI FAMOUS TOKYO STREET CROSSING, JAPAN CITY LIGHTS.
Ready? Set? Let’s begin the mad tale of my Travel Channel co-hosting gig! As you’ll recall, I was whisked to Tokyo in early October to be a guide on Andrew Zimmern’s popular new show, Bizarre World (airing in 75 countries!). The ...
OSAKA & HARAJUKU LOLITA SHOPPING MAPS. WHERE TO BUY GOTHIC LOLITA HARAJUKU FRUITS CLOTHES IN TOKYO JAPAN, SHOP LIST & ADDRESSES FOR COOL JAPANESE CLOTHING STORES.
Looking for the best places to shop for Gothic Lolita clothes in Tokyo, Japan? Volume 7 of Kera Maniax has a stellar map of Harajuku’s stores. I’ve translated and added in some items. But as I advised in this post, I like going down Takes...
UPCOMING GOTH PARTIES & EVENTS IN TOKYO, GREECE! DAS ICH & GOTHIKA AT MIDNIGHT MESS, JAPAN & ANIME, DJ SISEN CYBER GOTHIC NIGHTCLUB.
Does anyone know what time it is? I surely do… it’s party time, my children of the night! If you are planning to visit Tokyo, you should come in the last week of the month in order to attend Midnight Mess. It’s the longest-running G...
THE BIG NEWS: LA CARMINA TO CO-HOST TOKYO EPISODE OF ANDREW ZIMMERN’S BIZARRE WORLD TV SHOW ON TRAVEL CHANNEL!
So… I’ve been hinting at an out-of-this-world announcement, and I wasn’t pulling your leg. It’s such a doozy that I can’t believe it’s happening… but it is. In October, I’m being flown to Tokyo… t...
JOSOU: JAPANESE DRAG, GROUPS FOR MEN DRESSING AS CUTE GIRLS 女装. CROSS-DRESSING, FANTASY COSPLAY, TOKYO SUBCULTURES.
Now here’s something that gets my two thumbs up. Many Japan universities now have josoo-circles (女装) or clubs where men dress up like girls! YUKIRO: Its “oshare-status” to look good in woman clothing now in Japan. Its the new B...
OTANJOUBI OMEDETOU LA CARMINA BLOG! MERCURY RETROGRADE ASTROLOGY BS RANT, TOKYO WEIRD THEME RESTAURANTS BOOKS ARRIVE.
I won the Sleep Olympics today — 12 hours of continuous snoozing! My justification: it’s my blog’s birthday and I can ZZZ if I want to. You would ZZZ too if you spent the past two years blogging near-daily… I spent a good chun...
LA CARMINA BLOG ANNIVERSARY COMING UP! DAY 1 OF MEMORIES, BEST OF GOTHIC LOLITA COOL JAPAN BLOG POSTS.
We’re getting old, darklings. On September 12, the La Carmina blog reaches the age of two. It’s unbelievable how I went from being a morose, direction-less, Basil-less law student to… a life of Harajuku madness! I’m currently ...
MARUI ONE SHINJUKU SUMMER SALE: HELLO KITTY QUOLOMO T-SHIRTS, HEART HEEL SHOES IN SHIBUYA 109, JAPANESE VAMPIRE DRAMA TV SHOW.
Marui Young Shinjuku had a “sparkling summer sale,” which is where I got my Marble short jacket with dangling vampire sleeves. Despite the stifling heat, many girls dressed in full Lolita for the event. And despite the sales racks, most o...
BAR-HOPPING IN KOENJI, TOKYO: JAPAN OTAKU CAFES, NAKANO ANIME MANGA COSPLAY STORES.
A makeup-free Happy Phantom took La Carmina on an alcohol-fueled romp through Koenji, the Tokyo district where he resides (although he’s now moving in with Dravarious). Nakano is a station away — home to the Broadway mall, or mini-Akihaba...
READER QUESTION ABOUT HONG KONG LOLITAS. JAPANESE STREETS SWEET LOLITA TEENS, ANGELIC PRETTY HARAJUKU FASHION PHOTOSHOOT.
Japanese Streets, a comprehensive resource on Harajuku street style, kindly gave me permission to post these Sweet Lolita photos. The models are aged 13, 14, and 19 and mostly wearing Angelic Pretty — and their candy-floss hair is to die for! Y...
BEHIND THE SCENES: CRAZY WACKY THEME RESTAURANTS TOKYO. DINING AT LOCK-UP & ALCATRAZ, SCHOOLBOY & MAID COSPLAY CAFES.
I wrote a blog post for my publisher’s website (Mark Batty in NYC) about “The Making Of” Crazy Wacky Theme Restaurants. Here it is below, with a bonus photo! The concept was, from the start, a Kool-Aid trip: photograph and write ab...
HARAJUKU GIRLS STREET STYLE PORTRAITS: GOTHIC LOLITA, VISUAL KEI, CYBER DECORA FASHION ON STREETS OF JAPAN, CANDID PHOTOS.
I’ve been spending a lot of time on Flickr for my new writing gig (info to come… gotta finish the assignments first!) There are some mad talented photographers out there who have captured – and been captivated by – Harajuku fa...
KERA SHOP ARENA J-ROCK PUNK CLOTHES, ZEALINK, GOTH ROCK CLOTHING IN NEW MARUI. VISUAL KEI JAPANESE MUSIC STORE, BAND OUTFITS.
We’ve arrived! The top floor of the new Marui One Shinjuku is your one-stop shop for Goth/Punk/rock clothing and goods. The old Kera Arena was a tad grungy and cluttered, but I liked it; the anarchic atmosphere matched the plaid and spikes stre...
2009 MOI DIX MOIS & KOZI CONCERT, DEEP SANCTUARY TOUR, EBISU LIQUIDROOM. MANA SAMA PERFORMS LIVE IN TOKYO JAPAN.
I had no ticket for the Moi dix Mois and Kozi Deep Sanctuary concert (July 19, 2009 at Ebisu Liquidroom) – but decided to meet my friends and see what fate had in store for me. Perhaps one of them would drop dead and I could go in his place? (Y...
VIDEO OF SISEN, CHIHIRO & FRIENDS: HARDCORE GABBER EBM INDUSTRIAL DJ SETS AT TOKYO GOTH PARTY, ALAMODE NIGHT JAPAN.
Thanks for your sweet words about my new Innocent World dress! Here’s a close-up on the “demented kitty” print. I’m still shocked that I got a JSK from one of the finest and most expensive Lolita brands for under $100. You&...
ALAMODE NIGHT AT CLUB CRAWL SHIBUYA: DJ SISEN, TAKUYA ANGEL, CHIHIRO, TETRA, KANON. TOKYO GOTH INDUSTRIAL GABBER CLUB MUSIC.
The last two times I went to Alamode Night, the Gothic dance party was at StudioCube326 in Tamachi. (Previous coverage here and here.) The event has now moved to the more conveniently-located Club Crawl in Shibuya (map and directions are in my Tokyo ...
GACKT VIDEO: LIVE REPORT! J-ROCK VISUAL KEI CONCERT AT TOKYO SAITAMA ARENA, JAPANESE MAID CAFE COSPLAY COSTUME.
Japanese teens go crazy for Gackt-o! Gackt-o! at his Saitama Arena concert in Tokyo! La Carmina and friends report on the live experience – cosplayers, merchandise, screaming girls – at Gackt’s “Requiem et Reminiscence II̶...
ANGELIC PRETTY SWEET LOLITA JSK, ONE-PIECES, JUMPERS IN MARUIONE BOUTIQUE. PRETTY CANDY PINK PRINTS, HEART PATTERNS, FRILLY LACE BOWS.
Welcome to the seventh floor of the new Marui One: a Barbie dollhouse candyland come to life! (Compare it to the old Sweet Lolita floor.) The Pink Panther award goes to Angelic Pretty’s corner of the room. A lace-trimmed, sweet-printed skirt ...
JAPANESE TEENAGE LOLITAS: CUTE GIRLS IN GOSURORI, SWEET & CLASSIC LOLI DRESSES OUTSIDE GACKT VISUAL KEI CONCERT, SAITAMA ARENA.
Japanese Lolitas love Gackt. I spotted many a pink frill outside his concert at Saitama Arena. The girl on the left came with her mother (Gackt has many crazed elder fans)! It takes dedication to wear full Lolita outfits during the stiflingly hot...
