(.....I love and hate this rule....so very much...thanks
Josh...)
The rain, rain, rain, came down , down, down FOREVER. But seriously, wet stockings and clammy skin wasn't going to stop her from her mission *determined*
They rode the train a couple stops down to the Harujuku district, and promptly set out for Takeshita-Dori: a pedestrian only street packed with shop upon shop of every sort of fashion you could think of.
The one shop they made a bee-line for right from the start was called "Bodyline" and was home to some of the cutest, most well made, and cheapest Lolita fashions Harujuku had to offer (according to their limited knowledge... but still). Tori led the way for the eager girls (+Rory) as she had been there on the free weekend during the Politics of Peace course.
 |
(Photo found online. It was raining too much to take pictures outside
and we weren't allowed to take pictures inside any of the shops) |
You weren't allowed to take pictures inside, and you weren't allowed to try things on, and you can't return anything, but that didn't matter. She ran her hand down the rack of ruffled, lacy, full skirted dresses, and fell in love with a beautiful floral print sun dress of the English-Garden-Tea-Party variety (with watching lacy-flower-satin-ribbon bow clip) and a high-waisted cinched skirt with ruffly-cameoed-gypsy-inspired top (and a lovely little brown hat)! So she bought them. All of them. And still only spent about as much as one dress would have cost her in the next cheapest shop (and it would have been a rather poor quality dress at that).
Having their main conquest out of the way and being filled with new found exhilaration, they set out and explored little shops along the way. She was able to find quite a few little things for the people on her list (Spoilers, Spoilers~) and found a beautiful antique looking timepiece as a necklace (and bought it with Katie's prompting. Thank you~). Timepieces, rabbits, bows, brassy finishes, and Alice inspired accessories and outfits seem to be quite in fashion and taunted her something
awful.
Eventually, the allure of the shops and the things they held inside couldn't mask the rumblies in their tummies. So they went to a Ramen Shop!
 |
| (Blurry picture: French the Lama...) |
They climbed the stairs, and purchased meal tickets from a machine outside the door. They were then ushered through the curtain into individual stool bar-seat cubbies by the women managing the store front. She and Katie both agree: this was probably the best meal they'd had in Japan thus far. Everything from the noodles, the amount of fat content and leeks, and the type of flavor of the ramen were all cooked to the specifications they marked on the individual (english subbed) paper slips they were given. And she actually felt full afterwards.
 |
| (In progress Ramen (with blurry Katie in the Background~)) |
With full bellies, they wandered in and out of more shops (including, but not limited to, a six-story Forever 21). They rode the trains home again (because the Hostel and Shin-Okubo already felt like home on the first night~) and had a fashion show dress up party of all the outfits the girls had acquired that day! (the four girls were sharing one room. Rory was in the other.) Although they took really bad pictures atop their futons and comforters with bags and accesories scattered about the floor, they are planning on more professional photo shoot for a later date when Tori can come back from Otsu and the sun is shining again. THOSE pictures will be posted on here when we take them~
After trying on everything multiple times and romping around the room, they changed back into their common clothes and headed out for a Tempura Shop (This was a day of very delicious food)!! Tempura is a very light batter that is fried on about anything. For this meal they as well they had to buy little meal tickets to present at the counter to get their food. She had tasty Vegetable Tempura with extra rice (this was a very close second for best meal in Japan):
Now, on their travels to the train station, they kept passing a delightful little cake shop. And so, after dinner, they scampered over and picked out their desert from immaculate glass shelves of mini cakes and custards. She chose a perfect little piece of strawberry shortcake and also a baumkuchen (a growing addiction of hers)~ The travelers raced back to their Okaasan through the rain with the sweets carefully packed away. And then devoured them together in the girls' room!
 |
| (Delicious) |
Aaaaaaand then shenanigans ensued! Multiple rounds of He Said She Said and Mao were played. He Said She Said is played by passing pieces of paper around and each person writing bits of a story with out knowing what was written before (Boy's Name; Girl's Name; Place; etc.). Mao is a card game with the golden rule that you can't talk about the rules, and that a new one gets added every round by the person who won the previous bout. Needless to say, it takes a certain amount of wit and logic to figure out the rules. And while she pretends and tries to think things through logically, it's not exactly her strongest suit. But sometimes you just have to "believe in the heart of the cards"~
