Disneyland Minnie Disneybound

Top: Forever 21, Skirt: Forever 21, Bow: DIY, Shoes: Converse, Backpack: Amazon

In case you can't tell I'm a Disneyland fiend. Anytime I have the opportunity to go to Disneyland, I will take it. And of course, when I'm at Disneyland I'm going to Disneybound, and who would I do but the famous Mouse herself? Minnie Mouse! I actually almost wore my Minnie Mouse cosplay that I wore to D23, but I thought was a little too on the nose. (haha! I crack myself up). But highlight! When we were watching the parade, Belle noticed me and did a bow motion and smiled! Guys, Belle liked my Disneybound! So happy! I even got it on camera, sort of...

Anyways, as always I had an absolute blast at Disneyland and it was made even better by the fact that I got to go with my sis, cousin, and best friend. We had so much fun walking around the park and singing Disney songs, trying to join parades (and promptly being told we can't), and eating ourselves silly with snacks (Disney themed of course). I wish that I could go to Disneyland every week with these guys, but unfortunately we have the real world to deal with. Just wanted to give you guys a quick look at my Disneybound and my day in the park. Until next time, which should be sooner, TTFN ta ta for now.

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Japan Adventures- Himeji Castle and Hello Kitty

Sweater: ChicWish, Jeans: GAP, Shoes: Converse II, Backpack: Amazon

I apologize for the delay in posting, but sometimes you gotta deal with other stuff before you can blog. Anywhose, this will be my final individual Japan post. My next one will be a wrap up post that combines my last few days in Japan. So enjoy the shots of Himeji and the surronding area!

When my friends and I were in Japan (which now has been several months ago, geez I'm way behind in blogging!) we knew we wanted to go see a castle, but there are many different options and with everything we wanted to do, we knew we could only see one. Luckily, another friend was also traveling in Japan at the same time and he suggested Himeji Castle. And you know what, he was totally right. Before his suggestion I actually did not really know about Himeji Castle, but I'm so glad we decided to go.

But, before we before we actually got to Himeji Castle, my friends and I were on a hunt to find somewhere to grab breakfast, and oh boy, do I feel like we hit the jackpot. A Hello Kitty themed cafe! Everything was so adorable and pink, and it was a totally unexpected find. It was even better because we were the only patrons there because it was so early so we got to take in the whole restaurant without disturbing anyone. So, it was a pretty great start to the day already.

Himeji Castle was absolutely stunning as it was surronded by hundreds of cherry blossom trees that were in full bloom and creating a carpet of cherry blossom petals, that I just so happened to match with my sweater! Plus, since we went on a weekday early in the morning, there were not that many people and we were able to get through the castle rather quickly. The castle has a set course of where you can walk as they do not want people ruining the castle by walking everywhere and touching everything. So, to get to the top of the castle there is somewhat of a line you go through since you are all on an organized path. Oh! But that sight at the top is totally worth it. It is absolutely stunning to see the surronding area especially with all the cherry blossom trees in full bloom.

After wandering the castle grounds, my friends and I found a garden area with a small shrine that was overflowing with greenery. The garden not only had beautiful plant life but amazing waterfalls and ponds with Koi fish. If you are visiting Himeji Castle make sure to walk down the path a bit until you find the garden area.  I'm just so glad we went in the spring and were able to see all the plant life in full bloom.

And then after this wonderful day of taking in ancient castles and exquisite scenery, we somehow ended up at a club in Dottonbori, Osaka. Ce la vie! Well, I hope to have my wrap up post of Japan sometime this week, so keep an eye out! TTFN, ta ta for now.

Japan Adventures- Nara Park and Deer

Top: Forever 21, Skirt: Chicwish, Shoes: Vince Camuto

I'm in Japan, so of course I went to Nara! I had to see and feed the deer. Because of all the people visiting the deer are friendly...and aggressive. They see you with food and they want it. But I couldn't help it and bought them food...getting surronded by deer is not the worst way to go, right??

Anywhose, Nara is not just for the deer. There are a lot of shrines and beautiful buildings surronding the park that you have to go see. Plus, while I was there they were starting to build a boat for a big festival for the end of the summer. The board nearby said that they would be moving the boat to a nearby lake (or river) to celebrate the festival. I wish I could have seen that, probably would have been amazing.  If you continue to walk past the boat and around you will see some amazing cherry blossom trees. Then there is a trail to hike up to a building to get a better view of the park and the surronding area. The view from above is breathtaking, and so work the journey.

And any journey is not complete without food, there are also some food stops along the main trail, but if you walk in a little you will find an amazing udon shop that makes you serves some of the best udon I have ever had. Plus, everyone there was super sweet. If you are planning on visiting Japan, then you definitely need to go to Nara. It's an experience you won't forget!

Until next time, TTFN ta ta for now.

Japan Adventures- Continued

Dress: Forever 21, Sweater: Gifted, Socks: American Apparel, Shoes: Dolce Vita (Thrifted)

Still working through all my Japan posts! I have dropped putting the day, because after this posts I think I will start combining my posts (plus, I skipped a day because it was a day of traveling between places, and a traveling outfit aka T-shirt and jeans)...But onto the blog posts!

This was a busy day! My friends and I hit up Arashiyama and Fushimi-Inari Taisha Shrine as well as wandering Kyoto..all in one day! However, looking through my pictures, I realize that I was so enthralled with everything (especially Arashiyama) I did not get a lot of pictures of some of the more stereotypical things (ex. bamboos). I ended up taking pics of myself at places pretty places that were not necessarily unique, but still very pretty. Just FYI, a lot of these pictures were taken in the surronding area of Arashiyama. There are a lot of cute cafes and small shops leading up to the bamboo forests and it's surronding gardens (we even found a cafe with the cutest old man serving percolator coffee in a waistcoat and bowtie). So, don't forget to explore the surronding area!

So, here'ss a quick breakdown of Arashiyama and Fushimi-Inari Taisha Shrine. Arashiyama may be known for the bamboo forest, but few people seem to acknowledge all the amazing gardens and views that surrond it. If you decide to wander the surronding gardens, you can find a small tea room that serves "free" (included with the price of admission to gardens) green tea and mochi. Fushimi-Inari Taisha Shrine is much larger than I thought! There are a lot of small shrines within the park, as well as a short and long hike you can take to get a better view of the Park (my friends and I  took the short hike because we were not prepared for a long haul). If you walk around the park you can also find a small grave site with a water purification site. My advice, don't just visit the central tourist spot and rush through the sites, go explore!

Also, if you plan to go to Arashiyama or Fushimi-Inari Taisha Shrine then you should go during the work week and try and go early! My friends and I did both of these things and the spots were gratefully not that crowded! At Arashiyama, if you are lucky you will also get to see wedding photo shoots; prime photo shoot spot yo.

Slowly working through all my photos (and now I have my pictures from Seattle  to go through as well *sigh*). Expect more from me soon (if my Anime Expo cosplay doesn't kill me). TTFN, ta ta for now.

Japan Adventures- Day 3

Dress: Asos, Socks: American Apparel, Boots: Asos, Headband: DIY, Jacket: Vintage, Backpack: Amazon

Harajuku! My favorite place in Japan! I felt like I was right at home in Harajuku, I was surronded by my fellow fashionistas, and they enjoyed my funkier take on fashion as well! If you are fashion blogger, or someone who just enjoys odd and quirky things, you definitely have to visit Harajuku!

But before heading to the wonderful world of Harajuku, my friends and I went to the Shibuya crossing and watched as a horde of people crossed the street (not gonna lie, we were total tourists and crossed the street several times trying to get that perfect picture). Once we got our tourist pictures in, it was time to eat! While wandering Shibuya we happened upon a ramen shop with vending machine ordering. It was super cool and convenient (as there was English on the menu). I decided to get the weirdest ramen on the menu, butter and garlic ramen. Man, was it good but so unhealthy! I could feel my arteries clogging as I ate it. Once our bellies were nice and full, it was time to grab a quick cup of coffee in an adorable coffee shop.

After being decently caffeinated, it was onto Laforet in Harajuku. And oh, was it wonderful! I made sure to explore every floor, and walk by every little store and vendor. My favorite shop was Paris House. They had the sweetest workers, and even though we did not speak the same language we bonded immediately and were exchanging "Kawaiis". I got a super cute purse and matching friendship necklaces for my friend and myself, but looking back I  wish I had actually bought more! I wish I had bought more from Paris House, and Laforet in general. While some of the stores were pretty pricey, looking back I now realize a lot of the items were exclusive for the store and totally worth it, as I don't think I will find anything similar in the States. Oh well, hindsight is 20/20.

After exploring the Laforet department store, it was time to wander Harajuku itself and discover all the little shops. And oh boy, were there a lot of little shops! I would have loved to spend the whole day wandering Harajuku, but my friends were hungry and my feet were tired (wearing heeled boots may have super cute, but maybe not the best idea) so it was time to head back to our place and prepare for our early start the next day.

I seriously loved Harajuku, and next time I go to Japan (hopefully soon!), I plan to spend a whole day shopping and finding all the quirky areas. Prepare for another Japan post this week. TTFN, ta ta for now.

Japan Adventures Day 1

Dress: Forever 21, Jacket: Vintage, Tights: Urban Outfitters, Shoes: Thrifted (Dolce Vita), Backpack: Amazon

Finally getting my Japan photos up, took so long because well, I TOOK SO MANY PICTURES! I went through all my pictures and I took about 2500 pictures...over 2 weeks. After going through all of them, I think I will start grouping my days because there are so many pictures. Look forward to that!

So my first day in Japan...was magical and everything I ever wanted. I was surronded by Sakura (cherry blossoms) and my friends and I even stumbled upon a Sakura Matsuri (festival). I was really hoping we would find at least one Matsuri during our trip, and we actually stumbled upon a few! But before that we spent the day wandering Tokyo, trying to get the lay of the land, visiting the Tskuji Fish Market, and the Imperial Palace Garden for some Hanami (Cherry blossom viewing).

Originally, my friends and I thought we would go to the Fish Market at 3am and try and see the auction, but we were way too tired from our flight the previous night to make it. Instead we went at 10am, walked around the market and got to see the last bit of the market before the fisherman started to clean up. Seeing the market when it was "calm" was crazy, everyone was zooming by and little cars were shuttling fish, "calm" has no place at Tskuji. After, we went across the street to get our breakfast of nice and fresh sushi. Or chirashi bowls, which were delicious! The server at the restaurant was so fun and made the wait that much more entertaining (heads up if you decide to go to Tskuji, you will wait about an hour for some of the fresh sushi)! I learned I was switching around some words, and basically saying "hello!" to my food rather than "delicious/yummy". So, that was an amazing experience.

After, we wandered Tokyo a bit (passing cute shops and grand official buildings) we found a cute little coffee shop to help boost our energy. Unfortunately, everything was in Japanese and the owners spoke no English so thank god for real time translate apps! Once we were rejuvenated, we headed to the Imperial Palace Gardens and were greeted by Sakura everywhere! And because there were sakura everywhere, people where everywhere enjoying the Sakura. While you might imagine Hanami as quiet and tranquil appreciation of the blossoms, people are having a jolly time laughing, drinking beer, playing drinking games, and eating under the sakura. It was fun to watch them and totally a new experience!

And as I mentioned after some of our own Hanami viewing, my friends and I stumbled upon a matsuri and took full advantage. My friends and I ate so much food, I thought we would have to roll ourselves out of the place. And let me tell you, that Matsuri was kinda a maze. So many little pathways led to different food stalls and booths, and another pathway to a sitting area and then another pathway for floor seating. It was confusing but oh so fun to see a Matsuri in full bustle! Then another surprise found us at the end of the main path with a temple! The temple was beautiful and large and a great start to the other temples I would see during this trip.

Well, my first day in Japan felt jam packed and only led to many more adventures. Keep an eye out for my next Japan post, I will be sprinkling in regular post between my Japan posts! TTFN, ta ta for now.