BACK!
Wheee! I'm back from Hokkaido! It was a very fun trip, and I've bought goodies for you guys! (Shiroi Koibito and Mochi!) Stuff will be exchanged at the DHTP, which is tomorrow, of course.
I'll post the details of my trip later! (I'm lazy to upload the pictures we took right now). We took quite a lot of pictures, 700++ if I'm not wrong, because Hokkaido is really a beautiful place. If we had gone during July it would have been best (the flowers bloom during July), but in June it's just as great.
The temperatures in Hokkaido were around 14 degrees Celsius typically (even though it's summer!). Very cold! I wore two jackets. xDD (If this is the school's staff room temperature, I wonder how the teachers survive it! They must be freaks! ...)
... And... I went to Tenshi no Sumika! Whee! We were given some free time (to shop) and so we went to the Alta tower to find the shop. Tenshi no Sumika is tucked away in a corner on the B2 floor, behind sections selling anime and game fodder as well as Lolita and punk fashion (for humans). We knew at once we were in the right place. The whole floor was practically dedicated to Japanese subculture.
Unfortunately I have to pictures to show for my visit to Tenshi no Sumika, because they don't allow pictures. :( There were lots of lovely things, though. They had albums of Volks' dolls meets and shelves displaying their dolls in dresses and stuff and lots of eyeballs staring from below their glass counters... Best of all, there was a photography corner, where there was a lovely BJD-sized armchair and other pretty stuff like a small grandfather clock and flowers. I suppose doll owners are allowed to pose their doll there and take pictures, but we didn't bring Yuuhi...
We bought a simple kimono for her (because she needs to wear something for the DHTP, and I don't want to carry a half-naked doll around). :)))
It was quite a arduous and hilarious process. Language barrier! After much fussing and gesturing we managed to decide upon a blue one... But we couldn't get shoes to match, so Yuuhi might be going barefoot. Never mind. I suppose the kimono is long enough to hide the feet (I hope). And then the following conversation was carried out:
Staff: *quotes the price*
Dad: *takes out credit card*
Staff: One pay?
Us: ... Huh?
Staff: *distressed* One pay? *holds one finger up*
Us: ... Huh? *talks among ourselves* What's one pay? (To staff) Write it down.
Staff: *Writes "One Pay on a piece of paper*
Us: No, no. Write Japanese.
Staff: *Writes* (He wrote something like 一回.)
Us: ~moment of enlightenment~ Oh, installments!~ One pay, yes!
Staff: *phew*
I didn't know Volks allowed payment in installments for their physical shops. And even for foreigners like us! I thought they wouldn't offer installments for tourists (because they can run away!). But installments are troublesome stuff, anyway. I prefer cold hard cash all at one go. Money that comes in fast is better than money that comes in slow, that is what... they taught during Financial Literacy. <-- random.
There were two other doll owners sitting at the counters with their dolls, but we didn't approach them because they seemed to be in the middle of a purchase (a very long one). Of course, there were also a few people looking at the anime and game stuff (I wouldn't say Otaku, but...). And some high school girls came in and looked at the doll meet albums (I think they were doll owners, or maybe considering the hobby). But the shop was very quiet in general.
In fact, the whole of the B2 floor was rather quiet. A lovely place to stroll around in and relax, if you ask me. No shopping crowds, no loud pop music, not much noise.
On the whole we did much shopping. :) A kimono for Yuuhi, lots of food, a new addition to my soft toy family (a rabbit called Tanpopo), pajamas for me (who buys pajamas during a holiday?), small items (radiation-absorber, lavender pillows, perfume, blah)...
I'll post the details of my trip later! (I'm lazy to upload the pictures we took right now). We took quite a lot of pictures, 700++ if I'm not wrong, because Hokkaido is really a beautiful place. If we had gone during July it would have been best (the flowers bloom during July), but in June it's just as great.
The temperatures in Hokkaido were around 14 degrees Celsius typically (even though it's summer!). Very cold! I wore two jackets. xDD (If this is the school's staff room temperature, I wonder how the teachers survive it! They must be freaks! ...)
... And... I went to Tenshi no Sumika! Whee! We were given some free time (to shop) and so we went to the Alta tower to find the shop. Tenshi no Sumika is tucked away in a corner on the B2 floor, behind sections selling anime and game fodder as well as Lolita and punk fashion (for humans). We knew at once we were in the right place. The whole floor was practically dedicated to Japanese subculture.
Unfortunately I have to pictures to show for my visit to Tenshi no Sumika, because they don't allow pictures. :( There were lots of lovely things, though. They had albums of Volks' dolls meets and shelves displaying their dolls in dresses and stuff and lots of eyeballs staring from below their glass counters... Best of all, there was a photography corner, where there was a lovely BJD-sized armchair and other pretty stuff like a small grandfather clock and flowers. I suppose doll owners are allowed to pose their doll there and take pictures, but we didn't bring Yuuhi...
We bought a simple kimono for her (because she needs to wear something for the DHTP, and I don't want to carry a half-naked doll around). :)))
It was quite a arduous and hilarious process. Language barrier! After much fussing and gesturing we managed to decide upon a blue one... But we couldn't get shoes to match, so Yuuhi might be going barefoot. Never mind. I suppose the kimono is long enough to hide the feet (I hope). And then the following conversation was carried out:
Staff: *quotes the price*
Dad: *takes out credit card*
Staff: One pay?
Us: ... Huh?
Staff: *distressed* One pay? *holds one finger up*
Us: ... Huh? *talks among ourselves* What's one pay? (To staff) Write it down.
Staff: *Writes "One Pay on a piece of paper*
Us: No, no. Write Japanese.
Staff: *Writes* (He wrote something like 一回.)
Us: ~moment of enlightenment~ Oh, installments!~ One pay, yes!
Staff: *phew*
I didn't know Volks allowed payment in installments for their physical shops. And even for foreigners like us! I thought they wouldn't offer installments for tourists (because they can run away!). But installments are troublesome stuff, anyway. I prefer cold hard cash all at one go. Money that comes in fast is better than money that comes in slow, that is what... they taught during Financial Literacy. <-- random.
There were two other doll owners sitting at the counters with their dolls, but we didn't approach them because they seemed to be in the middle of a purchase (a very long one). Of course, there were also a few people looking at the anime and game stuff (I wouldn't say Otaku, but...). And some high school girls came in and looked at the doll meet albums (I think they were doll owners, or maybe considering the hobby). But the shop was very quiet in general.
In fact, the whole of the B2 floor was rather quiet. A lovely place to stroll around in and relax, if you ask me. No shopping crowds, no loud pop music, not much noise.
On the whole we did much shopping. :) A kimono for Yuuhi, lots of food, a new addition to my soft toy family (a rabbit called Tanpopo), pajamas for me (who buys pajamas during a holiday?), small items (radiation-absorber, lavender pillows, perfume, blah)...