Wandering Kimono and Other Things

I went strolling around the city on New Year's Eve and Day. This is one of the few days the streets gets cleared of people returning to their hometowns for the holidays. A great chance to photograph my outfit at. Few days before this, I received a package in the mail and it was these beautiful handcrafted pair of shoes I bought off a second hand store. They are generally known in Japan as "Jika Tabi" (Tabi boots). They are traditional shoes in Japan but you might have heard about them from these Maison Margiela boots. Just that these pair that I got where made from leather. I've never seen anything like this living in Japan. 

Tabi Boots

So much easier to take photos when theres no one looking at you like you're breaking the law. 

I also hung out in Shibuya on Jan 1st, and was amazed by the crowd. There tends to be larger crowds on holiday in this part of the city, but the place seemed to be visited mainly by tourists, and not a single Japanese soul was to be witnessed. (Except for the workers.) It was a weird atmosphere. You would eavesdrop the couple sitting next to you, the group that passes you by, and no one seems to be speaking Japanese. 

Empty Stations

So excited for the New Year. I have a lot of things in mind I want to accomplish, but first, finals!


Maria

New Year and OOTD

HAPPY NEW YEAR

   I hope you enjoyed NYE and the actual day. This year I got to experience a Japanese style new years celebration with my family. It's only my second new year after moving to Tokyo and I never had a proper homemade Osechi (お節), a traditional Japanese cuisine eaten after New Years day for celebration, so I begged my mom for these pretty things. Usually Osechi is served in these layered boxes but we never owned these and its a pain to buy something you would only use once a year so we had to compromise with moms favourite plates with asian vibes. 

   These were considered delicacies in the past and people only got to eat them once a year. Nowadays we have more than enough types of food available at any time of the year so it's not really considered a delicacy. To tell the truth, Japanese food is often more on the healthy side so eating it as a celebration feels a bit different from eating roasted turkey for Thanks Giving. It's not as luxurious or filling. Even from a Japanese point of view, Osechi feels a little simple taste wise although it's time consuming to make. (and theres almost no meat involved) I like that simplicity but I'm not too sure if it's a taste everyone would enjoy. 

   And here's my lazy outfit of that day. If you're extra lazy to wear makeup, just wear sunglasses. 

My friends and I call this the gorilla jacket. I love it so much. It's super warm and cozy. 

Jacket - Diesel SALE (I dont know if its still available)

Croptop - Zara

Overalls - Some Japanese brand

Shoes - Zara

Bag - Zara

I'm 70% composed of Zara, I swear. 

I hope you have a wonderful year ahead of you (: