Anything & Everything

What I've learned over the years from manga and Japanese classes is that, as land and housing in Japan is often very expensive, most income one earns is usually spent on material items and catching up with the latest trends and fashion. This goes for both men and women, demonstrated when the fashion styles of most everyday people in Japan were almost indistinguishable, such as the women's winter look of a large coat, stockings, and boots. However, as the Japanese are often so willing to spend higher amounts for the latest looks it doesn't come as a surprise when most of the shopping available are high-end brands like Gucci, or very cute boutiques that offers variations of the general trending clothing. I, for one, am not a person who follows fashion trends, much less spend $150 on a jacket that could be offered at half the price, which made me wary of shopping in Japan. Department stores did not help the case. What I initially thought would be a multi-storey wonderland of...

With a cold snap in the area that I live that has lasted a while already I can fairly conclude that we are well into winter, kicking out the awkward autumn weather of chilly mornings and warm afternoons. And the presence of winter can mean several things: procrastinated showers that leads to extended periods of standing under hot, running water, fluffy slippers and continuously functioning heaters... and the dreaded black puffy Kathmandu jacket. Admittedly, I'm not sure whether this is an international trend. The Kathmandu brand (available in NZ and Australia) jackets are the general go-to for any outfit.  Black however, is just a guideline. There are those who sport other colours, and of course  there are the inevitable lesser-known brand versions that manage to creep by undetected. This style of jacket is sold everywhere, though in New Zealand  it's a fashion statement that skyrocketed in popularity only a few short years ago. I have no problem with the ja...