/cgl/ - Cosplay & EGL

We've had these before. I'm planning my trip for November, and I'm sure other anons are traveling soon, too!

Some topics of interest:
>Shops to visit (lolita, j-fash, vintage shops)
>Best themed cafes
>Areas to stay in; Airbnb vs hotels
>Tips to make traveling easier (JR pass? Suica? What about getting from aiport to lodging?)
>Budgeting

>>9454531
I'm currently living here and I shop pretty frequently at my local BTSSB shop.

They will have signs that say no photos, and no touching. From my experience the no touching is more or less for the display items. You can browse through stuff on the racks and pull it out to look at it just fine.

They dont get non Japanese people buying stuff all that often, so at first you'll probably be considered a bit of a tourist oogling at the 'weird Japanese clothes' but once they realize you know the fashion and/or actually want to purchase something they get really excited generally. Some will be a bit timid no matter what, especially if their English skills are not up to par. It really depends who they have manning the counter that day.

One thing to mention is a lot of Lolita 'stores' are not in their own little shop, but have a 'shop' in malls (which more often than not have an open floor plan with no walls). Often Lolita stores are all on the same level, so you'll find the AP right next to the Meta which is just across from Baby. Which is nice and convenient! (Harajuku's Lolita shops are laid out this way fyi, I got confused looking for specific shop fronts before realizing they were in the mall)

Feel free to wear Lolita, the clerks will often be pretty delighted, especially if you are wearing brand and happen to go to said brands shop! Lolita isnt ultra common out here (though I do see at least one every time I head into town) and in Tokyo you'll likely see more foreigners in J-Fashion than Japanese folks, but they still wear it and hell you're on vacation anyways, own it and flaunt it.

Last tip of the day: Some shops have a half off/ on sale rack!!! My local Baby and Alice and the Pirates shop does. It's usually the first thing I check and where half my wardrobe comes from. See if you can find it. I know AP shops dont tend to have one but Baby sometimes does depending on the location.

Have fun in Japan!