So adorable! Go here for all the details from San-X (Photo by San-X).
Unfortunately, when I was in Japan, I did not get to ride on the Rilakkuma decorated Yamanote Line. I'm not sure if it was over or if I just didn't happen to see it. But, I was really happy to enjoy the cute Yamanote displays in the Rilakkuma stores!
Luckily, they also had some good collectibles at the stores too. I was so tempted to get the bigger versions.. and as I'm looking at my photos of my collection..I'm tempted to search for the bigger ones~~!
It's an adorable series, I just wish they had incorporated Korilakkuma. There are two versions of Rilakkuma a passenger and a train driver and a Kiiroitori plush. I got the conductor version.
I had trouble finding a page with ALL of the Yamanote Goods in one spot, but here are the links you need to check out for all the events and info: San-X Blog, & Yamanote Info Page. Here are some links on where you can buy: Miraplush, ebay and Amazon. I have yet to see any fake versions for this plush, just be sure you are clear on what size you are buying. If you ever need to ask me a question about an authentic one, please let me know.
As you can see in my video, I set up my collection in my Ikea cubby and hang the folder in the back so its like a little train scene! Kumas are hard to get to stand up so I just have a little plastic organizer to arrange them. I use a Yamanote Line souvenir towel to decorate too ^.^. I have the back lit with some Christmas lights and it looks really pretty in the evening.
You can see the video for more about my haul and this cute series!
I recently posted my Asuna Cosplay video after previously posting other videos related to SAO (like my Asuna makeup tutorial video). Bo cosplayed Kirito, so it is always fun dressing as a pair for conferences and Halloween.
I thought I would do a blog post to give you guys all the little details about my cosplay outfits! Now, this is all from the first season. I have yet to watch the second season (waiting for it to be over) so don't tell me anything!! :3
I got my wig straight from TaoBao after bad experience with a very organge-y one from eBay. I think the lighter brighter ones look best on and also resemble Asuna best. (Although in the anime her hair color does look different in different scenes). There are some similar ebay ones, but I'm not completely sure which is the same one I got. (This one seems the same, because I had to cut a lot. Don't be afraid to cut a wig! :) its fun)
1. Asuna's Main Outfit
This outfit was a very detailed one so I opted to buy the highest quality one I could find! TaoBao has many different sellers, but I compared photos to the anime for hours and finally decided on the sellers I liked best. The outfit and armor came from one, and the sword another, and the shoes yet another.
I paired everything with translucent white tights that just make everything look better! ^.^ I did some work on my own to attach the belt to the sword holster-thing. I noticed this was a flaw with most cosplay. Asuna didn't hold her sword all the time! It had a place to rest attached to her belt.
2. Asuna's Cape
I made this whole cosplay myself. I made sure that the cape was detailed correctly, and I wore white tights, like Asuna and covered boots in matching fabric with the buckle.
Bo and I spent some time about a year ago shooting the scene where Kirito and Asuna eat bread together. I always thought that was a cute scene.
I would love to do her first outfit which she wore under the cape, but I just didn't have the time to do so.
3. Asuna's Cooking Outfit
This one I also made by myself. The top took a lot of time to get right, but I spent a lot of time comparing the photos and making sketches about how it could work in real life. I looked at other people's cosplays and got ideas for the construction by deciding what I liked and what I didn't.
I paired it with a plain navy skirt and brown boots folded down to look almost exactly like Asuna's.
The best way to make your own cosplay is to take screenshots from anime and brainstorm ideas about how to do it. Be very careful about details because I think it can change everything.
Also, just be creative--I thought I had to find boots similar to Asuna's but never could find anything. When I filmed this, I discovered just folding down my brown boots worked amazingly well. So sometimes just being a little crafty without creating everything from scratch can help a lot too.
If you haven't seen it, there is a really cute Asuna cooking figure out so I thought it was perfect to include in my video. It was a prize figure but looks amazing!
4. Asuna's Honeymoon Outfit (Yellow Sweater)
This was surprisingly a hard one to get right! It's quite hard to find a yellow sweater like hers and also a skirt. Finally I found both at Forever 21 after looking for a few months. I sewed on the final details onto Asuna's skirt using embellishments from JoAnn Fabrics. Then I got some plain brown boots and cut light brown fabric to attach on top to look like Asuna's.
Bo and I visited a cabin to take photos to be similar to the cabin that Kirito and Asuna stayed at. We took lots of pictures and I made some posts about it on tumblr.
5. Asuna's Nightgown (Lingerie)
This outfit is really just a dress, but it was Asuna's nightgown. I got it also from TaoBao. This is a similar TaoBao seller, I don't think its the same one I bought from. There is one on eBay that seems the same but is super expensive (search for "Asuna pink" and it shows up).
6. Asuna's accessories
I have two necklaces that look a lot like the Yui tear-drop shaped necklace. One Bo bought me from TaoBao and the other one I bought in Prague made from Swarovski elements.
The left one is the necklace from Prague and it is much smaller and is a true blue color. The other is larger and reflects many colors depending on the light and what you wear, but normally it is clear.
There is also a perfume from Tous that looks like Yui's necklace! I recommend it because it is beautiful and also smells very nice. Tous is where we bought our rings so when I saw this it seemed very meant to be <3.
Swords: Bo and I were very picky with our swords! So we paid a lot to make it perfect. There is an option between the two really authentic ones--whether you want the authentic heavier weight or light material. We went with the lighter one because shipping from China was already outrageous. Here is the TaoBao seller. There is no attachment for the cosplay to the sword because these are all commonly from different sellers. So I made my own attachment.
Here's a picture of Bo and I.
As you guys know, Bo also cosplayed Kirito with me, but I'm not sure I can get him to do a full video of it. Haha. But I have lots of photos on my tumblr.
Watch the video if you haven't seen it!!! I put lots of work into it!! : )
I hope you guys have entered my Kawaii Christmas Giveaway (with tons of Hello Kitty Christmas loot in it), if you haven't you can enter here. I am also posting cute kawaii finds at everyday stores on my tumblr, so follow me there if you are interested.
As a part of my Kawaii Christmas series, I did a video of my Christmas Rilakkuma plush collection. I currently have 2012, 2013 and 2014 series. Here is a great website if you are looking for more photos of all the Christmas series.
This set is really cute because each plush has different embellishments between each of the bears + chicken : P ! Korilakkuma has a strawberry, Rilakkuma has a pancake stack and Kiiroitori has a stocking. (I think they should have put money for him :3)
2013 Christmas Rilakkuma Plush (Santa or Chimney Rilakkuma)サンタ
This set is great because the chimney lets them stand up easily on their own and really great for Christmas decor. They also can completely separate from the chimney if you would rather lay them someplace like your bed. Each of them is the same--they all carry little Santa bags that says "Marry Xmas" and have a really cute Santa costume.
2014 Christmas Rilakkuma Plush
This set has really cute outfits for all of them. It's a red plaid outfit with all of them wearing a santa style hat. I love how each of them is unique. Rilakkuma has a simple cape and holds a kuma wreath, Korilakkuma has a beautiful pompom scarf and big present (my personal fav) and Kiiroitori holds a snowman. And they also have holly embellishments. I think they were really creative with this set!!
You can find many of these plush on Amazon and eBay and Mira plush. Feel free to contact me if you are worried about fakes. I haven't seen any fakes for these series specifically but there are fake Santa ones. There also are lots of Fansclub Rilakkuma that may appear fake at first but are simply for prize toys so they are a bit more cheaply made.
Here is a photo of the Rilakkuma series from this Christmas season.
It's been a while since my last Asian market haul video, and a bought a mix of Japanese foods and kawaii stuff so I thought it would be fun to post about it!
The best Japanese shopping center in Ohio I know of is Kenny Center in Columbus. To me and Bo it is like a mini-Japan! We make trips there every so often to get ingredients we have trouble finding at other Asian markets.
Kenny Center consists of a Japanese market (Tensuke Market), restaurants (Tensuke Express & Akai Hana), a bakery (Belle's Bread, pictured above) and newly renovated gift shop called J-Avenue (formerly Hana Gifts). If you are in Ohio, I strongly recommend you visit! Be sure to sign up for Tensuke's mailing or text list so you know when the sales are!
Belle's Bread is a delicious Japanese bakery with a mix of fresh baked goods and cakes. It's also a cafe so you can get tasty sandwiches and even green tea lattes! We actually bought our cake for our Rilakkuma/kawaii bridal shower there. I chose a big Tira Misu cake (tastes amazing!!) and topped with a little Rement Rilakkuma.
So back to my most recent trip--first I got some basic things from Tensuke. I needed to pick up ingredients for Takoyaki and Okonomiyaki. We recently got a Takoyaki electric skillet from our wedding gifts so we couldn't wait to try it out. So I got some Japanese mayonnaise (somehow tastes so different than the American kind...), and ao nori (small fine green nori seasoning). I already had the other ingredients at home.
I also needed some more of my favorite soy sauce, Yamasa soy sauce. I've been interested in keeping a close eye on ingredient lists lately, and this soy doesn't have any crazy names and additives. Also it tastes so yummy and definitely has improved the taste of my Japanese dishes. (I recently realized Snapeee has a Yamasa brand page, so I follow them. They post pictures of food you can make with their products.)
I also needed wakame, another kind of seaweed, and it goes well in soups like miso soup. I like it a lot. I also am trying hijiki.
Finally, I spotted a cute kitchen tool that I could not turn down...
...a takoyaki oil spreader--with a cute little octopus on top! *had to buy it* It works really well too.
I then went to J-Avenue. I hadn't been there since the renovation so I was excited to see the new shop. I ended up getting lots of stuff, of course. I'm a little bummed that the kawaii section is smaller and I didn't see Japanese magazines and books like before. But now they have great household items (something I'm really big on) and Japanese beauty products.
For household items, I found a dish rack (you wouldn't believe how much trouble I was having trying to find a normal dish rack that fit my sink), a really cool strainer that lets you both soak and strain (I have seen this on ochikeron's channel before).
I bought some Rilakkuma stuff from the series I'm collecting including Shima Shima and a re-release folder that looks a lot like the 2010 Rainbow Series.
And then I saw Kiiroitori with a pancake, and I couldn't say no!
Bo and I had dinner at Tensuke Express and he also got a bento from Tensuke on our way out. They have a great selection of fresh sushi and Japanese bento! They taste just like Japan.
Let me know if you are in Ohio as well. Also let me know any cool Asian markets near you. When I travel I love to check them out.
If you are looking for cute or kawaii stores in Japan, you should visit Character Street! You won't be disappointed.
I was on my way to Character Street in Tokyo Station to look for the Rilakkuma Store. We had a ton of trouble finding it! But actually when I saw the Rilakkuma store it was so amazing, I figured I would save it for a while (I knew I would buy a ton of loot and Bo would have to drag it around) so I looked at the other shops nearby.
The Kapibara-san store is adorable! I wish I would have bought a plush, but they didn't have any that *hit* me. I have to really love something to buy it. So I got a bunch of fun things! (My video here)
I first got this super cute Kapibara t-shirt! I wear it as pajamas a lot. Whenever I wear it Bo just loves the face and goes awwwww~~ :3 At this time the Rilakkuma store also had a lot of Rilakkuma shirts on clearance (I was like Rilakkuma on sale?! YES ヽ(๏∀๏ )ﾉ) So I bought maybe 3 or 4 shirts for $10 each. The Kapibara one was much more...(✖╭╮✖) *yen disappears*
Bo and I love Takoyaki, so I thought it was a great souvenir to get a Kapibara takoyaki keychain! This store and also the kuma ones have tons of different keychains as souvenirs for different parts of Japan or places. (Like I got a Harajuku crepe Rilakkuma one)
I got this thinking it was just a small towel, but I opened it up and it was huuuge. So it would be a nice table runner for summer. It hasn't found its place yet, but someday it will. I love suica so much :3
I also got this Alpaca plush and this cute DIY charm keychain. You can select the charms you want in a basket and then buy. The Rilakkuma stores have it too, so leave room if you want to get them from different stores. (I didn't know this when I bought mine).
I also got this awesome duffle bag.(Even has Kapibara shaped zippers!) It comes zipped up real small, and you can unfold it and it gets huge! I wanted it for a carry on bag, so when I travel I can bring less stuff and then expand with my purchases. (´・◡・｀;) This bag also has a little flap that you can slip through the roller bag so you can easily set it on your rolling carry on! So awesome! (I really appreciate this because I have back issues, so carrying less weight and not having a bag fall off constantly is really nice.
And as if my purchases weren't cute enough, the shopping bags are decked out with kapibara. Both big and small bags. *stuffs shopping bags in suitcase to never throw away* I keep a bag full of cute shopping bags in my closet that I just can't part with. Does anyone else do this?
The shops are also really big on gift wrapping, and they will usually ask you if its a gift. Often it is free and you get it wrapped super pretty. So say yes even if you are confused!
I found that this store and the Rilakkuma one had prizes based on how much you spend, so be sure to look at flyers near the register to find the minimum yen amount. Then split some purchases to max freebies :3 (Don't be embarrassed you are a foreigner ^.^ You can always go and come back later on~~) The first time at the store I bought like $100 worth of stuff and then realized the freebie for spending $25. It worked out though because I shopped again a few days later and got the other version of the folder too.
Above is the picture of the two mini folder freebies! The backs have little cartoons on it. Super cute.
My video is below, if you'd like to see the items!
I just found out that there will be an event at FAO Schwarz on October 11 from 1-4pm. Apparently the store will feature tons of Rilakkuma goods and actually Rilakkuma will be there! (Similar to the March event, that I missed also...-__-)
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