[	mood	|	sleepy	]
[	music	|	Xmas	]

I made this dress this past summer. I initially decorated it with purple trim but as some kind DOAers pointed out it didn't quite match. That and I really wanted to trim the hem and the purple trim was all sold out! So, recently I ripped it all off and started from scratch with black. I like it much better. Chinatsu has been waiting to receive her new green eyes to model for you all.

Some closeups...



See her lovely green eyes here. these are urethane gumdrops? 20mm I believe. Got them second hand.

[	mood	|	content	]
[	music	|	Hallelujah	]

The “michi” Less-Traveled:

Sendai’s Tanabata Matsuri

Since arriving in Japan, my younger brother and I have gone sightseeing once a year on the mainland. He paid for a year of Japanese classes at a local college prior to my coming here, and in return I plan and plot the trips, functioning as a sort of Japanese speaking tour guide. We’d already done the more well-trodden paths of Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka sightseeing last year and I decided this was the year to do something I’d missed out one since I didn’t get my desired placement in Miyagi-ken. So, we headed to Sendai for tanabata matsuri.

Celebrated all over Japan in July, Sendai’s tanabata festival takes place from August 6-8^th. This is convenient for ALTs because it occurs during a time of year when you are less likely to be needed for school obligations and more likely to get approval for time off. One can fly into Sendai direct from Okinawa. Sendai is also just a 1 ½ hour train ride from Tokyo by the shinkansen on the Tohoku line, so it can be easily tacked on to a Tokyo excursion. This was the route we took.

Advance reservations for the train from Tokyo are not needed even during festival season, you can usually get a ticket on the same day as your departure. One way to Sendai from Tokyo runs about 12,000yen. Trains leave almost every hour. The one thing you do need to do a month or two early is make hotel reservations. Sendai has many hotels within walking distance of the station (train and bus access) and the arcades, but it does not have many budget accommodations. Rates are set at premium particularly for the 6^th-8^th of August.

As a small-ish Japanese city with a population roughly the size of Okinawa and off the beaten international tourist path, don’t expect a lot of help in English while in Sendai. Unlike in Tokyo, Kyoto and Okinawa, we found that hotel desk clerks may not be able to communicate fluently in English, and restaurants probably do not have English menus available. I actually found it refreshing to have to spend 3 full days speaking nothing but nihongo (aside from talking to my brother).

We actually arrived one day early for the festival. From the minute we arrived, Sendai did not disappoint. When we first walked into the station we were greeted by the giant crepe paper constructions of kusudama and fukinagashi (ball and streamers).

The main feature of Tanabata Matsuri is the decorations. They are concentrated in Sendai eki (station) and the two pedestrian arcades on the west side of the station, the Chuo-dori and the Ichibancho. The Ichibancho and its surrounding streets are also the main entertainment areas, so keep this in mind when looking for restaurants. These arcades are still lively and vibrant shopping areas unlike the ones near my home in Okinawa City. I highly recommend coming a day early for the festival, like we did, if you want to take pictures, as the arcades get very crowded and it’s hard to take good pictures without too many people in the way. We also visited Sapporo and Tokyo this trip but I think we took more pictures in Sendai than anywhere else.

Each shop or business sponsors its own decorations hung outside the store from bamboo or pseudo-bamboo poles. Local companies also sponsor these decorations filling the streets with a fun and colorful explosion of crepe paper. The decorations range in style from the obviously commercial kirin beer cans to the artistic, fukinagashi made entirely of folded origami, or kusudama we saw that were in the shape of kokeshi dolls (a regional specialty). The decorations range in height from 4-6 meters and are often hung quite low so that you literally can’t see where you’re going on the arcades. The decorations are bagged up every night for protection from vandals and the weather around 9pm, so if you want nighttime photos, best to go early, as we found out. Also, if it rains heavily, the decorations that are not protected by the arcades or hung indoors will stay bagged all day.

The opening night of the festival, on August 5^th, there were fireworks over the river. Following the flood of people from the station, it was a 30 minute walk past the shops and a lot of street vendors selling Japanese style-finger food like dango and yakitori.

Sendai is a city built around its river. One of the few in a Japanese urban area that has not been coerced into an incredibly artificial channel, it’s allowed to meander within reason, and parks grow along its banks giving Sendai its nickname “city of trees”. If you think Okinawan fireworks are nice, Sendai’s tanabata festival opened with a real bang, 1 ½ hours of nearly continuous state-of-the-art hanabi. It seemed like the entire population under the age of 30 had donned yukata and camped out on the riverbanks to welcome the opening of the festival.

Two nights later the entertainment was a ‘parade’. Not really a parade, more of a street show, along one of the intersections on the Ichibancho. Various performing groups arranged themselves along a park meridian in the middle of the street and did rotating short performances so that everybody could see. The performers were scheduled by type. When we got there the action was already underway. There was an acrobatics set, a marching band set, folk-dancing, a ballet performance of the story behind tanabata (the ‘starry’ romance of Orohime and Hikoboshi) and finally a rousing taiko finale.

Because of our travel schedule we left before the final day of the tanabata matsuri, but we had a great time and highly recommend Sendai’s tanabata matsuri to anyone seeking an opportunity to really practice their Japanese and sightsee on Japan’s road less traveled.

[	Current Location	|	Okinawa heat wave...	]
[	mood	|	hot	]
[	music	|	L'arc an Ciel	]

Okay, so I went a little insane on YJ this spring.  I've been developing a taste for the F10 head.  That is the old SD13 4 sisters head that is now only available via FCS.

I was contemplating another FCS order then I realised while browsing that why pay nearly a thousand $$$ for a new one when you can get an old resin one for about the equivalent of $350?

But I didn't get just one, I got 2.

Honto ni?

Honto da.
 

So, without further ado let me introduce Ai (whose been posted once already but nekkid) and Chinatsu.  Ai is normal old resin, and Chinatsu is old white resin.  Both came lightly aged.  Neither had really been modified that much.  Both came with lovely old Zouks.  I got new zouks last year with llyn and was kinda dissapointed after hearing all these wonderful things about them.  I now know the reason why.  New zouks are crap -well, relatively speaking, they're fine glass eyes but not worth all the hubub and ther outrageous resale price.  Old zouks, I'm guessing my girls are from about 2001 and 2004, -are gorgeous.  Ai came with blue ones and Chinatsu came with 20mm ash gray.

Here are some pics I took in the park before i did anything to them.  They're wearing like styled cotton kimono I made last year.


As you can see Chinatsu has a very pale, probably original FCS faceup, painted by hand.  Ai is not wearing her blue Zouks, Chinatsu is.  Nobody fits Chinatsu's 20mm Ash Grays except her. 


Ai...


Chinatsu...




Together...


forever....

And I still have a pureskin F10 head in need of a body.  I have no idea what she'll be called.

[	Current Location	|	Okinawa	]
[	mood	|	enthralled	]
[	music	|	Depeche mode	]

From a distance a strange yet beautiful figure is seen sitting demurely on the edge of a table, modestly covering her nakedness with her long luxurious hair.



You get closer, entraced by the sight,...
 

until you hear a shameless voice cry out in disgust, "A cat! -Where's my horse?  -hmph! I did order a horse."





Been bad on YJ lately...  I've wanted a F10 girl for a while but I couldn't justify FCS prices when I could pick up an old resin F23 for 35,000yen on YJ, plus agent fees.  Better yet got two of them, one WS one, normal old resin.  Here's Ai, she's the normal skin one.  I'm still waiting on Chinatsu, who will be the WS one.  She's a old FCS F23, same as SD13 4 sisters that have been discontinued.

She has high heel feet F02 and her old blue zoukeimura eyes...

Here are some better pics with clothes on...









Anyway, can't wait for her twin sister to arrive...

Rie looking cool and contemplative in her new Victorian combo undergarment.

Credits:
Wig (dollga heat resistant fiber, evercream from Leekworld)
Undies (Me!)
Face-up (Masha default)
 

[	Current Location	|	Back in Okinawa!	]
[	mood	|	tired	]
[	music	|	Sattelite by DMB	]

 Llewellyn embarked on his first trip to the States with me from Japan three weeks ago.  Along the way, we picked up a new "friend" in Vermont, courtesy of my friend susieq on DOA.  Volks shipped her just in time for me to pick her up, saving expensive shipping back to Japan.

First stop, Rosalie Whyel's museum of Doll Art...

Llyn wanted to volunteer himself as a tour guide.


Pics were not allowed in the museum exhibits.  I highly recommend the artist doll of Amakusa Shiro on the first floor (not by Volks!).

Tired after our tour we wait for our lift to Dolls and Friends.


Llyn got some new shoes, and we picked up a wig for the anticipated new arrival.

We "met" Nyssa in VT (YoSD Kira).  She loved the wig, but would have apreciated it if we picked up some clothing, so she didn't have to go out in her undies -poor girl!

She raided my wig collection while at home.  Back in Seattle at the end of our vacation, she tries out a blond, human-hair Bleuette wig at the Ballard Locks.





Look forward to seeing some more of her when we get the wardrobe underway!

Been sick all weekend, so took the kids out on the balcony to model some kimono I've been making all winter.  Also a good excuse to spam some more pics of Llyn!



Llyn is wearing my first attempt at an Okinawan-style men's kimono.  Note the sleeves are open at the wrist.  Also the arms are attached to the body all the way down to waist level practically.



Daniel and Rie are wearing female fantasy kimono.  (Poor Daniel!)  At least he'll sleep through the humiliation...  Sorry, but I only have one girl here.  Actually I have 2, but Hana is back in VT.









It's a rare opportunity to get to explore some of the FCS options not chosen...  Volks wig #94 is a Sato exclusive, so there aren't too many of them floating out and about to try...  Just after I recieved my new boy, another W94 wig in white was offered for sale on DOA -in Japan no less!



I think he looks very good in it.  Very cold and icy, which was the intent.  Of course, I like him as a blond too...  

Rie is trying on his default color B6...



Something, maybe the straightness and long bangs,  makes her look sadder than she already is...

As promised, one night's sleep make me feel better...

Here are some pics of the one-offs and displays put out by Volks at the dolpa last weekend.

One-offs:

This is the new F38 on the left.  He's real nice, and I think he looks just fine on the SD13 boy body.  Madoka is on the right.


2 Yos, Papi and Shitsu?



2 MSD girls, F20 and Toppi.  The theme this time was definitely traditional Japanese.



SD girls, Nana SWD on the right and one other?



Williams, Tohya and SWD Lucas, have joined the Shinsengumi with Okita.



Closeups:





Volks display pics:

Tsukasa teaser!


Reisner.



Another Williams.



Okita, Amakusa and Ushiwakamaru with sakura (very seasonal) they were just starting to come out when we left Kyoto on Tues.








The girl standing next to Shiro is the new F37 head.



Ruby, Garnet, etc....



Well, that's it.  Hope you had fun looking!  I'm still waiting for my boy.  Will be sure to post pics when he gets here.