Had
the most amazing vacation and my thanks to Mochi, MaryK, DonnaF, Jasmine, Anne
and Angie for providing tips and pointers on what to do and where to go in
Japan and the rest of you for your bon voyage wishes.

What
a beautiful country – so easy to navigate even though I don’t speak a word of
Japanese. Well I have to admit I can now
count to 10, ask for a beer, and say please and thank you. And the people – so kind,
gracious and respectful. I’d return in a heartbeat.

Some
of you asked for photos, so I thought I would pen a few posts describing my
impressions…and how I made out with my one carry on bag.

Two
impressions of Japanese style hit me right away. First – from school children,
to shop clerks to white gloved taxi drivers, uniforms rule the day. And it’s
not a question of just slapping something, oh no, everyone wears their uniform with
incredible panache. I could never tire of watching the school girls –
especially those sporting a sailor motif ( pic 1). Or the lads in their double
breasted Mao inspired jackets (pic 2). While most fabrics were dark coloured, I
did see some boys in plaid pants.

So
what was my second impression? That I was incredibly underdressed. From my
vantage point, I would use these style descriptors for the typical Japanese
woman; classic, refined elegance and always feminine. A common ensemble would consist of a cream
coloured trench (opened and belted at the back), black hose, black footwear and
luxury bag – think Chanel, Louis Vuitton. Underneath the trench – well that
might be a Burberry skirt (the distinctive plaid was a give away) and silk
sweater or blouse. The footwear was incredible – generally high heels,
platforms fur trimmed booties, always gorgeous.

I
snapped this young woman (pic 3) while waiting in line for green tea ice cream
(pic 4). I was taken with the subtle
elegance of her outfit. Fluid trousers, impeccable fit to her coat, gorgeous
footwear (sorry you can’t see her black pointy shoes very well) and Louis
Vuitton shopper. That’s the probably the moment I had my only style epiphany
that it was time to redirect my style journey.

With
the colder weather coming, I saw lots of ‘man-type’ coats, but a feminized
version. Pic 5 from “Tomorrowland” (love that name!) store shows a typical coat, although black is the most predominate
colour, creams, camels and blush pink
are also seen. Younger women are often sporting scarves and berets, and duffle
coats in an array of colours. In fact amongst the younger set, I saw cropped
duffle coats in abundance many of them fur trimmed. An adorable ensemble was a
fur trimmed cropped camel coloured duffle with shocking pink messenger bag.

Traditional
style was also present – especially around temples. I was fortunate enough to
almost run into a real Geisha (probably a Maiko) on the way to her appointment
in Gion (pic 6) An check out the height of her footwear - pic 7.

More traditional clothing in pics 8-10, and gratuitous shot of DS with Colonel Claus.Thanks for sharing my memories!