Ice Cream, Roses, and the Spirit of Adventure
We visited the Queens Botanical Garden for the first time last weekend, and the visit reminded me of our time at the Hamarikyu Gardens in Shiodome last year. My husband and I saw what we now affectionately refer to as the “flying fish” there. It leaped high above the water, fell back into the pond with a splash, and jumped once again into the air, literally "flying" its way across the water. This unusual sight filled us with wonder—how incredible that such a fish exists!
This sense of wonder turned out to be the major theme of our honeymoon in Tokyo. I have described in my About page how I started this blog, and the spirit of adventure lighted inside me on this trip has a lot to do with it. It has also become part of my philosophy in life: Follow your heart and seek adventures.
Top: LIZ LISA; skirt: MILK; bag: LIZ LISA: shoes: MILK: hat: LIZ LISA.
To me, fashion is an adventure, and I first entered this wonderland when I set foot in the MILK store in Harajuku, which was filled with the most adventurous and kawaii designs I have ever seen. I decided to get the ice cream skirt and lightning shoes with tulle bows (both showcased in the photos) to take my first step in my own fashion adventure.
Same items as the above photo.
Wearing kawaii/Harajuku fashion in somewhere other than Japan could be a challenging adventure, one that requires a lot of courage and confidence. People will look at you funny or just plain stare at you like at an animal in a zoo because you look different. You will feel self-conscious, and have the urge to dress in “more normal” clothes.
But it’s OK. It’s OK to be different. It’s OK to feel uncomfortable. I believe that our clothes tell people a story about who we are. And that’s what draws me to one of my favorite brands, LIZ LISA.
All LIZ LISA.
As soon as I laid eyes on the LIZ LISA store in Shibuya 109, I thought to myself, “This is who I am!” The pink, the frills, the ribbons, all of it. I never knew this was what I wanted until then. Growing up, I felt I wasn’t allowed to be cute because I didn’t look like the other girls in my class and I often got made fun of for that. Thankfully, over the years, I have gathered around myself a group of supportive friends and family who are slowly changing my thinking.
All LIZ LISA.
Being your authentic self is no small feat; expressing yourself loudly and publicly is even harder. In the age of social media, we constantly feel compelled to make ourselves more appealing to others, to get them to “Like” us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. If you fall into that trap, you could lose yourself in the process and forget who you really are and what you really believe in.
Therefore, my philosophy for my blog, photos, and life is be honest. Be honest about who I am, and be honest about what I like. I hope to continue to express myself through my fashion, and I hope to inspire you to do the same.