Shopping, Buffets, and Cat Cafes, oh my!

Yesterday I went out with a group of friends to a downtown shopping area in Kyoto called Shijo-Kawaramachi. There is a big main street where a lot of higher end stores and department stores are located, and there is also a huge grid of covered streets where many smaller shops and restaurants are located. There is a HUGE variety of stores. There are trendy clothing stores, stores selling traditional goods, drugstores, arcades, pachinko parlors, restaurants serving Japanese food, cafes, coffee shops, etc. The list goes on and on.
Random: There was a Gap, a Claires store, a Baskin Robbins, and a Body Shoppe.

So, we started off the day by going to a buffet called Sweets Paradise. It was on the sixth floor of a sort of deparment store building. The cost to get in was 1400 円, which is about 15 US dollars. It seems kind of expensive, especially since you have a time limit of 70 minutes, but it was actually a really good deal. In Japan, getting a meal usually costs around 600-700 円. Desserts usually cost anywhere from 150-300円, and portion sizes for desserts are a lot smaller than the states. You want a cappuccino or a latte? It can run you as much as you would pay for an entree.

So, Sweets Paradise was really great. For 70 minutes you can eat all you want from a selection of pasta, finger sandwiches, rice dishes, and soup. There was also a HUGE cake buffet. There were probably about 20 different kinds of cake, and all of them were really good quality and beautifully decorated. (There was a ton of pumpkin flavored things in anticipation for Halloween! In fact, the whole restaurant was really nicely decorated.) There was also a popcorn machine, a chocolate fountain, a soft serve ice cream machine, a wide selection of teas, and a coffee machine that made anything from lattes, to cappuccinos, to hot chocolate. Needless to say, I ate quite a bit.

After that, we began shopping. We hit a big department store first, but we spent so much time on one floor that we didn't even get to see all of them. I ended up buying a really cute winter hat with a furry pom pom on it. In the states I can never find hats that fit over all of my hair and look good, but it seems like a popular style in Japan is for things to be a bit looser. Floppy hats, over sized sweaters, and big jackets are a popular look. My theory is that girls look cute and endearing when their clothes look like they've been borrowed from someone or seem a little too big (in a well fitted way of course, you can tell things are made that way on purpose).

There was a wide variety of clothing styles in the department store on the top floor. I checked out a gothic lolita vendor (google it if you don't know what lolita is), because the ruffled blouses and skirts appealed to me. Unfortunately, they were very expensive, so I didn't try on anything there. Lolita is very much a lifestyle, and every piece is extremely well made and is considered a huge investment. One dress I liked cost over 250 dollars.

Aside from the top floor that seemed to cater a bit more to the fashion subcultures, the popular clothing styles in Japan are very much the same everywhere. There is some variation, but if you find a sweater at one store, you will likely find something similar to it at the store next door. Lucky for me, I like a lot of the clothing styles here! It's hard for me to find clothing in America that's as cute as clothes are here.

I ended up purchasing a hat, a jacket, a dress, and two pairs of tights. The jacket was a bit of a splurge, but it's pretty warm and has a removable hood and fake fur lining. The dress was a risky purchase. I bought it at a shop that was having a huge sale. I saw the dress hanging from outside the store, and immediately loved it and a couple girls said that it was really my style. I checked the price tag and it was originally over 4500 円. It was on sale for 945. The catch was that I couldn't try it on. It looked like it would fit, so I just went ahead and bought it. I took it back to the dorm, and it fit perfectly. Huzzah!

The best part of my day was going to a cat cafe. A cat cafe is basically a place where a person can pay a fee to spend a period of time inside the cafe petting and playing with cats. It cost 1000 円 for half an hour, and it also included one drink. It seems a little ridiculous, but many people in Japan live in places where they can't keep cats or can't afford them, so it is a small price to pay. I miss my cat like crazy, so it was wonderful to cuddle and hold cats. All of them were extremely soft and very used to people. I had a little cat sit in my lap for a while, and there was one that had a little face kind of like golem (but in a cute way...I called him smeagol the whole time). Another cat started drinking out of my drink, which I found hilarious. I left feeling so relaxed and happy, and needless to say I'm going to return there when I need a cheering up.

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On another note, I've noticed how much of a bother it is to shop for myself. With no real source of income, I'm always worried about groceries and what is best for me to buy. I've been avoiding purchasing any processed food for the sake of my health. Cooking is annoying, and sometimes things like meat is expensive. I've been going for things I can cook in large amounts, such as pasta, soup, or rice. I don't always feel like cooking, so having leftovers really helps. Grocery shopping has been kind of a hit-or-miss learning experience. The first time I went shopping I paid way too much for some items that I didn't even really use. I didn't set my fridge correctly, so my lettuce went bad. Little mishaps like that. Now I generally know what I can do with food. For instance, I can get two bags of pasta for less than a dollar each, and I can get four servings of pasta out of each bag. I also bought ingredients for miso soup, because aside from tofu and green onion, I can get over ten servings out of it.

I've always been eating in a more of a "European" style (using this word because this is how I often ate in Russia), having one or two big meals a day and snacks in between. I either have a big breakfast or dinner, and then munch on things for the rest of the day, like fruits. I also drink a lot of milk tea and coffee. Not eating processed food so much has been great. I can eat less, but I get more fuel from what I eat. Eating a big apple over some chips keeps me going longer. I do feel I could be eating a bit more, but until my food stipend comes in (which is retroactive, yay!), I've been wary about a budget.

Another thing I find bothersome about dorm living and shopping is all the random little things you realize you need! Laundry detergent, tissues...I realized today that having a laundry bag or hamper would be nice, but I didn't want to buy it, so I'm making do with a large shopping bag I have. I also realized I need a garment bag for my bras and panties. It's weird not having things that I'm used to having around the house, like pledge for dusting or something random like a lint roller. I figure when I move into an apartment I'll have to buy a lot of things like that, but it feels a little bit more...permanent. When you're only living somewhere for a few months, buying something like a laundry hamper seems like such a waste because it's going to get left behind when I leave.

When I return home, none of those things are coming with me. In fact, aside from my makeup and very basic products that I can use to freshen up on the plane, I'm not taking any shampoo or toiletry items to save on weight. I've made a few clothing purchases and I know I might buy a few souvenirs, so I have to cut down where I can and cram as much as possible into my carry on bag. However, paying baggage fees would be better than trying to ship stuff. My family and I found out the hard way that mailing things to me would cost an arm and a leg.
Call it vanity, but I'm really bummed about that because I recently found the combination of hair products that makes me hair look perfect when it's down. I may just have to pull my hair up for the last part of my stay.

Well, that's all I have to say for now. I start my second week tomorrow, and I'm worried because I don't have my books yet. I went to purchase them a little late, and when I went to the bookstore they were all sold out! I hope they come in soon. I feel really behind and like I don't understand lessons because I don't have the books to study from.