Tokyo (Japan) - Harajuku : Playground for Japan's Pop Couture

Date of Exploration : 27 Mar 2016

When it comes to outrageous styles and flashy fashion, Tokyo's Harajuku district is Asia's epicenter of all that is weird and wonderful. So a chance to visit this trendsetting enclave is not-to-be-missed during my virgin trip to the Japanese capital!

I'm not much of a fashionista but since we are visiting the hip Harajuku, have to put in an attempt at being trendy. This look can pass? :)

More than just the name of a place, "Harajuku" has evolved into a term that means a distinct, dramatic Japanese fashion style that is creatively expressive.

At the entrance to the famous Harajuku street that is the style mecca for teenage fashionistas...

... and this hip-hop grandma. I applaud her for not giving a fuck about what the world thinks and sashaying in those killer-height platforms!

Harajuku is an open outdoor playground for cosplayers who became the district's unofficial tourist attractions. Came across this "Strawberry Shortcake" who was a walking rainbow amongst the crowd.

Another cosplay apparition that proves everyday is Halloween in Harajuku. I think it is a fabulous idea to have an area where people who like to play dress up can go to any day in their costumes. It sure adds spice to life.

I came to Harajuku expecting to see a lot of outrageously dressed people and cosplayers but there weren't many. We came on a Sunday, which is supposed to be the day where cosplayers are most likely to appear, but saw only two. *disappointed*

If you are looking for clothes, Harajuku is the wrong place to come to as most shops don't sell clothes. They sell outlandish, theatrical, head-turning everyday garb that borders on being costumes.

Killer marketing with bad sign language.

Saw a lot of people queuing for this snack so decided to try. Pretty good but not queue-worthy.

The amount of people at Harajuku on a weekend is insane.

Passed the tight shopping street, I found myself at an area lined with avant garde boutique shops.

No idea where I am within the Harajuku district but laid eyes on this interesting piece of architecture.

A floral detox from all that fashion spotting.

The more subdued and less crazy side of Harajuku...

... but the overall crowd is still pretty insane at the birthplace of Japan's pop couture.

My visit was over sooner than I expected and even though I didn't come across as many as the fashionably liberated as I would like to, it was still pretty magic to have walked down the legendary fashion district that has revolutionised street style.

Now I'm inspired to be even bolder and more experimental with my choice of prêt-à-porter!

Kuala Lumpur - A Weekend of Fashion, Food, & Fun

Date of Exploration : 15 - 19 Nov 2013

To unveil the 1Malaysia Year End Sale (1MYES) season and launch Visit Malaysia year 2014, Kuala Lumpur (KL) played host to a string of celebratory experiences and I got to attend the KL Fashion Weekend as well as a day trip to explore the rustic side of Pahang.

Hardly a fashionista, I had a wardrobe emergency pulling together garb from my closet for the Fashion Weekend that says stylish and doesn't spell disaster. After all, I should try not to throw Singapore's face at such high profile events right?

Here's what I managed to put together and without realising, the three tops were all bought from Malaysia on previous trips!

(Left) Let's Chill... Pastel floral tee with the word 'CHILL' by Fahrenheit bought at F.O.S City Square (Johor Bahru) / S$10.60. (Centre) Let's A-Go-Go... Retro psychedelic shirt bought at Sungei Wang Plaza (KL) / S$16.00. (Right) Let's Kungfu... Attempting a Wong Fei-hung with Malaysian designer Key Ng's taichi master top / S$23.

I'm not much of a shopper but I do indulge in retail therapy when I'm in Bangkok or KL because of the exchange rate and affordability. The prices of the tops above are all after discount, which makes the Malaysian mega sale seasons a must-chop-passport period.

There are three mega sale seasons in Malaysia with varying strengths across the nation but KL is definitely the heart of all the action. Here are the dates for when the sales are happening in 2014 :

1. 15 Mar - 6 Apr 2014 : Malaysia GP Sales held in conjunction with the Grand Prix
2. 28 Jun - 1 Sep 2014 : Malaysia Mega Sale
3. 15 Nov - 4 Jan 2014/15 : Malaysia Year End Sale

With so many sale periods, they are hard to miss! The other thing not to be missed is the flight. For this trip, we flew with Malaysia Airlines (MAS).

The Malaysian national carrier has recently been named Asia's Leading Airline by World Travel Awards (WTA), and took The World's 5-Star Airline Award and Best Airline Signature Dish award at Skytrax World Airline Awards 2013.

Taking MAS to KL is like a pre-Christmas present and for the first time, my seat was right at the back next to the lavatories! I should've brought along a guni-gong and collected 20 cents from users. LOL.

On arriving at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), we boarded the KLIA Ekspres train to KL Sentral, which is basically downtown KL. The KLIA Ekspres is my preferred mode of airport to city transfer as the train service is punctual, comfortable and most importantly, fast. It takes only 28 minutes to reach KL Sentral from the airport.

A one-way ticket costs RM35. Ensure that you get on the non-stop express train to KL Sentral though. There's another train that makes a couple of stops along the way. During peak hours, train departs at 15 minutes intervals.

Passengers arriving at KLIA can take the KLIA Ekspres but those arriving at the Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) will have to take a bus transfer to KLIA to board the train. The good news is that KLIA2 will be opening in May 2014 to replace LCCT and the train will serve the new airport too!

Royale Chulan Hotel

Our nest for 4 nights in KL was at Royale Chulan, a luxury hotel richly flavoured with Malayan traditional architectural elements and regal woodwork. As it sits 5 minutes on foot from the swanky Pavilion mall, the hotel is situated away from the traffic and crowd of the popular Bukit Bintang shopping district. The hotel acts like a mute button from all the hustle and bustle.

Overall, the stay experience was sublime but for folks who like to start shopping as soon as the hotel lift hits the ground floor, Royale Chulan is a tiny bit out of the way. Also, singlets, tank tops and sleeveless tees are not allowed during breakfast, something that I've never encountered before.

The 5-star hotel comes with a complete suite of facilities from pool, to gym, to restaurants and business amenities. One of the things I enjoyed most about the hotel other than the spacious room is the breakfast. The spread is rather extensive and food quality is good.

Fit for a king! The bed's pretty comfy but the beddings didn't smell fresh. I really dig the sliding screen that separates the room from the bathroom as it feels like I'm looking through a kampong window. 

I stayed in room 353 and while there is free wifi, connectivity in my room was intermittent.

Love the bathroom where if I lay in the bathtub, I can still watch TV through the sliding window. So I decided to pamper and romance myself on one of the nights with a bottle of white, strawberries, and cocoa.

KL Fashion Weekend 2013

Held at the KLCC Esplanade, the KL Fashion Weekend marked the start of the 1Malaysia Year End Sale (1MYES) with local as well as international labels gracing the catwalk.

The fashion event also served as a fringe activity to frame the new Visit Malaysia year where upcoming infrastructures (such as KLIA2 in May), hospitality developments (Hotel Majestic KL, Harrods Hotel, St Regis Hotel and more), new attractions, and new ways to see Malaysia are set to make 2014 an exciting year for tourists.

I've already identified a couple of new things I wanna check out in KL such the KL City Gallery at the historic Dataran Merdeka, go on a bicycle tour of the Perdana Botanical Garden nature precinct that is home to the KL Bird Park and Butterfly Park, and a day trip to trek Tabur Hill, which is believed to be the world's longest crystal quartz outcrop.

But for now, let's check out the attractions on fabric at the KL Fashion Weekend runway...

This edition of the KL Fashion Weekend was themed 'Fashion is GREAT Britain' to throw a spotlight on Brit labels in Malaysia alongside local designers.

Class acts entertained guests with contemporary dance by performance arts students from ASWARA, acapella grooves by Black Voices from Britain, and Malaysian songstresses who serenaded models as haute couture made their appearances.

Malaysian designer Pink Jambu reinterpreted culture with a collection that celebrated the Malays' penchant for striking colours and decorative prints.

High society fashion meets high drama with Zang Toi, the Malaysian name not associated with being understated. 

The sunbird on heels... a Zang Toi vision.

Spanish label Desigual spilt a rainbow on the runway with its signature far out prints and colour riot in this season's prêt-à-porter selection.

Strong clean lines and flirty, feminine details sum up Brit label Warehouse's offerings for career women this season.

For the first day's fashion show, I was stuck behind this pro photog the whole time so decided to 'use' him to frame a shot. Felt so inadequate shooting with my puny mobile phone and Casio Exilim ZR1000 compact cam when the horde of shooters around me wield impressive DSLRs. Must bring my big gun next time too. LOL.

When I got on the runway, everybody ran away.

Enough of watching, now it's time for spending! The whole city is on sale with brands and retailers offering discounts from 30 - 70%. I expanded my wardrobe with a couple of shirts, slacks and berms. I can hear my credit card company popping champagne.

Apart from bargain hunting, the other thing to do was clicking the Christmas decors at the various malls. I call this 'three and tree' at the entrance of Pavilion mall.

Be careful of pickpockets while shopping even at such upclass malls. While window shopping, a lady with a Hong Kong accent in front of me suddenly stopped and exclaimed to her friends that her mobile phone and purse had been stolen after searching unsuccessfully for them in her handbag.

A massive Christmass tree was the centerpiece at Berjaya Times Square mall with the red pillars looking all ready for Chinese New Year.

Fahrenheit 88 mall hoped jesters would bring on the yuletide cheer but their unsmiling faces looked more scary than merry.

Did the mall recycle its Halloween décor for Christmas?

Ho ho ho... bo. And its in-mall Santa looked more like a bewildered hobo than Father Christmas. LOL.

The Mill Café at Grand Millennium Hotel KL

I've walked past the Grand Millennium Hotel many times but had never stepped in until this trip where we got a peek at its stylish rooms, gorgeous suites and enjoying a round-the-world cuisine at its buffet diner, The Mill Café.

Located just opposite Fahrenheit 88 and a stone's throw from Pavilion, Grand Millennium is right at the doorstep of KL's shopping belt.



A certain Zen fills the ambience at The Mill Café.

Buffets are available for lunch and dinner with ala carte offerings provided on demand.

The dinner buffet spread crosses continents with a line up of cuisines from Mediterranean, Middle East, and Asia.

As display portions were kept small at the buffet line, refills were frequent, which ensured the freshness of dishes.

One of the must-try at Grand Millennium's The Mill Café is the cheese naan freshly made on the spot! I usually avoid carbs because I'm vain but this had me floored.

Western confects and Malay kuehs kuehs rounded up the dinner buffet at The Mill Café which cost RM88. At this price point and spread, I think it is a good contender for stomach space among the crowd of restaurants and eateries at the nearby malls.

Ready for More in 2014

I've been to KL many times, sometimes as many as four visits in a year, and it remains to be one of my favourite places for a quick getaway. Despite having my handphone snatched on the street in June last year, which had me staying away from the capital city for a while, I couldn't help coming back again for shopping, good food and discovering new sights. I hope steps have been taken to reduce crime incidences for the safety of tourists and locals amidst all the investments to make KL a top destination in Asia.

While the authorities do their part, being vigilant when travelling would minimise accidents and unpleasant experiences that may mar a trip be it in KL or anywhere else. With due care taken while on the go, I am ready to explore more of KL and Malaysia in 2014!

Having packed my luggage to the brim with my shopping loot on this trip, I'm thankful for KLIA Ekspres' flight check-in service at KL Sentral. I could drop off my heavy baggage and enjoy the ride comfortably to the airport... or shop some more! Currently, the service is available for passengers of Malaysia Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Etihad, Royal Brunei and Emirates.

Wearing my new top bought on this trip from Brands Outlet at Fahrenheit 88 / S$16.
Goodbye KL! I'll be back again to shop, savour and sightsee you!

This post has been made possible by Tourism Malaysia (Singapore Office).

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