Foreigners Wearing Kimono...?

     So I've come across this very controversial topic many times, and I have to say that some of the responses to this are making me angry. A little while ago, a few YouTube made a video on what they thought about foreigners wearing kimono around Japan. They brought up some things that they've heard people say about this like, 'it's only okay for a foreigners to wear kimono if they're invited to' or that 'foreigners shouldn't wear kimono at all' or that 'it's only okay for a foreigner to wear a kimono if they know the history of kimono and truly appreciate Japanese culture'.
     Now to me, a lot of this sounds well... like a bunch of nonsense. I don't see why it's such a horrible thing for a foreigner who's in Japan to walk the streets wearing kimono. I don't see why it's such a horrible thing for a foreigner who's not in Japan to walk the streets wearing a kimono. The responses that some people give to this are so far fetched, it kind of amazes me.
   
Here a just a few of the things I've seen people say as to why it's 'wrong' for a foreigner to wear kimono:

• 'It's a Japanese cultural outfit, therefore it should only be worn by Japanese people.' So you're saying it's wrong for someone who isn't Japanese to appreciate Japanese culture? 
• 'People are only wearing  kimono because they want to be Japanese.' Oh, so because I think kimono are beautiful and want to look beautiful in one, I want to be Japanese? Okay, that makes perfect sense. 
• 'You should only wear one if you're invited to by a Japanese person.' What? So the only way I can wear a kimono is if a Japanese person comes up to me and says it's okay? So if I were to go up to a random Japanese person and ask if I can wear a kimono, if they said yes does that count? Or what? What does this even mean? I don't get this one... 
• 'If you don't know the history of kimono, you shouldn't wear it.' Okay, so let me just stop you right here. There are some Japanese that don't know much about the history of kimono, so why in the world should I, a foreigner need to known in dept details about kimono history just to put one on? 
• 'Foreigners only wear it to look cool.' So do a lot of Japanese people, especially with Yukata. And besides, it's a beautiful outfit. If it makes you feel beautiful and confident, why not wear it? 
• 'It's racist to wear kimono if you aren't Japanese.' And it's intolerant for you to complain so much about foreigners wearing kimono. 
• 'Because you aren't Japanese.' Really? Really? I mean... really? That's all you've got to say? I can't wear kimono just because I'm not Japanese? Really? That's it? 

     In my opinion, the only people who truly have a problem with non Japanese people wearing kimono are intolerant jerks. It's okay to like Japan and it's okay to like kimono and more importantly it's okay to wear one. What's not okay is for you to prance around in it like it's a costume. I think that as long as you're wearing kimono for the right reasons (ie. not wearing one to look Japanese, try to be Japanese, think it's a 'cute costume', are making fun of Japan) you should feel confident. Just try to wear it correctly okay? Put the kimono on the right way, pay attention to the way you're wearing it. If you want to accessorize, just don't do anything that'll take away from the beautiful kimono you're wearing. Because that's the whole point of wearing one, right?  

And just to remind you of exactly how beautiful kimono really are... 

Please enjoy these pictures! 

What's the Aillis App?

Hey guys, I'm back! And this time I've got something really cool to show you!

Okay, so the line app has gotten increasingly popular in Japan. Most people use it now to stay in touch with friends, post pictures, keep up with the news and so on. But that's not the coolest part about it.

There's an app called Aillis, formerly known as line camera and the features in it are amazing!

You can use it too...

• Touch up photos
• Make a icon of yourself
• And make a photo collage

Beauty is my favorite part of the app though! There are features to smoothen skin texture, get rid of blemishes of any kind, slim your face, make you nose smaller, make your eyes bigger and even more. Best part of all? It's free! They even have cool stamps that you can use from blushes, to anime eyes 

and even adorable animals. It's awesome. 

You'll have so much fun this this, trust me. I got it recently and it's amazing. Sometimes it's kind of hard to get off of it! 

What a Weeaboo Really Is

Guys, I heard the term weeaboo tossed around a lot recently and it's making me a little upset. There have been arguments over the difference between an "otaku" and a "weeaboo", I've even seen a few about whether people were using the term otaku correctly or not. It's annoying, really annoying and I've got to say it disappoints me a little. 

First off, I've got a few question for all you guys out there that don't like weeaboos.

• Why do you feel it's your job to label people?
• What does it really matter if a person is a weeaboo or not? 
• Doesn't that seem like bullying? 
• Why argue with and make fun of a person who shares your interest in anime? 
• If you don't like anime, why are even paying attention to people in the anime-lovers community? 

Now, I created this blog for the soul purpose of sharing my love for Japanese culture and media with as many people as I could and it bothers me that some people make fun of others... for doing the same thing that they are. If you call yourself an otaku, good for you. You're an otaku, and that's great. If you call yourself a weeaboo, that's good for you. You're a weeaboo, that's just as great.

In my opinion, you are what you think you are when it comes to self labels. No one else has the right or the authority to tell you about who you are. I doesn't matter how much you know about Japan, I doesn't even matter if you're Japanese, lived in Japan all your life and know every single bit of Japanese history ever recorded. Let people be who they want, I know you'd be angry is some called you something you didn't think you were.

And the whole, "otaku isn't a good thing in Japan" subject. So? The Japanese walk around calling themselves America/British/Canadian insults and you don't see anyone getting angry at them do you? If you do, please direct said person to this post, I think they'd benefit from some encourage.

• But weeaboos are annoying... (Then ignore them, simple) 
• They just love Japan for the anime, they aren't interested in the culture. (Did they say they loved the culture? No, most say they love Japan. Japan's media is a part of Japan, it may not be a large part and may not be the most prominent part but it's still a part of Japan.) 
• They think they know everything about Japan, and gloat all the time! (So when you learn something cool, you don't want to share it with other people for gloating purposes or other?
• I can't stand it when they mix Japanese and English together (They don't speak fluent Japanese! How else are they supposed to practice? If they want to be fluent in the language, it's either say it as much as possible or go to Japan and most of us don't have the time/money/ect. to go to Japan) 

For those of you who do call yourselves weeaboos, you're in the right place! There's about as much wrong with being a weeaboo as there is with being a jock, or a girly-girl or being a goth. Being a weeaboo can turn out wonderfully, I mean who knows where this interest will lead you? You could end up going to Japan, starting a life there maybe or even end up on Japanese tv if you try hard enough. Look at all the youtubers who taking that so called "weeaboo obsession" and turned it into a career and ended up living their dreams.

So in conclusion, leave weeaboos and otakus alone. You're so focused on them "not knowing anything" and "creating a fantasy" to even realize how wonderful they are. Just be nice, you could make a friend, or a wonderful contact if they ever become famous...

What's Mori...?

Hey guys! I'm back, once again and just in time for the new season. I was thinking, since Spring is finally here and Easter is on it's way why not make a post that celebrates this time? I've got the perfect thing, it's a little trend called Mori Fashion.

Now, What is Mori Fashion? 

The word Mori literally means forest and the fashion trend based around it can easily be compared to Boho style. Like all styles, Mori has it's unique characteristics and the easiest way to spot Mori fashion would be to look for... 

• Long, loose fit sleeves
• Muted or nature based colors
• Flowing skirts/dresses or fitted pants
• Faux fur accessories (hats, handbags, backpacks)
• Vintage Charm
• Free spirited feeling to it
• Layers, layers, layers

Now Mori is a relatively inexpensive and fun style to wear. You don't need brand names, cute, vintage hand me downs, hipster accessories and Boho flowing clothes will look fantastic. But if you do want to spend a little more and try out some brand/shops, here are some to try... 

• Absolutely Abigail's
• Jakyo
• Little Mori
• Johnny Was
• Odd Molly
• Clothing Show

As for makeup, none is needed. The whole point of Mori is to let your natural beauty shine through. So if you do want to put on a little makeup, I suggest keeping it light. Try colors close to your skin tone, light eyeliner and spring colored or muted colored lipstick/eyeshadow/blush. Make it barely noticeable. 

One more thing! For all my boys reading this, Mori looks awesome on guys too. 

       

Weeaboo Problems #4

Guys...! I haven't made a blog post in forever, and I am so sorry! Well, I'm back once again and I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who's felt this way before. It's so annoying when people say Japanese words wrong, especially commonly used words.

Some that make me poker face... 

• Karaoke 
• Sake
• Tempura
• Shiitake
• Karate

And the worst one of all... Kamikaze! Gah, it annoys me so much! Anybody else agree? (Oh, people get bonus points for using the phrase "panko breadcrumbs" =_=)

What kind of problems do you guys get a lot? Post a comment and it might end up as the next "weeaboo problems". ^.^ 

Need Help with Kanji?

Kanji! The one thing many of us who study Japanese can seriously struggle with, don't worry you're not alone in that struggle! Now if you don't study Japanese, or just don't know what Kanji is... Kanji is the traditional Chinese characters used in Japanese writing. They can be a bit hard to tackle, being that it takes a good amount of strokes to write some of them and truthfully they can be a bit hard to remember... 

So here, to help you guys out a little.... 

 

 These are some simple Kanji that you can study and try to remember! Now to actually get these down, I have a few recommendations. But I must warn you all... it involves *gasp* studying. 

• Try learning one of these a day, or if that sounds like to much for you just try 2-3 of these a week. 
• Keep at it, and by that I mean don't just give up because they seem hard or confusing. 
• Write it as much as possible! You have to keep writing this, along with your hiragana until it feels natural, or else you might forget. 
• Look for kanji in Japanese writing, try reading Japanese news in Japanese.
• If you want to spend money, then I recommend buying flash cards with beginner level kanji and studying them as much as possible. 
• Remember why you wanted to learn Japanese in the first place and imagine how good it will feel when you have kanji down packed. This should help you get through any of those "I wanna give up..." moments. 

And for good measure... another kanji chart!

Something Sweet...

Everybody loves sweets, and I mean everybody! Of course we all don't have the same tastes in sweets, but that doesn't change that fact that we love them. Every wonder what people in Japan reach for when they're craving something sweet? Well, I've got a few good examples for you...

 

• Roll cakes: They're pretty popular in Japan and come in a wide array of colors and sizes. Now in Japan, extremely bright and odd coloring on a cake its really unpopular and actually unfavorable. So don't be surprised if you only see mutable coloring on baked goods.   

•   Meiji Chocolate: Everyone loves chocolate! Meiji is a yummy and easy to find chocolate candy that's pretty popular in Japan. 

• Macha Flavored...?: Macha flavoring is really popular in Japan. You can find macha flavored anything really. From ice cream to candies, to drinks and even candy bars. As a tip for any one with more of a western taste, macha ice cream wouldn't be too good if you're looking for something really sweet. The green tea flavoring can be kind of bitter, so it might surprise you a little. 

•  Pocky Sticks: Last but not least, the all popular Pocky! Now for any of you wondering, Pocky is a sweet biscuit, usually covered in chocolate. It comes in many different flavors though, from strawberry to macha. It's extremely popular in Japan and can be bought in many different countries.

Do you have anymore ideas of Japanese sweets that you don't see mentioned here? You can leave a comment talking about your favorite Japanese sweets too \^.^/ And don't forget to look out for the post next week!