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(Topshop Unique dress, vintage bag, Topshop boots, OPI nail polish in Done Out in Deco)

I had no idea there was a Topshop in the middle of Harajuku so I was pretty excited to stumble upon it. And having bought and returned a similar Christopher Kane for Topshop grommeted dress because it was too big made it that much better to find this one in the sale section.

There's all kinds of shiny stuff to obsess over in Tokyo. My favorites are milk tea that comes out of the vending machine hot, green tea Kit Kats, those creepy face mask cloths for 100 yen, and anything that involves a free gift of a flag-bearing horseman.

Some questions from the past week:

Do you speak Japanese? I'm pretty rusty since I have no one to practice with on a regular basis..I can read hiragana, katakana, and some kanji and would approximate my speaking abilities as roughly conversationally fluent..the longer I spend there the more it comes back...

What clothes did you buy there? A couple Topshop Unique dresses and a skirt, gray knee high socks from Uniqlo, some vintage pieces at Hanjiro, a few pairs of polka dot lacy ankle socks from a random train station shop, brown oxford wedges from Zara, and that denim smock dress I posted last week.

What were the outstanding fashion trends in Tokyo? The uniform seems to be oversized parka, black tights, and tall brown boots..even one of my aunts arrived wearing an approximation of it. Tons of black. In the more fashion conscious areas I saw a lot of drapey layers, cowboy boots, and denim shorts hahah, my favorite was a pair of extremely furry t-strap flat wooden sandals on a girl in Harajuku. Really wish I had gotten a photo of them. The girls at the Elle offices had some really good outfits..a lot of Alexander Wang.

Best places to shop? I didn't really get too much time to shop but Yukiko from Elle Girl Japan took me to a bunch of stores as part of a photo shoot I did with the magazine, and they were amazing..including Nine, K3, Grapevine by K3, and Hanjiro. Grapevine by K3 is probably one of the coolest spaces I've ever seen work as a store and had everything from Tina Kalivas to Gail Sorronda to GVGV. A lot of really great stores inside Laforet of course but I don't remember their names...found a store called Royal Flash while wandering around Meiji-dori by myself and wanted everything there, they had some stunning Alexander McQueen pieces and a lot of leather that looked like it was ready for war.

You'll be on Elle girl Japon,right? Please let us know the detail. I'm in the current issues of Elle Girl Japan and Spur.

How did you fit so many coats/ jackets in your luggage? Determination and the strength to drag two 50 pound suitcases through the subway to Narita at the end of my trip. My arms were burning for days afterward. And I had to leave a pair of boots behind at my grandparent's place.

What camera are you using? Canon XTI, 5D, and Sony Cybershot.

Are those green tea donuts in the window? YES. LOVE.

Who takes your photos? My boyfriend Colin and I do...the random photos are by me and the ones of me are by him.

Did you feel cold in Tokyo? The weather fluctuated by about 40 degrees while I was there..wasn't prepared for how cold it was some days, especially the night that it snowed. But it was beautiful.

What nailpolish were you using in the previous post? OPI's Done Out in Deco

Have you met any of your Tokyo readers? Yes, they are very sweet! And well dressed.

How is the food in Tokyo? So good. The best meals I had - when one of my uncles (who is also a professional chef) cooked pretty much a feast at my grandparent's house the second night and at a tiny restaurant in Isogo with another aunt and uncle..will post pictures. Also you have to get one of the giant whipped cream and fruit-filled crepes on the street. I was busy stuffing my face with one when a model scout flagged me down outside Laforet..so embarrassing.

Have you done something different to your hair? No, I'm just growing it out..I'm sick of dying it.

Where did you buy the (denim) dress? At Arcakit in Kinshicho.

What's the weirdest thing you've eaten while in japan? Raw anago and corn potage flavored chips. Both amazing.

Are Japanese ppl very different from US (way they act etc)? Yes. Very polite and unassuming. They always want to give you something, even people that don't look like they should have the slightest interest in attaching dangly things to their cell phones attach dangly things to their cell phones, and everything is neatly and perfectly packaged/handed to you in a tray. My mom and I were cracking up when we asked my grandma for the remote control to the TV and she put it in a tray before giving it to us. You should have seen the looks of horror when I was packing up my suitcase at the Elle Girl Japan office and smashing my clothes in without folding them haha. BTW they were the nicest and easiest team to work with, Hi Elle/Elle Girl ♥.

Rumi are you part Japanese? Half Japanese, half white.

Are you wearing fingerless gloves? If so where are they from? Yes, I got them at this gross clubwear store in Pacific Beach. You could easily make some yourself with a pair of opaque tights..I think that's what they did anyway.

Will you even see this? Just in case you DO: hi. Hi!

I was wondering, what whas the price for the Zara jacket? I think it was a little over $200.

When's the best time to go to Tokyo? NOT early March. Go during the end of cherry blossom season if you can. Avoid mid-summer, the heat and humidity can get crazy..but to be honest I would go whenever the opportunity came up. I love the city a crazy amount.