So I’ve been in bed pretty much all afternoon/evening so I have enough energy to write part 2 of the Manchester gal meet＼(￣▽￣)／
Where was I? Right, the cafe! So after everyone arrived it was time to go to karaoke! It was in a really cool building but boy there were so many stairs haha.
A couple of weekends ago was our first gal meet since Gyaru Jubilee, this time based in Central London! It felt so long ago since I’ve seen everyone so when Saturday arrived I eagerly crawled out of my warm bed and into the cold drizzle outside. But that’s when things started to go downhill for me…
First, my train was cancelled. Public transport seems to go into a frenzy at the smallest drop of rain so I wasn’t completely surprised. Luckily, though, there was an alternative train so I wasn’t too much behind schedule. As soon as my train rolled into London I hopped off onto the tube, and traveled nearly 1 and a half hours to Stratford Westfield (as there were some closures on the lines). It wasn’t until I walked up to the security staff to ask for directions to the Pokemon Centre that I realised that I was at the wrong Westfield! Eeek! It took me another hour to get to the right one and I felt like crying at my own stupidity. So I rocked up nearly two hours late to the meet – but thankfully everyone was really understanding and I got a massive hug from Chewiee (as well as a bag of chocolate) that instantly made me feel a lot better haha.
Despite spending most of my wasted travel time sitting down, I was relieved to be sat down slurping up some tempura ramen and stuffing my gob with chicken gyoza from Ichiba, which is located downstairs of Westfield London near Shepherds Bush. It was so good to eat real Japanese food again (as unfortunately we only really have a Wagamama where I live which isn’t really authentic Japanese food)! It gave me time to catch up with everyone as well as talk to some new faces! I love how there’s always a new face at every gyaru meet – the community is really growing in the UK!
related post: crazy gals and half-naked guys – gyaru jubilee!
The queue curved around one side of Westfield by the time we got to the Pokemon Centre, and out of curiosity I asked the security guard how long the waiting time was. He said 7-8 hours! Gosh. Imagine waiting that long only to get inside and find the thing you wanted was out of stock… So I’m really glad we didn’t queue up in the end! I was a bit disappointed though because I really wanted one of the Detective Pikachu plushies but I didn’t really fancy hanging around that long. Instead we grabbed some bubble tea and walked around some of the shops there before some of us headed back home. Myself, Chewiee, Karen and Alice hung around and had some delicious food from Pho.
I can’t wait for the New Year as I have promised myself to organise some more gyaru meets in future! Unfortunately I don’t think I will be able to go to one before Christmas as life is kinda’ hectic, so this is the last one of this year for me. But next time I will definitely double check a) train journeys and b) where the meet actually is. Oops.
Have you got any plans with your friends before the Christmas season?
Love,
Lizzie xx
P.S Thanks so much to my girl Chewiee for the pics (and for the pick-me-up chocolate <3)
When I opened my eyes and felt that rush of inspiration for gyaru, I knew that it was going to be a good day. It was the day where my gyarusa, QueenE, were hosting a Galentine’s Day gyaru meet and my MA*RS outfit was hanging patiently on my wardrobe door. After a few hours I was all made up, head-to-toe in gal, sitting awkwardly in a jam-packed train to Birmingham.
My idea of heaven would be to drink hot chocolate in a comfy sofa, surrounded by cats. Luckily heaven is a place on earth – the cat café in Nottingham was just under a couple of hours away, and it was the perfect spot for our next QueenE gyaru meet hosted by our member Rachel. We’ve been trying to do more ‘themed’ meet ups with our gyaru circle and the cat café – aka Kitty Cafe – was at the top of our list.
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| QueenE gyarusa! Pic taken by Rachel |
I have some really exciting news to tell you… Wib and I have created a gyaru circle! I mentioned in one of my previous posts that one of the things I missed the most about gyaru was being in a circle and getting that sense of belonging, and my wish was granted. We decided to call it QueenE (initially we were going to be called Queenie) in honour of our dear Queen Elizabeth! I’m so excited to see how it goes, and so far we’ve decided that we’ll host meets once a month in all areas of the UK.
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| Rachel, Wib & I |
The thing I love about gyaru is that it’s adaptable; no matter what fashion throws at us, we can always incorporate it into our own unique style. I’ve seen so many Japanese gyaru that I idolised back in the day (and still do) who have grown into elegant young women, but still carrying a hint of that gyaru vibe. I want to be like that – to be growing old but never growing out of gyaru.
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| Me & Kei (and the kitty cat who photobombed!) |
If there’s one resolution I’ve made this year that I’ve stuck to is that I have seen my friends more often than ever. Every time I arrange something with my gal pals I would anticipate it days before – planning my outfit and making sure that everything is perfect for the big day. Because it is a big day for me; I love seeing them so much! And it isn’t just because we’re into the same fashion but because we get along really well and have interests outside of that. Nothing is better than just taking selfies, chilling out and singing along to some really cheesy karaoke.
I feel like it’s still not enough, however, so I make the most out of the times that I do see them and my love for gyaru grows. I wouldn’t be meeting this amazing bunch of loonies if it wasn’t for that fashion, and I am forever grateful for it. Me and my friends have talked about our life after gyaru but I don’t think I could ever cut it off completely. It’s a lifestyle, and I want to keep it that way for as long as I can.
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| Pic from Kei |
I can’t believe how cold it’s been over here lately! My wardrobe is not prepared for this kind of weather, so I guess that means I just have to buy more clothes (tehehe). Apparently it’s only going to get colder so fingers crossed that we might actually see a bit of snow over here.
Luckily it wasn’t so cold on the day of the New Year’s UK gal meet! It’s been ages since I’ve been to a meet, and I was so surprised to see how many people there were. I don’t feel so alone after all ♡ Could this mean that the UK gal scene is back? I really hope so! There were lots of new faces as well but it was so nice that people actually made the effort to meet up. I only wish that I was able to stay for more than one day because it would’ve been nice to spend more time getting to know each other. Maybe next time!
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| Photo credit: Hyper Japan |
Last week I went to Hyper Japan at the O2 and had an amazing time. I wasn’t too sure that I would’ve been able make it so everything was really last minute, but luckily I was still able to attend the fashion show. This did mean getting up at 6am to get ready, but some things are worth sacrificing for and I was way too excited to be tired anyway.