#3m1@2k

[emiii-chan]

Hey! Have you heard anything about the fukubukuro from one spo? I think on your blog entry you said pre-order was released on Nov. 10 last year. Also, do you mind disclosing how much the shipping was using tenso for that one spo fukubukuro? I'm thinking about buying one this year, but I was always too late in past years!

Hi, I haven’t heard anything, but tbh I haven’t been on social media as much as I was last year around this time. If you’re interested, definitely sign up for subscriber emails and follow them on their social media accounts, especially twitter. Last year’s One Spo fukubukuro weighed 3780g. Rates may have changed and it matters what the destination/shipping method are so I don’t think its necessarily helpful to just give you the amount I paid. You can use the shipping calculator for your own specific estimate. However, it definitely matters what type of items they put in there since heavier knits or coats will mean an increase in shipping cost. Hope that helps.

[emiii-chan]

Hi Emiii, I know you're not tech support, but you have the most LizLisa experience, so I hope you don't mind my asking: Have you had any trouble with the LL website since the site renewal? I've made many purchases in the past (recently as last year) and now suddenly it's like my account doesn't exist. I logged in regularly up until then, so my account wasn't inactive. Did they purge foreign accounts?

Hi. They did not purge the foreign accounts. Did you follow the instructions to re-register your account? They’re at the top of the log in page.

[emiii-chan]

why is liz lisa so expensive

I’m going to answer this seriously even though this feels a little bit like a troll or joke question/comment since people are constantly repeating it.“Expensive” is very subjective - it certainly depends on what you’re comparing it to/what your standards are. The retail prices are certainly higher than Forever21 but a lot lower than Louis Vuitton. That being said, you’re not getting Forever21-tier items and neither are you getting Louis Vuitton-tier items. I’d compare it to something like Guess? brand or BeBe in the US. Liz Lisa is a somewhat small Japanese brand - not a worldwide conglomerate that is producing fast fashion. Many of the items are unique, specialty-type goods that have a very specific niche market/customer.

Perhaps they charge more than you can afford. That’s the unfortunate reality for most of us, but the brand is not obligated to lower their prices so that everyone can buy it. They’ve already closed (close to?) half their retail stores in Japan. No one is entitled to have every single clothing item they want. That being said, they do run amazing sales, especially during the summer and winter seasons, with many items 50-60+% off for quality pieces with unique details and prints you don’t find anywhere else. They release new stock almost every single week (and most times it’s multiple items) so there’s always so much to choose from.

If you’re trying to argue that the items are “overpriced”, that’s one thing and your opinion (that I’m assuming you can justify). But I wouldn’t necessarily say that it’s “expensive”.

I may have taken this ask wayyyyy too seriously but this is easily one of the complaints I see most often and I just don’t agree with it 100%.

[emiii-chan]

Hello Emiii! I've been meaning to buy a new purse for myself, my current one was cheap and its been flaking, and i've been thinking of Kate Spade or Samantha Thavasa. You own both brands so I was hoping to get your opinion on the quality for both and which you would consider better as an everyday purse? Thank you so much!

IMO, it’s not the brand so much as the material of the particular bag. In Hawaii’s weather, I know that the softer leathers are more prone to flaking compared to the textured ones. I haven’t noticed anything in particular that stands out between the two brands in terms of leather quality though.

As for what makes a better everyday bag - it really depends on the design you pick and not so much the brand for me. I would happily use any of my ST or KSNY bags as an everyday purse without hesitation.

[emiii-chan]

You are one of my favorite people ever♡♡

What?? :O Thank  you ♡♡            

[emiii-chan]

i was thinking of taking a vacation to hawaii! i apologize if you already have a post somewhere about this. i was wondering if you have any tips for which island(s) to visit, best food (poke? or unique polynesian foods), any fun activities (especially watersports)?

I don’t already have a post because unfortunately I’m a terrible person to ask about this kind of stuff. I have a few previously answered asks in this tag (sorry there’s some random stuff in there too) but that’s a little more shopping-specific I think. I can try to give my 2 cents but I would take everything with a grain of salt. I’m a SUPER boring person who doesn’t do anything but stay home, so I don’t know where the popular/trendy places/things are and I’m an extremely picky eater who would be happy eating cheese pizza from Costco every day. If you’re a foodie or someone who values having “actual experiences”, I’d definitely defer to someone else. If any of my local friends want to chime in, please do!

For which islands to visit, I would personally only recommend Oahu, Maui, the Big Island or Kauai. I’m not really even sure about the feasibility of visiting the others (although ofc Niihau is out) but I’d still mostly recommend the main 4. Oahu is the most developed and would have the best shopping and commercialized/mainstream things. The other islands would be better for rural settings, “enjoying nature”, relaxing etc. We obviously still have beaches and hiking to do on Oahu but chances are that they’re a lot more crowded which isn’t always a bad thing. If you have a chance, I would say do 2 islands or any kind of island hopping.

For food…like I said - I personally don’t have anything to recommend because I don’t eat most things. Ofc try poke and pretty much ANY local and/or Hawaiian food. (Note that local =/= Hawaiian though.) I would recommend that in a general sense because if it originated here, it’s probably best here (- not necessarily from every location that sells it but in general). My personal favorite is shave ice. I like to get it from Ice Garden but the more popular locations are on the North Shore (like Matsumotos) or that one in Lanikai that President Obama goes to (I don’t even know the name because I’m never on that side of the island. It might be Island Snow but that sounds like a clothing brand too…). I guess I also like Spam Musubi but like homemade kine. There isn’t a singular place that I really enjoy buying them from. The Japanese food is also pretty decent here. That’s about the extent of my knowledge though. For fun activities, I tried parasailing on Maui on a vacation a long time ago and I enjoyed it but that’s not Hawaii specific. A lot of people like the shark diving experiences or just snorkling and fishing/diving in general too. I don’t think I’ve really been to the beach much in the last 3-4 years without having been forcefully dragged so I’m not sure if there’s something new that people have been doing except SUP-ing? (Again, not HI specific though). People just tend to enjoy the beach or doing leisurely hikes I think.

As some personal advice, if you do go hiking. PLEASE be careful. It seems like there have been an increase in hiking related injuries and deaths lately. Do NOT go during bad weather. And I would also just personally advise against doing illegal hikes (that require trespassing).

Sorry if this isn’t super helpful. If you have a specific question, lmk and I can ask around and see if I can get someone else’s opinion since mine suck.

[emiii-chan]

Hi Emiii! I love your blog so much, thank you for constantly updating! Recently, I've started to take more coordinate posts but the quality is pretty terrible. What camera do you use for taking most of your blog pictures? Do you have any recommendations for people who just want better pictures but not professional/on a budget?

I have my dad’s old Nikon D40x (which I purchased from him when he upgraded) from a while ago with the stock lens of the Nikon D90. I’m actually terrible at photography myself so I don’t have real recommendations on that end, but the best advice I can give if you’re on a budget is probably to shoot with whatever camera you have in good natural lighting. (I don’t always follow that advice myself bc of time limitations sometimes but it would be the best case scenario.) Editing software can also help enhance the photo. I basically use Photoshop Elements 4.0 (don’t recommend it - it’s just what I have) to adjust the levels when the lighting is off. 

Real photographers if you want to add input please do lol. I’m interested as well.

[emiii-chan]

do any friends who live around you in hawaii also wear liz lisa?

Nope!

(@ramirei​ lives here but unfortunately our schedules don’t match enough for us to hang out regularly. Also I’m a social slug.)

[emiii-chan]

have you had natto? how sad do you get when you are unable to find something that you really want? do you try to stalk it for years to come lol? japan doesn't have hand dryers but what about soap?

1. No I haven’t but it’s not just because it’s natto. I’m the kind of person who doesn’t like most foods. 2. It depends what it is. If it’s something like clothes, then I might be disappointed for a bit (like an hour at most) but not sad. It’s just clothes. I might look for it secondhand but I’m not the hugest fan of secondhand so I likely won’t stalk it and I personally wouldn’t pay more than retail price for most new items. If I find it, I find it.3. Japan does have hand dryers and/or paper towels, it’s just not a mandatory part of every single restroom. Some smaller restrooms may or may not have soap. It depends on the area you’re in. Obviously, most if not all (department) stores will have all the amenities you’re used to and maybe more. A random restroom on the side of a hike or at a super small train station may not.

[emiii-chan]

Have you heard of the brand Rosemarie Seoir? Do you like them?

Yes of course! They put out some really interesting pieces.

[emiii-chan]

it's a struggle between wanting to bring cute clothes on vacation to wear for photos, but not fill up the suitcase with them. i bought and rewore the same clothes to japan when i went lol. do you bring enough to wear or do you know if there are options for washing clothes that are convenient?

I limit myself to what is essentially a carry on size suitcase for items that I’m bringing with me and also pack very carefully and thoughtfully. It helps that most of my trips aren’t much longer than 9 days and that I try to only bring one outer piece and one pair of shoes. When I’ve washed clothes during a trip in the past, it was utilizing the washing machine in the Airbnb we stayed in.

I talk a bit about how I packed for my 2016 Japan trip in this post!

[emiii-chan]

hi emi! I saw youre selling some clothes that I thought you looked really nice in/really liked. how do you determine what clothes to keep and what to sell, and do you have a limit on your wardrobe?

I don’t really have a set limit but it’s usually determined by what I can fit on my current amount of hangers/rack space. Also if I haven’t touched something to possibly wear it after a few months, that might be another sign that I should consider finding it a new home. Sometimes how it appears in a picture is not an indication of how comfortable I feel in a garment. There are also other cases where I have had a change in my life that renders a certain kind of item relatively useless except for an extreme outlier special occasion, so I’d rather the item go to a new home than waste away. It’s true that I’m mostly happy with many of my purchases and would keep everything if I could, but it’s just not sensible in every situation and if someone could make better use of the item, I’d much prefer that.

[selling album if you’re interested]

[emiii-chan]

what :(! i saw a photo of liz lisa scarves in one photo in a blog post. they're all sold out everywhere but they're still available in stores? damn haha can't go to japan though

They were quite a few left in stores when I went but that’s typically a popular AW item! There can definitely be a different variety of stock versus online at times. If you’re interested in a particular item, definitely keep up with Liz Lisa on social media for release info! I’m sure they’ll sell another version of it next year/later this year.

[emiii-chan]

How come you're always wearing a flu mask in your Japan trip pictures? Are you mysophobic?

No. I’ve been wearing a mask on my recent Japan trips because I’ve been visiting during chillier seasons (Autumn, Winter and Spring) and 1. my skin, especially on my face, isn’t used to that kind of climate, and 2. it helps keep me warmer in general. I didn’t wear one for the first few hours when I was there recently and my nose immediately turned red and I looked like Rudolph. Since it’s not considered weird or irregular to wear one in Japan, I just do. It also helps me blend in a bit. Even though it was cold during my recent trip to the East Coast in November, I didn’t wear a mask to help keep me warm because that would have made me stand out more, not less.

[emiii-chan]

do you know what the alternative to using pocket wifi in japan is? i hear some ppl get a new sim card but i don't know what that means.. or a go phone?

There are certainly other alternatives but I prefer to use a pocket wifi device so I haven’t looked into it more. One of the reasons I like to use the wifi unit is because I often travel with one or more people and we can both/all use the unit for the same base price. When I was in a group of closer to 8 people, we had 3 devices between us instead of 8 individual sim cards and/or 8 individual go phones. Also in case of emergency, I like to have my US number still easily usable and valid. I’m certainly not an expert on traveling internationally and once I find something that works for me, it usually sticks for a while bc I don’t want to bother messing with something that isn’t broken. If someone has a specific cheaper and better alternative to share with me, please do!

[emiii-chan]

Wpuld you be interested in making a post of your most worn/versatile/loved items? I know you did a popular outfit post before but I'd like to see the items that you wear the most!

Actually, following @lolita-next-door ’s lead, I was thinking of doing one when I’m caught up on my backlogged posts! Thanks for your interest ❤️