Hello! Haha, not at all. Thanks for the questions. I’ll do my best to answer! :D

1. Maybe 1-2 times a week. Mostly I just wear it on special occasions or when shopping. The rest of the time I’m more casual.

2. Alice and the Pirates Sentimental Circus JSK in black (the gold detailing is gorgeous)

3. Alice and the Pirates

4. It depends on the week. Sometimes only once, sometimes 3-4 times. It completely depends on the customers’ orders and whether they request it be bought online or in-store.

5. Yes, I usually go to Harajuku or Shinjuku for store releases.

6. I used to have lots of pets throughout my childhood (a dog, a cat, guinea pigs, hamsters, fish). They’ve all passed away, but I’d love a dog again. My dog was the kindest, sweetest-natured animal ever.

7. Erk, I haven’t taken a full day off in a long time, so I’m genuinely not sure anymore. It depends on my mood. Sometimes I like going to izakayas (Japanese pubs), sometimes clubbing, sometimes karaoke, sometimes staying in and having a movie night with flatmates. Right now I think what I crave most is going hiking in the mountains and just spending a whole day exploring, relaxing and refreshing. I plan to try in August if I can get all orders done. :D

8. I can’t say anything particularly strange has happened in-store. Maybe one of the more surreal experiences was when I was shopping in the Shinjuku store and a group of tourists walked by. 

Now there are generally two kinds of tourists in lolita stores -

1) Those who are interested in/wear lolita and have come to buy things while they are in Japan. They’re usually by themselves, in couples or small groups.

2) Those who don’t know about lolita and marvel at the window displays, sometimes commenting on what the fashion might be about and how crazy the prices are. They usually come in couples, small groups or families.

Both of these types of tourists are pretty inconspicuous. They come, they look, they shop, etc., which of course is great.

This group was a different experience. You know how you tend to see a lot of Japanese people abroad in giant bus tour groups? You’re suddenly engulfed by a sea of people taking photos and shouting excitedly about the shape of a perfectly ordinary (to you) building. They move as one mind around a designated area and then disappear like smoke back onto the bus after about 10 minutes.

Imagine this, but instead of Japanese, it’s westerners crammed into a narrow corridor between tiny shops - people with cameras the size of their heads and wide eyes following a person with a flag who was loudly saying, “And this is LOWLEETAH. Lowleetah is a special fashion in Japan where they wear doll-like dresses…”

Literally everyone on the floor, who had been going about their business, froze and stared at them.The sales staff were giving each other side glances like, “What the f-?” The customers were glancing guiltily down at the purchases in their hands as if they’d been caught stealing candy.

I guess when you’re shopping/working in a shop, you don’t really consider the fact that you could be a tourist attraction. What had seemed normal one moment, now felt strangely bizarre. The tourists were freely gawking as they walked past as if we were exotic animals in a zoo.

A girl looking at the same accessory stand as me caught my eye after they left (we could hear the tour guide’s voice floating down the corridor) and we both started giggling.

tl:dr Tourists are funny in any country. I made a new friend that day. :P

9. Yes, I love, love, love my job. It’s stressful at times but always worth it. :)