Chronically behind on the things...

[akujunkan]

...I should be writing about, I will now talk about my underwear.

Shopping for clothes is an undertaking in this country, where the natives have no asses, thighs, or calves. Thus my 3-4 yearly pilgrimages to Tokyo have ALWAYS involved stops at a certain clothing store in Shibuya which sold cute underwear that actually fit me. (It should also be noted that the Japanese produce some of the ugliest women's undergarments on the face of the planet.) So you may imagine my shock and dismay upon discovering, during a trip to Tokyo last summer, that said store was no longer carrying said underwear.

You may also imagine my surprise and elation upon discovering this spring that it had been remaindered to my dinky neighborhood dollar tree. I immediately grabbed a shopping basket and filled it with twenty pairs (and a pink belt for the valentines day party that evening). In fact, my delight was such that I didn't consider exactly how these purchases would appear to others until I was already at the checkout counter. "Hi, I'm ジル、one of three foreigners in town. I teach English at your elementary schools, and enjoy walks in the park and purchasing craploads of discount underwear at the 100円ショップ in my free time. You may have seen me on TV once or twice..." >.< They must have talked about that one for days.

I don't seem to have learned my lesson, however, because I repeated this exercise yesterday, substituting a kanji workbook, three sheets of sparkle stickers, plastic folder, and packing tape for the pink belt.

At least I've only got two more months to go. And dammit, I have cute underwear.


That will be all.

Comments

[firesign10.livejournal.com]

LOL!! I, of course, had to click on every link....and yeah baby! that has to be about the ugliest lingerie I've seen...especially that pick and blkac ruffled number...*gack* The interior dialogue was also especially good ;-)

2 months??? what's happened...and what's going to happen??? :-D

[akujunkan.livejournal.com]

And believe me when I tell you that those images were just what an online search turned up. I've seen even more hideous stuff in person.

Two months is the time remaining to me before my contract's over and I have to ship myself and my posessions out to a new home and (hopefully) new gainful employment. Eep.

[firesign10.livejournal.com]

Wow!!! I didn't realize the end was so nigh! Hence the serious questing then...I thought it was just part of the "this job sucks!" syndrome ;-) So by fall it's a whole new world!

[theosakakoneko.livejournal.com]

I have to say I understand the somewhat surprised feeling of the checkout lady and surrounding customers to realize that you apparently wear each pair only once before throwing it away. You know you can wash that stuff, right? hehe

But yeah, gyaru underclothing can be scary, and old-lady japanese stuff is far worse. ><

It's hard to figure out where to best try to shop though. The best underwear I've ever bought in my life was in a completely random tiny side street discount shop (not hyakkin) in kyoto 4 years ago when I was on a week trip there from Tokyo where I was spending the summer, and I realized I'd left the pile of underwears for the trip on the floor of my apartment when I packed my backpack..oops. Never again have I found underwears I have loved half as much, and it was so cheap! >< Where are you "tamtampoppo"???

[akujunkan.livejournal.com]

I have to say I understand the somewhat surprised feeling of the checkout lady and surrounding customers to realize that you apparently wear each pair only once before throwing it away.

Actually, that would be very much in keeping of with Japan's national philosophy on wasteful consumption. I almost wrote this post about my fights with various store clerks today. "No, I really do not want three straws with those 牛パックs I'm buying. No, I already have a set of hashi I'll use to eat this. No, I really don't want you to bag each separate vegetable. Yes, I'm perfectly serious about carrying these books out in my backpack..."

And so on.

And yeah, the best clothing purchases are always so difficult to repeat a second time. Which is why I was so happy to find that my underwear had moved closer to home.

[bloody-american.livejournal.com]

Oh wow, that last one? With the gold... thing? Ugliest of the ugly, thank god you found somewhere else to buy them.

[akujunkan.livejournal.com]

I know, right? And these are not even representative examples of what the Japanese designers can do when they're feeling creative. >.