Yes, My hair is naturally Neon Pink -or- Hello Justina.

Bonjour mon Cheries,
I have a MINOR obsession with all this Japan related. SO when I saw this little  Sanrio box sitting on top of a pile of junk at the thrift store, I just HAD to snatch it right out from under the nose of that weird teenage girl. She bore a strange resemblance to the young ladies below, but without being as wicked cool, but more on that later. The Box:

 

Japanese street fashion has always kind of fascinated me. The cool hair, the cell phone charms, the little dolls. Japanese Schoolgirl Style is something all its own. Just like Tokyo is a city all its own. I mean, where ELSE could you walk around dressed like me , and not get a second glance? In Tokyo, I would be considered boring, even when I walk around with a neon pink wig (tavi-esqe) streaked with blue and purple extensions! (Yes, I have gone out on occasion like that) These girls have taken uniforms, and made them the thing to wear. And we ALL know that cheeky little cat, Hello Kitty. Hello Kitty kind of sums up the entire schoolgirl CULTURE. We here buy Hello Kitty for smallish people, nieces, etc. In Japan, if you are 14 years old, and you don't have a STICH of pink and white Kawii (cuteness) on you, you are totally ANTI. Anti Awesome that is. And don't even get me STARTED on their cell phones... Check this OUT (images courtesy of Google Images):

 

 

   

 

So what is "Schoolgirl Style"?? Awesome hair, either lightened, or in some way dyed, color contacts (blue, purple, pink) or contacts that cover your iris, making your pupil GIGANTIC, school uniform adorned with ribbons, small dolls, and basically anything else kawaii, loose socks, and either loafers or some sort of low boot, such as Dr.Martens (I HEAR that!) Hello Kitty bag, with Tomagotchi Pets, and other assorted charms a 'danglin. State-of-the-art-it-won't-be-released-in-the-US-for-another-two-years cell phone, with full internet access for the Tokyo Girls Collection (look it up, trust me, you'll be amazed), and crammed to the brim with sticker pictures of you and your besties. These girls INVENTED text messaging. And we Cali girls thought WE had a lock on teenage girl style, with our shorts and tee shirts. Ha.

All in all, I am completely besotted with their style. Its awesome. Now on a more serious note: Y'all know about the earthquake in March. Here in Cali, we felt it on the coast. A lot of bloggers jumped on it and posted those "Help Japan" banners. I didn't. Not because I don't feel sympathy, or didn't want to help, I did. I didn't post it because I knew that Japan was still going to need help in a month, three months, or a year. I wanted to save my chance. Learning about these amazing people and their culture has made me decide to use my chance, so here you go:

 

Japan is rebuilding. Its schoolgirls are tweeting. Its slowly getting back to "normal". Sure, its kind of depressing. But it's also kind of happy. And when all else fails, there is always Hello Kitty and hair extensions.

Until Whenever,

Justina

p.s. All images in this post were courtesy of Google Images and Polyvore