UK wishlist

So a couple of days ago I wrote about the places I wanna shop when I get back home, and today I want to share my wishlist of some of the things I want to buy. Some things- like the Bleach London silver shampoo- are fairly cheap and I'll be pouncing on straight away, and some things are a little more unaffordable, but anyway, a girl can dream, right?

My thoughts on the Nikon D3300 6 months on: a mini review

So it's been around 5 months since I bought my Nikon D3300, and I wanted to write a follow up post on how I've been getting on with it. This was my first DSLR and I'm a total newbie at photography, so if you're a camera expert then this post is probably not going to be helpful. But, if you're a beginner like me, and you're wondering if I'd personally recommend the D3300 as a good first DSLR, then read on!

(TL:DR I'm really enjoy it so far and I'd recommend it)

Shops I can't wait to go to back in the UK

I've been a little down lately (Brexit?!! plus exams), so I thought I'd cheer myself up with- what else- a post about shopping! I have to leave Japan in a couple of short months, and instead of just thinking about the metric tonne of things that I'll miss, I thought I'd write a more fun post about one of the things (apart from the obvious- seeing my friends and family) I am looking forward to: Shopping~

Now, I'm not saying shopping in Japan is bad, quite the opposite. I've loved Japanese fashion forever and the shops here are to die for- this is the country of SPINNS, WEGO and Harajuku after all. Still, there's something to be said about having the sleeves on shirts fit you every time... I wanna post more about shopping in Japan- where to shop, what to look out for, etc, so stick around if you're interested ;)

Anyway, I actually had a dream about the Leeds Trinity Topshop the other day, so I clearly need a fix! So here's where I can't wait to shop when I get home:

• Topshop
• Skinny Dip
• Primark
• Tiger
• Ikea
• H&M Home
• LUSH
• Urban Outfitters
• Paperchase
• Nouvelle Daily
• Ark
• Drop Dead/ Horizon Supply co.
• HMV
• Oh My Clumsy Heart
• Depop
• Vintage shopping, in Leeds and Camden
• Boots- gotta top up on hair dye ;)

Are there any UK shops you love and think I should swing by when I get home? I'd love to get some recommendations :)

Thanks for reading! 

-Amy xoxo

OOTD in the Hydrangeas

Hat//H&M

Jacket// SPINNS

Choker// Amazon

Bag// WEGO

T shirt// WEGO

Skirt// Forever 21

Boots// Dr Martens

When me and Emily went to Banpaku Kinen Koen to see the hydrangers, she took some OOTD photos for me (Thanks Emily!). Doesn't my shirt match the colour of the hydrangeas perfectly?
Hydrangeas make me think about holidays in England, like Somerset and Dartmouth last year. They're so pretty! They're also one of Emily's favourite too, so we decided to go check out the 'ajisai festival' at the park.

I really want to work on taking prettier OOTDs... As I'm sure y'all know, the quality of blogging as a whole has gone up a lot. and taking better outfit photos is something I really want to work on in summer. At the moment though, I'm still in uni (I know!! Spring term at Osaka uni is unfairly long, I don't finish up until august 9th!!) and it's getting closer to exam season, so going to pretty places for OOTDs will have to wait for a while probably. I did buy a tonne of things recently though, so expect some haul pics soon <3 At least when I get back to the UK, I'll be able to shoot on a white wall instead of my dorm room's 'exciting' purple door and burnt carpet. 

Also, I'm still so in love with this hat, and the boyfriend actually told me off for wearing it too much... In reality, I can't wear it everyday in uni, so I always wanna whip it out when I go out anywhere... I should change it up for my other hats sometimes I guess? Same goes for the denim jacket. It's totally hot here in Japan, so I can't wear my gorgeous souvenir jacket that much, but I don't wanna get sunburned so I'm opting for the denim jacket.

Thanks for reading <3
What do y'all think of my glam background?
-Amy xoxo

P.s check out other OOTDs, hauls and hairdye related posts in the fashion tag~

Kyoto: Higashiyama and Hanami

The day after my family and I went to Osaka, we decided to have another day in Kyoto, this time in the Higashiyama area.

First of all, we went to the Gion area and to Yasaka Jinja. There were a tonne of Yatai (food stalls) inside, so we got lunch, and then had a little look round the shrine grounds. There was some kind of event going on (it was sakura season) so there were tonnes more stands than usual, and even a haunted house! (お化け屋敷ーObake Yashiki) I didn't go in, sadly, but if you see one, I'd recommend it- The obake yashiki I went into at my Uni's cultural festival was hilarious! One of the stand owners called me 'Barbie', hehe. There were a fair few people there for hanami, and a lot of girls had worn or rented kimono too- so cute.

Shinsaibashi, Osaka Jfashion mini haul and try on

Instead of making huge collective hauls like my Spring fashion haul from a couple of weeks ago, I'm gonna try and do more regular mini hauls. So here's a couple of pieces I picked up from Zara and H&M when I went to Shinsaibashi, along with another piece that I've been wanting since about September: a souvenir jacket!!!

My Adult checklist

So as of this year I'm officially a 20-something, but I in no way feel like an adult. Actually, quite the opposite- I have a tonne of things that I still need to get done. So, here's my checklist of things you need to have sorted to be an adult, Some of them are fun, some of them are serious, but all of them are important!

1// Get your Driver's Licence

Learning to drive is just useful to have out of the way. Plus, driving gives you more freedom. If you don't get it done now, you might even miss out on job opportunities- there's a few I've seen that a car is a requirement. Also... having a driver's licence as your ID is waaay cooler than dragging your passport with you on a night out. (Did you know that your student card doesn't count as ID in the UK?) You can get some really good deals on driving lessons when you're a student, so this is something I'll be chasing up when I get back home.

2// Build up your CV

Ideally, your CV should be up to date and ready to go at all times: make sure you have all the good stuff like work experience, volunteering, and maybe an internship on there. Writing a CV from scratch is honestly a pain, and not something you want to rush- applying for jobs is competitive so you wanna give yourself the best chance, right?

3// Sort out your finances

Ugh, this one's big and scary for sure. But. finance is something you really want to be in control of from the start. Try and start saving as soon as you can! Also start thinking about your pension- the sooner you start one the better, and lots of companies have schemes where they'll match your contribution. Another thing is to get a credit card and start building up your credit rating (but use it carefully). If you're looking for a place to get started with finance, try Personal Capital's free Net Worth Calculator.

4// Learn how to take good care of yourself

Because when you're a real adult, no one's going to do your washing for you. Make things like paying bills, getting enough sleep and exercise a habit, and learn how to cook healthily and cheaply. Don't neglect mental health either! Self care is so important. Make sure you're catching up with friends, and try not to put too much pressure on yourself.

5// Get your own place (and your own pet) 

If you have a puppy, you've made it tbh. Also, in case you were wondering, my personal dream is to have a Pomeranian named Vlad.

6// Study abroad/ travel

Of course I'm biased on this one, as I'm in Japan studying abroad right now... but seriously studying abroad is such a cool experience! Lots of unis will offer a year out as an optional part of your degree, and there are scholarships (and things like ERASMUS if you're studying in Europe) that can help with the cost. Another option is to work abroad for a bit! Japan has things like the JET programme and the Working Holiday scheme, and I'm sure other countries have similar programmes. Apart from being an amazing experience anyway, studying abroad might give you an edge in today's competitive job market. But mostly it's just awesome.

7// Road trip

Now this is another reason for wanting a driver's licence! My dream road trip has got to be either California or Tohoku in Japan, but honestly a drive to the beach with my friends in good ol' Blighty wouldn't be so bad either.  

8// Dye your hair a crazy colour at least once

It's nearly summer, and some hair dyes like Bleach London's Rosé only last a couple of days... Live while you're young, right?

9// Make sure you've always got exciting plans to look forward to!

Be it a gig, catching up with your friends, or netflix and chill with your significant other, make sure you use your free time for something that makes you feel good! Try and make some big exciting plans too!  Go make some memories and do ALL THE THINGS. Try and do your 'bucket list' things: start a band or a blog, and book that plane ticket <3

So that was my adult checklist, thanks for reading! Is there anything I missed? What are your 'bucket list' items? I'd love to know!
-Amy xoxo

Osaka: Okonomiyaki, Dotonbori and the Hep 5 ferris Wheel

The day after Tokyo, I had a meeting at Uni (with my Leeds teacher who came all the way to Japan to check on us!)
So I decided that after the meeting was over, I could meet up with my family in my beloved Osaka.

Day trip to Tokyo?!

The day after Nara, my family and I had booked the shinkansen to Tokyo. but a lot happened, and we ended up doing a day trip to Tokyo from Kyoto!! 

We bought some adorable Konpeito candy for the train, and off we went! We also saw Fuji San on the way there, lucky! It was a tiring day, and although I wouldn't necessarily recommend it, it turns out a Tokyo day trip is indeed possible... 

So, here are the places we decided to go, and my tips on how to get the best out of Tokyo in only a day:

9 months in Japan

So another month has flown by at Shinkansen speed (I wonder how long people will tolerate me making that pun for...) Writing these posts has become pretty bittersweet, because my year here will be over soon. This month was so busy, and it's only gonna get worse from here on... JLPT, end of term exams...

Anyway, here's a sneak peak of what I got up to this month (and if you stick around, I'm going to write full blog posts when I get caught up)

OOTDs featuring pink hair, bucket hat and platform shoes

Shirt// UniQlo

Choker// Amazon

Bucket hat// WEGO

Skirt// River Island

Boots// Dr Martens

Shirt// Vintage

Skirt// River Island

Shoes// SPINNS

Choker// Amazon

Why is it that when I had pink hair, I wanted it silver so badly and now it's back to silver/ white I can't wait to do it back pink again... talk about the grass is always greener, hmm?

Thanks for reading! Check out more OOTDs, hauls and hair posts in the Fashion tag <3

-Amy xoxo

Manic Panic Virgin snow white toner review and before and after

I've mentioned before that it's hard to buy silver shampoo over here in Japan- imported dyes are super expensive, so I have been mixing my own DIY silver shampoo, which has actually been working out pretty well. But, having a ready made toner seemed so much more sensible, and when I found Manic Panic's Virgin snow on Amazon, I decided to give it a try. It has had some pretty mixed reviews, and I was curious.

WEGO Harajuku haul

So, I went to Harajuku in Golden week, and I can't walk past a WEGO without buying something, so I bought a few summery pieces!

Nara: Todaiji, Deer and Sakura

Next on the agenda after Kinkakuji was a visit to Nara. Nara is a lovely city, it was the capital of Japan before Kyoto so it's full of history and temples. It has a slightly more relaxed feeling than Kyoto, which can get absolutely crazy around some of the tourist spots. Not to say that Nara isn't touristy, but it's a little calmer. Oh, and it has deer.

Kinkakuji

So the day after I took my family to Hikone castle,  we headed to another super iconic Kyoto sight: Kinkakuji, the Golden Pavillion temple. You can't come to Kyoto and not do Kinkakuji, c'mon guys.

Jfashion inspired Spring OOTDs

Shirt// Vans (via WEGO Harajuku)

Skirt// H&M

Boots// Dr Martens

Choker// WEGO

Shirt// WEGO

Skirt// H&M

Choker// WEGO

Boots// Dr Martens

Shirt// WEGO

Shirt// River Island

Hat// H&M

Socks// ASOS

Boots// Dr Martens

Choker// Amazon

Denim Jacket// SPINNS

Shirt// WEGO

Skirt// River Island

Socks// WEGO

Shoes// SPINNS

Thanks for reading! Don't forget to check out OOTDs in the Fashion tag <3 Or, my Japan adventures~

-Amy xoxo

Hikone Castle リベンジ we met Hikonyan!

The day after we went to Himeji, I decided to take my family to another castle: Hikone. Even though they're both original castles, Hikone is a lot smaller, a lot quieter and overlooks Biwako, the largest lake in Japan.

Himeji Castle, Sakura and Hello Kitty café

The day after my family and I went to Fushimi Inari Taisha, we hopped on the Shinkansen to Himeji to visit Himeji Castle. Himeji is the biggest original castle in Japan, I think, (Osaka castle is bigger, but it's made out of concrete whereas Himeji has been restored in the original style) and it's so impressive. They recently completed renovations, so the roof now is a super bright white. It's sooo photogenic!