How close can e-commerce come to a real shop?

 The other day, I decided to buy a pair of shoes for A/W. I usually go to the city to shop but I was in the mood to buy them on the Internet this time. In Japan, as far as I know, there are two websites for purchasing shoes. One is Javari.jp and the other is LOCONDO. Both offer almost the same service so I chose Javari.jp.

 Javari.jp started its business specializing in shoes and bags in 2010 by Amazon.jp. It seems like just an ordinary online shopping site but what is epoch-making about it is they don't charge shipping fee and they accept returning of goods regardless of the reasons within 365 days (except for some goods) under specific conditions such as the tag hasn't been removed or the shoes haven't been worn outside, which means "return them in the same condition as they were delivered." Moreover you don't even have to pay return shipping fee!! So it's like this; you order some pairs of shoes like different colors or size, or similar shoes, then you try them on (inside your house!!) and you buy shoes that you want and return the others. How convenient is that!

 Buying stuff online is sometimes very difficult since you cannot actually see it until it is actually delivered. And in Japan, it is almost impossible to return it unless there are damages. So what Javari.jp does is quite new. They brought the concept of "try-on" to e-commerce. 

 I checked some chukka boots on their website and I selected three pairs of shoes; two with the same styles but with different sizes and one with a different style. I ordered them before 4pm so they were delivered the following day!! That's so fast!! The box was this big.

and inside...

I also took a picture of the shoes in a box so if I return them, I wouldn't get any trouble packing them back again. LOL. (because they said "pack them the same way as you received it")

I bought 26cm and 26.5cm of this pair...

and 26cm of this.

 Unfortunately, all of them were too big for me even though I usually wear 26cm shoes. So I returned them. Bye Bye. The way to return was easy too. You can use the postal service from Javari.jp and they will come to collect the goods at your preferred time. Or you can bring them to a convenience store just like I did.

 After sending them back, I ordered two pairs of shoes again. This time I chose the 25cm and 25.5cm shoes. As expected, they were delivered the following day. (Even if it was Sunday) Then I decided to buy '25.5cm size' pair. Although the other pair was more my favorite, 25cm was a little too small. And I used the pick up service by the post office. I chose the pick up time online and gave it to the post man the next day. I also got an email from Javari.jp that said my return goods were accepted and they would be refunded.

 So after all I only bought one pair of shoes out of five and the others were returned. I felt a bit bad because I just ordered and tried them on. I really wasn't so serious buying them. I was just curious how I looked If I wore them. Also, I wanted to compare them. But that doesn't mean I will never buy shoes at a real shop but it might get often that I choose to buy them online (like after I check similar shoes at a real shop!!)

 I regret to say that there's no overseas shipping service. But I think Amazon.com has it. I don't know if they accept returning goods from abroad though. I'm thinking about getting shoes (again!) via Amazon.com next time so I'm a bit worried. It's better I'll try them on at a shop before I order.


Javari.jp: http://www.javari.jp/
LOCONDO: http://www.locondo.jp/

and there's Javari.co.uk which has international delivery.
Javari.co.uk: http://www.javari.co.uk/ 

dad's birthday

 Last Sunday was my dad's birthday but my relatives and I went out for dinner that day. Besides, my sisters had something to do and couldn't join us so we postponed my dad's celebration to today. Nowadays, we celebrate simply with some pieces of cake; no hearty food, no whole cake, no song. Sounds sad? Not really.

 This morning, my mom and I drove to the city to buy cakes (or rather say she drove. LOL) but we dropped by an electronic center first. My mom had been thinking about buying a new washing machine since the one we had started making scary noise. At the center, we checked some washing machines and both agreed to purchase Panasonic, which has silent-operation and eco-washing features. Luckily, we had accumulated cash vouchers which can be used in the center so we didn't have to pay anything at all! hahaha!! I love it.
 Then, I checked the new MacBook Pro with Retina display, which is released two days ago. It was really impressive but I was more attracted to iMac. Apple hasn't updated their iMac models but it is definitely a better replacement for our living room computer, which is pathetically slow and outdated. Also, we bought a LAN cable for the internet there and left for a department store next to the center.

 We headed straight to the confectionery are and looked around pastry shops. I found a beautiful display at a pastry. I really wanted to show it here though the sales clerk said no when I asked if I could take a pic. That's so Japanese. I understand but what could I do with it? Right? I won't copy the design right. Anyway, we bought cakes at another store and went home.
 As soon as we got home, I replaced the old cable with the new one that I bought at the center to make the internet faster. The speed was 20Mbps before and it became 13Mbps after I exchanged. Huh? I bought the better cable and it got slower!! I changed some setting but it was too complicated for me!! Finally, I set it back to 20Mbps again after all but I expected it would become over 50Mbps...why why why? give up!!

 And these are the cakes we bought!! Blueberry tart, Cherry tart, chocolate cake and Macha & sweet red bean cake from PATISSERIE TOOTH TOOTH. Which do you like??

I chose this.

Happy 60th Birthday, Daddy.

cupcake wars

 What do you come up with first when you hear "cupcake?" If you ask me, it'll be Magnolia Bakery from Sex and the City. I didn't watch all seasons but somehow I know it's a Carry Bradshaw's favorite shop. When I went to NY for the first time, I passed by this famous bakery and saw heaps of people waiting in a long line.
 To be honest, I'm not that into cupcakes because of the frosting. It's a little too sweet for me. Though, I like the style: pastel colors, toppings...it can be so creative!

 I found this tv programme named "cupcake wars." In this show, 4 talented bakers battle it out in making cupcakes based on a certain theme. Every episode has three rounds, and in each round, one baker will get eliminated.

 The first round was that they had to bake one cupcake including 6 ingredients namely, pumpkin, oats, molasses, apricots, currants and kale. Kale is a killer. I have completely no idea how to bake a cupcake with it. I mean, I can make a dessert using the other ingredients, but kale? It's a green vegetable, right? So how?? I even can't imagine how the cupcakes which the bakers made taste like.
 The second and the third round, they also need to make a presentation. They have to make three cupcakes inspired by Spiderman's enemies. I'm not a big fan of spiderman so I didn't know which is which but I know Green goblin. And here's the Green Goblin inspired key lime cupcake that one of the contestants baked. Looks yummy, doesn't it? As for the rest of the cupcakes, I honestly do not the character from which they were based. Perhaps you could help me figure out?

 You can see more cakes from this baker here. 

 Watching this show made me feel like baking something. Hmmm, what should I bake? I like baking Italian hard cookies called biscotti but I'll try something new this time.

Steteco: classic long trunks

 In fashion industry, the stream of trend is fast as if someone said it's "in" today but it'll be "out" tomorrow. However, there's always revival. Steteco, which used to be for your dads, is now accepted by young generation.
 What is steteco? Steteco is an undergarment, or should I say "midgarment", if there's such a term. Midgarment basically because it is meant to be worn under your pants but above your inner underwear. Steteco is made from "crape cotton," which has ruffled texture that effectively absorbs sweat and cools your body. It also prevents the pants from getting sticky because of sweat. So it's perfect for summer's hot and humid weather like in Japan.
 As I mentioned before, it used to be outdated and the color was only white or beige. Then a couple years ago, it returned to the market with more sophisticated styles.

 This is the one I have. Very colorful.

 It can be a roomwear or pajama as well. I sometimes go to a supermarket or a convenience store wearing this.  

 Uniqlo also opened "steteco bar" in Ginza, Tokyo where you can get an advice. They offer 4 types or style with over 80 cute color designs, which is about ten times compared to the last year, in 10 countries. I checked the US site but there are just a few so I think they will update soon. 

UNIQLO:http://www.uniqlo.com/

 Let's beat the heat and get through the summer with steteco!!

plaid world

 After seeing the dawn, I let myself call it a day. Somehow, I didn't get sleepy until that time in spite of having just 4hours of sleep. I got up at 9am because my mom and sister planned to go shopping with me today.

 The first store we went to wasn't open yet. So we decided to have lunch at a restaurant in the same building first. The restaurant, or rather say the cafe had a very simple style and I was drawn by its vintage interiors. There were a couple of set meals but we all chose curry soup with clams and rice.

 The taste of curry was not so savory but good enough with rice. I couldn't taste the clams much though. You can't see it in the photo but there were some sliced eggplants which were fried so the curry had no bitter taste. Furthermore, what I liked the most was the table cloth. The color combination of blue, yellow, purple was cute but not too feminine. Sometimes many vivid colors lose the appetite of the diners but this made my lunch more enjoyable.
 After having our light lunch, we headed to the store we were supposed to go. The store had the same stuff the cafe used such as lamps, aprons, and of course tableware.

 Here are other table cloths...

 You can also find small clutch cases...checkered pattern again!! I don't know why but I'm so crazy about tartan!!

 I found lots of vintage/vintage-like stuff here but some of them were a bit pricey... I don't think some of the items' prices were justifiable, huhuhu. But if you are like me, I'm sure you would stay this store for ever. You'll never get bored!!