Harajuku Tokyo Street Fashion at the Honolulu Museum of Art

Harajuku came to Honolulu with a smile on her face!

It was at first strange to walk into a tropical setting and see so many Japanese Lolita girls gathered around taking pictures. But I assimilated quite quickly because I had my most recent girl with me " Dark rabbit Hole" and made our way around the galleries. 

Honolulu Museum put together a brief look into the Harajuku street fashion scene and when curator Sara Oka came to Japan we were delighted to introduce her to all our friends. Baby the Star Shines Bright,  Jane Marple, Q Pot, Muchacha, all our Blythe collaborators were featured at the show. 

In the museum shop, the buyer selected a nice collection of Blythe goods to sell. Maybe in the future there will be Blythe lovers in Paradise. Hope so, Hawaii is where I come from and it would be great is someday there was a Blyteh con there. I would go for sure.

Exhibition Details:

 

 

Harajuku: Toyko Street Fashion

November 19, 2015 - April 03, 2016

Honolulu Museum of Art 

 

Find further exhibition information *HERE*

Paris Blythecon 2015

We landed to a very wet and cold Paris afternoon on Monday June 22.  My son Isaac flew in from LA to help us with our booth at the Blythe Con Eu since Angel couldn’t make it.  We made it to Montmartre where we were staying and carried 4 suitcases up 6 floors to the sweetest little apartment over looking Sacre Coeur. What a view!  I didn’t care if was wet or cold or both because Paris was just so beautiful. Then from the next day on, it was sunshine and blue skies.
First things first, meet our friends from Paris who are like our family. Wonderful home cooked meal and lot’s of good wine and catching up. Next, shop for fabrics, lace and buttons. The normal things we do.
6月22日、月曜日。

飛行機から降りたパリはちょっと寒くて雨が降っていました。息子のアイザックはロサンゼルスから、スタッフのエンジェルの代わりにブライスコンの手助けをするために、来てくれました。今回の旅はモンマルトルのすぐ近くに住んでいる友達のアパートを貸してもらいました。部屋は古い6階建てのビルの最上階にあったので、４つの重いスーツケースを運びながら階段を登ったり降りたりするのが一苦労でした。でも部屋に付けば窓から見えるサクレ・クールの屋根と重なるパリの町並みがとってもステキ！雨と明るい灰色の空が更に美しく見えました。次の日からは真っ青な夏空が続いて爽快でした。

最初にやることはまずパリに居る友達たちと会うこと。ラムとポテトのオーブン焼きを囲みながらワインを飲んで、前に会った頃から何が変わったかを話す、そんな楽しいひと時の後は、レース、ボタン、生地などをショップのために買いに行く！いつもやっていることと同じです。

We went to dinner at my student’s brothers restaurant which was extraordinary. A Japanese chef in Paris, and someone I know is extraordinary anyway. I highly recommend “Blue Valentin” in the Republique area. Tell them I sent you.  More sightseeing, more shopping and more visits with friends and Voila! The day of the Blythe Con.

ある晩に、私のフラ生徒のお兄さんがシェフをしているレストランに行きました。パリの友達一家も誘って、日本人が作るフランス料理を堪能！大反響でした。”Republique”の近くにある「Blue Valentin」、すごくおすすめです！もし行く機会があったら私がオススメしましたと言ってくださいね！　その後、観光したり、ショッピングをしたり、他の友だちと会ったりしてたら voila! もうブライスコン当日です。

Our friend drove us there and he was amazed at all the people there with the same love in their heart. “You’re going to have fun” he said and he was right! Although I was nervous, everyone was kind and friendly. I met so many sweet people. AND TALENTED ones. Many were friends on facebook so it was so fun to meet them in person. I got a bit emotional a few times, with tears and smiles and more tears and more smiles. I enjoyed every minute of it.
I was given a few minutes to answer some questions and I hope I did ok. I could have gone on more and more about the “process” but I didn’t want to start to bore people.

イラストレーターの友達に送ってもらったら、またオープンしていないのに、同じようにブライスへの愛がいっぱいの人たちがすでにたくさん集まっていました。「このイベントは絶対に楽しいよ」と彼は、私達にそう言って帰りました。

そうしたら、その通り！！　私はちょっとナーバスだったけど、

話しかけてきた人は全員フレンドリーで優しい。その上、才能たっぷりな人たちばかりでした！　FaceBookで話したことがある人達と初めて会うことができて嬉しかったし、ときどき感動で泣きそうになったけれど、泣いたり笑ったりを繰り返して最後の最後まで楽しみました！

 

Later I went shopping at the Con and picked up some wonderful things to test at Junie Moon in Tokyo. I hope to keep in touch with everyone I met.
It was so much fun and truly a good feeling to be there.

Blythe at the Sanrio 2015 Licensing Exhibition

The doll was shown at the Sanrio 2015 Licensing Exhibition today. It was rainy and cold out but we made it there in one piece. The sample Blythe was displayed along with their other collaborations. The doll will be out sometime this fall so it's still a long way from now before she makes her true debut. My Melody herself was at the event so I had to take a picture with her. Soon I will have my own My Melody Blythe!

今日、サンリオ２０１５ライセンシングエキシビジョンでブライスを紹介しました。寒くて雨が降っていましたが問題なくたどり着けました。ブライスの他にも色んなコラボレーションのサンプルを展示しました。でも個人的にはやっぱりブライスがいちばんだったと思う！ドールは今年の秋に出ますからまだまだデビューとは言えませんね。マイメロディもいたから一緒に写真を撮ったの！いつかマイメロとコラボしたい！

Interview with Junko Wong: 10 Years of Junie Moon Part 1

We are happy to be celebrating 10 years of fun and cute with Junie Moon. It was just a decade ago we brought Junie Moon into the world and made it a hub for Japanese doll culture in the heart of Tokyo. We are over joyed to have made so may friends over the years.

This is the first part of a series of interviews with Blythe Creative Producer Mrs. Junko Wong. She is also the founder and president of the retail shop Junie Moon.

Here she speaks about the original and exclusive dress sets "Junie Moon Dollywear".

Junie Moon Dollywear "Plum Blossom" kimono set

* Why and how did Junie Moon Dollywear develop?
I always wanted to start a fashion brand for dolls. The idea came to me in 2004 so it has been almost 10 years in the making and is still growing in ideas and styles. We first started right here in the office in a little room with a sewing machine.  In fact we still have that sewing machine and make our samples here ourselves.

* Who is behind the design?
I have a seamstress and pattern maker here and a factory in China. We have several girls who come up with designs and I supervise them.  We meet and discuss the line up of the styles for each season and the colors and the textures.  
* How do you organize themes?
We organize them mostly according to seasons and holidays. 

* A word about collaborations
We have 2 or 3 collaboration in a year with popular doll fashion designers. This year Momolita designed two dresses for Halloween for both Neo and Middie. And Miyuki Odani did too. We will be launching a collaboration with a Lolita designer next. 

Check out more Junie Moon Dollywear at our online shopping site:

www.juniemoonshop.com

Halloween is around the corner and Lorshek Morseh is dressed for the occasion

Halloween is around the corner and Lorshek Morseh is dressed for the occasion.
It's a scary world out there.  Halloween is really popular in America I know and it's only recent that it is eventful in Japan.  Well, mostly in the big cities of Japan.  There really is no trick or treating though but the stores are filled with Halloween goods and  displays.  I have seen people dressed up to go to parties in Tokyo but not as crazy as I have seen in the states. Hmmm maybe we should have a Halloween party at Junie Moon and a costume contest to see who can be 1) the scariest, 2) the funniest and 3) the most stylish. Any other categories?

もうすぐハロ ウィーン。

ローシェックモルセーにモモリタさんのドレスセットを着せて見た。外は怖いよ！アメリカではハロウィーンはとてもポピュラーだけど日本はまだま だイベントは少ないし、トリックオアトリートも皆やってないし。でもお店の中はハロウィーングッズがたくさんあるディスプレイも黒と紫が多い。さいきん、東京の電車の中でハロウィーンパーティー帰りの人を見る。でもアメリカと比べると少ない。ジュニームーンでハロ ウィーンパーティーを企画してコスチュームコンテストでもしようかな。。。皆来てくれるかしら？コンテストのカテゴリーは、例えば、１）一番怖い、２）一 番おかしい、と３）一番ファショナブルを選ぶのはどう？他どんなカテゴリーが良い？

Country Summer becomes Country Autumn

She's one of those dolls that got stuck in between some exclusives and a bit overlooked. So I am going to make a point to play with her to show that she is worthy and beautiful and great to have in your collection. WHY? Because she is really cute and takes great pictures. She has that vintage feel in her face and is one of those girls that represent the original Blythe look. She's fun to play with too!

Maybe I shouldn't have named her Country Summer? Never mind, because I am going to take pictures of her in the fall and she can be Country Autumn.  Later I will shoot her in cold months and call her Country Winter.  And then Country Christmas.

So anyway, here is the first of my photos. A look at Country Autumn.

カントリーサマーがカントリーオータムに変身
カントリーは幾つかの限定の間に挟まり、

見落とされてしまった子。だからこそ私はこの子と遊ぶの。だって,可愛いし、とてもフォトジェニックで自分のコレクションにしたい子だと思う。ちょっとビンテージのカオリがして、ブライスらしさを感じる。遊んでみたけど、たのしかった！！もしかしたらカントリーサマーってなまえが良くない？いいの！季節に会わせて遊べる子だから。まずカントリーオータム。次はカントリーウィンター、そして、カントリークリスマス。写真見てね。皆もカントリーの写真が有れば、見せて！

Seattle 2014 Blythe Con by Junko

Blythecon Seattle 2014 was the first Blythe Convention organized by Blythe fans that I’ve attended and I’m so glad I went. The city was beautiful, the weather perfect and the food I ate I still dream about and try to replicate in my kitchen. Everyone we met was friendly and nice including the cashier at the supermarket and the waiter at the restaurant. The Blythe fans who came from all over the world were beautiful and talented. Each vendor and each participant was truly in love with Blythe. But the most important reason for making the trip to Seattle was to see Allison Katzman again. She is the original designer of Blythe and without that original idea there would not have been a BlytheCon Seattle 2014. 

On my first day in Seattle, Allison and I went on a date. When I stayed with her in Chicago, we went to the Art Institute and this time she took me to the Seattle Art Museum to see the Northwestern Modernist Exhibition. She said that this was a very important show featuring two of her favorite artists, Mark Tobey and Morris Graves. As we walked around the gallery, Allison talked about her life, when she was growing up in Seattle, being inspired by these artists and becoming an artist herself. She told me that her mother had a restaurant in Seattle, just as my mom had a restaurant in Honolulu. We both loved food. The second time I met her, she treated me to a home-cooked dinner, which I remember well. I shared that memory with her and then told me about a soba and tempura dinner.  So we both remember what we fed each other.

After we saw the exhibition at the Seattle Art Museum in downtown Seattle, we drove to Volunteer Park where another exhibition on Japanese Art Deco was held. But we decided to just sit down in the park to talk and take in the beautiful day.  This was a chance to give her the latest Anniversary Doll.  I took a picture of Allison in front of a huge tree with a dynamic trunk and more trunks growing out of it. I told her that in Hawaii where I grew up, the trunk of the tree is called a KUMU. But it is also the same word for teacher/ Master of knowledge. So for me, Allison is my Blythe Kumu and the photo captured her perfectly.

The next day, the Seattle Blythe Con organizers put together a panel discussion for us. They moderated the conversation and guided the discussion giving us both a chance to share our relationship to Blythe and what our roles and responsibilities were and our thoughts were for the future of Blythe. I was very grateful for this chance to speak publically with Allison’s insight and support.  I’m glad to be able to perpetuate Blythe with Allison’s blessing. I heard that the discussion was broadcast on TV that night but I couldn’t get the chance to see it. Instead we went to a park and saw a beautiful sunset and some kids running around the fountain getting wet.

The Blythe Con itself was amazing. The passion, the joy and the excitement were apparent. The organizers were clearly experienced, running the convention smoothly. They were happy about what they were doing and they were a tightly knit group. I respect them and appreciate them for their hard work and the amazing outcome of this event. It was an emotional time for me, and I got choked up a few times with happy tears. I was truly moved.

I hope to go to another BlytheCon and see all the people I met in Seattle once more. Everyone was so kind and reached out to us. I am bringing home to Japan a part of you and leaving with you a part of me. I have never felt so close to the people who love Blythe as I have felt here in Seattle. Thank you so much to Diem, Brian, Valerie and Sara letting me be a part of the Seattle Blythe Convention 2014. Love Junko 

More pictures of the Blythe con below!