Alice in Fantasy Land - Restaurant Review

I can hardly believe three months have passed since I returned to Australia.

The last few months of my working holiday were very busy with work and meeting with friends so I didn't get much chance to write much on the blog about what I did in Japan. However, earlier in the year, I went to Umeda and visited the Alice in Fantasy Land restaurant with my friend. We had a wonderful day together and I would recommend the restaurant so I am writing a detailed review for the benefit of other people who may be thinking of going there. 

I can't remember quite how I found out about the place but I do remember that after seeing some pictures on the restaurant's website that I knew that I could expect a professional atmosphere with enjoyable food.

Booking

For non-residents and non-Japanese speakers this may be the biggest hurdle but do not give up!

The language barrier may possibly be the biggest hurdle for non-Japanese speakers who would like to go experience any of the Alice's Fantasy Restaurants. I reserved a table through the online booking system but the system was only in Japanese and required a Japanese mobile email address. If you don't have either a Japanese speaking friend or Japanese mobile, it would be a better idea to book a different way. Although there is English on the Alice's Fantasy Restaurant website, (albeit seemingly done via Google translate) unfortunately, the menu is only written in Japanese. 

Location

A convenient location but it still took a while to find even with the basic map provided.

Alice in Fantasy Land is one of the installments of a series of Alice in Wonderland themed cafes called "Alice's Fantasy Restaurant". The restaurant is located very close to the main stations in the Osaka area: JR Osaka train station and the Hankyu Umeda Station, which is great for people who have little knowledge of the Umeda/Osaka area. A basic map was also provided on the site, however, it still took us a little while and a few walks up and down the road before we found the restaurant. In the end, we got there by passing through the Umeda JR hotel lobby; the restaurant was placed just out the other side. 

Map from the official site

The outside was lit very brightly with a big card soldier statue and a composite murals of pictures from Alice in Wonderland. Although the mural was obvious, the sign with the restaurant name was quite small so it took us a while to realise that we were in the right place.

The front of the restaurant was bright and colourful but it took us a while to see the sign above the door.

Restaurant Layout and Interior

Black interior walls lend themselves to a theatrical experience. There are many different areas catering for both intimate and large gatherings.

The restaurant seemed very focused on creating an atmosphere; as soon as you walked in the door it was as if you had stepped out of the real world into somewhere a little different, a little stranger. 

When we went in, there was a desk where we were greeted by a gentleman in a top hat and asked if we had a reservation. To the left of the reception there was a giant Alice in Wonderland book, which was actually a door and the entrance to the restaurant. There were some hats behind the counter as well and it seemed that you could wear them as I soon saw the restaurant patrons wearing them however I'm not sure whether you had to pay for them or not.

Very soon we were led through the door by the gentleman and arrived in a much bigger room with dark black walls, like a black box theatre. There were a few long tables in the main restaurant area for very large groups, to the side of the main area were some exciting looking booths on the side covered with transparent shiny material for two or three people and then in an elevated area separated from the main restaurant by a wall were some more tables for small groups. Four or so waitresses dressed in identical blue Alice costumes and stripey socks were attending to the customers in the restaurant. The gentleman in the hat called out something along the lines of "Welcome to Alice's fantasy land!" in Japanese and the Alice waitresses all echoed the same back to us. The ones that weren't serving at a table even faced us and curtsied politely. The greeting reminded me very much of a maid cafe "Maid Dreaming" that I had visited in Tokyo once before.

The Service 

Service was attentive and interactive with waitresses that could speak simple English. 

Much to mine and my friends delight we were led to a booth off to the side of the restaurant with the shiny material over it. It was a very nice, private atmosphere for me and my friend with a little bit of whimsy. It wasn't too soon before we were given menus. The waitress who served us was very kind and spoke English for us but when I mentioned that I could speak Japanese we switched over. The waitress explained we had to call "Alice" if we wanted someone to come to our table. I was reminded of the maid cafe again, however, the atmosphere was very different to a maid cafe. The Alice's Fantasy Restaurant is more about allowing the customer to enjoy the atmosphere with their friends with an "Alice guide" rather than enjoying the company and service of a maid.

We ordered our drinks first. I ordered a Happy Unbirthday cocktail, which was extremely tasty and came out with a light in it! We were also given complimentary drinks in a bottle with "drink me" cards. When we had drunk them, the waitress came over to each of us saying that we had shrunk very small and we should be careful on our journey. It was a wonderful touch and really made us feel as though we were experiencing our own Alice adventure. I did get the feeling that some who may not enjoy such a theatrical experience would feel it was a little childish and embarrassed, however, my friend and I very much enjoyed ourselves. 

The drinks were first to come out and, boy, did they make a good impression.

The Food and Drinks

Very high points for presentation, taste is good but not gourmet.

If you are planning on going to Alice in Fantasy Land or any of the Alice's Fantasy Restaurants I would recommend looking at the menu via the website so that you can see what the food looks like. It is, like the entire experience, rather theatrical. This, and, apparently the menus differ from restaurant to restaurant so take at look at the page specific to your restaurant if you can. There are two options for eating at the restaurant: a set course or a la carte. We asked to order al carte and had a difficult time choosing as the dishes all seemed delicious. 

The food was very well presented, often in the shape of an animal from the Alice in Wonderland story. The taste was not excellent but it was at least as good as a family restaurant. Some people may feel it is overpriced because of this but I consider the effort of the staff and the presentation of the food to be well worth it. 

All aspects of the cafe tie in with the Alice theme, even the playful dish designs 

Finishing touches

A very satisfying all-round experience. We were well looked after from the moment we stepped in the door to the moment we stepped out. 

At the end of our meal an Alice waitress saw us to the door and thanked us for coming. The waitress even offered to take our picture at the entrance to the restaurant. We went home both feeling very full and very pleased with our experience at the Alice in Fantasy Land restaurant. 

The fact that the menus differ between each restaurant and there are many different spaces to sit means that the Alice's Fantasy Restaurant doesn't have to be a one-time visit. In fact, I would love to go again. Next time I would love to go there with a bigger group of people and sit in a different place in the restaurant to enjoy a different atmosphere.

Thank you to all the staff at the Alice in Fantasy Land Restaurant for a wonderful evening and to my good friend for a fabulous day that day.

The lead up to the Alice in Fantasy Land Restaurant included a pancake lunch and bubble tea with my friend.
I had a fantastic day with my friend and would love to do it all again someday soon.

Until next time...

Ditching the Dream Dress - Why my wishlist has changed

One of the first things you do when you become interested in lolita fashion is begin collecting an impressive list of items that you really (really, really) want. The "must-have" items are often dubbed "dream-dresses" with other simply desirable purchases placed on a what is often called a "wishlist". I started purchasing lolita clothing in 2012 and created a long list myself. In the year or two following I even managed to acquire some of those pieces. The feeling of excitement and pure rush of getting an item you've admired for so long is so great, isn't it?

Here is a line-up of some of the items I really wanted back when I began wearing lolita fashion.

The puffy tail and ears on the Marshmallow Bunny Sallopette was love at first sight!
Top down on the right: Rose Toilette, Sugar Fairy Cake and Country of Sweets all by Angelic Pretty.

But what happens when the dresses that you've brooded over to finally buy become back-of-the-closet clothes? Or perhaps the style you loved is just not what you want to wear anymore. 

Well, I started to feel this way at the end of last year and after deciding to sell the last of the dresses on my wish list that I had acquired, I decided that I wanted to share some of the reasons why I moved on from those pieces. Perhaps you've felt the same way or maybe it's for a completely different reason. Comment and let me know!

1. Square pegs in round holes 

Sometimes that beautiful piece you love to bits just doesn't look as nice as you imagined it when you finally get to wear it. As hard as it is, you've just got to let it go. In my case, it was the colours and the patterns that I had to part with. The light colours and chaotic prints of the super sweet designs that I loved looked heavy against my dark features. 

I loved the colour and print design of Angelic Pretty's Sugar Hearts.

2. Size does matter

Squeezing yourself into something too small or having to pin, tie or hold up something too big is a real confidence killer. Checking the measurements for your beloved item is one way to avoid disappointment, which is the point I ignored not once but three times! 

This Bodyline JSK L481 (affectionately known as Cinderella Bunny) was an impulse buy at a swap meet.
In the end, I had to pass it on because it was even too big with all the shirring tied up.

3. All dressed up and nowhere to go

"What's the point in having a beautiful dress if I don't have anywhere to wear it." I know that many people would sympathise with that statement. That really was the case with my beautiful Milky Planet. As much as I loved it, it was too casual for a tea party and too gorgeous just to go for a bubble tea in town. I simply realised one day that I wouldn't be wearing it many more times so I made the decision to pass it on.

This is still one of my favourite outfits that I've put together.

I bought the Milky Planet accessories from the new release in a different colour to create contrast.

4. Petticoat Junction

As time goes on the things we like change but it can be hard to accept that you and your formerly favourite print just simply don't share anything in common anymore. When I started wearing lolita fashion I wanted to be decked out in stars, candy and the brightest colours so as to be seen from space but at some point that changed and I wanted to veer towards a more cohesive wardrobe and colour pallet.

After buying two cut-sews in Japan I have sworn them off forever. The size is often too small.
Same goes for mini-skirts...and socks.
This Dream Sky skirt is the culmination of all the above points: the light colour and busy print, the small size and the personal change in taste over time meant I had to pass this gorgeous piece along.

Why it's okay

I took me a while to comes to terms with being able to sell items that I had really wanted for a long time. "Is it okay?" "Should I even make a wishlist?" However, after a while I realised that personal tastes changing as time goes on is something that is very natural. It really cemented the fact that, for me, purchasing a "dream dress" for a price much higher than retail will often lead to disappointment. Additionally, being able to self-evaluate your appearance and judge what looks good on you or what you are likely to wear is a very important skill when you wear any kind of fashion. You might have some great friends whom you can ask opinions of and that's important too but in the end the person choosing and wearing the clothes is you. 

As for my wishlist, I am still adding pieces to it that I really like and some of the pieces I had on there before I've been able to retain and simply change what cut or colour way I would buy. When all is said and done, I still have a long list of dresses that I would love to own one day but I'm going to purchase them if I feel they are right for the wardrobe I'm working towards while keeping a wider perspective that my tastes may still change in the future. 

How about you? How have your tastes changed? What are some of the pieces you've had to let go of? Let me know.

Alice and the Pirates' Gloria - Beautiful Glassy Saint Mary is pretty much a pipe-dream dress.
I really love Angelic Pretty's Wonder Party bustier-style JSK but if I chose the skirt I can tone it down a little more.
I had the pink version of Angelic Pretty's Royal Chocolate Round JSK on my wishlist but the white or beige will tie in with my current wardrobe colours better.

Until next time...

Lolita Fashion Terminology differences in Japanese and English/英語と日本語ロリータ・ファッション用語の違い

Hi everyone,

I'd like to write an article in Japanese about lolita terms in English. I find the difference in terms and what terms are borrowed from Japanese very interesting so I wanted to talk about that today. 

今日は日本語でロリータ英語用語を紹介したいと思います。明確な言葉の違いや借用語が私にとってとても面白かったので、書きたいと思います。

Even though Lolita fashion is known in and outside of Japan, it is still not a well-known fashion so the terminology is only used within the community that know of lolita. These special terms will probably not be understood by the average person.

ロリータファッションは日本だけではなく海外でも知られていますが、まだ認知度が低いので、ロリータを知っている人たちのだけで使われています。恐らくこの独特な言葉は普通の人には理解されないでしょう。

As the fashion evolves and people find new ways to wear it more and more terms are created. I wouldn't be able to include all of the terms but I will include some of the more popular styles and, what I consider, interesting terms.

ロリータファッションが変化していく度に、新しい着こなし方によって新しい用語も生み出されているため、ここに全ての用語を書くのが不可能だと思います。では、最も人気があるジャンルで自分が面白いと思ってる用語を紹介したいと思います。

A picture of the lolita community I'm in
自分が入っているロリータコミュニティの写真

Lolita styles　

These are the terms used for various styles within lolita.

ロリータジャンル

まずはロリータジャンルの用語を紹介したいと思います。

nihongo	nihongo nikkunēmu	English	English Nickname
roriita		lolita	loli
kurashikaruroriita	kurarori	classical lolita	classical
amaroriita	amarori	sweet lolita	sweet
goshikkuroriita	gosurori	gothic lolita	gothic
shirororiita	shirorori	shiro lolita	shirololi
kurororiita	kurorori	kuro lolita	kurololi

Ouji fashion

As for Ouji-kei, there doesn’t seem to be a consensus on what to call it in English. So there are various names used such as Ouji-kei, prince-kei, boy-style and kodona. Some people say that each of these words are actually sub-styles of Ouji fashion.

Kodona is a word that is used outside of Japan to describe the Victorian-fashion-inspired boy-like style. It is a mix of two Japanese words “kodomo” and “otona” meaning child and adult, respectively. It first appeared in the first issue of the Gothic Lolita Bible when Ryutaro, a member of the visual kei band, Plastic Tree, was used as a model. Ryutaro used the word “kodona” to describe the overall aesthetic and the clothing. Although it is not used to describe the style in Japanese it is a commonly used word for the style in English. 

For further reading, take a look at Buttcape's great article on Ouji fashion terminology.

王子系

王子系に関しては英語用語におけるコンセンサスはなさそうです。そのため色んな用語を使います。例えば、ouji-kei、prince-kei、boy-style、kodonaなどです。これらの言葉は全て違うジャンルという意見もあります。

Kodonaというのは日本海外で使われてる言葉で、ヴィクトリア朝時代に影響された男の子っぽいファッションを指します。日本語の「子供」と「大人」を混ぜた言葉です。最初に登場したのは、ビジュアル系のバンドであるプラスティックテュリーの竜太郎さんがモデルとして出た日本雑誌であるゴシックアンドロリータバイブルで、全体の美学と服を説明するのに使われました。王子系を説明するのに日本語では言わないけど、英語では一般的な言葉です。

詳細は下記リンクをクリックしてください。王子ファッション用語ブログ(英語のみ）－Buttcape

Tumblr User Bakasoseji wearing an Ouji-kei outfit.
王子系を着てるタンブラユーザ「バカソセジ」です。

Bittersweet Lolita

Another word I haven’t come across in Japanese is Bittersweet Lolita. Some people would even argue that is not a sub-genre. As I interpret it Bittersweet Lolita is the combination of the prints and pastel colours of sweet Lolita mixed with a mainly black colour scheme and gothic symbolism such as crosses and bats.

ビタースイートロリータ

また日本語であまり聞いた事のない言葉にBittersweet Lolitaがあります。Bittersweet Lolitaというロリータのジャンルはないと思う人もいます。私はBittersweet Lolitaは甘ロリータの柄やパステル色を中心に黒とクロスやコウモリなどのゴシックシンボルと混ぜたスタイルのことだと解しています。

Tumblr user Sugar Party wearing a Bittersweet lolita coordinate ビタースイートロリータコーディネートを着てるタンブラユーザ「シュガーパーティ」です。

Lolita Clothing

In Japanese the nicknames for clothing tends to be shortened word sections like the Japanese word for jumperskirt “jyanpaa sukaato” which is shortened to "jyansuka". However, in English the clothing names are made into acronyms such as OP for “One Piece” and these become the nicknames for the clothing.

Another interesting facet is the use of these words. For example, in English one-piece and jumper-skirt are no longer in common use despite being English words but in Japanese both words are used in everyday language to refer to dresses with sleeves and dresses for wearing over blouses. Additionally, in Japan the word pannier seems to be more popular than petticoat where as in English it is the other way around. 

ロリータ服

日本語では服のニックネームとしてはジャンパースカートをジャンスカと呼ぶみたいに、服のニックネームを省略する事が多そうです。しかし、英語の場合では服の名前を頭文字にして、ニックネームとして使う事が多そうです。

もう一つ面白い側面として、英単語を日本語独自に利用することがあげられます。例えば、英語圏ではone-pieceとjumper-skirtというのは英語の言葉としては今は一般的な言葉ではありませんが、日本では一枚で着れるドレスとブラウスの上に着るドレスとして毎日使われている言葉だそうです。またはロリータ世界に日本ではパニエの方が一般的で、英語圏ではペチコートの方が使われているそうです。

nihongo	nihongo nikkunēmu	English	English nickname
wanpiisu	wanpi	one-piece	OP (ōpii)
janpasukāto	jansuka	jumper-skirt	JSK
sukāto		skirt
saropetto	sarope	salopette	salo
pechicōto		petticoat	petti
sodetome		wrist cuffs
ōbaniisokkusu	ōbanii	over the knee socks	OTKs (ōtikeizu)

While an A-line petticoat is the same, the cupcake or bell-shaped petticoat is called a “bowl” or “owan” pannier in Japanese.

Aライン系パニエはそのままですが、おわん系パニエは英語で「bell-shaped petticoat」（ベル形ペチコート）か「cupcake petticoat」（カップケーキペチコート）と呼ばれます。

Lolita Clothing Brands

Similar to the clothing, Japanese clothing brand nicknames use portions of the words while the nicknames in English tend to use acronyms. 

ロリータ服のブランド

服と同じように、日本語のニックネームは言葉を省略することが多くて、英語のニックネームが頭文字を使う事が多いのだそうです。

nihongo	nihongo nikkunēmu	English	English Nickname
beibii za sutāzu shain buraito	beibii	Baby, the Stars Shine Bright	BTSSB
arisu ando za pairettsu	pairettsu	Alice and the Pirates	AatP
anjerikku puriti	anpuri	Angelic Pretty	AP
emirii tenpuru kyūto	emikyū	Emily Temple Cute	ETC
jyūrietto e jyusutiinu	jyūrietto	Juliette et Justine	JetJ
inosento warudo	inowa	Innocent World	IW
metamorufōze tan dyu fiiyu	metamo	Metamorphose Temps de Fille	Metamorphose or Meta

Finally, I want to talk about some miscellaneous words that have made their way from the Japanese to English Lolita community. 

最後に色んな日本語から英語圏のロリータコミュニティで使うようになった言葉について紹介したいと思います。

Loan Words

In Japanese, the loan words (Foreign words used in Japanese) "コーディネート" (koodhinēto) and メイクアップ (meikuappu), meaning a clothing coordinate and make-up respectively, are often shortened to コーデ (kōde) and メイク (meiku). These shortened words have made their way back into English as "code" and "make" often said with the English pronunciation.

借用語

日本語でコーディネートとメイクアップという借用語はコーデとメイクによく省略します。この省略した言葉は英語の発音で「code」と「make」として英語に帰ってきました。

Some purely Japanese words such as 可愛い（かわいい）"kawaii" meaning cute and 系 (けい) "kei" meaning type, which is used when talking about fashion styles such as ouji-kei, have made their way into vocabulary of many English-speaking lolitas.

もともと日本語の言葉、例えば「可愛い」「kawaii」と「系」「kei」（ouji-keiのようにファッションジャンルについて話す時に使います）は英語で使う場合もあります。

Another word that has come from Japanese is the word "ita". This comes from the Japanese word 痛い （いたい）"itai", which is an adjective meaning painful. In Japanese, when a person's clothing is embarrassing to look at you can use the word "itai" to describe how you feel looking at them. In other words "it's painful to look at them". While in Japanese the shortened "ita" is used in a similar way to the English exclamation "ouch" in Japanese, in English, the word "ita" is used as a noun to talk about someone who is wearing lolita fashion incorrectly. "He/she is an ita." It is considered by many to be one of the more degrading insults and is often used online to talk about other people when they dress poorly. 

F Yeah Lolita has an excellent blog on "How to Avoid being an Ita"

また日本語から来た言葉といえば「ita」(イタ)です。日本語の形容詞「痛い」から来ました。日本語である人のカッコが恥ずかしいと思うと、その見てる感情を説明するのに「痛い」を使えます。つまり、「見ると痛い」です。英語圏では、「ita」というの言葉は形容詞ではなく、名詞として使われてて、間違ってるロリータの着こなし方している人に対して使う言葉です。「He/she is an ita.」「彼氏/彼女はイタです。」この言葉はとても失礼な悪口で、オンラインで下手な着こなし方をしてる人について話す時に使います。

以下を参照してください。イタを避ける方法（英語のみ）

So, that's it. A look at the difference in Japanese terminology and English terminology in lolita fashion. Thanks to my own lolita community and sugarparty and bakasoseeji on Tumblr for letting me use their pictures. Thank you also to Shin, Cocomoco, Masashi, Desperate Beagle, rakko and Yutaro for checking my Japanese on Lang8. Let me know your reactions in the comments! 

以上です。ロリータ用語の英語と日本語での違いでした！自分のロリータコミュニティとTumblrのユーザーsugarpartyとbakasosejiの写真を使わせていただいて、お礼を申し上げます。Lang8で日本語をチェックして頂いたShinさん、Cocomocoさん、Masashiさん、Desperate Beagleさんと、rakkoさん、そしてYutaroさんにもお礼を申し上げます。

Until next time...

また今度…