Loincloths make a comeback

This via Reuters. An underwear making is calling this the latest in 'liberation for women' due to the light feel of this cotton garment that doesn't need elastic to stay in place. Personally I'm not sure whether a nappy of cotton bunched up around my privates would feel particularly liberating. Besides, we all know it's not elastic that oppresses Japanese women but the very conspicuous glass ceiling in the workplace.

Awesome new Harajuku store

Hanjiro clothes store just opened in Harajuku last month. I stumbled on it yesterday when I went clothes shopping and bought a t-shirt dress, skirt and top for 6,000 yen in total. As you can see from the dress above (4,900 yen), the fashions are really stylish. The clothes fall under 3 main categories: cheap and cheerful, second hand and well designed reasonable items (above). Hanjiro is for girls and boys. I also popped by H&M which is a huge sensation but have to say Hanjiro won hands down for value, style and range. Plus there aren't huge queues for the changing rooms.

Fashion bot's clenched catwalk strut

Pink Tentacle reports on the debut of this gorgeous fashion robot. Designed to model clothes, the robot has a face capable of showing a wide range of expressions from anger to surprise. Though I thought her arm movements were very graceful, her odd walking style is rather reminiscent of somebody trying to hold in a big poop.

Large sizes for ladies

I've got fairly big feet and I really suffer when it comes to buying shoes in Japan. If you're looking for large size shoes in Tokyo you could try Ten shoe store in Shinjuku. They do shoe sizes up to 27 cm when normal stores stop at 25cm. The prices are quite high (around 15,000 - 20,000 yen a pair) but I found these boots on their website in the discount section for 8,000 yen. In a similar price range is Washington in Ginza. And finally the cheaper option is Covely in Sunshine City shopping mall Ikebukuro, they do large size women's clothes and have a small selection of shoes.

Christmas gift guide

My guide to shopping for Christmas gifts in Tokyo has just been published in Metropolis Magazine. So if you're looking for pressie ideas click on this link. My personal favourite is the bath planetarium (see pic above). I'm hoping someone will get me one because I just spent the past few days punishing my body on the snowy slopes of Hokkaido and plan to spend the next few days soaking away my muscle pain in the tub.

Bravo boys

Reuters reports that a bra designed for male cross dressers in Japan has been selling well on Rakuten online supermarket. Lately I've noticed a bit of an increase in men dressed as women in Japan, especially as schoolgirls which can be a little disturbing as many don't shave their legs or make any attempt to walk in a 'ladylike' fashion.

Stick on designer stubble

I always thought the designer stubble fashion hadn't caught on in Japan because most people considered facial hair a sign of slovenliness. Browsing in 0101 today though, I found some stick on facial hair in the posh men's grooming section. I'm assuming this product made by Propia is aimed at the follically challenged, not the amateur spy.

Win a free trip to Japan

Marui is offering a prize of a trip for two to Japan to foreigners who have an interest in the country. To win you just need to design an outfit with a Japanese twist and send three pics of it in. Click here for more details.

A sheep in wolf's clothing

Your boss doesn't notice you, your wife doesn't respect you, you're losing your hair, what's an ageing businessman to do? Well, for only 5,000 yen you can don this fine quality hairpiece and become a young blade about town again. And you needn't worry about anyone discovering your secret identity as this benevolent company provides its own shampoos and hairdressing services, so you'll be suitably fleeced for your wolfish pelt.

Fashionistas do or die

A few years back, along with the usual numbers of drunken men 'falling off' train platforms, JR rail had to deal with another problem of drunken girls falling off their platform boots on the escalators. It's usually the victims of Japan's fiercely corporate system that get our sympathy but spare a thought for the fashion victims who put their life on the line everyday for the sake of style. Just yesterday night I encountered a young couple in sunglasses weaving dangerously close to the kerb of a busy main road. Perhaps they'd spent their life savings on matching Prada shades and were determined to get their money's worth dammit! Having witnessed the tribes of young lemmings wearing woolly hats in 38 degree heat last time I was in Japan, I was not totally stunned by this do or die attitude to style. You may break your neck at the bottom of an escalator, walk blind off the pavement and get hit by a car or die of heat stroke but at least you were on trend!