At the mention of Harajuku, one of the first things that comes to mind is its extraordinary fashion culture, and the fastest to gain popularity recently is lolita.

Lolita fashion is inspired by the gorgeous clothes of periods such as the Victorian and Rococo eras, with dresses of modest cuts, poofy skirts, and lots of ruffles and bows.  However, it diverges from the originals by adopting less constricting designs for the modern fashionista, with sub-categories of gothic, classical, sweet, and more.

Thanks to the Harajuku Tourist Information Center, I had the opportunity to participate in the activity called The Lolita Experience, where I could dress up in lolita fashion!

To be honest with you, I never imagined that I would have had a chance to do something as unique as this. Wearing kimono and yukata is quite standard when visiting Japan, but dressing up in fancy lolita clothes, accessories, shoes, a wig-- even my hair and makeup done by a professional cosmetologist, then to top it off with a photo shoot, was just amazing.  I barely recognized myself!  I looked as cute as a doll!

Maison de Julietta, La Foret Harajuku Lolita Studio is where we did our lolita experience that we booked through H.I.S.!

Everything is so little and so cute!

First, you choose the dress, shoes, and socks.

Now it’s time to get changed!

How do I look?

Next, it’s time to complete our lolita looks with hair and makeup!

Now it’s time for makeup, hair, and accessories to complete my lolita style. A wig, fake eyelashes, a giant headband, stuffed animals...it’s all part of the experience!

The stylist suggested that I go with a lighter-haired look. At first, I tried on a pink wig, but it didn’t suit me, so I tried a blonde wig instead and loved it!

We were ready to do our photoshoot!

If you aren’t sure about how to strike a lolita pose, don’t worry! The photographer during the photoshoot is really helpful. He guided me through the entire shoot, and we got quite a few nice photos.

The entire experience is about two hours, and it’s highly recommended!

I especially liked taking photos in a group and watching my friends get dressed up as well!

What’s really cool about this experience is the high quality of the clothing, cosmetics, wigs, and the photos themselves. They make a really great keepsake to bring home with you to remember your time in Japan!