An Itinerary For Girls: 5 Fun Girly Things To Do In Japan

Get lost in the world of Hello Kitty

Hello Kitty is a big thing in Japan and you will find the image of the cute white kitty with the red bow on its head everywhere. Do not resist the temptation to enter the cuteness paradise of Hello Kitty stores and get lost in Hello Kitty products. In such stores you can find everything, from clothes to cosmetics and cutlery, school products, and dried fish that have the cutest Hello Kitty wrapping. Even if you are not a fan of the character, a visit to a Hello Kitty store is an experience in itself and is a great place to buy souvenirs.

Shops are found all around major cities, like Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto, mostly inside big shopping malls. You can also find Hello Kitty shops in the two international airports, Haneda and Narita, for last minute shopping before returning back home.

Visit the cutest hair salon in Harajuku

One of the best experiences in Tokyo is to walk along Takeshita Street in Harajuku, the heart of kawaii style. You will be impressed by the colorful shops with unique clothes and bags that are extremely special and different. You will definitely spot local boys and girls who have a quirky style and amazing hairstyles with rainbow colors. This is the kawaii fashion that was born in Japan some years ago. Kawaii literally means cute and a kawaii outfit consists of brightly colored clothes, anime characters’ accessories (pins, headbands, chokers, shoelaces, patches etc.) and really colorful hair. It is a quirky and bold style that really stands out.

In Harajuku you can adopt this style not only by buying clothes on Takeshita Street but you can also have a hairstyle makeover at the most special hair salon you will ever find in your life. At the end of Takeshita Street, you will find Candye Syrup hair salon, the cutest and quirkiest place you will ever have your hair done.

As soon as you enter the small pink door, a sweet odor welcomes you along with pretty girls with colorful hair and clothes that guide you into a candy dream. Pink walls, teddy bears, cute architecture and candy colored wigs create a magical atmosphere. They are specialized in hair coloring but only in bold colors. Do not expect brown or blonde. Pink, green, purple and blue are the most popular colors. They can help you decide on a color that suits you. You can choose from only one color to rainbow hair. If you have already decided, you can show them a picture.

As soon as you have decided on your new color, let the personnel pamper you with the candies they offer, the kawaii books to read while you wait for your hair makeover. It is a unique experience totally unmissable!

Take photos to remember in Purikura machines

Purikura machines are special Japanese photo booths that are very popular among school girls and adolescents in Japan. It is a fun thing for friends to do in big shopping malls where you can usually find an entire floor of Purikura machines. Purikura are found all over Japan inside Japanese arcades (called “taito” stations), theme parks and shopping malls. Small purikura shops can also be found in Shibuya Center Gai in Tokyo, but are usually very crowded. You will understand you have found them when you will see a group of girls laughing and having fun looking at one screen. Do not hesitate and try it!

Just enter the huge photo booths with your friends, follow the instructions on the screen and take your digital pictures (avg. cost: 300-400 JPY (2.93 - 3.91 USD)). Then, decorate the photos using the touch screen. You can put stickers, frames, glitter and you can write in many colors using the pen. Also, you can apply fake eyelashes, lipstick, enlarge your eyes, change eye and hair color and make your silhouette slimmer. Once finished, your pictures are printed on sticker paper.

Have Pikachu on your nails

With the popularity of the game Pokemon-Go, Pikachu became famous again. Tokyo, which is a trendsetter of nail art, offers a great variety of nail salons that can create pieces of art with stickers, accessories, diamonds and 3D designs. For local girls, it is usual to visit a nail salon once a month and choose different designs according to seasons, special occasions or festivities.

If you feel like trying out something very different, then a visit to one of Tokyo’s nail salons is a must. Find an otaku nail salon that specializes in creating anime manicures and ask for a customized anime character on your nails. You can pick a design you like from the ones proposed at the salon or a design of your choosing and let the girls adorn and paint your nails.

Head to Ita Color’s Yellow salon, located on the ground floor of Don Quijote Akihabara, Tokyo. The rate for a manicure here costs 1,000 JPY (9.77 USD) per 10 minutes.

Dress like a geisha

Geishas are Japanese women with great education and skills who are trained to entertain men and were prominent during the previous century in Japan. Today, they are more like a tradition left behind, but gained popularity among tourists after the novel and movie “Memoirs of a Geisha” (2005).

Who does not want to spot a geisha while in Japan? Geisha-spotting, a tourist’s favorite hobby while in Japan, is quite common in the Gion neighborhood of Kyoto. Let the geishas enchant you and while you dive into Japanese culture, and why not dress like one! In Kyoto, there are special places where you can rent a kimono, have your hair and makeup done by professionals and walk down the streets of Kyoto looking like a geisha! A professional photographer will follow you along the streets and take amazing photos of you. This will certainly be the best souvenir of your trip.

The best place to become a geisha for a day is at Maica, located at 4-297 Miyagawa Street in Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto. The cost starts from 8,000 JPY (78.55 USD) for a full transformation including the kimono, the wig and the makeup.