2019 Moi-même-Moitié Tea Party with Mana at Kawaii Kon in Hawaii

Just a little more about Moi-même-Moitié and Mana at Kawaii Kon in Hawaii. Moi-même-Moitié had items for sale during the convention and were located in the Fake Star booth. I stopped there on Saturday and Sunday. They did have a nice selection of items, some which sold out quickly. 

For some reason my photos in the building did not turn out well but here is a photo of part of the Moitié section of the booth. There were a number of accessories including the new Le foulard de M chiffon stole, along with the Nocturnal Romance over the knee socks. The blue bag was for submitting questions for the Questions and Answers session.

What was exciting is after the fashion show they had a few new items including the Gardenia dress and apron. I missed seeing the apron. They also had samples of the re-release Silent Moon one-piece, but since it was only shown in the fashion show and not presented as something they wanted photographed, I do not have a photo of it. I am sure we will see it soon. 

I did get a look at the Gardenia dress. The fabric is really nice, not too heavy and the lace is pretty. 

On Sunday, there was a tea party put on by Moi-même-Moitié. The theme was "A Kingdom by the Sea", taken from Edgar Allen Poe's poem "Annabel Lee". The tables were decorated with lighthouses, little lights, blue rose petals and sparkly Moitié candelabra confetti. There was a table with scones, fruit and bread, spreads, coffee and tea for the attendees. I'm sorry I don't have more photos of the room but since none have been released by Moitié yet, along with the fact that my photos have attendees in them. So to describe it, there was a table at the front for the MC, Andrea of Moitié, and the guest of honor. To the side of this was a white backdrop with an image from the Silent Moon print, along with blue rose petals scattered on the floor. The attendees sat at round tables. Most wore elegant gothic lolita. I wore mostly vintage Moi-même-Moitié, skirt, jacket, and accessories.

(photo from M_d_M_official Twitter)

Not long after the party started, the guest of honor Mana arrived. Wearing the new black and off white Bat Blouse, black pants and his black hat that he wore during this trip, he was greeted warmly by the attendees. After or before taking a selfie (sorry I can't remember which happened first), Mana sat at the table where he shared some information with everyone.

First, Mana's hat, which he decorated for the tea party, was inspired by Hawaiian culture. Mana said that he has enjoyed the food there, eating loco moco, hamburgers and drinking bubble tea which I think it was said it had taro in it. Mana mentioned new music again. He has written on Twitter that there are four new songs inspired by the seasons. Being in Hawaii, the scenery, the sea, helped with making one of those songs, it gave him ideas so now he has all the songs for a new album. He will be working on them and if recording goes well there may be a new album next year. Following this, Mana presented a rose to each attendee. Leaving the room he walked slowly, looking at each table and nodding. At the door he moved his arms as if he was blowing a kiss to everyone.

Following this, they gave out door prizes and had a number of contests. The contests included how did your outfit reflect the theme, best representative of Moitié style, and also everyone voted for their favorite coordinate of people who wanted to participate in that. Some of the prizes were little cheki signed photos of Mana, including one in his vampire outfit and one of him holding a box of Hawaiian macadamia nuts. Then attendees spent some time taking photos in front of the backdrop and chatting. I will say that it did feel a little more relaxed than the Seattle Sakura Con tea party but unlike there, they did not ask people to spend time talking with Mana. 

Besides a rose, the attendees were each given a Moi-même-Moitié hand towel which was a nice gift. There was also a paper ticket as a souvenir. That reminded me of the paper tickets we received at Deep Sanctuary VI. I did end up buying a few things at the booth, including another candelabra necklace that has a blue bead just for Kawaii Kon. Along with the chiffon stole (which is really pretty and the fabric is very nice) and one of the Candelabra Charm Lace Barrettes. I tried to get one of the black lace with blue roses before on WunderWelt Fleur's website, but they sold out quickly. This time I was lucky because they had a few that were used in the fashion show that they put for sale afterwards. 

And this time I did go to one of the autograph sessions after the tea party and did get my Moi-même-Moitié sample Bat Bag signed. Oddly, all of the photos of it after the signing look something like this. 

So that was the convention part of my trip to Hawaii. I did go to a couple places while there, and once I finish posts about March in Tokyo, I will try to do one or two about Hawaii.

2019 Mana Questions and Answers at Kawaii Kon in Hawaii

Later on Saturday, April 6th, there was a Questions and Answers panel scheduled for Mana with Moi-même-Moitié. I spent a little time looking around the Honolulu Convention Center and also ate lunch. Finally I went up to wait by the panel room where I ran into someone I met last year in Seattle at Sakura Con.

It was the fabulous Michi! She had flown to Hawaii from back east to support her friends and see Mana and Moi-même-Moitié. We waited together and then a few more people showed up.

Just call them the Goth Squad. Really nice ladies who I ended up being adopted by. They had a lot of fun waiting for the panel to start. The doors finally opened and we ended up in the front row. I was a bit nervous being there but they were very sweet.

First in were Andrea of Moi-même-Moitié and the MC from Fake Star US. They had just started talking when Mana walked out from back stage. I think they were just as surprised as we were since they hadn't even introduced him. Mana was wearing the same outfit that he wore in the fashion show. The MC proceeded to ask a question of Mana and then read from questions people submitted at the Moi-même-Moitié booth earlier. Andrea translated for Mana, who held a fan up in front of his face when talking to her. So here are the questions and answers from my notes that I took.

The first question asked was what was Mana doing for fun in Hawaii? He replied that he was enjoying Hawaii, going to Wakiki and eating lots of Hawaiian food.

The next question was mine. I was a little surprised it was asked right away. The MC does go through them. What is an average day in Mana's life like? Mana said something similar to what he has said before. That he goes for walks, sees the sakura blossoms, and enjoys the four seasons. 

What is Mana's favorite Moi-même-Moitié print? It is Harpsichord Trio.

I had a little trouble hearing this question, I thought it was something like what is Mana's favorite kawaii character? Mana said that lately he has gotten into Moomins, and they went to the store in Finland.

Mana was asked what his favorite make-up was, but unfortunately the name was said so fast I did not catch all of it. He then mentioned that in Seattle when he said that he uses an all-in-one cleanser that people were shocked by that, and since then he has been receiving products to try from people. There are different ones that he likes so far. He didn't name names.

Will there be any upcoming collaborations? There are no plans right now but in the interview Mana did with Hirooka Naoto of h.NAOTO, they talked about a possible Wa themed item. He also mentioned the new yukata.

My other question that I submitted was asked. Has Mana ever wanted to create a perfume and what would the fragrance notes be? Yes and it would be sweet, fruity and dangerous. He leaves it up to our imaginations what that would be.

What music and fashion inspired him in the 90's? He wore elegant gothic lolita when he was in MALICE MIZER and  found inspiration in shojo manga. He didn't remember right off hand which manga.

What is Mana's favorite type of dog? He is not good with animals so he doesn't know the different breeds of dogs. (I believe Mana was trying to say that he doesn't know a lot about animals. I also want to say something here because Mana gets asked a lot about pets and sometimes his answers are misinterpreted. Pets are not always easy to take care of. Along with anyone who owns black clothing knows how it is with pet fur. There is nothing wrong with not having a pet and not being good with animals or not knowing what a lot of different animals are. Everyone has their different preferences.)

How is elegant gothic aristocrat going? Will there be more? Some of the questions about Moitié Andrea answered and this may have been one of them. For now there is the bat cape, and the bat collar shirt but nothing else at this time.

At this point Mana got up and modeled the cape for us, which was perfect.

What inspirations does Mana use for his fashion? Old buildings, cemeteries, and European buildings.

The MC then asked attendees for places to check out in Hawaii. At one point Mana mentioned that he likes hiking. I think at this point she started asking for questions from the attendees.

Will there be a butterfly print some day? There was one previously (it was 2001).

I wanted to find out a little more about the yukata so I asked if it would come with the black obi they used in the fashion show. They will come with blue obi.

Will they re-release the coffin bag? Not at this time, but Mana wants to.

Will there be more older jewelry re-releases? No, it is difficult to have them come out right.

I missed hearing a little of this question. It was something about Visual Kei inspiration for his fashion. Mana replied that Moi-même-Moitié is Moi dix Mois music in fashion form.

Will new music be released soon? He's been spending his time working on the MALICE MIZER dvd. (there is a little more about this question that was answered the next day at the Tea Party which I will write up very soon. So this is only part of the answer.)

How did Mana enjoy working with the models? He thanked them and said they were wonderful

Will there be more items like the cup and saucer, non-clothing? In the future but they can't say. (it's a definite yes on this one)

I had to ask if there would be a night gown or pajamas again? They are talking about it, Mana wants to.

Will there be shoes? The problem is with sizing.

Does Mana like anime? He mentioned he likes Neon Genesis Evangelion

What is Mana's favorite food? He likes cooking and eating, steak right now (asked what is the perfect steak later said he likes it pretty rare).

Does Mana do any drawing or painting, illustrating? He doodles.

Will there be more older prints? No comment (which is most likely yes)

Will there be custom sizing? No, it is difficult to do this.

How does Mana push himself beyond hard times? There was something said about fashion, that with gothic lolita, letting the world know about wonderful items helped push him through hard times.

What is Mana's inspiration with fashion? That he created his own style combining lolita with gothic.

Does Mana see himself as successful? That the world knows about elegant gothic lolita and his bands, that is success.

Any advice on how to be successful? Pursue the things you love without worrying about what people say.

What is Mana's favorite place in Paris? Montparnasse Cemetery.

With Mana's traveling internationally, what cultural differences does he see from Japanese fans and international fans? International fans are more open, they talk about their thoughts and feelings more.

Is there anything that Mana wants to do that he hasn't done before? He dreams about mountain climbing, big mountains like Mount Everest.

Will there be red and green colors released again? Mana likes green a lot, like the new shirt, so there will be more green items.

I missed this question but Mana said that he gets nervous meeting new people, he is quite shy and still gets nervous even now. This was the last question.

I have to say, while Mana may have been nervous at the start of the session, he did appear more relaxed as it went on. The audience was smaller than the one at Sakura-con and the feeling was a little more personal. I noticed Mana was using his fan less and looking out at the different people in the audience while they were asking questions. I enjoyed this session and other people I talked to said the same. 

2019 Moi-même-Moitié Kawaii Kon Fashion Show in Hawaii

Even though I am in the middle of posting photos from my last trip to Tokyo, I have decided to go ahead and write up a few things that happened in...Hawaii. Because I did go for a few days to Kawaii-Kon in Honolulu. Since I had wanted to go back and because Moi-même-Moitié and Mana were special guests of the convention, it didn't take long for me to decide I wanted to go. So here is the Moi-même-Moitié Fashion Show held on Saturday, April 6th.

This was a little exciting because there were hints that that new fashion items would be worn during the fashion show. The fashion show was held in a Ballroom of the Honolulu Convention Center. I'm borrowing a photo from Kawaii-Kon's Twitter because we couldn't take photos in the room. This was not the fashion show but you can see how the state was set up with screens on the side. There was a runway that came out from the stage.

There was a decent line to get in but even so, I ended up next to some of the photographers in the front. This was nice because I was able to chat with them a little. It also was nice because I was able to have a decent view of the new Moi-même-Moitié fashions.

The show started with the same video that was used at Sakura-Con along with music from Moi dix Mois. Right off we were treated to new fashion with two models showing the Gardenia dress and apron. Here is a photo of the outfit from Moi-même-Moitié.

Following this was the Lace Cross jumperskirt in black and white. We then got a treat as a model came out wearing the brand new Bat blouse in white paired with older Moi-même-Moitié pants for a great elegant gothic aristocrat look. The guy next to me said it was a beautiful outfit. 

The next dress may have been the Cross One-piece in black with a white Rose Flare Sleeve Cutsew underneat. It was followed by the newer Catherine one piece and then by the new version of Sleeping Garden lace-up jumperskirt paired with the La Belle Rose bolero. With each model walking to the end of the runway, we were given a good look at each outfit and the crowd really loved seeing each one.

The new Nocturnal Romance dress and stockings were shown and then a real treat happened. Moi-même-Moitié premiered their new yukata! It is white with stripes and blue roses. They are working to get this produced so hopefully we will see photos of it in the near future. It was a definite crowd pleaser and the guy next to me loved it.

There were a few more surprises left. Following what I thought was the Juliet dress in black, worn with a corset, we got another surprise. There will be a new version of the popular Silent Moon print! These were one piece dresses in white with black, black with white, and black with blue, if I remember correctly. They were very nice.

At this point they had reached the last model of the show. Wearing the new Bat Cape in black with blue lining, Mana strode out in his tall boots to the cheers of the audience. His outfit was the same as in the new promotional photos for the cape except his hair was in the visual kei style he favors for shows. For the fashion show he wore an over-skirt and pants.

All of the models came out for the finale and that was it for the show.

And I am now updating with a photo Mana shared on Twitter of everyone who modeled at the fashion show

Next I have something from another event on Saturday. The Mana Question and Answer session.

From Meguro to Ginza

I'm always looking for interesting things to see when I travel. One day during my last trip to Tokyo in March this year, I found myself walking along a long river under sakura trees. 

It's interesting and sometimes sad to see what Japan does with their waterways in their urban landscape. Not just the sides are bricked up, but the bottom too. 

Even so, it was a pretty river. And even prettier when when the sakura bloom. 

Along the way I came across what I think is Jizo, possibly for travelers along this river side road.

Along with this balcony full of aliens. 

Sadly the sakura were not blooming yet. The buds meant it would happen soon. 

As for the river, it was Meguro-gawa. 

and in Meguro, I was headed to this place. 

However I didn't realize there was a number of steps required to enter the building. First one went in another building to get a number. It appeared people were filling out forms there. After that one had to wait in this line. Information that is missing on the English Starbuck's website. 

I wasn't too bothered by this, since Starbucks isn't high on my list of places to visit, in part because there are Starbucks everywhere in the US. I just thought it would be interesting because it was brand new in Tokyo.

Heading back to the Naka-Maguro Station, I still wanted something to drink. I stopped in this cute little restaurant Longcafe Stand.

I enjoyed a bit of iced tea while figuring out where I wanted to go for dinner. 

One train ride later I found myself back under that moon. 

In the luxury shopping center of Tokyo. Where I made a reservation for dinner the next night at the Vampire Cafe.

Yes it's Ginza again. 

Fun to see this Queen pop-up shop in front of one of the ritzy stores. Japan still loves Queen. 

It was nice to see again the astrology clock of Ginza Diamond Shiraishi.

Since the Moi-même-Moitié collaboration dinner at Vampire Cafe didn't start till the next day, I headed over to my other favorite place in Ginza. TAU Hiroshima Brand Shop. I thought I would try the Italian place upstairs, MERI Principessa. But unfortunately the whole restaurant was reserved for a company that evening. My luck this day was not going well.

So I ended up at a place I'd eaten at before. But the name of the place had changed. It's now Koi Koi. But they still serve Hiroshima okonomiyaki.

And they still have the long grill where it gets a little warm. So it was one of those moments that a tall beer was welcome. 

While I watched the show. Fire up that okonomiyaki! 

Or slather it with this white gloop. That white gloop was grated mountain yam, naga-imo.

And that was my okonomiyaki. 

 And it was quite good. I was happy to sit down and enjoy this meal. If you happen to be traveling to Tokyo and want to try okonomiyaki, Koi Koi in TAU Hiroshima Brand Store in Ginza is one place you can do that.

Kyu-naka-gawa and Kawazu-zakura

During my trip to Tokyo in March, there was one thing that I wanted to do. Besides of course enjoying good music. So on one of the days prior to the concerts, I set out to do that one thing. Even though the sky over Ikebukuro was cloudy. 

I headed to a place that isn't a usual tourist destination. Edogawa. But I find it relaxing to get away to the less busy places in Tokyo. Taking the JR Tobu line I ended up outside of Hirai Station. 

Where I stopped in at the local MOS Burger for a little refreshment before my long walk. 

Getting to the place I wanted to be required walking through a mixed residential and business area. Not much of interest to see, but there was one impressive Large-bill Crow.

Finally I reach this pathway. 

 Which leads to the Fureai-bashi (bridge). But I'm not going across it. Instead I went down below it.

Which is where you will find this. 

Still cloudy overhead but I hoped for some clearing. 

Even with that, the Kawazu-zakura were beautiful. 

These are early blooming sakura trees and their location along the Kyu-naka-gawa or Kyunaka River is wonderful. 

The trees attract a lot of birds. These are probably Brown-eared Bulbul. 

 I walked under the train bridge to get a close-up of Sky Tree. I still haven't visited it. I would have more photos of it here, but this post and my trip to Edogawa was about the sakura.

Looking back under the railroad bridge. I was surprised there weren't more people here, but then it was a working day. It really was a lovely place to be. 

The Fureai bashi with a little more sunlight. The clouds were finally giving up a little. 

I was reminded of how the year before I also was able to view the moon during the day through sakura blossoms. 

There are a few more photos in this post than normal, but even this doesn't express how moved I was this day by the beauty of these trees and flowers. 

This little bit of enchantment is located in Edogawa by the Fureai bridge that crosses the Kyunaka River. If you use the Hirai Station to get there, it puts you on the right side of the river.