BlytheCon Fashion Tour Japan 2019 (19.10.2019)

Momiji at BlytheCon Fashion Tour Japan. Totally overwhelmed!

During this year's BFF trip (post pending), I attended the BlytheCon Fashion Tour Japan. One could say it was fate? A few days after we had blocked out dates for this year's BFF Japan trip, the BCFT Japan date and venue were announced online. (Random trivia: I like how the event date abbreviates to 19.10.19!) After BCSG 2017, this would be the 2nd Blythe convention I've attended.

BCFT Japan had over 800 attendees and over 100 vendors. I was also woefully unprepared for the sheer magnitude of the event. Unlike BCSG, which I religiously kept updated on and strategised for, I was quite unprepared for BCFT Japan. I did find it slightly troublesome to track the multiple social media accounts to obtain information and updates on the event. More on that at the end of this post.

BCFT Japan 2019 turned out to be a massive event.

So, I arrived late. I thought I was screwed. According to the programme, registration began at 9am and the door-opening at 11am. I overslept and got to Akiba Square after 9:30am. By that time, registration was over, and people were already in queues, preparing for the doors to open. Looking at the crowd, I was super overwhelmed and was all ready to give up. But Hubby pushed me forward. We fought our way through the crowd to the registration table.

BCFT Japan 2019 goodie bag contents.

So, the system worked this way: 1st, scan ticket's QR code, receive the goodie bag, which includes a printed programme booklet and raffle ticket; 2nd, blind ballot for a personal queue number; and then 3rd, line up at the respective queue.

Queue no. 3! Lucky. Coz boy was it a massive event (see IG pic).

Considering there were over 800 attendees, I was very lucky to get queue no. 3! When I saw the slip, I could not believe my eyes and had to look thrice. Unfortunately, Hubby was no. 525. (I originally thought it was 825. Oops.) But then...! In the rush and our confusion, we made a huge mistake at the event.... We split up to queue in our respective queue lines, and I forgot to take the cash and pocket WiFi from Hubby. Meaning, when I entered the hall, I had no cash and no Internet (read: no PayPal) when I entered the hall. In short, although I had an immense head start as the 3rd person to enter the hall, I had no funds to buy anything. *facepalm* Yeah...I've made many mistakes, but this one has got to be one of my stupidest mistakes to-date.

Meeting Ellis of Wabi-Sabi Dolls!

On the upside, it kind of worked out in the end. I did have to make quick impromptu changes to my original strategy (which itself was rather flexible anyway).

Overall, I had a great time, and a great haul even though I missed out on some items I've set my sights on for a long time...like outfits by HANON, Poupee Mechanique, and Chu Things. Oh well...c'est la vie.

First vendor booth I visited was Wabi-Sabi Dolls. It was such a pleasure to finally meet Ellis! She is so friendly and warm, and treated me like a long-lost sister. I felt like we'd known each forever.

I found out that we started adopting Blythe around the same time. We chatted so much, that I totally lost track of time. But no regrets at all. I am so grateful for this encounter. Totally look forward to meeting Ellis again.

The wonderful works of Wabi-Sabi Dolls.

Ellis was so kind to let me reserve Naomi, one of her customs with her specially made Asian faces. I would've been really sore if I'd missed out on Naomi. She also generously piled me with omake, gifts. So thank you Ellis, for your warmth, kindness and generosity.

Wabi-Sabi's cool boys Shiro and Mason.

The 2nd vendor booth I hit up was JoliFleur la Toile, a Japanese fabric vendor. The booth was manned by the designer and her husband. The adorable characters on the fabric are hand-drawn by the designer. A fact that her husband, who was manning the booth, was proudly telling everyone. Practically shouting it to the rooftops. I love how he is so supportive of his wife's talents. I thought there wouldn't be many people at this booth, but I was dead wrong. Luckily, I had JPY10,000 emergency cash on me, and so I was able to buy some fabric from the vendor. (This is the one time our travel tradition of keeping emergency cash on me has actually served a purpose.) Looking forward to using these fabrics to make some cute, contemporary dolly kimono! I'll post about their fabrics elsewhere, together with the fabric haul from this trip...since I picked up quite a stash as we travelled through Osaka and Kyoto (post pending).

After this stop at JoliFleur la Toile, my zero-funds situation changed because Hubby found me. It was pretty packed in the hall by this time. I really hate crowded places but I wasn't going to let that stop the fun.

Amazing diorama by Warusoneko.

Close to JoliFleur la Toile was Japanese artist Warusoneko. He had an amazing diorama at the booth. Kind of like a wood steampunk concept, complete with a working lift!

Lovely dresses by Felipe of Kyutto Couture.

With Felipe of Kyutto Couture.

I had the great pleasure of getting to know Felipe of Kyutto Couture, and his lovely doll dresses.

It was really hard to choose from the selection he created. So I ended up (after some struggling with choice) picking 3 dresses. So wonderfully made.

Felipe told me that he had only recently been able to start selling his dolly dresses. He is only able to make a few dresses at a time because of limited time, with his demanding day job. As we chatted, I felt like he was a kindred spirit.

Kudos to Felipe for taking that leap, and sharing his wonderful work with the dolly community. I hope he will be able to make more. Spread the love!

Between Wabi-Sabi Dolls and Kyutto Couture was Poonchaya Dolls. (The C area was probably my favourite area in the whole hall.) Besides her lovely girls (I spy a translucent!), Poonchaya also had a colourful array of her iconic knit helmets.

Look at these pretty Poonchaya Dolls!

Poonchaya's Halloween-themed bat helmets.

I love her helmets. Her cactus helmets were there, obviously. Although I bought a cactus helmet at BCSG, I was sorely tempted to get another... Focus, focus! She also had bat wing helmets in black and white, as Halloween is coming up. Bought a black one for myself, and a white one for Sheena.

The incomparably sweet girls at Freddy Creations!

And then was Freddy Creations! Fan girl moment. After 6 years of this hobby, I finally meet Freddy in the flesh. Because Freddy's one of Singapore's pioneer Blythe collectors/customisers. I have long heard about him and his works from Sheena, and other Blythens, especially among the pioneer Sg Blythens. I do not have one of his dolls, but I admire his creations and very much respect him as a doll artist. Meeting him in person was a huge thing for me.

Freddy of Freddy Creations, and Ayin of Splatter Girl UK!

And then was the booth of Splatter Girl UK. Another fan girl moment! Ayin is so warm and friendly.

The unique dolls of Splatter Girl UK.

I love how her dolls each have their own individual characters, and are so uniquely cool and funky. Much like Ayin herself! Was very tempted to adopt Petunia, but I had to be prudent. There are limits to one's funds and baggage space....

Poupee Mechanique.

And then there was Poupee Mechanique. Hyperventilate! Fan girl moment!

I have adored and admired Leonidas' doll couture clothes from the very beginning of my Blythe journey. In fact, he is one of the customisers whose works got me hooked on Blythe dolls, and inspired me to try sewing clothes for the girls myself.

I love his dolly clothes but was not able to ever get my paws on one, for the longest time. I was a little late to the party at his booth, and everything was sold out. But I did manage to get my paws on the pre-order. Totally blew the BCFT budget doing so, but wth!

I confess that I was massively overwhelmed most of the time during the event. Besides the number of vendors and the sheer variety of items, as well as the crowd, I was still reeling from coming face-to-face with many Blythe customisers and creators that I have long admired and respected. So a lot of things got missed as I walked through the hall.

Kelly of Pliskytrix Dolls, next to Filipa of Little Matilda Atelier.

Teddy bears and other plushies by Yumi Camui.

Very pretty kimono by a vendor whose name I, very unfortunately, forgot. I love that hakama ensemble.

Kimono fabric Blythe carrier bags by Do Beee.

While walking along, I saw some Blythe carriers by Do Beee, made with beautiful kimono fabric. This is like, the melding of 3 passions: kimono, kimono remake, and Blythe dolls. Wahahaha. So I picked up 2 carrier bags. And to think I was just telling Sheena, a day before this trip, that I didn't have enough body bags doll carrier bags. They had others that I also liked as well, a blue one that seemed to be made of woven cotton kimono fabric. But ah! prudence.

The girls by Joel of Jodie Dolls.

I am always tickled by the cheeky or crybaby girls by PJ Dolls.

The beautiful dresses by Maria of Chu Things.

Fan girl moment! I mean, come on, it's Chu Things!!! I got to her booth pretty late in the game, and she had sold out almost everything. There was 2 of the pink dress left, and I bought one, although I really really really wanted the yellow one.

Elizabeth of Bird Cage Doll Designs.

Came to know of the works by Melbourne-based Elizabeth of Bird Cage Doll Designs. Her booth was next to Chu Things. To be perfectly honest, I probably would not have known if it wasn't.... But I am so glad I stopped by. For BCFT Japan, Elizabeth had made some awesome animal suits for Blythe. Each suit is carefully hand sewn. As a sewist/crafter who also hand sews my projects, I understand the time and effort needed to make an item like that. I am brimming with respect for her sewing skills, and dedication to her craft.

An adorable red fox suit by Elizabeth of Bird Cage Doll Designs.

When I got to her booth, I didn't see any more red fox suits, besides the one on display. But she still had Totoro suits, and I got my paws on one! When I'm done with settling back in, I intend to put the suit on my CaramelPOPS Totoro custom.

Beautiful dresses by Kogumaza.

Bought a set of that lovely leaf-embroidered dress by Japanese doll dress artist Hiroko-san of Kogumaza. Liberty Tana Lawn fabric, lace, and leaf patterns...killer combo for me. Cannot resist!

Hanon. Of course.

And of course, I had to make a pilgrimage to HANON. She was right next to Momolita's booth. Fan girl moment. Again, a really really big moment for me, to meet one of the Blythe creators who has inspired me from the start of my Blythe journey.

Satomi Fujii-san of HANON

Satomi-san was in a lovely lace kimono. Not sure what I was gushing more over, meeting Satomi-san in person, or her kimono. LOL. When I visited her booth, Satomi-san was sold out. A situation I could have avoided if not for the no-funds mistake we made at the start. I was a little disappointed, but to be honest, I was also not pained or regretful at all. The highlight of the event was truly meeting the artists and creators themselves, and getting to know other artists and creators, as well as their works. Also wanted to meet-and-greet Momolita-san. Unfortunately, Momolita-san seemed very busy with BCFT organisation stuff.

Lovely smocked dresses by *Mayrin*.

Popped by the booth of *Mayrin*, the Japanese doll dress creator who has collaborated with Junie Moon Dolly Wear many times.

Awesome retro-style suit by La Planete Retro.

Is that Cloud I see at the booth of Kuroneko?

Dolls and zakka galore at Japanese dress creator Kojanchi.

Kyoko's Amusement Park!

Kyoko-san of Kyoko's Amusement Park looks just as I remembered her from BCSG. Would've loved a crab helmet for Neo Blythes, but had to settle for a Middie sized one. Looks like my Lydia Green will be sporting that in the future. Not the last helmet I got at the event. Along the way somewhere, I got a rainbow caticorn helmet by Isa of Dafnery Dolls for Sheena.

Beautiful, detailed and elaborate doll ensembles and dolls at Redo Rozen.

Was floored by the elaborate ensembles on display by Redo Rozen (formerly Kirara Doll).

The bridal couple, and oiran custom dolls by Redo Rozen.

I've a huge soft spot for traditional Japanese things, so naturally my eyes were drawn to the bridal couple and oiran dolls. I had seen them on Instagram, but the Instagram pixels don't do them justice. Especially their ensembles. Up close, I could better see the figured pattern of the Japanese bridal kimono. Inspires me to make a set for myself. But first, one of the girls has to get herself a boyfriend. (Which Hubby utterly frowns upon, the over-protective daddy that he is.)

Unfortunately I forgot this vendor's name. But I had to include a picture because of this amazing red dress!

Mandarake was there too. And so was Dolly*Dolly.

The creations of Murako-san of Bonbon du Coton.

Love this display by Japanese doll dress creator Miina Rinnut.

The works of Yuko-san of Contents of the Closet.

Winnie of Grizzly瓜子臉. The doll in the toadstool outfit actually reminds me of someone. She has the same wide-set eye look.

Quirky helmets by Miss.Doria. Darn, missed the green dinosaur helmet!

Miniatures by DoroBear Studio.

Saw the wonderful and well-made miniatures by DoroBear Studio! OMG I love them. Love the mid-century modern look. Want to get my hands on some even though I don't have room for a room box or dolly diorama at the moment, and need to exercise some financial prudence... (Housing mortgage, folks! Sorry my girls, my home has to come first.)

Kuloft!

There's so many amazing booths and creations at the event. So many that I stopped trying to cover everything and everyone after a while. I'm really sorry to have missed out anyone. It wasn't intentional. It was just a really huge event, I was overwhelmed and getting tired. Hubby scoffed at me. And he had standing too, given that he has actually attended Comic Cons, which are even more massive. We left the event a little early, and didn't participate in the raffle. To be honest, I was exhausted, and the crowds and noise was taking its toll. So I made a quick retreat back to our hotel.

The BCFT Japan haul! Some for me, some for Sheena. Muahahahaha...

When we got back, I spread out my haul on the sofa. All spread out like that, it kind of hit me then, just how overboard I went. By the time I packed them back into the bags, the adrenaline rush was gone, and I was feeling sleepy. Although we had texted our travel companions DT and AL about dinner plans, I ended up falling asleep. In any case, DT and AL too were tired from their day at Kappabashi, and also fell asleep when they got back with their haul. But more on that elsewhere.

Overall, I couldn't help but compare some aspects of BCFT Japan with BCSG 2017 (my 1st Blythe convention as an attendee). Of course, the 2 are not comparable, each having their own highlights and moments, and unique points. Nonetheless, from an organisational view point, I appreciated that the BCSG organisers made sure the same information and updates were consistently posted across all their social media platforms. For BCFT Japan, most of the event updates were on the Facebook page. Not an issue except for people whose first port of call is Instagram and last port of call is Facebook. (Sorry Facebook, your mobile app is just not as user-friendly.)

Additionally, the intervals between some posts for BCFT was kind of too short. I appreciated that the BCSG organisers were timely with updates, and had spread out their social media posts over a longer period of time. Especially for their posts on donations and the vendors. This gave me some time to digest the information better. For BCFT Japan, I think some of the posts were not very timely or consistent across all their social media platforms. For instance, the event rules were posted on the day of the event itself. A little late, isn't it? The pre-meet, its existence and information on it were posted 4 days before the day of the pre-meet itself, and required reservations. Would've appreciated more lead time. There was a deluge of re-posts of vendors' works in the week leading up to the event, even though some of these posts had been on Instagram much earlier. And just 2 days before the event itself was another deluge of posts and information on the vendors. Just a day before the event (not even 24 hours), more than 30 such posts were published on Instagram and Facebook. It was really overwhelming, especially when there were 112 vendors, many of whom are Japanese and some were unfamiliar to Blythens abroad. From what I heard, apparently this was what happened with BCFT Beijing as well.

Just to be clear, I still think the BCFT organisers did great to pull it all together. And what I've said above in no way diminishes what they have done to put together BCFT Japan 2019. So kudos to them for all their time, effort and dedication, and for making this happen for Blythens around the world!

Aside from any and all hiccups (some of which were of my own making), the event was so much fun. I would do it all over again! (Without my mistakes.) It was wonderful to be among people who share the same passion, and I felt a sense of acceptance and belonging. I have been blessed with a partner and friends who understand and support me in this passion, but sometimes I am reminded of how isolating it can be to be passionate about a something that society in general doesn't understand, and even judges negatively. I really should attend more of these conventions.

Most of all, I was so glad to be able to meet artists whom I respect and whose works I admire. So many fan girl moments. It was an honour to talk to them, hear about what inspires them, receive advice from them. So many of them are so big-hearted and generous, as well as open with their advice. It was also a great pleasure to meet new, unfamiliar customisers and artisans. More beautiful works to admire and share, more artists I respect, more goals aspire to.