Another rainy day here in Nagoya, and we're all hoping it will clear up by the time the Summit comes around.
In the meantime, what better way to brighten up the day – literally – than with some Lolita shopping? While this beautiful, elaborate fashion isn't as visible in Nagoya as it is in Tokyo, you can still spot lolita at weekends, in the department stores of Sakae and around the streets of the Osu area: not only the popular sweet lolita (ama-loli) style but also the more restrained 'classic' lolita and the dark, striking gothic lolita. Whether you're Japanese or not, this fashion will still turn heads in Nagoya.

The central shopping spot for lolita here is Sakae. Around the corner of a string of department stores (Maruei, Skyle and Melsa) is a building called Nova.

It looks pretty plain from the outside, and is best distinguished by its HMV sign; but the 5th floor is a heaven of petticoats, parasols and general frilly indulgence. Probably the most well-known brand in here is Baby The Stars Shine Bright, made famous by the film and novel Kamikaze Girls. It stocks lolita clothes in a range of styles, along with its sister store, Alice and the Pirates, which has a slightly more adventurous, costume-type look.
Next to this is the reigning queen of sweet lolita brands, Angelic Pretty; if pink doesn't do it for you, then this shop may make you feel a bit ill – but otherwise this is like stepping into a candy-coloured paradise.

For those who prefer their frills a little more sedate, there is the Victorian and Rococo-inspired Innocent World, whose fashions, like many of the others in Nova, can be found decorating the pages of the Gothic and Lolita Bible magazine, which is now also published in English by Tokyopop.

And once (if ever) you become overwhelmed by the cute, the 5th floor also contains Na+H and Atelier Boz, whose clothes lean more to the streamlined, gothic, visual-kei side of the fashion, as well as Sexy Dynamite London, which goes for a retro, UK punk feel.

Like ball-jointed dolls and many of the other Japanese subcultures, lolita is not a cheap hobby. Accessories are fairly reasonable, but a shirt can cost up to $200 and a full dress easily $400. The lolita community as a whole, both in Japan and overseas, is one of the most unbending when it comes to its fashion do's and don'ts, although there's plenty of room for creative people to make the most out of what they do own, or even sew their own outfits from scratch.

It's possible to find marked-down prices at second hand stores; Violet Blue in the Osu shopping arcade is a good place to start.

The clothes aren't that much cheaper, but they are all in good condition and you can sometimes find things there from past seasons that aren't for sale in the brand stores any more.

Lolita certainly isn't for everyone; but when you're fully dressed up you do feel fantastic, even if your skirts take up two seats on the subway; when you do buy something, the (also beautifully dressed) shop assistants make you feel like a princess. If you're in Nagoya, it's definitely worth a look!