PURIKURA

 Ahh PURIKURA. A weird and wonderful slice of modern Japanese culture.

On the weekend I met up with a friend for a spot of shopping and she took me to a seven story building full of these photo booths. SEVEN floors!!! SEVEN!! I couldn't figure out why there needed to be over one hundred different photo booths? They all did the same thing- widen eyes, lengthen eyelashes, smooth out skin etc.

Once the photo's been taken, then starts the agonising process of working out what to write all over it. The Japanese are so fast and creative...while I take ages just trying to work out how to change the pen colour and font. Also, adding some kind of english to the edit seems to be a must..it's hilarious.

So what do they do with all these photos you ask? Once printed, they can be cut up and given out to friends, or stuck on notebooks and backs of calculators! Some girl's even make special notebooks to stick all their photos in. How awesome!!-- If you were seven. Yet strangely this is still a loved past time of Japanese girls well into their 20's. 

 I often receive little 2x1cm photos of girl's own purikura when meeting for the first time. Why I would want them? I'm not sure, but I put on the "For me?! Oh wow you're so cute! Here have one of me!" routine and the friendship can officially begin.

For the Brisbane readers, Elizabeth Street Arcade is home to a few of these Purikua photo booths, but will set you back $12 a turn as opposed to the 400yen ($5) here in Japan...saying letting you know:)