Fuzzy, Oversized Zebra Cardigan @ Gotemba Premium Outlets, Japan

Gotemba Premium Outlets is honestly the most beautiful outlet branch I've ever been to, with all its green surroundings and the Mount Fuji as its majestic backdrop.

It was a sunny, sunny day but the cold—girl, let me tell you, the cold was no joke. Especially for me, who would take a hot and humid 33-degree-Celcius day over a cold, dry day of 7 degrees any day. Thankfully I had my fuzzy zebra cardigan to keep me warm and cosy!

Gotemba Premium Outlets (GPO) is the sister to Johor Premium Outlets (JPO) in Malaysia. The deals in JPO weren't all that impressive, so all I bought on my trip there were some Levi's. I thought GPO might be similar to JPO in terms of deals but then again the store listings at Gotemba is so much more impressive. I was excited but still didn't get my hopes up.

I would advice you get on the direct service bus travel to GPO as opposed to switching trains and taking the shuttle bus. Direct journey is always more convenient; plus, you're given some discount coupons as well. The only downside might be the schedule you have to adhere to. 

For more details on the ticket for direct service, you can visit this page.

Traffic in Tokyo can get pretty bad so we arrived half an hour later than the ETA, but we still had about 5-6 hours of shopping time. I had asked Shah before going, "How are we supposed to shop for six long hours?" Obviously I was majorly kidding myself, though I didn't realise it at the time; we actually didn't have enough time to visit all the "priority stores" we had circled on the outlet's map. And that's only the "priority stores"! 

It was almost chaotic. My number one and two priorities were Chloé and Prada, two stores that happened to be on opposing ends so we were walking up and down and left and right in GPO instead of strolling casually from store to the next-door store like how we usually do when we're in outlets. I didn't have the time to visit Alexander Wang, Barneys New York, Puma, Levi's and so many other brands! 

It is worth noting that most of the things being sold, if not all, are not from recent seasons.

We came away with lots of goodies, to my surprise; I got myself two handbags and five (seriously, 5) pairs of shoes, and Shah got a bunch of shoes as well.

Fuzzy sweaters are THE BEST

 What I wore: Zebra cardigan: H&M   |   Sweater: Zara   |   Jeans: Pimkie   |   Pointed sneakers: Puma

Even though I think La Vallee Vilage and Bicester Village are superior to GPO, I really, really, REALLY want to go back there and take the time not only to peruse through everything in every store, but to also enjoy the beauty that surrounded us—and maybe sip on hot chocolate while facing Mt Fuji. Gotemba is really just the prettiest outlet ever!
We did manage to snap some photos in between the speed-walking but I felt like there is so much more to be done and to be enjoyed in Gotemba (OK, that's just code for 'so much more shopping to do').

A ferris wheel in view amongst the gorgeous autumn greens and reds

The gorgeous Mount Fuji peeking through

Like I mentioned, even though the direct bus journey to GPO is the most convenient way of travelling there, you might also miss out on the chance to absorb the experience fully what with the time constraint. I myself can't decide how to travel there the next time I get the chance.

That is, if I ever get that chance again...

 Have any of you been to Gotemba Premium Outlets? If you have, tell me about your best buy there!