Summer Madness
The Summer may be over in most parts of the world but in Tokyo it is still absolutely boiling and when I say boiling I really mean boiling. As I hopped off the subway for a stroll around my favorite part of town – check out the reflection of the Stevie Wonder Harmonica tee (!) -
I couldn’t resist taking a picture of some cat who – forgive the pun – couldn’t take the heat.
Nakameguro is only a stones throw away from the ridiculously overcrowded Shibuya but you may as well be in a different world there. The streets are tree-lined, it is intersected by canals and there are appetizing cafes everywhere where you can grab some brunch or should I say “blunch”.
If you closed your eyes you could almost be in Europe but if you keep them open you’ll notice a few things that could only exist in Japan. For one you’ve got Elmo advising you to take care in the event of an earthquake –
I guess Sesame Street was always meant to be educational – and you are never too far away from a red box logo or someone, in this case a local hair salon, using their version of the box logo to promote their business.
After a mellow couple of hours it was time to brave the madness and I headed to Harajuku where the first thing you see as you come out the station is an enormous line of young Japanese girls waiting patiently for an audition in front of Japan’s hottest talent agent. I’m not convinced many of these hopefuls have much a chance but you’ve got to admire their commitment waiting for hours in that heat.
From there the next stop was Aoyama and the Tab Device store where I caught up with Mike from Levi’s who is the man who behind it all. Mike is having a crazy week putting the finishing touches on the gallery in The Reed Space which is opening here on Friday but he took some time out of his day to show me around. Tab Device is basically a Levi’s concept shop incorporating sport, music and art and together with the Levi’s Vintage Store next door is one of the most impressive and interesting retail spaces I have seen in a long while.
The amount of thought and attention to detail that has gone into Tab Device from the artwork to the dressing rooms to the floors to even the hangers (!) is remarkable and the space is an incredible extension of the history of the Levi’s brand and what it embodies. No more pictures I’m afraid as this place is somewhere you really need to make the effort to see in person as you won’t be disappointed.
After saying goodbye to Mike I quickly checked out a few other spots in the area and happened across a girl with the craziest fingernails I have seen in a while.
The rest of her looks even better than this but that’s for me to know and you not to find out!
Finally it was time for dinner and whilst I know my daily dietary requirements aren't particularly interesting I can’t leave out how incredible the Tonkatsu (Fried Pork) we ate was.
On top of that it was great to see my oldest friend in Tokyo Dai who is an all round don who was rocking the freshest Rammellzee tee
and who has just got married to his girlfriend of 7 years Nori. Both of them have always been the most hospitable of hosts in this most hospitable of towns and it was a pleasure treating them to dinner – I don’t do that often (!) – about five hours after they officially tied the knot.
That’s it for now.
I couldn’t resist taking a picture of some cat who – forgive the pun – couldn’t take the heat.
Nakameguro is only a stones throw away from the ridiculously overcrowded Shibuya but you may as well be in a different world there. The streets are tree-lined, it is intersected by canals and there are appetizing cafes everywhere where you can grab some brunch or should I say “blunch”.
If you closed your eyes you could almost be in Europe but if you keep them open you’ll notice a few things that could only exist in Japan. For one you’ve got Elmo advising you to take care in the event of an earthquake –
I guess Sesame Street was always meant to be educational – and you are never too far away from a red box logo or someone, in this case a local hair salon, using their version of the box logo to promote their business.
After a mellow couple of hours it was time to brave the madness and I headed to Harajuku where the first thing you see as you come out the station is an enormous line of young Japanese girls waiting patiently for an audition in front of Japan’s hottest talent agent. I’m not convinced many of these hopefuls have much a chance but you’ve got to admire their commitment waiting for hours in that heat.
From there the next stop was Aoyama and the Tab Device store where I caught up with Mike from Levi’s who is the man who behind it all. Mike is having a crazy week putting the finishing touches on the gallery in The Reed Space which is opening here on Friday but he took some time out of his day to show me around. Tab Device is basically a Levi’s concept shop incorporating sport, music and art and together with the Levi’s Vintage Store next door is one of the most impressive and interesting retail spaces I have seen in a long while.
The amount of thought and attention to detail that has gone into Tab Device from the artwork to the dressing rooms to the floors to even the hangers (!) is remarkable and the space is an incredible extension of the history of the Levi’s brand and what it embodies. No more pictures I’m afraid as this place is somewhere you really need to make the effort to see in person as you won’t be disappointed.
After saying goodbye to Mike I quickly checked out a few other spots in the area and happened across a girl with the craziest fingernails I have seen in a while.
The rest of her looks even better than this but that’s for me to know and you not to find out!
Finally it was time for dinner and whilst I know my daily dietary requirements aren't particularly interesting I can’t leave out how incredible the Tonkatsu (Fried Pork) we ate was.
On top of that it was great to see my oldest friend in Tokyo Dai who is an all round don who was rocking the freshest Rammellzee tee
and who has just got married to his girlfriend of 7 years Nori. Both of them have always been the most hospitable of hosts in this most hospitable of towns and it was a pleasure treating them to dinner – I don’t do that often (!) – about five hours after they officially tied the knot.
That’s it for now.
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