Anyone who is casually aware of Japanese culture knows that “cute” or kawaii is one of its main asthetics. Kawaii finds its way into almost every part of Japanese life, from city mascots to toilet bowl cleaners. Kawaii fashion is a style popular with younger girls, stemming from their childhood when mothers practically compete to…
Category: Fashion
Tokyo Design Week
Today (Oct 26, 2016) is the Opening Day for the annual Tokyo Design Week, held in Meiji Jingu Gaien (not to be confused with Meiji Jingu shrine, which is in Yoyogi Park). Hundreds of designers from university students to celebrated professionals display their work, host discussions and party like only design folks can. Pecha Kucha…
Lunco
There are new kimono shops and there are used kimono shops, and then there is Lunco, off the beaten path in Mejiro, a stop seldom used by tourists along the Tokyo JR Yamanote Line. The kimono at Lunco are most definitely used, but they have been curated by the owner like an art dealer selects…
Asakusa – Getaya
Though the business card says “Since 1912”, talk to the owner and he says Getaya has been in the business of traditional Japanese footwear for 116 years. If you want high quality, Japanese-handcrafted geta (wooden shoes) or zori (vinyl and more formal), Getaya has a huge selection. You can even choose the wooden base you…
Harmonica Alley
Narrow alleys lined with tiny shops, restaurants and even fortune tellers are common in big cities like Tokyo. These alleys are known by their Japanese name: yokocho. Some of these, like Omoide Yokocho in Shinjuku focus on one specific type of shop while others are more eclectic. Harmonica Alley, outside the north exit of Kichijoji station…
Festival Masks
Attend any summer festival in Japan and within the stalls selling delicious yakisoba (fried noodles), kakigori (flavored shaved ice) and yakitori (various meats on skewers), you’ll find a booth selling children’s masks. These masks are available in various characters from Disney to popular Japanese cartoons to traditional (Hyottoko, the funny-faced mythical spirit). Like a Disneyland…
Tokyo Kawaii Musee
Dressing in kimono and strolling around town is a popular tourist activity for both foreign and domestic young women. In trendy Harajuku, Tokyo Kawaii Musee offers a unique experience on several aspects. Rather than more traditional styles, TKM styles lean toward the modern, cute styles incorporating lace, unusual print patterns and fancy hats and bags. Though at 7,560…
Log Road Daikanyama
Singapore talent and model Esther Leong enjoys a cup of coffee from Log Road, a boutique shopping center in the trendy Daikanyama area of Tokyo. Log Road opened last year to much fanfare though it really only houses a few shops and cafes. But each is unique to Tokyo and many to Japan: LA clothier…
Kimono Reinvented
Though it is not uncommon to see a person wearing kimono in modern Japan, there is a definite downward trend in kimono as fashion. The price of this trend is steep, with many artisans and companies involved in the kimono making process shuttering businesses which have been in their families for centuries. The only way to…
Maiko Spotting
One highlight of a Kyoto trip involves a chance encounter with a maiko (geisha apprentice) in the streets of the Gion district where they live and work. Maiko are such popular photography targets for tourist paparazzi that there are signs in Gion asking tourists not to bother them. Any maiko seen on the streets of Gion are…
365 JAPAN 