One of my favorite things to do when I visit a city for the first time is to check out the clothing stores and boutiques that the city has to offer. While I was in Tokyo in March 2013, I had the pleasure of getting to know two fun clothing shops.
The way I found these boutiques was completely by chance. I had actually gone looking for a department store and as I was walking a college student recognized me. Lucky for me, he had lived in the states for a couple years and his English was impeccable.
My Japanese is virtually non existent and reading signs in Japan isn’t the easiest thing to do. He stopped me to talk about jiu-jitsu and the UFC and I brought up that I was looking for this store to see some clothing in Shinjuku.
He told me that the department store would have some good stuff but he wanted to take me somewhere else. The kid was obviously heading in the opposite direction but he patiently walked me to a mall that I never would’ve found without his help. In it were two fantastic clothing boutiques. It was an extremely kind thing to do and wherever you are buddy, thank you!
The Japanese just have it right. Their cities are clean. The people are humble and respectful and it seems they are always ahead of the curve when it comes to technology and fashion. They had some shirt styles in those boutiques that I have yet to see anywhere else. Even their clothing emulating vintage “americana” is better than I’ve seen in the States.
The sneakers were dope. Sport coats and jackets for days. Suits & dress shirts? Yup! Great denim? Yup! Not even a big “bag” or “backpack guy” and I wanted to walk out of there with at least one or two of them.
Aside from me having to buy an XL shirt or two or three due to the cut being much smaller than I am used to (I normally wear a medium) the fit and look of their clothes was simply brilliant.
Peep the store “Ships” if you are ever in Shinjuku, Tokyo and right next to it is another boutique called “Beauty and Youth” that is a must as well. Both stores had an “urban preppy style” but they carried some excellent variety. Step into the future–or maybe past–and either way, get ready to hang with the cool kids. Both these places will have you covered, literally.
More Information:
Ships Catalog Web Site
Beauty & Youth Site Web Site