tokyo & kyoto shops

[eleven crows]

Echoing that. There's no way you could exhaust Tokyo in a year, let alone a month.

My recommendation is to search out local spots. Stuff that may be a little off the radar. I stumbled upon a little bar in Shinjuku and ended up making some friends that opened up a side of Japan that might be invisible if you just hang around the tourist traps.

[tron]

I'm certainly not saying I've exhausted it just asking for recommendations as I've gone nearly everywhere I planned on going. The kind of experience you mentioned is exactly the type of thing I really want to have. My japanese is quite weak and I'm realizing that more and more being here but I guess it's just a matter of putting myself out there more. Where would you recommend I go? To izakaya, bars, etc...? as most of what I've seen everyone is there with a party of some how secluded. I'll have to just star approaching people on the street and stumbling through an introduction as I'd really like to make some other contacts outside of my few friends here.

[eleven crows]

My Japanese was a big fat zero. I just made a point to eat and drink at small local joints. You can't really go wrong. Throw a stick down any street and you'll hit a half dozen.

Just hop in and chat. Don't be daunted and don't sit in the corner by yourself. Try what little words you know. Make sure to drink. No teetotaling. Whatever really. Kind of like being sociable anywhere in the world.

[tron]

Ahh okay I will take your advice. No more fast food.... but lotteria
Thanks though. Hopefully I can mingle it up some. Japan's fashion week is kicking off today so I'm going to tour around and see some stuff. Including an apprentice of yohji's (http://tokyo-mbfashionweek.com/en/brands/views/Ujoh) should be interesting.

[stadsvandringar]

Okay, I'll give a few recommendations that are a bit off the beaten path. These aren't super obscure, but not the typical toursity stuff either..

- Golden Gai: part of kabukicho in shinjuku. You can't really get "smaller" bars than this area. It's a ton of little one room bars crammed upon each other. The fun thing is that many of them are themed. I remember a cinema bar, pro wrestling bar, snowboarding bar, punk rock bar, heavy metal bar, etc.

- kichijoji: good shopping area, not too far from the ghibli museum. There's a really cool movie theater there called the Baus theater, which shows music themed movies (in addition to regular movies), but has a rock show set up. In other words they play the music LOUD. It's an experience. That area also has a ton of good little restaurants, bars, cafes, live houses, and there's a really nice park right by the station (called inokashira koen) that has a little lake and a zoo.

- shimokitazawa: another good shopping area, but also has some of the coolest little restaurants, cafes and bars in the city. Many are also themed, but if you're into coffee they have some of the best you will find. Good record stores too.

- Nakano: no visit to Tokyo is complete without stopping by Nakano Broadway. It has a sort of nerdy vibe like Akihabara, but a bunch of little shops catering to very specific niches. The usual otaku stuff is there, but they also have things like photo books, dolls, military gear, vintage denim, music, and all kinds of other stuff that changes periodically. Last time I was there in the summer they had an ice cream specialty shop that had all kinds of really weird flavors of ice cream.

That's what I can think of right now. I'm sure others have some good ideas too.

[tron]

can anyone recommend a tailor in or around shibuya? Preferably one that will understand english

[jumpoff]

can anyone recommend a tailor in or around shibuya? Preferably one that will understand english

Didn't find anyone while living in Tokyo. Did find a cobbler though.


When it comes to Tokyo-areas off the beaten path I would recommend Jiyugaoka. Similar vibe to Kichijoji and Shimo-Kitazawa.

[tron]

I went to shimo-kitazawa today, really cool area. Biked around for a few hours... even another ragtag location. Oh how I love ragtag...

[Acid, Bitter and Sad]

can anyone recommend a tailor in or around shibuya? Preferably one that will understand english

I always go to Alter Inn at Daikanyama. http://www.17dixsept.jp/address/english/
Was recommended to this place by Lift.
Command of english by the staff is very limited though.

Second Jumpoff on Jiyugaoka ... while there, you can pay Carrefour a visit, if you haven't already done so. http://www.couleur-coltd.com

Sangenjaya is a nice area too ...

Edit: in case you're looking for a cobbler, i recommend http://www.konigdermeister.com . They are the go-to guys for Lift.
The owner speaks perfect english.

[tron]

I always go to Alter Inn at Daikanyama. http://www.17dixsept.jp/address/english/
Was recommended to this place by Lift.
Command of english by the staff is very limited though.

Second Jumpoff on Jiyugaoka ... while there, you can pay Carrefour a visit, if you haven't already done so. http://www.couleur-coltd.com

Sangenjaya is a nice area too ...

Edit: in case you're looking for a cobbler, i recommend http://www.konigdermeister.com . They are the go-to guys for Lift.
The owner speaks perfect english.

I took my Yohji pants there today thank you. She sized them exactly as I wanted within minutes and they will be done in a few days. Also gave me an excuse to revisit lift.

[JetLag]

More than elsewhere, mainstreets in Tokyo are quickly boring, systematic. All that's interesting and funny in the city is hidden behind. Same with people. If you don't have a key (obviously language is the base but I doubt you'll learn japanese in a couple of months) or a good guide, I'm afraid you'll miss 80% of what makes the city unique and somehow addictive. Stadsvandringar gave you good tips imo.

[tron]

I know greetings and that kind of stuff. I can converse a little and like ask people where they are from and say where I am from... ask someone for a drink and etc... just basic stuff. I met with a blogger out here who showed me some amazing hidden spots and I've been discovering more and more every day. Thankfully I do have a few friends that live in tokyo so really just trying to make more friends through them.

[genghistong]

i'm traveling to japan and hong kong during the holidays and had a few questions for you guys. i'm looking to check out a lot of the shops that are mentioned in the thread (especially brands based in japan like julius, viridi-anne, etc.) but am worried about the poor dollar/yen exchange rate. my question is if it is worth it to purchase pieces in japan or to wait until i get to hong kong to shop there. are the japanese pieces much cheaper in japan? or is it going to be a better idea to wait until i get to hong kong?

[Carol2046]

I live in HK and travel regularly to Tokyo (about once or twice a year). If you are looking for Japanese brands like Julius, the only place you can find them in HK is in the select store chain "IT" which operates the Julius HK store and you can only find stuff from the current season (FW2012). Prices are also significantly higher than Japan (about 50% markup over the Japanese price). HKD suffers from the same exchange rate problem so generally I'd suggest you pick up the stuff that you want once you see them in Japan.

However, based on my experience, many of the Julius stuff get sold out real quick in Japan (whether at the flagship store or in Isetan Men) so you may not actually be able to find much there. Try some of the second hand stores and you may be able to find them in pretty good shape actually. HK should be used as a back-up in case you can't find anything in Japan.

And the only place you can find viridi-ann in HK is a store called Medium Rare.

[genghistong]

thanks for the reply carol. last time i was in toyko i was lucky to be able to purchase some of the larger pieces since i'm a taller guy. i'm hoping that will be the case when i go to the store this time around.

the IT stores are definitely on my to go list in HK, they had some amazing sales last time i was around and a great selection. thanks again!