Analyst

Thinking of checking out Grandmaster Flash at 808 tonight.

has the fact that there are 3 hinoya stores been mentioned...?

And they are all located generally next to each other in Ueno, right?

I'm going to try to make it to the Inazuma Festival in October. There's small chance I might be in Tokyo during that time. Chicken, thanks for the reminder.

To the Sufu Veterans / people in the know

(Sorry to bold) I have a co-worker / friend there that would like to have some suits & shirts made.

How much of the 1st couple of pages are still relevant & if none - could I ask someone to provide me w/ current addresses(s) to quality suitmakers ???

Thank you / He's there for about 2 more weeks.

Will +rep

Sure.

I would still recommend Rajawongse in Nana in between Sukhumvit Soi 4 and Soi 6. I don't have their exact address but it's to the right of the Landmark Hotel, directly next to a Subway shop.

Suits are 12000 THB. Shirts are 1000 THB last time I checked. They should be able to squeeze in two fittings within the two week timeframe.

I've gotten suits and shirts cut there over the last few years. Just be specific about what you want i.e., no pleats, working buttons, double vents, etc. Good luck!

have you guys seen the fh mid lenght in cordovan?

Only in Leather Work II magazine - its numbered FOW-40C, I believe.

Does someone know of a watch, like this one, but without the square timeplate? Just a round one?

If you're referring to the > 42mm pilot-style watches, then it's Panerai, IWC Big Pilots, even Glycine (I think).

I don't think Bell & Ross, as shown in the picture, makes a non-square cased BR-01.

I was covering Kosovos progression from province to statehood and the following Serbian backlash. Also did some small reportages on the provinces ethnic minority groups and spent a boring few weeks covering the Serbian elections and runoffs. Besides that I mostly drank lots of Raki and enjoyed the rainy balkan weather

Damn. You were green 1 day ago. How did you get 4 red blocks in 24hrs?

anyone else uses a Yixing clay teapot?

I have several Yixing clay tea pots, each one used specifically for a specific tea type: black, oolong or green. Not too much of a white tea drinker.

As the story goes, continual use of a Yixing clay pot gradually improves the tea drinking experience, as the pot becomes infused with the flavor and essence of the chosen tea. Upon examination, the inside of the pot is left unglazed, which enables the clay to absorb the tea's aroma over multiple infusions. Supposedly, Yixing pots that have been "aged" over many years or decades or centuries (use of these pots date back to the 10th century and before, I believe) can be used to brew tea, without the use of any tea leaves, using only the "aged" clay for steeping.

While purists will sometimes dedicate a specific Yixing pot for a specific tea type, I've been told that it's probably ok to just keep individual pots for the major tea types. The only problem is one of volume. Most Yixing pots hold up to only 100ml of water.

So these days, I used mainly a Japanese "Tetsubin" cast iron pot for my tea or just continually added hot water to a Chinese "Gaiwan" cup. Perfect for multiple steepings of Jasmine Pearl tea in the morning...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yixing_clay_teapot

It's largely a matter of taste. I'll take a little milk and sugar with the usual English breakfast teas, blends of Keemuns and Assams, or even with higher quality Darjeeling black teas.

But never any condiments with oolong or green tea.

Any references abour prices of denim?

PBJ-003 at Hinoya was 18,600 yen.

second that

If you want another black tea with a very distinctive flavor, try the Lapsong Souchong. Very deep and smokey, with hints of burnt pine needles. The taste can stay on your palate for a while.

I would experiment with the steeping time to find the right level for yourself.

Needed some light reading:

The Last Lecture - Randy Pausch

That`s damn right !! I tried the freshness burger.....amazing ! I would go to Shimokitazawa just for that.

Not to derail the thread, but there are plenty of Freshness Burger joints all over the city. Also went to the shops in Harajuku and Shinjuku. Very tasty...

Here is the Harajuku spot...

the trained monkey tea actually exists! I didn't know it was oolong though.

I drink yerba mate everyday and I'm curious about the Peruvian coca mate... My question is, if you mix it with regular yerba, does it do the alkaloid reaction thing??? Slurping cocaine haha!

I think consuming unprocessed coca leaves shouldn't give you the common "coke high". Unfortunately any absorption from eating it or drinking the tea would be a lot slower than snorting rails or smoking base.

Any Peruvians want to chime in and provide some first hand knowledge here?

i remember when i finally found these stores when i got there, i felt all giddy cause i finally found what i was looking for, then i was confused at to why it had a flea market feel to it. like teh hand written signs and what not, either way i felt at home.

That's hilarious. I felt the same way when I actually found the shop I was looking for. Anyone been to the Flat Head store? Any pictures or details? I ran out of time and didn't get a chance to find it.

Before going to Tokyo, I actually created a PowerPoint slide deck that compiled all the SuFu maps, 45rpm locations, key discussion bullets from this thread, and other notes.

Basically, I didn't want to be just wandering around aimlessly, since I had limited time in the city and had key places I wanted to hit. It helped me tremendously. Let me know and I'll be happy to provide a copy. I almost felt like I was on a scavenger hunt for denim!

Has anyone ever tired tea infused from coca leaves, which can be further processed to make cocaine?

I know that in Peru and Columbia, the leaves from the coca plant is also used to brew a strong tea. In Amsterdam, while browsing the numerous head shops, I came across several establishments that sold small packets of coca leaves. Of course these places also sold tons of cutting agents (mannitol) and weighing devices and various other paraphernalia. But I was always curious about the coca de mate brew!

Cool, I think I'll try some tomorrow morning. I'd like to try mate too, my spanish teacher from uruguay brought in one of the (don't know the word for the small cup with straw thing you drink it from) and it interested me. I wish we carried mate, I think it could be a cool niche thing for people to try out like getting a french roast for their table or their own tea pot and tea to make. Not sure how well drinking from the same cup would go over with Americans though.

She probably bought in a mate, which is made from a decorated hollowed gourd, and its metal straw, called a bomba. The straw acts as a sieve to allow the "infusion" through while preventing the yerba debris from being ingested. This is typically used predominantly in South American countries.

Shimokitazowa is one of my favorite neighborhoods, a few stops away from Shibuya on the Keio rail line. At Bears, picked up a KC belt. Lots of Eternal, PBJ, Sugarcane, Flathead, etc. The staff there are really helpful and nice.

Don't forget to drop by Freshness Burger in Shimokitazawa for the classic cheeseburger and some potato wedges. Yum!

In Ueno you'll find numerous denim and Japanese leather stores. The largest denim stores include Hinoya and Americaya.

At Hinoya, I picked up a pair of PBJ-003s and got them hemmed and chain stitched in about 30 minutes. They had plenty of Iron Heart, Pure Blue Japan, Evisu, Sugarcane, Warehouse, Tasuki, Dubbleworks and Momotaro.

Here, one of Hinoya's staffers is about to hemmed my newly purchased PBJ-003s.

Americaya is further down the street. Inside side the store there are several sections upstairs devoted to Levis and also Japanese repros. Lots of Flathead and Samurai here.

In Harajuku, you'll also find the Full Count shop and Omnigod store (didn't get a chance to go in).

The Pure Blue Japan store in Harajuku was a little tough to find. When you reach Harajuku station, go to the end of Takeshita street and make a left. Keep walking until you reach the first larger street and make a right (close to the Beams store). PBJ will be on your right about150m down the street, across from a parking lot.

Very quaint little store with one friendly Japanese lady working inside. Most of the denim is one-wash. I planned to buy some PBJ-003, but it would have taken too much time for me to get them chain stitched (2-3 days). They actually outsource the chain stitching elsewhere.

You'll also find OT & Emotional in Harajuku, very close to the APC store. Friendly staff. Lots of Red Moon leather goods in stock. And plenty of denim by Sugarcane, Stormy Blue, Warehouse, Flathead, etc. The store is located in a basement, so it can be easily missed. Look for the sign on the street.

I had the same experience at skull jeans in harajuku. The dudes in there were so nice and helpful, made me a coffee. Great customer service there.

Ahhh memories.

Here are some pics from my trip to Japan back in April. In Harajuku at Skull Jeans by an Alchemist shop.

Felt a little weird about taking pictures inside the shop. It's above the X-Large store.

It's really hard to pinpoint what I loved about Sarajevo. I've run into a lot of people in my life that always tell me how great Prague is/was. Like it's this singular place in the world and they're the only people that have step foot there. I'm sure Prague is like no other city. But it's come to the point that I've talked to enough people who talk about Prague, that for me, I don't want to go there for fear of there being too many tourists. Maybe that's a completely ignorant statement, but my trips are few and far between these days and I have too little time and far too many places to travel.

Great quote.

Come now when the gettin's good, because I hate to think about how this place will be 10 years from now.

Thanks for the update and pics.

I am considering Prague or Dubai this fall, but suddenly the Balkans sound like the place to check out.

I got five months left in Bangkok before going back to the states. Been talking about leaving for a while. But this date is final, sadly.

Tisswat,

I haven't seen you around in long time. Where have you been?

Poly,

What an amazing trip. This is exactly what JetSet should be about.

I've been wanting to explore Eastern Europe and the Balkans for a long time. At this point, I don't know when I'll be able to go. So kudos on making it out there and for documenting your trip with all the pics.

I'd love to catch up one day and get the unauthorized version of the trip as well

Overall, was it pretty safe traveling through the region?

Cheers + rep!