which jeans to take to tokyo, okinawa, and thailand?

[mizanation]

listened to disc one of my thai language course. thai is a very hard language.

[LeicaLad]

listened to disc one of my thai language course. thai is a very hard language.

Yes & no. It is complex because of all the code borrowing, primarily from Sanskrit. The core Thai language is monosyllabic. All the key terms in basic Thai are one syllable. The tones are not as difficult as they seem at first, but do your best to get them right. Thais are the opposite of the French. Have 5 words down, and they'll declare you as fluent!

[poly800rock]

i've survived thailand for months in jeans. i'm sure these hardcore denimheads could do the same.

yeah, me too. the first time around, i was miserable..but as i went through cambodia and vietnam, then back to thailand, shit was easy. 2nd time around that really all i wore....

listened to disc one of my thai language course. thai is a very hard language.

wow, you're trying to learn it for this trip? that's awesome miz. i thought/think thai is pretty hard to pick up unless you're completely immersed in it...i've been there a few times now and i sheepishly can only say hello and goodbye....i'm a stupid american i guess.....

[mizanation]

Yes & no. It is complex because of all the code borrowing, primarily from Sanskrit. The core Thai language is monosyllabic. All the key terms in basic Thai are one syllable. The tones are not as difficult as they seem at first, but do your best to get them right. Thais are the opposite of the French. Have 5 words down, and they'll declare you as fluent!

cool, so i guess there's hope for me yet. never learned a tonal language before--it's different any other language i've studied (japanese, english, spanish, french...)

[mizanation]

ok, so, i got the chacos from EMS in soho and a pair for my wife.

they are very nice. the sole part is made out of one big piece of vibram. the strap is also made with one piece of, well, strap. less pieces = stronger and more comfortable. won't fall apart into pieces, cuz there are no pieces. no seams to bust or rub against you cuz there are no seams. i'm wearing them in the house to break them in, but they feel pretty comfortable out the box.

i also got my leathergoodsconnection.com pasadena trucker wallet. it's a lot bigger than i expected, but i'm making it work. i engraved it with "MIZ" so i guess it's not going on ebay anytime soon. also, it's already conforming to my ass cheek.

too lazy to take pics, maybe later.

[poly800rock]

chacos are fucking indestructible dude. they never left my body from singapore to vietnam back through thailand and 4 months.

[ang_kangkong]

Miz, definitely post pics of that wallet. I want to know how that gets. I also seen an update from watchman recently.

I'll be looking for it in the evolution of leather thread soon.

[mizanation]

alright, guys.

i'm off. see you guys in a few weeks.

[viv1984viv]

have a nice trip man!

[airfrogusmc]

Have a great trip. I really feel in love with Okinawa. If your into scuba diving ths some of the best in the world. Really like P.I. (Olongapo) to. Haven't been to the far east in a loooong time but hope to go back in the next few years.

[mizanation]

hey whatsup guys. i just got here, but i'm already having an amazing time. i just met a guy in okinawa who runs a popular hair salon, but the majority of the store is a vintage clothing store--vintage sneakers, boots, clothes and even denim.

anyways, the big attraction is, he makes his own custom made leather goods. he uses the same high quality saddle leather as redmoon, but he's cheaper AND he makes stuff to your specification. he showed me his own personal wallet that he made and it ages incredibly. he also showed me a 7 year-old (if i remember correctly) original redmoon wallet of his and it was a thing of beauty. anyways, he is completely computer illiterate ("analog" as he calls himself) but i want to introduce him to the outside world because he is fuckin' cool as hell. he's an expert and collector of vintage watches, vintage denim, pottery, even vintage hair dryers from the 50s.... man, he's a trip. i am going to do an interview with him today and take lots of pictures.

btw, he has a bunch of denime lee repros for sale (unsanforized, left-hand twill), and a bunch of no-name hokkaido-made 47 repros (plain back pockets, red tab). i will post sizes and prices later if anyone is interested.

alright, more adventures coming soon....

[__3xL]

Ahhh so you shall post thee lots o' pics and maybe prices and sizes on your blog site mizzie ?

[poly800rock]

hey whatsup guys. i just got here, but i'm already having an amazing time. i just met a guy in okinawa who runs a popular hair salon, but the majority of the store is a vintage clothing store--vintage sneakers, boots, clothes and even denim.

anyways, the big attraction is, he makes his own custom made leather goods. he uses the same high quality saddle leather as redmoon, but he's cheaper AND he makes stuff to your specification. he showed me his own personal wallet that he made and it ages incredibly. he also showed me a 7 year-old (if i remember correctly) original redmoon wallet of his and it was a thing of beauty. anyways, he is completely computer illiterate ("analog" as he calls himself) but i want to introduce him to the outside world because he is fuckin' cool as hell. he's an expert and collector of vintage watches, vintage denim, pottery, even vintage hair dryers from the 50s.... man, he's a trip. i am going to do an interview with him today and take lots of pictures.

btw, he has a bunch of denime lee repros for sale (unsanforized, left-hand twill), and a bunch of no-name hokkaido-made 47 repros (plain back pockets, red tab). i will post sizes and prices later if anyone is interested.

alright, more adventures coming soon....

i'd be interested in a belt

[vee]

hey miz, cant't wait to meet this guy! oh man, more stuff im gonna want to buy. hope you continue to have fun. i wanna read the interview & see all your pics. hahaha

[mizanation]

whatsup y'all. i took a lot of pics, but i don't have a usb cable. probably have one when i get back to tokyo...

very interesting guy. his whole thing is, he wants more people to make and appreciate quality hand-made goods. he can make any type of case, bag, wallet, belt, or whatever. what are really sick are his leather watchbands--he puts heavy-duty leather bands on rare vintage watches. anyways, i'm gonna put my interview with him and the pics on my blog, probably when i get back.

btw, if anyone is interested, he is selling denime lee repros. they are left-hand twill and UNsanforized. exact lee reproduction, and the fit is pretty nice (rise is med-high, ala the original lee, but it's not too bad if you have a shirt on), if you want to see the fit on a lee repro, check out CMF:s pair (they are sugarcane, not denime, but same fit),

here are the available sizes:

2 x 31 inches

1 x 32 inches

2 x 33 inches

i am probably gonna grab one of the 31 inches, so assume there is only one size 31.

price is $160 shipped, pm me if you're interested. i am leaving okinawa day-after-tomorrow, so let me know ASAP.

*************************

ok, enough selling. been drinking all day, gonna get some sleep. PEACE.

[xcoldricex]

told ya you couldn't resist going to buying a pair while in japan... haha

[poly800rock]

told ya you couldn't resist going to buying a pair while in japan... haha

and he's just in okinawa..wait till tokyo

[mizanation]

told ya you couldn't resist going to buying a pair while in japan... haha

i know. your quote flashed before my eyes when i was inspecting the left-hand twill.

also CMF's advice to me, "you need a lee repro in your life."

only a denim-head would understand...

[2000dB]

Miz, let me know when you're in Tokyo

[ang_kangkong]

I am thisclose to getting a wallet from a japanese website!!!

Lemme see what this guy's wallets look like, though. I'm always interested in the one that got away.

Glad to see you haven't abandoned us while you're out in the real world, miz.

[mizanation]

whatsup y'all. okinawa was fuckin amazing.

i'm in tokyo now, but we're leaving for siam tomorrow.

2000db and anyone else in tokyo, i'll be back in tokyo in 10 days. holla.

i got a wallet and a wristband from him. very, very, very nice stuff. ang kangkong, i'll have pics up soon...

[2000dB]

Cool Miz, sounds like a very fun trip.

Where are you staying at in Tokyo?

[mizanation]

2000db, we're staying in ikebukuro at a buddy's house.

thailand is nice. great, great, great food. bout to go shopping now.

[honghonglulu]

2000db, we're staying in ikebukuro at a buddy's house.

thailand is nice. great, great, great food. bout to go shopping now.

Miz, that's hardcore to be traveling all the way to Thailand and then posting on Superfuture. Hope you find some treasures. (And some good fakes.)

[mizanation]

Miz, that's hardcore to be traveling all the way to Thailand and then posting on Superfuture. Hope you find some treasures. (And some good fakes.)

hey honghonglulu,

bangkok is super internet connected now. there's an internet station on every block in the tourist sections. i saw a bunch of thai fakes, but the quality was not all that. i didn't see any that were raw, every one was distressed.

also, downtown bangkok is VERY similar to tokyo. they have a japanese ramen spot on every corner, plus the big japanese department store, tokyu has a set up shop in siam center. kids in downtown bangkok are super stylish, they like to hang out in cool thai versions of "lotteria" and everyone wears designer jeans--i looked like a tourist with my cargo shorts and chacos (yes, i'm rocking shorts right now, i'm a wussie).

music, fashion and style are very advanced in thailand. i wouldn't be suprised if thailand becomes a huge cultural leader in asia and the world. tokyo on the other hand was a little dissapointing cuz i haven't seen it really advance too much in the last few years....

of course, downtown bangkok is NOTHING like the rest of the city--where you see people live in a lot less comfortable conditions... very interesting place, should be interesting what will develop here in the next coming years.

ok, gonna go and drink some more. peace out.

[mizanation]

quick update folks:

i was in a busy market in chinatown when i saw a store with reams and reams of denim. i went inside and talked to the manager who happened to be someone i knew from when i was looking for selvage denim to source. we had only talked via email, it's amazing to me that i would run into him randomly in crowded-ass bangkok.

just came back from a muay thai fight. we had ringside seats so we were close enough to get splattered with sweat when they landed a kick or punch. lots of knockouts tonight, the crowd got what they came there for...

btw, a few days ago in chiang mai, i rode on an elephant, paddled a bamboo raft down the river and hiked in the thailand jungle. then, we hiked up a 300 meter stone pathway that went up a mountain. at the top, waiting for us, was a 800 year old, giant Buddha statue.

so, i'm super glad i got my chaco's--they really are super tough.

[LeicaLad]

Miz! So glad you're have good adventures. Thailand is pretty special, even if I am really quite biased. BTW, aren't glad you're not destroying those beautiful Aldens there?

Any of that denim worth looking at?

[mizanation]

leicalad, denim in thailand is very good and very cheap. my friend who is the biggest denim distributor here says that regular denim has become a commodity like corn and rice. however, selvage denim is another thing. it's still carries a premium.

selvage denim is MUCH more common in thailand than in the u.s. you will see many people rocking selvage, especially levi's style. yesterday at the muay thai fights, the press photographer was wearing selvage levi 201's with the cinchback. selvage jeans are cheap. at the market you can buy a pair for about 8 or 9 US bucks. the trendy kids in bangkok are not wearing raw denim though. most are wearing bootcuts with distressing. still, pretty stylish.

funny, there was a small buzz on this forum about justin's jeans, which were the best levi's knockoffs. at a market in sukothai, i saw a brand called, "just teen's" which were knockoffs of justin's. justin's jeans are now going for USD$30 now.

[djrajio]

Yo. Miz. Contact me when you arrive in Tokyo. If you haven't already arrived. We should meet up.

[LeicaLad]

So crazy. I've not hunted denim in Bkk in ages. Thanks for the update. Like my family is only 1/2 km from Chatruchak Market! Yeesh. No excuse. I'm be home for Xmas. Have to go see what I can find. Main thing, I hope you're having fun!