Denim shops in Tokyo

[jpgm]

I found Skull today in Harajuku (really hard to explain!).

i cant remember his name, but the guy working at skull in harajuku was amazingly nice when i went in there last year. he was so genuinely happy that someone from so far away knew about and was wearing the brand....he made me an espresso, and we talked shit for a while. lovely dude.

tweedles - go say howdy to him if youre still in tokyo, its just around the corner from maisen in harajuku.

[lenn]

i cant remember his name, but the guy working at skull in harajuku was amazingly nice when i went in there last year. he was so genuinely happy that someone from so far away knew about and was wearing the brand....he made me an espresso, and we talked shit for a while. lovely dude.

tweedles - go say howdy to him if youre still in tokyo, its just around the corner from maisen in harajuku.

lol this is exactly the same expierence i got when i visited the store. i bought a 5109xx and got a free bandana and some stickers, and he showed me his vintage 40's levi's jacket which was absolutely breath taking. great shop, everybody should visit it

[BBC]

The Skull, that's the one on the second floor right? And the APC is the one opposite Head Porter? Yeah stepping in there had me disoriented for a bit.

Yep!

Well the dude in the Skull shop hardly even looked up when I went in. Maybe if I purchased something it might of been a bit different.

[proteus]

The one shop I know selling red moon on the main Ueno strip should be called Hakuraido, here's their site. From the outside it looks like a biker shop with lots of black leather jackets.

http://www.hakuraido.com/

[Chicken]

^ yup, pretty sure that's it. didn't know they had a website, thanks for finding it.

http://www.hakuraido.com/hakuraido_01/index/top.html

[choice_genes]

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.

[tappy]

this guide has really helped...gonna be in tokyo for at least 10 days at end of yr but now im reconsidering on staying longer...

[riff]

Thanks to everyone who posted up such great info on Tokyo!

I'm on day 2 here, having spent the previous week in Singapore. Yesterday - thanks to your directions - we spent the day in Ueno, finding a treasure trove of goodies in places like Hinoya, Americaya, and Jalena.

Picked up a pair of Burgus 780's (Hinoya's house brand), as well as a couple of sugarcane short sleeved shirts and belts.

The shoes/boots are really unique here. All the major US boot companies are represented (Danner, Whites, RW, etc) with designs that are unique to Asia. Quite expensive though! A six inch pair of Whites smokejumpers will run you over 100k yen!

Got a lot of comments from denim store folks about my SExFH jeans and wallet!

Took lots of photos, and now need to pick up a card reader. Folks at the Akihabara district were saying that they wouldn't guarantee that readers would work with English versions of windows xp . Does anyone have any experience with this? Otherwise my uploads will have to wait until I get back to north america.

[buttonman]

do most of these shops sell their jeans in one wash only like pbj? i'm hoping a can also find a pair of 3001 that aren't already washed and shrunk yet...

[Ichigo100%]

Lots of valuable info

JPGM, i know this is late, but those dry bones look great man..

[tac0tron]

Thanks for the info.

I'll be stopping by in Tokyo for a few days on the way to Bangkok soon, so I'll be using this info.

[riff]

Well, wrapped up the Tokyo trip... With a vow to go back! Japan is amazing!

Bears was great - chainstiching done in 30 minutes - well worth the trip to Shimokitazawa. Take the south exit from station - then follow Atom's directions.

Harajuku was chock full of great stores. OT & Emotional also carried a huge selection of Redmoon items, and the folks were super friendly. The Denime store was also really well stocked.

Another store in Harajuku, not yet mentioned, is the Smart Clothing Store: carried Stormy Blue, Momotaro, and the best selection of Whites, Wesco's, etc - customized for the Japanese market - that I've seen. Made me break down and buy a pair.

I found Tokyo Evisu in the Ebisu district, about a 10 minute walk from the train station. They had a one day turnaround for gulls on the back pockets. Anything more intricate calls for 5 days wait. Cool place, with a shuttle loom right in their entrance:

5 days was not nearly enough....

[midnight]

The evisu store looks really cool. Much cooler than I would have imagined. i love the loom right in the center!

[lenn]

that evisu store looks pretty cool, especially the loom... the evisu store i visited in kyoto wasnt as nice, and the girls working there were blaaah.

[riff]

The guys are Evisu were cool. I pointed them to the DD+1 link in sufu - which they didn't know about - and they all got really excited about it.

They have another store on the 5th floor, where we saw one guy doing the handpainting - but he didn't want to be photographed. Yamane has a store just kitty corner from the Evisu Tokyo shop, where they have awesome boots, made-to-measure suits, and shirts. Plus toy memorabilia galore!

[Analyst]

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.

[ikwhy]

talking abt the harajuku skull shop... i didnt buy anything but i did overhear one of the staff ask for a coffee to be made for one of their customers...

ot & emotional is also in the same area...

along with bbc, undftd and some other street brands i can't remember...

[Analyst]

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.

[Analyst]

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.

[Analyst]

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

[Analyst]

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.

[Analyst]

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!

[tweeds]

Full Count is definitely a must-see in tokyo. if pressed for time while in harajuku i would recommend it, along with skull. Ryu-san said to stop by but i walked around in circles until i found it. keep the head porter store on your right and walk straight down for about 30m. the store should be on your left...

really adventurous brand, with a full line apart from their denim. i would compare them favourably to john bull, which is also a line that goes beyond the usual denim otaku interests.

[frideswide]

Great photos, Analyst. Many thanks. Worth checking out the Kapital, Denime, and Dry Bones shops in Ebisu/Daikanyama as well. I think I posted a map for these a while back, but here it is again:

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=112357160766595403672.00044c3eb6fe49aa1ef0e&z=16

[darkness2505]

Thanks for the pics Analyst.

Regarding the PBJ store in Harajuku, I randomly ran into it while I was walking around the area. It is also near Bape Kids and Sophnet.

[chantheman]

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 easy missed. Look for the sign on the street.

i loved this store. everyone was so friendly and nice. makes me want to go back

[Ahlvahroe]

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.

[Analyst]

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!

[poly800rock]

the denimhead in analyst comes out!

hinoya was my favorite spot. I got my red moon wallet (now belonging to 40ozprophet, who I saw last week, and he gladly showed me progress on the wallet) from O//E which was a great store! my friends just got back from Tokyo, kind of makes me want to go back...

[emixam]

Shimokitazowa is one of my favorite neighborhoods, a few stops away from Shibuya on the Keio rail line.

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

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