japan :: tokyo :: general

[EG562]

Also, are there good areas for  vintage/second hand designer / avant garde shops?

[kicks79]

Record shops:

1) Jet Set

2) Disk Union

3) Jazzy Sports

4) Escalator (Now called Big Love?

5) Manhattan

6) Bootstreet

7) Waltz

 

 

Jetset is the best place for the underground techno/house sounds. You are not going to find much of that sound in Jazzy Sport or Manhatten records. Also the disk union shibuya has a great selection of sale techno/house.

 

 

beer in japan sucks compared to america and decent craft beer is a lot more expensive than usa. craft heads is a decent craft beer bar in shibuya. there are some micro brew bars i went to but cant remember the name. beer wasnt worth the price.

 

 

Really what don't you like about Japanese beers ? Are you just talking craft/micro brews or do you prefer Bud over say Ebisu ?

[conqueror]

just get some 500 yen ika soba and call it a day.

[jstavrin]

beer in japan sucks compared to america and decent craft beer is a lot more expensive than usa. craft heads is a decent craft beer bar in shibuya. there are some micro brew bars i went to but cant remember the name. beer wasnt worth the price.

 

 

i can't speak for microbrews or whatever, but Japan has my favorite cheap beers. orion, ebisu, kirin, etc...I love it all

Edited August 10, 2016 by jstavrin

[phatbot]

I can always count on herp! Its been 8 years since Ive been, so I assume things are different now.

 

Ill be in tokyo for 8 days, 3 on my own, then 5 with work. then three out at labyrinth festival.

 

1) Food- On my own, i want to go deep and taste all the delights. Id like to find some great ramen, yakitori zones, street food markets, some of that budget food for when im on my own, maybe a baller tasting menu at a highly rated spot. Cult favorites and food nerd friendly.

A good omakase sushi for a solo dinner, nothing insanley baller, just good traditional sushi. I did tskuji once in the past, not sure if I need to repeat. Mostly up for izakaya style eating+drinking. Is there a particular area near shibuya that has a high concentration of izakaya/yakitori?

 

Id like to plan out some work dinners and get reservations at a couple hype beast friendly restaurants for a group of 6. Coffee, good beer, and cocktail bars too. More of a cool kid/skate crowd.

2) Drinks- Im down for good beer. Coming from portland, so I dont need the latest hoppy ipa spot, but some cool artisan small brewery recommendations. Cocktail spots with good music/ dj a plus. Doesnt need to be fancy. streetwear/coolkid friendly crowd. The weirder the bar the better, anything in golden gai?

 

3) retail - tech ninja, rick vibe, strange sportswear, healthgoth, cav empt type streetwear. I assume I wont be able to find western L-XL size anywhere?

 

4) records- vinyl would be good. Underground Techno + house. Labels - Trilogy tapes, hinge finger, planet mu, lobster thermin, ostgot ton, LIES, ect...

 

5) Mellow clubs, no EDM bangers. Underground House/techno friendly, music head crowd + cheap.

Maybe one place thats more night slugs type music. last time, I went to some fun after hours on the 12 floor of a random office building playing dub techno till 12pm. That type of thing interests. I think unit might be a good reference spot. 

 

6) id like to find some good backpack,waistbags, art books + supply, donuts, weird snacks... Im more up for gaining experience points, art and design museums+exhibitions, shrines, cooking classes, swap meet/markets that sort of thing. 

 

Any Onsen recommendations? Something a confused westerner can manage? I took a train out of town to a onsen near a gonpachi, and had an amazing time. This type of thing appeals. 

 

If your in town 9/17-24 and want to catch a drink, its on me.

 

1) Ebisu's got a lot of small izakayas last I remember. Tatemichiya is a pretty cool one out in Daikanyama, last I recall it's covered with punk rock memorabilia, and the avocado tempura is to die for.

 

6) Seems like you're in town for Tokyo Art Book Fair 2016 if you're looking for art books. Papier Labo out in Sendagaya is pretty nice for print stuff.

[EG562]

1) Ebisu's got a lot of small izakayas last I remember. Tatemichiya is a pretty cool one out in Daikanyama, last I recall it's covered with punk rock memorabilia, and the avocado tempura is to die for.

 

6) Seems like you're in town for Tokyo Art Book Fair 2016 if you're looking for art books. Papier Labo out in Sendagaya is pretty nice for print stuff.

Wow, thanks for the heads up on the art book fair, that looks perfect!

[herpsky]

i still regret not buying that wackomaria photobook at spbs

 

 

Edited August 10, 2016 by herpsky

[mrip]

i can't speak for microbrews or whatever, but Japan has my favorite cheap beers. orion, ebisu, kirin, etc...I love it all

 

Really what don't you like about Japanese beers ? Are you just talking craft/micro brews or do you prefer Bud over say Ebisu ?

 

i was talking about japanese micro/craft beer vs. american micro/craft beer. its nowhere near as good as american craft beer. japanese craft beer is pretty expensive compared to ordering american craft beer in america. usually if im drinking beer in japan its macro brew like kirin, asahi, etc. hitachino nest is prob the best japanese craft beer, ive only seen it on tap at great burger.

[haruki_murakami]

you can cop hitachino at whole foods, the red and white ales 

[vitasoy]

finally visiting japan this year. how's the weather first two weeks of october?

 

going to tokyo, osaka, kyoto

[conqueror]

finally visiting japan this year. how's the weather first two weeks of october?

 

good.

[Lab]

might be in town in december.

 

gonna see if i can do an away rotation there for M4 year.  

[phatbot]

gonna be in tokyo early sept. lookin for good skate parks/spots not too far from shibuya. all i'm aware of is the nike park, but i'm not a big transition dude.

 

there was supposed to be a park in nakameguro or something right?

[herpsky]

Odaiba HLNA skygarden

Shin yokohama skatepark

Komazawa Olympic Park - recently renovated

Nike

Setagaya Koen skatepark

Tamachi water pump skatepark

 

Nike is really diffucult. I've never skated Nike but the guys who are always skating in there are like pro-level. 

 

The first three parks are probably the biggest ones in / around Tokyo. Komazawa is chill — Tony Hawk came to skate with the locals before. Lots of amazing places to eat around Komazawa. 

 

HLNA is probably the most instagram worthy. Good views. Food and skateshop on site.

 

For other ones I missed:

 

http://sk8parks.net/kanto/toukyouto/

Edited September 1, 2016 by herpsky

[ProfMonnitoff]

get hammered with a bunch of old dudes for <10 USD? 

info on this please

[trichomatic]

 

 

Some specific questions that will be helpful

 

1) Food - westernized Japanese, hypebeast restaurants, traditional japanese — what are you interested in? Anything "good" is not a real answer. Also, what's your budget? 

 

Like, if you said you want really good food, I'm just gonna recommend spots like Narisawa

 

2) Drinks - wanna have mexican beer and chill with skaters? artisanal cocktails? exclusive microbrews? you want to impress girls? get hammered with a bunch of old dudes for <10 USD? 

 

3) Stores - what type of style are you into? Selfedge denim daddy? Tech ninja? Mainland richboi? Surf luxe? Luxe athletic? Goth ninja? 

 

4) Records and music - what music are you into? you want records or cds? 

 

5) clubs - chill or floor bangers? view of the city or no windows? 

 

6) misc shopping - anything you are looking to pick up? DJ equipment? wanna try out that $3,000 earbuds that you've only seen on the internet? you want a lifesize rilakkuma doll? you want the best cake you're ever gonna have in your life? 

 

You name it, we have it. The US is like, you name it, it's on the internet.

gonna be exploring tokyo mostly solo for 3 weeks from late october to early november.

got an airbnb somewhere between roppongi and omotesando.

 

if my math is right i got about 200 usd budget for transportation, food, drinks and shopping per day. not sure what the right balance would be in terms of spending on food/drink/clothes/other

 

i got tokyo superguide but its just a long list of places, some of which im interested in but others not so much.

 

foodwise looking for the more value japanese places with meals under ~3000 yen?. no seafood (except fish), no nuts either

 

for drinks, i mainly drink local craft stuff, so would be down to try some local brews but also down for cheap drinks in general. 

 

in terms of stores, already plan on checking out stuff like nepenthes, kapital, facetasm, cdg, uc, kolor, sacai, cosmic wonder, efilevol, minotaur among lots of others.

also interested in select used shops like ragtag.

 

looking for some chill clubs 

 

other than clothes, probably look to get some decent commuter earbuds, pair of shades, stationary stuff, skincare stuff, and a decent sized pack to hold stuff i buy. these are things i want to get near the beginning of my trip that i want to use throughout my whole stay.

Edited September 9, 2016 by trichomatic

[conqueror]

i've been to japan 3 times - all solo trips - and its very easy to be overwhelmed with the amount of things to do/see/try when you're there: especially when you're alone and on your first visit. if you can, give yourself a few days 'off' (especially if you're just staying in tokyo for 3 weeks) where you just walk around with no particular plan in mind. i had the most enjoyable experiences doing that, as opposed to stressing out and running around looking at guides/blogs trying to hit a, b, c, d and e all in one day. going against my traditionally rigid must-plan-everything-to-the-second mindset is how i ended up meeting my now ex-gf at filbert steps (i should turn that story into a shitty jdrama script for $$$...)

Edited September 9, 2016 by conqueror

[trichomatic]

chill days sound like a good idea for sure. seem to be some cool hoods along chuo line not mentioned in superguide that id like to wander around for a few days.

 

on the latter note, how hard would it be to meet girls in tokyo as a 24 y/o azn dude?

i go out with a new girl about once a week or other week around here without having to really go outta my way.

 

most ppl's first guess is that im japanese, but that wouldnt fly in japan when they realize i only know basic phrases. maybe get a kpop cut before i go and aim for the koreaboos?

god bless the korean wave.

[EG562]

Heading to tokyo next week, i need a affordable hotel near shibuya. Any recommendations?

Then off to labyrinth festival for a couple days of camping. 

Cannot wait.

 

Anyone want to meet up?

 

Couple good music events ill be in attendance - ben klock on weds 9.21 , and shackelton live on thurs 9.22

Edited September 9, 2016 by EG562

[herpsky]

chill days sound like a good idea for sure. seem to be some cool hoods along chuo line not mentioned in superguide that id like to wander around for a few days.

 

on the latter note, how hard would it be to meet girls in tokyo as a 24 y/o azn dude?

i go out with a new girl about once a week or other week around here without having to really go outta my way.

 

most ppl's first guess is that im japanese, but that wouldnt fly in japan when they realize i only know basic phrases. maybe get a kpop cut before i go and aim for the koreaboos?

god bless the korean wave.

 

nah

 

-edit-

nanpa is p easy. i just came to realize that tokyo is one of the very few cities where single girls travel solo on foot. 

 

just get tinder plus and swipe for them koreaboos in advance. 

 

non japanese asian folks get 0 love in jpn — you know, just like asian males in north america haivng 0 extrinsic social value

 

then again, i had a couple of nights when some girls at the clubs wanted me to introduce the korean boys i was hanging out with. basically, YMMV.

Edited September 9, 2016 by herpsky

[herpsky]

Heading to tokyo next week, i need a affordable hotel near shibuya. Any recommendations?

Then off to labyrinth festival for a couple days of camping. 

Cannot wait.

 

Anyone want to meet up?

 

Couple good music events ill be in attendance - ben klock on weds 9.21 , and shackelton live on thurs 9.22

what does affordable mean? Tokyo is like super cheap compared to those yuppie infested places like SF and NY

[EG562]

Id say under 150usd per night. Design friendly a plus. I stayed at shibuya granbell maybe there. Or someone just suggested hotel dormy inn , shibuya. Has a underground onsen.

Edited September 9, 2016 by EG562

[conqueror]

both of the tokyu stays in shibuya are often overlooked. i prefer the dogenzaka one.

[EG562]

booked at dormy inn for 115$ usd, stoked! 

 

What foods should i get after in shibuya?

Baller solo dinner, izakya, ramen ect...

[herpsky]

Any place in Transit Tokyo Gohan book is good. Fuck the internet.

[EG562]

Is the transit book easily found in local bookshop?

 

Are there any recommendations for good mens jewlery? Im looking for a wizards chain, not even sure what to reference, but avant garde - ann deemulmester inspired stuff. 

Edited September 12, 2016 by EG562

[herpsky]

Is the transit book easily found in local bookshop?

 

it's kinda old so maybe no.

 

Some spots from the book: 

 

ã€å±…酒屋・和食ï¼17店】ã†ã¡ç”°ï¼ã•ã„ãï¼èµ¤é¬¼ï¼é’家ï¼ç‚‰ã°ãŸå±‹ï¼å’Œï¼å¹¹æ±ï¼æ´»é­šãƒ»ä¸²ç„¼ã ã»ã‚“ã¾è¬å±‹ ãŠã‹ã’ã•ã‚“ï¼ã¨ã‚“ãï¼ã‚ã—屋ï¼è—¤å…«ï¼ãªã‚‹ãよï¼ã¾ã‚“ã¾ã‚„ï¼é®¨å‡¦ 喜楽ï¼ã‹ã‚‰ã„ã‚‚ã®é‡Œï¼åƒãµã˜ã€ç„¼ã肉・ホルモン・é¶æ–™ç†ï¼10店】ゆã†ã˜ï¼åº­ã¤é¶ï¼å°é‡Žç”°å•†åº—ï¼ãƒ©ãƒ ã‚¸ãƒ³ã‚®ã‚¹ã‚«ãƒ³ç¾Šã€…ï¼ã‚‚ã¤ã‚„ã ã°ã‚“ï¼ç™½é‡‘ 酉玉 別館ï¼é³¥ç«¹ï¼å††å±±åº—ï¼Beef Kitchenï¼é³¥ã—ãï¼ãƒ›ãƒ«ãƒ¢ãƒ³ç¨²ç”°ã€ã‚«ãƒ¬ãƒ¼ãƒ»ä¸­è¯ãƒ»ã‚¨ã‚¹ãƒ‹ãƒƒã‚¯ï¼ˆ9店）】般°若ï¼ã‚¿ã‚¤ã‚«ãƒªãƒ¼ãƒ”キヌーï¼Chinese Restaur

 

I'd say 90% of the spots listed are good. They are like classic spots that really stood the test of time. They all focus on quality. No frills. No artisanal BS. It's like as local as it can get. May not necessarily be tourist friendly — i think these are meant to be visited with a japanese.

 

Some spots that the author and I totally agree on:

Pikinu

Aoya (you need a membership or referral but lunch is free for all)

Motsuyaki ban

Narukiyo

Onoda shoten

 

I think the presmise of the book was that the guy wanted to list reasonable OG B-class restaurants that are

1) good for entertaining foreign visitors

2) well known among the Tokyo OGs with good cost:performance ratio.

 

The guy who wrote the book is a former creative director of Beams. He now runs lowercase (it's some big name cool-guy branding / consulting agency).

 

Ban is a pretty rad spot. It's super oldschool izakaya style. The originator of "lemon sour".

It's a weird mix of local 60-year-somethings, steeziest dudes who work coolguy jobs, and skaters.

Edited September 12, 2016 by herpsky

[EG562]

is it ban'ya in tokyo station? having trouble finding ban.  or Motsuyaki ban ?

Edited September 12, 2016 by EG562

[herpsky]

is it ban'ya in tokyo station? having trouble finding ban.  or Motsuyaki ban ?

 

it's the latter. it's motsuyaki ban in yutenji. it's right by S/Double by Stussy. 

 

There are some interesting spots near Yutenji.

-Gohongi intersection with Jazzy Sports, Takoyaki stand, "new streamers", and some other stores whose names I don't recall

-Digawel

-Varde 77, arms, feets, and misc. vintage stores

[herpsky]

also citrus (an izakaya) is probably one of my favorite spots in tokyo. it's chill af. 

you'd never see obnoxious chainsmoking salarymen there. 

Edited September 13, 2016 by herpsky