I Love Tokyo Shopping Report

[MilSpex]

got some time off and made it Tokyo for a couple of days checked out this:

Harajuku

Base Station - underwear, thermals, tees, socks, down vests/jackets all basic, all pretty cheap and all HF endorsed Fuck Gap.

NBHD - same as usual, not much taps, nice NBHD `filth & the fury` HEAVY stadium jackets

Real Mad Hectic - full range of Supreme sweats, good range of sizes, 4 or 5 aNYthing t-shirt prints,

a couple of sweatshirts..picked up some masterpiece BDUs and supreme hooded sweatshirt

Vault - Invisible:Man new main store(?) nice stuff, wish I had more cash

BXH - picked up a hikaru kun (mekaru kun?) phone strap

Aoyama -

CDG - friendly service makin a nice change from BXH, Recon etc `Anti service` (which I love too!), picked up some Garage cologne.

UC - fucken scary as usual, Ziamang exhibit is insane!! picture some dude (prolly skatething) wearing a giant fist and jumping up and down in a club to techno music..displayed on PSPs stuck to the wall!!!! Do the Changes actually have any music? or are they just kinda like the Monkeys and made up? scary paintings are all for sale along with some clothes..

Black Flag - I love this store..real friendly service (?!), Willie Nelson/Highwayman playing on the sweet sounding audio setup. felt so relaxed in there, kinda wanted to lie down on the couch there and sleep...Nice collection of skulls on display no doubt courtesy of Takishin and some big metal skull paperweights on sale. Full range of W)Taps x Porter ReadyPack luggage system last out a few years ago, now re released. When Im making a salary in the millions I`ll pick these up (around US$1500 for a backpack to around US$100 for a small ad on pouch!!) Quality and design make acronym look like hefty bags tho...

Tab Device Store - Another insane store!! My first time there. If you havent heard its a house. Like a real western house. living room, plasma screen, xmas tree, upstairs (the staff follow you round), bedrooms, bathroom. Cash register is in the kitchen next to the microwave, bearbricks on every fucking wall (I hate those cute little fuckers), clothes hanging in every room, some layed on out on the bed, all for inspection..real cool idea for a store...its opposite Bapex if you go.

Daikanyama/Shibuya - Supreme still had dot shirts, grabbed one, plus a Fucking Awesome tee..Silas was kinda boring always the same but good for knits and a few other things sometimes..Stussy at Daikanyama is gone and Shibuya (its almost in Daikanyama anyway) is open. 5 minutes walk from Supreme but took me an hour to find it!! actually found Toki Shirazu first (Nexus 7) and asked in there. Those Levis x Stussy are everywhere, even in the small Stussy boutiques in Tokyo department stores. around 35000 yen. tried them on, not as nice as I thought they would be imo, so passed. MA1s, x adfice gear is everywhere too still.

Club Asia - DJ Krush and Jazz. I hate Jazz but I love DJ Krush so it was all good

Edited by MilSpex on Dec 26, 2005 at 08:04 AM

[Blanc0]

thanks for the report, BlackFlag seems promising!

I'll be there in Feb.

[hahnstch]

just in time for my trip milspex. much appreciated. where's this vault (invisible:man) store btw? isn't the i:m store located at daikanyama?

[MilSpex]

Quote:

just in time for my trip milspex. much appreciated. where's this vault (invisible:man) store btw? isn't the i:m store located at daikanyama?

--- Original message by hahnstch on Dec 26, 2005 01:49 PM

vault is in the same strip as Real Mad Hectic, near X-girl, . the store looks like a grey box, vault I guess? cant miss it. Dont know if its the IM flag store, theres a few other brands in there...cant remember which

Old I:M behind Silas is goooone.

Hey Minya...Fuck you.

Be Advised: Morgan Nixon AKA Moman631 AKA Moman6040 is a fraud.

Edited by MilSpex on Dec 26, 2005 at 11:12 PM

[hahnstch]

adding on to milspex's report:

nbhd - 100 odd people standing in line yesterday, including me. new bape x wtaps BDU and shirt/m65 in nice, thick wool material instead of the ripstop that was released previously plus nylon lining. price is steep though, 36750 yen, ouch. fragment x nbhd jackets looking good. they still have the nbhd 6 pocket narrow jeans also. get your digging liquid also, nbhd x fragment mineral water for 210 yen, nice souvenir

bxh - shark hoody and shark crew were still there but not much left i think. wu tang blasting off from the stereo.

fiberops - tons of denims on sale, on the 10000-12000 yen price range. meth x fiberops tees and caps.

fat is still closed until tomorrow.

realmadhectic - nice fleece hoody like the one worn by milspex once. some aNYthing and supreme stuff. masterpiece selvage raw denim for about 20000 yen. reggaeton blasting from the stereo. there was insane line outside hectic 2 days ago.

vault - nice i:m stuff, some radical tees and a pair of i:m selvage raw denim for about 20000 yen.

visvim FIL is closed until today. so are headporter and CdG.

crazy lines at BBC and BWS yesterday. didn't bother myself to stand in line for them.\

stussy - nice gore-tex jacket, other than that not much different from the chapter stores in the states.

tab device - real cool concept for a store as milspex described. fenom disco raw and fenom used. no more fenom crushed jeans, sold out throughout tokyo. some fenom chinos and vest. they also stock some staple and diffeducation. the latter has some nice stuff.

bapex - again, crazy line. i came at about 4, was told by a guy to pick up a number, got myself number 637 and the number at the moment was still at 400 something. store was jam packed with people. again, didnt bother myself to wait.

blackflag - more or less like what milspex has described. some SVG tees, beanies and neck gaiters, bullink jackets and nbhd boxers for 7000 yen. some nice wtaps wool chino and BDU pants, SVG raw and washed selvage jeans. nbhd basic washed jeans.

havent hit daikanyama yet.

Edited by hahnstch on Jan 3, 2006 at 03:46 PM

[Blanc0]

where exactly is tab device and base station?

Did you hit Made in the World? I know they are one of the few (if not only) that carries RATS, very dope new line (Tenderloin related?)...

Edited by Blanc0 on Jan 3, 2006 at 04:26 PM

[hahnstch]

tab device is at aoyama, right opposite bapex. the website actually provides you with a map. it's much easier to find than blackflag, which is on the block next to bapex but on the opposite end.

base station is along meiji dori, very easy to spot as it occupies a huge building with conspicuous base station sign.

i saw made in the world but havent had chance to go in. i think they're at harajuku st., the same strip as eYe, will try to check it out sometime before i head back home. RATS as in doarat?

[Blanc0]

THanks! I'm there next month, but for 2 or 3 daze of whirlwind shopping for work, and I know my way around shibuya, harajuku, daikanyama (sP?) pretty well, but not so much aoyama...i heard blackflag isn't the easiest to find, but i have a general idea now.

RATS, I believe, is a new line associated with Tenderloin. REALLY nice tees (mostly black w/ white graphics, but every design I've seen is fresh and new and not something inspired by something already out there. I'm pretty sure it's right by eYe.

[djrajio]

Hey Hahnstch,

Hope your shopping went well. It's pretty crazy during new years with all the sales! Hearing you got number 637 at Bapex is frekin' crazy. Lol. God damn Japanese otakus....

Peace!

[MilSpex]

Quote:

where exactly is tab device and base station?

Did you hit Made in the World? I know they are one of the few (if not only) that carries RATS, very dope new line (Tenderloin related?)...

Edited by Blanc0 on Jan 3, 2006 at 04:26 PM

--- Original message by Blanc0 on Jan 3, 2006 04:26 PM

awww no I forgot about MIW. From what Ive seen in mags/online Im definately a RATS fan. They`ve done stuff with philosophy/wtaps aswell. Wouldnt mind a RATS coach jacket.

Be Advised: Morgan Nixon AKA Moman631 AKA Moman6040 is a fraud.

[hahnstch]

more updates:

FIL - very friendly service, especially for a gaijin like me with very very limited nihonggo. affa collab shoes are still there. pocket knit tees, stud tees, 3L goretex, wool suspender pants, fluxus denim. reggae music playing on the background. i think i must have been there for about 30 min or more.

HP & HP+ - HP was mad crowded. didnt find anything interesting as i've seen most of the stuff at stussy chapter NY. HP+ has crazy sales, a lot of stuff were 50% off. thermal hoodies for 10000 yen, button up shirts for 7000 yen or less. bombers and m65 were on sale too but didnt check the price. some visvims were 30% off.

BBC - eughhhh. enough said. another long line at BWS for the second day running.

MIW - didnt find any RATS there. saw some general research, hideandseek, some FCRB, the crossbone pattern stuff from ralph lauren and their own in house label. MIW is a few buildings away from eYe.

eYe - nice goretex jackets but insane prices.....

SOPH - FCRB, SOPH, resonate gdeh, visvim, romanelli. techno music on the background

CdG - interesting layout and interior. full range of PLAY stuff still available. also john smedley x CdG stuff.

UC/zamiang - the display on the basement is fucking insane.

Finally got myself into bapex today, no more lines. new bape x kaws trash, getting uglier and uglier. bapesta overdose on the 2nd floor. my friend picked up a pair of skullsta. the price is getting cheaper too, 14800 yen a pair.

PS: rajio, do you think you are free this weekend to bring me around daikanyama area? and no big deal about getting no. 637 yesterday, we took the queue numbers just for fun/souvenirs lol

[djrajio]

Hey Hahnstch,

No prob. Gimme a call or e-mail, we can meet up in Shibuya Hachiko or something early Sat.

[samsikle]

hey milspex, when did you go? i was walking through shibuya and i remember seeing a guy who looked like how i imagined you would look like in person, haha.

[MilSpex]

Just went on the xmas weekend at the last minute. what was I wearing? I think I wore a blue supreme hood and shorts one day and on another day a grey hoodie with blue BDUs or something?? prolly had my oversize OD Supreme 3 way pack on my back most times too.

Sorry forgot you were gonna be there, shoulda PMed you or something. anyways did ya have fun? I did.

Be Advised: Morgan Nixon AKA Moman631 AKA Moman6040 is a fraud.

[samsikle]

i had much fun. bummer i missed you though

[englandmj7]

Damn good post, we need more shit like this!

[cepheid]

Quote: Damn good post, we need more shit like this!

second that, true "supershopper" post.

[Hemidart]

I just got back from Tokyo a couple weeks ago....was there 14 days. Insain place. Standing with a few thousand Japanese yelling BANZAI in front of the Emperor on his birthday....was frickin insain. Could not find denim that fit my height (6'5")...but my wife bought a few pairs. I did buy a Porter bag, which is pretty cool.

[sr20det]

Quote:

Quote: Damn good post, we need more shit like this!

second that, true "supershopper" post.

--- Original message by cepheid on Jan 10, 2006 01:30 PM

that's what i always thought superjetset was for. for heads who do the legwork to travel and acquire. most cats these days depend on their local stores to do their homework and hunt for them.

http://superfuture.com/city/supertalk/index.cfm?page=topic&topicID=5508

[xcoldricex]

great info guy. i'll be there around end of aprilish... just wondering. is it easy to find visvim shoes there? do they actually get discounted there? i'm thinking of buying a pair here (in hong kong) but would hold off if they're everywhere in japan. everything gets marked up here...

[englandmj7]

^^ Visvim has a new store there now:

FIL (Free International Laboratory):

http://superfuture.com/city/reviews/review.cfm?id=3777〈=EN

Prices are similar to what you might find in the U.S. (FBT = $220, Serra Hiker = $300), I dunno about HK though.........

[xcoldricex]

guess i'm looking for older fbt's though, not feeling the dual tones this season. all older fbts here are $300+ through resellers.

[casual_coal]

Bump interesting thread would love to see more posts.