Your Eye Must Travel To Tokyo
I love going to Japan, especially Tokyo, to explore new ideas. Normally every April I am exploring the back streets and cherry blossoms of Nakameguro, trying a new isakaya for dinner in the rabbit warren that is Shibuya, or just geeking out in a very creative denim shop like Kapitol. This year is different. I am feeling great pains for all of the people, societies and businesses that are being affected by the Covid-19 plague. I am feeling especially sad today for all of the people that make their living through travel.
My career and life as a creative had been running on a calendar that still felt remotely like that of my younger school boy self. I would spend my fall through early spring time periods preparing brands and designs for next year’s launches and then take a break to research from late spring through summer. Except this travel was far more inspiring and impactful than a typical spring or summer trip. I feel lucky to have had the privilege to experience the change of seasons around the world while researching for design ideas and brands.
I grew up in a small suburban town between Detroit and Ann Arbor in Michigan. By the time I was eleven, I was reading every fashion magazine and teaching myself the elements of fashion design like sewing, pattern making and sketching. But what held the most emotional appeal in my mind was the idea of how all of these fashion brands would find their design influence and inspiration for each season through travel. I would read every book I could find about exotic places like India, Japan, Brazil and France. I craved to know about their artisans and craft traditions. Japan always held a special fascination and left me feeling like I wanted to dig deeper and get to know the why behind their makers.
There are few things more rewarding than taking a creative friend to Tokyo for the first time. I dream about the chance to introduce Tokyo to my wife, Beth, and my kids (they do as well). I savor the smells, the sounds, the tastes of this city. I love the frenetic way that this many people navigate such a complex city. The kindness and sweetness of the Japanese people, and the great pride that they take in designing truly beautiful things make visiting such a special experience. The photo of the handsome and wildly creative guy here with the flowers in the background is my friend Le’Spencer Walker, with whom I was able to share Tokyo on my last trip. We took photos of him juxtaposed against all sorts of quirky things in the city. I loved seeing the city through his eyes as a first-time visitor to my favorite city.
Favorite Spots
Knowing that we probably won’t be able to travel back to Tokyo, or many places, in the near future, I thought I would share with you a map of some of my favorite discoveries there. And please share your favorite spots in Tokyo (or anywhere else) with me!
I have included some vintage and antique textile shops in my favorite areas of Tokyo. There are delicious and affordable places to eat that many friends have shared with me over the years. And there are some restaurants that are an “over-the-top, worth-it splurge.” At my favorite potsticker place, Harajuku Gyoza Lou, you can stuff your belly eating all their delicious potstickers and never spend more than about $20 US per person. I have also noted my picks for the best brand experiences, places where all your senses are brought to life and are deeply connected back to the purpose of a brand. Also on the map are a few quirky places that offer different experiences that I was hoping to see before this Covid-19 disease shut down the world. I am intrigued by the Instagram wonderland experience called TeamLab Borderless where the exhibition takes you through a live virtual reality image simulation. Hopefully someday. I have polled many of my creative friends and edited the picks to give a balanced, but hyper-relevant, taste of the Tokyo experience.
I hope this map and list helps you feel the same magic I did when visiting these places, and lets you have the dreamy feeling I had as a young boy thinking about the big world out there and a fantastical life possibly exploring it.
