A slice of foodremedies pastry chef Kako Osada's mocha cream and chicory cake with pear slices and apricot jam.
— Olympia Le-Tan, designer
In Tokyo, there is a huge demand for what is known as total life design—style in all aspects of life, from music to clothing to food. Tokyoites are among the world’s most discerning customers, expecting (and receiving) the best customer service and craftsmanship in terms of the products they buy as well as their overall shopping, drinking, or dining experiences. As we have seen, select shops and concept stores are continually adapting to meet these demands.
While this level of discernment is the norm throughout the city, some take their passion for the totally stylish life to the extreme. These fashion “maniacs,” as they are affectionately known, spend a lot of time and effort seeking out the most original, avant-garde places from the vast array of choices the city has to offer.
One aspect of life that Tokyo’s fashion maniacs are particularly obsessed with is food. When Mari Terasawa, director and buyer at the select shop Tokyo Kaihoku, tells us, “Fashion doesn’t mean only clothing,” we couldn’t agree more. Fashionable people in Tokyo are gluttons for excellent food especially—and they have plenty of delicious offerings to sample, given the very high standard of restaurants, from the most casual stand-up ramen noodle bar to the legendary Michelin-starred restaurants Tokyo is famous for.
The food and fashion worlds are continually colliding. As we’ve seen already, Baby Mary serves tea to her customers at Miss Faline, Super A Market sells a variety of food and drinks, the concept store Graphpaper has a bar with great food upstairs, H BEAUTY&YOUTH Aoyama has a pizza place inside the shop, and Bloom & Branch Aoyama sells coffee, the cups to drink it from, towels to clean up with, and more. All of these places—and many more like them—acknowledge that, like good clothes, good food is a basic necessity, so why not make the entire experience of cooking, eating, and cleaning stylish, too?
— Hirofumi Kurino, senior adviser for creative direction, United Arrows
Hirofumi Kurino of United Arrows says that the link between fashion and food is a natural one in Japan: “The ability to understand fashion and cuisine is very similar. We use splendid ingredients, we carefully prepare everything, and we are very hospitable—this same obsessive attitude applies to fashion. In Tokyo, we often see chefs that are quite stylish simply because the level of both fashion and cuisine is very high.”
Mike Abelson, the founder of and designer for Brooklyn-founded and now Tokyo-based brand Postalco, agrees. Abelson has been living in Tokyo for more than twenty years, creating leather bags, stationery, and accessories for the Postalco label as well as through collaborations with clients such as Issey Miyake. After twenty years of living in Japan, he says, “I regularly find new things that really impress me. We make all of the Postalco products in Japan and mostly around Tokyo. But the reason we are here is really because there are so many things we like about being here in Tokyo—the culture, how the city is run, and especially the food. For example, the way fish is often grilled with only salt and just a simple relish of grated daikon on the side. There is an excellent sense of preparing ingredients simply and then combining them very well. So much attention is paid to details in so many different areas that there are always unknown pockets to discover.”
Since the advent of smartphones and Instagram, posting delicious-looking food on social media before eating has become a norm. However, as debates about too-thin models and eating disorders rage elsewhere, fashionable people in Tokyo see food as something to be enjoyed without any guilt—but also without excess.
This is easier in Tokyo because portions in Japan are generally smaller and the food is largely based around rice, fish, and steamed vegetables, but there are plenty of popular bakeries, tempura bars, street vans selling curry rice, and many other tempting spots, each serving up some of the most delicious food in the world. The key, of course, is moderation. And, as we’ll see, it is not just the food itself that people are obsessed with—there has also been a surge of interest in the styles of celebrity chefs. People want to know what aprons they wear and how they coordinate those with the clothes underneath. They want to know what tools the chefs prefer to use in their kitchens and also the kinds of bowls and other tableware they use in their restaurants. Tokyo style is not just about fashion, but an interest in good food and stylish ways to prepare and enjoy it.
In this chapter, some of the chefs who are getting attention in Tokyo’s street-fashion scene share their take on food and style, and a journalist who is responsible for covering the vibrant food scene comments on the continual quest of fashion maniacs for local, unique establishments, both food and fashion focused. But first, we’ll head to Harajuku, a fashion-centric neighborhood that is also filled with some of the city’s best restaurants.
Eatrip’s owner Yuri Nomura’s smoked bonito garnished with coriander and marinated onions, a simple vegetable soup accented with a fragrant dill topping, and avocado toast with cream cheese and a dash of pistachio oil are just a few of the delicious (and beautiful) dishes served in this stylish Harajuku restaurant.
Owner, Eatrip
— Yuri Nomura, owner, Eatrip
Tucked away on a quiet backstreet in Harajuku just off Omotesando, the restaurant Eatrip serves a predominantly Japanese menu that changes daily, depending on what is available from nearby farms, along with fresh regional specialty foods. A selection of wines from famous wine-producing regions complement the meals, including some recent additions of selected organic wines. The food is created to stimulate all five senses, with the goal of evoking memories of food and fun to take you on an imaginary journey to places you’ve never been before—hence the restaurant’s name, which combines the words eat and trip.
Sharing this special spot with Eatrip is the Little Shop of Flowers, a well-known florist run by Yukari Iki, who is Nomura’s business collaborator and long-time best friend. Coming here to eat or pick up some flowers is like stumbling upon an oasis the two friends have created amid the hustle and bustle of Omotesando.
To find the restaurant, follow a narrow path from the street until you find a small hut. On the way, you might also encounter a secret flower garden (look for a mysterious spot with light emanating from it). It is the kind of place that seems designed for magical happenings. When we meet with Nomura at the restaurant, she tells us about a special evening they’ve just had. “The other day, I was doing an event together with a friend from California who makes olive oil in Joshua Tree. During the course of the evening, our other friends began playing instruments and singing, right there in the garden under the night sky, and the event became an impromptu live music gig. That night, my friend said to me, ‘Whenever I’m here, I never know what country I’m in.’ I was so happy to hear that my food could transcend borders like that.”
When we ask her about the link between food and fashion, she tells us, “When a person leads a fulfilling life, they exude that satisfaction with their fashion. It’s the same idea with food. Since people have to eat every day, what you eat shapes your personality and style from the inside.” She takes this all-inclusive view, beyond just serving food, in passing along her knowledge, producing regular video tutorials on various aspects of cooking (look up her “Oishii Notes” series).
Yuri Nomura, owner and food director at Eatrip, wears an original apron dyed a vivid pink with beet juice left over from making cold-pressed juice for the restaurant’s drink menu.
The Little Shop of Flowers, located next to Eatrip, sells ceramics, tableware, and vases created by young artists.
Fresh, seasonal ingredients are featured in dishes that are both delicious and stylish, designed to stimulate all five senses in combination with the restaurant’s unique atmosphere. The denim apron that chef Yuri Nomura wears is an original collaboration between Eatrip and the San Francisco–based brand Small Trade Company. Nomura wears loose-fitting pants in the kitchen so she can move around easily.
Nomura is also friends with many fashion designers, supporting their designs by wearing their clothes under her aprons. One of her friends, Yoshiyuki Miyamae, who handles Issey Miyake’s women’s clothing line, says that “making clothes is like making food,” since the creative and technical processes are similar, just with different materials. Nomura explains, “Whenever I go to Miyake’s exhibitions, Miyamae always explains new designs using food analogies. As a food person, it’s something I can relate to. When I wear clothes with this idea on my mind, without fail, people ask me, ‘What are you wearing?’ It must be some kind of vibe that I give off, right? It’s like they can read my mind and want to know more about the clothes.”
Nomura tells us that she never intentionally wears coordinated designer looks. “I’m not fussy about designer labels or planning out my outfits. I like to wear what goes with my feelings at the time, whatever the brand. I might change buttons one at a time as needed, and it’s fun to fix things up or restyle them to suit the time.” This approach to style—putting in a lot of effort to maintain clothes you love and staying in tune with what feels comfortable for your own lifestyle—shines through, according to Nomura. “I think that people who wear clothes that make them feel comfortable and like themselves are the most stylish people,” she says. Being casual and true to yourself like this is not easy, though the results are worth it. “When it comes to food and ingredients, too, whenever someone puts a lot of effort and care into food and produce, you can really taste the love that went into it. This is probably kawaii to the core, but I love cooking while cherishing the intention and care that those people put into the food. It’s thrilling.”
— Yuri Nomura, owner, Eatrip
And she’s right; the thought processes involved in both food and fashion are very similar, making it natural that stylish people would have an affinity for great food. As we’ve seen throughout this book, when we talk about fashion, we’re not just talking about clothes. And at Eatrip especially, the sense that fashion is a way of life is something you can feel, while indulging both your mind and body. The next chef we’ll hear from, Kako Osada, of the pastry brand foodremedies, agrees with this sentiment, but specializes in indulgences of a different sort—cakes and cookies that are particularly popular among women in the fashion industry.
Both of Kako Osada’s garçon aprons are from vintage clothing stores. The white coatlike apron is also vintage. It used to be a nurse’s uniform in the US army. She pairs a gray turtleneck with YAECA chinos and white Repetto shoes, while making a mocha cream cake that has a hint of chicory powder with a layer of thin pear slices and apricot jam.
Pastry chef and founder, foodremedies
— Kako Osada, pastry chef, foodremedies
Before breaking out on her own to start foodremedies, which caters fashion events in Tokyo and conducts special baking classes and other food-related events, Kako Osada worked for the fashion brand YAECA, which is known for its simple yet impeccably designed clothing. When we meet Osada in her foodremedies test kitchen, she tells us more about her time there and about the unexpected connection between a cookie recipe and fashion.
“The turning point for me was working for my favorite fashion brand as a pastry chef. At YAECA, the clothes are simple but well thought-out, and also really comfortable. Beautiful, fashionable people came in and out of YAECA every day, so it was quite stimulating for me. I was in charge of creating recipes that matched the brand vision. I baked and arranged the tablescapes for the refreshments we served at receptions or parties. I even designed the packaging for some of the foods we made. Having those responsibilities taught me how to develop delicious new recipes, but I didn’t just learn to pursue taste. I also learned the importance of a product’s fashion appeal. I think this emphasis on delicious taste and a good sense of style through product presentation is reflected in my current work at foodremedies.”
Finding her signature method of baking took trial and error. “In the past, I repeatedly experimented with my recipes and did so much tasting that my palate was damaged by the sweetness of the sugar. Ever since then I have thought a lot about how to make cookies that were not overly sweet but that would satisfy any sweetness cravings with just a few bites. I asked myself if it was possible to reduce the amount of sugar to the point where its sweetness could just barely be tasted. After a lot of testing, I managed to find the right sugar balance, which has resulted in the distinctive flavor of foodremedies cookies, cakes, and pastries.” Though coffee and tea might be the usual beverages of choice to pair with baked goods, Osada also considers alcohol pairings with her recipes. “Cookies and cakes baked with lots of spices and herbs go well with alcohol. Since I enjoy drinking, I think about the kind of sweets that go well with wine or sake as I’m developing new recipes.” (For more about sake, see this page.) When Osada brings foodremedies sweets to fashion events, they always sell out quickly because of the reputation her recipes have earned.
— Kako Osada, pastry chef, foodremedies
At first glance, the pastries at foodremedies look rustic and unembellished, but their flavor is unforgettable. Osada’s practical but distinctive fashion sense is similarly memorable. She says: “On certain occasions—like when I sell sweets at an event or when I serve cake to guests—I always wear something white or a crisp, neat apron in order to make my cakes more appealing. Most of the time I wear pants when I’m baking and I don’t wear an apron where the strap goes around my neck . . . I am very particular about aprons. I either find them in vintage clothing stores or I have them made.” It’s often said that a chef’s personality is reflected in the taste of her dishes; this is certainly true of Osada. Her poised, gentle, and dignified style comes through in the subtle sweetness and complex flavors of her recipes and the value she places on presentation. That is key for all of the creators we spoke to—and our next chef has an original, unforgettable way of styling one of the most common Japanese meals.
Osada keeps her jewelry very basic, with just a bangle from YAECA and no rings or other jewelry on her hands. She wears a vintage velour skirt with black Dansko clogs. She uses simple tools to make her delicious confections, such as her popular rosemary cookie (top). The tools and clothing that female chefs in particular are using and wearing have become hot topics among fashion-conscious women in Tokyo.
Chef and founder, Chioben bento catering company and pop-up restaurant
— Chiori Yamamoto, chef and founder, Chioben
The word bento refers to the ubiquitous Japanese portable meal where rice and various side dishes are packed into a small box-shaped container. Just as with clothes, fashions in bento change with the times, and at the moment, Chioben bento boxes are the ones that fashionable women in Tokyo love best.
We meet with Yamamoto and her staff at the Chioben kitchen, where she tells us about how she got started as a chef. “I ran a normal restaurant for a long time back in my home of Hokkaido. In my forties, I moved to Tokyo. My career had many twists and turns, but I eventually ended up working at a place that was selling bento. Our customer base gradually increased by word of mouth.” Seeing an opportunity, Yamamoto started up her own catering business and pop-up shop specializing in bento.
Yamamoto’s company, Chioben, has been in business since 2011. People call her bento “the dream bento” because they are in such great demand—and supply is so limited! The thing that grabs your attention when you open one of the Chioben bento boxes is the volume of colorful side dishes packed inside, arranged just so, to express the four seasons in Japan. As a graduate in fine arts, it is no wonder that Yamamoto creates bento that look so beautiful. Of course, they are not only beautiful but also delicious, featuring a range of textures and nostalgic home-cooking-style flavors. These bento are a total sensory experience.
“Before I started serving bento, I was doing lunches with multiple side dishes being served on a single plate.” Normally in a bento box, side dishes are divided by thin, colorful paper or strips of plastic to keep everything at its best until it’s time to eat. But at Chioben, the side dishes are arranged without dividers, something that has become their signature—if unusual—style. When she designs a bento, Yamamoto told us, “I decide roughly what goes where by thinking of the side dishes as ‘blocks,’ because filling the bento box with side dishes is somewhat similar to playing Tetris. Like falling Tetris blocks, the ingredients for our bento change every day, which means that the wheels in my brain are always spinning, trying to come up with new combinations.”
A classic Chioben bento full of color and a variety of delicious tastes and textures. Steamed fish, spring rolls, meatballs, croquettes, hardboiled egg, octopus, and mountain berries are stylishly arranged on rice.
It’s early in the morning in the Chioben kitchen, and Yamamoto and her staff work diligently in silence, making the day’s bento. Watching the way they fill each box one after another with rhythmic precision is like observing artists or composers at work. And this artistry is visible in carefully curated clothing that the team wears.
Since Yamamoto first appeared in women’s fashion magazines in 2012, she has attracted many customers who work in the fashion industry. “During my youth, in the 1980s, fashion magazines were at the height of their popularity. I used to read anything I could lay my hands on and I used to dress in the style that was popular. When I started my catering business in Tokyo, I met fashion designers and stylists that I admired and I was interviewed by highly coveted fashion magazines. This attention made me very proud, but I also felt very humble. It made me want to try even harder. Since there is a long history of bento culture in Japan, I think that people have very high standards regarding their bento. I always think of our customers as our top priority and so I dedicate myself to creating food that looks as gorgeous as it tastes, while also being filling and satisfying.”
Yamamoto’s passion and enthusiasm are also reflected in her approach to fashion. When we speak with her, she is in her work clothes, of course: “This apron was hand-sewn by my mother. It’s cut down the middle so I can move easily, but it is also torn because I use it all the time. My mother has very good hands and she is good at both sewing and cooking. She often makes aprons out of extra fabric and then gives them to me and my staff. As for clothes, I know some chefs prefer natural styles and basic clothing, but I don’t look good in those; I don’t know why. Maybe it has something to do with my age. It just seems that unique clothes with elaborate designs suit me better. The moss-green shirt I am wearing is Kolor [a Japanese fashion brand]. The black pants are original Deuxieme Classe [a select shop in Japan].” We ask if her white shoes are Céline, but she laughs and says, “Oh no, they are chef shoes specifically made to be worn in the kitchen.” Still, they look great, just like her bentos. When we mention this to Yamamoto, she tells us “If someone told me that they could see a sense of style in a bento box I created, I would be thrilled.”
While Chiori Yamamoto and her staff are working hard to keep up with the discerning (and hungry) style maniacs working in the fashion industry, our next contributor Yukako Izumi, deputy editor of Time Out Tokyo, keeps her ear to the ground to give both Japanese and foreign readers a sense of where these maniacs go “local” to eat, shop, and go out.
Deputy editor, Time Out Tokyo
— Yukako Izumi, deputy editor, Time Out Tokyo
Fashion maniacs are obsessed not only with food but also with finding a so-called local spot—that is, a unique place, preferably in the old (and disappearing) backstreets of “local” Tokyo—that serves up something original, whether it’s clothing, music, or experiences. We sit down with Yukako Izumi—who, as deputy editor at Time Out Tokyo, has to keep track of the ever-evolving food and fashion scene—to hear about how people in Tokyo are endeavoring to preserve the disappearing “local” feel and culture of the city’s neighborhoods and backstreets, while at the same time generating and maintaining the interest of international audiences.
Izumi tells us that the magazine’s goal is to be “the ultimate guide for metropolitan residents provided by local experts.” To compete with information freely available on the internet, Time Out’s diverse editorial staff tries to present what Izumi calls “the various charms of Tokyo from a variety of viewpoints. We can give very specific information that only locals would know, and we don’t just emphasize the attractive, standard sightseeing spots that most tourists would wish to visit in Japan. Our intention is to provide content that caters to both visitors to Tokyo and Tokyo residents.”
When we ask Izumi what she means by “local,” she tells us, “The deeper I go into the backstreets of Tokyo, the more I find unique stores that make me want to know more about them. There are so many ‘local’ spots in Tokyo [that attract devoted maniac fans]. I think this is one of Tokyo’s distinctive characteristics.” With Japan’s scrap-and-build approach to urban planning and construction, in which old buildings are torn down to make new, more efficient (and more earthquake-proof) buildings, the desire to seek out the older places that retain some of the original character of their local areas is understandable. As Izumi explains, “The cityscape of Tokyo is changing rapidly because large shopping malls are popping up, one after another, and these backstreets and alleyways are disappearing. Against this backdrop, younger fashion maniacs are trying to preserve this local aspect of the existing backstreets in their neighborhoods, and more and more people are taking this on. At the same time, they have a really global outlook. Their enthusiasm for and support of these unique local fashion labels and stores has resulted in a kind of backstreet niche industry of high-style clothing and other merchandise created by and for truly passionate connoisseurs. And the number of such ‘local’ maniac spots is on the rise, especially in East Tokyo,” which has traditionally been more industrialized but is increasingly becoming a hot spot for maniacs to discover new labels.
An attractive line-up of sake bottles inside Hasegawa-saketen in Azabu-Juban, a prime example of a “local” spot. Each brand of sake sold here has it’s own distinctive and stylish label design.
Shimokitazawa and Koenji are also popular areas among maniacs of all ages. They’re known as meccas for vintage clothing enthusiasts, attracting fashion industry types and tourists alike. Izumi tells us why tourists have so easily found these up-and-coming areas and enjoy them so much: “It’s easier than ever for people outside of Japan to keep an eye on Tokyo’s street scene through Instagram. There is an abundance of secondhand and vintage clothing stores, and also vinyl record stores, in both places. A lot of overseas musicians actually come here to check out the vinyl record stores.” What makes these areas uniquely appealing to maniacs looking for vintage music and clothing, Izumi says, is that “generally speaking, these shops selling vintage finds, whether it’s clothing or music, have a huge range of genres and everything is kept in really good condition. Vinyl records in particular are categorized and displayed very neatly, and when tourists see them they are always surprised.”
It’s not just the selection and presentation that attracts true maniacs, but also the intentional, well-informed curation that these stores offer. “The owners of these stores take their time diligently collecting vinyl records and don’t just blindly chase new things. They have the ability to curate the selection. They have their own criteria for categorizing their records and displaying them in an attractive way. I think that Tokyo is the city where these sorts of people, and the stores that cater to them, gather together.” Izumi gives the award-winning Tsutaya bookstore in Daikanyama as an example. “This store is a favorite of both Japanese people and foreigners. There are a tremendous number of books neatly displayed by category here.” The bookstore boasts a huge music section, and there are smaller pop-up shop areas throughout the store specializing in food, homewares, textiles, and other merchandise related to the subjects of the books displayed on nearby shelves.
Izumi also mentions Tokyu Hands, which is a kind of multilevel general store/select shop chain that seems to sell everything you could ever need or want for daily life, hobbies, travel, work, and more—hundreds of things you need and want but didn’t know about before you entered the store. The most striking feature of Tokyu Hands, though, is that all of these things are interestingly designed. Even everyday items seem to be something more thanks to their excellent design and quirky presentation. The store is a dream for anyone who loves good design that is sophisticated but playful at the same time.
— Yukako Izumi, deputy editor, Time Out Tokyo
For smaller stores that compete to offer a particular curated selection to their target maniacs, “The influence of Instagram in particular is huge. If you can post great images, this is a time when even small, niche stores in a Tokyo alley can garner a global following.”
In the spirit of appreciating small, local stores, we have curated a selection of Tokyo’s fashion maniac spots, from well-known, well-established stores to those that are more obscure or “local,” as Izumi uses the word. Our selection reflects the places currently influencing street style through their curated selections of clothing, accessories, vintage items, or other offerings. In the listings that follow, you’ll find more details about the shops and brands we’ve featured throughout this book, along with additional selections for eating, drinking, and exploring the music and literary scenes.
The listings are organized by neighborhood to give you an idea of each area’s distinctive character. We recommend picking a neighborhood to explore (this is a great way to approach Tokyo both for first-time and frequent visitors). It is easy to get around Tokyo, due to the excellent public transportation, but the distances are vast, and with so much to see and do, it’s all too easy to try to pack in too much at once.
In choosing the neighborhoods to feature, we have focused on neighborhoods and districts that have close connections to fashion; other equally interesting neighborhoods and tourist sites not mentioned here have been omitted because these areas and Tokyo’s most popular tourist sites have been covered very well already in other guides. We hope that by hearing from the people featured in this book and by exploring the following neighborhoods and local haunts of fashion maniacs—whether in person on a trip to Tokyo or through the websites and Instagram feeds of the stores in question—you’ll get a sense of authentic Tokyo style.
