The Land Of No Frills
This might be a wild hot take and I’ll live with the consequences of writing it here, but Tokyo is not all that great. Or maybe that’s my fault.
I can’t recall exactly when the dream of going to Japan started. I watched anime years before I got into Japanese streetwear, but let’s give
the credit to NIGO and the hold his brand A Bathing Ape (Bape) had over my generation. I’d read forums and look at photos of Harajuku and
Shibuya, obsessed with the hidden alleyways and the stores tucked into them with brands I have never seen before.
Now I’m here... maybe 20 years too late. First, much love to my brother Jae Tips for bringing me along on this trip (flights and hotel covered
by a brand for an appearance he had to make), but… Tokyo just doesn’t match what I imagined it to be. We came here straight from Paris Fashion
Week, and jet lag has been winning every round. I don’t know what I expected. Maybe that I’d find a new brand every few feet? Nah. Instagram already
killed that kind of discovery. And to be real, the city’s not that futuristic. You can’t even use Apple Pay on the trains.
But one thing I absolutely love about this place is the lack of frills. Everything here feels like it exists for a reason. In America, if I’m being honest, we
pile on stuff just for the sake of stuff. Here, details aren’t decorative they’re functional. Like the tray that catches your receipt at 7-Eleven. Or how
the train turnstile only appears if you don’t pay. That level of thoughtful design? That’s inspiring.
That’s what inspired this site. No frills. Just a jet-lagged art director and some thoughts.