_Vogue’_s Guide to Japan’s Fashion Capital: Tokyo!
With the fashion set invading Tokyo for Dior’s pre-fall 2015 show today, it’s the perfect time to round up the very best that the city has to offer.
With the fashion set invading Tokyo for Christian Dior’s pre-fall 2015 show today, it’s the perfect time to explore the very best that Japan’s ultra-modern megalopolis has to offer. Here are our favorite things in the city, from the finest shot of espresso in Shimokitazawa to the charming Buddhist temples and izakayas of Asakusa.
Photo: Courtesy of Jo Abi-Younes / @joabi5111/12Shopping in Harajuku and Aoyama
Tokyo’s residents are known for their avant-garde street style. Japanese fashion extraordinaire Rei Kawakubo has her eminent Comme des Garçons flagship store in Aoyama, while neighboring Harajuku is home to several contemporary Tokyo staples. Sundays there bring out the cosplay diehards—teenagers who stand around Harajuku Station to show off their eccentric looks.
Photo: Courtesy of Bobby Sangalang / @bobbysangalang2/12Tempura Tsunahachi
In the two-storied wooden premises of Tsunahachi, you can get some of Tokyo’s best tempura. Tsunahachi opened its Shinjuku location in 1964, and not much about it has changed since—same charming storefront and a menu of seasonal produce and catch. While you can sit at tables on a tatami mat floor, counter-seating is recommended. Rub shoulders with office workers on their lunch break and food cognoscenti alike, as you watch the chef place sizzling tempura from the deep fryer directly onto your plate.
Photo: Courtesy of Sophia Grace / @sophiagrace3/12Ghibli Museum
Any fan of Japanese cinema darling Hayao Miyazaki should take a trip to quiet and unassuming Mitaka, a western suburb of Tokyo, where Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli has its very own museum. A friendly Totoro greets visitors at the ticket booth; inside, visitors can explore the exhibits, eat tasty pastries and cakes at the Straw Hat Café, and revel in the magic of Miyazaki’s films.
Photo: Courtesy of Openers / @openersjapan4/12Park Hyatt Tokyo
Despite its Lost in Translation fame, the Park Hyatt Tokyo remains a tranquil oasis within an office skyscraper in a secluded section of Shinjuku. Designed by Pritzker Prize–winning architect Kenzo Tange and interior designer John Morford, the hotel juxtaposes brawny 2,000-year-old Hokkaido water elm panels with a lissome indoor bamboo garden. Head up to the 52nd floor to the New York Bar, where Bill Murray sipped on Hibiki, and try some of Japan’s finest whisky while taking in views of both the skyline and Mount Fuji.
Photo: Courtesy of Christiane Pagsisihan / @iampagc5/12Bear Pond Espresso
Who would have guessed that Japan had such a reverence for coffee? Bear Pond Espresso, located in the undeniably hip Shimokitazawa, is truly a mecca for any coffee devotee. Their espresso is sought-after and lionized, as is their famous “Dirty”—a shot of espresso on top of cold milk, topped off with a second shot of espresso, served in a charming little Mason jar.