Lessons from working at home - part 1
Breakfast, breakfast, breakfast. It’s 10:30 and I’ve been productive for over an hour already!
To echo the words of C - it boggles the mind that people (myself included) ever skip what is easily the most delicious meal of the day. You get the most bang for you buck if you go out to eat, or if eating at home it’s the only meal that you can basically just piece together any savory or sweet foods you want!
Tokyo style
We’re on the train to Osaka now, finishing up a wonderful time in Hakone. We spent two nights lounging in a Ryoken that felt like it hadn’t changed for 100’s of years. The pace was luxurious and caught the two of us off guard - nothing but soaking in the natural spring water, sitting in our room overlooking the river, and consuming some of the most intricately beautiful food I’ve ever seen. We eventually settled in, and our stay was the perfect length.
Hakone and Tokyo are about as different as can be. We loved them both but especially Tokyo. I could have spent another week there and I already look forward to my next trip abroad so that I can justify a stopover. Our apartment was perfectly situated in Harajuku - the ever fashionable population constantly surrounding us. Yet, as seems only possible in Japan, we were next to a serene and spectacular shrine and forest. Tokyo does this mixing like no other; you can go from the biggest intersection in the world, surrounded by blinding lights and smells, to the center of a tranquil park or shrine within minutes of walking. Walking through Harajuku has to be one of the greatest joys there is (except for the one incredibly overcrowded and touristy main street). The weather was perfect, the alleys are filled with something new and unexpected around every corner. I love that you can just wander around a backstreet and stumble upon a brand new neighborhood.
Every block I walked seemed to reveal at least one restaurant and three stores that I wanted to go into - it was like living out a SuperFuture forum. All of the cool things that I see in blogs and magazines are there, right in front of my face. It was incredibly cool to just accidentally find myself time and time again walking into some incredible specialty store that sold crazy selvedge denim or awesome bags.
Sadly, 6’4” is not a typical size out here, so most of my shopping quests ended up fruitless. However, I am absolutely in love with 90% of what people wear out here. A few notable styles that I really dig:
- Blazers and/or cardigans at most times. The details make them interesting enough to stand out on their own and not look like Yet Another Wool Cardigan. I’ve liked horn clasps for a long time and was happy to see them on practically everything without looking overly feminine.
Beams:
- The shoes out here are insanity - you know when you see that awesome pair of sky-blue wingtips or hyper-orange dunks and wonder what the hell they can be worn with? Yea, the dudes in Tokyo have figured it out.
- Denim (obviously). Sadly had no luck finding a pair that fit. Luckily SF has some good stuff in that department.
- Non-denim… as much as I’m into denim, we could all use something different. After even a few days in Tokyo you’ll find yourself trying on crazy stuff that would never translate back home, even in SF (3/4 length plaid-lined wool trousers anybody?). One thing that would translate however are the cuts of non-denim. Chinos and especially the wool trousers out here are very cool. Lots of young guys are wearing slim wool pants in cuts reminiscent of a great pair of jeans. A variety of patterns, some of which look great with cargo pockets on the side. My biggest shopping regret is not finding a pair that fit.
- I love the look that Japanese backpackers rock when you venture a bit outside of Tokyo. As is to be expected, even in hiking gear, they do it perfectly. Very focused on layering, they wear a lot of recognizable foreign brands such as Patagonia.
Nike store: 
- Sort of on the hiking note, for winter a lot of the stores are selling clothing detailed in jacquard or fair-isle. Of course at the high end (and way out of my price range) there is the ever cool brand White Mountaineering with it’s perfect jackets and accessories, but a lot of more affordable lines were carrying great stuff with similar designs - SHIPS, Beams, and rageblue to just name a few of the more notable ones.
- Vests are huge here. I’ve been wanting a cool one with a bit of a dressier tone for a while but they just don’t seem to be popular enough back home to have an interesting selection anywhere (except for a cool but expensive APC one). Not a problem here, virtually every store was selling a cool variety of them, so I got a great hooded herringbone puffer.
- Last but definitely not least are the bags here. I like that even the business men seem to spice up their suits with cool shoes and great bags. A lot of the men’s bags here are shoulder-strapless carry-alls or soft suitcases (I love the soft Porter suitcases everyone carries). Some very cool backpacks are around, and I searched high and low for the perfect bag at Masterpiece/MSPC but it seemed to evade me.
An interesting Porter bag: 
One thing that many denim-centric looks seem to have in common is the leather braided wallet chain attached to a big honking wallet hanging out of the back pocket (other thing I should have bought). Much of the time that is on top of wingtip-boots (the one style thing I happened to already have!).
Overall, the style constant here is that everyone feels constantly put-together, every look intentional. From the gothic-lolita girls in Harajuku to the late night businessmen wandering Ginza, most clothing choices appear to have thought that went into them. Men’s clothing is generally slim, a refreshing change from normal “American”-sizes. Sigh… if only everything here had slightly longer pant legs and shirt sleeves.
