Things I saw and loved in Tokyo: 1-3: @new_manual, a denim project by @yuttan1977 of Ber Ber Jin. Featuring some really good collabs with @junyamatano of @kith and Junya Watanabe. The deerskin collar on the denim jacket is just perfect. 4: The @a.presse_ flagship, where there are almost always more vibes in stock than clothes. 5-6: Everything that went into the @takashipom x @louisvuitton launch, from the Cafe Zingaro pop-up, archival gallery, and in-store experiences featuring repairs of the original multicolore motif. Still need to get my old Zippy refurbished. 7-9: The hype over @mcdonaldsjapan x Evangelion. Overseas weebs really don’t understand the extent to which this IP has been absolutely cooked in Japan...from pachinko parlors, cake vending machines, to UCC Coffee (currently there’s a partnership with Wonda) to a less-than-stellar licensed clothing line. Nevertheless, it persists. The Asuka Mexican Cheese Chicken Burger is probably the most appetizing compared to Rei’s thick beef patty with garlic mayo and Shinji’s double teriyaki burger. McDonald’s is McDonald’s everywhere, so even the novelty flavors aren’t too much to write home about. 10-11: The degree of impunity with which ABC Mart just does whatever it wants with the Vans Japan license. The Skate Loafer is fun, but I also liked their streamlined take on the old Zapato Del Barco, sort of a younger take on the Saman Amel Camp Mocs everyone loves. 12: The Barbour Exmoor, a Japan-exclusive model with SMUs at 417 Edifice that include a padded nylon version and some nice all-over wool plaids. Basically a Bedale trench! 13-15: the @newbalance_t_house, a destination concept store designed after Japanese tea house where you can get New Balance collabs and exclusive Tokyo Design Studio product, like their excellent collab with Japanese knitwear manufacturer @batoner_japanmade 16-20: The @skmtgram exhibit @mocatokyo. It’s a lot, but there are some really good installations and a personal favorite, Sakamoto’s personal diaries and various inspirations...which were compiled into a dataset and interpreted by AI into an accompanying work that tries to visualize the entirety of his creative process.