TTL: Grail-Digging in the Far East

Exploring the Mecca of Vintage Luxuries

Daniel N. Pakpahan for LC Through-the-Lens

LE CITOYEN — Savvy travellers and fashion enthusiasts, take note. Attaining the finer things in life always comes with a considerably expensive price, true, but doesn’t mean you cannot cut corners. Aside from the fancy billboards, tall skyscrapers, world-famous cuisines, and a sea of overachieving individuals, the Capital of Japan carries another elusive truth. Tokyo is one of the most favourite sites for style connoisseurs and fashion collectors all over the globe to acquire rare articles at a real bargain. No, not those kinds of ‘Black Fridays’ or heavily discounted flagship stores or end-season sales at haute-couture boutiques. Best believe, Japan’s most in vogue, à la mode population shops at furugi or colloquially, thrift shops.

When in Tokyo, you can find a lot of these stores as you roam the streets of Harajuku, Shibuya, and Shimokitazawa among other parts of the city. Although it is not for everyone, this art of rummaging through stuffs and inspecting the quality of every item you picked with scrutiny elevates one’s taste and shows a sign of appreciation for craftmanship. As Ben preached, “One man’s trash is another man’s come-up.” Here’s a glance of them, taken by Daniel Nicholas Pakpahan.