October 30, 2012

Pumpkins and Polar Bears

I don't go to the Aoyama/Omotesando area much (I figure I have no money to spend there), so when I walked through Aoyama a couple of weeks ago, I was pleasantly surprised. Because Aoyama bleeds into Omotesando, I had always considered the two similar in my mind, but whereas Omotesando is so chock full of international brands, you could be in any stylishly anonymous cosmopolitan city, Aoyama combines a creative edge with its inherent poshness.

Take, for example, this shop window. Japan doesn't really have any business celebrating Halloween (or even co-opting it for its commercial value), but this mix of traditional Japanese art (paper chochin lanterns and ceramics) and US culture is ingenious, and suddenly makes Halloween relevant.


I also loved the aesthetics of this expensive bike shop. You may not want the bike, but you can appreciate the visuals.

I wonder if the store has ever considered selling these bears. Something tells me they could be an even bigger hit than the bikes.

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