lurkyloo
The Attic was just perfect!
- Joined
- Aug 24, 2006
After I sent Patrick off to the shoot, I took a break in the hotel room to photograph our loot and write a few letters and postcards. The post office was just a couple doors down from our hotel, so I mailed two letters and two postcards and bought three more letter stamps and three more postcard stamps. Holy cow, it cost me $17! Guess I shouldn't complain about the US Postal Service's prices anymore
Then I took the subway to Harajuku and Aoyama to investigate more swanky shops. I started on Omotesando, a broad, tree-lined avenue that's home to a large concentration of Tokyo's most distinctive architecture, in the form of fashion designers' flagship stores. Apparently it's known as the "Champs Elysées of Tokyo," and I think it an apt description in contrast with Chuo-dori in Ginza, which feels like 5th Avenue in New York. Otomesando definitely has a different vibe than Chuo-dori the crowds surging toward me were younger and edgier (though not the outlandish characters of T a k e s h i t a-dori, the street where teenage Harajuku lovers parade around on the weekends and whose name I had to finagle to get past the DISboards' censors).
After it crosses Aoyama-Dori, the boulevard narrows into a suburban-feeling avenue lined with more designer boutiques. This is where I found the a-friggin-mazing Prada boutique, which is super-difficult to photograph from across a slim two-lane road.
Even worse, they won't let you take pictures of the inside or even looking out the window at other buildings from inside. The thing is an architectural marvelpicture-taking oughtta be mandatory! Once again, I am totally mystified by how often photography is prohibited in a culture that, at least to Western eyes, appears to be fanatical about photography. Then again, maybe that's why they have to prohibit it!
I made another Flickr set of some of the few good images I could find of the interior:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/85907592@N00/galleries/72157623969641716/
Next door is another fabulous building, which houses Cartier and Chloe.
Down the street, the Yoku Moku butter cookie shop tempted me with a sleek courtyard café.
But Aoyama felt remote from the exciting hustle and bustle of Harajuku, so I went back up the boulevard to where the action was.
And the action was at Kiddyland, another multi-level toy mecca!
At street level, they have a boutique devoted to Minnie Mouse, including what appears to be an attempt to replicate the success of the ultra-popular Duffy bear (more on that later!): rows of plush Minnies and a bunch different outfits to dress her in.
Inside, Kiddyland is a bit more cramped than Hakuhinkan Toy Park but better organized, with several of the six floors devoted to a single brand or company. They also offer Tokyo's largest collection of choking hazards in a single display.
Festival of Choking Hazards!
"Yes, but do you have any Elmo dolls?"
I passed up yet another Totoro, but I think in this case you can't blame me
Another toy I saw all over Tokyo and yet remained strangely immune to was Kapibara-sanan adorable, limbless capybara stuffed into a doughnut. By all rights, my eyeballs should have exploded just gazing upon its cuteness, yet I never felt compelled to buy one.
Shield your eyeballs from its cuteness!
And then I spotted this:
SNOOPY TOWN?! My pal Jennifaerie adores Snoopy! I was immediately gripped by a compulsion to buy her the coolest, most Tokyo-fabulous Snoopy souvenir imaginable, which lead to about an hour spent down the rabbit hole (or would that be the "dog hole"?) that is Snoopy Town Harajuku.
Sleepy Snoopys
Slobby Snoopys
The coolest, most Tokyo-fabulous Snoopy souvenir turned out to be a pair of Converse Chuck Taylorsunfortunately, they only had kids' sizes. Hope Jennifaerie likes toaru!
When I spotted this, I knew it was time for this grown woman to leave Kiddyland:
I totally had the original of this Barbie, AND the one pictured inside the box!
Then I took the subway to Harajuku and Aoyama to investigate more swanky shops. I started on Omotesando, a broad, tree-lined avenue that's home to a large concentration of Tokyo's most distinctive architecture, in the form of fashion designers' flagship stores. Apparently it's known as the "Champs Elysées of Tokyo," and I think it an apt description in contrast with Chuo-dori in Ginza, which feels like 5th Avenue in New York. Otomesando definitely has a different vibe than Chuo-dori the crowds surging toward me were younger and edgier (though not the outlandish characters of T a k e s h i t a-dori, the street where teenage Harajuku lovers parade around on the weekends and whose name I had to finagle to get past the DISboards' censors).
After it crosses Aoyama-Dori, the boulevard narrows into a suburban-feeling avenue lined with more designer boutiques. This is where I found the a-friggin-mazing Prada boutique, which is super-difficult to photograph from across a slim two-lane road.
Even worse, they won't let you take pictures of the inside or even looking out the window at other buildings from inside. The thing is an architectural marvelpicture-taking oughtta be mandatory! Once again, I am totally mystified by how often photography is prohibited in a culture that, at least to Western eyes, appears to be fanatical about photography. Then again, maybe that's why they have to prohibit it!
I made another Flickr set of some of the few good images I could find of the interior:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/85907592@N00/galleries/72157623969641716/
Next door is another fabulous building, which houses Cartier and Chloe.
Down the street, the Yoku Moku butter cookie shop tempted me with a sleek courtyard café.
But Aoyama felt remote from the exciting hustle and bustle of Harajuku, so I went back up the boulevard to where the action was.
And the action was at Kiddyland, another multi-level toy mecca!
At street level, they have a boutique devoted to Minnie Mouse, including what appears to be an attempt to replicate the success of the ultra-popular Duffy bear (more on that later!): rows of plush Minnies and a bunch different outfits to dress her in.
Inside, Kiddyland is a bit more cramped than Hakuhinkan Toy Park but better organized, with several of the six floors devoted to a single brand or company. They also offer Tokyo's largest collection of choking hazards in a single display.
Festival of Choking Hazards!
"Yes, but do you have any Elmo dolls?"
I passed up yet another Totoro, but I think in this case you can't blame me
Another toy I saw all over Tokyo and yet remained strangely immune to was Kapibara-sanan adorable, limbless capybara stuffed into a doughnut. By all rights, my eyeballs should have exploded just gazing upon its cuteness, yet I never felt compelled to buy one.
Shield your eyeballs from its cuteness!
And then I spotted this:
SNOOPY TOWN?! My pal Jennifaerie adores Snoopy! I was immediately gripped by a compulsion to buy her the coolest, most Tokyo-fabulous Snoopy souvenir imaginable, which lead to about an hour spent down the rabbit hole (or would that be the "dog hole"?) that is Snoopy Town Harajuku.
Sleepy Snoopys
Slobby Snoopys
The coolest, most Tokyo-fabulous Snoopy souvenir turned out to be a pair of Converse Chuck Taylorsunfortunately, they only had kids' sizes. Hope Jennifaerie likes toaru!
When I spotted this, I knew it was time for this grown woman to leave Kiddyland:
I totally had the original of this Barbie, AND the one pictured inside the box!
I now really want to go to Kiddy Land just to buy some Snoopy and Minnie items! That Barbie is hilarious, only because I know I had that one! In fact my sister and I both had one. I can't wait to hear more!
...
The Minnie Couture boutique is just too darling. I think my house needs those Minnie topiary trees out front! 
