Tokyo, Japan

Tokyo's fashion


Multimillion diamonds
Couple about to leave the hyper-chic Prada store in Ayama.
omotesando
Passersby pass in front of a window in the sophisticated neighborhood of Omotesando.
another fashion
Goth-androgen-looking teenager in Harajuku.
Nissan
Employees promote a new Nissan brand model.
Ginza-Shiseido
Casal strolls in front of the luxurious windows of Ginza, the most valuable neighborhood in the Japanese capital.
tinned t-shirts
Teenagers choose t-shirts packaged in a mirrored shop in Harajuku.
street models
Models promote a brand on one of the main streets in Tokyo's Ginza neighborhood.
Geek Fashion
Teenager dressed in fashion also known internationally for geek.
Criminal-Police Fashion
Passersby admire the creative window of a store in Ginza.
wedding fashion
Guests at a traditional Shinto wedding display expensive and sophisticated garments and bags.
street makeup
A woman improvises makeup on a street in Shibuya.
Prada by Herzog & De Meuron
An employee descends a staircase in the elegant building of the Prada store in the Ayama district.
Lolita
Lolita exhibits, in Harajuku, a look that is much appreciated by a layer of Japanese cosplay fans.
for cinderellas
Exquisite shoe showcase in the Omotesando district.
endless tokyo
Panoramic view of a seemingly endless Tokyo.
In ultra-populous and hyper-coded Japan, there is always room for more sophistication and creativity. Whether national or imported, it is in the capital that they begin to parade the new Japanese looks.

A small flag flutters over the clock tower of the Wako warehouses.

The dial reads 14.05 and clocks another sunny afternoon on the radiant Chuo-dori avenue.

We are in the heart of Ginza, the Tokyo neighborhood known, among other wonders, for having the most expensive real estate on the face of the Earth and second only to its neighbor Chiyoda, where the emperor resides.

From 1612 to 1800, this neighborhood housed the mint that produced part of the silver cash that circulated in Japan. The factory, in addition to invigorating the Japanese economy, ended up lending its name to the area and, today, more than ever, that name fits him perfectly.

couple, shop windows, ginza, Fashion, Tokyo, Japan

Casal strolls in front of the luxurious windows of Ginza, the most valuable neighborhood in the Japanese capital.

The Exquisite and Sophisticated Tokyo of Ginza

One square meter of land in the center of Ginza is worth around 100.000 euros (around 10 million yen). Virtually all the leading brands in the fashion and cosmetics world have a glamorous presence there.

They attract wealthy families driven by eager wives and groups of young people obsessed with the colors and shapes of the most famous logos. City authorities know how much this consumer fever can yield.

harajuku, t-shirt, tin, Fashion, Tokyo, Japan

Teenagers choose t-shirts packaged in a mirrored shop in Harajuku.

On weekends, they close the avenue to traffic, from early morning until almost dusk. They hand it over to a crowd that roams and re-walks from top to bottom under the smug gaze of Western models on the high billboards.

We leave Le Café Doutor, half-recovered from fatigue for a hot drink, and embark on the new adventure in this incorrigible realm of capitalism that a Buddhist monk in a yellow cape, a conical bamboo hat and white ankle boots seems to challenge, begging for alms from busy souls .

Across the street, an upscale Nissan booth is overcrowded. Inside, its new model Z Fairlady is displayed on a chrome and swivel platform and the space is not enough for so many interested parties.

Nissan, car, Fashion, Tokyo, Japan

Employees promote a new Nissan brand model.

Curious and occasional photographers compete for each piece of the vehicle and several lost heads follow the presentations of the car through the window.

The Japanese Fashion of Consumerism

We continue down Chuo-dori and, after passing countless idolized multinational stores, we find an orderly line of more than 100 meters that fills part of the avenue's sidewalk and serves as a pretext for a city policeman to pass the time, ordering them forward and step back who is misaligned, even if only 10 or 20 centimeters.

The store where the queue starts offers a short period of discounts and has been around since it opened its doors, forcing the last customers to have endless waits.

Other strategies serve the same attraction. We turn our backs and are faced with a formation of Japanese models that parade along the road at long paces and adapted to that asphalt catwalk.

In suggestive mini-skirts and high-heeled gladiator sandals, the teenagers stand out from the short passers-by and promote the irreverent design of such a new Esperanza collection.

models, Fashion, Tokyo, Japan

Models promote a brand on one of the main streets in Tokyo's Ginza neighborhood.

The predominant female dedication to appearance increasingly motivates the opposite sex to take care of themselves. To the point that, in Tokyo, and all over Japan, many men now walk around with suitcases, wallets and fanny packs as genuine as faces, made up, with eyebrows fixed.

On other occasions, we have investigated the phenomenon in commercial areas that compete with the metropolis and the truth is that, apart from one variable or another, the generalized consumerist tendency remains.

Omotesando, Aoyama, Shibuya – A Whole Urban Frenzy for Profit

In the upscale areas of Omotesando and Aoyama, some of the world's fashion gurus – Prada, Louis Vuitton, Channel, Empório Armani, Dior etc. – they have hired architectural gurus and built splendid branches that add value to their products and to the metropolis.

Prada, Ayama, Work, Fashion, Tokyo, Japan

An employee descends a staircase in the elegant building of the Prada store in the Ayama district.

Shibuya has become even more famous since “Lost in Translation” once again revealed his most crossed crossing in the world.

I didn't need the extra stimulus but, in competitive Tokyo, all outreach actions – planned or spontaneous – are welcome and many thousands of foreigners are known to visit the area every year just to admire the strange ebb and flow. urban people.

Those who do, reveal the creative freshness of Japanese youth and the fashions and countless sub-fashions of the street: the lolita, the gyaru (hyper-makeup and produced women in general), the kogal (which uses school uniforms), among so many others.

gothic, young, portrait, Fashion, Tokyo, Japan

Goth-androgen-looking teenager in Harajuku.

They also discover parallel manifestations of Japanese culture such as the cult of purikura (amazing digital photography and post-processing stores), the design of noisy halls of pashiko (game of chance based on a movement of spheres, to which many natives have become addicted) and the exotic vision of black rappers who call clients to the “Americanized” bars and clubs for which they work.

The Creative Stronghold and Outside the Harajuku Box

Nearby, the Harajuku district stretches the concept of creativity to the maximum tolerated by Japanese society and goes beyond the limits without major ceremonies.

The unprejudiced stores on Takeshita Street delight teenagers who find clothes and accessories there that allow them to build their exclusive styles, recycled or deprived after just a few days.

In such a way, brands use them as thermometers and testing centers for their most daring products.

Hundreds of trains a day stop at the Harajuku railway station and pass under the wide bridge that leads from the neighborhood to Yoyogi Forest Park and its Meiji Temple, a duo that continue to safeguard the city's Japanese Shinto honor.

Cosplay, Tokyobillies and a Count of Other Fashions

When we cross it, the bridge is handed over to Tokyo's most exotic urban clans. Shy Lolitas chat in the surroundings but it is the androgynous Visual key cosplay characters that stand out the most: those who wear striking makeup, hair and clothes, in a black way.

Besides them, the Dolly Key, inspired by the Japanese vision of the Middle Ages and fables, and the Fairy Key, an 80's variant of Lolitas that uses different tones and patterns.

lolita, portrait, Fashion, Tokyo, Japan

Lolita exhibits, in Harajuku, a look that is much appreciated by a layer of Japanese cosplay fans.

They are only a tiny part of the currents of the prolific street fashion of Tokyo.

Two rockablies and proud bikers to salarymen of black facts and the edoko geeks (from Tokyo), Japanese expressions intersect in the vast metropolis and compose a spectrum that does not stop renewing itself.

Opportunistic businessmen in the capital know how to exploit this wealth. Brands such as A Bathing Ape, Comme des Garçons, Evisu, Head Porter, Original Fake, Uniqlo, Visvim, W, TAPs and XLarge employ the best breeders and generate astronomical profits.

sandals, shoes, showcase, Fashion, Tokyo, Japan

Exquisite shoe showcase in the Omotesando district.

Not everyone is consensual. Issey Miyake, Yohji Yamamoto and Rei Kawakubo have become the exponents of Japanese fashion and their pieces are displayed at the most renowned fashion events.

And yet, in many countries, all too often, their creations are considered impossible to wear.

Tokyo, Japan

The Endless Night of the Rising Sun Capital

Say that Tokyo do not sleep is an understatement. In one of the largest and most sophisticated cities on the face of the Earth, twilight marks only the renewal of the frenetic daily life. And there are millions of souls that either find no place in the sun, or make more sense in the “dark” and obscure turns that follow.
Tokyo, Japan

A Matchmaking Sanctuary

Tokyo's Meiji Temple was erected to honor the deified spirits of one of the most influential couples in Japanese history. Over time, it specialized in celebrating traditional weddings.
Tokyo, Japan

Japanese Style Passaport-Type Photography

In the late 80s, two Japanese multinationals already saw conventional photo booths as museum pieces. They turned them into revolutionary machines and Japan surrendered to the Purikura phenomenon.
Tokyo, Japan

The Emperor Without Empire

After the capitulation in World War II, Japan underwent a constitution that ended one of the longest empires in history. The Japanese emperor is, today, the only monarch to reign without empire.
Japan

The Beverage Machines Empire

There are more than 5 million ultra-tech light boxes spread across the country and many more exuberant cans and bottles of appealing drinks. The Japanese have long since stopped resisting them.
Tokyo, Japan

Pachinko: The Video - Addiction That Depresses Japan

It started as a toy, but the Japanese appetite for profit quickly turned pachinko into a national obsession. Today, there are 30 million Japanese surrendered to these alienating gaming machines.
Tokyo, Japan

Disposable Purrs

Tokyo is the largest of the metropolises but, in its tiny apartments, there is no place for pets. Japanese entrepreneurs detected the gap and launched "catteries" in which the feline affections are paid by the hour.
Tokyo, Japan

The Fish Market That Lost its Freshness

In a year, each Japanese eats more than their weight in fish and shellfish. Since 1935, a considerable part was processed and sold in the largest fish market in the world. Tsukiji was terminated in October 2018, and replaced by Toyosu's.
Helsinki, Finland

The Design that Came from the Cold

With much of the territory above the Arctic Circle, Finns respond to the climate with efficient solutions and an obsession with art, aesthetics and modernism inspired by neighboring Scandinavia.
Kyoto, Japan

The Kyoto Temple Reborn from the Ashes

The Golden Pavilion has been spared destruction several times throughout history, including that of US-dropped bombs, but it did not withstand the mental disturbance of Hayashi Yoken. When we admired him, he looked like never before.
Okinawa, Japan

Ryukyu Dances: Centuries old. In No Hurry.

The Ryukyu kingdom prospered until the XNUMXth century as a trading post for the China and Japan. From the cultural aesthetics developed by its courtly aristocracy, several styles of slow dance were counted.
Miyajima, Japan

Shintoism and Buddhism with the Tide

Visitors to the Tori of Itsukushima admire one of the three most revered scenery in Japan. On the island of Miyajima, Japanese religiosity blends with Nature and is renewed with the flow of the Seto Inland Sea.
Iriomote, Japan

The Small Tropical Japanese Amazon of Iriomote

Impenetrable rainforests and mangroves fill Iriomote under a pressure cooker climate. Here, foreign visitors are as rare as the yamaneko, an elusive endemic lynx.
Nikko, Japan

The Tokugawa Shogun Final Procession

In 1600, Ieyasu Tokugawa inaugurated a shogunate that united Japan for 250 years. In her honor, Nikko re-enacts the general's medieval relocation to Toshogu's grandiose mausoleum every year.
Nara, Japan

The Colossal Cradle of the Japanese Buddhism

Nara has long since ceased to be the capital and its Todai-ji temple has been demoted. But the Great Hall remains the largest ancient wooden building in the world. And it houses the greatest bronze Vairocana Buddha.
Takayama, Japan

From the Ancient Japan to the Medieval Hida

In three of its streets, Takayama retains traditional wooden architecture and concentrates old shops and sake producers. Around it, it approaches 100.000 inhabitants and surrenders to modernity.
Okinawa, Japan

The Little Empire of the Sun

Risen from the devastation caused by World War II, Okinawa has regained the heritage of its secular Ryukyu civilization. Today, this archipelago south of Kyushu is home to a Japan on the shore, anchored by a turquoise Pacific ocean and bathed in a peculiar Japanese tropicalism.
Kyoto, Japan

An Almost Lost Millennial Japan

Kyoto was on the US atomic bomb target list and it was more than a whim of fate that preserved it. Saved by an American Secretary of War in love with its historical and cultural richness and oriental sumptuousness, the city was replaced at the last minute by Nagasaki in the atrocious sacrifice of the second nuclear cataclysm.
Ogimashi, Japan

A Village Faithful to the A

Ogimashi reveals a fascinating heritage of Japanese adaptability. Located in one of the most snowy places on Earth, this village has perfected houses with real anti-collapse structures.
Magome-Tsumago, Japan

Magome to Tsumago: The Overcrowded Path to the Medieval Japan

In 1603, the Tokugawa shogun dictated the renovation of an ancient road system. Today, the most famous stretch of the road that linked Edo to Kyoto is covered by a mob eager to escape.
Esteros del Iberá, Pantanal Argentina, Alligator
Safari
Iberá Wetlands, Argentina

The Pantanal of the Pampas

On the world map, south of the famous brazilian wetland, a little-known flooded region appears, but almost as vast and rich in biodiversity. the Guarani expression Y bera defines it as “shining waters”. The adjective fits more than its strong luminance.
Braga or Braka or Brakra in Nepal
Annapurna (circuit)
Annapurna Circuit: 6th – Braga, Nepal

The Ancient Nepal of Braga

Four days of walking later, we slept at 3.519 meters from Braga (Braka). Upon arrival, only the name is familiar to us. Faced with the mystical charm of the town, arranged around one of the oldest and most revered Buddhist monasteries on the Annapurna circuit, we continued our journey there. acclimatization with ascent to Ice Lake (4620m).
Colonial Church of San Francisco de Assis, Taos, New Mexico, USA
Architecture & Design
Taos, USA

North America Ancestor of Taos

Traveling through New Mexico, we were dazzled by the two versions of Taos, that of the indigenous adobe hamlet of Taos Pueblo, one of the towns of the USA inhabited for longer and continuously. And that of Taos city that the Spanish conquerors bequeathed to the Mexico: Mexico gave in to United States and that a creative community of native descendants and migrated artists enhance and continue to praise.
Tibetan heights, altitude sickness, mountain prevent to treat, travel
Adventure

Altitude Sickness: the Grievances of Getting Mountain Sick

When traveling, it happens that we find ourselves confronted with the lack of time to explore a place as unmissable as it is high. Medicine and previous experiences with Altitude Evil dictate that we should not risk ascending in a hurry.
Dragon Dance, Moon Festival, Chinatown-San Francisco-United States of America
Ceremonies and Festivities
San Francisco, USA

with the head on the moon

September comes and Chinese people around the world celebrate harvests, abundance and unity. San Francisco's enormous Sino-Community gives itself body and soul to California's biggest Moon Festival.
Elephant statues by the Li River, Elephant Trunk Hill, Guilin, China
Cities
Guilin, China

The Gateway to the Chinese Stone Kingdom

The immensity of jagged limestone hills around it is so majestic that the authorities of Beijing they print it on the back of the 20-yuan notes. Those who explore it almost always pass through Guilin. And even if this city in the province of Guangxi clashes with the exuberant nature around it, we also found its charms.
Obese resident of Tupola Tapaau, a small island in Western Samoa.
Meal
Tonga, Western Samoa, Polynesia

XXL Pacific

For centuries, the natives of the Polynesian islands subsisted on land and sea. Until the intrusion of colonial powers and the subsequent introduction of fatty pieces of meat, fast food and sugary drinks have spawned a plague of diabetes and obesity. Today, while much of Tonga's national GDP, Western Samoa and neighbors is wasted on these “western poisons”, fishermen barely manage to sell their fish.
Garranos gallop across the plateau above Castro Laboreiro, PN Peneda-Gerês, Portugal
Culture
Castro Laboreiro, Portugal  

From Castro de Laboreiro to the Rim of the Peneda – Gerês Range

We arrived at (i) the eminence of Galicia, at an altitude of 1000m and even more. Castro Laboreiro and the surrounding villages stand out against the granite monumentality of the mountains and the Planalto da Peneda and Laboreiro. As do its resilient people who, sometimes handed over to Brandas and sometimes to Inverneiras, still call these stunning places home.
combat arbiter, cockfighting, philippines
Sport
Philippines

When Only Cock Fights Wake Up the Philippines

Banned in much of the First World, cockfighting thrives in the Philippines where they move millions of people and pesos. Despite its eternal problems, it is the sabong that most stimulates the nation.
Train Fianarantsoa to Manakara, Malagasy TGV, locomotive
Traveling
Fianarantsoa-Manakara, Madagascar

On board the Malagasy TGV

We depart Fianarantsoa at 7a.m. It wasn't until 3am the following morning that we completed the 170km to Manakara. The natives call this almost secular train Train Great Vibrations. During the long journey, we felt, very strongly, those of the heart of Madagascar.
Singapore Asian Capital Food, Basmati Bismi
Ethnic
Singapore

The Asian Food Capital

There were 4 ethnic groups in Singapore, each with its own culinary tradition. Added to this was the influence of thousands of immigrants and expatriates on an island with half the area of ​​London. It was the nation with the greatest gastronomic diversity in the Orient.
Portfolio, Got2Globe, Best Images, Photography, Images, Cleopatra, Dioscorides, Delos, Greece
Got2Globe Photo Portfolio
Got2Globe Portfolio

The Earthly and the Celestial

Hiroshima, city surrendered to peace, Japan
History
Hiroshima, Japan

Hiroshima: a City Yielded to Peace

On August 6, 1945, Hiroshima succumbed to the explosion of the first atomic bomb used in war. 70 years later, the city fights for the memory of the tragedy and for nuclear weapons to be eradicated by 2020.
Terra Nostra Park, Furnas, São Miguel, Azores, Portugal
Islands
Vale das Furnas, São Miguel (Azores)

The Azorean Heat of Vale das Furnas

We were surprised, on the biggest island of the Azores, with a caldera cut by small farms, massive and deep to the point of sheltering two volcanoes, a huge lagoon and almost two thousand people from São Miguel. Few places in the archipelago are, at the same time, as grand and welcoming as the green and steaming Vale das Furnas.
Geothermal, Iceland Heat, Ice Land, Geothermal, Blue Lagoon
Winter White
Iceland

The Geothermal Coziness of the Ice Island

Most visitors value Iceland's volcanic scenery for its beauty. Icelanders also draw from them heat and energy crucial to the life they lead to the Arctic gates.
Baie d'Oro, Île des Pins, New Caledonia
Literature
Île-des-Pins, New Caledonia

The Island that Leaned against Paradise

In 1964, Katsura Morimura delighted the Japan with a turquoise novel set in Ouvéa. But the neighboring Île-des-Pins has taken over the title "The Nearest Island to Paradise" and thrills its visitors.
lagoons and fumaroles, volcanoes, PN tongariro, new zealand
Nature
Tongariro, New Zealand

The Volcanoes of All Discords

In the late XNUMXth century, an indigenous chief ceded the PN Tongariro volcanoes to the British crown. Today, a significant part of the Maori people claim their mountains of fire from European settlers.
Mother Armenia Statue, Yerevan, Armenia
Autumn
Yerevan, Armenia

A Capital between East and West

Heiress of the Soviet civilization, aligned with the great Russia, Armenia allows itself to be seduced by the most democratic and sophisticated ways of Western Europe. In recent times, the two worlds have collided in the streets of your capital. From popular and political dispute, Yerevan will dictate the new course of the nation.
Tinquilco Lake in PN Huerquehue, Pucón, La Araucania, Chile
Natural Parks
Pucón, Chile

Among the Araucarias of La Araucania

At a certain latitude in longline Chile, we enter La Araucanía. This is a rugged Chile, full of volcanoes, lakes, rivers, waterfalls and the coniferous forests from which the region's name grew. And it is the heart of the pine nuts of the largest indigenous ethnic group in the country: the Mapuche.
Saida Ksar Ouled Soltane, festival of the ksour, tataouine, tunisia
UNESCO World Heritage
Tataouine, Tunisia

Festival of the Ksour: Sand Castles That Don't Collapse

The ksour were built as fortifications by the Berbers of North Africa. They resisted Arab invasions and centuries of erosion. Every year, the Festival of the Ksour pays them the due homage.
Era Susi towed by dog, Oulanka, Finland
Characters
PN Oulanka, Finland

A Slightly Lonesome Wolf

Jukka “Era-Susi” Nordman has created one of the largest packs of sled dogs in the world. He became one of Finland's most iconic characters but remains faithful to his nickname: Wilderness Wolf.
Viti Levu, Fiji Islands, South Pacific, coral reef
Beaches
Viti levu, Fiji

Islands on the edge of Islands

A substantial part of Fiji preserves the agricultural expansions of the British colonial era. In the north and off the large island of Viti Levu, we also came across plantations that have only been named for a long time.
Tawang Monastery, Arunachal Pradesh, India
Religion
Tawang, India

The Mystic Valley of Deep Discord

On the northern edge of the Indian province of Arunachal Pradesh, Tawang is home to dramatic mountain scenery, ethnic Mompa villages and majestic Buddhist monasteries. Even if Chinese rivals have not passed him since 1962, Beijing look at this domain as part of your Tibet. Accordingly, religiosity and spiritualism there have long shared with a strong militarism.
Flam Railway composition below a waterfall, Norway.
On Rails
Nesbyen to Flam, Norway

Flam Railway: Sublime Norway from the First to the Last Station

By road and aboard the Flam Railway, on one of the steepest railway routes in the world, we reach Flam and the entrance to the Sognefjord, the largest, deepest and most revered of the Scandinavian fjords. From the starting point to the last station, this monumental Norway that we have unveiled is confirmed.
Kente Festival Agotime, Ghana, gold
Society
Kumasi to Kpetoe, Ghana

A Celebration-Trip of the Ghanian Fashion

After some time in the great Ghanaian capital ashanti we crossed the country to the border with Togo. The reasons for this long journey were the kente, a fabric so revered in Ghana that several tribal chiefs dedicate a sumptuous festival to it every year.
Casario, uptown, Fianarantsoa, ​​Madagascar
Daily life
Fianarantsoa, Madagascar

The Malagasy City of Good Education

Fianarantsoa was founded in 1831 by Ranavalona Iª, a queen of the then predominant Merina ethnic group. Ranavalona Iª was seen by European contemporaries as isolationist, tyrant and cruel. The monarch's reputation aside, when we enter it, its old southern capital remains as the academic, intellectual and religious center of Madagascar.
Crocodiles, Queensland Tropical Australia Wild
Wildlife
Cairns to Cape Tribulation, Australia

Tropical Queensland: An Australia Too Wild

Cyclones and floods are just the meteorological expression of Queensland's tropical harshness. When it's not the weather, it's the deadly fauna of the region that keeps its inhabitants on their toes.
Napali Coast and Waimea Canyon, Kauai, Hawaii Wrinkles
Scenic Flights
napali coast, Hawaii

Hawaii's Dazzling Wrinkles

Kauai is the greenest and rainiest island in the Hawaiian archipelago. It is also the oldest. As we explore its Napalo Coast by land, sea and air, we are amazed to see how the passage of millennia has only favored it.