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Hip surgery, the Daimyo way

It’s hard isn’t it? You’re a giant gangly freak that won’t fit into any clothes. On the street you see guys with perfect hair, their slim-line frames tucked inside perfectly pressed shirts. If you’re a woman it’s even worse. Girls with legs made of dynamite and heels about two storeys high are everywhere. You can’t get away from it, the Japanese are a hip gang and you’re not invited to their party because you won’t fit through the door. Fortunately, help is at hand. We’ve been to Daimyo, the font of Fukuoka’s fashion sense and transformed two gaijin to show you what’s possible with a little effort. From two average (ok, admittedly good looking) gaijin we’ve crafted a pair of retro hipsters, a jaw-dropping gyaru and the ultimate chic geek.

Crammed behind the massive department stores and busy roads of Tenjin, Daimyo has much more of a village feel. Bicycles swerve through the streets between wandering pedestrians and past tiny boutiques and cafes. The area is undeniably hip and the pace of life feels a bit slower than in the rest of Fukuoka’s dense center. Young people dress in distinctive Japanese fashions. Unlike London’s Shoreditch or Brooklyn these aren’t elegantly wasted stoners: they’re savvy Japanese consumers. The key to the look is sharp, fitted clothes. These kids aren’t afraid to spend time and money getting their look just right and looking like you’ve just wandered out of a jumble sale and bought a load of clothes off someone’s granny isn’t what it’s about.

What you might not realize is that regular sararimen buy into street fashion culture. The people you can see dolled up in the evening are the same people whose pinstripe suits you’re stuck to on the train in the morning. Dressing well is simply inescapable in Fukuoka. The heart of Japanese fashion is, of course, Tokyo and Japan’s other cities follow the capital’s lead. Imitating looks taken from magazines and following the style of celebrities is also incredibly important. Being cool in Japan isn’t just about dressing well, it’s about sending clear signals to anyone who clocks you in the street or at a bar. You dress to be seen.

While Tokyo has a powerful gravity, it’s clear that Fukuoka has it’s own distinctive style. Yu Mineno, a stylist who lives and works in Fukuoka, helped us transform our gaijin and he compares Daimyo to Tokyo’s subculture hub of Harajuku. “Clean” is the word Yu uses to describe the feel of fashion in the city. Button down shirts, pressed trousers – even bow ties. The influence of American and European fashion is also important. The second-hand (furugi) shops of Daimyo import most of their wares. But what they bring over is clearly filtered through Japanese tastes. Bright colors, bold patterns and extreme cuts are favored over looser, shabbier items. Yu studied at London’s prestigious College of Fashion but he says he was shocked when he came back to Fukuoka. “I thought: Wow! Japanese people are so fashionable. They spend more money on clothes,” he says.

In his professional work Yu draws his inspiration from many sources. “I like to watch people and see what kind of clothes they like,” he says. The main difficulty, he explains, is staying one step ahead. The downside of the distinct fashion genres, he says, is that “many people are stereotypes.” He is always trying to be original and recently quit working for a magazine company to pursue more creative freelance work. “I want to be able to make new things in Fukuoka. I want to get people thinking and being creative,” he says.

It’s clear that he has great pride in the city but he’d like to see a bigger and bolder artistic community emerge. When studying in London, this was something he particularly admired about the city. In the five years since he’s been back Yu doesn’t think much progress has been made but he does see potential. Fukuoka draws people from around Kyushu and the city has produced many famous musicians, TV presenters and fashion designers. He sees Daimyo as key to this process because it’s a space where these people can gather, watch, be watched and draw inspiration.

But where does this leave the gaijin? Yu says that branching out is vital. Yu’s main piece of advice is to have a good time. “There are many different interesting shops in Daimyo. It’s easy to shop here. Walking around is easy so enjoy shopping and chatting,” he says, don’t only go to big department stores but to small shops as well. Each has originality and different brands.” Because dressing to be seen and make a statement is so important style is fragmented into genres and this makes it easy to imitate what you see on the street. Because Daimyo is so compact we were able to create the three looks on the following pages in only a matter of hours. (OK so we cheated and had a bit of help, but you get the idea.)

Retro
The global symbol of hipsterdom, the lumberjack shirt, has taken on a life of its own in Japan, everyone and his aunt wears them. If you’re a girl, retro is a lot more playful than Japanese other styles. Dress like this as a couple and people will sink into depression because you’re cooler than they’ll ever be.


Sherry’s and Mix
1-14-23 Daimyo, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka
Tel: 092-716-5591 (Sherry’s) Tel: 092-732-8555 (Mix)

Kogyaru
The high heels and mini-skirts rocked by gyaru suggest naughtiness: the fluff and crazy bouffant, unhinged cuteness. Originally imitating Valley Girls, the Japanese took the idea and ran with it. The style is pretty extreme and can probably only be matched by the daughters of Eastern European oligarchs.


One Spo
2F Tenjin Core Bldg., 1-11-11 Tenjin, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka
Tel: 092-713-4682

Geek Chic
Otaku might suggest unhealthy obsession with idoru and 2D girls but Japan has actually embraced geekiness. Fly sneakers, cardigan, clean pressed shirt, bowler hat and a bow tie? It’s enough to even have Andre 3000 shaking with jealous rage. It’s not cheap but you’ll stand out through the force of your awesomeness.


Cannabis
1-9-14 Daimyo, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka
Tel: 092-713-3555

We’ve focused on four stores but Daimyo is crawling with places to try out. The area is so small that even in a couple of hours it’s possible to cover most of the streets. The massive Union 3 is a good place to start. It has a huge range of clothes, shoes and accessories for both men and women. Spinns is good as well. Pretty big and not too expensive and they even have original Nintendo games. If mod is your thing then Alley Cat has a great choice of imported British shirts and jackets as well as a fine array of vintage motorbike helmets. The slightly unfortunately named Fuctard is also worth a mention for it’s great selection of imported sneakers and baseball caps designed by the store’s owner. Currently they’re stocking a Festive Feud collection. Santa Claus battles the Thanksgiving Turkey and New Year’s takes on Valentine’s Day. “We try to make well designed hats that people haven’t seen before,” says ‘Steelo’ Irisato, who works at the store.

But one of the most enjoyable things to do if you have time to spare is just wander around until you find something you like the look of. Shops are hidden away in tiny second floor spaces and packed in one behind the other. With a little spirit of adventure and determination you can be rewarded with a great bargain or a unique item. If shopping or dressing up isn’t really your thing then it’s still worth taking the time to visit Daimyo. The atmosphere is relaxed and an afternoon can be happily spent just watching the hip-kids go by and drinking a (hand-poured, of course) coffee in one of the trendy cafes. Swindle Factory gets our vote because it looks like it escaped from an English village and they make their own t-shirts on site.

Cycling is very popular and although small tricked-out bikes dominate, the messenger bike scene is starting to penetrate as well. These bikes don’t have some of the things usually associated with bikes like gears and brakes (you can’t even freewheel) but they are very light and fast. An important part of the culture is customization and day-glo wheel rims and garish paint jobs are very fashionable. There’s usually a happy collection of both kinds of bikes outside Kura Kura Cycles. Either way, Fukuoka’s tightly packed core is easily navigable by bike as long as you’re brave enough. A little bit more bizarre is High. Deep in the back of the second floor of a building it bills itself a toyshop. But they’re not exactly the kind of toys you give to your kids. A choking-on-a-hairball Stimpy from Ren and Stimpy? You got it. Kiss-opoly, the game inspired by the band that lets you rock all night? Yep. An entire collection of Smurfs? Check. Even if you’re not buying, it’s definitely worth a look.

The music of Daimyo is hip-hop, rock and house. For clubbing, Yu recommends O/D and for live music Billboard. For more offbeat nights and smaller Japanese bands Kieth Flack is the place to go. It’s hidden down an alleyway (aren’t all the best things?) but it’s a manically designed building with a façade that looks like it’s melted in the sun. If you prefer your music in a portable, take out format, there are a lot of independent record shops with good prices on second hand CDs. Borderline Records has a large collection of jazz, rock and pop. It also has a section hawking offerings by local Fukuoka bands.

by Ian Duncan

Originally published in Fukuoka Now magazine (fn121, January, 2009)

 

Category
Others
Fukuoka City
Published: Jan 1, 2009 / Last Updated: Jun 13, 2017

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