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Photo © 2011 Hypebeast
Shown above are the visuals of NEIGHBORHOOD’s latest brick and mortar space in Tokyo’s vivacious district – Shibuya. This latest foray marks the brand’s second retail space which had its inauguration last September 23, 2011. Prior to the opening, some exclusive and collaborated pieces have surfaced in anticipation of the remarkable event. The dim-lighted interior of the store syncs to the dark and rebellious aesthetic that is pretty much what we expect from NEIGHBORHOOD. Stocking a diverse selection of apparels and accessories, be sure to stop by at the brand’s new Shibuya branch.
( 1-8-13 Jinnan, Senjou Building, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan 150-0041 )
Photo & Text via NEIGHBORHOOD Shibuya Store Opening | Hypebeast.
For those of you who don’t know, NEIGHBORHOOD (a.k.a. NBHD) is a Japanese urban streetwear clothing brand which was founded by Shinsuke Takizawa in the early 1990s. Following his passion for motorcycles and the counter culture that was heating up in Tokyo, Shinsuke started this clothing brand modeling military, outdoors, trad & biker styles.
The concept of “basic clothing created by digesting unique interpretations of elements from motorcycles, military, outdoor, trad, etc. and also suggesting this lifestyle” is the base for all products and projects which NEIGHBORHOOD is involved with, and always lives in the themes for the seasons. — via Neighborhood.jp
Shinsuke, along with other notable (& equally famous) Japanese urban streewear designers such as: Hiroshi Fujiwara (Fragment Design), Tetsu Nishiyama (WTaps), & NIGO (A Bathing Ape) originally based their respective brands out of the “Ura-Hara” neighborhood within the Harajuku district in Tokyo.
The area known as “Ura-Hara”, back streets of Harajuku, is a center of Japanese fashion for younger people – brands sugh as A Bathing Ape and Undercover have shops in the area. Ura-Hara is another section of Harajuku, which caters to a mostly male population interested in a Hip-hop, graffiti, and skater fashion and culture. Ura-Hara is seen as the opposite of Harajuku in that it’s more hidden and reserved. – via Wikipedia
I’m so happy & excited that Shinsuke will be opening another store location for his brand (& in Shibuya no less). I love his clothing brand, & I still purchase his clothes even though he has stopped producing his line in women’s sizes. Even though most of Shinsuke’s clothing lines are more masculine in design, there are also quite a few items that can be uni-sex & worn by women (i.e. t-shirts & sweatshirts). Shinsuke’s designs are both practical & daring. Some items are classic & versatile, & can be worn with both formal & casual styles. Some items seem just plain ridiculous, but you want it anyway because it is fun & whimsical (& you can feel as though you just bought something outrageously indulgent without feeling the guilty wallet syndrome.) Most of all, this brand is highly practical & functional, & can be infused into your daily life with ease. My fiancee is probably the biggest fan of NEIGHBORHOOD that I have ever met & has a large collection of clothing items & home goods that we both share & use everyday. My fiancee can attest that this brand is not only functional, practical & sleek, but it is also fun, stylish, cool & edgy.
Original article via Tokyo Hive: PUFFY to release best album to celebrate their 15th anniversary.
I’m really excited that PUFFY will be celebrating their 15 year anniversary (& I’m a bit stunned that it’s been 15 years already). I’ve been a long time fan of the band & I have already been to 3 of their concerts in the U.S. (as well as collecting as many of their CDs as I can).
I must say that these 2 ladies are an amazing pair. Being able to balance work & family life is not an easy task, but Ami Onuki & Yumi Yoshimura are able to make it look so effortless, & I applaud these strong women.
You know what else? This is a little-known fact about myself: PUFFY was one of my “gateway” / “bait” bands into the Japanese Pop music scene. Around the time I had just learned about Japanese Pop music (a.k.a. JPop), Japanese anime was just becoming hugely popular in America. I had previously known about anime & such, but I had no clue what Japanese Pop music was like. I had no idea that Japanese Pop music was so modern & popular all around the world. I first learned about this amazing music genre when I was given some Japanese Pop CDs from my older cousin who resides in Japan as a gift. He had given me one CD by Morning Musume & one by BoA. I really had no idea what was going on or what the lyrics meant, but I had immediately fallen in love.
After that first experience, I dove head first into the world of Japanese Pop music & pop-culture. I spent many weekends at the one music shop in the local Japantown, browsing all the aisles, marveling at all of the beautiful & shiny CD covers. I was lucky that I had a friend that knew about Japanese Pop music long before I had even heard of it, & she recommended a few artists for me to listen to…one of which was PUFFY! This friend was great. Not only did she know a few things about Japanese music, but she could also read some Japanese text, so she was able to translate a few CD names for me at the time. (Thanks friend!)
Once I had immersed myself into the Japanese Pop music scene, I was utterly obsessed! To this very day, I am still crazy about Japanese Pop music…probably more now than I ever have before… But now I have branched out my musical ears into other genres of Japanese music…also listening to: JRock (i.e.: LUNA SEA, Judy And Mary, Orange Range, the Pillows, etc.), JSoul a.k.a. R&B (i.e.: Ken Hirai, Namie Amuro, Emi Hinouchi, Kato Miliyah, etc.), JRap (i.e.: m-flo, Teriyaki Boyz, Rip Slyme, Rhymester, etc.), & JSka/JJazz (i.e.: orange pekoe, Crazy Ken Band, Jazztronik, OreSkaBand, etc.) among many others. If you browse through my iTunes music folder, you’d probably notice that 80% of my music is Japanese, 10% Western Top 40/Pop, 8% Jazz/Bossa Nova, & 2% World/International.
Overall, I’d definitely say that PUFFY has influenced me in exploring other genres & (languages) of music. Thank you PUFFY & Congratulations on celebrating 15 years & many more!
Ame Warashi approved!
Rabbits & Foxes 
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