This or that?

I took this shot in a fancy building near Tokyo Station. The picture doesn't quite do it justice...but it is a nice and unusual interior. The lighting structure is designy but somehow doesn't overwhelm the place. While I was there I had a nice, if expensive, meal. (Sorry, no pics.) And most likely I will be going there again soon. If any of my friends or family ever came...I might just take their sorry asses here!

Moving on. Near my work there is a Nissan showroom. These days they are holding some exhibitions with the focus on vintage cars. Right now the focus is on the...

...Fairlady Z. Or as it is known in the US, the Datsun and then the Nissan 240Z. On the right, is the top of the line NISMO tuned 300Z for 2007. It was great to see them together. I have always had me some love for the 70's and early 80's Fairlady. It seemed like an underdog of a sports car...and plus it looked cool as hell. Then they were terrible for most of the 90's. I hated that car. But now, with the latest car...they really got it right.

The lines of heritage are perfectly clear. But not in a retro cheeseball way, a la the Beetle. It is a little retro, but in an update way. A way that reminds you of the vintage years but doesn't pretend to want to take you back there.

As simple and cleanly designed as the 240's back end is...it pales in comparison to the NISMO. That looks as serious as a heart attack. All those diffusers and spoilers and the dual exhaust and on and on. I like it. Click HERE for some more pics. Put them up for a vote and I would go with the modern 300Z every time.

And now for your moment of Zen.

Today I went to Inogashira Koen in Kichijoji. The reasons for traveling to this area, a bit to the west of Tokyo, will become obvious soon. But while I was there, I took advantage of the gorgeous day and ate some lunch in the park with my trusty can of beer.

This was my view as I ate my lunch and got my drink on. All those parents taking their kids out for a spin and all those young couples working so hard. I was not about to rent a boat all by myself...but...me and the little lady have in the past. We did it in spite of the long standing superstition that if a couple uses the swan boat, they will break-up. I'm not sure how much weight I would put in that claim...we are still going strong.

It really is a nice park. But forgive me one complaint; there is a complete lack of garbage cans. This is not cool. But it is a small thing. I won't let that stop my enjoyment of the park. It has lots of bridges and paths through the forest. I even came across a tiny shrine.

Make sure to notice that the little statues of different animals are wearing some red clothing. I see this from time to time...but have yet to hear why. I will not give up though, I'm on the case!

But, as nice as the park is, it was not the main purpose of my trip. This was.

You may not be familiar with this shop. And to be honest...neither was I. It was a serious over site on my part. I am ashamed of myself. Here I was thinking I had it all figured out. How silly of me. But hey...life goes on. So, last week I was doing research about sneaker spots in Tokyo and I came across 2 that I didn't know. SKIT was the one in Kichijoji. It was quite a find. Just off the main drag, in a nondescript building, is a medium sized room utterly jammed with shoes. I didn't have the courage to take any pics...plus I was kinda dumbfounded. None-the-less, I was able to grab some pics from their website to give you the feeling.


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It is crazy. I could never step back far enough to get an overview. I kept stepping on shoes and knocking my head on the stuff above me. I found some great stuff. They carried deadstock and used stuff. Each shoe had a tag with it's details: condition, box (yes or no), size, year made, and price. I can't even remember all the stuff I saw and considered. To give you some idea, click HERE to see the shoes they put in stock ONLY today. Here are the two that came the closest.


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These are some Air Max 90's from 2005. They were part of the Albis pack. They have become known as the Sertig 90's. I love them; the bright colors mixed with black, the laces, the speckled midsole, all of it. I was even preparing myself to overlook the leather toebox. Then, these caught my eye.

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These are some Opium Air Max 180's from a few years back. The air is actually glow in the dark...which is pretty dope. But today was not my day...both were not in my size. If they were, I would have gone with the 180's. Those neon laces cannot be ignored. But is a close one. As for the store...I will be checking in on the regular. Sadly, the staff left a bit to be desired; not so friendly.

The other store I found out about...I went to on Sunday. I had totally forgotten about it. I went there by chance about 3 years ago. It is very similar to SKIT...but a bit nicer. It is PX-Station. They had some nice stuff too...but nothing I just HAD to have.

A word about these stores. While I am happy I found, or at least re-discovered them, they are not exactly my cup of tea. If I were a hardcore collector or wanted to buy and sell shoes on the web, I think I would be peeing in my pants. But, I basically love going to regular shoe stores. Knowing all the shoes are in perfect condition and there is a good chance they will have my size. Who knows, maybe I will learn to love these types of resellers...but I doubt it.

And that's all she(he) wrote, besides some music.

I heard this track on EVR a bunch of times. Today I came across the video. And BANG...2 million views!! So, yeah...I might be just behind the curve on this one. I still like the song. (And I'm gonna ignore the plethora of all-over-print hoodies up in this video.)

Lil Mama - Lip Gloss


And if I am waist deep into the shit that is pop music...I might as dive all the way in. Here is the other pop song that is getting stuck in my head. (And I am not all that angry about it.)

Avril Lavigne - Girlfriend


Wow...good luck choosing the winner in that match-up! I pick Lil Mama, just cause. Well, to be honest, it might be because I just don't like Canadians. (joke)

All right everyone, on that note...have a nice week. Make sure to let me know if you agree with all my choices. To refresh your memory: 240z vs. NISMO 300z /Air Max 90 vs. Opium 180 / Lil Mama vs. Avril.

Later

PS. To clean out your ears after that pop crap, make sure to listen to the new Sinden Kiss show. (via Mad Decent)