Credits

I would like to give credit where credit is due. Videos are from YouTube and other sources such as NicoNico while Oricon rankings and other information are translated from the Japanese Wikipedia unless noted.

Wednesday, November 22, 2017

Omotesando


This was one neighbourhood that I didn't visit back in 2014 and it was one of my favourites while I was living in the Kanto. 


Omotesando was most likely designed with Paris' Champs-Elysees in mind. It just makes for a nice stroll on a sunny autumn day and it's nice to be surrounded by so much luxury although I would never dare walk into a Chanel or other fashionable store.



One of the characteristic features of Omotesando was this group of old apartment buildings that used to line one side of the boulevard called the Dojunkai Aoyama Apartments built in 1926 and 1927. In 2005, they were demolished to make way for the Omotesando Hills shopping complex. However, one small block of the original building has been kept to house some boutiques.


There was an Apple store there as well, and boy, was there ever a lineup. I think iPhone X had just been released.


The side streets are nice to explore, too. And if I'd had a lot more time, I would have been more than happy to explore them. I figured that some of these roads would have revealed some interesting shops and cafes.


Perhaps a bit out of left field for my musical choice here, but when I saw the drama "Tokyo Love Story"(東京ラブストーリー)all those years ago, I swear that some of the scenes between Rika and Kanchi were filmed right on the main drag of Omotesando. And from that point onwards, whenever I walk there, one of the songs from the Toshifumi Hinata(日向敏文)soundtrack plays in my head.


2 comments:

  1. Good morning J-C: you're giving me nostalgia; even though its only been 2 weeks ;) Please continue posting your city-guide, especially now that I have some reference it's great fun to read. I did see a lot of very interesting buildings just walking around, including a 4+ block queue (very orderly) in Shinjuku for the iPhone release. When I went into the Shibuya Tower Records I noticed a big banner advertising the release of the new Polkadot Stingray album + DVD (a group I like and follow) on Nov. 8, at 11am. The exact minute my plane was pushing off the gate, so I could fly halfway around the world to log on and order it from pretty much where I had just been (and complain on Facebook). First world problems ....

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    Replies
    1. Hi, T-cat.

      Yep, there was that sense of nostalgia and newness when exploring through Tokyo. Happily, Omotesando hasn't changed all that much in the last several years aside from Omotesando Hills.

      I never heard of Polkadot Stingray. If you like, you can write about them on the blog...I never cut any of you off as contributors after The First project.

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