Tokyo life – a daydream that I have somehow deluded myself into. When I was staying in Tokyo some years back, I snapped up a tonne of cityscape hoping to revisit them again. And I did in later months, but usually couldn’t locate where I have walked before simply because I was lost half the time and had let my feet do the leading instead of my brains.
So before I start growing senile and forgetting all about my wonderful Tokyo life, I’ve decided to put it up here! … but that’s not the point.. the point is Daikanyama代官山 is one of my favourite places in Tokyo and it’s worth mentioning.
Anyway, Daikanyama lies in the Shibuya ward. Despite being in so near Shibuya, it is nothing like the can of sardine Shibuya is. Think melodic jazz, unique modern boutiques, uptown hillside terrace residences with some of the best cafes and sidewalk restaurants in Japan. Coupled with lesser traffic, much more serenity and done away with the harsh consumerism compared to nearby Shibuya, makes the Daikanyama area one of Tokyo’s hippest and desirable neighborhoods.
From Daikanyama station (just a 2 min ride from Shibuya) one can find a variety of fashionable modern and vintage clothing boutiques, cafes, art spaces, specialty and accessories shops (my favourites are the hats boutiques and themed accessory shops), most of them converted out of old homes giving Daikanyama a modern yet retrospective feel.
One of those art spaces that you find in alleys and between shops.
Designer hops as like Jean Paul Gaultier, Paul Smith, Vivienne Tam, Porter, and Martin Margiela stretches alongside the sidewalks
I actually can’t remember if this one was another of those art spaces or a boutique
Fine text reads “Naked Bunch”
My feeble attempt at translating – Thank you to everyone who came up until here. I look forward to happily meeting with everyone again.
Yes lots of it please!
Hat Boutique! Very expensive and not very useful in the dreaded weather of Singapore…
One of those chic cafes for you to relax and watch life pass you buy..
a 315 Yen shop
Specialty accessories shop selling everything that falls within vintage and the theme of Cats
Living in the uptown means having an expensive lifestyle and owning a pet in downtown Tokyo means you have a disposable income enough to afford another (doggie) life and the SPACE it needs in small and cram Tokyo.
Everything for dogs.. I think they live a better life than me…
… even a bakery for dogs
Street view
What did I say about life in the uptowns. You get to see a lot of vintage cars too!
Daikanyama also features aplenty of basement shops. Most of them will delight you. Don’t miss them out just because they’re not at ground level!
Residences by the side
Ok so I stopped for a drink took a good 5 to 10 mins checking out this super vending machine that comes with a LCD screen, says something about music downloads via itunes and has something that looks like a cutesy game with the Rabbit push button. -.-!
Lunch at a Korean basement restaurant! After many attempts at reading the Kanji and Katakana, I still have no idea what was being served.
So I stuck to safe Gyu Yakiniku don (Fried beef bowl). セーフ！
dietwarrior
Thursday, 18 August, 2011 at 15:29
I’m glad I stumbled across your blog – this was a fun, concise read with nice photos showing a rather distinct part of Tokyo.