KYOTO DIARIES #1: kyoto x usa
Read more for my first post in my Kyoto Diaries Series on American culture in Kyoto.
I hopped on a bus one Wednesday afternoon, with the intention of strolling around Kyoto in search of something or someone that might catch my eye. After I got off at a random stop, I walked around for a few blocks. Plenty of bakeries, plenty of convenience stores, nothing worth exploring further. After about thirty minutes of walking around, I spotted a Japanese man, chilling casually in front of a bright yellow storefront which read 'Joseph' in hand-painted white lettering. I spotted a tagline on the storefront which read 'Casual Luxury', along with an Abercrombie & Fitch sticker on the window. I found all this quite intriguing, so I decided to investigate further.
I crossed the street and approached the man, whom introduced himself as Joseph-san. He followed me into the store which ended up being an unique thrift store dedicated to American culture and fashion. Various newspapers (they were dated from the early 2000's) covered one wall, while the other wall was filled with art you would find at a garage sale.
It was interesting to see such a sheer dedication to Americana in the middle of a residential neighborhood of Kyoto. The interior was set up like a boutique, with the store aptly departmentalized into sections that displayed Joseph's finds in the meticulous manner that the Japanese are known for.
One section was dedicated to the Cowboy, which Joseph told me were items he had sourced from a road trip through the American Southwest in the early eighties. In the first picture are the collections of "Rodeo Jeans" that he said he found at small shops in Texas and Arizona, along with a Camo coat that he customized with patches on his return to Japan. The second picture is of an outfit that Joseph described as "Texas-Mexas", a uniquely Japanese take on what you might find a cowboy wearing.
Check out the framed pictures of 1950's movie stars above the pants rack.
Other sections had eclectic selections of very 'thrift-y' shirts (think tees that you might receive from a golf tournament) mixed with memorabilia.
I asked him where he had received all of his items and he replied that he had embarked on various thrifting trips to the United States over the past thirty years.
As I continued to look around the store, Joseph picked up his guitar and started to jam.
My favourite part of the store were the outfits that Joseph had styled and put up for display. They are American clothing, yet the way he artfully matches prints is representative of the Japanese' interesting interpretation of Western fashion.
I also found the memorabilia displays particularly interesting. Japanese obsession with Western culture is an artifact of World War II, when the country was propagandized and flooded with Western thought and cultural influence. The interesting thing about this adoption of Western culture is the way the Japanese have managed to transform it into something wholly their own. The Japanese eye is very different then the eye of an American, as they seem to exude a sense of aestheticism that is unparalleled to anything in America. Check out the displays below, which are displays of random objects: builts, booze bottles, caps, bracelets, belts. It is essentially just a hodge-podge, yet the way Joseph presents his finds is artful and pleasing to look at. It is like coming upon a chest in your attic filled with artifacts of the past, yet the contents are displayed like a careful museum exhibition. That was the sense I felt when I walked around Joseph's store.
I was extremely happy with this find and got some great ideas for my own personal creative pursuits. Joseph's unique propagation of American culture through thrifting showed me how unexpected combinations of familiar objects can produce exciting and fresh results.
Before I left the store, I wrote down the address to my website and told him I would write a post on his awesome store. He thanked me profusely and told me, "がんばって下さい" (ganbatte kudasai) which means "Please do your best [on the blog post]." If you are reading the site Joseph, please leave a comment. I would love to accompany you on a thrifting adventure in the future.