In the first episode of our five-part Sole Searching: Tokyo series, we spent most of our day in Asakusa, Tokyo’s historic shoemaking area that’s by far the most walkable boot epicenter in Tokyo—and visit the wonderful Rolling Dub Trio, Zerrows, and Brother Bridge retail shops.
In Episode 2, we’ll first head to Tokyo’s always-vibrant Harajuku neighborhood to meet Attractions founder Tomo Nishizaki to discuss the intricacies of the design and manufacturing decisions he makes for the rockabilly-imbued engineer-boots-and-more brand.
From there, it’s off to Red Wing’s remarkable Aoyama shop, to pore over vintage and Japan-only Red Wing models, and explore the influence the iconic American brand has had on the entire Japanese boot scene with Red Wing’s Yuki Kobayashi.
Next stop: Daikanyama to meet with Michiya Suzuki, the founder and exceptional design brains behind The 2 Monkeys boots, one of the more interesting niche brands in all of Japan.
And finally: EVEN MORE RED WING via a stop at Hopesmore, what surely must be the world’s greatest vintage boots store, filled to the brim with Red Wings, White’s Boots, Russell Moccasins, Vibergs, Danners, and more—many of which can only be found for sale under that particular roof.
Brands/Shops Visited in This Video
