Despite its reputation as Tokyo’s leading youth-fashion hub, the 109 shopping complex in Shibuya can be a forbidding place for foreigners. Wall-to-wall teenyboppers and floor upon floor of kawaii style madness make for a vibe that’s intense, if not downright freaky.
So the appearance of the first English publication devoted to this retail palace makes for a welcome addition to the ranks of Tokyo guidebooks. Released by über-popular Japanese fashion mag Glitter, the 80-page guide is packed with info: a floor map, introductory blurbs about all the shops, interviews with gyaru idols, a history of the 109 building, and feature stories like “Why Hollywood Celebrities Shop at 109.”
© Metropolis magazine
7 Comments
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pawatan
It's not that big of a place, why does it need a guidebook? Walk around, if you see a store you like, pop in. Not exactly rocket science.
rewetzel1
I think the idea is that they're releasing this in bookstores overseas so they're hoping this might persuade some fashionistas to want to come to japan.
scareglow
IMHO - if you decide on going to Japan - the least you can do is prepare A LITTLE and try to get along on your own. There are too many people running around complaining about the lack of english signs and people who speak english, who need touristguides holding their hands.
IvanCoughalot
erm...they don't, do they?
dokachin
I think Beyonce and Paris Hilton were there once or twice.
IvanCoughalot
So the sentence should read "One singer and one rich cokewhore have each visited 109, maybe a couple of times". Not "Hollywood Celebrities shop at 109"
nightvision
Why?
Just for the heck of it, that's why.