For Lovers of Dogs and Shoes

3/12/10

I’ve heard that you don’t know a city well until you’ve gotten lost in it. In Tokyo, it’s pretty easy to get lost if you don’t know where you’re going. I went to Shibuya today, which is one of the hippest parts of Tokyo, home to the ギャル. As I left Shibuya station, I went in the entirely wrong direction, away from the heart of the district. I managed to realize my mistake and went back the station to find the right way. The best part about Shibuya is that you can find your way pretty quickly. Just ask where the dog is.



This is Hachiko. Hachiko was the dog of a Tokyo University professor. Every day he followed his master to Shibuya station to see him off to work, then waited until the end of the day when the professor would return and they would walk home together. One day, the professor suffered from a stroke and died while at work. Despite this, Hachiko waited every day for ten years for his master to return. This statue stands at one of the entrances to Shibuya station and memorializes Hachiko’s faithfulness, along with a mural along the station entrance. For more information and the full story on Hachiko, check out the Wikipedia page here.


Once I had found Hachiko, I knew I was in the right place. After paying my respects to the faithful dog, I carried on to Shibuya 109, a famous shopping center of the ギャル (Gal) style. The set up is very similar to La Foret in Harajuku, with the clothes varying, but all suitable to the style of the ギャル scene. The clothes are fun, but the thing to really look at is the shoes.


Let’s get some shoes.


Seriously, shoes in Japan are so much more interesting than anywhere else. Bows and fluffy puffballs on the toes, the heels, chains, straps, platforms, flowers in the platform heels, and everything else you could possibly imagine. Japan could open a museum to show all the different styles.

After wandering around Shibuya, I went back to Harajuku to explore some more. So guess who found the Putumayo boutique?



The store manager directed me in toward the sale rack (which wasn’t much of a sale. Skirts and hoodies for nearly 5,000 yen!). I was tempted to splurge since it’s my favorite Japanese fashion line, but I restrained myself and bought a ring and earrings instead. The manager (who I think might be the designer too) and I had a good exchange while she rang up my selections.

“Where are you from?”
“Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.”
“Oh, Pittsburgh! I’d like to go there sometime.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Is this your first time in Japan?”
“No, this is my second time.”
“Oh! Really? Where have you been to in Tokyo?”
“Shinjuku, Shibuya, Harajuku, Asakusa, Akihabara, Ikebukuro…”
“Which place is your favorite?”
“Harajuku, I think.”
“Oh good! The fashion is very interesting, isn’t it?”
“Yes, very interesting! I like it a lot!”
“Oh good! Did you like the clothes here?”
“Yes, everything is really beautiful!”
“Oh, thank you! You speak Japanese very well, by the way.”
“Ah, thank you!”
“I was worried about speaking with you at first, my heart was beating so fast!”

Then we laughed, I finished paying and left, thanking her on my way out. For more pictures of awesome shoes and Hachiko, check out my Photobucket page!