Going to Japan for TWO weeks!

[cl206]

Sorry if this is the wrong sub but we just booked a two week trip to Japan in August for vacation purposes!
Would love to check out and try on some leather jackets such as the Real McCoy, DH etc stuff! Now I am not very knowledgeable about where to visit in particular regarding this side endeavor, so if anyone has any suggestion(s) for which store/factory I should visit LMK! I cannot promise I'll get to them but I will certainly try and will take pics! I especially want to try on the RMC J100, and I think size 38 fits me but they are currently out of stock at least online.

Will spend 5 nights in Tokyo, then 7 in Kyoto and then back to 2 nights in Toyko! Yeah ****** train on the agenda.

EDIT: Wow just saw that other thread, same post as mine, sorry! Ill leave it just in case. That other post has a lot of terrific suggestions. I need to stop reading it b/c my CC might break haha

 

[bnisland]

Sorry if this is the wrong sub but we just booked a two week trip to Japan in August for vacation purposes!
Would love to check out and try on some leather jackets such as the Real McCoy, DH etc stuff! Now I am not very knowledgeable about where to visit in particular regarding this side endeavor, so if anyone has any suggestion(s) for which store/factory I should visit LMK! I cannot promise I'll get to them but I will certainly try and will take pics! I especially want to try on the RMC J100, and I think size 38 fits me but they are currently out of stock at least online.

Will spend 5 nights in Tokyo, then 7 in Kyoto and then back to 2 nights in Toyko! Yeah ****** train on the agenda.

Sounds great! I’ve never been, so I don’t know how practical it is to get there from Tokyo, but I’d love to hear what Mushmans is like:

MUSHMANS
https://g.co/kgs/xdn9MTh

 

[cl206]

Sounds great! I’ve never been, so I don’t know how practical it is to get there from Tokyo, but I’d love to hear what Mushmans is like:

MUSHMANS
https://g.co/kgs/xdn9MTh

Alright! I'll put that on my list. If I do visit I will for sure take pics and report! Thanks!

Wow just did a quick glance at their site. Looks amazing! If I come back with a jacket, you guys are so gonna hear it

 

[steve u]

There's a couple of thread about where to go.. searching should have them pop up.
Ueno park is one place, lots there.

 

[Incandenza]

Would recommend Americaya: https://maps.app.goo.gl/194zj52tTw1hNRAu6

There's also the Flat Head store in Harajuku, which is not far from Desolation Row (Freewheelers) and Lewis Leathers...

 

[steve u]

Yes, that's a great start!

 

[Bennarion]

Alright! I'll put that on my list. If I do visit I will for sure take pics and report! Thanks!

Wow just did a quick glance at their site. Looks amazing! If I come back with a jacket, you guys are so gonna hear it

It will be interesting to see.

 

[steve u]

Get ready to be amazed by everything!
I started going there 20+ years ago. I married a native Japanese woman.
Bring Your wallet! A person can easily spend 1 to 10-20K a day...

 

[The Lost Cowboy]

Here's a thread with a lot of information. I was in Tokyo last month and did a big write up on leather shopping there. It's post #27, but there are lots of other posts here worth reading:

Oops! We ran into some problems.

www.thefedoralounge.com

 

[GClark]

Sorry if this is the wrong sub but we just booked a two week trip to Japan in August for vacation purposes!
Would love to check out and try on some leather jackets such as the Real McCoy, DH etc stuff! Now I am not very knowledgeable about where to visit in particular regarding this side endeavor, so if anyone has any suggestion(s) for which store/factory I should visit LMK! I cannot promise I'll get to them but I will certainly try and will take pics! I especially want to try on the RMC J100, and I think size 38 fits me but they are currently out of stock at least online.

Will spend 5 nights in Tokyo, then 7 in Kyoto and then back to 2 nights in Toyko! Yeah ****** train on the agenda.

Checking out this article https://www.permanentstyle.com/2023/06/tokyo-a-sartorial-shopping-guide.html might help

 

[cl206]

Get ready to be amazed by everything!
I started going there 20+ years ago. I married a native Japanese woman.
Bring Your wallet! A person can easily spend 1 to 10-20K a day...

Yikes lol! I know, can't wait to see and experience the culture and food especially. There should be time to visit a leather shop or two in person as opposed to ebay or online. I am gonna have to exercise restraint but my goal is to see if I can find a second hand or slightly used jacket first and foremost! I see so many of those j100 on ebay but am waaaay too afraid to order without trying them on.

 

[cl206]

Here's a thread with a lot of information. I was in Tokyo last month and did a big write up on leather shopping there. It's post #27, but there are lots of other posts here worth reading:

http://[URL][URL][URL]https://www.t...o-soon-any-shop-recommendations.114562/page-2

[/URL][/URL][/URL]

Awesome! Thanks! Can't believe I missed that!
--just read your review! Incredible writeup! Now we have a party of 5 but my wife will be in charge of where to go and my job is to make it happen. Loved your pics. We love ramen too. Can't wait!

 

[Pandemic]

There’s a stall at the Ueno markets that has some amazing stuff (leather jackets, boots and denim) and is very well priced.

 

[cl206]

There’s a stall at the Ueno markets that has some amazing stuff (leather jackets, boots and denim) and is very well priced.

Thank you! Sorry again yall bc there was another thread on this but you guys are so kind! I promise to bring back pics! in August.

 

[emicoyou]

That trip sounds amazing! For leather jackets, you definitely should check out the Real McCoy's store in Tokyo; they have a great selection, and the staff are super helpful. If you're up for a bit of a journey, you might also want to swing by the DH store in Osaka if you have time. Since you mentioned the ****** train, make sure to grab a Japan Rail Pass before you go; it’ll save you some cash on travel. And while you’re at it, check out this handy breakdown for budget travelers on hotel costs in Japan: https://www.japanfortwo.travel/hotel-costs-in-japan-yen-breakdown-for-budget-travelers/. Enjoy the trip and snap some awesome pics

 

[Ragazzi West Loop]

Sorry if this is the wrong sub but we just booked a two week trip to Japan in August for vacation purposes!
Would love to check out and try on some leather jackets such as the Real McCoy, DH etc stuff! Now I am not very knowledgeable about where to visit in particular regarding this side endeavor, so if anyone has any suggestion(s) for which store/factory I should visit LMK! I cannot promise I'll get to them but I will certainly try and will take pics! I especially want to try on the RMC J100, and I think size 38 fits me but they are currently out of stock at least online.

Will spend 5 nights in Tokyo, then 7 in Kyoto and then back to 2 nights in Toyko! Yeah ****** train on the agenda.

EDIT: Wow just saw that other thread, same post as mine, sorry! Ill leave it just in case. That other post has a lot of terrific suggestions. I need to stop reading it b/c my CC might break haha

I'll be heading to Japan in June and intend on doing a decent amount of shopping. I was there in 2019 and used a Clutch Magazine called Tokyo Shop Style as a guide. It lists every one of the most important stores and was unbelievably helpful. I took all the addresses and then stored them in Google Maps. If you can find a current copy, that might be the best resource. One thing that you should know is that some stores are not at street level. They may be on an upper floor. So, don't get discouraged if you don't see it at the first. If you are looking for denim you might want to make a side trip to Okayama. It is the center of the selvedge denim industry.

 

[cl206]

That trip sounds amazing! For leather jackets, you definitely should check out the Real McCoy's store in Tokyo; they have a great selection, and the staff are super helpful. If you're up for a bit of a journey, you might also want to swing by the DH store in Osaka if you have time. Since you mentioned the ****** train, make sure to grab a Japan Rail Pass before you go; it’ll save you some cash on travel. And while you’re at it, check out this handy breakdown for budget travelers on hotel costs in Japan: https://www.japanfortwo.travel/hotel-costs-in-japan-yen-breakdown-for-budget-travelers/. Enjoy the trip and snap some awesome pics

Yes we will be staying in osaka and will definitely visit those places you mentioned! Thanks for the tips!

 

[cl206]

I'll be heading to Japan in June and intend on doing a decent amount of shopping. I was there in 2019 and used a Clutch Magazine called Tokyo Shop Style as a guide. It lists every one of the most important stores and was unbelievably helpful. I took all the addresses and then stored them in Google Maps. If you can find a current copy, that might be the best resource. One thing that you should know is that some stores are not at street level. They may be on an upper floor. So, don't get discouraged if you don't see it at the first. If you are looking for denim you might want to make a side trip to Okayama. It is the center of the selvedge denim industry.

Thanks! Good to know. Looking forward to your trip
report!

 

[cl206]

Hello fellow leather lovers! Back from my 2 week vacation in Japan (hot, humid and busy!) and just want to share 2 things I bought right off the bat:
I got the RMC J100 (sz38, ~$1800) and a RMC belt (HH, size30, ~$235). It came with the hanger (not the drinks which I enjoyed throughout the 2 weeks lol)

We did other things too in Japan but for your enjoyment and relevance I will only share my jacket buying journey. I am writing this mostly from memory so if I get anything wrong plz correct me. Our first stop was in Ueno. We visited Americaya which is General Garden and Hokuraido. I tried on the RC Speedster in black (38) which fit pretty good and size 36 in some shade of brown which was quite tight. The gentlemen was quite nice and mentioned there is no tax (I guess he can tell we were not from Japan). Price was 242000 yen with tax (10%) and 220000 without. He reminded me NOT to bend my elbows so I looked like a robot, although I prob could have at least let my arms down to my sides. At Hokuraido, I browsed and didn't see anything I liked but then the jackets were so tightly hung up I didn't really bother checking too hard.

We did visit a few other shops at this point, some new and some used, and found nothing memorable. Then we visited the RMC in Shibuya and I tried on the J100 in size 38, which fit really well. At this pt I asked about the tax free situation and b/c of the language couldn't get a definitive answer (the guy had tattoos on his forearms and glasses, kinda nice but also aloof) and later I read on google reviews that they don't do tax free which was a major bummer (stores don't have to participate and there is no tax back at the airport counter). Didn't get the jacket b/c we were going to Kyoto and Osaka soon and I wanted to check out so many places there. Did visit in Harajuku row: Flat Head (very nice salespeople but I wasn't fond of the designs/fit), Desolation Row (aka Freewheelers) and they had no leather jackets IIRC and ofc Toys Mccoy. The gentlemen at TMC was really friendly and they didn't have any cafe racers IIRC. There was one but I think it was a repair job. We also visited Lewis Leathers here and they had ALOT of jackets, I tried one and decided to move on b/c I didn't want to get an English jacket in Japan AND I wanted a shinki jacket anyways.

In Kyoto we visited the RMC in Teramachi and that was when I made up my mind. Ishkawa (sp?) was the salesperson and he was very friendly and I told him I will most likely come back to get the J100 but first I need to check some other things out. Went to Osaka for a day trip the next day and some of the stores I wanted to visit were closed (most notably Jelado West) and I did visit some more vintage shops and found nothing. Made it back to RMC in Teramachi Kyoto and got the jacket. Apparently it is company policy NOT to do tax free. Also I wanted to get a matching HH belt at this point and they didn't have any. They were kind enough to check that the RMC in Tokyo does have some HH belts in my size. That same day I decided to go to Nara RMC and that was quite a trip. 40ish train ride followed by a 0.7 mile walk and almost couldn't find the store. Got in and immediatelty asked an older super nice gentleman if they had any HH belts and he pointed to TWO HH belts and the black one was a size 30 and I tried it on and it was a great fit. Technically I found out later they don't really want you to fully try the belt on I believe but I did it anyways and immediately slapped 4 10k yen bills on the table. Wore the belt back to the hotel

I am having some issues loading the pics, not sure why but hopefully they come thru. BTW main reason I opted for the J100 is that it is so different from my two other jackets (Schott 689HH and Aero J106). I did not want bi swing and I wanted a veg tanned HH (shinki was a bonus) AND I wanted a lighter jackets for the Spring/Fall and cooler summer nights and this fit the bill! Thanks for reading!

A few more notes:
1) We did visit the flagship JW in Tokyo, super nice!
2) One of my favorite side trip was to Liquor Mountain where you can sample up to 3 for a fixed price. Awesome!
3) I added the price tags and also an image of what the jacket would cost if you order directly from Japan to NY. Crazy!
4) I almost didn't get the hanger b/c I was concerned about luggage space, and thank goodness I got it!
5) Mushman was quite out of the way!
6) Japan was an absolute blast! Really fun all around, the people, the culture, the shopping and ofc the FOOD!
7) Too bad I couldn't make it to Barn Stormer and Tenjin Works! Next time!


RMC Kyoto (and my two girls)

Nara RMC
View attachment RMC Nara 3.JPG


Belt tag

Liquor Mountain and what I sampled
View attachment Liquor Mountain.JPG


Jacket tag (includes 10% tax)

Teramachi with the RMC storefront on the right
View attachment Termachi.JPG




This is if you order to NY from Japan. Crazy!

my haul
View attachment Hanger Jacket belt drinks.JPG

 

[Tom71]

Thanks for taking the time to write this up.

Big congrats on getting a grail jacket. Fits you really well, and the price I’d so much more bearable than what RMC charges over here these days!