Buying from a hatter in Osaka: Should I take the plunge?

[boushi_mania]

So, first things first: I'm a 24-year-old American living and working in Osaka, Japan, and have become an avid fan of classic style since I came to this country. (If only I were also well-heeled enough to shop at places like Brooks Brothers and Burberry for something other than socks.)

I'm also still (relatively) new here, my only contribution thus far being this thread in the Outerwear section regarding a vintage U.S. Navy peacoat that I'm currently getting fixed up. (I promise to post new images once it's done!) But while I'm here (and still unable to send private messages), I thought I'd ask the advice of the forum-members for a major undertaking.

So, I'm thinking of buying a hat. And not just any hat; a real fur-felt hat, not those sewn things only seen on the heads of old men and young women. My interest in felt hats was what brought me here, through some of the fantastic images posted by members, and while I have learned much, I could still benefit from the advice of others with more (i.e., any) experience.

I've tried on a number of hats at department stores and such around Osaka, but the ones that look good on me tend to be things like Borsalinos and well out of my price range. But, as luck would have it, one day I happened upon an in-store showing of a hatter who works out of Osaka. His name is Bunjirow Nishikawa, and he's the fourth generation of hatters behind the Nishikawa Hat Company, founded by his great-grandfather in the 1800s. They used to have a storefront in Kobe, but since the market for his trade is a fraction of what it used to be, he now makes everything to order from his Osaka workshop. He mainly does Panama hats, for which he has furnished a great many Japanese celebrities over the years, but he also has a line of felt hats.

He had a number of them on display that day, and of the ones I got to try on, I liked this one the best. The 58 cm size fit well without being tight, and the crown and brim seemed to complement my face nicely. At this point, if I were to choose, I'd probably I'd get this model in dark grey, with a 6 cm brim, and ask to have the ribbon at 4 cm width rather than 3.6. But before I decide to commit my hard-earned money, I'm planning to go to the showroom in person and have a poke around at things.

So, *deep breath* is there anything I should ask him in particular, look out for, etc.? How do you feel about my choice of hat? What about this one?

...Ack. Just feeling so overwhelmed at the possibilities. Can someone elucidate things for me a bit?

 

[zetwal]

I went to take a look at the links you provide. They don't seem to work. All I get on my end is an error message. I'll try again later. But there may be a problem with the links.

Meanwhile, welcome to the Lounge

 

[m000m000]

For some reason or the other they've apparently(?) decided they don't want non-japanese vistors on their webpage (wouldn't exactly be a first). You can circumvent this and access the pages anyway by using a proxy server, or -service like this http://www.ijapan.org/red/ - just copypaste the URL into the box and hit go.

 

[Mario]

Just something to ponder over: If they don't want non-Japanese visitors on ther website, maybe - just maybe - they also don't want to make business with non-Japanse customers...?

 

[Aerol]

I had no trouble with the links. However, the site was entirely in Japanese, except for the prices.

If I did the conversion properly, the hats looked to be about USD 400. You might want to check VS's offerings.

 

[boushi_mania]

Just something to ponder over: If they don't want non-Japanese visitors on ther website, maybe - just maybe - they also don't want to make business with non-Japanse customers...?

I talked to the man face-to-face, and he was perfectly willing to answer all my questions, and to help me pick out a hat that looked good on my head. He was even the one that suggested a visit to the showroom, where he has more hats to try on. Of course, I'm fluent in Japanese, so that's probably a big factor.

In my experience, sites in Japan tend to limit their range geographically, not because they don't want to be exposed to foreign eyes, but because they get tired of endless streams of emails saying "lol y no english?". Perhaps I could suggest my services as an English-language liaison...?

I had no trouble with the links. However, the site was entirely in Japanese, except for the prices.

If I did the conversion properly, the hats looked to be about USD 400. You might want to check VS's offerings.

Has the U.S. Dollar depreciated that much?! I worked it out as about $310 just a few days ago. Hell, if I really want to save money, I could even skip the round-trip ¥500 train fare and ride my bike to and from his workshop. Assuming one trip for consultation and another to pick up the finished hat, that'd knock it back down to $300 even.

 

[RBH]

Welcome to the Lounge !

 

[daizawaguy]

I have ordered a hat box from this shop once, and the only experience first hand is seeing a few of his hats at a hat shop near Disneyland in Tokyo last year. If I recall he uses felt from eastern Europe (Czech?). I was dissapointed by the inner band - I think it was material. The finish was very plain and not showing much hand crafting. That said, if you like what you see, why not. It is pricey though - a Ferrara by Selentino at Bencraft hatters (felt from Czech) costs $135, and seems a much finer hat. For the same price a custom can also be had from the U.S. Personally, I would pass, but if you do buy, please post pictures! Welcome!

 

[daizawaguy]

BTW, if a Japanese hat is what you are looking for Fujii hats (who make Knox under license) can be had for cheaper at CA4LA. Check out Toraya in Ginza as well http://www.ginza-toraya.com/

 

[boushi_mania]

BTW, if a Japanese hat is what you are looking for Fujii hats (who make Knox under license) can be had for cheaper at CA4LA. Check out Toraya in Ginza as well http://www.ginza-toraya.com/

Interesting -- I'd never heard of CA4LA, but apparently they've got a shop in Osaka that's literally right down the street from Override, which I have visited. Both shops appear to have store brands that include felt hats, though at Override at least, they are unlined, and I worry about how well they would hold up over time. But maybe I'll give CA4LA a look, at least for the Fujii/Knox models.

Toraya is nice and all, but I rarely get out to Tokyo, and for the price of a round-trip on the Shinkansen, I could buy a very nice hat without having to go anywhere. (Incidentally, having visited the VS thread, I actually quite like the look of this hat Mr. Fawcett made for Jauntyone. It even reminds me of the Bunjirow hat I pointed out above, apart from the bound brim-edge.)

 

[cookie]

So, first things first: I'm a 24-year-old American living and working in Osaka, Japan, and have become an avid fan of classic style since I came to this country. (If only I were also well-heeled enough to shop at places like Brooks Brothers and Burberry for something other than socks.)

I'm also still (relatively) new here, my only contribution thus far being this thread in the Outerwear section regarding a vintage U.S. Navy peacoat that I'm currently getting fixed up. (I promise to post new images once it's done!) But while I'm here (and still unable to send private messages), I thought I'd ask the advice of the forum-members for a major undertaking.

So, I'm thinking of buying a hat. And not just any hat; a real fur-felt hat, not those sewn things only seen on the heads of old men and young women. My interest in felt hats was what brought me here, through some of the fantastic images posted by members, and while I have learned much, I could still benefit from the advice of others with more (i.e., any) experience.

I've tried on a number of hats at department stores and such around Osaka, but the ones that look good on me tend to be things like Borsalinos and well out of my price range. But, as luck would have it, one day I happened upon an in-store showing of a hatter who works out of Osaka. His name is Bunjirow Nishikawa, and he's the fourth generation of hatters behind the Nishikawa Hat Company, founded by his great-grandfather in the 1800s. They used to have a storefront in Kobe, but since the market for his trade is a fraction of what it used to be, he now makes everything to order from his Osaka workshop. He mainly does Panama hats, for which he has furnished a great many Japanese celebrities over the years, but he also has a line of felt hats.

He had a number of them on display that day, and of the ones I got to try on, I liked this one the best. The 58 cm size fit well without being tight, and the crown and brim seemed to complement my face nicely. At this point, if I were to choose, I'd probably I'd get this model in dark grey, with a 6 cm brim, and ask to have the ribbon at 4 cm width rather than 3.6. But before I decide to commit my hard-earned money, I'm planning to go to the showroom in person and have a poke around at things.

So, *deep breath* is there anything I should ask him in particular, look out for, etc.? How do you feel about my choice of hat? What about this one?

...Ack. Just feeling so overwhelmed at the possibilities. Can someone elucidate things for me a bit?

They are great hats but for the same price you could have 2x Deluxe FEDIVs from Hats Direct with better felt.

 

[scottyrocks]

I am looking at the picture here:

http://www.panamaya.com/winter/ante-hopkins.htm

and I dont see what makes these hats command th eprices they do, other than that are handmade by one guy. What struck me first is how uneven the ribbon is sewn on. And this is on the hat that was photographed for the website! The felts, in general, coul dpass for some Stetsons, at least as ar as the pictures go.