14:00

Today is an unusually busy day at the office. Models walking in and out accompanied by makeup artists, stylists, hairstylists and other staff every minute. I took a seat by the entrance to keep up with the action. Today is the second day of the Tokyo Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. One of the shows is happening on the floor above and the changing room is here.

23:00

Terry Betts, a friend and coworker at Thread, introduced me to two of his friends who were visiting Tokyo this week: Tatsuo and Yamazaki. Yamazaki happens to be the name of one of my favourite Japanese whiskey brands.

I met with Tatsuo and Daniel who was travelling to Tokyo with him. We had Okonomiyaki in Shibuya at Bow’s Door. This time it was a Hiroshima style okonomiyaki: a version with more layers, spring onions and cabbage.

Yamazaki and Toda joined us soon later and we visited one of Tetsuo’s favourite music bars: JBS, which stands for Jazz, Blues and Soul. We opened the thick wooden door and heard the music coming from the large speakers at the back. The all-wooden walls made me feel like I was inside a music box. On both sides of the room you see rows of vinyls. The bar could accommodate no more than 10 customers and had about 4 by the time we walked in. The only other person was the owner behind the bar.

I ordered a Yamazaki, neat, and cheered with everyone else. We chatted amongst us and with the other customers, it was like we were all part of the the same group. I made my leave after my drink but I wish I would have stayed longer. I will have to come back again.

On the photo above you can see Daniel Todd sitting down, Toda Makoto standing up on the left and Yuji Yamazaki standing up on the right.