First off this is definitely not a complete coverage of hip hop in Tokyo or Kyoto (not even close) but it is one person's quick shots and bits of hip hop in Japan. Japan was refreshing in that other visits to different parts of Asia didn't really show much hip hop influence, but this was not the case in Tokyo and Kyoto. It wasn't necessarily in your face but if you looked you could find it. Below are some of the images and video I managed to capture.
This is a poster I spotted in Kyoto advertising a new hip hop album.
This is a poster for a local hip hop event.
Pretty crazy "DJ" video game in an arcade. It was hard to figure out why you needed to even scratch, since most of the action seemed to be handled by the buttons.
Interesting poster warning people to guard their info when using the ATM. Interesting clothing the "suspicious" people are wearing. Guess the hoodie has as bad a rep in Japan as the UK?
Inside Product Classics in Harajuku.
History and inspiration for Product Classics.
Next stop is Kicks Lab.
A couple of images of an alley in Harajuku where most of the men's clothing stores are.
and finally, a quick video of from a hip hop club in Roppongi, a part of Tokyo where there are lots of foreigners from all over the world and a popular partying spot.
Leave a comment