What I learned leather jacket hunting in Tokyo

[cl206]

2nd Street, it’s the only one I know that has many used japanese leather jackets as well as used vanson/schott/aero and designer leather jackets.

IIRC there are a few 2nd st locations but the one we went to didn't really have any used japanese jackets so you got lucky at that one. It was hot in august and just getting anywhere was a chore but I did not have any luck at the vintage/used places unfortunately. The one we visited did have a used Louis Vuitton bag that my wife also has (she bought new) but it is a CLOSET item so I teased her about it lol

 

[cl206]

I’ve mentioned this place before, I’ve dealt with them via email, no tax and they ship internationally, they carry vanson, schott, aero, rmc, rc, fc, ih, attractions, dapper’s and other brands, they got denim, shoes and boots too, I don’t think any other stores have as much variety as this place.

It’s is pretty big and has a 2nd floor, check out this store inventory video from last month.

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I’ve mentioned this place before, I’ve dealt with them via email, no tax and they ship internationally, they carry vanson, schott, aero, rmc, rc, fc, ih, attractions, dapper’s and other brands, they got denim, shoes and boots too, I don’t think any other stores have as much variety as this place.

It’s is pretty big and has a 2nd floor, check out this store inventory video from last month.

definitely missed your post. that place sounds awesome!
that video is leather jacket appreciation!

 

[Steve S]

Last year on my Japan trip I had a similar experience at RMC in Tokyo but found the staff at the Kyoto store more knowledgeable and friendly. The lovely gent who helped me decide on the shinki type 1 was only too happy to chat about all his faded patinated items on display, how things aged etc.

I also found the more curated vintage shops awesome for window shopping. Like you would be seeing the best example of a vintage buco, big E Levi’s etc. Far too expensive for me but was great exposure to these museum worthy items

 

[JM021]

View attachment 715176

Sorry to revive an old pic but i was just curious how this shinki HH is so grainy. It is a desirable look or just certain batch of shinji HH are made differently? Thanks!

Would love to see a close up pic of the grain

 

[Unsubscr1ber]

Im in Japan rn and we just visited a few shops yesterday (americaya, hokuraido etc, all in Ueno) and the gentlemen at General Garden mentioned no tax when i tried on the RC speedster. they had a black in 38 and a brown in 36. was 242000 with tax and 220000 without tax iirc, yen ofc. im in bed ar 430ish am local time as i write this so i wont forget lol. i think if you ask and show your pp they all will remove tax. i would have loved the 38 in brown. today gonna visit the real/toys mccoy and FW and whatever else they have on shibuya.
will post more when i get back

When I purchased an RC from General Garden last fall, they were adamant that they do not remove the tax from the total price (though the price stickers do include both tax-inclusive and exclusive pricing). They were unmoved by my presenting my passport and pleading. It wasn’t just that they didn’t like my face — I heard the same thing told to all their international customers. This is in contrast to Hinoya a few doors down and TFH in Shibuya both of which happily made known that they remove the tax. Perhaps this has changed in the past months.

 

[Cyber Lip]

2-Barnstormer in Gotemba. Not sure why this place wasn't mentioned before but they have ALOT of different jackets all in one place (check their website) I would imagine belts and denim as well. We didn't go bc it would have been like a 3 hr train ride (unless we did shinkansen) from tokyo and more from kyoto.

I was there just last month. I ended up buying a Double Helix jacket, the bootlegger or bootlicker? Bounty Hunter, that's the one LOL. It was, how shall I put this, an interesting experience shopping there. Not sure how I felt about it. They asked me to leave my backpack at the counter. No big deal, but I thought it was a bit odd. No other shop out of the several dozen others I visited during my trip asked me to do that. Didn't care one way or the other about it though until I forgot I had done that and left the shop without it and had to go back and get it. Then I was annoyed by it lol. Also, one of the sales dudes would not leave me alone. He followed me everywhere and was glued to my side the whole time. He was nice enough and all but it was annoying. It was hard to tell if it was just their salesmanship style, or if they didn't trust the gaijin being left unsupervised. The fact they made me turn in my bag made think it was the latter.

In terms of jacket shopping there...they keep their jackets in a roped off area and you need to ask permission to go look at them, and of course this entailed my new little buddy sticking to my side when I did so like he was my Siamese twin. Then something pretty funny happened...The Bounty Hunter was one of the jackets I had him take off the hanger to let me look at. It was sharp looking and the nicest of several I looked at but I wasn't planning on buying it at first, so I didn't try it on. Then I thought what the hell I might as well slip it on. My pal had turned his back for a moment and didn't see that I had put it on. When he turned around and saw me wearing it he flipped out and had a little conniption fit, frantically telling me 'don't move arms! don't move arms!'. I get it, they don't want customers putting creases in the sleeves unnecessarily which I totally understand, but his reaction was so over the top that it was comical. He let me check myself out in the mirror in it, and he buttoned/unbuttoned it for me, but every time I moved my body even the tiniest little bit (without bending my arms mind you) he looked like he was experiencing high levels of anxiety like he was about to have a heart attack LOL. But I did love the jacket and the fit and the way it looked on me so I bought it.

 

[jchance]

I was there just last month. I ended up buying a Double Helix jacket, the bootlegger or bootlicker? Bounty Hunter, that's the one LOL. It was, how shall I put this, an interesting experience shopping there. Not sure how I felt about it. They asked me to leave my backpack at the counter. No big deal, but I thought it was a bit odd. No other shop out of the several dozen others I visited during my trip asked me to do that. Didn't care one way or the other about it though until I forgot I had done that and left the shop without it and had to go back and get it. Then I was annoyed by it lol. Also, one of the sales dudes would not leave me alone. He followed me everywhere and was glued to my side the whole time. He was nice enough and all but it was annoying. It was hard to tell if it was just their salesmanship style, or if they didn't trust the gaijin being left unsupervised. The fact they made me turn in my bag made think it was the latter.

In terms of jacket shopping there...they keep their jackets in a roped off area and you need to ask permission to go look at them, and of course this entailed my new little buddy sticking to my side when I did so like he was my Siamese twin. Then something pretty funny happened...The Bounty Hunter was one of the jackets I had him take off the hanger to let me look at. It was sharp looking and the nicest of several I looked at but I wasn't planning on buying it at first, so I didn't try it on. Then I thought what the hell I might as well slip it on. My pal had turned his back for a moment and didn't see that I had put it on. When he turned around and saw me wearing it he flipped out and had a little conniption fit, frantically telling me 'don't move arms! don't move arms!'. I get it, they don't want customers putting creases in the sleeves unnecessarily which I totally understand, but his reaction was so over the top that it was comical. He let me check myself out in the mirror in it, and he buttoned/unbuttoned it for me, but every time I moved my body even the tiniest little bit (without bending my arms mind you) he looked like he was experiencing high levels of anxiety like he was about to have a heart attack LOL. But I did love the jacket and the fit and the way it looked on me so I bought it.

This reminds me of seeing all leather jackets in plastic bags at Corlection, Sydney, Australia. I was so turned off by it, I didn’t touch or try on any jackets.

 

[cbez]

Lol the Bootlicker

 

[Bender]

Sorry to revive an old pic but i was just curious how this shinki HH is so grainy. It is a desirable look or just certain batch of shinji HH are made differently? Thanks!

Would love to see a close up pic of the grain

The Flat Head enjoys arguably the best relationship with Shinki of all the Japanese makers- they use only tonnage made exclusively for them. The story behind the latest run of the Type II is that they wanted to try a real wabi-sabi take on some of the jackets. So while some use their standard tonnage, some use a super, super grainy batch Shinki whipped up for them. Both styles were present in the Shibuya store in my size... I went with the grainy. What's cool about it is that despite the heavy grain, the panels are perfectly matched.

 

[thenillplaydirty]

When I purchased an RC from General Garden last fall, they were adamant that they do not remove the tax from the total price (though the price stickers do include both tax-inclusive and exclusive pricing). They were unmoved by my presenting my passport and pleading. It wasn’t just that they didn’t like my face — I heard the same thing told to all their international customers. This is in contrast to Hinoya a few doors down and TFH in Shibuya both of which happily made known that they remove the tax. Perhaps this has changed in the past months.

Hi Unsubscr1ber

To clarify the situation with tax-free shopping in Japan: In Japan, only shops that have been officially authorized by the National Tax Agency as an "Export Goods Sales Store" (Tax-Free Shop) can sell items without consumption tax.

A shop cannot legally waive the 10% tax unless they have the specific license and the digital system required to report transactions to the government. You can identify authorized shops by the red "Japan Tax-Free" logo (the cherry blossom mark).

It seems Hinoya has this license, while General Garden likely does not—which would explain why they couldn't offer the discount regardless of your passport. It's less about their policy and more about whether they are legally set up for it. Also, the price tags showing both tax-inclusive and exclusive prices are simply a standard display requirement in Japan and don't necessarily indicate that the store offers tax-free shopping.

The Japan Tourism Agency provides an official guide explaining this flow: https://www.mlit.go.jp/kankocho/content/001396424.pdf

Hope this helps!

 

[Unsubscr1ber]

Hi Unsubscr1ber

To clarify the situation with tax-free shopping in Japan: In Japan, only shops that have been officially authorized by the National Tax Agency as an "Export Goods Sales Store" (Tax-Free Shop) can sell items without consumption tax.

A shop cannot legally waive the 10% tax unless they have the specific license and the digital system required to report transactions to the government. You can identify authorized shops by the red "Japan Tax-Free" logo (the cherry blossom mark).

It seems Hinoya has this license, while General Garden likely does not—which would explain why they couldn't offer the discount regardless of your passport. It's less about their policy and more about whether they are legally set up for it. Also, the price tags showing both tax-inclusive and exclusive prices are simply a standard display requirement in Japan and don't necessarily indicate that the store offers tax-free shopping.

The Japan Tourism Agency provides an official guide explaining this flow: https://www.mlit.go.jp/kankocho/content/001396424.pdf

Hope this helps!

Thanks for this clear explanation. What you say makes sense and also explains why General Garden does not sell and ship internationally the way may of the other familiar retailers do. I wish it were otherwise – they have a jacket I want but between higher prices, in-person/personal shopper proxy fees, tariffs, and import duties, it can be a little disheartening.

 

[thenillplaydirty]

Thanks for this clear explanation. What you say makes sense and also explains why General Garden does not sell and ship internationally the way may of the other familiar retailers do. I wish it were otherwise – they have a jacket I want but between higher prices, in-person/personal shopper proxy fees, tariffs, and import duties, it can be a little disheartening.

I totally understand. One could even argue that there is a more complex side to this.

Because the historical background and protective tariffs have kept leather prices high in Japan for so long, it may have created a market where high price tags are somewhat "normalized." Some people believe this environment allows brands to maintain relatively high profit margins.

The fact that Japan has such an unusually large number of leather jacket makers could be seen as a sign that it’s a very profitable business here. In that sense, rather than just the costs being high, it’s possible that some brands are operating within this "historically high-priced" market to keep their margins up. It’s a bit of a tough reality for international enthusiasts who are looking for a fair deal.

 

[Pliksoff]

I was there just last month. I ended up buying a Double Helix jacket, the bootlegger or bootlicker? Bounty Hunter, that's the one LOL. It was, how shall I put this, an interesting experience shopping there. Not sure how I felt about it. They asked me to leave my backpack at the counter. No big deal, but I thought it was a bit odd. No other shop out of the several dozen others I visited during my trip asked me to do that. Didn't care one way or the other about it though until I forgot I had done that and left the shop without it and had to go back and get it. Then I was annoyed by it lol. Also, one of the sales dudes would not leave me alone. He followed me everywhere and was glued to my side the whole time. He was nice enough and all but it was annoying. It was hard to tell if it was just their salesmanship style, or if they didn't trust the gaijin being left unsupervised. The fact they made me turn in my bag made think it was the latter.

In terms of jacket shopping there...they keep their jackets in a roped off area and you need to ask permission to go look at them, and of course this entailed my new little buddy sticking to my side when I did so like he was my Siamese twin. Then something pretty funny happened...The Bounty Hunter was one of the jackets I had him take off the hanger to let me look at. It was sharp looking and the nicest of several I looked at but I wasn't planning on buying it at first, so I didn't try it on. Then I thought what the hell I might as well slip it on. My pal had turned his back for a moment and didn't see that I had put it on. When he turned around and saw me wearing it he flipped out and had a little conniption fit, frantically telling me 'don't move arms! don't move arms!'. I get it, they don't want customers putting creases in the sleeves unnecessarily which I totally understand, but his reaction was so over the top that it was comical. He let me check myself out in the mirror in it, and he buttoned/unbuttoned it for me, but every time I moved my body even the tiniest little bit (without bending my arms mind you) he looked like he was experiencing high levels of anxiety like he was about to have a heart attack LOL. But I did love the jacket and the fit and the way it looked on me so I bought it.

Was that salesman wearing glasses and a beanie? I've bought online from Barnstormer a few times last year, and the quality of responses/service was pretty variable - two of the clerks were friendly but the owner (beanie guy) gave off the impression that he only cared about the payment.

I doubt it's a gaijin bias either since I remember reading some complaints from Japanese customers about his constant surveillance (Youtube comments/google reviews).

 

[Cyber Lip]

Was that salesman wearing glasses and a beanie? I've bought online from Barnstormer a few times last year, and the quality of responses/service was pretty variable - two of the clerks were friendly but the owner (beanie guy) gave off the impression that he only cared about the payment.

I doubt it's a gaijin bias either since I remember reading some complaints from Japanese customers about his constant surveillance (Youtube comments/google reviews).

The guy that asked me to leave my bag at the counter was a guy wearing glasses and a beanie, yes, lol. But he wasn't the guy that stayed glued to my side and followed me around the store. That guy was a younger guy and seemed like just regular employee. Glasses and beanie guy was older and gave off the vibe of possibly being the owner, or at least a higher level store manager type. Sounds like the same guy you're talking about.

I'd love to have shopped there longer and looked at and tried on jeans and shoes and boots etc, but it was so uncomfortable there. Trying jeans on etc would have been a nightmare. I mean, they were looking at me sideways when I was simply looking at things that were under glass and near the counter, things I couldn't possibly have stolen. Can't imagine what trying on jeans would have been like.

What's perplexing is shoplifting in Japan is pretty much non-existent right? They were behaving like I was highly likely to be a potential shoplifter. Is it possible they've had a theft problem there? Seems unlikely since they are way out in a rural area, not in Tokyo where theft is still rare but might be more likely?

I suppose it's also possible that I may have misread the situation. It was pretty dead in there, maybe just one or two other shoppers besides me. Could be the employees were all over anyone that walked in because they were bored or because they wanted to show the boss they weren't slacking and were eager to be working hard. However, that doesn't explain being asked to hand over my bag

 

[JM021]

I plan to go Japan this year and visit TFH for a single rider jacket. is it a healthy stock of jackets or luck of the week/month?

any chance you can pick the best jacket from the lot? or generally stuck with what the sales person picks for you?

 

[Aceman]

1. just kind of across the board... assuming the brand does Asian market/ROTW sizing, then the jackets stocked in Tokyo will be Asian market. RMC/TFH don't do two different pattern runs anymore, their stuff is kind of a mix between Asian and ROTW sizing. And some brands, like Rainbow Country, only do Asian market patterns.

2. I'd have thought I'd have seen some Langlitz stuff, but I don't think I did, or at least I didn't clock it. Most Langlitz stuff I've come across looks great comparatively, because I generally find it in department stores, lol. I'm not into lambskin, but they use a really beautiful one on this trucker jacket I handled in Aus... surprisingly dense and thick. I think it was shrunken.

3. I did! A G-1 from RMC (for my buddy), a Type II from the Flat Head in this gorgeous grainy special Shinki HH, and a Rainbow Country G-1 from General Garden. The RC G-1 is insane. It's the thickest, heaviest goatskin I've ever seen... with a surface hardness like horsehide, but it still drapes a bit. It's literally not far off in weight from the FQHH batches Aero gets from Horween, but obviously not as stiff. A veg-tanned tank with spectacular graining. I'll post some pics later.

Coagulated u did G-1 RMC last year!
This year the price increase crazy 30%, I like it but unable put the trigger for this high price!