Chapter 2_An Indian western goods store located behind a dubious building in the Samphaeng market.
Chapter 3_A T-shirt shop found at the Sihnakarin Railway Market.
Chapter 4_A T-shirt shop found in Bangs Junction.
Chapter 5_Other miscellaneous scenes of the market.
Chapter 6_Matsukawa's purchases and summary.
PROFILE
Stylist, born in 1981 in Nagasaki. After studying under Atsushi Hashimoto, he became independent in 2011. He has a deep knowledge of both street fashion and traditional men's clothing, and has worked for a number of popular fashion magazines, transcending the boundaries between tastes and generations.
Instagram:@so_matsukawa
Chapter 1_A mysterious glasses shop appears in Chatuchak Market at midnight.
At 23:00 midnight on the day I arrived in Thailand, my first stop was Chatuchak Market, a 30-minute drive from Bangkok city.
Matsukawa: I remember that I arrived at Chatuchak Market just to get used to the market, not really geared up for it since it was my first day. Almost all the stores were closed, and I was looking for something to pick up when I found this eyeglass shop. Thinking back, I felt there were similar stores after that, but I felt something among them because all the open stores were thrift stores of mass consumption type.
ほとんどの店は区画内にあったが、このメガネ屋は隙間のスペースに簡易的な什器を置いて商いをしていた。
Hundreds of sunglasses and glasses were displayed in a space of only two tatami mats.
What did you buy here?
Matsukawa: These are reading glasses that don't seem to be sold anymore. I used them for a visual shoot after I returned to Japan.
付属のケースはメガネが入っているとは思えないほど薄く、持ち歩きやすさを考えたものだと思われる。
Visual of a set-up specially ordered by "Fresh Service" for "Brahms". The male model wears reading glasses purchased in Thailand.
Did you find it meaningful to use reading glasses?
Matsukawa: I apologize to the model, but I personally like the frowning expression on her face with reading glasses and the visual of her eyes widened by the thick lenses. The lenses make photographers cry in part because of the reflections, but I like the sense of foreignness.
It's amazing how things can bring out a realistic expression.
Matsukawa: The characters are easy to put on and it is difficult to find the same ones in Japan, so this was a really valuable purchase. Also, the temples can be folded, even though the glasses are compact to begin with. I would like to ask the person who made these at the time what his/her intentions were (laugh).
Mr. Matsukawa also tried it on in the store. It is true that it changes the way you see.
Matsukawa: Also, the sunglasses I bought here were used at a Denki Groove concert. As for Denki, it was a big deal to find them in Thailand because it was around the time when I was feeling a little limited in procuring them in Japan, while both of you have a lot of sunglasses in your personal belongings. We had no intention of looking for something cool, so we were happy to find these weird sunglasses.
I later realized that this store's lineup was also available at the market in the city center, but I bought it on the first day because I was on a high.
Even in the crudely stored boxes, bargains are plentiful.
I have this problem when I travel abroad and visit markets. I can't wait to come back, but I don't know if this is the one and only. Also, the other stores were run in a small area, but this store had a strong sense of being in the wild.
Matsukawa: It was a melancholy feeling, like today's sales are my purchases (laughs).
The price was an unbeatable 50 baht (about 250 yen) per bottle. The owner was also in a good mood as sales were brisk at the close of the store.
