TRAVELER 03 : YUICHI DANJO The local realities that you cannot know unless you see them with your own eyes.
PROFILE
After working for an apparel company, he opened his own store "JOHN" in Yoyogi Uehara, Tokyo in 2011. In 2009, he launched the irregularly released brand "Is Not Available.
Instagram: @aiamjohn
Mr. Danjo, you recently visited England.
Dan:Yes, it was. It was my first time abroad after joining Corona Disaster. I had heard many stories before I went, and I was very hesitant, but since I wouldn't know unless I went myself, I decided to go and find out for myself.
You are talking about the tremendous impact of the weak yen, aren't you?
Dan:The rates are not good, but I thought there might be something I could do with that. I usually don't budget my work too much. It is more of a process of convincing myself. I try to convince myself of what I am feeling and what I want.
Was this the case before the Corona disaster?
Dan:Before the Corona disaster, it was much easier to get there, and now the Ukrainian conflict has intensified, the surcharges are higher, and it takes longer to get there. Before, there was no such thing, so I used to go there because it was time to buy. But now that I've been there, I can confirm what I'm going there for.
Does that mean you found what you were looking for?
Dan:In the end, it means that there is no end. I don't even have a concrete grasp of the objective itself. I don't know, so I have to go through the process of searching again. I thought, "It would be nice to have something like this," but when I actually went and found it, I still thought I didn't need it.
You mean you feel as if you have returned to your roots or reset your mind?
Dan:That's right. I did a lot of preliminary research before I went, but when I got there, I found that many stores had already disappeared. On the other hand, there were many people who had started new businesses, and there were many things that I could not understand until I went there. I think that's why I go to these places.
Did you go to London?
Dan:I was based in London and went to Brighton and Liverpool, and I got off in areas I found on the way to car boot sales outside of London, and I went to all the places that no one else would go on a buying trip.
The travel pouch that he slings over his shoulder when he travels, "I bought it about 10 years ago and keep my money, pens, passport, etc. in it. It is a must-have for traveling. The faux leather pouch, on the other hand, "is where I keep all my receipts. I got it at the market for 1 pound.
Do you go to London every time you go shopping, or do you change the place each time?
Dan:My rule is to go to places I have never been before. I gather a lot of information by talking to local people in the area, and then I just go. I am often told, "There is nothing there," but I still have to see it with my own eyes to understand. But sometimes there is nothing there at all.
How many times have you been to England?
Dan:I have been more than 20 times. However, it is only in the last 10 years that I have been going by myself. When I was working at my previous job, I often had a senior staff member attend to me or traveled with someone else. However, I realized that I was more successful when I went alone.
Do you have some idea of where you are going?
Dan:I look at the streets on Google Maps and look for places that look interesting.
So you find the best ones by earning them with your own feet.
Dan:There are many good brands in our store, such as "Komori," but the items we find with our feet are also from the same vector as those brands. The concept is not to say, "This brand's clothes would go well with this brand's clothes," but rather to put together items that I like. So I buy only what I really like.
I heard that most of the items you bought on this trip have been sold.
Dan:Thankfully, many of them are not available at other stores, or they are often gone on the day they are released. It might be better if we bought a lot of the same items, but I myself am bored, so I don't want to do that. I think it would be more like this store if the items were constantly being changed.
This is a souvenir of the "Premier League" team "Brighton", in which Kaoru Mitoma, a soccer player, plays. It is one of the items Mr. Danjo bought locally (¥27,500). I bought it at a souvenir store near the stadium. It was in a fairly remote area, so I had a friend who lives in Brighton take me there by car."
Rather than buying something for the sake of buying something, do you really feel like you are traveling and buying literally on your own feet?
Dan:I don't feel that I am going out to buy. Is it work or play, or is there not much of a line between the two? It could all be work, or it could not be work at all. Each action has its own meaning.
What is your style when you go on a trip?
Dan:Things changed in my 20s, 30s, and 40s. It used to be that I would go to Paris or New York and order at exhibitions and shows. So I used to bring a lot of clothes with me and change my clothes, but gradually I began to think that there was no point in doing so. These days, I don't go abroad for shows or exhibitions, so I don't bring anything at all.
The more times I go, the less and less luggage I have to carry, and I can bring back one item from the site for every one I cut down. I don't have to change my coordination at all.
The Komori long down jacket was a big hit on this trip. I bought it about three years ago, but I haven't had a chance to wear it since I bought it in the Corona Disaster. I bought it about three years ago, but I never had a chance to wear it because of the Corona disaster, so this was the first time I wore it a lot.
Why do you focus on England now, when you used to visit Paris and New York?
Dan:This is my own personal impression, but I think England is a very unique country. They have a culture that they cherish, and while preserving it, they also try to incorporate new things. Some things change very quickly, and some things remain unchanged. I like that in fashion, food, and music.
Also, during this trip, I found it fascinating that everyone I knew in the area shared a variety of information with me. When I was researching fashion information, they would connect me with people who knew more about it by saying, "Ask that person," or they would share various information with me by saying, "If you like this kind of thing, I'm sure you will like this too. This is not limited to fashion, but also applies to food and other things. I felt that this strengthened the horizontal ties between us.
DANJO'S EYE
In the photo is my friend Jamie. He is a craftsman for a leather brand. I spoke to him one day to ask him how to get to my destination, and we became friends, and he gives me all kinds of information every time. The photo was taken at the new Elizabeth Line station in London" (photo provided by Jamie).
I see that you value things like community.
Dan:Yes, that's right. In Japan, I have the impression that people are all stuck together in the same industry. But people over there are not like that. They talk about all kinds of things with people from different industries. Clothes shops don't talk about clothes, but about politics, music, which restaurants are good, and so on. I thought that was fascinating.
That's very healthy.
Dan:That's the kind of place I like. So I plan to go again this summer. I'm looking forward to it because the days are longer because of daylight saving time.
A London guide from the magazine "Monocle" casually placed in the store. On the wall are a number of British train receipts that Mr. Danjo obtained in the past.
