in your basement’s still a Japan-centric blog, and I’m forever a Japanophile, so imagine my surprise when I stumbled across this month’s CATALOG.The September Issue should be out in stores by now, but if you haven’t been able to lay your grubby mitts on a copy, then fret not. CATALOG boats a spankin’ new front for the IT-savvy crowd, in the form of an online flipbook. Hurray for the international readers who can’t pop down to one of the many stores that carries this more-often-than-not fabulous magazine. More specifically, I’ll be able to get my sartorial and style fix when I’m in Tokyo. For fellow Sodai classmates, let me know if you want to take a look at this month’s issue: I’ll be bringing a copy!
CATALOG prides itself on being “definitive shopper” and for the most part, I do agree with its saucy selections and chic fashion spreads. I usually pick up my copy from TOPSHOP or BooksActually (we haven’t gotten the latest issue as of 2 September 2009, but it should be here soon!) before chucking it under the ever growing CATALOG pile.
So what’s so special about this months’ issue, so much so that I have to dedicate precious webspace and time? Well, you’ve probably guessed it by the rather striking covers (I wouldn’t go so far as to say cutting-edge but they are certainly eye-catching!). CATALOG’s latest issue deals with the fashion-forward Tokyo and tries its very best to engage its readers with kakkoii articles.
While their effort is admirable, I was cringing at a little more than half of the editorials - a first for me, since I’ve started reading CATALOG. In particular, their geisha girl guidance made me Japansneeze a bit.
There’s an excess in Japanese words, it’s jarring and doesn’t lend any cool factor. I mean, it’s fine and all that you’d like to show off your Japanese vocabulary if that’s needed to prove that you did your research; but there’s a certain desperation about this article with our dear italicized words bouncing off every other sentence. Again, I’m pretty much against exocitizing geisha and/or geiko/maiko.
But what made me smile most, was this pretty good travel guide. Of course it’s geared towards the “I’ve Never Been To Tokyo” and “I like Fred Perry over Giordano” crowds, yet I managed to find some gems that even I got excited about.
I’m pretty sure that anything written about Akihabara would surprise most of you (or me), but the write-up’s fairly thorough. There isn’t an unnecessary kitschy inclusion of maid cafes, which really isn’t what Akiba is all about.
What really got me going, was their write-up on Kagurazaka.
The carefully curated pieces on cozy cafes and personable nooks was delightful to read. I would have appreciated an inclusion or mention of Nakameguro or Jiyuugaoka, but I suppose you’ll have to wait for my entries about those places.
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