Fashion-watching in wintry Tokyo

Apart from spring, my other most favorite time of the year in Tokyo is winter. I didn’t always feel like this. When we lived in Tokyo full-time, I used to dread the onset of the cold weather. I found it cumbersome to pile on clothes to keep warm outdoors only to remove most of them once indoors. I found it inconvenient to leave the house on a harsh winter day or when the streets turned wet and slippery from melting snow. I found it uncomfortable to take the train when it was crammed with people who, like me, were wearing heavy winter clothing.

All in all, I found winter dreary and depressing, and I couldn’t wait to return to sunny Philippines for some nice, warm weather.

Now, I look forward to the changing colors of the leaves, to days getting shorter and nights getting longer. I like to curl up into a ball under the thick blanket to keep warm in the evenings and hurry to draw the curtains open in our apartment in the morning to see snow falling. I get excited to dress up for the cold days and can’t wait to breathe in the clean, crisp air as soon I step out of our apartment building.

I love walking the streets and people-watching, seeing what they’re wearing, where they’re going and what they’re toting — just taking in all the frenetic energy of a fast-approaching Christmas.  

It is funny how I appreciate Japan so much more now that I don’t live there full-time. I have traveled to many more local destinations and seen many more sights, I have discovered and enjoyed new and unfamiliar Japanese flavors, and have come to respect certain values that I took for granted back then. I have finally embraced the “Japanese” part of my life with fervor and gratitude, and I am taking full advantage of every trip I take to what I consider my second home.

I went to Tokyo this time for three main reasons: First was to visit my husband Giorgio. Second was to help select the interior design details of the private dining restaurant/catering showroom he is opening in January at Azabu-Juban. And lastly, to run in the 35th Lake Kawaguchi International Marathon. Being there for almost two weeks, I had plenty of time between site visits to Gliese, the new restaurant, and the marathon to spend on my own, so I went around Tokyo to enjoy the Christmas spirit that filled the air.

Mix and matching fun and fresh winter styles at Deuxcotes design works.

Tokyo was particularly pleasant this trip because the winter cold was not brutal and the temperature hovered around 10 to 17 degrees. The sun was out on most days so thick clothing wasn’t necessary. At night, a wool coat was all I needed to keep warm with my cotton jersey dress and colored tights. I found an elegant and classic double-breasted long, black wool coat on sale at Zara in Manila a couple of years back and it has been my staple formal, evening coat ever since.  

My fashion style has evolved since those days of winter dread and I realized I didn’t need to own many thick winter clothes to dress warmly for the cold weather even at nearly zero-degree weather. I have revamped my wardrobe to include the Zara coat, a short casual, sporty jacket and a mid-length daytime coat. I have several light wool, cotton and polyester, rayon and spandex blend long-sleeve shirts (a few of them turtlenecks), two great scarves (one formal and one casual), a pair each of wool and leather gloves, two cardigans, two wool pants and skirts in dark hues plus three pairs of jeans and several colored tights. I can go from a day to evening look by simply mixing and matching the pieces.

Except for the coats, the jacket and the 100-percent wool pieces, everything is machine-washable so they are inexpensive and easy to keep clean.

For those traveling this winter and want to go for a trendy look, scour the fast fashion brands and mid-priced labels for quality pieces. Believe me, they are out there if you just have the patience to look but try to keep a few classic and timeless pieces in your wardrobe as well.

If you feel adventurous, get a silk blouse or two for a sexy, feminine look when the weather permits it. I found some edgy tops and slim-fit denims at Forever 21, classic sweaters and long-sleeve shirts at Gap and silk blouses at Zara plus a down-feather jacket at Uniqlo. Also, remember to invest good money on coats (cashmere if you have the extra budget) and jackets for they will spell the difference between dowdy and fashionable, warm and freezing.

My husband gifted me with a bronze-colored short jacket with a removable hood from Etro two years ago and it’s kept me warm even in the below-zero temperatures of Niseko, the ski capital of Japan. Fur (both real and faux) is big this season so if you like to have fun with the trend, a faux fur stole may be an easy and inexpensive winter accessory to pull off.

Of course, shoes are just as important in any winter wardrobe so invest in a pair of boots for walking and high-heeled boots or stilettos for the evening. Flats are great for casual everyday wear; buy shoes that are appropriate for snow-covered, wet and slippery roads. I found very nice and comfy high-heeled leather boots and classic stilettos at Aldo. Faux-fur boots are a big fashion statement this winter as well, so if you have the chutzpah, go for them! Once you’ve got these, unless your skiing in below-zero temperature, you’re all set for a fashionably fabulous winter.

Kate Spade in Roppongi Hills

Winter Dressing

It’s Christmastime in the land of the Rising Sun

Christmas is not an inherent part of Japanese culture but just like in many other countries profoundly influenced by globalization and migration, Christmas became a quasi-tradition in Japan sometime in the 1980s.

Foreigners working or studying in Japan and those married to Japanese nationals who found themselves unable to go back home during the holiday season began celebrating Christmas in a big way. Commercial establishments saw the huge business potential and began hyping Christmas gift-giving especially around the bubble jidai (period) when Japan is awash with cash. Today, the adopted western tradition continues despite the more challenging economic times.

 While Japan does not consider the “ber” months as the official start of the holiday season, most Christmas decor and displays are up by November. Store windows take on a festive spirit with dazzling if not unusual Christmas displays, “illumination” or street lighting the Japanese way is plentiful and Christmas sales of all kinds abound. The mood on the streets is happy and the atmosphere is filled with eager anticipation.

Back when we lived in Omotesando in the early Nineties, the commercial establishments banded together to illuminate Omotesando all the way to Harajuku in full Christmas glory; beginning at 5 p.m. every day, throngs of people would flock to the crossing and wait for the lights to come on at 6 p.m. The sight was spectacular and it attracted visitors from far and wide but residents living around the area filed a petition to discontinue the illumination for traffic and noise pollution. They won and Omotesando lost its Christmas luster for many years.

When the Mori group bought out the residents living in the public housing along Omotesando about a decade ago and built an exquisite mall called The Omotesando Hills, Illumination came back to the area. By then Roppongi, Ginza, Shibuya, Shinjuku and other parts caught the illumination fever and most of Tokyo came to full Christmas life.

On a More Somber Holiday Note

White leather, fur-trimmed gold-studded bags with Mickey & Minnie miniature dolls is Samantha Thavasa’s idea of a Christmas bag.

If you have fully satisfied your visual appetite with all the Christmas razzle-dazzle in Tokyo, there is a different type of visual experience that awaits you during the cold season at Kawaguchi-ko (town).

Believe it or not, I discovered Kawaguchi through an article written by Ton Concepcion, an avid runner, about the Lake Kawaguchi Marathon he ran a few years back. I had just started running then and was inspired to run the same race since I spend so much time in Tokyo and because the view during the race as he described it seemed remarkable.

Runner or not, Kawaguchi is a great place to spend a night or two. It is an hour and a half by bus from Tokyo Station (Yaesu exit) or Shinjuku Station-Nishi guchi (west exit), and a roundtrip ticket costs about Y3,600 (about P1,890) with buses leaving several times a day. Once you arrive at the Kawaguchi Station, you may take the local bus or taxi to any of the hotels in the area. For a view of the majestic Mt. Fuji and the beautiful Kawaguchi lake and an authentic ryokan (traditional Japanese inn) experience, stay at the Kozantei Ubuya and Kukuna. Both have generously sized and finely decorated rooms although the rooms at Kozantei come with private onsens (hot baths). They have well-appointed spas and serve delicately prepared kaiseki ryori (traditional Japanese food), among other cuisines.

Since Kawaguchi was exceptionally busy for the marathon (14,000 runners participated with about 12,000 running the full marathon) and we didn’t book early enough, we were unable to get a reservation at either hotels and instead stayed in a bed-and-breakfast village with other runners. This was my second time to join the marathon but my experiences are vastly different. Last year I ran the 11K fun run in freezing 3-degree weather; rain had fallen and the skies were overcast. We could not make out Mt. Fuji and we had none of the beautiful winter scenery Ton had written about. I couldn’t wait to finish the race, eat houtou (a fat udon-like noodle dish simmered in fresh pumpkin soup typical to the region) and get back to Tokyo.

This year, I ran the 27K race and the minute we left the village for the starting line, I knew it was going to be a glorious day for running. On board the bus, we were greeted with the sight of Mt. Fuji; the sky was clear, the lake was pristine and the weather was a lovely 8 degrees.

The race started promptly at 7:30 a.m. and I kept a consistent pace. I thought I was going slow but actually the Japanese are just really fast runners. I kept my head up most of the time and saw the snow-capped Mt. Fuji up close. I felt like it was running alongside me.

Food and water stations were more than sufficient but I didn’t really care, I just wanted to run, enjoy the route that brought us through the town and around the lake and steal glances at the majestic Mt. Fuji every chance I could get. I finished the 27K race in two hours and 44 minutes, six minutes faster than the three-hour finish I had set for myself. I also came in 175th out of 1,258 runners in the 27K division so I was very happy. Arigato (thank you) Fuji-san for keeping me company, I’ll be back next year for you, more houtou and some soaking in the onsen.