Shoulder bags are out, handbags are in judging by the pedestrians in Azabu Juban. From delicate elbows dangle a variety of Western labels with Coach leading the pack. "It isn't a luxury brand," sniffed the only Japanese member of the Tokyo American Library Committee. Ubiquitous brown bags with accent stripes and patterned capital C's sit on the lap of every lady riding the Namoboku line. Subtext: This is just a replacement for my luxury bag, which carries the interlocked double C. Those quilted bags ride the train occasionally.
In Ginza, Tokyo's equivalent of Fifth Avenue, the Hermes shop was so crowded it drew me inside. Sadly it was not a half-price sale but rather a throng of Chinese tourists asking to see everything in the showcase. Boxes were open on every flat surface as the shoppers studied handbags in every color. The loud, engaged visitors contrasted sharply with the demure shopgirls. When one quietly addressed me, I used my schoolgirl Japanese to ask if she could repeat the question more slowly. "Is there something particular you are looking for?" she then asked me in college girl English.
On weekends it's backpacks all around. They appear to belong to the Saturday uniform, especially for couples out for an urban hike with sturdy walking shoes and caps. With vending machines and convenience stores (even 711) on every corner, I am hard pressed to imagine what they need to pack. The other weekend trend is wheelie bags, which young women roll around town. The impression that these rolling suitcases convey is "I am a jet setter en route to exotic locales."
Most coveted label in town is Louis Vuitton even for Japanese men who favor man bags. Mr. Vuitton would feel at home in a city where the average person's initials appear to be LV. At the gym a member of my step class wheels in her change of clothes in her LV bag. But for those of us on a budget the alternative initials are D & D: Dean & De Luca. Tokyoites have embraced this New York label and for a fraction of the LV price I am carrying the de rigueur black canvas D & D tote in to the locker room.
Stop press: The Tokyo American Club management has granted a banquet room to the Library for our John Wood Room to Read event. The pressure is on: We need double our current sign-ups and only two weeks to go.
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must see an accompanying photo of "it" bag, please!
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