A Week in Tokyo

We recently came up with a really good excuse for a trip to Tokyo – to shoot two BM collections!

Tokyo is a photo shoot backdrop dream, the team had wanted to shoot in this amazing city for a really long time, and as soon as they saw the gear that was coming up in Neon Demons and our Sanrio X BlackMilk: Hello Tokyo Collection, it was the obvious location choice.

Not only did we get to capture some absolutely epic photos for you, but we got to have the full Tokyo experience for ourselves too. So naturally we had to give you a sneaky peek at what we got up to, plus our personal travel tips! 

First, let’s hear from Phi, Eden and Alex in our Marketing team about their must-dos.

Phi’s Picks

My #1 favourite thing about Tokyo is: How old and historic the country is. The amazing parks have incredible trees that would have been thousands of years old and you can definitely feel a sense of spirituality when walking through them. Definitely would recommend visiting all the parks. I spent my one day off while over there just walking around as many parks and gardens as I could and I don’t regret it at all.

The coolest store I went to was: This florist that I saw in Harajuku. It had the most incredible flowers and plants that I had never seen in my life.

I ate the best food at: There was a hidden Japanese BBQ literally just outside our accommodation. I can’t remember the name, but I did get a photo. It was so unexpected but so delicious.

The weirdest thing I saw was: Being a country that is so advanced with technology, they still have a huge market for CD’s and DVD’s. You’d think that they would stream everything, especially since their internet speeds are so much faster than ours.

If you could only do one thing in Tokyo it would have to be: Definitely take the train out to explore more of the countryside of Japan. I’d love to travel further out of the city and see more of the landscapes and hikes. It’s seriously beautiful scenery. 

Eden’s Picks

My #1 favourite thing about Tokyo is: The fact that they’re not afraid of pink. Pink building, check. Pink bus, check. Pink immigration form, check. 

The coolest store I went to was: A sneaker X ice cream concept store with the sneakers in fridges!

I ate the best food at: A random little Ramen place outside our apartment. Really you could get the BEST food anywhere you went. 

The weirdest thing I saw was: James Lillis

If you could only do one thing in Tokyo it would have to be: teamLab experience! Absolutely mind blowing. It’s a permanent exhibition at The Mori Building Digital Art Museum in Tokyo.

Alex’s Picks

My #1 favourite thing about Tokyo is: The people, food and culture. It’s the most exciting city in the world! 

The coolest store I went to was: Vintage shopping in Tokyo is on another level, just the sheer amount of them. Plenty of one off pieces you can’t find back here in Aus. 

I ate the best food at: The convenience stores found on every street corner are filled with amazing snacks: tuna rice triangles, katsu chicken sandwiches and an array of ice coffee options! I found myself in a ‘Family Mart’ every morning! 

The weirdest thing I saw was: Apart from us shooting our amazing Halloween collection on the streets of Tokyo in the middle of the night… would have to be ramen from vending machines. 

If you could only do one thing in Tokyo it would have to be: EAT. As much as you can :) 

More things to see and do in Tokyo

Kawaii Monster Cafe

Recognise this spot? Yep, it’s the Kawaii Monster Cafe from our Hello Tokyo lookbook. Shooting at Monster Café was a huge treat; we had the whole venue to ourselves as the owners allowed us in before the café opened.  This place is usually packed – locals and tourists love it for the weird, colourful food, costumed entertainers and just plain insane fit-out. Even the toilets are colourful beyond belief!

Eat (and take lots of photos) at Eddy’s Ice Cream

Of course food had to be incorporated into our shoots (we were in Tokyo after all!) Our amazing models got to sample treats from Eddy’s Ice Cream. They make cones so cute you almost won’t want to eat them. Almost.

They also regularly incorporate characters into their ice creams. It just so happened they had a My Melody ice cream available when we were there ;) 

The shop itself also makes an amazing backdrop for your travel snaps. If you want to recreate your very own pink telephone pic just like in our lookbook – this is where you’ll want to go!

Fuji-Q Highland

Fuji-Q Highland was another favourite spot of ours – it’s an epic theme park that’s worth checking out if you love rides (or just great photo opportunities). There’s even a haunted house based on an old hospital – the Super Scary Labyrinth of Fear. It’s almost a kilometre long and will give you plenty of scares as you make your way through. 

Walk Shibuya Crossing

Another iconic location we shot at was Shibuya Crossing, or as it’s affectionately known, ‘the scramble’. It’s the busiest intersection in the world with roughly 2,500 people crossing at any given time and coming from all directions. Having our models run across the crossing and play up for the cameras was so much fun to watch and be a part of! 

It’s definitely worth experiencing at least once, and you’re guaranteed to get some cool photos while you’re at it. 

Meet the team who made it all happen

There they are! The crew that made it all happen. Meet Dane (our Videographer), Phi (our Photographer), Alex (Our Creative Media Producer), Eden (our Stylist), jL (you might know him), Phoebe (Hair and Makeup Artist), and our models Jin and Asachill were the best people to work with and create magic with.

Feeling inspired? Now you can shop Hello Tokyo and embrace all the street style goodness of Tokyo wherever you are. Or maybe you could even plan a trip of your own!

Either way, you’re gonna need something to wear…