Weekend in Shimokitazawa 

Shimokitazawa, often known as Shimokita, is a hip cultural district with a nostalgic feel of Tokyo and is quite popular among youngsters alike because of its fashion and subculture. Narrow, mural-painted streets are lined with vintage clothing and record boutiques. Cafes, bookstores, pubs, and restaurants are aplenty, and every weekend there's a thrift market in the area. Exploring the streets bring simple joy and it is something I would recommend for those visiting Tokyo.

Ogawa Coffee Lab

With their first Kyoto shop opened in 1970 and a company dated back to 1952, Ogawa Coffee is a longstanding business in the Japanese coffee scene. Their Shimokitazawa store opened in 2021 and is a slow bar offering a coffee beans experience with around 25 variety offered. We tried several beans including americano House Blend Kyoto and Panama Deborah Nirvana served in pour over and latte with Panama Deborah Terroir beans. The space is a minimalist Japanese style, almost a brutalist. Giving the blank space and headspace once a customer step into the coffee shop. The shop itself is quite fast moving and is not exactly a cafe where you can sit for too long. Nevertheless, the experience was remarkable and would love to be back to try different types of beans.

Bear Pond Espresso

Bear Pond Espresso is a quick go-to coffee shop in Shimokitazawa famous for its meticulous coffee brewing. It opened in 2009 and has gain a cult of following until now. Their beans called the Flower Child blend is a dark roast mix of beans from South and Central America and Africa featuring flavour that has a hint of dark chocolate, citrusy caramel resulting in a rich full bodied espresso. Their famous creation includes "angel stain" and "dirty." Even the shop is small but this place is popular and there's always people come and go. 

Reload Compound

Reload is a hip compound located in Shimokitazawa with a concept of a mini mall. There are several cafes and stores inside. It is also where Ogawa Coffee Lab is located at. Opened in 2021, it becomes a retail complex with a unique concept comprising of various individual stores inside. The open air concept, allows the building to blend with its surrounding, creating a modern but yet low key spot. Some of the interesting brands include Beams planet, APFR, Sekaiclass - a lovely ceramic and home goods store,  Forestiere, Sanzou Tokyo - a curry shop meet an art gallery, Universal Bakes, and many more.

Vintage Stores and Weekend Market

There are many vintage stores along the way in Shimokitazawa. If you come here on the weekend, make sure to check out the community bazaar / thrift event happening. Usually there will also be a community music performance you can enjoy.

tags:japan,tokyo,travel