KICKS JAPAN

Ten-chu plug!

2011-12-24T20:09:00.000-08:00

Our friends at ten-chu have a new range of kicks called ANTI ASPHALT. Limited Edition Slip-on deck shoe style kicks with prints of cockroaches and lady beetles.
Check them out-
http://tenchu.yakiuchi.com/

Shoes Master Magazine

2011-12-24T18:24:00.000-08:00

Plug in Shoes Master, thank you! xxx

kicksjapan amazon

2011-12-19T06:34:00.000-08:00

KJ is in the top 100 for fashion books at the mo, just above Helmut Newton's Stern edition.
Oh, n check out our cover girl Hana in an outtake on the Mark Batty catalog- shot at the Tokyu Shibuya above the X-ing.

Sneaker Pimps NYC/ Irving Plaza

2011-11-12T19:19:00.000-08:00

Congrats to Peter at Sneaker Pimps for an insane night, one of the best hip hop shows I have been to. Kendrick Lamar, Waka Flocka, ASAP Rocky, Mos Def, Jim Jones, Stalley- packed house, beautiful people and droolsome kicks. Thanks again to Sneaker Pimps for having us take part in their show.
<3333 big love~ xx

Pix: Kendrick Lamar, Kendrick Lamar vid off Complex mag, sneakergasm, sneakerpedia, Stash, Shiro, KJ.

KJ x FHM

2011-11-01T05:49:00.000-07:00

Thanks David at FHM Magazine Singpore xx

Kicks Japan X Sneaker Pimps

2011-10-27T17:46:00.000-07:00

KJ are hitting the sneaker pimps NYC show w/ Shiro and old skool graff legend A.CharlesSpecial guests for the show: Kendrick Lamar, Stash more tbc at Irving Plaza. We will be exhibiting 12 pix for sale from celeb/ street photographer Geoff Johnson, all shot exclusively for the KJ, all, as in 100% proceeds to Tohoku orphans.

KJ at MOMA PS1

2011-09-30T18:14:00.000-07:00

Went to the fantastic NY Art book fair to visit our lovely publishers.

the Japan Times newspaper

2011-09-18T21:39:00.000-07:00

This is a scan of the Japan Times story written by the lovely staff writer Eriko Arita.
The text and layout is fantastic, thank you so much JT and Eriko!

THE JAPAN TIMES web

2011-09-17T20:45:00.000-07:00

click on image too see larger version

KJ in New York

2011-09-05T06:42:00.000-07:00

KJ are in NYC! Very happy to see the book all over the place, looking forward to seeing our lovely publishers, Mark Batty next week pic: KJ at Urban Outfitters :)))))

tattoo life and sneaker freaker giveaway

2011-08-30T09:06:00.000-07:00

Tattoo life have a review of KJ in their current issue, thank you miki! Also Sneaker Freaker have a giveaway, win copies of the book with some awesome Doaremon MADFOOTs all you need to do is answer a ridiculously easy question on their website

KJ vs Esthetica mag

2011-08-15T08:53:00.000-07:00

Thank you <3333

KJ around the world

2011-08-07T04:14:00.000-07:00

KJ is now in stores world wide,...pix from Colette Paris, Kinokuniya Singapore, Page One HK.

KJ/ Art & Sole

2011-07-16T06:05:00.001-07:00

Thank you for the plugxxx

KJ / Sneaker Freaker

2011-07-14T20:30:00.000-07:00

We love sneaker freaker, one of the inspirations for KJ in the first place.

KJ featured in Tokyo Time Out

2011-07-13T09:32:00.000-07:00

Thanks to James @ TTO for the plug!!

KJ hits Paris

2011-07-13T02:56:00.000-07:00

KJ went to Paris for the monstrously huge Japan expo to promote the book and to spread kicks propaganda. Slightly gobsmacked at the size of the event, it is overwhelming! Kudos and a big thank you to the organizers, especially Elena! <333

(pic by the fantastically talented Electric Pick)

Book!

2011-06-26T20:26:00.000-07:00

Got the presale copies of KJ, looks fantastic! Here are some page samples.

The Last Shoot, ten-chu sneaker

2010-08-28T05:13:00.000-07:00

Today finally we finished shooting for 'Kicks Japan'
We met Taichi+Benio from ten-chu sneaker.
These guys make most amazing custom sneaker, and they also have a band called
'Seppuku Pistols'.....bloody cool people. Check out their PV below.

BBoy Yoyogi Park

2010-08-22T05:33:00.001-07:00

BBoy Park is Tokyo's biggest hip hop event hosted by Crazy-A of the Rock Steady Crew, who was one of the first people to popularize breakdancing in Japan, after some of the luminaries in Wildstyle did an in-store appearance in an Ikebukuro department store.

2010-08-21T07:14:00.000-07:00

Individual collectors are quite shy and hard to find. So we were lucky to get an introduction to the Imai brothers from Blake @ Undefeated. Between them, they have a collection of 1500 pairs of kicks- mostly Nikes, stacked precariously in boxes in their spare room. Tsuneyasu Imai, the younger of the two has an affinity to buying the same model, but in various colors, while Tomoo Imai is a vintage freak.

Homaraya S8 park Fashion

2010-08-15T00:59:00.000-07:00

Did our last fashion shoots with Devin and Alessa at Homaraya S8 park!!

BONZAI SK8

2010-08-10T20:43:00.000-07:00

Sousou & Kayo Sakata

2010-08-09T08:49:00.000-07:00

Rounding up model shoots this week. Shot the ridiculously beautiful Kayo Sakata, in a gorgeous ryokan in Ueno- it is impossible to take a bad shot of this girl! Shoes from the Kyoto tabi company sousou. Thanks Risa for the hair/make.

REE K

2010-08-08T06:45:00.000-07:00

Ree-K is a Dj/ graphic desinger who will contribute to the customize section of the book. I've been seeing her spin at parties since I was a teenager.

Skit Overload

2010-08-02T06:18:00.000-07:00

Skit is the sneaker aficiandos ultimate, all time fantasy come true. The store houses 16 THOUSAND pairs of used sneakers,- it is both mind boggling, and dizzying. The prices, however, are not. This is the least greedy shop in Japan, seriously- this is the best place to get rare, vintage kicks for a great price. We went to the owner Katsushige Kamamoto's pad to shoot some of his collection, both of kicks and old skool hip hop records, that feature sneakers on the jackets.

DC

2010-07-31T23:57:00.000-07:00

GOT A BOX FULL OF CUTE DCs FOR SHOOTING TODAY

JUN WATANABE

2010-07-30T07:31:00.000-07:00

Jun Watanabe is the art director for the virtual city zozotwon, an online city that somewhat replicates the Harajuku area with the top brands and clothing stores selling through their website. As of 2010, the company is worth 620 million Euro, having a monopoly on the e-commerce streetwear market.
Jun Watanabe is also an independent designer who makes toys, apparel designs, characters, and of course sneakers for companies such as Pro-keds, UBIQ and MAD FOOT! His designs are deliriously pop, colorful and cute.

RUYZ

2010-07-28T07:40:00.000-07:00

RYUZ is a sneaker brand that uses vehemently Japanese themes in their kicks. Drawing from traditional Japanese culture, and employing motifs such as Buddhist gods, and family crests, each pair of sneakers is laden with the brand’s love of Japanese culture. We talk to Tomoyuki Nishibe, the representative director of RYUZ.

Hisashi Tenmyouya

2010-07-27T05:00:00.000-07:00

Went on yet anther mission to the studio of Hisashi Tenmyouya. He is one of the rising stars of the contemporary art scene, and his work is a fantastic, hybrid mix of traditional Japanese art, and street culture- what he calls neo-nihonga.

His work is a fusion of traditional art, anime, subculture references, gangs, family crests, sports, graffiti, nature, sex, violence, and uikyo-e, all seamlessly blended together. The subjects he focuses on are a reflection of his disparate interests, and talking to him- this guy knows a lot!! Very intense conversation.

Mita Sneakers

2010-07-22T02:45:00.000-07:00

Famed for both his formidable collection of kicks, and his extensive knowledge on the industry, Kunii from Mita sneakers does not disappoint. His interview is enough to base a book on, and he does, indeed own 2000 pairs of sneakers, as well as a pair of pumas with his name embossed in them as a present from the company. Mita sneakers is one of the premiere places to buy kicks in Japan, starting off as a geta store. Kunii has witnessed every sneaker craze in Tokyo, and instigated many trends with his numerous collaborations.

stars & stripes

2010-07-20T04:16:00.001-07:00

2010-07-15T05:17:00.000-07:00

Daytime: continued our Converse love. Nighttime: Sisen is an industrial/ techno DJ who is famous in the underground for his completely flamboyant style, and is probably the most incredible looking guy at any club. His potentially fatal shoes just fit the sneaker category, -how he managed to ride his bike from one side of Shinjuku to another in them remains a mystery.

Converse

2010-07-13T00:52:00.000-07:00

We love the timelessness of Converse sneakers, and we will express our love quite thoroughly in the custom kicks section of the book.

Sneaker Wolf

2010-07-12T05:45:00.000-07:00

We were pleasantly surprised to discover Sneaker Wolf (nice moniker!) who collaborates with various sneaker companies,- all his designs are infused with an inadvertently Japanese flavor, and are perfect for our book. His Ueno inspired Nikes are engraved with laser cut sakura, and the New Balance collabos are influenced by manga such as Gundam.

Tigarah

2010-07-11T02:15:00.000-07:00

Tigarah is a baille funk emcee and producer that found out about the raw, sexy, beats of Brazil's favelas from her Brazilian political science class mates during her college days. Instead of the smut ridden lyrics of typical baille funk, Tigarah raps in both English in Japanese about society at large, and is larger than life, both on and off stage. One of the hottest talents in the underground club scene, we were lucky to shoot her before she heads out to the UK til the end of the year.

Sige&Feebee

2010-07-10T06:46:00.000-07:00

Sige and Feebee are two of the most talented people KicksJapan has as friends. Sige does cool, obviously street inspired paintings, and does commissions for a plethora of street, skate, surf and snowboard companies. Feebee's girls are chic, vehemently sexy, and influenced by ukiyo-e. We went and visited them in Yokohama and look forward to seeing their contributions to the book! x

LU rainy shoot

2010-07-09T06:58:00.000-07:00

Pole dancing is a huge craze in Japan, and Lu Nagata was the first person to start a school in Tokyo. Stunningly beautiful and talented, she performs regularly in clubs and events.

DAINIPPON TYPE ORGANIZATION

2010-07-08T12:32:00.000-07:00

Dainippon Type Organization are a duo of experimental graphic designers who make playful projects based on Japanese typography. Having done various commissions for Nike, we visited their office to see some of their work- clever, innovative and with a quintessentially Japanese flavor, the duo (Hidechika and Testuya Tsukada) also give hilarious interviews.

Hifana

2010-07-07T01:10:00.000-07:00

Shot breakbeat maestros Hifana (Juicy and Keizomachine) at their studio, which was also home to a bevy of scarab beetles which they are also breeding. They recently did a sneaker ad with Nike and WK Tokyo,check it out below.

Dopesac

2010-07-06T03:12:00.000-07:00

Dopesac is a graffiti veteran, and a real purist when it comes to staying true to the streets. Socially, and politically conscious, he always gives hardcore interviews.

Mizuno Kenichiro

2010-07-05T08:34:00.000-07:00

Kenichiro Mizuno is a painter/ CG artist/VJ/ illustrator that does brilliant, although somewhat confusing, anime inspired works. His designs can also be seen on various apparel company's fabrics on their clothing and sneakers.

Ryo the Skywalker

2010-07-02T20:08:00.000-07:00

You wouldn't imagine it, but Japan has a hot dancehall/ reggae scene, and Osaka native musician/ producer Ryo the Skywalker http://www.bushhunter.jp/is one of the prominent figures helping to popularize this scene in Japan. We shot Ryo who was performing with Major Lazer to a packed, completely mental club, and backstage with Diplo. Fantastic performer, and incidentally very photogenic, Ryo has also done two collaborations with Nike (the Courthouse Low and High).

Tokyo kicksdrifters

2010-07-01T06:18:00.000-07:00

Samba Adidas by Madsaki

2010-06-28T21:15:00.000-07:00

1000 $ Sneaker falls on Tokyo !!!

2010-06-24T07:03:00.000-07:00

Working on product shots all day & got bored so I started playing around with Photoshop.Too adictive someone stop me.
The sneaker didnt fall on Tokyo
but the sneaker really does cost 1000 Dollars

MAYA

2010-06-21T06:02:00.000-07:00

Shot Maya at Inkrat tattoo. Um, wow too hot.

Tono

2010-06-20T00:19:00.000-07:00

Tono is one of the hottest b-boys in Tokyo, and his interview was really exemplary of what a cool, laid back guy he is. Completely unconcerned with money, he seemed to be really enjoying his life. We saw him at a breakdance battle a few weeks ago. Amazing.

MICHI

2010-06-19T09:53:00.001-07:00

Michi makes these cute rabbits, and used to exhibit in what used to be the ghetto.
Anyways, she used to model for some teenage fashion magazines so we suggested she bring some of her bunnies so we can do a portrait with them. We didn't actually expect a car load, one or two is cute. Hundreds are terrifying! Individually hand sewn, they are really cool- some are bigger than her.

MASAKI HANAE

2010-06-19T09:48:00.000-07:00

Shot at the Tokyu Shibuya, which has great views of Shibuya's scramble crossing from it's windows. Shot with Hana, gorgeous girl.

Nakano Broadway

2010-06-18T05:28:00.000-07:00

Been shooting products the last few days, today was the Canvas Store at Nakano Broadway, which stocks all vintage/ second hand kicks. They had a formidable collection of vintage products, their Reebok Pump Fury collection was out of control, as was the 98,000 yen (approx 1000USD) Converse One stars. Seemingly a hangout joint for sneaker otaku, the tiny shop was packed with people talking sneakers for hours on end.

PRODUCT SHOOT

2010-06-17T23:04:00.000-07:00

Rainy Shibuya with Yuka

2010-06-15T06:51:00.000-07:00

Shot ten girls over the past 3 days, tonight was a street shoot with Yuka who came in from Kobe to shoot with us. Fantastic style, moves great, and was in a bikini in Shibuya whilst Japan's rainy season took full effect. Thanks and Happy Birthday!

Studio Shoot

2010-06-14T05:14:00.001-07:00

Shooting 5 girls in a studio with Onitsuka Tigers. Today Masa came and did some body painting on two of them with an airbrush-the process takes about 2 hours, and the effect is really detailed and beautiful.

COCO Ito Shoot

2010-06-13T10:25:00.001-07:00

Starting to shoot chicks and kicks over the next few days, and took some Royals, Asics and Pumas out to shoot in Ito at Kazu's bar, and the local surf shop.
The girls super cute, and the pix are smoking hot!

Usugrow

2010-06-11T07:19:00.000-07:00

Starting as a graffiti, and flyer/ poster artist that also dabbled in tattoos his love affair with the monochrome look that he pursues started 15 years ago, when “color printers and photocopiers were so expensive that it wasn’t feasible to use them”

Probably my favorite street artist in Japan, he is also one of the most down to earth people Ive interviewed.

Blake Piper UNDEFEATED JAPAN

2010-06-10T07:34:00.000-07:00

Blake Piper at Undefeated Japan gave us some of his valuable expertise into the sneaker industry in Japan.

Shin Tanaka paper artist

2010-06-09T08:11:00.000-07:00

Shin Tanaka is one of the pioneers of the paper toy craze, and his work is simply adorable. Meticulously crafted, each of his creations takes 2-3 months to design, to get the correct specs. They don't have the boxy look of most paper toys, with curved lines, and actually look a lot better than vinyl, with a charming delicate feel about them.
We went to his rather unexpected day job, seriously in the middle of nowhere, and shot a cavalcade of his characters and kicks. He has worked with countless sneaker companies, gives workshops all over the globe, and has his toys displayed at the design gallery at Nike Oregon, and Issey Miyake Paris.
Go to his website, and download a template.

Shiro

2010-06-09T08:09:00.000-07:00

Went on a total mission to Shizuoka and caught Shiro before she heads off to NYC, and caught some stellar views of Mt Fuji in the process. Sweet as hell, we went to her studio, and shot two of her pieces. Enjoy NY girl!

KICKS LAB

2010-06-06T06:11:00.001-07:00

Shimokitazawa street shoot

2010-06-04T05:35:00.000-07:00

Harajuku street shoot

2010-06-03T07:35:00.000-07:00

break dancing

2010-06-01T05:54:00.000-07:00

DJKentaro Shoot

2010-05-04T23:41:00.000-07:00

Went to shoot DJ Kentaro after (turntablist/ producer) who has the highest DMC DJ-ing score, and is Asia's best young DJ- his skills as a turntablist are unparalleled, his scratching is incredible. Great show.

Madsaki shoot

2010-05-03T04:59:00.001-07:00

Madsaki is a brilliant artist/ desinger, that grew up in NY and is responsible for the burgeoning fixed gear bike scene in Japan.He tells us he used to get death threats on the venomous "2channel" gossip website from people who were apparently against this idea, and look!, a couple of years later every person in Harajukuis riding a fixed gear bike. He has worked with Adidas on various projects, (All day I dream about Sunsex) and his version of the Samba has to be one of the most stylish Adidas collaborations out there.

DJ Sarasa

2010-04-30T00:31:00.000-07:00

Whilst the day was marred by the fact that the ghetto, one of Japan'sonly underground hangouts, which closed a few months ago, was now beingcovered in white paint (the horror), it was brightened by the fact thatour model, DJ Sarasa came with awesome kicks, two pairs extra, freshlydone hair, homemade shades, sweet moves, the lot. Not to mention she isa talented DJ/ producer and gives great interviews.

Mandalas and Waves

2010-04-22T20:29:00.000-07:00

Shot Kami and Sasu's show (the Firmament) at the Mori Museum, which has got to the be the world's most beautiful skate ramp. Internationally renown for their exquisite work, and members of the Barnstormers crew, they are two of the most prominent and talented artists in Japan's street art scene.Kami is also quite a mad skater!

Kick off kicksjapan

2010-04-21T22:55:00.001-07:00

The cherry blossoms have dropped ,its still freezing cold and we have begun shooting for our new book Kicks Japan and Im wondering what happened to the owner of these sneakers