What I learned leather jacket hunting in Tokyo

[Bender]

Just got back. Some interesting stuff...

-American jackets from Vanson are very highly regarded. Many of the guys I spoke with put the quality somewhere around The Flat Head and Real McCoys. Schott and Lewis Leathers are beloved too.

-Reddit and others really overestimated how hard it would be to find sizes like 40, 42, and 44. Many of the guys there born in the 80's onwards are actually roughly the American average in terms of height.... so it wasn't very difficult to find those sizes at all. That said, I'd say the most represented size was 38.

-The crews at The Flat Head, Americaya/General Garden, Freewheelers, and Toys McCoy are super nice and truly into what they do. TFH crew especially loves to geek out and talk jackets. Encyclopedic knowledge. The crew at The Real McCoys... not so much. I went in three times and they were always a bit cold and not very knowledgeable... they weren't even aware of RMC NZ/The Few. Not trying to call them out, they make great stuff, they just seemed more like a business with bored employees while the other shops felt like passion projects staffed by aficionados.

-I don't know if this is old news, but Freewheelers hasn't made leather jackets for a few years, and doesn't know when they will again. They cited COVID supply interruptions and then the Ukrainian war making it hard to source hides. Apparently their horsehides are exclusively Eastern European.

-Detax (or the "tax-free price") is a simple procedure in Japan... you just present your passport when you pay, no forms or stops at the airport upon departure necessary. That said only The Flat Head did it. Nobody else offered tax-free. I'm unsure if there is a place at the airport you can take your receipts to at the airport, like VAT refund in the EU... I would have tried but I was running late to catch my flight.

-Yes, many jackets are way cheaper over there.

-Not really about jackets, but yooooo... Alden shoes are pricy in Japan. Like roughly $1,500 USD for the standard leathers.

 

[puiyc1203]

freewheelers focused more on outdoors, mounster style these years, they thought they could make more money in trendy streetwear
I spoke with staff in desolation row and their hong kong dealers, seems like they are not going to produce leather jacket in usual manner like before, only limited quota for each store.

 

[jchance]

1. When you say the most representative size was 38, is that US or JP sizing?

2. I heard Langlitz is the rage there, too. But I haven’t been impressed with it from what I’ve seen. Japanese loves American-made stuff!

3. Any photos of the shops/leather jackets? Did you buy any leather jackets?

 

[Bender]

1. When you say the most representative size was 38, is that US or JP sizing?

2. I heard Langlitz is the rage there, too. But I haven’t been impressed with it from what I’ve seen. Japanese loves American-made stuff!

3. Any photos of the shops/leather jackets? Did you buy any leather jackets?

1. just kind of across the board... assuming the brand does Asian market/ROTW sizing, then the jackets stocked in Tokyo will be Asian market. RMC/TFH don't do two different pattern runs anymore, their stuff is kind of a mix between Asian and ROTW sizing. And some brands, like Rainbow Country, only do Asian market patterns.

2. I'd have thought I'd have seen some Langlitz stuff, but I don't think I did, or at least I didn't clock it. Most Langlitz stuff I've come across looks great comparatively, because I generally find it in department stores, lol. I'm not into lambskin, but they use a really beautiful one on this trucker jacket I handled in Aus... surprisingly dense and thick. I think it was shrunken.

3. I did! A G-1 from RMC (for my buddy), a Type II from the Flat Head in this gorgeous grainy special Shinki HH, and a Rainbow Country G-1 from General Garden. The RC G-1 is insane. It's the thickest, heaviest goatskin I've ever seen... with a surface hardness like horsehide, but it still drapes a bit. It's literally not far off in weight from the FQHH batches Aero gets from Horween, but obviously not as stiff. A veg-tanned tank with spectacular graining. I'll post some pics later.

 

[Bender]

View attachment IMG_0005.jpeg

 

[TartuWolf]

Glad to hear that Vanson is regarding so well there. There's a fantastic 2nd hand market in JP for Vanson as well (albeit 90% is model B or C2), can find fantastic jackets for very reasonable prices.

Would be great if someone could chime in about the tax free options at the airport as opposed to directly in the store.

 

[Bender]

 

[jchance]

View attachment 715176

1. That’s some really good grains! I guess it’s worth paying a premium to select the exact hide you want in person—pretty cool

2. It makes sense for 38 (JP) to be the most common size, as that’s considered a Japanese medium. In contrast, American medium should no longer be 38-40 chest, as that’s merely a relic of the past — from the World War era. American’s median size would be 42 / large to be more aligned with reality.

 

[cl206]

Glad to hear that Vanson is regarding so well there. There's a fantastic 2nd hand market in JP for Vanson as well (albeit 90% is model B or C2), can find fantastic jackets for very reasonable prices.

Would be great if someone could chime in about the tax free options at the airport as opposed to directly in the store.

Im in Japan rn and we just visited a few shops yesterday (americaya, hokuraido etc, all in Ueno) and the gentlemen at General Garden mentioned no tax when i tried on the RC speedster. they had a black in 38 and a brown in 36. was 242000 with tax and 220000 without tax iirc, yen ofc. im in bed ar 430ish am local time as i write this so i wont forget lol. i think if you ask and show your pp they all will remove tax. i would have loved the 38 in brown. today gonna visit the real/toys mccoy and FW and whatever else they have on shibuya.
will post more when i get back

 

[Brmn]

Funny you mention TFH vs RMC. I’ve had the same experience. TFH shop guys are encyclopedic and love to talk details, whereas RMC feels more like a brand boutique with salespeople. Different energy, same great jackets.

 

[mcnuonuo]

I can confirm with TFH vs Real McCoy’s comparison.
TFH seems like true enthusiasts while RMC felt corporate.

I went to TFH in Harajuku and tried a few and told them I need to visit RMC to try a few more before deciding. They very much jokingly showed despite lol.

RMC just has too many products, it’ll be a hard ask for the staff to know everything.

I asked RMC about tax-free, they said only “big companies” have them, lol. I was fine, still good prices.

 

[The Lost Cowboy]

Glad to hear that Vanson is regarding so well there. There's a fantastic 2nd hand market in JP for Vanson as well (albeit 90% is model B or C2), can find fantastic jackets for very reasonable prices.

Would be great if someone could chime in about the tax free options at the airport as opposed to directly in the store.

Both airports in Tokyo had some of the best airport shopping I have ever seen, but even then the jackets were mostly nylon. I didn't see any leather jackets at either airport, though I certainly only saw the specific areas I was in (five times now at those aiports, I believe).

The nylon selection was also limited, but decent quality.

 

[Bender]

I can confirm with TFH vs Real McCoy’s comparison.
TFH seems like true enthusiasts while RMC felt corporate.

I went to TFH in Harajuku and tried a few and told them I need to visit RMC to try a few more before deciding. They very much jokingly showed despite lol.

RMC just has too many products, it’ll be a hard ask for the staff to know everything.

I asked RMC about tax-free, they said only “big companies” have them, lol. I was fine, still good prices.

Yeah, RMC wouldn't do tax free... But TFH immediately offered it lol

 

[decadent]

Thanks for the report, I am flying in November and will visit some of the places as well.

Last year I visited most of the mentioned shops but hunting for selvedge denim and not for leather. This time I will be looking for jackets as well and the plan is to spend most time in Ueno and Americaya. Had great experience for denim there and the people were really nice. Same feeling about RMC by the way, staff was bored and cold.

Did you also go to second hand/vintage shops and were there good finds for leather jackets?

 

[Bender]

Thanks for the report, I am flying in November and will visit some of the places as well.

Last year I visited most of the mentioned shops but hunting for selvedge denim and not for leather. This time I will be looking for jackets as well and the plan is to spend most time in Ueno and Americaya. Had great experience for denim there and the people were really nice. Same feeling about RMC by the way, staff was bored and cold.

Did you also go to second hand/vintage shops and were there good finds for leather jackets?

Yes, I completely forgot to share my thrifting experience...

SO, I found no leather jackets other than a few Schotts and a ton of fashion brands. No Japanese makers at all. However to be fair, I didn't really have a plan as far as thrifting goes... I definitely checked out some of the neighborhoods mentioned on these forums for thrifting, particularly around Shibuya, but without a particular store in mind, I kind of just went by the general vibe of a store, and checked out the places that looked like they should have leather jackets.

If anybody here can think of a particular thrift store, lemme know and I'll tell you if I checked it out or not.

That all said, the thrifting for women's luxury clothing and handbags was super on point... my wife was amped. This is important for you, because there is no easier way to massage a jacket purchase lol

 

[decadent]

Yes, I completely forgot to share my thrifting experience...

SO, I found no leather jackets other than a few Schotts and a ton of fashion brands. No Japanese makers at all. However to be fair, I didn't really have a plan as far as thrifting goes... I definitely checked out some of the neighborhoods mentioned on these forums for thrifting, particularly around Shibuya, but without a particular store in mind, I kind of just went by the general vibe of a store, and checked out the places that looked like they should have leather jackets.

If anybody here can think of a particular thrift store, lemme know and I'll tell you if I checked it out or not.

That all said, the thrifting for women's luxury clothing and handbags was super on point... my wife was amped. This is important for you, because there is no easier way to massage a jacket purchase lol

Well, it works also quite well with second hand watches - there are as many vintage watch shops as handbags

 

[Bender]

Well, it works also quite well with second hand watches - there are as many vintage watch shops as handbags

Yes, I saw a bunch of hard-to-get Rolexes in thrift stores and vintage watch shops there, priced competitively with US grey dealers... plus you get the de-tax.

 

[Lukken]

Dude that’s awesome, sounds like you had a killer trip.


Crazy to hear Vanson gets that much love over there, I always thought they were more of a “solid but not hyped” brand compared to the Japanese stuff. Wild that RMC staff didn’t even know about their own NZ branch though, that’s kinda disappointing lol.


The sizing thing makes sense too. It feels like Reddit sometimes exaggerates that stuff. Good to know 40–44 isn’t actually unicorn territory.


That bit about Freewheelers not making leather right now is super interesting (and a little sad). Makes sense though with the hide situation.


And yeah, the detax thing in Japan is so smooth when places actually do it, but kind of a bummer only TFH offered it. Jackets being cheaper over there is the dream though.


Also wow at Alden prices. $1,500 for plain ones? That’s brutal.


Did you actually pick anything up or was it more window shopping and soaking it all in?

 

[Bender]

Dude that’s awesome, sounds like you had a killer trip.


Crazy to hear Vanson gets that much love over there, I always thought they were more of a “solid but not hyped” brand compared to the Japanese stuff. Wild that RMC staff didn’t even know about their own NZ branch though, that’s kinda disappointing lol.


The sizing thing makes sense too. It feels like Reddit sometimes exaggerates that stuff. Good to know 40–44 isn’t actually unicorn territory.


That bit about Freewheelers not making leather right now is super interesting (and a little sad). Makes sense though with the hide situation.


And yeah, the detax thing in Japan is so smooth when places actually do it, but kind of a bummer only TFH offered it. Jackets being cheaper over there is the dream though.


Also wow at Alden prices. $1,500 for plain ones? That’s brutal.


Did you actually pick anything up or was it more window shopping and soaking it all in?

Yeah, Vanson was surprising to me, especially how highly they regarded the build quality. I really like Vanson stuff, but I'd never really examined it for stitch density and neatness... When I got back I looked over this Vanson X Union Garage cafe racer I had (recently sold)... they aren't wrong. Pretty impressive, comparatively.

Yeah, I've heard others say it will be on a low volume basis for various stores, but the guy I spoke to was adamant they had no idea when or even if they would be doing leather jackets again. The implication I got was that Sushi was really obsessed with these particular skins from a particular family-owned Eastern Europe (possibly Ukrainian?) processing factory. First COVID slowed things way, way down... not cut off completely, but way down. Hence the trickle of jackets from 2020 to maybe 2022. And then the Ukrainian war stopped things completely.

Alden prices were bonkers. $1500 US for snuff suede chukkas. Holy moly.

I picked up a few jackets, pics above, earlier in the thread.

 

[cl206]

Thanks for the report, I am flying in November and will visit some of the places as well.

Last year I visited most of the mentioned shops but hunting for selvedge denim and not for leather. This time I will be looking for jackets as well and the plan is to spend most time in Ueno and Americaya. Had great experience for denim there and the people were really nice. Same feeling about RMC by the way, staff was bored and cold.

Did you also go to second hand/vintage shops and were there good finds for leather jackets?

Two places I wished I had visited are
1-tenjian works in tokyo. Wanted to check out their belts but completely slipped my mind

2-Barnstormer in Gotemba. Not sure why this place wasn't mentioned before but they have ALOT of different jackets all in one place (check their website) I would imagine belts and denim as well. We didn't go bc it would have been like a 3 hr train ride (unless we did shinkansen) from tokyo and more from kyoto.