A few weeks back while in Japan, I spent my second day in the field an digging with the homies Koenji Shawn and comic cartoonist and illustrator, Jordan Barry-Brown aka Illstrips on the hunt for paper gold and other rare items of interest. This particular day was a serious day for digging and none of the typical big chain stores that people to to Japan and buy from which are always my favorite places regardless of where I am in the world. Mom and pop spots, places off the beaten path that only locals are in the know of and even then, it’s hit or miss.
The agenda at hand on this day was to meet up just in time for lunch before hitting the streets and making our way around the city to find what would relatively be expensive at the typical places and cheap at the hidden gems. From vinyl to vintage manga, photography and art books by some of the most iconic names, this 6hr day of hunting and hauling really panned out and is a true testament that there are still gems to be found when you do the leg work.