Supercool Goes Tokyo
Before the whole Supercool team touched down in Tokyo, I went ahead and scouted alone. I spent a week exploring the city ahead of our three days of shooting with Homecore and Ikkimo. My unofficial HQ was Clinton St Baking, a little slice of New York in the middle of Tokyo: jazz playing, green vinyl booths and the best blueberry pancakes in the world. Regular’s tip: ask for the table at the back on the ground floor, by the window. From there, with a notebook in my pocket and my X100VI over my shoulder, I combed the city one neighborhood at a time, hunting for light, textures and streets with a story to tell. Aoyama for elegance: denim at 45R, the sound experience at the Karimoku Research Center, then the garden at the Nezu Museum, which is pure poetry. Nakameguro and Daikanyama for wandering, Kōenji in the rain, Shimokitazawa for vintage vibes, and Tomigaya and Nishihara for quiet residential lanes and little neighborhood cafés.
The real highlight was Yanaka. It’s old Tokyo, with low wooden houses and tiny shops from another era, and I had a perfect matcha break on the tatami at Café Miyano-yu. A great find, not to be missed. Between outings, I joined the Satisfy LSD Run to stay in shape and went to the flea market at Ōi Racecourse. I also made a few tasty stops: yuzu ramen at AFURI in Harajuku, the izakaya Tatemichiya and Maisen’s legendary tonkatsu. For shopping, I found the ultimate sweatshirt at Loopwheeler, and Beams Records had some great new sounds. I also picked up odds and ends at the much-missed Shibuya Hands. In the evenings, I finalized flights and Airbnb bookings so the team would arrive to the best possible setup.
A few days later, the crew arrived. Amy, Sam, Rizal and Verdy dropped their bags at our calm, comfortable Supercool House. After a walk through the locations together and soba for lunch, we headed home to lock in the plan for all three shoots, spot by spot and hour by hour. The next morning at 8am, our driver took us to Yoyogi to shoot Homecore Fall 2026 with Riku.
Onigiri at noon, everything running smoothly, generous light: pure joy. The day wrapped in the picture-perfect backstreets of Nakameguro. Day 2, next stop: Yanaka for Homecore Winter 2026 with Kei. The sun came out, and the spots I’d found a few days earlier looked even better than I’d hoped. Udon break at Nezu Kamachiku, a seriously photogenic spot (write that one down). An idyllic day.
Day 3 was all about Ikkimo in Aoyama. On the schedule: the subway, the architecture of the From 1st Building and the Nezu Garden. Then a timeless tea ceremony at the beautiful Matsubaya Saryō. My tip: the gyokuro served in three infusions, with soy-marinated tea leaves, is a real surprise. Before flying out, one last round of pancakes at Clinton St Baking (obviously). Then on to Nakameguro for Kinto, matcha at Swell Coffee Roasters and a first taste of I’m Donuts for the team. We also stopped at Waltz, a stunning record store that’s worth the trip on its own. For our team dinner, we went back to AFURI Harajuku, because we just can’t get enough. Then we headed to Stone’s Throw for cocktails, a lovely spot to celebrate.
The verdict: the scouting paid off, and every location was exactly where we needed to be. Thank you, Tokyo, thank you to the team, and thank you to Homecore and Ikkimo for your trust. See you very soon right here: we can’t wait to go back for another shoot and tell you about our next adventure!
Photos & Text: C-reel
Want to follow in our footsteps? Find all our Tokyo picks on our Supercool’s Tokyo Map.
