A quick stop at a book store in Roppongi district led me to this funny and interesting book called ‘Happy Victims’ by Kyoichi Tsuzuki. Tsuzuki, who’s famous with his book about tiny and packed Tokyo apartments titled ‘Tokyo Style’, continues his exploration of Japanese culture. When you skim through the book, you might think that this book is about consumerism and fashion victims. But when you slowly read the text, it is about collectors, dedicated fashion fans of different brands. You’ll find inside the book, different individuals sharing their stories about collecting their favorite brands and wearing none other than that brand. One funny story that I read was about this monk who lived in a temple up at the mountains, and during the weekend when he visits Tokyo he will be dressed in Comme des Garcons from top to bottom. Now that’s what you called fashion conscious.

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