Tokyo Hotarudo (Antiques store in Asakusa)
I wrote HERE about Asakusa and told you that I’m not going there that much except for a special purpose. Well, Hotarudo is one of these special purposes bringing me to Asakusa.
Around Tokyo you can find a bunch of stores where you can get your dose of retro/vintage things but this place is extremely special. The owners, Mr and Mrs Inamoto, renovated this former dining hall all by themselves to turn it into a paradise for taisho roman lovers. The store is carrying antiques, clothing and a bunch of vintage items, mostly from Taisho era (1912-1926). At first you may feel that jumbled items submerge the whole place but actually the owners choose everything carefully, travelling through Japan to get those amazing things. Clothing, accessories, lamps, kitchenware, phonographs and even electronics and shoes, everything is picked up with passion and if needed fixed or upgraded before being put on sale.
The last time I went there I was lucky enough to meet one of the owner, Mister Junichiro Inamoto. He’s not only extremely stylish and cool but also incredibly sweet and interesting. I had a very nice chitchat with him. He always has something interesting to explain and I really do love his thought about vintage things he is selling. A part of the things sold at the store are « recycled » antiques objects. He’s altering some vintage items to make them fit to modern lifestyle (for example you can find some vintage lamps upgraded with LEDs or an old phonograph on which you’re able to plug your iPhone and it will work perfectly as a speaker but it’s still an old phonograph). He told me that even if he loves vintage so much he wants to adapt these old treasures to modern life so people can enjoy a vintage taste with the comfort of the era they are living in. I felt so happy to hear those words as I feel exactly the same. I think loving old times and moving with the times are not incompatible.
I enjoy going there at a point you can’t imagine. Entering the store, hearing this old long-forgotten music, smelling this special and unidentified smell; I feel like I’m time travelling. The building itself is fascinating and you can feel the essence of the good old Tokyo with the underground ballroom in the store. You’re allowed to touch (carefully!) all the items in the store and freely explore the place. It’s really an experience for vintage enthusiasts! Trust me! I really want to point out that here nothing feels like staged or fake. Everything is real, natural, truly made from the hard work of a couple, with passion and desire to share it with the world. It’s almost like a small museum…
You can find a lot of rare vintage items in amazing condition. Prices may be quite high but everything here is carefully selected/altered by the Inamoto couple so whatever you’ll buy, it will always be something amazing to treasure. I wish I could buy everything from there. Really.
The entrance may be a little bit tricky to find… You have to look for this retro sign and the old tune being played…
It says « Mobo Moga Goyotashi » which refers in 1920’s slang to « modern boy » (mobo) and « modern girl » (moga), the Japanese equivalent of American flappers.
So just spot this sign on Rokku-dori and get into the narrow alley leading you to the store!
I highly recommend you to visit the store to have an amazing time slip experience and meet the great Inamoto-san and his sense of fashion at its finest.
Tokyo Hotarudo (東京蛍堂)
Address: 1-41-8, Asakusa, Taitō, Tokyo
(東京都台東区浅草1-41-8)
Phone: 03-3845-7563
Closed on monday and tuesday
Check their Website, their Facebook page