San Francisco and Japan.
We both dig Tom Waits and selfies.
And soon we’ll share our mutual obsession Tartine Bakery, which’ll be setting up shop in Tokyo early next year.
But how do our exports fare beyond dope baked goods and around-the-corner brunch lines?
Turns out there are at least three SF brands that are, as Mr. Waits would say, Big in Japan. For your conspicuously consumptive pleasure:
Tellason
Japanese denim is well liked in these parts. Edifying to know our hometown selvedge pros at Tellason get comparable props across the Pacific. Investigate the fuss at the new Convert Man in Hayes Valley. If you’re quick about it, they’ve even got a few extremely rare pairs of gray fleece jeans on hand that Tellason developed exclusively for a Japanese partner. Yeah, fleece.
Inside Line Equipment
Berkeley’s ILE makes tough bags for tough riders. They also make a lot of shipments to Tokyo’s BLUE LUG, a world-class bike shop. You can find your own at Standard & Strange in Temescal, MASH in the city or online. Or Tokyo, if you’re in the neighborhood.
Hess Surfboards
Surf City is where you find it. In Japan, you’ll find it something like everywhere, and you’ll find your gear at Holy Smoke in Kanagawa Prefecture. In stock: gorgeous short and mid-boards from SF’s Hess. You can grab your own on home ground at Mollusk in the Sunset.
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