Rootless Cosmopolitan: Tokyo Update

TOKYO, Dec. 18 (UPI) -- This futuristic fantasyland may still be swamped in a never-ending recession, but if one follows the tech-setting trends lead by the local consumer chic set, one would think that boom times are on the rise. No where else on earth can one witness such a steady deluge of all things cool and cutting edge in the fusing worlds of fashion, tech and music.

The streets of Akihabara, Tokyo's "Electric City," still reign supreme as the global vortex of futuristic tech, and December 2002 is no exception.

In places like Aso Bit City, one can witness the growing hegemony of homegrown video game consoles and their ever-expanding array of software titles, mostly dominated by homegrown giant Sony Play Station 2. Many of these titles such as Surfing Air Show, a surfing video game featuring world-renowned surf aerialist Rat Boy, and Viburibbon, a fantasy RPG game which was sold out throughout Akihabara's plethora of video game shops, have yet to be released in the United States.

Bowlingual, the hi-tech must-have of this Christmas season, is sold out everywhere. For those unacquainted, this ingenious gadget utilizes sophisticated voice analysis technology to express a dog's bark into human words. See previous RC column, the 2002 Holiday Gift Guide, for further details.

NTT DoCoMo, the pre-eminent Japanese mobile phone operator has launched its own array of sexy tech toys that are rocking the Far East this Christmas.

The SH2101V PDA/Bluetooth handset is 3G enabled and has an accompanying PDA partner. The PDA has an onboard movable camera and has Internet capabilities. Outbound data speeds hit 64 Kbps, while inbound data can be received at a lightening 384 Kbps! The PDA has a flip up screen with keyboard like a mini-laptop, while the handset looks more like a sleek silver channel changer.

The Musea Pocket PC is another slinky piece of silver kit from NTT DoCoMo. This PDA resembles a shiny metallic Palm Pilot, but has a much more enhanced 206 MHz processor. However, what really sets this piece apart is that it utilizes DoCoMo's impressive 3G service (FOMA), through which the user can watch news, movies and other TV content on the fly, while roaming throughout the FOMA network.

Other hi-tech goodies to be found on the streets of Tokyo this season include Sharp's XV-Z90S wireless projector and Sony Japan's futuristic CoCoon video recorder/home server. Sharp's projector is the first of its kind, allowing for home cinema bliss minus bulky cords, courtesy of the accompanying signal transmitter in the form of a metallic mini-box. Sony's CSV-E77 CoCoon comes equipped with a 160GB hard drive and the capability to broadcast TV and provide broadband Internet access throughout the house.

Everything tech related in Japan focuses on new technology, functionality, design and miniaturization. It therefore comes as no surprise that the long-standing and ubiquitous Memory Sticks from Sony have gotten even smaller, shrinking from a stick of gum to a half stick of gum. Dubbed the "Memory Stick Duo," the new stick will fit in future Sony devices utilizing a Memory Stick, from digital cameras to digital audio players to cell phones and notebook computers.

The Tokyo fashion scene is as cutting edge as ever, and nowhere is this most apparent than in the trendifying neighborhood of Daikanyama. Rapidly outdressing the Harajuku of old, Daikanyama is the place to be, for art, design, cafes, clubs and chic eateries, but especially up-and-coming fashion design.

The emerging Tokyo trend set by underground Daikanyama designers centers around all things mid-century European. There is a sophisticated penchant toward the post-war French avant-garde, '50s and '60s Italian and British Mod, 1940s British school uniforms, and Mittel Europa attire of the 1930s.

Many boutiques stock new designs influenced by these fashion genres, while others devote almost entirely to quality unique vintage pieces that demonstrate the typical Tokyo hipster trait for top-notch taste and urban flair. Of course, every attention is paid to detail, from seductive store displays to steel buttons to nostalgic background music.

When it comes to music, however, Shibuya is still where it's at. With music shops such as Manhattan Records, Cisco and Dance Tracks, to name but a few, this high yield concentration of DJ shops packs more quality wax than anywhere else in the world outside of London. Keeping pace with the fashion trends, jazz-influenced trip hop, downtempo and house music is slowly dominating all other genres, including hip hop, which was so ubiquitous just last year.

Many Tokyo trends breeze right by the rest of the world, which often struggles to keep up with the lightening speed pace set by trailblazing Tokyoite consumers. What other global local boasts the best and broadest array of mobile phones on the planet, yet whose average user trades in their cell phone several times a year?

Frank Lloyd Wright, the 20th century's most acclaimed architect, designed and built Tokyo's once renowned Imperial Hotel. The near subterranean, flat rock walls and modernistic elegance was a masterpiece, but it was torn down and replaced with a high-rise hotel that glitters at night and accommodates 10 times the number of guests.

Today's Tokyo, glittering and flashing, is built on what once were teahouses, Kabuki theaters and elegant Geisha parlors. There are still remnants of classic Japan to visit, but the Las Vegas-like glare and spectacle are now all that meets the eye, especially at night. For today this is Japan. There is no turning back. As for tomorrow, the Japanese will lead the way.

(Questions or comments can be directed to Rhonda@rootlesscosmopolitan.com)