Hatagaya - The coolest neighborhood in Tokyo

We all love finding treasure. Be it that vintage piece we've been looking for, that little wine bar not in the mags with epic staff and knowledge or that unassuming pastry shop with no advertising, no line and a 3 Michelin star chef. 

Welcome to Hatagaya, Tokyo, Japan. Treasure found. 

On the surface, there isn't all the glitz and glam of Tokyo you'd see on Instagram or the travel agent brochure. This requires work from you and in return you get so much more sans neon. Taking off in the morning, the air crisp and the shops are shut. Coffee first. 

There's a big asterisk here. We're used to getting coffee first thing. Here, coffee is the second thing with most cafes opening at 10am. This doesn't mean it's in any way less considered, it's just not a first thing necessity and we quickly got on board. 

Walking the streets, this feels far more like a main street in a suburb than an international hub city. Kids walking to school, shopkeepers sweeping the footpath, workers cycling to...well...work but somehow this normality takes on a new foreigner perspective firmly landing in the land of cool. 

The effortless chic is apparent everywhere. No polishing, just beautiful patina. What stands out is the suburb that's always been there with a tapestry of bright new sparks in single store gems. 1 great record store, 1 great pastry shop, 1 great vintage clothing store, 1 great wine bar and the list goes on. Multiple great coffee joints which we'll dive into deeper in a later Quench. 

Hatagaya is technically part of Shibuya but so far from it. This moves at a much slower pace, goes far deeper and tastes way better. 

Moving around the tighter streets, it's far easier to consume and understand. There's quality in the quiet details. 

People seem to chase these suburbs around the world. Take Red Hook in NYC, Seongsu-dong in Seoul, Collingwood in Melbourne and Tiong Bahru in Singapore  - they all share this natural mix of new and old energy driven by optimism, depth and ease. That's something we search for as a brand and in emerging Hatagaya, we found it.