Big In Japan

Just as Japan’s Cherry Blossom season comes into bloom, the storied Southern California brand Fred Segal sets up shop- and a food truck- in Tokyo. The new store, situated on a recently converted urban railway site called Log Road Daikanyama, opens its doors in the Daikanyama neighborhood, among luxe boutiques- like Saturdays NYC- low key cafes, residential homes and gleaming skyscrapers. This marks the first international lifestyle locale for the cult-like Los Angeles retailer, and the Japanese debut of certain American food labels in the on-site food mart designed by the Brooklyn-based Aesthetic Movement. Shelves are stocked with imported hipster provisions like Jacobsen Salt Co., Quinn Popcorn, Noble Syrup, and doughnuts- matcha green tea cake; blueberry, bourbon, basil; maple and bacon- are made on-site using an 18-hour process from Portland’s Blue Star Donuts.

For a bit of fusion, the Japanese coffee brands Cocktail Do and Marafuku- the official vendor to Japan’s royal family- will offer drop and cold brews under the new Fred’s Coffee label- made with Arabica beans aged in the Yatsugatake Mountain Range, and then hand-roated in small batches for about 30 minutes- as opposed to most coffee companies’ standard eight minutes. Outside, in true Los Angeles fashion, a vintage red 1971 retrofitted food truck dishes out American classics like Mexican street corn, shrimp on a roll and hot dogs paired with Coco-Cola and Corona. Come summer, the mobile station will eventually dole out ice cream sandwiches and cookies from a local, organic bakery. Following fashion’s credo, the truck will change its menu to mirror the current seasonal trends. In addition, the famed San Francisco outfit Tartine Bakery- way yum– will procure a special Japanese yeast for its baked goods when it opens next month. www.fredsegal.com    www.logroad-daikanyama.jp