A Tokyo day in Shimokitazawa's vintage lanes

Two stops west of Shibuya on the Odakyu or Inokashira Line. The station sits in a hub of radiating lanes — coffee shops, vintage stores, bookshops, and eight-seat bars all stacked against each other. Walk without a plan for thirty minutes to orient.

A two-floor vintage specialist in mint-condition 1970s and 1980s Americana, Japanese-reworked denim, military surplus. Shimokita's benchmark. Prices are Tokyo-high; the condition and sourcing justify them.

A tiny shop with eight counter seats. Order the miso ramen and a side of gyoza. Twenty-minute wait at peak hours, five minutes off-peak. Buy the ticket at the machine by the door before you sit.

A small neighbourhood theatre that's launched half of modern Japanese stage and TV drama. If nothing's on during your visit the lobby is still interesting — posters going back forty years cover the walls.

A shopping lane running east of the station. Independent denim makers, local coffee roasters, paper stores. The farther end of the street has the less touristed spots; the station end has the queued ice-cream shops.

A small record store focused on 1960s to 1980s Japanese city pop and jazz. The owner will put on anything on the listening station if you ask. An hour disappears before you notice.

A ten-seat izakaya at the west exit of the station. Grilled fish, yakitori, shochu on ice. English menu available if you ask; the owner has been running it for thirty years.