Not only am I going to share a few of my recent Amazon Japan purchases with you today, but I will also give you the down low on how to make these types of purchases yourself. Anyone that follows the blog knows that I enjoy menswear illustrations. I especially like those of the trad, ivy, and preppy variety and am partial to those from Japan. This is why I turn to Amazon Japan.
How do I do it? It’s really very easy. So easy that I made these purchases from my phone. I go to Amazon.co.jp using a browser such as Chrome or any browser that offer to auto translate the page. I translate the page and I am off and running. I am always looking for books or magazines so I generally use the words ivy or trad to get started in the right direction. Like the US version of Amazon it has excellent “those who bought” and “if you like” type options.
The last thing to know about Amazon Japan is the checkout. Don’t try to your Amazon US password. It won’t work. At least mine did not. No big deal. You just set up a new account which is very easy. The shipping will be expensive, but still within reason. Let’s say my purchase was $60. I paid $40 in shipping. You have to bundle to make it worthwhile.
For those of you that I left hanging on my purchase details I did not forget about you. I purchased two books and two magazines. The clear winner is a collection of Hiroshi Watatani’s work called Style (Here is a link). You will quickly recognize some of his more famous trad/ivy illustrations from the blogosphere, but there are lots of others you have not seen. While it’s not strictly trad/ivy any one that enjoys menswear illustrations will enjoy it. It is fantastic.
The others all have their moments. I personally enjoy the hiking images in the heavy duty book (See here) a lot but I know that’s not everyone’s cup of tea. However that Ivy collage in 2nd magazine with MJ in it is perfection. The best thing in Pen Magazine was the cover, but David Marx did get a shot out so it can’t be all bad. I have included images from each below with the cover first and its illustrations directly underneath. Enjoy!
Style by Hiroshi Watatani
Heavy Duty Book
2nd Magazine
Pen Magazine
Great stuff! Thanks, Jerrod! The practical details are very helpful, and the images are fantastic!
Great illustrations. And my mind goes back to your duffle coat dreams. The lad in the store has
the kind you don’t like but the dog walker has the kind you might.
Anyways Merry, Christmas
Pat
Wow. The illustrations in the Style book are amazing. Thanks for posting this.
Frankly your blog is better than what I see of these books’ content, except for the first one, ‘Style’.
Hiroshi Watatani is the Japanese Norman Rockwell. Good stuff!