Leather Arts & Crafts MOTO (Aoyama--Tokyo, Japan) Appreciation Thread

Fab showcase, Kash! tnx for taking time enlightening us on MOTO.



IIIrd Icon said:

Fab showcase, Kash! tnx for taking time enlightening us on MOTO.

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My pleasure. That cash register, and the rest of their excellent collection of antique goods, brought back some long distant memories--my grandfather's hardware store, my father's old gas station signs in the garage.....

I'll take some more pics, hopefully after I get a grip on photographing in lower light.

One more tidbit. Motoike-san also informed me that the MOTOR webstore is set to open sometime in late summer. Rather than selling through vendors on Rakuten etc, MOTOR items will be sold directly to customers at the MOTOR webstore.

International ordering is not yet part of the blueprint, but Motoike et al. do recognize and appreciate the interest from people outside Japan, and seemed willing to explore international orders in the future, although they are much less willing to do this, understandably, for shoes,

Their store is a must-stop for me on every Tokyo trip.
I'm hitting it up again on tuesday.



kiya said:

Their store is a must-stop for me on every Tokyo trip.
I'm hitting it up again on tuesday.

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Are you headed to both MOTO and MOTOR? I'm going to MOTO this week to pick up my wife's boots, but not sure when yet.

Be interested to hear what you think of the MOTOR denim. IMO, these arcs are classic!



Kashiwa said:

Are you headed to both MOTO and MOTOR? I'm going to MOTO this week to pick up my wife's boots, but not sure when yet.
Be interested to hear what you think of the MOTOR denim. IMO, these arcs are classic!

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Whats the address for the MOTOR store?
I know the MOTO store is in Aoyama, which i've been to before down a small alley.



kiya said:

Whats the address for the MOTOR store?
I know the MOTO store is in Aoyama, which i've been to before down a small alley.

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Yes, the MOTO store is down a small alley, well-guarded by a cheetah.
Here's the address and web address for MOTOR:

Main webpage: http://www.motostyle.jp/motor/motor-top.html
Location: Tokyo Minato-ku Minami-Aoyama 4-17-9



Basically from Omotesando crossing (crossing of Omotesando and Aoyama-dori) head NE up Aoyama-dori on the right hand side of the street for about 100 meters or so til you come to the francfranc store. Turn right down the little alley right before the francfranc store and continue down little alley til it comes to a dead-end at the large Floracion Hotel. Turn left and then take the first right beyond the hotel. MOTOR is on the right hand side about 100 meters down this curving and narrow street.

Kashiwa said:

Yes, the MOTO store is down a small alley, well-guarded by a cheetah.

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How does one get past the cheetah? Do you bring it an offering? Maybe some bacon . . .

Yes, an offering. And, yes, bacon should do the trick. Don't forget, or he'll quickly make leather of you.

Jokes aside, the cheetah is a sculpture by founder Hideo Motoike that guards the little cul-de-sac. He's a regular member of the block association, and a minor tourist attraction in his own right. My son is a bit leery, but also rather fond, of him.

Im loving the desert boots and engineer boots. Def interested in getting a pair when im in Tokyo in October.. if i can wait that long



Dave_SFU said:

Im loving the desert boots and engineer boots. Def interested in getting a pair when im in Tokyo in October.. if i can wait that long

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Those are two excellent choices.
Both shops definitely prefer that you come in and actually try on the shoes, but I know they have hesitantly done international orders in the past.



Kashiwa said:

Those are two excellent choices.
Both shops definitely prefer that you come in and actually try on the shoes, but I know they have hesitantly done international orders in the past.

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Hesitantly?



zakurie said:

Hesitantly?

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Yes, hesitantly. That was my feeling from the conversation I had the with the elder Motoike brother the other day. How about "leery"? They seemed leery of doing international orders. They mentioned that they receive many inquiries from abroad about shoes and boots, but it seemed like they were leery of doing an order, if the customer had not been to the store to try the shoes on.

That said, I have no idea how they go about deciding whether to do an order or not. And I have no idea how many international orders they do, or don't do.

What has been your experience?



Kashiwa said:

Yes, hesitantly. That was my feeling from the conversation I had the with the elder Motoike brother the other day. How about "leery"? They seemed leery of doing international orders. They mentioned that they receive many inquiries from abroad about shoes and boots, but it seemed like they were leery of doing an order, if the customer had not been to the store to try the shoes on.
That said, I have no idea how they go about deciding whether to do an order or not. And I have no idea how many international orders they do, or don't do.
What has been your experience?

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I wasn't aware of them doing international orders. A while ago I informed them about interest in their shoes and boots on superfuture and asked about international orders. They said that because of the sizing, the don't want to send shoes to people who can't/haven't tried them on because they want to ensure that customers are satisfied. Given the lack of returns in Japan, it's fair that they don't want people to be unhappy after shelling out so much.



zakurie said:

I wasn't aware of them doing international orders. A while ago I informed them about interest in their shoes and boots on superfuture and asked about international orders. They said that because of the sizing, the don't want to send shoes to people who can't/haven't tried them on because they want to ensure that customers are satisfied. Given the lack of returns in Japan, it's fair that they don't want people to be unhappy after shelling out so much.

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Yes. That is exactly what I heard as well. And I definitely understand their reasoning. However, they implied to me that they had also done a handful (I have no idea how many) of international orders in the past, but that there had been some attenuating circumstances that made the order possible. What those were I don't ask. Now that I'm putting the conversation we had in Japanese into English, I realize that it was quite ambiguous. This happens a lot.