MenuBack

6% DOKI DOKI AND SPANK: HARAJUKU DECORA AND FAIRY STYLE CLOTHING STORES.


6% Doki Doki store in Harajuku, Tokyo Decora and Fairy kei fashion. circus costume clothing, pop girly style.

Do fairies exist? In Tokyo, they do – at a theme restaurant called Valley of the Fairies (which you’ll see in my upcoming book) and in two of the cutest clothing shops you’ll ever visit.

Follow the trail of fairy dust and you’ll end up at 6% Doki Doki in Harajuku. In the mid-90s, two young avantgarde types (Sebastian Masudea and Emiko Saito) opened the store – the name is onomatopoeia for the sound of a beating heart – “to add a little bit extra excitement to people’s lives.” 6% Doki Doki’s Decora-cute meets “funny bad taste that old ladies sometimes have” led to success and then disillusionment. Saito moved to San Francisco to become a massage therapist, while Sebastian re-styled the store into the Fairy-kei headquarters that it is today. (Quotes from Japanese Schoolgirl Inferno, p 136-8.)

Spank! Vintage Japanese womens clothing and shopping in Tokyo, Omotesando. Wild Japan street style.

The teal-haired fairy in the previous post is Tavuchi Sayuri, leader of the Spank! Girls. She opened her first secondhand store (Spank!) in Koenji in 2004, followed by Spank Me! in Shibuya and Chelsea in Nagoya (which will reopen soon in another location). The clothes are a mash-up of Cyndi Lauper, My Little Pony, and Michelle from Full House; as Tavuchi puts it, “A girl with the pink heart is unrivaled!” And the Spank! Girls throw raucous 80s-pop-disco parties, as you can see in the video below.

Spank! and 6% Doki Doki are some of my favorite Tokyo shopping destinations because the staff live and breathe Fairy-kei; their passion and indie mentality are palpable. You can flit over more store photos on Style Arena (here and here).

Song of the Day #55: Spank has a killer YouTube channel; below is a glimpse at the stores and parties.


SHARE & COMMENT

30 Comments

  1. megan
    Posted February 25, 2009 at 2:26 pm | Permalink

    I really like the colors!

  2. Nicola
    Posted February 25, 2009 at 3:02 pm | Permalink

    The clothes are so lovely <3 and they all look so happy :-)

  3. lacarmina
    Posted February 25, 2009 at 3:04 pm | Permalink

    The shop girls are SO genki!

  4. Nicola
    Posted February 25, 2009 at 3:45 pm | Permalink

    It makes you want to laugh and dance around :-D

    Why is it called Spank though?

  5. lacarmina
    Posted February 25, 2009 at 3:52 pm | Permalink

    Hm, good question – I don't know.

    The bunny on the website says “Spank You” haha.

  6. seed
    Posted February 25, 2009 at 3:52 pm | Permalink

    *must find Saito and get massage* O.O

  7. megan
    Posted February 25, 2009 at 10:26 pm | Permalink

    I really like the colors!

  8. Nicola
    Posted February 25, 2009 at 11:02 pm | Permalink

    The clothes are so lovely <3 and they all look so happy :-)

    • lacarmina
      Posted February 25, 2009 at 11:04 pm | Permalink

      The shop girls are SO genki!

      • Nicola
        Posted February 25, 2009 at 11:45 pm | Permalink

        It makes you want to laugh and dance around :-D

        Why is it called Spank though?

        • lacarmina
          Posted February 25, 2009 at 11:52 pm | Permalink

          Hm, good question – I don’t know.

          The bunny on the website says “Spank You” haha.

  9. chelsea
    Posted February 25, 2009 at 6:27 pm | Permalink

    I like fairy-kei.
    Even though i could not stand to listen to more than 2 minutes of that song.
    More styled than decora but less contrived than hime.
    Add the hair, and it's won me over.

  10. Anonymous
    Posted February 25, 2009 at 11:52 pm | Permalink

    *must find Saito and get massage* O.O

  11. chelsea
    Posted February 26, 2009 at 2:27 am | Permalink

    I like fairy-kei.
    Even though i could not stand to listen to more than 2 minutes of that song.
    More styled than decora but less contrived than hime.
    Add the hair, and it’s won me over.

    • lacarmina
      Posted February 26, 2009 at 6:15 am | Permalink

      Fairy hair, hime shoes, Lolita everything else… could be a killer combo.

  12. lacarmina
    Posted February 25, 2009 at 10:15 pm | Permalink

    Fairy hair, hime shoes, Lolita everything else… could be a killer combo.

  13. Louise
    Posted February 25, 2009 at 10:31 pm | Permalink

    cute, but too bright for me! XD

  14. Louise
    Posted February 26, 2009 at 6:31 am | Permalink

    cute, but too bright for me! XD

  15. Visual Rose
    Posted February 26, 2009 at 12:22 pm | Permalink

    Now you..ve got me xD These store photos and the video are totally cute *___* I think I have become a fan a fairy-kei and spank too :D

  16. lacarmina
    Posted February 26, 2009 at 12:23 pm | Permalink

    Mwahahah!

  17. Visual Rose
    Posted February 26, 2009 at 8:22 pm | Permalink

    Now you..ve got me xD These store photos and the video are totally cute *___* I think I have become a fan a fairy-kei and spank too :D

  18. Little Bit of Nothing
    Posted February 27, 2009 at 12:47 pm | Permalink

    *_* it's beautiful.

  19. Little Bit of Nothing
    Posted February 27, 2009 at 8:47 pm | Permalink

    *_* it’s beautiful.

  20. Run's House
    Posted March 4, 2009 at 5:15 pm | Permalink

    it is still the trend of many young people.mostly the girls o0f teen age are like the idea of a fairy tales.i like also the very colorful, and pink is more vibrant.

  21. Daddy's Girls
    Posted March 5, 2009 at 1:14 am | Permalink

    it is still the trend of many young people.mostly the girls o0f teen age are like the idea of a fairy tales.i like also the very colorful,and pink is the more vibrant.

  22. Run's House
    Posted March 5, 2009 at 1:15 am | Permalink

    it is still the trend of many young people.mostly the girls o0f teen age are like the idea of a fairy tales.i like also the very colorful, and pink is more vibrant.

  23. Womens Hunting Apparel
    Posted March 15, 2009 at 1:51 am | Permalink

    Wow! What lovely designs and lovely colors! My head is spinning with ideas!

  24. Womens Hunting Apparel
    Posted March 15, 2009 at 8:51 am | Permalink

    Wow! What lovely designs and lovely colors! My head is spinning with ideas!

  25. Womens Hunting Apparel
    Posted March 15, 2009 at 8:51 am | Permalink

    Wow! What lovely designs and lovely colors! My head is spinning with ideas!