TokyoMike Visits K-Skit Japan
Introducing my TSG Column.
First of all, let me start by stating the reason I chose to take pictures of this shop for my first official TSG column…..
About 3 months ago I was online looking at Jeff Staples blog, and he mentioned “a shop in Kichijoji with a ton of heat.” He then remarked something to the effect of “I’m not gonna tell anyone where this spot is…..it’s got too much good stuff in it.” Now, I understand not everyone’s gonna come over here to shop for kicks, but damn, why would a person in his position HIDE information like that?! Your the man that CREATED the Pigeon Dunk SB’s for God’s sake…..it’s not like he’s some run of the mill hater who’s just being a jackass for no reason……he’s (most likely) got access to whatever kicks he wants, so why not spread the love? Anyhow, I thought, just for laughs, and on the odd chance that someone DID come over here trying to find the shop, I’d shed some light on it……so here it is for everyone to look at and think “Holy CRAP those Japanese cats are NOT PLAYING with the whole sneaker thing!!!
The shop Mr. Hater-ass-Staple was talking about (“blogging” if you wanna get all technical about it) is called Kichijoji-Skit. It’s located in Kichijoji (Duh!,) which is more or less a suburb of Tokyo. K-Skit is located about 5 minutes from Kichijoji station and is one of the most popular destinations for shoppers in that area. I’m not certain how long it’s been there, but it’s a constant as far as shops profiled in the popular sneaker/streetwear magazines such as Samurai Mag, Street Jack, and Ollie. If anyone actually wants directions just hit me up and I’ll try to explain exactly how to get there……it’s kinda like trying to find your zipper when you REEEEEEEAAALLLLY have to use the bathroom……..frustrating, difficult, a bit scary at times, but totally worth it!
Skit Japan
I’ve been in Japan for 16 years and this was actually my first time at Skit, although I’ve heard about it for a LOOOONG time……I’m quite the lazy monkey turd, so it takes me a while to get around to anything….even stuff I somewhat enjoy, such as actually using soap when I bathe, paying Federal taxes, and finding the kick a$$ sneaker spots over here in Japan. Anyhow, after about 30 minutes of stalking the streets like a sweaty homeless man looking for a garbage can full of food, I found Skit. As you can see, it almost has TOO much stuff ,if you can imagine that.
This place is JAM PACKED with kicks. I literally puked from sneaker overload when I walked in. It felt like I got Donkey Punched by Superman when I stepped inside. I wanted (NEEDED!) a pretty young lady to walk in, so I had someone to embrace and share this wonderfully passionate moment with, but that never happened, so I took a deep breath, wiped the tears off of my filthy cheeks, and started digging thru the massive sneaker selection. They have everything from DS to beater status kicks, and as far as brands, they have Nike on lockdown, plus a healthy amount of Adidas, Puma, NB, Converse, and a few Reebok, Visvim, Madfoot, and NBHD (Neighborhood made a few pairs of kicks under their own “label” ……news to me too…..I’d never known that.)
The selection of SB Dunks is honestly, completely and utterly staggering. I’ve been to other shops all over Japan, but this place pretty much trumps all of em. DS Melvin’s Bloods for $120.00, VNDS Black/Red Supreme SB’s for $550.00, Tiffs, What The Dunks, just name off every damn nice SB you can think of and it was most likely there, and probably at least 2-3 pairs available…….ALL LEGIT, so before someone asks “are they real??” YES!!!!!!….Everything there is real!!! I personally have about 100 or so pairs of Dunks, so I opted to NOT buy any more Dunks, although getting SBTG’s for under $200 was tempting……but I passed em up, and slipped over to the Air Force section next……… All you Air Force fans, you’d have a horrific, violent seizure and end up smashing your skull into a mess on the corner of a table if you walked into this place…….I don’t even like Forces, but damned if it didn’t take me about 30 minutes to look at em all, and they had an absolutely mind blowing selection. I’s, II’s, III’s, stuff from back in the 80′s….you name it, they got it. Quick question; what store do you live near that you can walk in and get a pair of Espo’s like it’s no big deal?….like you’re buying toothpaste, or a copy of Cat Fancy magazine? K-Skit Fool !!! Skit has that PIFF!!!! Re-diddely-diculous (Word to Ned Flanders!) section of Forces. Nuff said ’bout that.
Now (deep, relaxing breath…..) let’s discuss their Jordan selection (Sweet Baby Jesus, steady my sweaty, trembling typing hands as I discuss this holy subject matter……..amen…….)
I’ve never EVER been to a shop that had this many Jordans. Point BLANK. As a crusty old sneaker fiend who shopped as a kid for OG I’s back in ’85, and as a HUGE fan of the earlier numbered series, I FIEND for OG/Retro 1-6′s…..and I gotta say, I looked like Pookie from New Jack City in this place…..my lips got all white and crusty, I started talking all crazy, somehow I instantly smelled like musty wet clothes and burned crack pipes….it was horrible and wonderful at the same time……they have CASES of OG Jordans. CASES!!!!! Not 1994 Retros (Bow Wow are you listening?!?!)……OG as in 0-FREAKIN’-G 1985 Jordan I’s……WITH THE BOXES!!! Same goes for 2-6′s, and alot of great stuff after that (they’ve got all the J’s, 1-23, and all the hybrids too, although I personally don’t roll like that……)
Skit Japan Sneaker Shop
There is a WALL of nothing but 3′s and 4′s, and I’d have to say, the prices aren’t that bad in most cases. The retro “Cookies and Cream” 4′s were definitely wearable……they had that beloved “Nike Air” on the back that had me sweating hard and stankin’ up the joint real bad…….and they cost………$160.00. Not bad at all in my opinion. The average cost of a pair of retro J’s (1-6′s and beyond,) was about $180.00 depending on how rare it was, and the condition. Again, not bad at all considering the prices you’ll pay on some online sites. You name it, it was there for the taking…….walls of 11′s, walls of 13′s, again, it’s pretty much sensory overload at K-Skit……..and I enjoyed every damn minute of it.
They’re open 5-6 day’s a week from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m………and the staff members seemed pretty cool. The only thing about this place that sucked eggs was…….they only take cash. What’s up with that?….how’s a Baller supposed to go in there and cop 54,643 pairs of kicks?……..you’d need a Brinks truck full of cash to pull it off……..and my ignorant a$$ goes up there with just enough cash to get there and back, and to eat lunch…….so shame on me, lesson learned.
So what DID I have enough to buy you may wonder?….
When I first got in there, the guy at the desk was messing with a pair of Retro Jordan 4′s. Yeah, the Bred joints in the silver box, with that sexy “Air Jordan” on the backside. As I was leaving, I asked him if I could look at em…….barely any wear on the bottom, the uppers are damn near perfect, but the midsole was starting to crack due to them being 10 years old……..I just had to ask how much, even though I only had about $50.00 on me………..
Homeboy said $28.00……………
That’s right you jealous mothersuckers, $28.00 for some VERY DECENT Retro Jordan 4′s, with the damn box…….totally wearable too……..I almost made a little yellow love puddle on the floor when he told me the price!!!!!……. I asked why so cheap, and he pretty much stated that he was just being cool about it and was hooking me up (The conversation was in Japanese and this is my rough, ghetto translation of it)…….I didn’t even have to kiss the guy on the mouth or anything, I just asked how much and homeboy hooked it UP!!!……not a bad ending to my trip at all…….
So there you have it. Now you know what Jeff Stankles was trying to hide from you. Shame on him.
I hope a pigeon poops in his Starbucks, and I hope you enjoyed the info…………and stand the hell by for more stupidity from the land of Sushi, Samurai, and SNEAKERS!!!!!!!!
TokyoMike
Enjoy the rest of the pics.
Category: News
first all i can say is WOW!!
what? damn 28 for og 4′s
we gotta get a place like that in so cal
OMG
Oh sweet mother, there is a God! I think Ima move overseas now, talk about thrown in your face rape prices here in the US. LOVED the article too! Funny as hell made me make a little love puddle! HAHAHAHA, Great stuff! Cant wait for the next one!
Sick sick sick! Going out there this year !
good shot tokyomike… great pics and info highly appreciated
DAAAAAAYUM!! I wish I could hit up that store with 50 stacks and just go banana’s!
WTF that place looks crazy. If I ever go to Japan I’m there. Thanks TokyoMike.
Holy Hell! That just might be Heaven (on Earth)…I am still kinda speechless, I will be staring at these pics for a few hours.
GREAT,FUNNY,INFORMATIVE
AYO TM..If you pay for my plane
ticket we can hit that store up and
ball like MJ & Scottie in that
spot no doubt lol even though
they were worn, that OG Jordan I
pic you took almost bought a “tier”(0)
to my eye lol
that is just insane
OG’s? I swear to God if I went there I would be able to recognize most of the shit that was hot back in the day, and that you just can’t find any info on today. I’ve been wanting to go to Japan for a long time just for that alone. Whats so weird to me is that the shoes are cheap (compared to North America), yet watermelon and “vintage” jeans are soooo overpriced. Good post TM!
OH MY GOD!!! I never knew such a store could exist. If I could, I would make that store become my personal closet! Wearable ’99 Retro 4 cements for $160.00??? GOOD GRIEF, LINUS!!!
Imglad he called out mr. staple for being an assh*le
Yo TM, I need to get those directions from you ASAP!
For anyone wanting to get more info about the store;
go to google, type in (or cut&paste)
http://www.k-skit.com
once the search is found, look to the right and click on translate to view their web-page in English
WTF!!!!!!!!
If only they had a website, =(
its like a dream
Prices sound great for real
talk about a kid in a candy store. they would have had to roll me out on a stretcher, fam!! good post, TokyoMike!!
Yo Suave, they do have a website: http://www.k-skit.com, but better get your Japanese speaking friend to translate it for you
Hey G-roc got a question for you… Spacejam XI with “45″ on the back comming out this year? Is that your x-mas bonus surprize you been sitting on??? Let us Kno, I saw a sample with the reversed retarted Jumpman on it like the CDP and all that.
Nice job Mike
wow…. WOW… man I don’t even know what to say… SHEEIT GOOD LOOKING OUT TOKYOMIKE!!! I can only image how incredible it felt to not only find one of the illest kick store’s in world… but get a pair of bred IV’s for the price of a full tank of gas… NICE!!! Man when I take my trip there I’m sooo gonna need directions!
Holy Shizznit! Had to wipe all the eye boogers out, b4 I could even focus on the abundance of wish I had/gotta have/must have kicks….IVs, Supremes, & even them AM 95s are off the heezy!! Out of curiosity TKMike, u are referin to US currency on the cost of them joints right? Is a US dollar more or less value in Japan? Better yet what is a dollar to a yen? I am tempted to built a makeshift boat like Tom Hanks in Cast Away to get to the “Land of the rising Sun. ” J.Staple? Smh, I’m stoked….RetroKid said that folks overseas China/Japan always vacuum seal their kicks due to the fact that the humidity is bad so I ain’t surprised….
omg theres another heaven !
good shit TM.
i was planning on going to canada and hawaii for summer vacation
but imma head over to japan now
i was there, and i didnt know about this!!!
sweet baby jesus
i must be the only one that saw that tasty selection of air max 95s. tokyomike i look forward to reading more of your columns on tsg. a really good look for the site. $28 for 99′ iv’s is to good to be true.
Haha, I’m glad you guys found out about these. They are in rakuten.co.jp, yes pretty good deals in almost every shoes but mostly Dunk SB’s and Jordans. Either you have a hook-up in Japan or You speak Japanese to get steals.
thanks,
MarcSJ08-
SHOOOOOT when i graduate im a take a trip to japan and visit this
store lol buy me like 50 pairs
I think what the hommie jeff staples was refering to was the chase and the knowledge of spots should be sought after and not just given up. If tons of people show up why not raise the prices, then it won’t be such a dope spot but just like any US spot. I know that I hate to see my favorite underground spot being over run by hypebeasts and wannabes, great article though!
HOLY SHIT!!! NICE HEAT !!! I WISH I WAS JAPANESE
CRAZY…about time T.M. gets a chance 2 show us wussup in Japan!!!!
tokyoMike, how much were those supremes going for
^^Thanks for the positive feedback everyone……stay tuned for more crazy Japanese stuff…..I’m gonna hit every spot over here and let you see what’s REALLY up with the Japanese sneaker scene…..
Regarding the Bred IV’s…..I was about to walk out as the guy was boxing them up and kinda laughed, typed the price onto a calculator, and showed it to me……the place is cash only, and like I said, I didn’t have a ton of cash on me…..I was standing in line about to buy some BAPE Roadsta’s for about $80, but when he hit me with the $29.00 for the IV’s, the BAPE’s got chucked out the window…..definitely a great pick-up……CenValCali, the Yen to Dollar ratio is more or less equal….it’s up and down each day but not by some huge amount….price was 2,980 Yen which is about $27-28.00 US…..
^^Those Supreme’s are in GOOD condition, my size (10.5) and getting copped in about two hours…..price in US Dollars is about $470.00……I’m at work right now about to take off and hit this spot up again to grab some stuff I couldn’t get when I was up there taking the pics……
tk….i need to holla at u for real son
did anyone buy form that store yet , do they except paypal. Let me know asap.
is this a dream?
TokyoMike ~ Sweet warm panther poo! Yeah brother… I’ve been campaigning for you to get a spot on TSG for months now. Good pic G-Roc! SICK SICK SICK review… that is straight up the most insane … IDK… THING I’ve ever seen in sneaker blog land! Plus, you didn’t blow the lid on this spot… most of us can’t even get to a HOH… how’s our bitter butts ever gonna get to this joint!?!?
THERE IS HEAVEN ON EARTH
^^ TokyoMike, Good lookin cutty….Yous a cold piece of work for this post….I done read the whole damn thing like 3x….LOL
Wow. I think we have found the shoe game mecca. There is no words to describe the upmost sense of joy, shock, and disbelief. This is incredible any way you look at it. I ambsolutely flabbergasted at this moment.
i just looked at their website, and theres a lot of kicks, but only if you dont suffer from “the curse of 11.5″ is 11.5 seriously the hardest size to find kicks in?
ive always wanted to go to japan but now I MUST go!!!
HOLY GRAIL LAND IS REAL.
macabrecrown666 ^ Fellow 11.5 here! What is up with that??? Something sick drops and they usually only carry 1-2 of our size… NEVER get anything on sale either because of it.