Asayan April 1997

Back up in here with some new scans for you guys.. I know I originally said I would try and post a new set of scans every week but its been a super busy couple of weeks for me so I haven’t had all that much time to scan anything in full. I’ll get back to regularly scheduled scanning tomorrow so hopefully I can get a good amount done. For now, we have a full issue of Asayan from April 1997 which is the first issue of Asayan I’ve scanned. I’m going to keep the writing to a minimum on this one but as always, if you’re interested in seeing the scans in full, please consider becoming a paid subscriber!

7Stars is a graphic design agency that consulted with many Ura-Harajuku brands in the mid 90’s and early 2000’s. You’ve most likely seen their unique “Tamiya” rip off logo in the corner of magazine features like Last Orgy. Inspired by motorcycle graphics and the detailed paint jobs of lowriders, the group has done logo and graphic works for numerous brands including Bape, Bountyxhunter, Devilock, Revolver, and so many more. I recently acquired and scanned a rare 7Stars book from 2002 which highlights some of their greatest works, I’m not sure when I’m going to release it yet but probably when I hit 5k followers on Instagram.

The highlight of this issue of Asayan is definitely denim. From Levi’s and Lee to Girbaud and Evisu, there are all different kinds of shapes and styles for everyone. Japan’s obsession with denim primarily came from American soldiers leaving behind personal items, like denim, after WWII. Combining this with the Japanese appreciation for quality and craftsmanship, brands like Edwin and Big John emerged making amazing denim produced entirely out of Japan. By the 90’s, many artisan denim companies had come out of Japan and many foreign companies used Japanese denim as the blueprint for their designs and production.

Up next we have a cool feature that shows a handful of hardcore vintage collectors and the items that they collect. The first and third collectors clearly on Americana western wear from brands like Lee and Wrangler. From vintage Sperry topsiders and PF Flyers to Buddy Lee dolls and Lee Riders pieces, these collectors have clearly carefully curated their items with only the the rarest pieces. Then we have Hikaru of Bountyxhunter showing off his collection of vintage toys and knick knacks like the Monster Cereal figures and Star Wars memorabilia. You can really see how he drew inspiration from Franken Berry and Capt’n Crunch for his Skull-Kun and Kid Hunter toys which he would go on to release.

Up next we have some interesting images of a snowboarding trip at the Hokkaido Kiroro Snow World park. Snowboarding is a favorite winter past-time for many Harajuku icons such as Hiroshi Fujiwara, Yoshifumi Egawa, Jun Murakami, and others who can be seen performing a number of different tricks in this brief feature. The group went Hokkaido which is an increasingly popular area in Japan for snow sports for its flowy deep powder and heavy snowfall.

Following the extreme sports and snowboarding theme we have a “LA Crazy Cool Culture Review” which shows us some of the prominent athletes and brands in snowboarding, BMX, and mountain biking. With each athlete, they feature their favorite items both in and out of their respective sports.

In all honesty this issue of Asayan wasn’t that fruitful but thats the thing with this archive stuff. Sometimes you buy a magazine that only really has like one or two important pages in it and other times you buy something without really knowing and it has a ton of gems. For those interested in reading the full magazine in full, I’ve included the file below limited to paid subscribers.