Fashion Week Turns World’s Gaze on Tokyo · Global Voices
Sayuri Ishiwata

The six-day Mercedes Fashion Week kicked off in Tokyo on October 13 and culminated on October 19. Fashion Week is all about launching hot new 2015 fashions from the planet's biggest brands, with daily runway events and fashion exhibitions.
For nearly 20 years Mercedes Benz has sponsored “fashion weeks” all over the world in fashion centers such as New York, Paris and Milan. The Tokyo show marks the start of a series of events all over the world this fall taking place in 20 cities all over the world.
As one of the “top 5 cities,” Tokyo was for one week the center of attention in the global fashion scene.
Ha ha RTW Spring 2015 Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week TOKYO #TFW #RTW
#Fashion #Style #Designer #Haha #Runway pic.twitter.com/5TyLP35q9U
— StyleFT (@StyleFTDaily) 2014, 10月 14
Dresscamp always brings the dressy camp ドレスキャンプ、この柄は、さすが！#tokyofashionweek #jfw #tfw #mbfwt #wwdjfw pic.twitter.com/Geuc3cD5D9
— ミーシャ mishajanette (@FashionTubuyaki) 2014, 10月 13
It's a party atmosphere filled with celebrities, events, and plenty of high fashion.
Kicking off the festival on October 13th was “MORI HANAE designed by Yu Amatsu”, an exhibit showcasing a new collection by Hanae Mori, a young designer with a bright future, while introducing a new brand by Mori Hanae.
Hanae mori #jfw #tfw #東コレ pic.twitter.com/RK6d3vNPIJ
— n↨oriyuki (@ex1227) 2014, 10月 13
Fashion journalist, stylist, and blogger Misha Janette writes in Japanese and English about her impressions as a newcomer to Tokyo Fashion week:
*時間厳守。海外では”ショーのスタート時間にホテルを出ても余裕で間に合う”よね？でもここは東京。数分の遅れでも車掌さんが丁寧に謝罪してくるような街。ちょっと早めに到着するべし。せめてスタート時間には着いてないと見逃すよ！
*…電車を活用すべし！東京の交通網は他のファッションシティとは比べ物にならないくらい優秀。[…] それに、タクシーに乗るのも他の国より簡単。でも[…]電車がおすすめ。だって、東京のタクシーは高い！！！初乗り2キロで710円って。。[…]電車に乗るのってちょっとした冒険みたいでいいじゃない？
*指定席ではないよ！基本的には早い者勝ち。優先順位はちょっと海外より難しいかも。第一優先:ビジネスパートナーと古くからの友人。第二:ブランドを取り上げてくれるメディア(年功序列)。第三:ニューフェイスのメディア。…バイヤーはあまり大切に扱われないハプニングが多いという噂だが…汗。
* BE. ON. TIME. I cannot iterate this enough. I know that the rule of thumb for overseas shows is “Leave your hotel the same time the show is scheduled to start and still be on time.” But this is Tokyo, where train conductors will get on hands and knees to apologize for being a minute late. Get to the show a few minutes early, or at least *right* on time, or you WILL miss it.
* ….take the train. It’s true that traffic in Tokyo is not nearly as terrible as it is in every other fashion city (um, an HOUR to get from SOHO to midtown?? And in Paris I had to run from the taxi to the metro or I would have missed the Chanel show). And yes, it’s easier to get a cab than any other city, too. But most shows are conveniently held at the Hikarie shopping complex connected to Shibuya station and taking the train is not seen as so bourgeois as it is in other world cities. Taxis in Tokyo are some of the most expensive in the world (starting 710yen=USD$7 for 2km) so honestly, if you’re taking cabs every where you’re just being stupid and unadventurous.
* Seats don’t have name reservations. Seats come on a first come first serve-ish basis, and the heirarchy is a bit different than overseas. TOP: Business partners, long-time friends. NEXT: Media, in age from oldest people to youngest, despite who they write for. LAST: Media, who are new to the brand, despite who they write for. NOSEBLEED: Buyers.
To keep on top of events at Tokyo Fashion Week, follow the Facebook page.