Here's a doozy of a hybrid shopping experience for you: Evoke is an Osaka retail outlet that specializes in furniture, pet supplies AND the cafe experience.
Located on Orange Street, a popular shopping drag known for its furniture stores, Evoke aims to entice window shoppers who might not be in the market for a big, expensive couch. There are water bowls on the sidewalk outside for furry companions, and the ground floor features mostly pet clothing and supplies, plus some furniture for people. Also accessible from the ground floor is a sunken cafe serving coffee and snacks, with options for people and pets.
Of course, if you ARE in the market for some expensive furniture, Evoke's got that too on its upper floor. We're not sure how we'd feel about our mocha if we happened to catch a whiff of a dog treat while dining here, but Evoke is hard to resist if you're a hardcore puppywatcher. It's worth a stop--if only for the novelty factor--if you happen to be strolling down Orange Street, and that is something we highly recommend. One more picture after the jump.
Jaunted editor Davie Kaufmann is currently touring Japan. All this week, we'll be running stories from her Jaunted Field Trip to the Land of the Rising Sun. Have something you absolutely need to know about Japan? Just ask.
Here's another Nakazakicho pick for you. Common Cafe is a collective space where young, creative types come to take over for one time slot each, every week. Every day and night, different curators are in charge: one afternoon might see someone transforming the space into a Parisian-style patisserie with homemade sweets, while someone else will take over that night and put on an indie music show.
Some curators run separate businesses, while others come here for their only opportunity at running such an operation; the dream of owning a cafe or live space is popular among young Osakans, but many of them find it hard to realize or maintain due to financial constraints. Money made from nighttime cover charges goes back towards keeping the cafe running, while those who sell their food during the day are free to take home the profits.
Jaunted editor Davie Kaufmann is currently touring Japan. All this week, we'll be running stories from her Jaunted Field Trip to the Land of the Rising Sun. Have something you absolutely need to know about Japan? Just ask.
There are a whole bunch of new photos up in the Jaunted pool on Flickr. Consider the new additions a mini-tour of sorts, a peek into the creative enclave of Nakazakicho in Osaka. Though some guidebooks will lead you to believe there are no such "cute" things in town, this nabe is packed with independent cafes and shops, almost all of them housed in old wooden buildings (as opposed to those "concrete boxes").
Rent is still low in Nakazakicho, meaning that many of the young generation who come here to open up shop do so as a means of artistic expression rather than of getting filthy rich (or perhaps doing more than breaking right above even). The shops are full of handmade goods, and the cafes are teeny-tiny.
Pictured above is Le Flacon, a small cafe/shop that serves drinks, cheesecake, and, as is popular here, French-themed goods. More Nakazakicho spotlights just for you coming soon.
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by djk
