Kazumichi Maruoka is an artist who marches to the beat of his own drum. Well-schooled in hardcore and punk, he works in pottery and illustration – his sculptural work revolves around ingenious, artisanal reimagining’s of the human skull . Born and raised in Hiroshima and now based in the outskirts of Tokyo, Maruoka finds himself most at home at the CPW skate store in Kaminoge – As part of the “Japan Edit” project in collaboration with luxury menswear retailer MR PORTER, we met up with him in the quiet residential area, and a somewhat surprising location for this hub of Mr Maruoka’s creative friends, who who share his passions in skateboarding, films and music /

Kyushu native Mr Ino Hidefumi moved to Tokyo in early 2002 with his wife Hiroko. After launching the successful café Tenement, they managed to build up enough revenue to back Mr Hidefumi’s dream of becoming a musician: in 2004 he put out his first single – a hit – and launched a record label, also called Tenement. Since then, Mr Hidefumi has released a series of albums, recorded exclusively with vintage instruments, which, he says give him “a sense of nostalgia”. His latest, Don’t Listen, Feel! Which was released at the end of 2018, is the first on which he’s picked up the mic and tried his hands at vocals. – As the final part of the “Japan Edit” project in collaboration with luxury menswear retailer MR PORTER, we met him in Jinbocho, a district famed for its used book stores, and Harajuku, in the renowned synth shop Five G

Born a Japanese mother and American father, Mr Lono Brazil grew up between Japan and the USA before settling in Tokyo in his mid-20s. Now he serves as director of Union Tokyo – the latest outpost of the cult LA store, which Mr Brazil has been instrumental in making a success – while working with Nike to support local running communities in the city. As part of the “Japan Edit” project in collaboration with luxury menswear retailer MR PORTER, we met up with him at Union and the neighbourhood he remembers from childhood, just behind Yoyogi park /

Discussing fashion with Tomoki Takaso is never dull. Having worked for almost a decade at famed Japanese publication Huge, Takaso turned to retail when it folded, making the most of his eye for the avant-garde by opening Velvet, a vintage store now in its fourth year of business. As part of the “Japan Edit” project in collaboration with luxury menswear retailer MR PORTER, we met up with Tomoki in Shimo Kitazawa, an area that, aside from its wealth of vintage clothing, is known for its underground music scene and hole-in-the-wall eateries /