I first encountered the stylish magazine "MONOCLE" when I was a university student.
It all started when an equally stylish friend, carrying a colorful tote bag bought at Tokyu Hands Shibuya (which at the time had staircases going in all four directions), pulled out a copy and lent it to me, saying, "Wataru, I think you'll like this."
English text written in crisp fonts against a chic black background.
I instantly intuited that it was a British magazine. It had that quintessential British, proper image.
It had an atmosphere that was both nostalgic and refined, somehow connecting with an older Japan, yet feeling new.
Opening it up, I found it was a monthly magazine, with articles categorized into "A: Affairs / World Affairs," "B: Business / Business and Economy," "C: Culture / Culture," "D: Design / Design," and "E: Editor / Editor's Team Voice." Reading this one magazine each month provided a cutting-edge understanding of what was happening around the globe.
The table of contents listed editorial offices around the world, along with the names and email addresses of their directors.
I was only just over 20 at the time, and I still vividly remember feeling both anxious about whether I could become an adult who routinely read such a magazine, and excited about the future.
Editor-in-Chief Tyler Brûlé
I learned about Editor-in-Chief Tyler Brûlé coincidentally while I was self-publishing a book during my student days.
My friends and I were creating a book (CURIOSITY) that simply interviewed globally active individuals about "why they decided to do what they do." The leader of our group found great inspiration in a book called "Sputnik: Whole life catalogue" by Kunichi Nomura.
That book is now out of print, and even then, and still now, it trades for around 100,000 yen on Mercari. In it, there was an article about a young Tyler, and that's how I connected him to being the editor-in-chief of MONOCLE.
The anecdote written in it was striking.
He was originally a freelance journalist reporting on conflicts in Afghanistan. He was shot in an accident. He was rushed to the hospital and survived, but he felt a strong sense of incongruity that what was happening there and the glamorous fashion shows in Paris and Milan were occurring on the same planet. He then decided to create a media outlet that would convey this to the world.
That was the gist of it.
The reason for MONOCLE's categorization from A to E became incredibly clear, and I became engrossed in this media. Even now, 12 years later, I still subscribe to the magazine from the UK.
"MONOCLE Radio" is also excellent. Truly excellent.
Originally named "Monocle 24," there's a 24-hour internet radio station. All programs are structured in 30-minute segments, alternating between talk shows (like podcasts) and music programs. This keeps things interesting and makes it easy to listen for long periods without getting bored.
Also, the jingles are incredibly cool.
Music programs are divided into Continental Shift (Atlantic) and Pacific Shift (Pacific). For example, Continental Shift might feature "music from Anchorage to Auckland," showcasing artists active in that region. Pacific Shift features Japanese artists from Mariya Takeuchi to Kenshi Yonezu, showing how well-researched the British radio station is.
This radio station is truly amazing, likely because it can localize at that level of granularity for every country worldwide.
There's a "MONOCLE SHOP" in Yoyogi-Hachiman.
Until recently, there was a shop with an accompanying cafe in the basement of Men's Hankyu in Yurakucho, but it has since relocated to Yoyogi-Hachiman. Here, you can, of course, buy the latest issue of the magazine, as well as goods collaborated with top brands from around the world. From Japan, there are bags and perfumes collaborated with Yoshida & Co. and COMME des GARÇONS, and from Germany, collaborations with RIMOWA – the taste is simply superb.
I'm not an agent for MONOCLE or anything, but if you have a magazine subscription, you can get a 10% discount on purchases here.
And, amazingly, there's a real-life event once a year in Japan that you can participate in!
Although it hasn't been held for the past few years due to the pandemic, once a year, an event for magazine subscribers is held at the Monocle Shop in Japan.
When the shop was still in Yurakucho, I once exchanged business cards with Tyler, and I still cherish it.
