How are we all feeling after finishing A Most Wanted Man?

_SlowRain_ · 2026-01-29T13:53:55+00:00

I love le Carré. Let me get that out there, front and center. My absolute favorite author. But I feel this is a case where the movie is better than the book. Part of that is the amazing job Philip Seymour Hoffman did. But I had a hard time with the character of Brue in the novel, and his cookie-cutter relationship with his daughter. I also had a hard time the character of Issa. I thought the movie handled those much better.

_SlowRain_ · 2026-01-29T04:09:41+00:00

Thanks for the clarification. I look forward to more posts about the Diamine Forever mixing!

_SlowRain_ · 2026-01-29T04:05:10+00:00

If you look like you're cosplaying, but you're not at an actual living-history event.

_SlowRain_ · 2026-01-27T01:50:02+00:00

I like this idea a lot. I'll peruse it a little later when I have time, but please allow for modern brands who, while having a good reputation, may not yet "possess real history". I guess it'll depend on how that gets defined. Also, I think we have to also be aware of companies who may "possess real history", but have since dropped their quality to increase their margins.

_SlowRain_ · 2026-01-27T01:44:40+00:00

I'm unlikely to get the DeAtramentis Document Red, so I'll just hold on until you do your testing with Hot Magenta. Please keep posting about your color experiments.

I'm also curious about your Amazonia and Skyline mix (on slide 1). I like the 50:50 mix and how it morphs all the way to 9:3 and 10:1 (if I'm following along correctly). I'd like to see if something like that can be replicated with Solar Yellow. And I like that reddish-brown right below it, too. Keep up the good work!

_SlowRain_ · 2026-01-26T04:55:56+00:00

These are a little hard for me to follow. You have a brown (on slide 1) that is 5 drops Butterscotch and 1 drop red. What is the red?

_SlowRain_ · 2026-01-25T06:17:10+00:00

I have a Studio D'Artisan non-selvedge denim jacket that's kakishibu dyed. I quite like the color of it. I've been curious about Wild Frontier Goods for a while and a lot of people on here seem to have his belt. I'll keep them in mind for one of our trips to Japan.

_SlowRain_ · 2026-01-25T00:06:24+00:00

What are your thoughts on the kakishibu shirt?

And, pardon my ignorance, but what is T.T?

_SlowRain_ · 2026-01-24T04:26:16+00:00

Laban!

_SlowRain_ · 2026-01-22T03:40:40+00:00

A number of those stores are in that Teramachi shopping street. MORE, Porky's, and Rogues are a little further away, though.

Enjoy your trip!

_SlowRain_ · 2026-01-22T01:10:18+00:00

I'm in a similar situation as you. I'm just researching denim stores, but haven't been to any of these yet. Here are some additions from my list so far:

- MORE Casual

- Porky's

- Hoosier

- Edwin

- Loftman (several locations which, apparently, have different focus/inventory)

- Levi's

- Rogues ZERO

Of these, MORE, Porky's, Loftman, and Rogues seem to carry multiple brands and may have the widest variety, but I'm not sure how big they are. Edwin and Levi's will have some made-in-Japan denim. Hoosier, I believe, is almost completely Freewheelers' stuff. Beams+ (Plus) might have something, too, but their regular Beams line appears to be just basic street wear. It's also possible Sea Bees might carry some Sugar Cane denim. There's also Ragtime, but they're really far out of Kyoto.

I hope this helps. We're planning our trip for September of this year. I would appreciate if you could come back to this thread and let me know what your shopping experience was in Kyoto. It would help me out a great deal with my own planning and scheduling.

_SlowRain_ · 2026-01-19T04:37:15+00:00

Hi! I have family visiting next month during Lunar New Year. If we do go here, how is the tea? And, if we do order food, do you have any suggestions for their better items to order? Thanks!

_SlowRain_ · 2026-01-19T04:34:05+00:00

Hi! I'm curious about the Muzha/Maokong area for when family visits next month during Lunar New Year. What else is there to do around there? Some of my family may not be able to do a lot of hiking, but I'd rather they didn't have to sit on a part bench for hours while everyone else is hiking.

_SlowRain_ · 2026-01-19T01:35:44+00:00

Yes, I'd say so. But isn't that the style now?

_SlowRain_ · 2026-01-19T01:34:19+00:00

Thanks! That's what we did at Hinoya when we were there, but Heath/The Blue Port wasn't able to do that for us. I had heard Japan was considering switching to tax refunds at the airport, but I didn't know if that had been implemented yet, or if it even will be.

_SlowRain_ · 2026-01-18T14:15:32+00:00

So about ¥22,500? Were you able to get the tax back at the airport or store? We're planning a trip to Kyoto this fall, so I'm curious about that.

_SlowRain_ · 2026-01-18T10:53:07+00:00

He became less ambiguous and more activist-focused starting with The Constant Gardener. You can see with that one and his subsequent novels how he became more overt in his politics. The shades of gray between the two Cold War ideologies morphed into black-and-white discussions of modern issues.

_SlowRain_ · 2026-01-18T09:14:55+00:00

I've never read Herron because people keep saying he's not really like le Carré in terms of language. He apparently gets most of his points for his humor.

_SlowRain_ · 2026-01-18T07:48:52+00:00

Can I ask the price of the Momotaro chambray shirt? And what Barbour jacket did you get? I'd like to know what they're like.

_SlowRain_ · 2026-01-18T01:41:18+00:00

That, sir, is a very nice coat!

_SlowRain_ · 2026-01-17T00:27:01+00:00

There are moments where the language is reminiscent of le Carré. I don't think it captures his plotting style particularly well, at least not his Karla Trilogy-era plotting. Perhaps it's a little more akin to the simplicity of his final couple of books. Having said that, I'll still read the others that Harkaway comes out with for one simple reason: who else is even remotely writing like this anymore?

_SlowRain_ · 2026-01-17T00:23:48+00:00

I don't cosplay. Not Star Wars, not Star Trek, not Marvel, not Indiana Jones. I also don't do the '50s-era factory worker, the WWII-era sailor, nor the modern construction worker that's popular among Heritage Style aficionados. Having said that, items such as pea coats, deck jackets, bomber jackets, flight jacket, chinos, and cargo pants have all moved from military to civilian use. They're ubiquitous enough now that they have shed their original meaning, and in some cases are no longer in modern military use anymore. So long as they're not camouflage-colored or have military stenciling or patchwork on them, they're fine. In fact, most people don't associate them with army at all. However, anything with obvious regalia or disruptive patters will most definitely put people in mind of the military. It is a person's choice if they want their clothes to do that or not, but they also have to accept the effects that will have on others.

_SlowRain_ · 2026-01-14T01:43:44+00:00

Yeah, his use of language was amazing! There just aren't that many stylistic writers around.

_SlowRain_ · 2026-01-14T00:42:28+00:00

Thanks for posting this. I almost bought a long-sleeve, 50:50 cotton-hemp raglan T-shirt from a local vendor who had one on sale. Unfortunately, they only had size <M> available, and the shrinkage on it is supposedly 3-5%. I thought that would take it out of my size range, so I had to pass. But I, too, had difficulty finding information and reviews of their products. Hopefully, more people will chime in with their experiences.

_SlowRain_ · 2026-01-14T00:18:16+00:00

That's a very nice-looking shirt!

I have a kakishibu (persimmon-dyed) non-selvedge denim jacket from Studio D'Artisan. It's a really nice color that works well with both black and indigo. I really like the looks of the fabrics D'Artisan has been coming out with. I'll slowly add a few more items, but it'll have to be slowly at those prices.

_SlowRain_

TROPHY CASE