Harajuku for Grannies (おばあちゃんの原宿)
One day I decided to explore an area of Tokyo I hadn’t previously covered. I saw a big cemetery in Sugamo (巣鴨) on the map so I headed out on my bike in that direction. Along the way I happened upon a very crowded shopping district so I locked up my bike and took a stroll down Jizo Dori (巣鴨地蔵通商店街 to be exact). Apparently this street was a main thoroughfare (Nakasendo Highway) during the Edo Period, linking Tokyo (Edo at the time) to Kyoto.
There were a number of shops, like the one above, called Maruji (マルジ) advertising akapantsu (赤パンツ). Aka means red and pantsu, contrary to the sound, doesn’t mean pants. It means underpants. So the store sells red underwear. Hmmmmm….
Why would a store specialize in red underwear and be so popular that they have to open up numerous branches on the same street? Japanese grandmas think red panties bring good luck.