My Vintage Workshop
in Tokyo

I was thrilled to go back to Tokyo in 2019. It was my third time being in Japan – one of my favorite places to be.
This time, I wasn’t here for vacation or to study, I was here to organize one of my Confidence Workshop.

As you know, I love the vintage style and lifestyle. Big cities in Japan, such as Tokyo, Osaka or Kyoto have a Vintage community – not quite as big as in the US, but still very remarkable. What I discovered was that vintage-inspired style is much appreciated in foreigners as well an in Japanese men (in the Rockabilly / Greaser scene), however, not so much in Japanese women. Although Japanese ladies do enjoy the western 1950s style, and they would love to dress this way, they are afraid to do so. To live out personal style it is frowned upon by older generations (e.g. parents or people in higher positions in careers), whereas there’s not a big problem for men to dress up in leather jackets, vintage boots and hair pomade. If you want to witness the greaser scene in Tokyo, I recommend visiting the Yoyogi Park (right in front of the Meiji Tempel) in Tokyo.

I decided to bring my Vintage Workshop to Japan with the goal to give Japanese women a safe space to experiment with vintage-inspired style (hair and makeup) and wardrobe. To boost confidence after the styling, I taught them about body language and how to feel confident in their new experienced style.

I teamed up with Miss Alice from Taiwan. She taught the aspiring “Pinup Girls” in Tokyo how to curl their hair. I was astonished by the fact that most of the girls never used a curling iron before. However, these ladies had a great knowledge about the 1950s look and how they want to create their unique vintage-inspired outfit.

We had a lot of learning experience together and also a lot of laughs. For me, it was a fulfilling day and I am deeply grateful to share my passion with my Japanese fans.

The workshop was hosted at the Pinup Shop Psycho Apparel in Saitama, Tokyo, for which I am also very grateful. Shop owner Kasumi made sure that we felt comfortable and welcomed. She also provided her beautiful store to host the workshop and the afterwork party.

The big finale of our workshop at the Pinup Shop Psycho Apparel was a little photoshoot with classic cars that the guys brought around.

For me and my “sisters” from United Pinups, it was a special treat to connect Asian women with a passion for vintage lifestyle and to give them support to learn and try out different styles in a safe environment. 

I’m already very excited to return to Japan for my next confidence workshop. I also added Osaka to my list!

Follow #rinaspinups on Instagram to learn more about Rina’s Pinup classes.

Check out this video about the Greaser Scene in Tokyo, featuring my dear friend Jack from Harajuku: