Waking up early on this Monday morning, I first headed to my favourite Starbucks in Otsuka. The weather was surprisingly pleasant, with clear skies and a comfortable warmth already hanging in the air. I ordered my usual coffee and took it outside, finding one of the empty terrace tables facing the quiet morning streets. Tokyo mornings always feel different from the rest of the day — calm, organized and peaceful before the city fully wakes up. Office workers slowly started appearing around the station while trains rumbled in the background every few minutes. After multiple coffees and some time to wake up properly, I eventually made my way to the Yamanote Line towards Shinjuku, where I would later meet Johan for a visit to the famous Ishimori saxophone shop.
Since I arrived fairly early, I decided to spend some time wandering around Shinjuku by myself. Shinjuku is one of the most energetic parts of Tokyo and it almost feels like a city inside a city. Even during the daytime, giant advertisements flashed from buildings, music blasted out of storefronts and crowds of people moved through the streets in every direction. Everywhere I looked there was something competing for attention — colorful signs stacked on top of each other, giant video screens, arcades, restaurants and narrow alleyways disappearing between tall buildings.
As I walked further through Kabukicho, I passed the famous Godzilla head towering above the Toho Cinema building, looking strangely realistic as it stared down over the streets below. It was one of those typical Tokyo moments where everything feels slightly surreal, almost like walking through a movie set. Between all the chaos, there were also small quiet side streets with tiny ramen shops and bars hidden underneath train tracks, reminding me how layered Tokyo really is.
The Ishimori shop itself is located not too far from Shinjuku, near Shin-Okubo. After Johan arrived, we took a short metro ride before continuing the rest of the way on foot. Before long, we finally arrived at Ishimori. Like many specialty shops in Japan, the place immediately felt impressive: spotless, organized and filled with beautifully displayed instruments and accessories. Japanese people really seem to take pride in presentation and craftsmanship, and this shop was no exception.
Inside, several musicians were already testing instruments in the soundproof booths scattered around the store. Every now and then, bits of jazz and scales drifted into the hallway as someone tried a new horn. Johan asked one of the staff members if he could test some tenor saxophones, and not long after we were sitting in one of the booths surrounded by several absolutely gorgeous shiny horns. Of course, I had brought my own tenor mouthpiece as well, so I could also test a few and help Johan compare the different instruments.
For saxophone players, it honestly felt like being a kid in a candy store. Some of the instruments responded incredibly easily, with rich warm tones and smooth mechanics. We spent a long time comparing the feel, intonation and character of different horns while talking with the staff, who were extremely friendly and knowledgeable without being pushy at all. Time disappeared completely and I think we spent at least two hours inside the shop.
Eventually Johan fell in love with one of Ishimori’s own Super Custom tenor saxophones. The instruments played wonderfully and clearly took heavy inspiration from the legendary Selmer Mark VI design — rich sounding, responsive and beautifully built. After a long discussion and a few final tests, Johan agreed with the owner that he would return later during the trip to purchase one. Walking out of the shop afterwards, we were both still talking excitedly about the horns we had tried.
