LOOKING GOOD
In store

Compiled by Mayumi Sato

Character dolls from another one Courtesy of Another One

Another One
You don' have to be a celebrity to be a doll. Just submit your photo and Another One will make your miniature. Those in search of one and only gift/memorial ideas should be all ears. The real type (JY50,000 for adults and children, JY45,000 for babies) takes six weeks, drawn from more than three pictures with the customer's detailed requests for hairdo, dimples and wrinkles - foreigners should add their profile for a more accurate representation. Adult dolls are 45cm high when seated and 69cm when standing, while kids and babies dolls are relatively smaller. The comical caricature type (JY20,000) takes four weeks. During the bridal fair up to June 30, couples can have a pair of dolls made for JY50,000. Their other services include hand-painted and framed portraits (JY20,000 and JY30,000), comic illustrations (JY20,000), patch-works and golf-head covers (JY20,000), all based on your picture.

Another One produces hundreds of dolls monthly, which adds up to 100,000 units since its opening in 1985. Patented in Japan and the US, even Bill Clinton's family has ordered their miniatures from this shop through a Japanese acquaintance. Made at the time of his presidential inauguration in 1994, Clinton Jr. is reportedly holding a saxophone.

2-14-7 Jiyugaoka, Meguro-ku; Tel: 03-3717-2230

Rescue Squad
Fans of the flick Backdraft, who felt the urge to fire fight or fancied the uniforms, should rush to this store. Rescue Squad offers imported, real-life items and original apparels inspired by firefighters. Since collector M. Sato's retail kickoff in 1994, the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) Rescue teams' uniforms and badges are particularly popular. Other American and European items supplement the stock.

A vintage helmet (JY148,000) and a Spiewak jacket (JY21,000) for frigid-weather rescue and hazard-material processing are on offer. Black and yellow Ranger boots worn by US firefighters, EMTs and paramedics at the fire scene are also displayed. If you'd like a local touch, kanji T-shirts like their original rubber-coated version or baggy pants also function as eccentric club fashion. Aside from the Shimokitazawa shop that displays a firetruck, other branches are spread out in Ikebukuro and Tachikawa. Unrelated to this store but of interest to aficionados, a free Hollywood-like evacuation training is offered by Life-Safety Learning Centers in Ikebukuro (1-28-2 Minami-Ikebukoro, Toshima-ku; Tel: 03-3590-6565) and Tachikawa (3-2-1 Shibasaki-cho, Tachikawa-shi; Tel: 0425-21-1119) provided by Tokyo Fire Department.

Harajuku headquarters and store: 4-31-3 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku; Tel: 3408-5567. Shimokitazawa store: 2-37-17 Shimokitazawa, Setagaya-ku; Tel: 03-5738-0299.

Bag's
When you crave a new book and coffee at midnight, head to this bookstore/cafe Facing Meguro dori, BAG's offers books, test-audible CDs, DVDs and even golf gear upstairs, from11am - 2am. You can take any book (without having to buy it) to one of the tables and relax with a seasonal drink and a cake set. English paperbacks and interior magazines are also available. There's a wide CD collection of world music, especially Brazilian. Work quietly on your laptop at the cafe or search for the perfect golf club. Photocopies are also available. This multi-functional place, open all year round, caters to your every need.

1-24-13 Nakane, Meguro-ku; Tel: 03-3717-7055