Japan fact(s) of the day

Yosuke Otsubo conservatively estimates that two-thirds of the rarest American clothing items, especially of the denim and workwear variety, remain in Japanese hands.

Levis from the 1930s can go for as much as 10k, and one collector in Chiba Prefecture owns about 3,000 pairs of jeans.  A 1966 model can cost about $2000.

That is all from the new and interesting Ametora: How Japan Saved American Style, by W. David Marx.  And here is New Yorker coverage of the book.

By the way, FTAlphaville is hiring!