Contrary to what you might think, Tokyo on the whole, uses a fairly muted color palette for its cityscape, lots of grey, beige, and neutral tones. It’s a little as if all the colors are behaving, keeping their heads down, minding not to be too flashy or to stand out in any way, keeping the harmony of the nation. But then you have, ascending above the skyline, in a vibrant chili pepper red, iconic and stately Tokyo Tower, seeming to be showing off for all in a very un-Japanese way, and yet it’s not only permitted, but most certainly celebrated and maybe only so for offsetting the neutrality of much of the rest of the city, as if there was too many earthy tones in the end. Maybe there is some metaphor for life in there. Anyway, I digress. Forgive me, it’s been a while since I last wrote.
So I was taking the long way home one night and cruising past the iconic tower when I spotted, miles aware record shop, a… wait for it… a TOWER RECORDS BAG… being toted by lovely Ayaka with her friend highschool Soyoka, and containing a copy of Tommy Heavenly6, an alter-ego pseudonym for, Japanese singer, songwriter, producer, actress, and model, Tomoko Kawase, lead singer of the alternative rock band The Brilliant Green. Ayaka and Soyoka who kindly agreed to pose for a photo, were a bit disappointed that I didn’t know about Tommy Heavenly6 and insisted she was worth checking out (I did and enjoyed what I found – a bit of a throwback to my early days in Japan – my wife might have been into Tommy Heavenly6 back in the day, a sorta Gwen Stefani / Avril Lavigne attitude.
Thank you Ayaka and Soyoka for your willingness to chat me up at Tokyo Tower and for showing off some of your fashion digs (homemade macrame handbag, chic wellies, linen parachutes, chunky puffy sandals, and some Osaka Expo and Johnny’s idol bling), putting some style in Tokyo Record Style!
More TRS on the way!
Tommy Heavenly6 – Tommy Heavenly6
Label: Sony Music Labels Inc. – SEJL-80~1
Format: 2 x Vinyl, LP, 45 RPM, Album, Limited Edition, 180g, Gatefold
Country: Japan
Released: Jul 16, 2025
Genre: Rock
Style: Pop Rock, Pop Punk
https://www.discogs.com/release/34543072-Tommy-Heavenly6-Tommy-Heavenly6
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