Atlas Obscura just published a new article called "Why Portland-Themed Businesses Are Big in Japan," which documents the slightly strange phenomenon of Portland branding and esoterica in Japan and Tokyo in particular, the most populous metropolitan region on earth.
"Americans may be sick of those pretentious, self-involved Portlanders," writes Amelia Ayrelan Iuvino, who has also contributed to the Mercury, "but over in Japan, Portland's image carries a more profound meaning, and the Portland-style cafes and bars that are cropping up have personal significance to their owners."
Shots fired, Iuvino. Shots fired.
Iuvino cites a Portland-themed beer bar and a similarly Portland-themed coffee shop as examples of this micro trend, along with an upcoming branch of Voodoo Doughnut opening in Tokyo. But the article's explanation as to why Portland in particular has made an impact is surprising:
Matsushima traces the origin of the Portland-in-Japan trend back to 2011, when a 9.0 magnitude earthquake caused a huge tsunami that killed almost 16,000 people in Japan.This appears to be a slightly nostalgic, rearview-mirror version of our city—the one epitomized by that well-known TV show and their "dream of the '90s" song. Of course, that Portland never really existed, not even 10 or 12 years ago. But it certainly feels a long way away from where the city is today, with a housing pinch, a significant gap between wages and housing costs, out-of-town investors, and a homeless crisis. The idea that this city is where young people go to retire, or whatever the cliché is, is significantly out of date.“It made people here start questioning how they’re spending their time and what they’re doing with their lives,” he says. “People in Japan are usually really career-oriented, but now some young people think, maybe we should do whatever we want with our lives too, like people in Portland.”