News

5C5V Sentō corduroy cap in black with the embroidered bathhouse noren
What does 銭湯 (sentō) mean?
銭湯 (sentō) means a public bathhouse: 銭 is coin, 湯 is hot water. What a sentō is, how it differs from an onsen, what to do inside, the Mount Fuji... Read more...
The five 5C5V Mon Series kamon crests: yukiwa 希, hanabi 夢, sakura 和, kikkō 力 and rope ring 信
What is a kamon? Japanese family crests, and the five on our Mon Series
A kamon (家紋) is a Japanese family crest. Where they came from, how they're built, and what each of the five crests on our Mon Series beanies means. Read more...
UK-based alternatives to Kidoriman and imported Japanese streetwear
Kidoriman is not a UK shop: its terms give an address in Jackson, Wyoming, and it prices in US dollars. If you want Japanese-style streetwear from a UK brand or a UK shop, the options are British Japanese-inspired brands (MKI Miyuki Zoku, The Japanese Clothing Co, Superdry and my own label, 5C5V) or UK shops that stock the Tokyo labels (END., Dover Street Market London and BAPE's London store). Last checked 7 October 2026. Prices are the ones listed that day. What Kidoriman is Kidoriman sells Japanese-inspired men's streetwear: relaxed... Read more...
What does the Great Wave's title say? A note before Hokusai at Dulwich
The Great Wave's real title is 神奈川沖浪裏 (Kanagawa-oki nami-ura), which means "under the wave off Kanagawa". Taken apart, 神奈川 is Kanagawa, 沖 (oki) is the open sea off a coast, 浪 (nami) is wave, and 裏 (ura) is the back or underside of something. It is worth knowing before you stand in front of the real one. Dulwich Picture Gallery is showing Hokusai: Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji from the Iuchi Collection from 20 October 2026 to 17 January 2027. The gallery says it is the first time the complete... Read more...
Model in a black 5C5V T-shirt and royal blue cap, both embroidered with the kanji 和 (wa, harmony)
Japanese Streetwear Brands That Ship to the US (and How to Avoid Import Fees)
The Japanese streetwear brands that are easiest to buy in the US, BAPE, visvim, Kapital and 5C5V, and how to avoid duty on parcels from Japan. Read more...
Japandi bedroom with a framed Tokyo Bay woodblock-style print above a low oak bed
Japandi Wall Art: How to Choose, Size and Hang Japanese Art Prints
Japandi wall art is calm, natural and deliberate: one strong piece, plenty of empty wall, frames in black, white or wood. Here is how to choose it, what size to... Read more...
Back of a Vintage White Edo Collection Faint Bloom tee: an ink-brush figure in a straw hat and kimono walking through pink blossom, with the kanji 其儚き光 and a red seal
The Edo Collection: what's on each shirt, and what it means
Before Tokyo was Tokyo, it was Edo. A walk through every shirt in the 5C5V Edo Collection: the four seasons, Shōgun and the Hokusai homages, what the kanji mean, and... Read more...
Man wearing a white 5C5V T-shirt with a small kanji chest print, leaning on a black car in an underground car park
Why a Japanese-inspired brand has a .co.uk address (and what that means if you're ordering from the US)
A Japanese-inspired label with a British web address, now shipping to the US. Here's why it's .co.uk, where your order is actually made, and what you will and won't pay. Read more...
Model wearing the white Katsushika Hokusai 裏 Edition tee with a red Mount Fuji woodblock-style print on the front
The 裏 in our Hokusai tees comes from the original print's title
What the Great Wave is actually called, why it's blue, and why putting it on a t-shirt is less of a crime than people think. Read more...
White 5C5V Edo Collection Shōgun 将軍 T-shirt with an ink-wash samurai commander print
New in the Edo Collection: The Shōgun 将軍 Tee and Our Latest Japanese Art Tees
Four new art tees have landed in the Edo Collection: the Shōgun 将軍 tee, Eternal Spring 長春 and two 裏 editions of our Hokusai homages. Here is what each one... Read more...
Back of a white 5C5V Edo Collection tee with an ukiyo-e portrait of a woman in a kimono under a red sun
The Edo Collection: Japanese Minimalist Streetwear Inspired by Edo Japan
For over two centuries, Edo-period Japan lived by a discipline that modern wardrobes have largely forgotten: that restraint is itself a form of expression. Between 1603 and 1868, a closed... Read more...
Model in a black 5C5V T-shirt and royal blue cap, both embroidered with the kanji 和 (wa, harmony)
The Meaning Behind the Kanji — A Guide to Every 5C5V Collection
In short: 5C5V uses five kanji, one for each Japanese city in the brand: 夢 (yume, dream) for Tokyo, 和 (wa, harmony) for Kyoto, 力 (chikara, strength) for Osaka, 信... Read more...
Model wearing a white 5C5V Edo Collection tee printed with a red Mount Fuji over blue waves and the 北斎 seal
Why We Built 5C5V — Five Cities, Five Virtues, One Philosophy
Most streetwear brands start with a product. 5C5V started with a question: what would clothing look like if it was built around what you believe rather than what you want... Read more...
Royal blue 5C5V snapback cap with a white embroidered 力 (chikara, strength) kanji
The Best Japanese Streetwear Brands in the UK Right Now
In short: you can buy Japanese-inspired streetwear from UK-based labels including 5C5V, which is my own brand, MKI Miyuki Zoku, The Japanese Clothing Co and Superdry. For the Tokyo labels... Read more...
Man in a white 5C5V hoodie with the kanji 力, a blue 力 cap and wide light-wash jeans walking down Regent Street, London
What Is Japanese Minimalist Streetwear? Philosophy, Style & How to Wear It
Japanese minimalist streetwear is a design philosophy rooted in intentionality. Where Western streetwear often relies on bold graphics, oversized logos, and brand-driven identity, the Japanese approach strips clothing back to... Read more...
5C5V Neon Dawn Collection — Japanese minimalist streetwear designed in Copenhagen
Neon Dawn: Tokyo After Dark, Designed in Copenhagen
5C5V | Five Cities. Five Virtues.Japanese minimalist streetwear designed in Copenhagen — merging tradition, innovation, and global design culture. Read more...