THE SILVER CYLINDRICAL EDIFICE OF Shibuya 109 (Ichi-maru-kyu in Japanese) shines like a beacon to Japan's teen fashionistas, who journey here every day like the faithful to a holy site. An eight-story, freewheeling, techno-pumping madhouse of 110 boutiques selling clothing, shoes and accessories, Maru Kyu, as it's popularly known, is the one-stop fashion mecca for Tokyo's high-school-girl hipsters, who not only pump billions into Japan's economy each year but also drive trends in hemlines, hair color and heel height from Singapore to Shanghai and beyond. In less than a decade, Maru Kyu has given birth to some of Japan's most potent...
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