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Manchester City stars Kalvin Phillips, Nathan Ake and Kevin De Bruyne made the most of their stay in Japan this summer by delving into Tokyo subcultures.
The capital, and the home of Asahi Super Dry, has long been one of the world’s leading locations for bright creative minds and the treble winners were keen to meet some of its blossoming talent.
And the three City stars did exactly that, celebrating fashion, music and barbering during the Japan leg of an Asia Summer Tour where they saw off Yokohama F. Marinos 5-3 and beat Bayern Munich 2-1.
Midfielder Phillips sat down for a trim with Tokyo Barber Yosuke Kozai.
"A barber’s chair is a stadium of its own kind," says Kozai, "where we let the rhythm of the clippers tell our stories."
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"The barbershop becomes a microcosm of society, fusing cultures, innovating, and creating new styles."
Defender Ake has been obsessed with music all his life, and used some of his time in Japan to delve into the city’s various musical subcultures, meeting DJ Licaxxx.
"Football took over my life. But there’s something in those sounds that keep pulling me back," says Ake.
"Each subculture has its own sound," adds Licaxxx. "We love to take new music and make it a Tokyo sound."
De Bruyne, meanwhile, focused his attention on fashion, which he sees as vital to self-expression.
"Japanese fashion is continuously evolving", says Tokyo fashion photographer Shoichi Aoki, who took time to discuss the culture with the Belgium international.
"One trend morphs into another, or inspires another. Take the football shirt, for instance. It becomes a piece of the puzzle."