Two of Tokyo's one-time landmarks reopened last month: one literally rising from the rubble, the other sporting a little cosmetic trim.

Las Chicas was the first to reappear. The old Chicas had been a fixture on the Aoyama nightlife scene for 20 years. It was a bar, restaurant, bookstore, hair salon, art space and all sorts else in a three-story, open-plan facility. Binding it all together was an ever-so-trendy clientele and a staff that saw the customers as nuisances best ignored.

The place looked homey, but it was not the kind of home you'd want to live in.