Sometimes life's a beach. And sometimes it's a lounge. Such is life for Seiji Endo, the twentysomething surfer who runs Palms Lounge.
In January this year, an old high-school buddy of Seiji's -- Kiminori Ito -- relocated his Harajuku surf shop to a new custom-built four-story building in Aoyama. The first and second floors could more than accommodate the surfwear and surfboards on sale and the fourth floor would comfortably house an office, which left the third floor up for grabs. Together, they decided to open a bar.
"I had worked as a bartender at a ski resort in Hakuba [Nagano Prefecture] during the season -- after which I'd head for Hawaii for a few months to surf. At the time Ito moved, I was driving a truck," explains Seiji.