Specialty shopping in Asia
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Carol Cassidy Lao Textiles
Lao Textiles sells high-end contemporary, original-design fabrics inspired by older Lao weaving patterns, motifs and techniques. The American designer, Carol Cassidy, employs Lao weavers who work out the back of the attractive old French-Lao house. They are internationally known, with prices to match.
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Suthuvili Gallery
This small shop has simple displays of elaborate and beautiful polychromatic masks.
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Abulkasim Medressa
The Abulkasim Medressa, close to the Oliy Majlis in Navoi Park, has been turned into an artisans' school and workshop where local painters, lacquer workers and potters ply and teach their craft. It's a great place to buy the fruits of their labour, plus souvenirs like rugs, suzani and ceramics brought in from the regions.
Up on the 2nd floor, Andijon native Madraimov Abdumalik Abduraimovich fashions fine traditional Uzbek musical instruments and can wax eloquent in English about the nuances of the dutar (two-stringed guitar), tanbur (long-necked string instruments) and rubab (six-stringed mandolin).
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C
Tokyo Character Street
From Doraemon to Domo-kun, Hello Kitty to Ultraman, Japan knows kawaii (cute) and how to merchandise it. On the basement level of Tokyo Station, some 15 Japanese TV networks and toy manufacturers operate shop after shop selling official plush toys, sweets, accessories and the all-important miniature character to dangle from your mobile phone. Though the commerce is brisk, the characters are pretty innocent; fans of hard-core anime (Japanese animation) will be better off in Akihabara.
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D
Musubi
Before shopping bags, Japanese carried their bentō (boxed lunch) and packages in elegant wrapping cloths called furoshiki, and this dainty shop and workshop both sells the cloths and gives lessons in how to use them (email info@kyoto-musubi.com for info about lessons). Modern-day uses for furoshiki include handbags and wine bottle carriers, and believe it or not they make nice table covers, too. The owner has even written a book about it in English.
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General Stores
Thimphu has a plethora of general shops containing a hodgepodge selection such as light bulbs, stationery, farm implements, shampoo, computer disks and canned fish. To provide even more variety, shops may sell drinks by the glass and their sign may read 'shop cum bar' or the all-encompassing 'general cum bar shop'. Many items on sale are made in India, but there are lots of interesting Bhutanese products, especially textiles, baskets, jewellery, incense, books and religious items.
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E
Tenjin Core
Shopping, or at least window shopping, in Tenjin's high-rise and underground labyrinthine complexes is a popular Fukuoka pastime. Packed along a sparkling three-block section of Tenjin's Watanabi-dori, Tenjin Core (721-7755), Mitsukoshi (724-3111), Daimaru (712-8181), Solaria Plaza (733-7004), subterranean Tenjin Chikagai (721-8436) and IMS building (733-2001) are all favourite spots. The latter gets bonus points for a rooftop terrace, open 11:00 to 21:00, weather permitting.
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Guan De Xin Paper Umbrella Shop
Craftsmen have been making umbrellas in Meinong for 80 years, ever since a local businessman bought up a Chinese master's shop (and all his suppliers) and forced him to move to Meinong. The umbrellas are made of paper and bamboo, hand-painted and lacquered to make them durable and waterproof. They make great decorations and gifts. If you're looking to buy, Guan De Xin Paper Umbrella Shop is one of the best places. An umbrella here costs between NT$600 and NT$1200.
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Gazaryn Zurag Map Shop
There are several maps available of Ulaanbaatar; the best is the 1:10,000 Ulaanbaatar City Map, updated annually. On the back is a 1:200,000 map of the area around Ulaanbaatar. Maps can be found in bookshops and hotels. A central map shop is the Gazaryn Zurag Map Shop . It produces its own maps, some of which are cheaper than those of Cartography Co, but the selection is much smaller and it doesn't have topo maps.
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Cartography Co Map Shop
There are several maps available of Ulaanbaatar; the best is the 1:10,000 Ulaanbaatar City Map, updated annually. On the back is a 1:200,000 map of the area around Ulaanbaatar. Maps can be found in bookshops and hotels but the best place to buy them is the Cartography Co Map Shop on Ikh Toiruu, near the Elba Electronics shop. You can also buy good topographic maps of Mongolia here.
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Top Spinning Academy
If you enter this shop, be prepared for a very enthusiastic traditional top-spinning lesson by gasing extraordinaire Simpson Wong. You aren't expected to purchase anything although you probably will if you get the hang of the spin - a top is only around RM2. Mr Wong is a charming fellow who genuinely appears to just want people to play tops with him. Go in and make his day.
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Torana Gallery
The owner of this popular store, Chris Buckley, wrote the first editions of the Lonely Planet China guide back in the '80s. But nepotism isn't why his shop features here. Instead, it's the range of rugs exclusively made of wool from Tibetan highland sheep and decorated with traditional emblems. Prices start at around Y2200 and you can also custom design your own carpet.
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5th Cross St
Immediately inland from Fort, the bustling bazaar of Pettah is one of the oldest districts in Colombo and one of the most ethnically mixed places in the country. You name it, and a boutique (street stall) will be selling it in Pettah. Each thoroughfare has its own speciality; 5th Cross St (and Gabo's Lane) specialise in Ayurvedic medicines.
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photographic shops
It is still a good idea to bring your own film supplies, but these days most flavours of memory card, camera batteries and print film are relatively easy to find in Lhasa (although bring your own slide film). A profusion of photographic shops to the east of the Potala Square offer digital prints from around Y1 per print.
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Fukuoka Rekishi No Machi
The Fukuoka Rekishi No Machi history-theme village (806-0505; 545-1 Tokunaga, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka-ken; adult/student ¥600/400; ;10:00-17:00) gathers over 30 working potters, weavers and papermakers, plus a souvenir shop to sell their wares. From Tenjin, take the JR train to Kyudai Gakuen toshi station (25 minutes).
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Traditional Herb Shops
While you’re roaming, you can stroll over to the strip of traditional herb shops between Ð Luong Nhu Hoc and Ð Trieu Quang Phuc for an olfactory experience you won’t soon forget. The streets here are filled with amazing sights, sounds and rich herbal aromas.
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Miyamoto Unosuke Shoten
If it’s festival products you’re after, Miyamoto is one-stop shopping, from mikoshi (portable shrines) to drums, clappers and festival masks. It’s on the ground floor of the building and downstairs from the drum museum.
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Chunky Far Flung Gallery + Store
Easily the oddest collection of stores in Manila is at the Marikina Shoe Expo, a once open-air collection of discount shoe vendors. One of these is Chunky Far Flung Gallery + Store, selling figurines and other goofy toys including Astroboy gear.
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Philatelic Bureau
The Philatelic Bureau here has a counter that sells stamps and souvenir sheets of Bhutanese stamps. There is also a tiny shop on the ground floor of Hotel Tandin, which has a small selection of postcards and unusual stamps.
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Orissa State Handloom Cooperative
Orissan textiles, including appliqué and ikat (a technique involving tie-dyeing the thread before it’s woven) works, can be bought at the Orissa State Handloom Cooperative and a number of shops nearby on Rajpath.
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Korea Stamp
Next door to the Koryo Hotel is Korea Stamp (the sign is in English), and it's definitely worth your time to stop in, as North Korean stamps are spectacular propaganda pieces and T-shirts and postcards are also on sale.
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Digimax
Fairly reliable, Digimax can handle colour prints and E-6 or Ektachrome slides. Mounted slide processing will cost you around Rs 500 for 36 slides. Passport photos are available on the spot (Rs 200 for nine photos).
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Tóng Rén Táng
Even if your knowledge of Chinese medicine is zilch, this traditional Chinese pharmacy, over 260 years old, is a superb place to just browse and gape at the enormity of knowledge accrued over four millennia.
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Paper Park
There are dozens of shops in Thamel that sell handmade paper products from photo albums to paper lamps. One of the good shops is Paper Park, next to the Hotel Marshyangdi.
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Mountain Equipment
Trekking and mountaineering equipment can be purchased here at the top end of the bazaar. The lads from Adventure Hunza have also opened a CD shop here, Kiran Audio Video Centre.
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