Mumbai (Bombay)
Crawford Market is the largest in Mumbai, and contains the last whiff of British Bombay before the tumult of the central bazaars begins. Bas-reliefs by…
Must-see shopping in Asia
South Jakarta
On the hunt for the best local fashion labels? Then head to ARA, a high-end concept store and independent fashion boutique inside the Colony shopping mall…
Shibuya & Shimo-Kitazawa
Designer Natsuki Shigeta creates yukata (cotton kimonos) with a punk-rock slant (and sometimes outré prints). Nevermind if you can't tie the obi (sash)…
Phuket Town
With a street-art vibe reminiscent of pre-boom Brooklyn or East London, this wide-open cooperative is by far the standout gallery in a town full of them…
Bangkok
The emphasis at this night market is on the retro, from vintage clothes to kitschy antiques. With stalls and food trucks, van-based bars, land-bound pubs…
Singapore
Visitors looking for a tattoo shop with a definite pedigree should know about this place, for it's here that you'll be able to get exquisite work from…
Eastern Rajasthan
In Tilonia village, about 25km northeast of Kishangarh and 7km off the Ajmer to Jaipur road, is the inspiring Barefoot College. This NGO is run by and for…
Chinatown, Merdeka Square & Bukit Nanas
Malaysia’s relaxed attitude towards counterfeit goods is well illustrated at this popular night market bracketed by fake Chinese gateways. Traders start…
Ginza & Tsukiji
A department store as envisioned by Rei Kawakubo (of Comme des Garçons), DSM has seven floors of avant-garde brands, including several Japanese labels and…
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
Bingoya has five floors of quality, unpretentious crafts sourced from all over Japan. There’s a particularly good selection of folksy pottery and textiles…
Asakusa & Sumida River
Spend any amount of time in Japan and you become quickly familiar with noren, the curtains that hang in front of shop doors. This shop sells beautiful…
Chinatown & the CBD
The curious paper objects on sale around Chinatown – from miniature cars to computers – are offerings burned at funeral wakes to ensure the material…
Wan Chai & Northeast Hong Kong Island
Crammed into cubicles, up escalators and in the back lanes of this unassuming mall next to Sogo are microshops selling local designer threads, garments,…
Thanon Sukhumvit
Shop for flat-weave rugs, pottery, reclaimed wood furniture, woven baskets and trinkets sourced by a husband-and-wife duo from Chiang Mai. Most of the…
South Jakarta
Tulisan is an Indonesian accessories label that specialises in brightly coloured illustrated prints and is best known for its playful canvas tote bags…
Chinatown & the CBD
If you want to recreate the aromas and tastes of Singapore at home, make a beeline for this tiny stall where little brown airtight packets, which don't…
Ginza & Tsukiji
This high-end mall was designed by architect Taniguchi Yoshio, who also did the Gallery of Hōryū-ji Treasures. Large-scale art installations are held in…
Ho Chi Minh City
This cosy gallery showcases the work of successful Hoi An–based photographer Réhahn. Especially strong are his images of Vietnam's hill tribes and…
West & Southwest Singapore
More than just Singapore's largest shopping mall, VivoCity offers that rare commodity: open space. There's an outdoor kids' playground on level two and a…
Shibuya Publishing & Booksellers
Shibuya & Shimo-Kitazawa
Come browse the selection of art, food and travel magazines and small-press offerings at this indie bookshop, open late among the bars of Shibuya's…
Harajuku & Aoyama
There are all sorts of treasures to be found at this consignment shop, from 1970s designer duds to delicate teacups, personal castaways to dead stock from…
Tokyo
Cameras are just the start of the electronic items and much more (toys, sake, medicine, cosmetics, wine) sold in this mammoth discount store occupying a…
Hong Kong
Though the specialities are ancient porcelain and tombware, Arch Angel packs a lot more into its two floors: it has everything from old ink drawings and…
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
Ostensibly a do-it-yourself store, Tokyu Hands stocks a wide-variety of totally random (but oddly enticing) household, beauty and office supplies. Though…
South Jakarta
Lovers of streetwear will find a solid combination of local indie design wear and limited-edition Nike trainers at the Goods Dept. Accessory racks are…
Lake Gardens, Brickfields & Bangsar
This homegrown streetwear label, which has won fans across Southeast Asia, is a love letter to KL, peddling T-shirts with quirky prints that are…
Chinatown & the CBD
Flip through the stacks at this pocket-rocket record shop and you'll find everything from punk and French baroque pop to drone, hip-hop and neo-folk. It's…
Ho Chi Minh City
Marrying shopping and dining, this smooth upstairs outlet, next to the restaurant-cafe of the same name, has an eye-catching line in stylish threads and…
Ginza & Tsukiji
Sanrio's flagship store is piled high with all the Hello Kitty merchandise your heart could desire, including some pretty blinged-up items of the famous…
Harajuku & Aoyama
This multistorey toy emporium is packed to the rafters with character goods, including all your Studio Ghibli, Sanrio and Disney faves. It’s not just for…
George Town
Come here for the sensory-assaulting wet market, food stalls selling Penang's famous pickles and vendors selling headscarves, batik shirts, fabrics and…
Kōrakuen & Akihabara
This under-the-train-tracks shopping mall focuses on artisan food and drinks from across Japan, including premium sake, soy sauce, sweets, teas and…
Kōrakuen & Akihabara
See (and sample) humble beans and rice whipped into pastel flowers at this award-winning traditional sweets shop, in business since 1935. There are blue…
Kuta & Legian
A local legend, this vast store for girls of all ages has a winsome logo that says it all. Clothes, gear, bikinis and plenty of other stuff in every shade…
Ueno & Yanesen
At the top of Yanaka Ginza, Matsunoya sells beautifully simple, handmade household goods, such as baskets, brooms and bamboo strainers.
Harajuku & Aoyama
This consignment shop is stocked with labels loved by Harajuku kids, such as Comme des Garçons and Vivienne Westwood.
Beijing
Squint at the historical facade of Ruifuxiang, East China's esteemed silk-clothing merchants, trading here since 1893, and you can almost imagine late…
Beijing
A mandatory tour-group stop, this six-storey temple of retail contains acres of clothing, shoes, handbags and electronics – much of it counterfeit and of…
Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai Night Bazaar is one of the city’s main night-time attractions, especially for families, and is the legacy of the original Yunnanese trading…
AP Xinyang Fashion & Gifts Market
Shanghai
This mammoth underground market by the Science & Technology Museum metro station is Shanghai’s largest collection of shopping stalls. There are tonnes of…
