Songshan
Visitors to this famous pineapple-cake maker are seated at a wooden table and given a complimentary tray holding a bowl of black tea and a wrapped cake…
Must-see shopping in Asia
Hualien
It's not cheap, but spacious A-Zone presents a handy one-stop opportunity to browse a vast range of regional and Taiwanese products from leatherwork to…
Shibuya & Shimo-Kitazawa
What started as a linen supplier in Nara (near Kyoto) 300 years ago has evolved into one of Japan's proudest brands, creating beautiful natural clothing,…
Ginza & Tsukiji
This classy mixed-use complex, which opened in 2018, has a good assortment of fashionable boutiques as well as the 11-screen Toho multiplex. Check out the…
Roppongi, Akasaka & Around
Expat and former US diplomat Norman Tolman has been collecting modern and contemporary Japanese print art for 50 years and has authored many books on the…
Battambang
Jewel in the Lotus features an upstairs gallery, with paintings, prints, vintage items, unique postcards, souvenirs, underground comix, literature,…
Shibuya & Shimo-Kitazawa
Shibuya's newest mall (opened in 2019) has eight floors of fashion, beauty and lifestyle boutiques (and more floors for restaurants, cafes and gourmet…
West Timor
Maubesi is home to the Kefa regency’s best textile market. Market day is Thursday, when ikat is displayed beneath tamarind trees, along with produce,…
Lake Gardens, Brickfields & Bangsar
Lisette Scheers is the creative force behind the Nala brand of homewares, stationery, accessories and clothes. All her products embody a contemporary but…
Hangzhou
Wushan Lu Night Market doesn't have too much to offer by way of interesting souvenirs, but it's still a pleasant place to stroll for half an hour or so…
Dongdaemun & Eastern Seoul
One for serious collectors, this sprawling collection of antique shops is spread over three separate precincts. Here you can browse through old dusty…
Roppongi, Akasaka & Around
This high-end design complex is filled with galleries and shops selling art books, photographs, covetable homewares and other objets d’art.
Ueno & Yanesen
For nearly half a century this tiny stall in Ameya-yokochō has been selling recordings of popular Japanese music to the faithful. Its forte is enka, best…
Wan Chai & Northeast Hong Kong Island
This very local Chinese department store has everything from ginseng to silk baby slippers and acupuncture models to calligraphy brushes. Crowded, dusty…
Itaewon & Yongsan-gu
Vinyl is alive and kicking at this warehouse-sized music store that invites you to listen to the latest releases on a dozen or so turntables before buying…
Little India & Kampong Glam
Traditional Peranakan beadwork is a dying art, but it's kept very much alive in this shop and workshop. The shop's colourful slippers are designed by…
Gangnam & Southern Seoul
One of Seoul's premier malls and the world's largest underground mall, the shiny COEX is a vast maze of department stores loaded with shops selling…
Asakusa & Sumida River
Pick up great souvenirs from this plastic food model manufacturer. Among the examples of freakishly realistic food models are some more tongue-in-cheek…
Kuala Lumpur
This shrine to the pre-digital world combines a film and print shop with the genial proprietor Koon Yik Chin's collection of antique cameras and…
Himachal Pradesh
For high-quality Kullu shawls and other handloom-woven goods at fixed prices, without the hard sell, head to the nearest branch of Bhuttico, the Bhutti…
Phuket
Phuket’s top homegrown all-natural health and beauty producer, Lemongrass has shelves stacked high with moisturisers, body scrubs, essential oils, chunky…
French Concession
French-Chinese hybrid Chouchou Chic sells kids’ clothes (up to age eight) that are infinitely cuter than what you find at the souvenir stalls. Most of the…
Fukuoka
Canal City is Fukuoka's biggest mall, boasting an eponymous artificial canal with illuminated fountain symphony, a multiplex cinema, a playhouse and about…
Yangon
Among the handful of reasons for visiting Dalah is this social enterprise where the handicrafts workshop has been partly constructed from old glass,…
South Jakarta
In a city splashed with flashy malls, this unusual, tall mall stands out – it's understated with a modest-sized collection of shops. There's a Periplus…
Southern Higashiyama
Located in the heart of the Kiyomizu pottery area, Asahi-dō has been specialising in Kyōyaki-Kiyomizuyaki (Kyoto-style pottery) since 1870. The complex is…
Taipei
A rabbit's warren of old gems. You'll find everything here from ornate furniture to kimonos, chinaware, plastic toys, dial-up telephones and rocking…
Forbidden City & Dongcheng Central
After decades of charmless development, this 2018 luxury shopping mall is at least trying to restore a little lost glamour to Wangfujing, once lined with…
Siem Reap
Relocated to Sivatha St, this shop has an eclectic collection of silk and carvings, as well as a superb range of traditional beauty products and spices,…
French Concession
This charming gallery and shop behind a gate is too easy to miss, but deserves to be found. D.Art packs colourful prints depicting rural Chinese life into…
Beijing
The downtown Beijing flagship of innovative Chinese electronics giant Xiaomi (sometimes called China's Apple). Browse low-price designer tech such as…
Ebisu, Meguro & Around
Minä Perhonen, from designer Minagawa Akira, is one of Japan's most successful brands. It's known for its pretty prints in soft, flattering colours;…
Yangon
Most of the merchandise at downtown Yangon's largest market is ordinary housewares and textiles, but it's also renowned for its large selection of…
Leh
Ladakh's first home-grown fashion house uses local design as starting inspiration and sources much of its raw material from nomadic herders. This is the…
Malaysia
Distinguished by its monumental Ancient Egypt–style decor, including a crowning pyramid, this vast mall buzzes with high-end brands, restaurants and a…
Ueno & Yanesen
Ameya-yokochō is widely known as the place to pick up bargain kicks; but among running-shoe fans, it's better known as the home of Mita Sneakers, which…
Ueno & Yanesen
Mitsuaki Tsuyuki makes and sells his incredible hand puppets here – look for lifelike renditions of Japanese celebs and, natch, Elvis. Quick portraits…
Davao
If you’re looking for handicrafts, shop around this rabbit warren of stalls with textiles, batik, weavings, carvings and jewellery. You can also pick up a…
French Concession
Urban Tribe is the only contemporary Shanghai label to draw inspiration from the ethnic groups of China and Southeast Asia. The collection of loose…
Bangkok
Several upscale art and antique shops occupy the 3rd and 4th floors of this riverside mall. The vast majority of pieces appear to come from Myanmar and –…
