Must-see shopping in Kyoto

  • Ichizawa Shinzaburo Hanpu shop in kyoto

    Ichizawa Shinzaburo Hanpu

    Southern Higashiyama

    This company has been making its canvas bags for over 110 years and the store is often crammed with those in the know picking up a skillfully crafted…

  • Ippodo tea is a popular shop for premium teas, including ceremonial matcha, plus classes, accessories & a tea room.

    Ippōdō Tea

    Downtown Kyoto

    This old-style tea shop sells some of the best Japanese tea in Kyoto, and you'll be given an English leaflet with prices and descriptions of each one. Its…

  • Zōhiko

    Downtown Kyoto

    Zōhiko is the best place in Kyoto to buy one of Japan's most beguiling art-and-craft forms: lacquerware. If you aren't familiar with just how beautiful…

  • Takashimaya

    Downtown Kyoto

    The grande dame of Kyoto department stores, Takashimaya is almost a tourist attraction in its own right, from the mind-boggling riches of the basement…

  • Wagami no Mise

    Downtown Kyoto

    This place sells a fabulous variety of washi for reasonable prices and is a great spot to pick up a gift or souvenir. Look for the Morita Japanese Paper…

  • Aritsugu

    Downtown Kyoto

    While you’re in Nishiki Market, have a look at this store – it has some of the best kitchen knives in the world.

  • Tokyu Hands

    Downtown Kyoto

    While the Kyoto branch of Tokyu Hands doesn't have the selection of bigger branches in places like Tokyo, it's still well worth a browse for fans of…

  • Maruzen

    Downtown Kyoto

    Occupying two basement floors of the BAL department store, this excellent bookshop has a massive range of English-language books across all subjects,…

  • Kamiji Kakimoto

    Downtown Kyoto

    This is one of the best places to buy washi (Japanese handmade paper) in Kyoto. It’s got such unusual items as washi computer printer paper and washi…

  • Kyūkyo-dō

    Downtown Kyoto

    This old shop in the Teramachi covered arcade sells a selection of incense, shodō (calligraphy) goods, tea-ceremony supplies and washi. Prices are on the…

  • Aizen Kōbō

    Imperial Palace & Around

    In the heart of the Nishijin textile district in a beautifully restored machiya (traditional Japanese townhouse), Aizen Kōbō has been producing its indigo…

  • Asahi-dō

    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…

  • Kyoto Handicraft Center

    Northern Higashiyama

    Split between two buildings, East and West, this place sells a good range of Japanese arts and crafts, including Hokusai woodblock prints (reproductions…

  • Funahashi-ya

    Downtown Kyoto

    Around since 1885, Funahashi-ya has long been a popular stop to pick up Japanese rice crackers (known as o-kaki in Kyoto) and its signature go-shiki-mame …

  • BAL

    Downtown Kyoto

    For all your high-end fashion and homeware needs, the chic and elegant BAL department store is the place to go. You’ll find designer fashion, botanical…

  • Bic Camera

    Kyoto Station & South Kyoto

    The sheer amount of gadgets and goods this store has on display is amazing. Just be sure that an English operating manual is available for your purchases…

  • Kyoto Marui

    Downtown Kyoto

    This new youth-oriented department store hails from Tokyo and brings some of that fashion sense with it. It’s a good place to see what’s hot with the…

  • Fujii Daimaru Department Store

    Downtown Kyoto

    This smallish department store on Shijō-dōri is very popular with young locals who flock here to peruse the interesting selection of up-to-the-minute…

  • Mimuro

    Downtown Kyoto

    Mimuro is a great spot for anyone looking to take home a good-quality kimono or yukata (light cotton kimono). The English-speaking staff will go out of…

  • Erizen

    Downtown Kyoto

    Roughly opposite Takashimaya department store, Erizen is one of the best places in Kyoto to buy a kimono or kimono fabric. It has a great selection of kyō…

  • Kagoshin

    Southern Higashiyama

    Kagoshin is a small semi-open traditional bamboo craft shop that has been around for generations on Sanjō-dōri, only a few minutes’ walk east of the Kamo…

  • Tsukimochiya Naomasa

    Downtown Kyoto

    This classic old sweet shop, about 50m north of Sanjō-dōri on Kiyamachi-dōri, is a great place to get acquainted with traditional Kyoto sweets. Just point…

  • Yodobashi Camera

    Kyoto Station & South Kyoto

    This mammoth shop sells a range of electronics, camera and computer goods, and also has a restaurant floor, a branch of popular Uniqlo budget clothing…

  • Miura Shōmei

    Southern Higashiyama

    If you've taken a shine to the soft warm glow of paper lanterns in your ryokan and want one to take home, this is the shop to get one. In business for…

  • Nishiharu

    Downtown Kyoto

    This is an attractive shop dealing in wood-block prints. All prints are accompanied by English explanations and the owner is happy to take the time to…

  • Yojiya

    Southern Higashiyama

    Peruse the cosmetics and skincare here at one of Kyoto's most well-known brands. The famous oil-blotting facial papers make a great lightweight and cheap…

  • Tsujikura

    Downtown Kyoto

    Tsujikura is a small store stocking the beautiful wagasa (waxed-paper umbrellas) the company has been manufacturing since the 17th century, which come in…

  • Tenjin-san Market

    Northwest Kyoto

    This sprawling flea market marks the birthday (and the death) of the Heian-era statesman Sugawara Michizane (845–903). It’s pleasant to explore the shrine…

  • Kaikadō

    Kyoto Station & South Kyoto

    Stop by this tiny tucked-away store to covet the beautiful tin, copper and brass chazutsu (tea canisters) handcrafted by a family of artisans for over 130…

  • JR Isetan

    Kyoto Station & South Kyoto

    Isetan is an elegant department store located inside the Kyoto Station building, making it perfect for a last-minute spot of shopping before hopping on…

  • Kungyoku-dō

    Kyoto Station & South Kyoto

    A haven for the olfactory sense, this shop has sold incense and aromatic woods (for burning, similar to incense) for four centuries. This is a great place…

  • Kōbō-san Market

    Kyoto Station & South Kyoto

    This monthly market is held at Tō-ji to commemorate the death of Kōbō Daishi, who in 823 was appointed abbot of the temple. If you’re after used kimonos,…

  • Joe's Garage

    Downtown Kyoto

    Named after an album by Frank Zappa, Joe's Garage has a music selection as genre-spanning as the musician himself, with jazz and rock to obscure Japanese…

  • Mina

    Downtown Kyoto

    Mina has branches of two of Japan’s most popular chains: Uniqlo, a budget clothing brand that has spread overseas, and Loft, a fashionable department…

  • Rakushikan

    Downtown Kyoto

    This small shop on the east side of the Museum of Kyoto is a great place to buy washi (Japanese handmade paper) and interesting cards and paper craft…

  • Daimaru

    Downtown Kyoto

    Daimaru has fantastic service, a brilliant selection of goods and a basement food floor that will make you want to move to Kyoto.

  • Nijūsan-ya

    Downtown Kyoto

    Boxwood combs and hair clips are one of Kyoto’s most famous traditional crafts, and they are still used in the elaborate hairstyles of the city’s geisha…

  • Tessai-dō

    Southern Higashiyama

    While exploring the lovely Nene-no-Michi lane in Higashiyama’s main sightseeing district, you might want to step into this fine little wood-block print…

  • Tanakaya

    Downtown Kyoto

    Tanakaya is one of the best places in Kyoto to buy kyō-ningyō (Kyoto dolls). In addition to the full range of kyō-ningyō, the shop sells display stands…

  • Æon Mall Kyoto

    Kyoto Station & South Kyoto

    A five-minute walk southwest of Kyoto Station (exit Hachijō-guchi), you'll find branches of most of the big Japanese retailers here, including Muji,…

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