Shopping in Kyoto
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Junkudō
On the 5th to 8th floors of the BAL building, right downtown, this is one of Kyoto’s best bookshops. The 7th floor has a good selection of English books and a smaller selection of books in other European languages. It also stocks English-language manga, magazines, Lonely Planet travel guides, and Japanese-language textbooks and reference books.
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Aritsugu
While you’re in the Nishiki Market, have a look at this store – it’s where you can find some of the best kitchen knives in the world. It also carries a selection of excellent and unique Japanese kitchenware.
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Bic Camera
This vast new shop is directly connected to Kyoto Station via the Nishinotōin gate; otherwise, it’s accessed by leaving the north (Karasuma) gate and walking west. You will be amazed by the sheer amount of goods this store has on display. Just be sure that an English operating manual is available for your purchases. For computer parts, keep in mind that not all items on offer will work with English operating systems.
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Ippo-dō
This old-style tea shop sells the best Japanese tea in Kyoto. Its matcha (powdered green tea used in tea ceremonies) makes an excellent and lightweight souvenir. Try a 40g container of wa-no-mukashi (meaning ‘old-time Japan’) for ¥1600, which makes 25 cups of excellent green tea. Ippo-dō is north of the city hall, on Teramachi-dōri. It has an adjoining tea house.
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Nijūsan-Ya
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 and maiko (apprentice geisha). This tiny hole-in-the-wall shop has a fine selection for you to choose from (and if you don’t like what’s on view, you can ask if it has other choices in stock – it usually does).
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Tanakaya
Tanakaya is one of the best places in Kyoto to buy kyō-ningyō. In addition to the full range of kyō-ningyō, the shop sells display stands and screens, Japanese traditional shell game pieces and miniature Gion Matsuri floats. It occupies a wide stretch of Shijō-dōri and is easy to spot by its dolls in the window.
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Kyoto Handicraft Center
The Kyoto Handicraft Center is a huge cooperative that exhibits and sells a wide range of Japanese arts and crafts. It also has two in-house wood-block printmakers and a corner where you can try your hand at making some of your own prints. All in all, this is the best one-stop emporium in the whole of Kyoto. It’s located near Heian-jingū.
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Tessai-dō
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 shop. This shop specialises in original prints, some of which are quite old. Prices average ¥10,000 per print and the owner will be happy to consult with you about what sort of print you are after.
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Erizen
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-yūzen (Kyoto dyed fabrics) and other kimono fabrics. Prices are not cheap but the service is of a high level. Staff can measure you for a kimono and post it to your home later.
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Tenjin-san Market
This market is held once a month at Kitano Tenman-gū and marks the birthday (and coincidentally the death) of the Heian-era statesman Sugawara Michizane (845–903). Items on offer are similar to those at Kōbō-san. It’s pleasant to explore the shrine before or after you do your shopping.
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Rakushi-kan
Rakushi-kan offers paper-making workshops on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, with sessions at 1pm, 2pm, 3pm and 4pm. The one-hour course costs from ¥1000 for making sheets of washi, business cards or postcards. Reservations in Japanese should be made a week in advance and courses are held for groups of five or more.
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Onouechikuzaiten
With a name that even residents find hard to pronounce, this fine little specialist store stocks a selection of bamboo crafts. It’s only a few steps away from its main competition, Kagoshin, which allows for easy comparison shopping. Like Kagoshin, it stocks baskets, bamboo vases, decorations and knick-knacks.
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Kamiji Kakimoto
A close second to Morita Washi as our favourite washi shop in Kyoto. It’s got such unusual items as washi computer printer paper and washi wallpaper. It’s very close to Ippo-dō tea shop, with which it makes a very good double bill.
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Kagoshin
Kagoshin is a small semi-open bamboo craft shop on Sanjō-dōri, only a few minutes’ walk east of the Kamo-gawa. It has a good selection of baskets, chopstick holders, bamboo vases, decorations and knick-knacks. The baskets make a good, light souvenir and look great in alcove displays.
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Avanti
This department store has a decent bookshop on its 6th floor, and a food court and supermarket on its B1 floor. It’s geared mostly to younger Kyoto shoppers but it’s good for browsing if you have time to kill while waiting for a train. Take the underground passage from Kyoto Station.
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Shin-Puh-Kan
This new Downtown shopping complex has a variety of boutiques and restaurants clustered around a huge open-air atrium. The offerings here run to the trendy and ephemeral, which seems to appeal to all the young folk who congregate here. Occasional art and music performances are held in the atrium.
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Kōbō-san Market
This market is held at Tō-ji on the 21st of each month to commemorate the death of Kōbō Taishi, who in 823 was appointed abbot of the temple. If you’re after used kimono, pottery, bric-a-brac, plants, tools and general Japanalia, this is the place.
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Eirin
If you plan on spending more than a week or so exploring Kyoto by bicycle, it might make sense to purchase one second-hand. A simple mama chari (shopping bike) can be had for as little as ¥3000. Try the used-cycle shop Eirin near Kyoto University.
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Benri-dō
We love this new postcard shop inside a converted machiya (traditional Japanese townhouse). They stock postcards of the most famous pieces from art museums across Japan. It's a great place to buy postcards that are a bit out of the ordinary to send or take home.
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Tōki Matsuri
This is Kyoto’s largest ceramics fair and it’s a good place to snap up some bargains, especially late on the last day. Even if you don’t intend to buy, it’s fun to stroll past the stores. The market runs between Kawabata and Higashiōji.
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Kyoto-Kimono Plaza
This is one of Kyoto’s more approachable kimono shops. As with other shops specialising in new kimono and kimono fabrics, prices are not cheap, but the quality is high. You can be measured for a custom kimono here and the shop will post it to your home.
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Opa
This youth-oriented shopping centre is the place to go to see swarms of ko-gyaru (brightly clad Japanese girls) and their mates. It’s also a decent spot for those who want to check out a wide variety of fashion boutiques and other trendy shops.
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Tanakaya
This shop sells noren (curtains that hang in the entry of Japanese restaurants) and a wide variety of other fabric goods such as placemats, tenugui (small hand towels), handkerchiefs and bedding. It’s near Daimaru Department Store.
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Teramachi Club
Used kimono and obi are only the beginning at this interesting little antique shop. Prices are on the high side but it usually has some interesting items. It’s only a little bit further north than the famous Ippo-dō tea shop.
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Kōjitsu Sansō
If you plan to do some hiking or camping while in Japan, you can stock up on equipment at this excellent little shop on Kawaramachi-dōri. You’ll find that Japanese outdoor sporting equipment is very high quality (with prices to match).
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