Ginza & Tsukiji
Rice ('kome') is at the heart of Japanese cuisine. This stylish store sells not only many types of the grain but also products made from it (such as sake)…
Must-see shopping in Japan
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
Beams, a national chain of trendsetting boutiques, is a Japanese cultural institution and this multistorey Shinjuku branch has a particular audience in…
Nagoya
Enjoy the genius of Komehyō, Japan's largest discounter of secondhand, well…everything. Housed over seven floors in the main building, clothes, jewellery…
Asakusa & Sumida River
Founded in 1711, this traditional Japanese doll manufacturer is the place to come to see the exquisite craftsmanship of these ornamental figurines,…
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…
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,…
Asakusa & Sumida River
If the basic black or navy blue ink of pens is too common for you, let Ink Stand help you create your own personalised colour. For ¥2700 for a 33ml bottle…
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…
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…
Sendai
Buy handmade wares from all over Tōhoku at this elegant, perfectly curated shop. It's a lovely spot to pick up high-quality souvenirs for gifts (which…
Ōsumi Islands
Rents and sells everything from rainwear (from ¥1200) and waterproof hiking boots (available in larger gaijin sizes) to tents and baby carriers.
Roppongi, Akasaka & Around
There's always an expertly curated and ever-changing selection of home-grown design bits and bobs that make for unique souvenirs at this shop.
Roppongi, Akasaka & Around
This sleek complex, where escalators ascend alongside waterfalls of rock and glass, brims with sophisticated shops. Most notable is the selection of…
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
A long-time lifeline for Tokyo English-speakers, Kinokuniya stocks a broad selection of foreign-language books and magazines. Particularly of note is its…
Ginza & Tsukiji
Stop any Tokyoite on the street and odds are they're wearing at least one thing from Uniqlo, the ubiquitous retailer of indispensible basics. There are…
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)…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.
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…
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
Keeping the dream alive for fans of physical music, Disk Union has eight (cramped) storeys of used CDs and records, including whole floors for genres like…
Ginza & Tsukiji
The Okuno Building (1932) is of a rare vintage in ever-redeveloping Tokyo; most such buildings have long come down. But a concerted effort by artists and…
Asakusa & Sumida River
It's not all cheesy Sky Tree swag at this mall under the tower (though you can get 634m-long rolls of Sky Tree toilet paper). Shops on the 4th floor offer…
Asakusa & Sumida River
If you're after something for the kitchen or dining room table, head to Kappabashi-dōri Japan’s largest wholesale restaurant-supply and kitchenware…
Ueno & Yanesen
Sukajan are silken bomber jackets boldly embroidered, usually with traditional motifs such as cherry blossoms or cranes. They were originally created as…
Ginza & Tsukiji
Mitsukoshi is Ginza's most famous department store, anchoring one corner of the neighbourhood's main intersection. The fashion is mostly from…
Harajuku & Aoyama
This is the flagship boutique from celebrity stylist Sonya Park, whose signature look is a vintage-inspired minimalism in luxurious, natural fabrics. It…
Kōrakuen & Akihabara
Mansei-bashi Station was Tokyo's original eastern terminus, completed two years before Tokyo Station in 1912. It closed in 1943 and was reborn at long…
Tokyo
The design of Takashimaya’s flagship store (1933) tips its pillbox hat to New York’s Gilded Age with marble columns, chandeliers and uniformed female…
