Must-see shopping in Japan
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
Awkward name and unlikely location (within the Shinjuku Bus Terminal complex) aside, this newish mall is one of Tokyo's swankiest places to shop. There's…
Shibuya & Shimo-Kitazawa
Nicknamed marukyū, this cylindrical tower is a trend factory and teen institution. Inside are dozens of small boutiques, each with its own carefully…
Roppongi, Akasaka & Around
If you're after a samurai sword or weaponry, this venerable place sells the genuine article – including antique sword guards and samurai helmets dating…
Harajuku & Aoyama
This long-running souvenir shop sells a variety of goods, from inexpensive pottery and yukata (cotton kimono) to antique screens and chests. Note that not…
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
Japan's largest official Pokémon shop sells every piece of the series' merchandise with goods geared towards kids and grown-ups alike. Around the store…
Tokyo
While not as as big or exhaustive as the Pokémon Center Mega Tokyo, this store is a convenient place to pick up Pickachu-anything (from stuffies to mobile…
Ueno & Yanesen
If you're on the hunt for a particular craft nihonshu (sake) and shōchū (distilled liquor usually made from barley or sweet potato), zone in on this off…
Kōrakuen & Akihabara
Strictly for old-school electronics otaku (geeks), this two-storey warren of several dozen electronics stalls under the elevated railway is the original,…
Beppu
On the southeastern edge of the town centre, this hulking three-storey complex has anchor tenants like Uniqlo and Daiso. The ground floor features a giant…
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
This massive department store attached to Ikebukuro Station has the city's largest depachika (department store food floor), decent-sized outlets of…
Roppongi, Akasaka & Around
The Roppongi branch of this jam-packed bargain castle is where Japanese kids of all ages come to stock up for both fun and useful items.
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
Acos is otaku superstore Animate's cosplay speciality shop, but you don't need to be a fan to appreciate the mesmerising selection of reasonably good…
Kii Peninsula
Tanabe is Japan's top producer of ume (Japanese apricot), and this shop sells dozens of varieties of umeboshi (pickled ume) and umeshu (ume wine). Ask the…
Western Honshū
Okayama has been Japan's denim capital since the 1970s, and Kurashiki's textile heritage lives on in vintage-styled denim, especially in this quirky lane…
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…
Beppu
This tiny shop features products, food, liquor and crafts from Ōita Prefecture. Look for comestibles like jams, teas, spices, condiments and shōchū …
Ginza & Tsukiji
A retail landmark in Ginza since 1932, this exclusive department store with its famous clock tower was designed in the Neo-Renaissance style by Watanabe…
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…
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
At this long-running market on the grounds of Hanazono-jinja, vendors deal in antiques, old prints, used kimono and more. You'd have to have a…
Fukuoka
The IMS building in Tenjin has prime skyline views from its 12th- and 13th-floor restaurants, including busy No No Budo. Nearby is Pietro Corte for…
Kōrakuen & Akihabara
Are you on the lookout for a bipedal humanoid robot? V Stone specialises in DIY robot kits (from around ¥80,000, tax free). It also carries a range of…
Hokkaidō
The shopping centre at the New Furano Prince Hotel is a cute string of log cabins, each specialising in different crafts, connected by boardwalks in the…
Osaka
Perfect for last-minute souvenir shopping is this outlet of Tokyū Hands, with the chain's signature range of must-have gadgets, homewares and stationery…
Odaiba & Tokyo Bay
For fans of the anime franchise Gundam, this huge store has over a thousand different gunpura, Gundam plastic model kits, including limited-edition…
Shibuya & Shimo-Kitazawa
This branch of anime and manga megastore Mandarake has a smaller selection than sister shops in Akihabara and Nakano but a convenient location near…
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…
Nagasaki
It's not that the snacks, candy, castella (dense sponge cake), toys and trinkets are so unique – or great, for that matter. It's that this gift shop…
Osaka
At 16,000 sq metres over five storeys, this is Japan's largest men's fashion retailer. Though there are a few domestic names represented here, it's mostly…
Osaka
This huge Umeda branch of the classic Kansai department store anchors Osaka Station's southern side. On the upper floors you'll find branches of Tokyū…
Osaka
This old warehouse has a work space with vintage silkscreen machines that allow local artists to create small batches of T-shirts, posters, notecards,…
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,…
Downtown Kyoto
A collection of semi-independent antique shops under one roof, this Teramachi-dōri emporium has oddities, curios and treasures to make those yen burn a…
Kyoto Station & South Kyoto
Located under the north side of Kyoto Station (take the escalators down from just outside the central gate), you’ll find this utilitarian shopping mall…
Northern Higashiyama
If you’re a fan of Japanese swords and armour, you have to visit this wonderful shop on Marutamachi (diagonally opposite the Kyoto Handicraft Center). It…
Shibuya & Shimo-Kitazawa
Shimo-Kitazawa's best vintage shop, H&A – not H&M – provides all the props and costumes you'd need to re-enact almost any theatrical number, from the…
Osaka
This is the flagship of the long-running Osaka-based department store Takashiyama, which stocks mostly international brands, though the homewares…
Kyoto Station & South Kyoto
While this mall doesn't offer much of interest, there is a decent selection of restaurants and a food court. It’s geared mostly to younger Kyoto shoppers,…
