Shopping in Tokyo
-
A
Venus Fort
Venus Fort embodies a Japanese vision of a young woman's shopping paradise, in a building that mimics 17th-century Venice with ceilings that simulate the sky (it even shifts from day to night). With around 170 boutiques and restaurants all aimed at young ladies, this kitschy shopping centre also boasts the distinction of having Japan's biggest lavatory (64 stalls).
reviewed
-
B
Kyūkyodō
Gorgeous traditional Japanese paper and note cards welcome you to the ground floor of this store in business since the early Edo Period (the current building is 20th century). Upstairs art is sold on shikishi (cardboard canvases), alongside hanging scrolls to display them. Should you want to try your own art, there are traditional brushes and ink stones, even incense for inspiration.
reviewed
-
C
Kappabashi-dōri
Imagine a market full of food, yet none of it is edible…welcome to Kappabashi-dōri! Located on the west side of Asakusa, this kitchenware shopping strip supplies restaurants as well as locals with a variety of items – most notably masses of plastic food. Sadly, we found the faux-noodles and synthetic pizzas to be shockingly expensive – even a teeny sushi key chain will set you back ¥1000.
reviewed
-
D
Oriental Bazaar
Set right along the main thoroughfare and noticeably out of place with its gaudy Disney-meets-temple facade, Oriental Bazaar is a decent spot for one-stop shopping if you're looking to buy a variety of different souvenirs. Though the collection of fans, sake sets, yukata and pottery can feel a bit uninspired, the prices are surprisingly low considering the store's location.
reviewed
-
E
Mandarake - Shibuya
The Shibuya branch of Mandarake stocks a range of new manga and also boasts performances by real, live cosplay (costume-play) kids in full-on anime character drag. Avid fans should also make the trek to Mandarake's huge flagship store in Nakano, with three floors packed with all manner of new and used manga, anime, games and character-related collectibles.
reviewed
-
F
Itōya
Nine floors of stationery-shop love await visual-art professionals and seekers of office accessories from the everyday to luxury (fountain pens, Italian leather agendas). The 6th floor offers more traditional Japanese wares including washi (fine Japanese handmade paper), tenugui (beautifully hand-dyed thin cotton towels) and furoshiki (wrapping cloths).
reviewed
-
G
Japan Traditional Crafts Center
Demonstrations and temporary exhibitions of handmade crafts, such as weavings, mosaics, ceramics and washi, are held on the 3rd floor of this centre. High-quality folk arts and handicrafts are available for purchase on the 1st and 2nd floors.
reviewed
-
H
Kurofune
Kurofune, run for the past quarter-century by a friendly American collector, carries an awesome treasure-trove of Japanese antiques. Correspondingly impressive amounts of cash are necessary to acquire such items, like painstakingly constructed antique tansu (Japanese chests of drawers), but it's a nice place to window-shop.
reviewed
-
I
Uniqlo
Qlothe yourself in brilliant basics at this low-cost chain. There are dozens of branches around the city, but the Ginza location is the flagship behemoth with an entire building devoted to each gender.
reviewed
-
J
MISC
Imagine not just one cool boutique, but an entire district filled with funky furniture shops, car-boot-sale bric-a-brac and hand-me-down treasures. Welcome to MISC – an inviting stretch of pavement linking dozens of interesting storefronts. Favourites include Moody's, Claska and Brunch. Several quaint cafes lurk about – perfect for your furniture-shopping snack break.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
K
Daiso
When Japan's economy crashed, hyakkin (100-yen shops) began raking in the cash...and haven't stopped. Among the hundreds in Tokyo, Daiso is easily accessible and stocked with four floors full of merchandise costing around ¥100. It's a great souvenir stop, where you can find rice bowls painted with cute animals, vampiric nail polish and random, silly kitsch.
reviewed
-
L
Don Quijote
This fluorescent-lit, trashy cousin of Tōkyū Hands is filled to the gills with weird loot: knock-off designer goods, packaged snacks, gimmicky seasonal rubbish and sex toys. There are branches of 'the donkey' all over Tokyo – the one in Roppongi has a weird horseshoe-shaped roller-coaster track on the roof (a clear zoning violation – it's not in use).
reviewed
-
M
Bapexclusive
BAPE (A Bathing Ape) is no longer the madly exclusive brand that made it so desirable - this shop is testament to how underground designer Nigo's brand isn't, but how wildly successful it's become. BAPE has a dozen or so 'secret', hard-to-find shops around Harajuku and Aoyama; this one's a good starting point for brand fans and architecture buffs.
reviewed
-
N
Sony Building
Although essentially a Sony showroom, this place has hands-on displays of Sony's latest gizmos and gadgets – some of which have yet to be released. It's a good place to test-drive Sony's latest digital cameras, laptops and idiosyncratic electronic 'pets'.
reviewed
-
O
Beams
In this town that has made a cult of the humble decorated T-shirt, Beams must surely be one of its temples. There’s a cluster of Beams shops in this Daikanyama shopping complex of glass boxes, including Mangart Beams T, with exclusive designs by manga artists, and Kodomo Beams for kids. Prices: sky high. There’s another big Beams cluster off Omote-Sandō.
reviewed
-
P
Comme des Garçons
The architectural eccentricity of Kawakubo Rei’s flagship store should come as no surprise – her radical designs have been refiguring the fashion landscape for more than 20 years. Both men’s and women’s fashions are on display. Most available sizes are quite small, but a quick circuit of the shop is interesting in itself.
reviewed
-
Q
Akihabara Radio Kaikan
Despite its name, Radio Kaikan has nothing to do with radios and everything to do with anime. There are more than a dozen shops over eight storeys, selling manga, anime, collectibles like models and figurines, fanzines, costumes and gear. Shops include Kotobukiya, K-Books and Kayodo Hobby Lobby.
reviewed
-
Q Flagship Ebisu-Nishi
Sharing a building with Hacknet, Q Flagship Ebisu-Nishi presents its clothing and accessories like candy, or jewellery. Many pieces are originals by local and international designers from as far abroad as Australia and Italy, but the shop also designs a house collection. Sizes are limited generally to those fitting svelte Daikanyama figures.
reviewed
-
R
Tower Records
Yep, it's a chain, but this Tower is Tokyo's largest music store (and that's saying something). Despite its size, this place gets packed. Tower also carries a large selection of English-language books and an extensive array of magazines and newspapers from around the world. Magazines here are considerably cheaper than elsewhere around town.
reviewed
-
Nichōme Sanbanchi
Lovers of toy nostalgia should make a bee-line for this crammed little shop named after a classic TV show. Wares include snow globes, models, anime action figures and character goods inspired by Sesame Street to Barbapapa, Teletubbies to Disney. It’s the essence of kawaii, though not always the essence of cheap pricing.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
S
Tolman Collection
American Norman Tolman has been collecting Japanese print art for 50 years and authored many books on the subject, and his gallery in a traditional building represents some 48 leading Japanese artists of printing, lithography, etchings, wood-blocks and more. Prices aren’t cheap –prints start at around ¥12,000 – but neither is quality.
reviewed
-
T
Evisu Tailor
In the early '90s, the detail-obsessed founder of Evisu began producing jeans the old-fashioned way, using rescued looms and weaving methods, helping to spawn the Japanese selvedge denim craze. At Evisu Tailor you can choose the pair you want and have the Evisu logo custom-painted on, or discreet denim-wearers can opt to go logoless.
reviewed
-
U
Kasūkōbō
This open-air jewellery shop on a raised platform has an old-fashioned feel even while the tattooed dude kneeling behind the display cases exudes the casual air of the modern Ura-Hara denizen. Mostly sculpted silver jewellery with themes of lotuses, dragons and koi (carp), the pieces here are simultaneously fresh and modern.
reviewed
-
V
Takeshita-dōri
Nippon neophytes will chuckle at the name, but the local brigade of Harajuku girls strut down Takeshita-dōri with the utmost seriousness. The human gridlock is bewildering as eager youngsters bounce between boutiques while trying on the latest fashion trends. Crepe stalls, faux hip-hop hagglers and tonnes of camera-clicking tourists come standard.
reviewed
-
W
Muji
Mujirushi Ryōhin – literally, 'no-name brand' – has taken the world by storm with its signature line of simple lifestyle goods. At the flagship store, things are taken to the next level – customers can tour a full-sized 'MUJI House' fully constructed within the shop. It's on the 1st level to the left of the escalator, and yes, this do-it-yourself abode is for sale (available in in three different sizes). If you happen to have an empty plot of land at home, why not take home the ultimate souvenir – a Japanese house!
reviewed