Must-see shopping in Japan

  • Street entrance for the original Mitsukoshi in Nihombashi

    Mitsukoshi

    Tokyo

    Mitsukoshi's venerable Nihombashi branch was Japan’s first department store. It's a grand affair with an entrance guarded by bronze lions and a…

  • 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…

  • Store front of Muji's Yurakucho flagship store, Marunouchi & Nihombashi

    Muji

    Ginza & Tsukiji

    You could hear the collective swoon of all devotees of functional design when this huge Muji flagship opened in 2019. Floors two through five carry the…

  • 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…

  • Inohara Kanamono-ten

    Kyūshū

    Dating from the 1850s and a registered cultural property, this busy, rustic blade shop is filled with incredible knives, hatchets, swords and even ninja…

  • Tokyu Hands

    Shibuya & Shimo-Kitazawa

    This DIY and zakka (miscellaneous things) store is a Tokyo landmark, loved by locals and tourists alike. It has eight fascinating floors of everything you…

  • Coredo Muromachi

    Tokyo

    More like a purpose-built town than a mall, Coredo Muromachi is spread over three buildings and a terrace complex. It's stylish and upscale, focused more…

  • Shibuya Parco

    Shibuya & Shimo-Kitazawa

    Shibuya Parco has been a trendsetter for decades and now, after a renovation finished in 2019, it is back in top form. There are global brands, but also…

  • 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…

  • Isetan

    Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo

    Isetan is Tokyo's most fashion-forward department store. Head to the 2nd-floor Tokyo Closet and 3rd-floor Re-Style boutiques in the main building, and the…

  • Y. & Sons

    Kōrakuen & Akihabara

    Bespoke tailor Y. & Sons creates contemporary kimono that are 100% iki (chic and urbane), tied low on the hips (a style typically worn by men) and…

  • Art Sanctuary Allan West

    Ueno & Yanesen

    Long-time Yanaka resident Allan West, a graduate of Japan's prestigious Tokyo University of the Arts, paints gorgeous screens and scrolls in the classical…

  • Kama-asa

    Asakusa & Sumida River

    A Japanese knife is not only a highly practical and prized piece of kitchenware, it can also be extremely beautiful in its design. Admire an excellent…

  • Imadeya

    Ginza & Tsukiji

    Imadeya is a respected sake specialty store, but they carry more than that, including small batch shōchū (distilled alcohol usually made from sweet…

  • Japan Traditional Crafts Aoyama Square

    Roppongi, Akasaka & Around

    Supported by the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, this is as much a showroom as a shop, exhibiting a broad range of traditional crafts…

  • Itōya

    Ginza & Tsukiji

    Explore the nine floors (plus several more in the nearby annex) of stationery at this famed, century-old Ginza establishment. There are everyday items …

  • Marugoto Nippon

    Asakusa & Sumida River

    Think of this as a small shopping centre, showcasing the best of Japan's speciality food and drink (ground floor) and arts and crafts (2nd floor). The 3rd…

  • House @Mikiri Hassin

    Harajuku & Aoyama

    Hidden deep in the side alleys of Harajuku, House stocks an ever-changing selection of experimental Japanese fashion brands. Contrary to what the coolness…

  • 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…

  • Takumi

    Ginza & Tsukiji

    You're unlikely to find a more elegant selection of traditional folk crafts, including toys, textiles and ceramics from around Japan. Ever thoughtful,…

  • Time Bomb Records

    Osaka

    One of the best record stores in the city, Time Bomb stocks an excellent collection of vinyl and CDs from '60s pop and '70s punk to alternative, soul and…

  • 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…

  • Dōguya-suji Arcade

    Osaka

    This long arcade sells just about anything related to the preparation, consumption and selling of Osaka's principal passion: food. There's everything from…

  • American Village

    Naha

    This amusement-park-esque, American-themed shopping mall is as kitsch as they come, but if you can resist your instinctive resistance, closer exploration…

  • Chikugōgei Yamashō

    Beppu

    Opened in 1948 and recently renovated, this gallery feels like an intimate museum of Japanese bamboo art. Many of the works were made by well-known…

  • Tower Knives

    Osaka

    Tower Knives has a fantastic selection of kitchen knives – both carbon steel and stainless steel; some are hand-forged by Osaka artisans. The English…

  • Hankyū Umeda Department Store

    Osaka

    Hankyū, which first opened in 1929, pioneered the now ubiquitous concept of the train-station department store. One of Japan's largest department stores, …

  • San-A Naha Main Place

    Naha

    Naha's busiest downtown mall is always a hive of activity for its many duty-free stores (including Tokyū Hands – great for, well, anything you can think…

  • Pottery Display at the Oedo Monthly Antique Market at the Tokyo International Forum Building, Japan, Yurakucho,

    Ōedo Antique Market

    Tokyo

    Held in the courtyard of Tokyo International Forum (check the website for exact dates), this is a brilliantly colourful event with hundreds of dealers in…

  • 2k540 Aki-Oka Artisan

    Kōrakuen & Akihabara

    This ace arcade under the JR tracks (its name refers to the distance from Tokyo Station) offers an eclectic range of stores selling Japanese-made goods –…

  • Same to Esa

    Tokyo

    Same (pronounced sah-mé; 'shark') is the super secret flagship store (with limited edition merch) for cult Japanese streetwear brand Lonely. So secret, in…

  • Toraya

    Roppongi, Akasaka & Around

    Founded in the 16th century in Kyoto, Toraya's traditional confectionery has long been patronised by the Imperial Court, giving it a cachet that other…

  • 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.

  • Babaghuri

    Asakusa & Sumida River

    German fashion designer Jurgen Lehl (1944–2014) lived in Japan for decades while building the fashion house Babaghuri, known for its use of natural…

  • Hakata Japan

    Fukuoka

    Hakata is renowned for it weaving tradition, called Hakata-ori, and this chic shop, to the right as you enter Hakata Riverain mall, has been producing…

  • Mandarake Complex

    Tokyo

    This is the original Mandarake, the go-to store for all things manga (Japanese comics) and anime (Japanese animation). Once a small, secondhand comic-book…

  • Akomeya

    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)…

  • Beams 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…

  • Komehyō

    Nagoya

    Enjoy the genius of Komehyō, Japan's largest discounter of secondhand, well…everything. Housed over seven floors in the main building, clothes, jewellery…

More destinations you need to see