City Shopping Guide: Tokyo

Here we go with the the second installment of the Fashion is Spinach city shopping guides, destination: Tokyo. It turns out a bunch of you are headed to Tokyo in the next few months and are looking for recommendations on where to spend your hard-earned cash. We aim to please in this category, so here are my picks from my recent trip on some of the best shopping spots in the city.

Keep in mind that as wonderful and exciting as Tokyo is, it has the *worst* address-location system in existence, so I've tried to give visual clues to these locations as well as street addresses when I can. And really, Tokyo is a city that's best explored by long, leisurely walks through each unique neighborhood – once you get to each area, try to meander as much as possible. It seems there are plenty of neat finds down every random alleyway.

To prep for my week of shopping, I armed myself with the Tokyo edition of the Luxe city guides (it has a daunting amount of information, but lots of good suggestions on what to see and do). I also had a copy of Lucky's guide to Tokyo (now online!) from the March 2006 issue – it's a little bit outdated by now, but provides some good suggestions nonetheless.

Finally, get thee a decent map as soon as you arrive – there are plenty of good, free ones available at the Tokyo airport or from any hotel. Many maps have major stores already marked on them, and it will prove immensely helpful when trying to navigate the tangle of streets in the city.

I've only been able to hit a fraction of the cool finds in Tokyo, so if you're a reader and you have suggestions of your own, be sure to drop them in the comments. Comfy walking shoes and big fat wallet ready? Okay, let's go.

Stop #1: Omotesando/Harajuku

These adjoining areas are a main hub of fashion and style in Tokyo, so you definitely want to spend some quality time here – maybe even a whole day (um... or three, if you're me). Start at the Omotesando subway station and head down Omotesando Street towards the Meiji shrine.

{Of course, if you head the other way out of the subway station, you can check out the amazing Herzog and de Meuron-designed Prada epicenter store. I couldn't actually find it myself – like many things it Tokyo, it's slightly tricky to locate by the address – but I bet if you ask anyone on the street where the Prada store is, you'll be there in minutes. It's often heralded as the coolest store in the city. 5-2-6 Minamiaoyama, Minao-ku}

Okay, got your Prada fix? Moving back down Omotesando towards the Meiji shrine, you'll probably want to stick to one side of the road, hit up the shrine, and head back on the other side – otherwise, you'll find yourself weaving back and forth across the street like a crazy person. On both sides, there's an impressive amount of fantastically designed luxury stores to ogle – Tod's is my personal favorite – with plenty of interesting shops in between.

If you're on the left (or southern) side of the Omotesando walking up towards the Meiji shrine, I'd suggest stopping keeping an eye out for these fantastic stores, in order of appearance: Santa Monica (vintage clothing), Kiddy Land (floors and floors of cute kids' things) and, once you've crossed the big intersection at Meiji Dori, a large branch of Chicago (a veritable vintage emporium of eastern and western finds, including army jackets, 70s dresses, cowboy boots and old kimonos and obis).

If you're heading up the other (or northern) side of the street toward the shrine, look for the Marimekko concept store (it's just off the road – keep an eye out for the big sign), and fantastic clothing megamall LaForet, where all the cool kids shop (it's just a few feet off of the corner of the intersection with Meiji Dori. Look for the big Topshop signs!). Also on this side of the street while walking towards the shrine, you can turn right down any of the little streets before you hit the Meiji Dori intersection and find yourself in the fantastic Harajuku neighborhood. There's a large amount of interesting fashion boutiques, vintage specialty sellers and other cool stores (including another huge branch of vintage store Chicago) so you'll definitely want to take a long wander up and down the neighborhood's main drags.


Be sure to make it all the way up to Takeshita Street (near the Meiji shrine, it starts just across from the Harajuku train station). This is the hub of crazy Harajuku culture, and it also has a large Daiso, the 100 Yen store, where you can pick up all kinds of cool Japanese ceramics and Hello Kitty! souvenirs on the cheap.

Keep in mind: To fully explore this neighborhood, come on a weekday, when the crowds are much more manageable than the packed-beyond-belief weekends. But that said: It's definitely worth a trip on Sunday afternoon to just walk around Harajuku – particularly Takeshita street, Harajuku Station and the nearby entrance to the Meiji Shrine (where I snapped the pic all the way at the top) – when the Japanese kids show off their crazy finest. Little Bo Peeps everywhere!

Stop #2: Shibuya


Shibuya's great stores might be my favorite place to shop in all of Tokyo. I always make sure to save plenty of time for Tokyu Hands (12-18 Udagawa-cho, Shibuya-ka – again, a good map that will have the store already marked will really come in handy here), which has floor after floor of fabrics, housewares, art supplies, kitchen utensils and anything else you can possibly think of. I always look for neat and relatively inexpensive Japan-themed finds, like sushi-shaped stickers and funky sesame seed grinders.

Not too far away is another fantastic (and slightly more upscale) emporium called Loft (21-1 Udagawa-cho, Shibuya-ka), also chock full of fun stuff. The bottom floor (home to stickers and stationery products) and the top floor (funky items and kids' toys) are my favorites. Also adjacent to the basement floor is a large branch of Japanese "no brand" brand Muji, where I stocked up on basic tees and leggings, tons of office supplies and even some good undereye concealer (really!).

{Side note: I have made the journey over to the world's largest Muji store near the Imperial Palace in Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, and it's not really worth the trip. Don't believe the hype -- you'll do just as well in a large outpost like the one attached to Loft.}

Shibuya is a fun, lively neighborhood and really deserves some wandering around. Look for signs for a large Uniqlo branch (the Japanese version of Gap, a good source of jammies and other basics) as well as lots of little boutiques.

Stop #3: Nakameguro/ Daikanyama


On Saturday afternoons, you'll want to largely avoid the high-traffic areas of town, which makes it a good time to poke around these smaller neighborhoods just south of Shibuya. Start at the Nagameguro subway station and head a block or so over to the leafy little street that runs along the big stream. There are plenty of tiny boutiques to pop in as you walk down the street, like an outlet store for perennially chic French basics brand A.P.C. (11-25-1 Aobadai, Meguro-ku), which is still very expensive but worth a look. Almost immediately across the stream from A.P.C. is the very cute and universally beloved Cow Books (1-14-11 Aobadai, Meguro-ku), which is where you can turn around and head back towards the train station. Along the way, there will be plenty of cute fashion and design stores to pop your head into.

Instead of going to back to the train, we headed the other way and essentially followed the train tracks up the hill into Daikanyama, a much busier shopping area. (There are a few great vintage shops along the way. I reluctantly passed up a *great* vintage trench coat with a rounded collar here. Say hello is you see it!) Again, I stress the whole "you need a map" thing here, but be sure to wander around the heart of Daikanyama -- the Luxe and Lucky guides have some suggestions here as well, but you can also just wing it -- and then get off the beaten path to find the shop from funky designer Limi Feu, Yohji Yamamoto's daughter (7-4 Daikanyama-Cho, Shibuya-ku – to get there, make a right of the Daikanyama main drag sometime around the giant flower that you see below and head down the steps to the cute little next street over).


We wandered this great street and went all the way to Shibuya from here – quite a lengthy walk – but I'd suggest grabbing a cab and taking it up to Shibuya station when you're done. Taxis are pricey in Tokyo, but your feet will thank you for the rest.


{Update} One of my new favorite shopping destinations is Roppongi Hills, the big mall in Roppongi. If you like Anthropologie clothing, you'll love some of the shops there. The West Walk 3rd floor section has some especially great spots -- I loved some things in both Relacher Trois Rounds and Tiara, and Agito is always great for decorating inspiration. The museum shop there often has lots of cool, artsy-fashion finds. And not far away is the new National Art Center, a fantastic building with a funky little gift shop in the basement.

Keep an eye out for the nearby Tokyo Midtown, a major shopping/entertainment complex which opens at the end of March 2007 and will include 21_21 Design Sight, which looks to be awesome.

Other noteworthy stops in Tokyo (both from my trips and courtesy of some readers):
+One stop shopping: Times Square in Shinjuku has a massive Kinokuniya (the amazing design-oriented Japanese bookstore), a Tokyu Hands and a Uniqlo, all in one enormous complex!

+Vintage and sewing finds: Reader Kat (who lives in Tokyo, the lucky girl) suggests the neighborhood of Shimokitazawa, a cool little town about five minutes from Shibuya by train, which has lots of little vintage shops. She also suggests her own neighborhood, Kichijoji, for crafty stores like Yuzawaya (Japan's largest craft store), Cottonfield (fabric, beads and buttons), La Musee (vintage beads and buttons) and more.

+Foodie shopping: Kat also recommends Kappabashi, on the East side of town, known for its fantastic restaurant supplies and famous plastic food.

+Hello Kitty! fans: Get thee to Sanrio Puroland, stat. It's not quite in the city center, but apparently worth the trip. {Sigh. I had to save it for my next visit.}


+Market finds: The Sunday market at Hanazono shrine in Shinjuku is small, but it had a fantasic selection of relatively inexpensive kimonos and obis (including the one above). I grabbed two bold-print obis for about $4 each – they make great table runners. It's a lovely way to pass a Sunday morning and see a bit of older Tokyo culture, though the rest of the neighborhood won't wake up until at least 11am.

+Looking for a hotel?: Jean Snow, who is the go-to blogger for the latest design news in Tokyo, has some very reasonably priced selections here and here.

Got more recommendations for your fellow shop-happy readers? Add 'em to comments, please.

*Last updated: March 24, 2007*

Please note: These guides are very labor-intensive and are meant to provide shopping suggestions to visitors and locals in each city. Please do not reuse or republish the information or photos without express written consent from the author.