Destination
Type of Shop
Editors Pick
Read More1LDK Apartments
Located in the Brooklyn-like neighborhood of Daikanyama, 1LDK Apartments is a hipster heaven with minimalist fashion for men and women, bath products from Paris’s Buly 1803, chic leather accessories and more. The store is an offshoot of 1LDK, a popular...
Read More45rpm
45rpm has locations in San Francisco and New York City, but the Tokyo location in Aoyama is the most special. The shop was designed to feel like an antique store and it is filled with airy linens in natural, earthy...
Read MoreAnrealage
This tiny sliver of a shop in the upscale shopping neighborhood of Aoyama sells beautiful, delicate pieces such as skirts made from paper-thin, floral-print fabric. There is also a selection of menswear.
Read MoreBeams
Japanese clothing brand Beams has several locations throughout Japan, but its six-floor Shinjuku flagship is the best for men’s and women’s clothing, home goods, accessories and more, all from primarily Japanese designers.
Read MoreComme des Garçons
Founded by Japanese designer Rei Kawakubo, Comme des Garçons has many international locations, but its flagship in Tokyo is a must for fans of the brand.
Read MoreDaikanyama T-Site
Printed words on paper reign in this unique concept complex spread across three interlinked buildings that are adorned with lattices of interlocking Ts (they stand for the Japanese retail chain Tsutaya). Inventory in this sleek emporium extends to English-language titles,...
Read MoreDO
Upstairs on the second floor of the Claska hotel, the Do boutique offers quirky reinterpretations of Japanese traditional crafts, as well as hosts regular design exhibitions frequented by the Meguro neighborhood’s most stylish denizens. This cult shop has spawned outlets...
Read MoreDover Street Market Ginza
The multi-brand department store that got its start in London has a location in Tokyo’s Ginza district. Founded by Japanese designer Rei Kawakubo, Dover Street Market’s seven-story fashion emporium has more than 150 brands and a top-floor café, Rose Bakery,...
Read MoreDrawer
This posh boutique stocks a selection of polished womenswear, from soft cashmere cardigans to designs from international labels, including Gianvitto Rossi shoes and Jill Sander and YSL purses.
Read MoreGinza Motoji
Traditional kimonos with a modern twist are found at this series of five stores. Even if you don’t plan to pick up a formal, or just an everyday, kimono, it is a fascinating place to look around, if only to...
Read MoreHaibara
Haibara sells exquisite cards and stationary, as well as traditional Japanese noshi envelopes. Helpful and knowledgeable staff graciously walk shoppers through the process of picking the right item, whether it is a gift for a friend or a personal treat.
Read MoreIsetan Shinjuku
One of Tokyo’s top department stores, Isetan has several floors of luxury goods and an impressive food court on its lower levels. Each morning there is a unique opening ceremony, when the staff members bow in unison to welcome their...
Read MoreIssey Miyake
Perhaps Japan’s most prolific designer, Issey Miyake has a retail monopoly on the Aoyama neighborhood, with several different stores (Pleats Please, me Issey Miyake, HaaT, Issey Miyake Men) lining the main shopping street. The Aoyama flagship of the original eponymous...
Read MoreIto-ya
Famed for its amazing range of pens, brushes and special papers, this fabulous store is where to pick up distinctive, and affordable, souvenirs. Occupying eight floors, Ito-ya sells everything from utilitarian office supplies to limited-edition wrapping paper and brushes for...
Read MoreKakimori
For stylish stationary, in-the-know locals and tourists head to Kakimori. The Japanese are famous for their superb attention to detail, and Kakimori is no exception, as the writing supplies and paper goods on offer are all exquisitely made and displayed....
Read MoreKiya
This cutlery store founded in 1792 first made its name among the shoguns of that era for its precision perfect blades and slicing instruments. These days the inventory encompasses a comprehensive selection of Japanese and European modern steel and titanium...
Read MoreMina Perhonen
Located in Daikanyama, Mina Perhonen brings together Japanese and Finnish aesthetics in simple, elegant pieces such as light linen dresses, velvet loafers and printed dresses with one-of-a-kind fabrics created by the designer and owner, Akira Minagawa.
Read MoreMitsukoshi
Founded as a kimono store in 1673, Mitsukoshi is today one of the most elegant department stores in the country, if not the world. Spanning over 10,000 square feet, the space sells designs ranging from Western fashion by Chanel and...
Read MoreNuno
Though her recycled chic has been featured at the Kennedy Center and MoMA, Nuno’s Reiko Sudo is mainly big in Japan, where her original, hand-printed fabrics are instantly recognizable. Within the Axis Building, in Tokyo’s Roppongi district, textile and design...
Read MoreOkura
Connoisseurs of Japanese design have long trekked to the newly hip Daikanyama neighborhood to load up on Okura’s shirts, jackets, sweaters, pants and skirts, all of them indigo-dyed according to ancient Japanese techniques. To enter the charming, stone house you...
Read MoreOmotosando Avenue in Aoyama
At one end of Aoyama’s Omotosando Avenue, Japanese youths doll up daily to parade along Takeshita Street while here at the other end, timeless Japanese style reigns among the minimalist chic boutiques of national design treasures like Issey Miyake (1/F...
Read MoreOriental Bazaar
Tourist friendly (except that it incongruously closes on Thursdays), this three-story emporium offers an ideal one-stop souvenir shop. Dolls, teapots, kimonos, yukata, woodblock prints from the ukiyo-e masters, antiques and books on Japan can be purchased here and even shipped...
Read MorePalace Hotel Arcade
Home to 16 shops and eight restaurants, the arcade of the Palace Hotel is worth a visit for anyone touring in the area. Jikan Style sells beautiful, bright hand towels showcasing chosen, a traditional dying technique. Motota Touen sells modern...
Read MorePrada Aoyama
The Prada store in the Aoyama neighborhood is a destination thanks to its architecture. Designed by Herzog & de Meuron, the Prada flagship is a six-story building that has a honeycomb-like exterior and a tunnel from which shoppers exit.
Read MoreRagtag
This consignment store began its life on Harajuku’s pedestrian-only Cat Steet, before branching into more conveniently located digs in Shibuya and Ginza. This Japanese resale institution specializes in perennially cutting-edge local designers, like Issey Miyake, Comme des Garçons and Yohji...
Read MoreRoppongi Hills
This well-known mall cleverly combines consumerism with art. Dotting the compound are stunning sculptures, including the centerpiece, a metal spider by Louise Bourgeois that resembles a creature in a B-grade sci-fi movie. Nestled in its bronze body are shiny white...
Read MoreSacai
Located in the Aoyama neighborhood, Sacai boutique sells super trendy men’s and women’s clothing in a two-story boutique. The brand’s designer, Chitose Abe, previously worked with fashion legends Rei Kawakubo and Junya Watanabe, and opened this boutique in 2011. Sacai...
Read MoreSano Miso Kameido
Tucked away in the off-the-beaten path neighborhood of Kameido, a 15-minute drive from downtown Tokyo, Sano Miso is a treasure trove for miso-loving foodies. The shop sells over 30 varieties of the fermented soy bean product, as well as other...
Read MoreSanrio Vivitix (Hello Kitty)
Sanrio, the parent company of Hello Kitty, opened this boutique in the aptly named Cute Cube shopping complex in Harajuku. Come here for all-things of the Kitty world, as well as other adorable and distinctly Japanese toys.
Read MoreSembikiya-Sohonten
Opened by a samurai in 1834, Japan’s first merchant to trade imported fruit has operated here in Nihonbashi since 1867, and must be the origin of those urban myths about million Yen melons, which in fact cost ¥12,600 (around $120)....
Read MoreSony Building
Want to road-test the latest Sony electronic gizmo? The Japanese electronics giant thoughtfully provides models for consumers to try out. The entire store is a gadget buff’s dream, with six levels devoted to new stuff, much of which has yet...
Read MoreSugimoto
As is the case for many of the best knife makers in Japan, this decades-old knife shop is owned and run by a family that previously made their name crafting and selling samurai swords. Located at the Tsukiji Fish Market, it’s...
Read MoreToga
Toga, the popular brand from designer Yasuko Furuta, has an industrial-cool boutique in the Harajuku neighborhood. A must-visit for serious fashion lovers, the shop, which has cement floors and walls, offers cutting-edge clothing for men and women, as well as...
Read MoreTokyu Hands
This Japanese institution, founded in 1976, is the largest household goods store in Tokyo. Expect to find a truly amazing range of hobby crafts, stationery and art supplies. Its 30 stores around Japan actually do manifest the company motto, “When...
Read MoreToraya
This Japanese patisserie serves the finest Japanese green tea and the most exquisite confectionery. True artistry is involved in creating their traditional Japanese sweets. Try namagashi, which are like delicate little cakes, beautifully crafted to look like flowers.
Read MoreTsumori Chisato
Japanese fashion designer Tsumori Chisato worked for Issey Miyake before launching her own line in 1990. Known for her vibrant prints, Chisato draws equal inspiration from Japan as from Paris, where she currently resides. Her boutique in Aoyama was the...
Read MoreYamamotoyama
The Yamamotoyama tea company has been in business for over 300 years, and today still serves and sells freshly brewed green teas in their Tokyo teahouse.
Read MoreZohiko
Located in the Ginza district of Tokyo, this beautiful store is filled with every type of tableware imaginable, and they specialize in Japan’s finest handmade lacquerware. This incredible craft is made by covering wooden objects with lacquer and finishing it...
