The Expert's Tokyo Shopping Guide

A wonderland of shops and malls touting everything from clothes and accessories to locavorean goods pretty much sums up Tokyo for the commerce-driven crowds that descend upon the city from all over the world.

It’s a shopper’s mecca where one of the main pastimes is rambling through the streets for hours, looking for the perfect buys.

Much like Hong Kong, Bangkok and Shanghai, Tokyo’s tangle of avenues and boulevards are the stuff of retail legend. Unlike those cities, it has a vibrant, playful flair you’d be hard-pressed to find anywhere else: Items like Gotochi, Furoshiki, anime goods and origami, for example, are uniquely Tokyo.

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There’s so much opportunity for shopping in the city that it can get a bit overwhelming to sift through. The good thing is different districts seem to have their own specialties, whether it be souvenirs, electronics or high-end clothing. Here’s a quick and easy guide to Tokyo’s shopping scene to steer you in the right direction:

Local Goods and Trinkets

Nihonbashi

A hop, skip and a jump away from the popular Ginza, Nihonbashi is a historical district whose commercial golden age can be traced back to the Edo Period. It’s home to Mitsukoshi’s main flagship, (Japan’s very first department store), as well as centuries-old shops that sell traditional goods like chopsticks, knives, Japanese paper, lacquerware and gold leaf.

Asakusa

The historic Asakusa district not only attracts visitors with its popular Buddhist temple, it’s also frequented for its bustling lanes and alleyways paved with souvenir and trinket shops.

A stone’s throw away from Sensoji Temple, Nakamise has more than 50 shops selling souvenirs to take home. Kappabashi is lined with shops selling kitchen and dinnerware, while Marugoto Nippon boasts boutiques selling arts and crafts.

Fashion

Marunouchi

If you’re all about upscale shopping, you’ll find your Elysium in the shopping district next to the Tokyo Station.

Marunouchi boasts some of the most expensive luxury shops as well as shopping and dining complexes in the city. Kitte, Marunouchi Oazo and newbie Marunouchi Brick Square are great shopping spots, as is Nakadori Avenue—better known as the venue for the Marunouchi Illumination during the holidays.

Ginza

With the clock tower standing guard, Ginza’s affluent streets come alive every day with tourists documenting Tokyo’s most famous shopping district and shoppers splurging in its high-end fashion malls and expensive shops. Ginza Wako leads the charge, followed by the Ginza Mitsukoshi: the newly-opened Ginza Six, a 12-floor Uniqlo flagship and a plethora of clothing and specialty shops.

Get ready to burn a hole in your pocket.

Harajuku/Aoyama

Youth culture and daring fashion take the spotlight in the neighborhoods of Harajuku and Aoyama.

Here, shopping could mean hip, counterculture fashion along Takeshita Dori, expensive haute couture on Omotesando (the Champs-Elysees of Japan) or secondhand clothing in the back alleys of Ura Hara. There’s essentially something for many tastes and budgets.

Electronics

Shinjuku

Don’t let the hustle and bustle of Shinjuku overwhelm you. Home to the busiest train station in the world, the district is without a doubt hectic with pedestrian traffic. Yet it also hosts amazing shopping opportunities. Flagship stores abound, as do a large number of electronic and record retailers. Must-stops include Bicqlo, Closetchild, Diskunion Shinjuku and Isetan. Keep an eye out for bookstores as well.

Akihabara

Whether you’re looking to splurge on electronics or spoil yourself on anime/manga and J-Pop culture merchandise, Akihabara is your shopping destination. This neighborhood is Tokyo’s electronics paradise with such spots as the Akihabara Electric Town District and retailers as Yodobashi Camera. For otaku stuff, try Laox Asobitcity, Tokyo Anime Center and Akihabara Gamers.

Hip

Koenji

Tokyo’s hippest hood isn’t just a place for drinking and watching underground bands perform. It’s also home to excellent shops that tout secondhand items, antique pieces and quirky finds.

Check out the curiosity collection at Hachimakura, shop clothes inside Kita-Kore Building and browse for vintage finds at Sokkyou. (Of course, those are just a few.) In-between shopping sprees, take a break at one of the many independent coffee shops.

Shibuya

The ten-floor shopping mall of Shibuya 109 leads the retail charge in the shopping district of Shibuya, where the cool, young folks congregate to dine, wine, shop and karaoke their hearts off. Bargain-basement clothing abounds here, as do mid-range shops like Ambush Workshop.

Other must-stops are The Monocle Shop, Loft Shibuya and ABC Mart.