Tokyo Shopping
Where to Shop in Tokyo
Walk into any Tokyo shop and you’ll hear “irasshaimase”: a big welcome! One of the most exciting and diverse metropolises in the world, Tokyo presents a treasure trove of unique shopping opportunities. Traditional arts and craft stores stand next to shops brimming with contemporary and imported items; the tiniest family-run businesses compete with the huge national chains.
Generally each area of Tokyo specializes in a particular form of shopping, whether it be fashion, electronics or interior decoration, however each district presents an interesting array of boutiques, specialty shops and larger department stores awaiting exploration.
Being one of the busiest business districts the shopping in Akasaka is less abundant than nearby Aoyama and Roppongi. Akasaka Sacas, developed by the Tokyo Broadcasting System aspires to become a city within a city like Roppongi Hills and Tokyo Midtown, as such Akasaka Sacas has an extensive shopping mall within the Akasaka Bix Tower building. Read More...
If you came to Tokyo hoping to buy some of the latest gadgets then a trip to Akihabara will not disappoint. Everything from Christmas tree lights to cutting-edge silicone chips, parts for robotics, spare computer parts, dynamic audio sound rooms; if it’s electrical you’ll find it in Electric Town. Read More...
The cross section of some of Tokyo’s most stylish areas, Aoyama is where the beautiful people go to shop and socialize. Accordingly the shopping in Aoyama is some of the best in the city. Clean cut urbanites shop here for expensive tailored suits and executive wear. There is an impressive collection of top name designer boutiques and flagship stores. Read More...
Since the reconstruction after the fire in 1872, Ginza has been the focus for Western influences and all things modern in Japan. Today Ginza is still one of Tokyo’s great centres. Read More...
Being the melting pot of Japanese fashion, shopping in Harajuku is an experience. From the rainbow of tiny shops lining Takeshita Street, to the exclusive emporiums of Omotesando, fashion is definitely the main draw to Harajuku, however there are also a number of notable specialty stores in the area. Read More...
Three massive shopping centres dominate the shopping landscape of Odaiba. Each of them could occupy avid shoppers for days. From heavenly Venetian facades to reproductions of a bustling Hong Kong street, the shopping centres in Odaiba are attractions in their own right. Read More...
Roppongi has the country’s longest history with the Western market. The on-going US military presence after the war brought many American brands and goods to the area. As such Roppongi was an interesting place for Japanese people to see and learn about the people from west and all their commercial products. Read More...
Located close to Harajuku, Shibuya is a place for many of Tokyo’s young fashionistas to meet up before hitting the boutiques, however the area offers a more diverse range of shopping opportunities with an eclectic mix of shops selling everything from electronics to anime, hobby and crafts items to home-wares. Read More...
The biggest commuter hub in the city Shinjuku is laden with shops. Takashimaya Times Square is an enormous ten-storey shopping complex with Japan’s largest department store, Takashimaya, plus an IMAX theatre, and countless clothing, accessories, home-ware and novelty stores. You could spend days exploring this giant. Read More...
Shopping in Ueno is historically less refined than other areas of Tokyo, however new departments stores are turning this once working-class district into a trendy shopping hub. Historically the main shopping attraction in Ueno is the busy Ameyoko black market which during World War II dealt in sweet foods and American contraband. Read More...
