Ho Chi Minh City
This small shop has ready-to-wear jewellery for men and women but its speciality is custom-made pieces. Bring in a picture of what you want (or email a…
Must-see shopping in Asia
Singapore
The home gallery of Percy Vatsaloo showcases exquisite hand-picked antiques from places such as Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand. The intricately…
Kōrakuen & Akihabara
This is highly debatable, of course, but Mandarake Complex might just be the most classic Akihabara destination for otaku (geeks): eight storeys are piled…
Kolkata (Calcutta)
Run by an NGO that has a long association with Bengal's folk-art communities, this understated showroom stocks interesting art objects that make for…
Hong Kong
This sumptuous store specialises in Chinese men’s jackets and silk dresses for women, both off-the-rack and made-to-measure. A gorgeous sequinned gown…
Chiang Mai
In venues around Chiang Mai, you may notice life-sized, decorated baby elephant sculptures created by artists and celebrities through the social…
Little India & Kampong Glam
Heritage Asian designs with a contemporary twist is what you'll discover in this beautifully curated shophouse emporium. There are plenty of small items…
Tokyo
This is the Tokyo outpost of one of Kyoto's more esteemed creators of wagashi, traditional Japanese sweets made of rice flour, bean paste and sugar. While…
Luang Prabang
Kopnoi sells stunning handicrafts from ethnic-minority craftspeople; Akha bracelets, silk pashminas, fine jewellery, packaged spices and teas, and local…
Downtown Kyoto
Around since 1885, Funahashi-ya has long been a popular stop to pick up Japanese rice crackers (known as o-kaki in Kyoto) and its signature go-shiki-mame …
Hong Kong
The funkiest of Hong Kong's new generation of tailoring stores, Cuffs offers fashion-forward fabrics and custom-makes not only suits, shirts and tuxes,…
Xi'an
This narrow alley running north of the Great Mosque is a great central stop for souvenirs. With vocal vendors, bargaining is a way of life here. You'll…
Kuta & Legian
This Bali retail legend is the most popular store in the south. Mobs of Indonesian tourists come for doe-eyed plastic puppies or one of thousands of T…
Kampot
With about 100 stands offering things such as jewellery, karaoke, fried ice cream, sneakers and well, everything else, this nightlife experience and…
Eastern Taiwan & Taroko National Park
A wonderfully wacky one-stop souvenir stop for all your minicanoe and owl model needs, with a 'museum' in the house next door.
Kōrakuen & Akihabara
In business since 1882 (but with an active Twitter account), Ohya Shobō specialises in books, maps and ukiyo-e (woodblock prints) dating back to Japan's…
Kuala Lumpur
The flagship branch of this Malaysian fashion house, selling well-made clothes with an ethnic flavour in soft cottons, linens and silks. This is where you…
Luang Prabang
Ock Pop Tok works with a wide range of tribes to preserve their handicraft traditions. Fine silk and cotton scarves, chemises, dresses, wall hangings and…
Mumbai (Bombay)
One of Mumbai's most frenetic and fascinating, Bhuleshwar Market is an everything-and-the-kitchen-sink-type shopping thoroughfare hoarding everything from…
Hong Kong
In an area spoilt for choice with independent fashion, this contemporary Hong Kong brand stands out with its wearable clothing and reasonable prices…
Sikkim
A popular stop for those driving the circuitous Rinchenpong–Reshi road, this hillside farm is delight to behold – a controlled chaos of flowers, hanging…
Handicrafts & Handloom Emporium
Gangtok
This government initiative teaches marketable crafts in workshops at Zero Point, along with a warehouse-sized 'emporium' selling its products.
Hualien
Semiprecious stones, made into anything from tiny brooches to 500kg jade dragons, are sold from this photogenic series of stalls set in a small garden…
Phuket
One of the best collections of traditional Southeast Asian art in Thailand, this multilevel, museum-quality showroom displays a 3m Buddha encrusted with…
Queen’s Road West Incense Shops
Hong Kong
At 136–150 Queen's Rd West, there are shops selling incense and paper offerings for the dead. The latter are burned to propitiate departed souls and the…
Pyongyang
The best-stocked bookshop in the city, this place is nearly always visited by groups, who can choose from a vast range of North Korean books translated…
Singapore
An oasis of independent clothing labels, Threadbare & Squirrel stocks quirky accessories, individualistic clothing and artisan jewellery. Look out for…
Chinatown & the CBD
Climb the stairs to this tiny, welcoming gallery for works by emerging contemporary Singaporean and Asian artists. While painting is the gallery's focus,…
Little India & Kampong Glam
Little India's bustling Mustafa Centre is a magnet for bargain hunting shoppers. It's a sprawling maze-like place, selling everything from electronics and…
Delhi
This long-standing outdoor shopping complex – opened in the 1970s and known locally as Priya, after the cinema here – includes India's first-ever McDonald…
Thimphu
This place has two floors of souvenirs from across Bhutan and further afield. The best buys here are larger items such as bamboo boxes, burl-wood dhapa …
Kochi (Cochin)
A world of soothing pinks, greys and oranges, Niraamaya sells ‘ayurvedic’ clothing, accessories, homewares and yoga mats – all made of organic cotton,…
Hong Kong
This Běijīng import brings traditional Chinese culture to life in the form of handmade polymer clay and cloth figurines – and it's actually a lot cooler…
Hong Kong
This attractive shop carries stylish, multifunctional urbanwear and accessories with European and Japanese influences. The clothes are created by local…
Downtown Kyoto
For all your high-end fashion and homeware needs, the chic and elegant BAL department store is the place to go. You’ll find designer fashion, botanical…
Ko Samui
Named after the famous Brit who rejuvenated the Thai silk industry, this is a great shop to pick up a special gift. Prices are designer level, but then so…
West Timor
A Rotenese musical-instrument workshop run by Pak Pah and his family, featuring traditional 32-stringed harps called sasandu, crafted from young palm leaf…
Osaka
Nominally a DIY and homewares chain, Tokyū Hands is Japan's favourite place to browse for items you probably didn't need but will end up loving. It's…
Ko Samui
With a selection several notches above most of the tat for sale along Chaweng Beach Rd, this store sells elegant jewellery, fashioned from gold, silver…
Luang Prabang
Photographer and film-maker Adri Berger's compositions of rural Laos capture that honeyed afternoon light like no one else. His ochre-walled gallery-cum…
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