Asakusa & Sumida River
Promoting the many artisans and craft businesses of the Sumida ward area, this showroom sells locally made items, from cosmetics and fashion to soy sauce…
Must-see shopping in Japan
Kōrakuen & Akihabara
This shop, established in 1921, is the go-to place for traditional Japanese card games such as hyakunin isshu and hanafuda, which make for unusual…
Asakusa & Sumida River
This trendy homewares and gift boutique stocks mainly Japanese design products, from mini sumo-statue paperweights to furniture, with a few pieces from…
Fukuoka
White-faced clay ningyō (Hakata dolls) depicting women, children, samurai and geisha are a popular Fukuoka craft. This place has been selling them since…
Shibuya & Shimo-Kitazawa
You could show up in Tokyo completely empty-handed and this huge outpost of all-night, bargain retailer 'Don Quijote' would have you covered. There are…
Harajuku & Aoyama
Designer Kawakubo Rei threw a wrench in the fashion machine in the early ’80s with her dark, asymmetrical designs. That her work doesn’t appear as…
Asakusa & Sumida River
The Tokyo branch of this Osaka-based kitchen knife specialist sells stainless-steel and carbon-steel professional-quality chef's knives; some of the…
Ginza & Tsukiji
This big, beautiful bookstore inside Ginza Six has a well-curated selection of art, architecture, design and travel books. Foreign-language titles are…
Osaka
This is the largest bookstore in Osaka, the result of two established chains joining forces. There's a big range of English-language books (on the 6th…
Tokyo
From Doraemon to Hello Kitty and Pikachu, Japan knows kawaii (cute) and how to merchandise it. In the basement on the Yaesu side of Tokyo Station, some 15…
Ginza & Tsukiji
Tsukudani are various foods – mainly seafood and seaweed but sometimes meat and vegetables too – that have been preserved in a sweet soy sauce. This…
Tokyo
As far as vintage shops go, Sokkyō is more like a gallery of cool. The stock is impeccably edited for a look that is both dreamy and modern. That said, we…
Southern Higashiyama
If you've taken a shine to the soft warm glow of paper lanterns in your ryokan and want one to take home, this is the shop to get one. In business for…
Ginza & Tsukiji
Matsuya is one of Ginza's long established department stores (but with a shiny remake). It has all the usual international designer brands, but the…
Kōrakuen & Akihabara
Starchitect Kengo Kuma designed this slick revamp of an old book warehouse, turning it into a lifestyle boutique stocking a keenly edited range of fashion…
Kanazawa
Here you can observe the kinpaku (gold-leaf) process and pick up all sorts of gilded souvenirs, including pottery, lacquerware and, er...golf balls. It…
Tokyo
Fujiya Camera opened its doors in 1938 and has been beloved by photographers ever since. Of particular appeal is the selection of used equipment,…
Downtown Kyoto
This is an attractive shop dealing in wood-block prints. All prints are accompanied by English explanations and the owner is happy to take the time to…
Southern Higashiyama
Peruse the cosmetics and skincare here at one of Kyoto's most well-known brands. The famous oil-blotting facial papers make a great lightweight and cheap…
Yokohama
This pair of century-old red-brick warehouses by the bay are home to dozens of stores selling quirky gifts, handmade wares and boutique clothing and…
Harajuku & Aoyama
Kyoto brand Sou-Sou is best known for making jikatabi – the rubber-soled, split-toed shoes worn by construction workers in Japan – in fun, playful prints…
Ginza & Tsukiji
This tiny bookshop showcases a single title a week, be it a novel, a cook book or an art tome, alongside an exhibition. However, the real reason for…
Downtown Kyoto
Tsujikura is a small store stocking the beautiful wagasa (waxed-paper umbrellas) the company has been manufacturing since the 17th century, which come in…
Nara
This sixth-generation fan maker sells Nara-style uchiwa, paddle-style fans whose washi (Japanese handmade paper) covering has been intricately carved with…
Harajuku & Aoyama
Gallery Kawano's selection of vintage kimonos are in good shape and priced reasonably (from ¥10,000). If you're serious about buying, the staff will help…
Osaka
Flake is Osaka's most in-the-know music shop, selling new and used, Japanese and imported, CDs and vinyl. The owner speaks some English; ask him for his…
Ueno & Yanesen
On the campus of Tokyo's top arts university this gallery-like space sells works in a range of media by the institute's staff, graduates and current…
Ginza & Tsukiji
At this subterranean market of antique and retro goods, you can pick up anything from old lacquerware and pottery to beautifully embroidered obi (the…
Asakusa & Sumida River
Even in a neighbourhood where old is not out of place, Yonoya Kushiho stands out: this little shop has been selling handmade boxwood combs since 1717…
Shibuya & Shimo-Kitazawa
Yes, Tower lives – in Japan at least! This eight-storey temple of music has a deep collection of Japanese and world music. Even if you're not into buying,…
Asakusa & Sumida River
Soi offers a well-edited selection of ceramics and glassware, new and vintage, plus some really cute tenugui (hand-dyed thin cotton towels) to wrap them…
Harajuku & Aoyama
Tucked away on an Ura-Hara backstreet, this bubblegum-pink store sells acid-bright accessories that are part raver, part schoolgirl and, according to the…
Tokyo
Kōenji's Kita-Colle Building is a dilapidated shack of a structure housing a handful of seriously outré boutiques (Lady Gaga was an early fan), of which…
Shibuya & Shimo-Kitazawa
This tiny shop is a convincing example of less is more, featuring minimalist, handcrafted homewares, clothing and accessories, pop-up displays from local…
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
Fluorescent-lit bargain castle 'Donki' is filled to the brink with weird loot. Chaotic piles of electronics and designer goods sit alongside sex toys,…
Ginza & Tsukiji
Tokyo Gallery, opened in 1950 and the city's first commercial space to focus on contemporary works, has collaborated with the Beijing–Tokyo Art Project …
Osaka
Graf is a sleek furniture and design studio close to the National Museum of Art. Pick up some lovely homewares by Japanese and international designers; it…
Kamakura
Specialises in sembei (rice crackers). Watch staff grilling them in the window or buy some 50 packaged varieties, including curry, wasabi, garlic,…
Kyūshū
Across from a park, this place sells local wood crafts, clay haniwa (earthenware totems), lacquer and glassware, a small collection of traditional masks…
Asakusa & Sumida River
Fujiya specialises in tenugui: dyed cloths of thin cotton that can be used as tea towels, handkerchiefs, gift wrapping (the list goes on – they're…
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