Tokyo, Japan - Shopping

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If it is for sale anywhere in the world, you can probably buy it in Tokyo. Items to look for include electronics, funky fashions, antique furniture and kimono, and specialty items like Hello Kitty goods, anime and comics, and their associated paraphernalia.

Cash payment is the norm. Although credit cards are more and more widely accepted, they are far less widespread than in most other developed countries. Most Japanese ATMs do not accept foreign cards, but post office, 7-11 and Citibank ones do and usually have English menus as well. The crime rate is very low, so don't be afraid of carrying around wads of cash as the Japanese do. See Buy under Japan#Buy|Japan. for general caveats regarding electronics and media compatibility.

There are numerous convenience stores throughout Tokyo, which are open around the clock, and sell not only food and magazines, but also daily necessities such as underwear and toiletries. Supermarkets are usually open until 10 PM, while drugstores and department stores usually close at 9 PM.

Anime and manga

Tokyo/Akihabara|Akihabara, Tokyo's Electric Town, is now also the unquestioned center of its otaku community, and the stores along Chuo-dori are packed to the rafters with anime (animation) and manga (comics).

Antiques

Serious collectors should head for the Antique Mall in Tokyo/Ginza|Ginza or the Antique Market in Tokyo/Omotesando|Omotesando, which despite the rustic names are collections of small very specialist shops (samurai armor, ukiyo-e paintings, etc) with head-spinning prices. Mere mortals can venture over to Tokyo/Suginami|Nishi-Ogikubo, where you can pick up scrolls of calligraphy and such for a few thousand yen.

The Antique Festival (全国古民具骨董祭り) [1] is held over the weekend about 5-6 times a year at the Tokyo Ryutsu Center, on the Tokyo Monorail line, and is well worth a visit.

Books

Jinbocho is to used books what Akihabara is to electronics. It's clustered around the Jinbocho subway stop.

Cameras and electronics

Ever since Sony and Nikon became synonymous with high-tech quality, Tokyo has been a favored place for buying electronics and cameras. Though the lines have blurred since the PC revolution, each has its traditional territory and stores: Tokyo/Akihabara#Buy | Akihabara has the electronics stores, including a large number of duty-free shops specializing in export models, and Tokyo/Shinjuku#Buy | Shinjuku has the camera stores. Unfortunately, local model electronics are not cheap, but the export models are similar to what you'll pay back home. It's also surprisingly difficult to find certain things e.g. games machines.

Fashion

Tokyo/Shibuya|Shibuya and neighboring Tokyo/Harajuku|Harajuku are the best-known shopping areas for funky, youthful clothes and accessories. Note that, almost without exception, clothes are sized for the petite Japanese frame.

Department stores and exclusive boutiques stock every fashion label imaginable, but for global labels prices in Tokyo are typically higher than anywhere else in the world. The famous Tokyo/Ginza|Ginza and Tokyo/Ikebukuro|Ikebukuro's giant Seibu and Tobu department stores (the largest in the world) are good hunting grounds. Recently, Tokyo/Roppongi|Roppongi Hills has emerged as a popular area for high-end shopping, with many major global brands. Other department stores in Tokyo are Mitsukoshi, Sogo, and Takashimaya. Mitsukoshi is Japan's biggest department store chain. It's anchor store is in Nihonbashi.

Kitchenware

The district for this is Kappabashi Street near Tokyo/Asakusa#Buy|Asakusa, also known as “Kitchen Town.” The street is lined with stores selling all kinds of kitchen wares — this is where the restaurants of Tokyo get their supplies. It's also a great place to find cheap Japanese ceramics, not to mention plastic food!

Music

Ochanomizu is to the guitar what Jinbocho is to used books. There, you’ll find what must be the world’s densest collection of guitar shops. Plenty of other musical instruments (though not traditional Japanese ones) are also available.

Souvenirs

For touristy Japanese knickknacks, the best places to shop are Nakamise in Tokyo/Asakusa|Asukusa and the Oriental Bazaar in Tokyo/Omotesando|Omotesando, which stock all the kitschy things like kanji-emblazoned T-shirts, foreigner-sized kimonos, ninja outfits for kids and ersatz samurai swords that can be surprisingly difficult to find elsewhere. Both also have a selection of serious antiques for the connoisseur, but see also #Antiques|Antiques above.

Street markets

Bustling open-air bazaars in the Asian style are rare in Tokyo, except for Tokyo/Ueno|Ueno's Ameyoko, a legacy of the postwar occupation. Yanaka Ginza in the Shitamachi Tokyo/Taito|Taito district, a very nice example of a neighborhood shopping street, makes for an interesting afternoon browse.

There are often small flea and antique markets in operation on the weekend at major (and minor) shrines in and around Tokyo.