W9London

Hi, I just came back from Japan and found a couple of used kimono shops in Tokyo, so thought I might as well share this with Fodorites.

Before going into details, there are several types of kimonos available. 1) Cheap synthetic/cotton stuff, i.e. tourist tchochkes. I won't bother with this type and you won't find them in second hand stores. 2) Embroided wedding gowns. Often padded, tend to be very heavy and expensive. Only good for displaying either on wall or on a stand. 3) Used silk kimonos and obis. They can range from simple to quite elaborate. Prices often vary by conditions. Good if you want to convert them into jacket/table runners/patchworks/ cushion/whatever. Also good to wear them straight if you know how to do the stuff and have all the accessories.

For 2) types of bridal gowns, I tend to check Oriental Bazaar. For 3) Nagamochi-ya is a chain that has shops inside major department stores, incl. Daimaru next to Tokyo Stn., Matsuya in Ginza, and Isetan in Shinjuku (and a probably a few more that I'm not aware of). Tansu-ya is another chain that has several stores including one near Roppongi intersection (next to Citibank), Hibiya chante across from Imperial Hotel and a few branches near Asakusa Nakamise mall. They both specialise in <b>wearable</b>, second-hand silk kimonos and obis. Obis can be quite elaborate. Price vary, JPY8,000 to 50,000. They tend to focus on better-kept items.

There is another store I found called Lunco that specialises in antique (100-200yrs old) textile pieces called kogire, rather than kimono. Their main store is in Mejiro, with a branch in Ginza Antique Mall (Ginza 1-13-1). Their website is www.lunco.net/ though it is only in Japanese.

Florence

Bonjour W9London,

thanks for those addresses ... Hmmm, more shopping, ...

angethereader

thanks.

we have no plans for another trip to Japan. I thought our trip last year was a one time thing.

However, DH informed me Saturday that he wants to go back. Yippie!

W9London

I got really lucky this time, as both Daimaru at Tokyo Stn and Tokyu Dept store were hosting special events with booths from many used kimono stores. The price range for some stores were quite attractive, JPY5000 and up, though obviously some items may have stains.

laurieco

Thanks for this info. When I was in Japan 3 years ago, I bought a used silk antique kimono in Kyoto (at least they said it's an antique, I suspect it's just used!). It's not very elaborate but it's nice and I have it displayed in my living room. I'm going back to Japan in about 5 weeks and maybe this time I'll buy a fancy one and wear the the one I bought last time.

W9London

Just be careful if you intend to actually wear one, since it's not easy to clean them properly. I think they sell some kind of cotton slips to be worn underneath.

Totally unrelated, I learned at one of the shops that there is a club of kimono affictionados that gather around Ginza on weekends in kimonos. Haven't bumped into one myself, but would be an interesting site.

jgmc

I'm back from several lovely days in Tokyo and found the used obi I was looking for at Matsuya dept store in the Ginza. There was quite a bit of selection and the prices were around $200.