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Tokyo is Japan's showcase. The crazy clothing styles, obscure electronics, and new games found here are capable of setting trends for the rest of the country—and perhaps the rest of Asia, and even Europe and America.
Part of the Tokyo shopping experience is simply to observe, and on Saturday especially, in districts like the Ginza and Shinjuku, you will notice that the Japanese approach to shopping can be nothing short of feverish. You’ll probably want to resist the urge to join in the fray, especially since many of the wildly trendy clothes and accessories for sale will already be "uncool" by the time you get home. But shopping in Tokyo can also be an exercise in elegance and refinement, especially if you shop for items that are Japanese-made for Japanese people and sold in stores that don't cater to tourists. With brilliantly applied color, balance of form, and superb workmanship, crafts items can be exquisite and well worth the price you'll pay—and some can be quite expensive.
Note the care taken with items after you purchase them, especially in department stores and boutiques. Goods will be wrapped, wrapped again, bagged, and sealed. Sure, the packaging can be excessive—does anybody really need three plastic bags for one croissant?—but such a focus on presentation has deep roots in Japanese culture.
This focus on presentation also influences salespeople who are invariably helpful and polite. In the larger stores they greet you with a bow when you arrive, and many of them speak at least enough English to help you find what you're looking for. There's a saying in Japan: o-kyaku-sama wa kami-sama, "the customer is a god"—and since the competition for your business is fierce, people do take it to heart.
Horror stories abound about prices in Japan—and some of them are true. Yes, European labels can cost a fortune here, but did you really travel all the way to Tokyo to buy an outfit that would be cheaper in the designer mall at home? True, a gift-wrapped melon from a department-store gourmet counter can cost $150. But you can enjoy gawking even if you don’t want to spend like that. And if you shop around, you can find plenty of gifts and souvenirs at fair prices.
Japan has finally embraced the use of credit cards, although some smaller mom-and-pop shops may still take cash only. So when you go souvenir hunting, be prepared with a decent amount of cash; Tokyo's low crime rates make this a low-risk proposition. The dishonor associated with theft is so strong, in fact, that it's considered bad form to conspicuously count change in front of cashiers.
Japan has an across-the-board 8% value-added tax (V.A.T.) imposed on luxury goods. This tax can be avoided at some duty-free shops in the city (don't forget to bring your passport). It's also waived in the duty-free shops at the international airports, but because these places tend to have higher profit margins, your tax savings there are likely to be offset by the higher markups.
Stores in Tokyo generally open at 10 or 11 am and close at 8 or 9 pm.
This two-story boutique sells an incredible range of chopsticks, from those with traditional to pop motifs to wooden or crystal-encrusted sticks that can be personalized. The kid-focused second floor is a must-see no matter your age.
This tiny store in charming Kagurasaka sells scarves, wraps, and linens made of all kinds of fabrics—sometimes even vintage textiles—from different regions of Japan.
Established in 1908, this family-run shop near the base of the staircase on the traditional Yanaka Ginza shopping street, offers the wares of three generations of bamboo artists. Look for insect cages (with bamboo bugs), flower baskets, chopsticks, cups, lotus-root coasters, and lunchboxes.
You might not expect to find classic crafts in the vicinity of trendy Harajuku, but this charming boutique specializes in traditional furoshiki cloths—beautifully decorated squares used to wrap anything and everything. You'll find up to 500 options here made from a variety of fabrics and featuring traditional, seasonal, and modern designs. The store also offers workshops on the various ways to use the cloths.
This chain carries a wide and varied assortment of goods, including hobby and crafts materials, art supplies, and knitting and sewing materials, as well as jewelry, household goods, stationery, even cosmetics. There is also the related Hands Do within the store that hosts events on how to make things. It's not unusual for local hobbyists to spend an entire afternoon browsing in here.
Located in a renovated area under the train tracks just north of Akihabara Station, this hip collection of 50 some artisanal shops is a great place to hunt for high-end gifts made by local artists and designers. Most shops have a single specialty: paper, ceramics, leather bags, even umbrellas combining traditional techniques with modern design. On weekends some of the shops offer workshops, demonstrations, and other events.
You could almost do all your souvenir shopping here, where the inventory features tastefully selected and displayed traditional handicrafts from all over Japan. Look for ceramics, toys, lacquerware, Noh mask, fabrics, and lots more.
You don't have to travel around the country to see a collection of the best artisan crafts from different regions. Tea kettles, bows, knives, scarves, fans—this shop almost feels like a museum where all the items are on sale. It also hosts events highlighting artisans or regions, so you might see pottery being made or get a chance to make something of your own.
North of Roppongi, near Aoyama-itchome Station, this store showcases Japan's best craft work, from paper to tools to pottery. Although prices can be high (often deservedly so), this is an excellent place to find one-of-a-kind, high-quality items. In addition to the gift shop, the center hosts rotating crafts exhibit, workshops, and demonstrations.
Established in 1916 and very successful serving members of the post-war occupation forces, this shop is the perfect place to find reasonably priced, traditional handicrafts—painted screens, pottery, chopsticks, dolls—that make great souvenirs. Like many area businesses of late, this shop has moved off of the main drag of Omotesando and onto a back street between Dior and Chanel.
