Asian Travel Blog

With its thousands of shops, its up-to-the-minute sense of fashion, its fantastic array of electrical goods, some simply great Japanese design, plus that inimitable sense of Japanese quirkiness, Tokyo has to be one of the shopping capitals of the world.

So let’s see what are the latest shops to browse.

Tokyu Hands, at Takashiyama Times Square, describes itself as a “Creative Life Store”. Here you can buy such useful items as electrically warmed pillows, a wide variety of teapots, cups, and mugs, and every mobile phone charm that you can think of. They also do collapsible bicycles alongside collapsible umbrellas, and traditional Japanese goods, such as those wonderful split-toed kimono socks.

Do you like manga? How about a stroll around Akihabara, where you will find one manga store after another. Or, if you feel like heading over to Shibuya, you will find Mandarake. Here you can get a wide variety of new and used manga of all the main genres. They also do video games, figurines of your favourite characters, and costumes, if you happen to feel like a bit of dressing up and role play.

Just a short train ride away from Shinjuku you will find the five-floor store of Bingoya, which sells traditional handicrafts. Here you can get lovely traditional hand made toys, bamboo tea canisters, beautifully decorated sake sets with carafe and little cups, Japanese floor cushions, and colourful happi coats to wear on festive occasions.

So are you tempted to get on a plane and head for Narita? In my next post I will have more Tokyo shops to reveal.