So you want to know where to buy clothes, and what brands to buy while you’re in Tokyo.
With the yen at an all-time low (at the time of writing), what better time than now?
Today we’ll go over 3 outlets accessible from Tokyo, 6 spotlight Japanese clothing brands, and 5 best areas in Tokyo for general clothes shopping. Of course, the recommended brands and areas for shopping are split into recommendations for teens to 20’s and 30’s and above—so there’s something for everyone.
Bring your passport to get those tax-free benefits as a tourist, and let’s go!
3 Best Outlet Malls Near Tokyo (All Ages)
Tokyo proper does not have any large-scale outlet malls due to space constraints. If you want to get cheap outlet prices, you will need to travel about one hour outside the city.
If you’re looking for shopping malls in general, you can find LalaPort malls or AEON malls in the city, but there tends to be fewer store selections.
The premium outlets listed also have many tax-free stores for foreign tourists, so be sure to carry your passport!
1. Gotemba Premium Outlet, Shizuoka Pref.
The biggest premium outlet in Japan comes with a view of Mt. Fuji and over 290 stores. Here, you can find both local Japanese brands like Beams, and overseas brands such as Ralph Lauren and Adidas.
When you get tired of shopping, there is also an impressive food court and even a hot spring day spa to rest your tired feet. With both indoor and open-air baths with a view of Mt. Fuji, a sauna, rest spaces, and a restaurant on-site, it’s a great way to soak away your exhaustion.
Access: 1.5 hours outside Tokyo by bus, about 1 hour by car.
2. Koshigaya Lake Town, Saitama Pref.
About 1 hour’s train ride away north of Tokyo, Koshigaya Lake Town is a large shopping complex with an attached outlet mall in Saitama prefecture.
Though not as impressive as Gotemba’s outlet, Lake Town has a better selection of local Japanese clothing brands. The mall is split into 3 large complexes, called “Kaze”, “Mori”, and “Lake Town Outlet”. Each section has 3 floors of different stores, restaurants, cafes, and a food court.
Access: 1 hour from Tokyo station by train, 40 minutes by car.
3. Shisui Premium Outlet, Chiba Pref.
Run by the same group as Gotemba Premium Outlets, this outlet is just east of Tokyo in the neighboring prefecture of Chiba. There are also airport buses straight to and from Narita Airport, about 20 minutes away.
With 220 stores, it nearly rivals Gotemba—and is more convenient if you’re flying out of Narita to go home, as you can make a last-minute shopping trip just a stone’s throw away from the airport before flying home.
Access: 50 minutes from Tokyo station by bus and 20 minutes from Narita Airport by bus.
Tokyo City Center: Shopping Area Recommendation by Age
To get straight to the point, the best shopping areas in Tokyo proper are Shibuya, Shinjuku, Harajuku, Ginza, and Omotesando. However, these areas are quite different—certain areas have upscale boutiques and flagship stores, while others are well known for trendy street-fashion and hip-hop clothes.
We’ll split these areas by age and even add a bonus for 3 areas great for vintage and thrift shopping.
For Teens~20’s
1. Shibuya
Well-loved by students and the younger crowd, Shibuya has a great selection of trendy stores with lower prices.
Specifically, try the Shibuya 109 building just outside JR Shibuya Station, across the scramble crossing. They have everything from cutesy, “loli” girly styles with ribbons and frills to cool “chic girl” styles.
You can also walk along Shibuya’s center street and window shop for standalone stores selling clothes, shoes, and accessories.
If you’re looking for trendy but higher quality pieces, try the Parco department store in Shibuya, just 5 minutes’ walk from the station.
2. Harajuku
One station away from Shibuya is Harajuku, also known as the epicenter of Tokyo’s youth fashion and edgy trends. Along Takeshita Street, you’ll find stores selling rainbow colored clothes and accessories. I find the styles here to be mostly “sweet girl” style, with lots of frills and lace.
3. Shinjuku
Shinjuku has an excellent variety of stores for all ages, but for the younger crowd, Lumine EST is a great choice to find cute and trendy clothes.
With 8 floors and over 200 shops, restaurants, and cafes, Lumine EST is a shopping center with mostly Japanese local brands. The lower floors have higher-end boutique stores, but the top few levels have a lot of reasonably priced brands popular with young people.
Since Lumine EST is connected directly to JR Shinjuku station, it’s also easily accessible.
30s & up
For anyone willing to shell out more for simple and higher-quality pieces, here are a few areas and stores to explore.
1. Omotesando
Omotesando is also a hop, skip, and jump away from Harajuku and Shibuya, but the atmosphere is completely different.
There are both local upscale boutiques, and foreign luxury brands such Fred Perry and Louis Vuitton lining the streets.
You can also make your way to Omotesando Hills, a shopping complex with higher-end—but not necessarily only brand name—stores. There’s a good mix of foreign and local middle to high-end brands here.
If you’re lucky enough to visit in fall or winter, the wide streets of Omotesando flare up yellow ginko leaves in the autumn and twinkling golden lights in the winter.
2. Ginza
Ginza, like Omotesando, is pricier and is mostly known for overseas brand-name stores. It’s similar to 5th Avenue in New York and has flagship stores for Hermes, Gucci, Coach, and others.
On a lower end of that scale, Ginza also has the flagship stores for Japanese brands such as Muji and Uniqlo, which are huge and well worth a visit, as well as the flagship store for Japanese skincare brand Shiseido,
3. Shinjuku
Shinjuku is a great place to shop for all ages. For the over 30’s crowd, check out department stores such as NeWoman, Isetan, Takashimaya, and Tokyu Department Store. Lumine EST also has some great local boutiques on the lower floors.
You can also wander the bustling streets of Shinjuku and check out the electronics stores, or ABC Mart and Onitsuka Tiger for shoes.
3 Areas for Vintage & Thrifting in Tokyo
Thrifting is popular in Japan because you can often find high quality, gently worn luxury items and vintage clothes for cheap. It’s considered quite hip, and here are 3 great areas with a large collection of thrift stores.
1. Shimokitazawa
Just one stop west of Shibuya is an artsy, hip neighborhood with hole-in-the-wall cafes and numerous vintage stores lining the streets. Affectionately called Shimokita by locals, this area is famous for the sheer number of thrift stores and the trendy atmosphere.
2. Koenji
10 minutes west of Shinjuku by train lies Koenji; if you get out from the South Exit of JR Koenji Station, you’ll find dozens of thrift stores lined up right outside the station for your viewing and shopping pleasure. Some of these are less aesthetic than Shimokita, but there’s a ton of variety in styles.
If you’re on a tighter budget, check out chain stores like Second Street or Book Off instead of the chic mom-and-pop stores.
3. Kichijoji
Kichijoji is an upscale neighborhood that has been consistently ranked as the most desirable area in Tokyo to live in for the past few decades.
Further west from Shinjuku and another few stops past Koenji, the thrift stores here are more high-end and trendy, much like those at Shimokitazawa. There are also chain stores, such as Second Street and Ragtag, on the lower end of the price spectrum.
6 Japanese Clothing Brands
Now that we’ve gotten familiar with the great areas in Tokyo for clothes shopping, let’s take a look at 6 spotlight Japanese clothing brands—both cheaper and more expensive— for all budgets and tastes.
Assuming everyone already knows about world-famous Japanese clothing brands like Muji and Uniqlo, we’ll skip these and go for the more local chains you can find at most shopping complexes.
Teens to Mid 20s
1. WEGO (¥1000-3500)
WEGO is mostly for teens and has a mix of street style, girly styles, and hip-pop. You can find clothes for both men and women here. The average price per item is between 1000 and 3500 yen.
2. INGNI (¥2000-5000)
INGNI is only for women, with the average item between 2000 and5000 yen. They sell trendy and feminine clothes with lots of lace, see-through material, flowers and frills.
3. Beams (¥3000-8000)
Beams has clothes and accessories for both men and women; their clothes for women tend to be casual and tomboyish. The average item costs between 3000 and 8000 yen.
Mid 20s and Up
1. Moussy (¥5000-10,000)
Moussy also has a sister brand called Azul, which has a similar style of clothing. The average item is between 5 to 10 thousand yen. The style tends to be more edgy, tomboyish, or “chic”, rather than girly.
2. Rope Picnic (¥5000-10,000)
Rope Picnic has a great selection of simple, elegant outfits and accessories great for the office in business casual. There are some more elegant pieces, and they tend to have a great selection of skirts and dresses.
3. Fray I.D. & Snidel – (¥10,000-20,000)
Fray I.D. and Snidel are two Japanese fashion brands run by the same company. Both are very elegant and feminine, with close-fitting cuts and some interesting stylistic designs that’ll help you stand out from the crowd.
This brand also has a sister brand that specializes in adorable pajamas and sleepwear for women called Gelato Pique.
4. For men: Journal Standard, Ships
Journal Standard and Ships are two great places for men looking to buy some trendy, casual Japanese fashion at good quality and decent prices.
In Conclusion
To wrap it up, you now have comprehensive knowledge of what areas in Tokyo is good for clothes shopping for each fashion style— street fashion, feminine, thrift shopping, or luxury brands. You also know 6 lovely Japanese brands of all prices, and 3 great outlet malls close to the city.
If you’re not a fan of enclosed spaces and crowds, I suggest heading for Koshigaya Lake Town, and avoiding Shinjuku Lumine EST—where there’s barely room to turn around at any given time, even on weekdays. If you have the time, definitely opt for a day trip to Gotemba for a good view of Mt. Fuji and a day of shopping galore.
Now grab your passport for tax-free benefits, put on some walking shoes, and get ready for a great day of clothes shopping in Tokyo!
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