Tokyo Shopping Guide

My family and I have been to Japan four times. Three of those visits were made in a span of one year. So yes, you can say that we fell in love with Japan and got addicted to it. Japan is our new Hong Kong.

Our family is not the adventurous type, nor are we the temples-and-castles kind of guys. We're the eat-and-shop kind of travelers. Here are the places that keep calling our names, and our wallets.

Clothing & Apparel

Duane and I in Ginza

If shopping for clothes is your weakness, you've come to a great place. Tokyo has loads of places that are itching to rob you of your money. Ginza and Omotesando are two shopping areas that boast of many upscale stores like Louis Vuitton, Cartier, Chanel, to name a few. Ginza is Tokyo's most famous high-end shopping district. Aside from luxury brands, it also has towering malls like Mitsukoshi and Matsuya. A visit to Ginza is never complete until you visit Japanese brands GU and Uniqlo, all 12 floors of it. Omotesando, which boasts itself of being Tokyo's Champs-Elysees, is a tree-lined strip filled with shops similar to Ginza's. 

Takeshita Dori Street

Japanese clothes don't come so cheap, but they are very eye-catching and fashion forward. Check out Shinjuku, Ikebukuro, Harajuku's Takeshita Dori and Shibuya's Shibuya 109 mall. Takeshita Dori might be the most interesting shopping area to visit. This small alley is packed with stores that make the cutest, fluffiest and weirdest clothing promoted by Japanese women dressed like anime characters. They also have the cutest trinkets for young girls. If you want to have a Greenhills-mall kind of shopping experience, head on over to Shibuya 109. Shibuya also has big stores of Uniqlo, Forever 21 and H&M. Japan has loads of department stores worth visiting too, namely: Tobu, Seibu and Marui.

Diver City's Gundam Statue

If high-end or Japanese brands don't float your boat, you might want to get in with some familiar international brands. Ginza has Zara and H&M but if you want to visit loads of stores in one go, you'd be better off in Odaiba. Odaiba's Diver City has H&M, Zara, Forever21, Bershka and many more. While you're there, hop on to their other establishments like Decks Tokyo Beach, Aqua City and Venus Fort.

Lifestyle

If you're itching to buy some supplies for your home, school or office, I've found the perfect places for you. If you want to buy into Japan's minimalist style, immerse yourself into the whole Muji lifestyle. Everything you need from home furniture to the littlest items like cotton pads can be found here. Their biggest store I've visited is in Yurakucho. And I say biggest without exaggeration because their Muji model house is located inside the store.

stylus ballpen shaped like a dog and mini office supplies
from Flying Tiger Copenhagen

Connected to Muji Yurakucho is Loft which is like Muji's sassy twin sister. It has the same diverse items but with much more unique designs. Any regular item is remixed into a cooler-looking object. They have utensils that can be art pieces. Even their stress balls look mighty awesome. Similar to Loft is another brand called Tokyu Hands. If your life isn't sassy enough, spice up your office and home with Flying Tiger Copenhagen's cheap goodies. Daiso, a 100yen shop, also provides a good and cheap alternative for stuff you might need. Don Quijote also has items for your home that are pretty cheap.

Food

Aka chocolates, sweets and green tea. If you want to buy chocolates for pasalubong, don't buy it in stores like Family Mart because they will be more expensive. Instead, opt to buy it in grocery stores. One chocolate I was fond of buying in Family Mart cost 40yen more or about 15php. This discount comes in handy if you're planning on buying in bulk.

Bigger version of Meiji's Apollo from Don Quijote

Don Quijote is seriously the chocolate and sweets heaven on earth. They have a ton of brands and many unique flavors. Many American-brand chocolates have Matcha/Green Tea flavors (which you can only find in Japan).You'd want to taste them all. They also have supersized versions of Meiji favorites like Apollo and Choco Baby.They also have loads of tea selection. Don't miss this if you're a tea lover! You can find the infamous KitKat flavors here. If you're still not content with the flavor selections, try going to 7 Eleven. I'm not quite sure if all 7 Eleven's carry KitKats but the 7 Eleven Tokyo Station branch is home to flavors like wasabi, chili, sakura, etc. The Kitkat Chocolatory found in the food section in some department stores also have a few flavors, but I do suggest buying in Don Quijote or at 7 Eleven because they are cheaper there.

Kitkat Flavors: Chili, Kobe Pudding, Purple Yam

Daiso also has a great selection of chocolates, but not quite as big as Don Quijote's. Sometimes, Daiso comes out with Daiso-produced chocolates and sweets that are delicious. Definitely look out for that. Muji has some food items that you might want to try too. They have these delicious marshmallows filled with strawberry-flavored chocolate. They also have a green tea latte powder mix.

For non-sweets, the best place to shop is at the grocery store. Buy their noodles, spices and sauces. If you're into alcoholic drinks, try their sake and their single malt whisky, Yamazaki.

Beauty

beauty finds

For Japanese brands, have a try at Matsumoto Kiyoshi or any other drugstore you might come across. Don Quijote has loads of products like shampoos, teeth whitening, lotions, face masks, etc. They also carry a few cosmetic brands, local and international. If you want to hoard on international beauty brands, Loft has Revlon, Nars, Tangle Teezer, La Roche-Posay, etc.

Flea Markets & Souvenirs

Nakamise Shopping Street

Asakusa's Nakamise and Shin-Nakamise Street are two intersecting shopping streets near Senso-ji Temple. You can buy things ranging from suitcases to battery-operated dogs, to Japanese food souvenirs. Another cheap market smilar to Asakusa's is situated near Ueno Park, Ameyayokocho Market. You can find cheap clothes, bags, watches, etc.

I and Duane in Ameyayokocho Market

If you want cartoon-themed trinkets or food souvenirs, the best place to visit is Tokyo Station's Character Street and Tokyo Skytree. Both places are filled with many character-centered items like Hello Kitty, Rilakkuma, Funghi, Pokemon and many more, much much more. If you're fans of Japanese animated characters, you'll have so much fun walking through the shops that offer items from keychains to ballpens to big stuffed toys. Many stores here offer sweets with Tokyo-centered themes like the Tokyo Choco Banana.

One-Stop Shops

The following shops sell almost everything from clothing, beauty items, home and office supplies, souvenirs to food items: Daiso, Don Quijote, Muji & Loft.

So if you think Japan is expensive, you might really want to save up because of all the things you would want to buy and gobble up there. Japan really isn't that expensive. You actually get value for your money because Japanese food and items have great quality. Uhh can you tell how much I love Japan? 

If you want me to talk more about the places mentioned here or if you have any more questions, just message me or leave a comment here!