Shopping Deals in Tokyo
Shopping is truly heavenly in glitzy Tokyo, where you can discover huge department stores and discount shops almost everywhere you turn. Fashion, electronics, manga comics, even sand of a particular color for your model train set, all of them are sure to be found in Tokyo’s big stores.
An assault from all directions…
All your plans for systematic shopping will be waylaid when you realize the sheer number of shops to choose from. You can start by visiting the Tokyo Midtown complex, the city’s center for luxury shopping. Roppongi Hills, the city’s epicenter of high-brow art galleries and shops, is catching up fast with Midtown’s supremacy.
On a Tokyo shopping tour, you will soon realize that you are not merely shopping but also appreciating the modern architecture of Tokyo’s wildly redesigned districts. Omotesando Hills, for instance, is where you’ll find a whole street of excessively stylish boutiques with elegant residential housing on the upper floors.
Electronics, food and manga
Ikebukuro Sunshine City offers both Japanese and international cuisine on top of specialty stores for manga and the zaniest gag gifts you can ever bring home to your friends. Akihabara has 500 shops that sell all sorts of electronic gadgets, prompting locals to call it the electronic city of Tokyo. The alternative is Laox, a district with great duty-free selections of electronic goods.
Over the top atmosphere
Shinjuku is the land of giant department stores such as Isetan and the Times Square complex. The reclaimed island of Odaiba in Tokyo Bay presents shoppers with futuristic science fiction buildings, inverted pyramids and a beautiful Rainbow Bridge that connects to Tokyo’s mainland. You can even find a Venetian-styled mall here, complete with artificial sunsets and a make-believe mayor who reads Italian speeches.
The wonders of Ginza
For a long time, shopping in Tokyo only meant one thing: retail therapy in Ginza. This upscale district has its own thriving personality. Many major brands have their headquarters, satellite offices or flagship stores here. Merchandise sold in Ginza are said to be fit for the imperial family. Because Ginza is home to the oldest department stores in Tokyo, strolling here will evoke memories of films and pop music inspired by the Ginza phenomenon. After a tiring day of shopping, soak up the atmosphere of some of Tokyo’s cafés that were once frequented by John and Yoko Lennon.
On a quieter note…
If you want to avoid the crowds, it’s at Ebisu Garden Place where you can grab brand names from smaller vendors and still unwind in a quaint British pub right after shopping. The Center Gai in Shibuya is the birthplace of youthful fashion trends that later catch on in the rest of Tokyo. You can find great budget eats here and in other public parks in Tokyo.
Budget alternatives
To be sure, there are cheap choices for shopping in the lesser known alleyways and side streets of Tokyo. In Harajyuku, the Togo shrine flea market is good for antique-hunting. At night, sniff around Ueno’s Ameyoko, where you can sift through 300 stalls selling food, leather goods, watches and fashion apparel.