Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
233
Yurakucho Marui Marui (which uses the symbols O1O1 as store identification, a
take on the circle, which is maru in Japanese), gained its toehold in the competitive store
business by offering easy-to-obtain credit cards to young shoppers buying clothes or set-
ting up households for the first time. This upscale venue, debuting in 2007 beside JR
Yurakucho Station, marks the chain's coming-of-age, with cool fashions and accessories
aimed at upwardly mobile commuters. Open daily 11am to 8:30pm. 2-7-1 Yurakucho,
Chiyoda-ku. & 03/3212-0101. Station: Yurakucho (1 min.).
Yurakucho Seibu This Seibu branch, connected to Yurakucho Hankyu via covered
square, contains clothing and accessories mostly for women, with a few floors devoted to
men's fashions. All the biggies in Japanese designer names—Issey Miyake, Yohji Yama-
moto, Comme des Garçons—are located on the seventh floor, along with others such as
Vivienne Westood. Open Monday to Wednesday 11:30am to 8:30pm; Thursday and
Friday 11:30am to 9pm; Saturday 11an to 9pm; Sunday and holidays 11am to 8:30pm.
2-5-1 Yurakucho, Chiyoda-ku. & 03/3286-0111. Station: Yurakucho (1 min.) or Hibiya and Ginza
(2 min.). In Yurakucho near the elevated tracks of the JR Yamanote Line, btw. the Hibiya and
Ginza stations.
In Ikebukuro
Seibu Once the nation's largest department store—and still one of the biggest—Seibu
has 47 entrances, thousands of sales clerks, dozens of restaurants, 12 floors, 31 elevators,
and more than 100,000 shoppers a day. Two basement floors are devoted to foodstuffs—
you can buy everything from taco shells to octopus to seaweed. Dishes are set out so that
you can sample the food as you move along, and hawkers yelling out their wares give the
place a marketlike atmosphere. Fast-food counters sell salads, grilled eel, chicken, sushi,
and other ready-to-eat dishes. The rest of the floors offer clothing, furniture, art galleries,
jewelry, household goods, kitchenware, and a million other things. Loft, Seibu's depart-
ment for household goods and interior design, and Wave, Seibu's CD department,
occupy the top four floors of the main building. Many of the best Japanese and Western
designers have boutiques here; it also carries large, tall, and petite sizes on the fourth
floor. Open Monday to Saturday from 10am to 9pm, Sunday and holidays from 10am
to 8pm. 1-28-1 Minami Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku. & 03/3981-0111. Station: Ikebukuro (under-
neath the store).
Tobu/Metropolitan Plaza Once overshadowed by nearby Seibu, this flagship of the
Tobu chain expanded and reopened in 1993 as Japan's largest department store (it has
since been overtaken by other stores, including Takashimaya Shinjuku, below). It consists
of a main building, a connecting central building, and Metropolitan Plaza. It offers
everything from luxury goods and the latest international fashions to hardware, software,
toys, daily necessities, and traditional Japanese products (good for souvenirs). On the
seventh floor are outlets for Uniqlo and Three Minutes Happiness (see “Fashions” and
“Housewares & Interior Design,” respectively, later in this chapter). Its basement food
floor is massive—food accounts for nearly 20% of Tobu's total sales. Here, too, is the
home of the Japan Traditional Craft Center, a must for anyone shopping for traditional
and contemporary handmade Japanese crafts. Open Monday to Saturday from 11am to
9pm; Sunday and holidays from 11am to 8:30pm. 1-1-25 Nishi-Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku.
& 03/3981-2211. Station: Ikebukuro (west exit, 1 min.).
In Shinjuku
Isetan With a history stretching 120 years and attracting more than 30 million cus-
tomers a year, Isetan is a favorite among foreigners living in Tokyo. Now part of the
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