Shopping - Tokyo - page 237

FASHIONS
The department stores and shopping malls listed earlier are all good places to check out
the latest trends. For inexpensive, basic clothing (think Japanese version of Gap), look for
one of the 40-some Uniqlo shops in Tokyo selling T-shirts, jeans, socks, shirts, and other
clothing for the whole family. A convenient location is 5-7-7 Ginza, on Chuo Dori
( & 03/5569-6781; station: Ginza). Another popular chain, selling minimalist yet hip
cotton clothing in basic colors, is Muji, with its flagship located next to the Tourist
Information Center at 3-8-3 Marunouchi ( & 03/5208-8241; station: Yurakucho).
Second-hand clothing, which made its first appearance in Japan after the economic
meltdown, is now “in,” with several shops catering to young Tokyoites in Harajuku,
offering mostly American but also Japanese used clothing. My favorite is Hanjiro, on the
third and fourth floors of YM Square (and across Meiji Dori from La Forêt, below), at
4-31-10 Jingumae ( & 03/3796-7303 ). It carries used clothing in addition to its own
original brand. Kinji ( & 03/6406-0505 ), in the basement of the same building, special-
izes in used clothing, as does Chicago, with two locations in Harajuku, at 26-26 Jingu-
mae ( & 03/5414-5107 ), with men's, women's, and children's second-hand clothing, and
at 6-31-21 Jingumae ( & 03/3409-5017 ), which also sells used kimono at the far corner
of the basement.
Otherwise, Harajuku and Shibuya are the places to go for hundreds of small shops
selling inexpensive designer knockoffs, as well as fashion department stores—multisto-
ried buildings filled with concessions of various designers and labels. The stores below are
two of the best known and largest.
La Forêt This is not only the largest store in Harajuku but also one of the most fash-
ionable, appealing mostly to teenage and 20-something shoppers. Young and upcoming
Japanese designers are here as well as established names, in boutiques spread on several
floors. There's so much to see—from pink frilly dresses to Goth—you can easily kill a
few hours here. Open daily 11am to 8pm. 1-11-6 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku. & 03/3475-0411.
Station: Meiji-Jingumae (1 min.) or Harajuku (3 min.). On Meiji Dori, just off Harajuku's main
intersection of Omotesando Dori and Meiji Dori.
Parco A division of Seibu, Parco is actually two buildings clustered together and called
Parco Part 1 and Part 3 (Part 2 recently closed). Parco Part 1 is the place to go for designer
boutiques for men and women, with clothes by Japanese designers, such as Yohji Yama-
moto and Tsumori Chisato, and such foreign designers as Anna Sui and Vivienne West-
wood. Part 3 is devoted to casual, young fashions. Parco has two sales a year that you
shouldn't miss if you're in town—one in January and one in July. Open daily 10am to
9pm. 15-1 Udagawacho, Shibuya-ku. & 03/3464-5111. Station: Shibuya (Hachiko exit, 4 min.)
Designer Boutiques
Ginza is home to international designer names, including Prada, Cartier, Chanel, Chris-
tian Dior, and Louis Vuitton. For top Japanese designers, the block between Omotesando
Crossing and the Nezu Museum (currently undergoing renovation) in Aoyama (station:
Omotesando, 2 min.) is the Rodeo Drive of Japan. Even if you can't buy here (steep
prices for most pocketbooks), a stroll is de rigueur for clothes hounds and those inter-
ested in design. Most shops are open daily from 11am to 8pm. Issey Miyake
( & 03/3423-1408 ), on the left side as you walk from Aoyama Dori, offers two floors of
cool, spacious displays of Miyake's interestingly structured designs for men and women.
(His very popular Pleats Please line is around the corner on Aoyama Dori, 3-13-21
Minami Aoyama; & 03/5772-7750. ) Across the street is Comme des Garçons

237

9