Shopping - Tokyo - page 238

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( & 03/3406-3951 ), Rei Kawakubo's showcase for her daring—and constantly evolv-
ing—men's and women's designs. The goddess of Japanese fashion and one of the few
females in the business when she started, Kawakubo has remained on the cutting edge of
design for more than 3 decades. One of Japan's newer designers, Tsumori Chisato, has
a shop on the left side of the street ( & 03/3423-5170 ). Also worth seeking out is Yohji
Yamamoto on the right ( & 03/3409-6006 ), where Yamamoto's unique, classically wear-
able clothes are sparingly hung, flaunting the avant-garde interior space.
Of the many non-Japanese designers to have invaded this trendy neighborhood in
recent years, none stands out as much as Prada ( & 03/6418-0400 ), a bubble of convex/
concave windows on the right side of the street. On a back street behind Prada are up-
and-coming design houses, including A Bathing Ape ( & 03/3407-2145 ), where DJ/
fashion designer Nigo sells limited editions of his hip T-shirts and shoes. Down the street,
Y-3 ( & 03/5464-1930 ), a collaboration between Yohji Yamamoto and Adidas, is a must
for those who wish to look fashionable while working out.
On the other side of Aoyama Dori, on Omotesando Dori in the direction of Hara-
juku, is Hanae Mori ( & 03/3400-3301 ), the grande dame of Japanese design, with
everything from separates and men's golf wear to haute couture and wedding gowns on
display on three floors of a building designed by Japanese architect Kenzo Tange.
FLEA MARKETS
Flea markets are good places to shop for antiques as well as for delightful junk. You can
pick up secondhand kimono at very reasonable prices, as well as kitchenware, vases, cast-
iron teapots, small chests, woodblock prints, dolls, household items, and odds and ends.
(Don't expect to find any good buys in furniture.) The markets usually begin as early as
dawn or 6am and last until 3 or 4pm or so, but go early if you want to pick up bargains.
Bargaining is expected. Note that since most markets are outdoors, they tend to be can-
celed if it rains.
Togo Shrine, 1-5-3 Jingumae, on Meiji Dori in Harajuku (near Meiji-Jingumae and
Harajuku stations), has a small antiques market on the first Sunday of every month from
6am to 2pm. It's great for used kimono and curios and is one of my favorites. For more
information, see the walking tour of Harajuku and Aoyama in chapter 8.
Nogi Shrine, a 1-minute walk from Nogizaka Station at 8-11-27 Akasaka, has an
antiques flea market from dawn to about 2pm the second Sunday of each month except
November. It has a lovely setting; the shrine commemorates General Nogi and his wife,
both of whom committed suicide on September 13, 1912, to follow the Meiji emperor
into the afterlife. Their simple home and stable are on shrine grounds.
Hanazono Shrine, 5-17-3 Shinjuku, near the Yasukuni Dori/Meiji Dori intersection
east of Shinjuku Station (Shinjuku Sanchome Station, 5 min.), has a flea market every
Sunday from dawn to about 2pm (except in May and Nov, due to festivals).
Yasukuni Shrine, a 3-minute walk from Kudanshita Station, at 3-1-1 Kudanshita,
holds a flea market every Sunday from 6am to about 3pm on the long walkway to this
very famous shrine (see chapter 7 for information on the shrine and its military
museum).
The Oedo Antique Fair, held at 3-5-1 Marunouchi, in the courtyard of the Tokyo
International Forum, beside Yurakucho Station, claims to be the largest outdoor antiques
market in Japan (it has also taken away vendors from Tokyo's other flea markets). Held
the first and third Sunday of the month from 9am to 5pm, it features Western antiques
(at highly inflated prices), as well as Japanese glassware, furniture, ceramics, furniture,

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