Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Asian Shopping, Beyond Chinatown
In chapter 6, I tell you about the
Japan Center
555
(Post St. at
Webster),
an unusual development in the Japantown section of town,
where you can find all manner of souvenirs, foods, housewares, and other
stuff specific to Japanese culture or imported—usually cheaply—from
Japan. A stroll through this sprawling complex, past its sliding screens and
giggling groups of ice-cream-eating schoolgirls, is like a being handed a
mini-education on Japan, only without the 11-hour flight.
Among the coolest stores, most of which sell stuff you'll never find else-
where without a struggle, are
Taiyodo Record
(
%
415/885-2818),
big on
Japan pop music;
Tokaido Arts
(
%
415/567-4390; www.tokaidoarts.com),
for woodblock prints;
Townhouse Living
(
%
415/563-1417),
for tatami
beds, paper lamps, and other authentic housewares;
Japantown
Collectibles
(
%
415/563-2970),
for pop-culture ephemera such as trading
cards and models; and the large
Kinokuniya Bookstore
(
%
415/567-7625;
www.kinokuniya.co.jp),
with lots of books in English about Japan and still
more in Japanese, including comics.
If you dig Asian art and antiques, also check out the gift shop at the
Asian Art Museum (p. 114), which has some excellent high-end replicas
and objets d'art.
God bless a city with a strong Asian contingent and with lots of Asian
tourists—it can support a store as whacked-out as
Sanrio
(865 Market St., at
Powell;
%
415/495-3056; www.sanrio.com),
purveyor of everything kooky and
cute. This leader of the Japanese
kawaii
movement (the one where cute little
things sell like hotcakes) deals in Hello Kitty goodies, pencil cases, toys, and other
cartoon merchandise. Ask if they still have the toasters that burn Hello Kitty's
ghostly image onto your breakfast.
GIFTS
Grown-up toys are found at
Good Vibrations
55
(603 Valencia St., at 17th;
%
415/522-5460; www.goodvibes.com),
a sex shop with a sleek look and no
creepy or sleazy personality issues. While there isn't nearly the wide selection you'd
find at the XXX emporia in North Beach or on mid-Market, the items it does
carry don't stink like poisonous cheap plastic either; most of them have been care-
fully selected by the respectful and knowledgeable staff, which also owns the store.
Women may find the wares more exciting than men will; there's a decided lesbian
bent, although people of all persuasions shop here. It's something of a sexual land-
mark in town. A second store is located at 1620 Polk St. (at Sacramento).
One of the strangest and most interesting stores you're ever likely to peruse, the
wildly eccentric
Paxton Gate
555
(824 Valencia St., at 19th;
%
415/824-1872;
www.paxtongate.com)
is the only store I've ever been to where I could buy a
