Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Ginza , stacked with department stores and brand shops, is still regarded as Tokyo's
traditional shopping centre, although Shinjuku has long put up a strong challenge.
Young and funky, Shibuya and Harajuku are probably the most enjoyable places to
shop: even if you don't want to buy, the passing fashion parade doesn't get much better.
Asakusa is home to a plethora of small, traditional crafts shops, particularly on and
around Nakamise-dōri. Akihabara has long been known as “electric town” thanks to
its myriad hi-tech emporia, but is also now the go-to location for manga and anime
goods. Ueno is famous for the lively Ameyokochō market, while Ikebukuro is home to
two mammoth department stores and many discount outlets. Also worth a look are the
shopping malls out at Odaiba , such as Venus Fort (see p.85).
Chic Daikanyama has an appealing village atmosphere and is a good place to check
out up-and-coming Japanese designers as is nearby Naka-Meguro , where a host of
funky fashion shops line the streets beside the Meguro-gawa. Shimo-Kitazawa has a
studenty, bohemian air with shops selling secondhand clothes, where you can scoop
big-name labels at bargain prices - and keep an eye open too for fashion and art
creations by local students.
Tokyo also has a number of wholesale districts that can be fun to poke around. Best
known to visitors are the fish and fresh produce market Tsukiji (see p.80) and
“Kitchenware Town” Kappabashi (see p.72). Other ones to search out include the area
around Edo-dōri , north of Asakusabashi station, which specializes in traditional
Japanese dolls. Further north along Edo-dōri, the area called Kuramae is “Toy Town”,
where shops sell fireworks, fancy goods and decorations, as well as cheap plastic toys of
every description. Bakurochō and Yokoyamachō are the textile districts where you'll also
find shops selling cheap clothes.
ESSENTIALS
Information Good shopping information can be found
online at W tokyo-bazaar.com.
Opening hours Shops are generally open from 10 or
11am to 7 or 8pm. Most shops close one day a week,
18
not always on Sunday, and smaller places often shut on
public holidays.
Credit cards These are becoming more widely accepted,
but it's best to play it safe and have plenty of cash.
ANIME AND MANGA
In Japan all types of cartoons, from comic strips to magazines, are known as manga , while animation is called anime .
Manga are available just about everywhere, from train station kiosks to bookshops - at the latter and in CD shops (see
p.198) you'll also find anime DVDs. The bestselling manga magazine is Shūkan Shōnen Jump , a weekly which regularly
shifts over three million copies. Strips from this and other magazines are collected in graphic-novel style books (known
as tankōbon ) which come in several volumes. There are also dōjinshi - amateur manga, often with sexual themes, that are
produced by fans. These works sometimes emulate the originals so faithfully that it's hard to tell them apart. Akihabara,
Ikebukuro and Nakano are the key areas for anime, manga and associated character goods. Apart from the places listed
below devoted fans should schedule time at the shops in the Ghibli Museum (see p.125).
Comic Tora-no-ana ίϛοΫͱΒͷ͋ͳ 4-3-1 Soto-
Kanda, Chiyoda-ku T 03 3526 5330; Akihabara station;
map p.56. Seven floors of manga and related products,
including self-published works and secondhand comics on
the top floor. There are several other branches across the
city. Daily 10am-10pm.
DUTY FREE SHOPPING
Foreign visitors can buy duty-free items (that is, without consumption tax), but only in certain
tourist shops and the larger department stores. Perishable goods, such as food, drinks, tobacco,
cosmetics and film, are exempt from the scheme, and most stores only offer duty-free if your
total spend in that shop on a single day exceeds ¥10,000. The shop will either give you a
duty-free price immediately or, in department stores especially, you pay the full price first and
then apply for a refund at their “tax-exemption” counter. The shop will attach a copy of the
customs document to your passport, to be removed by customs o cers when you leave Japan.
 
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