Harajuku: Neighborhoods: luckymag.com

1

Boutique

With its shiny crimson walls and floor, spidery black lamps, and generous use of cast-silver skulls as decor, this dramatic shop feels like Dracula's rec room. But the clothes set a different tone: striking, quite wearable pieces in rather sedate hues.
3-21-21 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, 03-5771-0044

Products: Women's Clothing
Type of Store: Boutique

2

Burberry Blue Label

This sporty, youthful Burberry line is exclusive to Japan, so come here for a classic soft tote or silk scarf emblazoned with a take on the brand's signature plaid.
6-18-12 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, 03-3406-8681

Products: Women's Clothing, Bags
Type of Store: Boutique

3

Beams T

The display at this high-concept T-shirt shop is mesmerizing: A mechanized dry-cleaner-like track, upon which hang tees designed by graphic artists, slowly whirs across the store's ceiling, allowing shoppers to see and contemplate each design.
3-25-15 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, 03-3470-8601

Products: Women's Clothing
Type of Store: Boutique

4

Chicago

There are plenty of places where one can pay big bucks for a vintage kimono, but if, like us, you're more interested in wearing than collecting, visit secondhand store Chicago. The pickings are bountiful and in good condition, and the prices largely run under $80.
Basement, 6-31-21 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, 03-3409-5017

Products: Women's Clothing, Vintage
Type of Store: Boutique

5

Dual

The entrance to this risk-taking shop isn't visible from the street, so look for the psychedelic mural out front. European and Brazilian designers get equal representation on the racks; we were especially fond of Rio de Janeiro-based Drosófila's peacock-feather-design skirts and denim knickers by Dual's own Dressing Down line.
5-12-14 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, 03-5468-8635

Products: Women's Clothing
Type of Store: Boutique

6

Factory

Located on a bustling drag famous for its amazing (and much-photographed) street fashion, basement-level Factory and its contents are just as inspiring as what's going on outside. Shoppers are encouraged to mix pieces that might seem absurd (like a unisex striped top with a chiffon lace-trim skirt), but in the hands of the masterful shop girls, the combinations end up looking splendid.
Basement, 6-8-4 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, 03-5466-7371

Products: Women's Clothing
Type of Store: Boutique

7

Florent

There are two neighboring branches of this mellow boutique; one sells more upscale lines, some of which are familiar to American eyes, while the other stocks a good percentage of the house label, which favors feminine shapes and simple embellishment.
5-13-2 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, 03-5774-0292;
5-12-11 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, 03-5774-1201

Products: Women's Clothing
Type of Store: Boutique

8

Hanjiro

You'd need hours at this warehouse-size store full of reworked vintage items to take it all in. Sifting through the masses of altered '80s rock tees and halter dresses made from old scarves takes time, and you won't want to overlook any detail of the obsessively clever interior, featuring hubcap-tiled dressing rooms and chipmunks living in cages inset in the walls.
3F, 4-31-10 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, 03-3796-7303

Products: Denim, Women's Clothing, Vintage
Type of Store: Boutique

9

Kiddy Land

The Japanese know how to do toys, and this six-floor emporium is a hypnotizing wonderland. We drifted, rapt, from aisle to aisle: a pyramid of plastic blocks that sing children's melodies; a bin of sleepy-eyed orange plush mammoths; grow-your-own canned beans that sprout to reveal printed greetings on the pods. Nothing in the U.S. comes even close to this.
6-1-9 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, 03-3409-3431

Products: Gifts/Design
Type of Store: Boutique

10

Kiwa

The variety of beads here is beyond comprehensive: opalescent cabochons, metallic rosettes, enameled discs, neon cameos, giant sherbet-hued pearls, and literally tens of thousands of other varieties compete for attention.
4-25-36 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, 03-3478-6531

Products: Jewelry
Type of Store: Boutique

11

Matsumoto Kiyoshi

The Japanese equivalent of Walgreens, but stocked with super specific products—like scented floss to string through your earring holes to clean them—this mega-drugstore is supremely entertaining.
1-16-7 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, 03-3423-5115

Products: Beauty, Books/Stationery, Gifts/Design
Type of Store: Department Store

12

No. 11

Though it's owned by the same fashion group behind 0044 Boutique, No. 11 could not be more different. Soft music plays, candles light the store at night, and literally everything, from the romantic clothing to the shabby-chic decor of the space itself, only comes in shades of white.
3-22-6 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, 03-5413-5511

Products: Women's Clothing, Jewelry
Type of Store: Boutique

13

Side by Side

LaForet is Harajuku's biggest and best-known fashion mall (avoid on Saturdays when it's mobbed), and Side-by-Side is one of its most stylish tenants. A striking Japanese-born, London-based stylist heads things up, and her superlative blend of little-known European brands always veers toward the adventuresome.
In LaForet, 2.5F, 1-11-6 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, 03-5775-1975

Products: Women's Clothing, Bags, Jewelry
Type of Store: Boutique

14

Sleeping Forest

Slices of tree trunks pave the floor, giant stumps serve as display tables, and lush fake elms tower over shoppers as they consider items with a handcrafted feel. We were especially fond of the calico blouses and the china bowls printed with photorealistic images of peacefully slumbering women.
5-17-24 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, 03-5766-3015

Products: Women's Clothing, Tabletop, Gifts/Design
Type of Store: Boutique

15

Team of Beaten

A half-sweet, half-wicked influence has infiltrated nearly every garment by this popular line, which favors Goth motifs and fantastical doodly prints.
In LaForet, 5F, 1-11-6 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, 03-3402-3470

Products: Women's Clothing
Type of Store: Boutique

16

United Arrows

Similar to Beams (see the Shibuya section), this large boutique chain features a varying selection from store to store. For the greatest variety of merchandise, stick to its Harajuku flagship, an airy stainless steel and glass wonder filled with a plenitude of understated lines.
2-31-12 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, 03-3479-8176

Products: Denim, Lingerie/Loungewear, Women's Clothing, Shoes, Bags, Jewelry
Type of Store: Boutique

17

Four Can't-Fail Souvenir Spots

Here's where to pick up traditional goods for the folks back home.

It's unabashedly touristy, but elephantine ORIENTAL BAZAAR (5-9-13 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, 03-3400-3933) covers all the essentials, from cotton yukata (kimono-like robes) to glazed sake sets.

In operation since 1663, ultra traditional KYUKYODO (5-7-4 Ginza, Chuo-ku, 03-3571-4429) doesn't mess around when it comes to papers, pens, brushes, and inks.

Claustrophobic and cluttered beyond belief—yet somehow entirely charming—MARUARA-WATANABE (16-8 Udagawa-cho, Shibuya-ku, 03-3461-0064) offers great silk pouches and geta (wood sandals).

And wild card MANNENYA (5-3-18 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, 03-3373-1111) is a hipster-favored resource for blue-collar uniforms and accessories (its slouchy construction-worker pants have a minimalist appeal).

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Tokyo Shopping Guide

Harajuku

Boutique

Burberry Blue Label

Beams T

Chicago

Dual

Factory

Florent

Hanjiro

Kiddy Land

Kiwa

Matsumoto Kiyoshi

No. 11

Side by Side

Sleeping Forest

Team of Beaten

United Arrows

Four Can't-Fail Souvenir Spots

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