The Shops

Well here are the shops……a note to myself and my bad memory and for anyone who plans to visit japan…first up is Tokyo:

Tokyu Hands
This is where you will find kitchen knick knacks, Print Gocco and supplies, stationary, souvenirs, bags…..so many things…. spread over 7 levels. At the rear of Takashimaya in Shinjuku. Take the New South exit at Shinjuku Station and walk through 2F (ground floor) of Takashimaya to the back of the store

Kinokuniya
Home of all books and magazines, this is a massive store! Go to 2F for craft books at the rear and 3F for magazines in the back rear corner! Fabulous collection and shame my Australian discount card didn’t work there! Also in Shinjuku and the quickest way is walk behind Tokyu Hands and its there straight ahead of you..this is how they wrap your bags in the rain…practical and cute

Okadaya
whoops not to be confused with department store of similar name odakyu! This was my favourite store in Tokyo and my credit card will attest to that!!! On one side you have 7 levels of various crafts from beading, embroidery, knitting, sewing and a whole level of craft books and next door is 5 or 6 levels of fabric but the ground level has the cottons and linens that I was after. This store is fabulous and I spent many an hour in here and it wasn’t enough. Thank you Pinku for your detailed directions……take the east exit at Shinjuku and look up and you will see the sign and follow it, its just to the left of the Alta Building.

Marunen
This store is in Shibuya and has lots of fabrics and buttons crammed into a few levels….I found some great fabrics on the basement level and they had fabulous leftover fabric FQ’s for $2 each. Take the Hachiko exit with the big intersection and lights, with starbucks on your right its on a corner to your left with lots of fabrics outside and a green awning…note the store name is in Japanese so just look for the fabrics outside

Loft
This store is also in Shibuya and is fabulous for sticky tapes (or deco tapes as I’m now told they are called in Japan), stamps, stickers, stationary and cute bags….I love this store and remembered it well from my last trip…..I spent over $160 on tapes, stickers and writing paper so its gooooooood. Its on the west side of Shibuya station just behind the Seibu department store with a big yellow sign so you can’t miss it

La Droegurie
This is a gorgeous store and very cute indeed…..lots of buttons and beads I’ve never seen anywhere else but be warned its expensive! I spent about $51 on a handful of beads but they were so cute including little undies and t-shirt beads. Its in Harajuku just as you get to the Ometasando Hills building on your left there is a small laneway before it with an organic store on the right, take the lane way and its on your left.

Marimekko
I actually preferred the store in Kyoto which was smaller but had a large table of remnants and a basket full of fabric pieces costing $2-$10 and when a metre ranges from $44 to $70 this is a great find…..the fabrics are just gorgeous and I had my eyes on a few fabrics but with hubby behind me and a large shopping bill I wasn’t allowed to buy anymore than remnants. Its in Harajuku just to the left of the big Ralph Lauren building on the left just as you’ve walked past the big Gap store on the corner

last but not least Tomato
what a store! 7 levels of fabrics and a gorgeous store….I was warned to take cash and $700 was not enough for all the fabrics we bought! this is the home of fabrics in Nippori textile town. Nippori is on the Yamanote line and was about 20 minutes from our hotel in Shinagawa…….take the East exit, turn right and follow signs to textile town….a street of fabric stores but Tomato had the most comprehensive range. Just start on the ground level and keep going up and up and up…the top level has a large range of Michael Miller and quilt fabrics…fabulous store and one of the highlights of the trip. They have a few other stores opposite with tapes etc but we didn’t make it there…next trip I’ll go on two mornings as we ran out of cash and hands

If you make it to Kyoto there is a wonderful store called Nomura Tailor on the main shopping street. I got wonderful little kits to make baby toys and rattles, buttons, trims, a great range of fabrics and cheaper prices than Tokyo….this was a great store and if you’re in Kyoto do it! I think the street is called shoji rori but its the main shopping street and on your left past Daimuru.

I think thats it…back to the unpacking…..