Editor’s Note: This article was originally posted Nov 20, 2018 and is regularly updated for relevancy.
Japan is the fashion capital of the streetwear world. They are one of the most style-centric cultures that you’ll find around the globe. They’ve been realising the collectibility of streetwear since the early 90’s, meaning their thrift stores are stacked with grails from every time period.
Japan’s also home to the latest drops in streetwear, where brands are free to push the limits of retail experience. You really can get lost for hours wandering through some of the world’s best flagships, vintage and consignment joints.
This is our definitive streetwear guide to Japan.
Dover Street Market – Ginza
Ginza Komatsu West Building 6-9-5 Ginza Chuo-ku Tokyo 104-0061 Japan
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Dover Street Market in Ginza pushes the boundaries between streetwear, high fashion and modern art. Their retail space is compartmentalized by brand, meaning that each designer is given the opportunity to design the space in which their clothing is showcased. Lookout for Prada’s sculptural exhibition alongside their S/S19 line.
Gr8 – Shibuya
1 Chome-11-6 Jingumae, Shibuya City, Tokyo 150-0001, Japan
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Located in Harajuku’s Laforet Mall, GR8 is about as Tokyo as you can get. Bright neon lights illuminate the stark retail space, filled with glass, chrome and mirrors. They specialise in brands that hover between couture and streetwear like Cottweiler and PAM.
Ambush Workshop – Shibuya
1 Chome-22-8 Shibuya, Shibuya City, Tokyo 150-0002, Japan
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AMBUSH’s Shibuya Workshop is the brands flagship location. Visit here for iconically Japanese jewelry and accessories. Chain link earrings, neon lighter necklaces and layered outerwear pieces dominate this space. They’ve previously collaborated with the likes of Pharrell and Kanye West and have been spotted on everyone from Rihanna to Lady Gaga. Your favourite brand’s, favourite brand.
Nubian – Harajuku
3-21-7 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0001
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If darker, schmoodier streetwear is your forte, be sure to head to Nubian’s storefront in Harajuku. Needles, Off-White, Haider Ackerman, Undercover and Palm Angels are just a few of the more popular designers stocked here. Regularly hosting pop-ups and in store only collabs, Nubian caters to every buyer, no matter how you like to shop.
Kicks Lab – Harajuku
〒150-0001 Tokyo, 渋谷区Jingumae, 4 Chome−32−5 HTSビル
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Stumbling across this Harajuku sneaker store was incredibly detrimental to my travel funds. Here, you can find rows upon rows of new-to-the-market, old faithful and deadstock apparel. But the best part? They’re bound to have your size in stock. The only downside to Kicks Lab is how hard it is to make a decision on what sneaker to cop. (I will not be responsible for insufficient funds for the remainder of your trip.)
RAGTAG – Shibuya
Chome-17-７ Jinnan, Shibuya
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RAGTAG is a Japanese chain store that stocks used, vintage and consignment pieces of the most popular contemporary brands; you can find the likes of A.P.C, Supreme, Gucci, BAPE and Dior all at prices that are incredibly reasonable. As all chains are essentially resell stores, sizing is limited, but between all 3 levels of this particular Shibuya location, it’s easy to find and make at least one valuable cop. If you’re after specifics, all racks of clothing are labelled with the specific brand of clothing they hold, or else feel free to wander between levels with the help of the store elevator.
Lazy Hazy Planet – Shibuya
4-32-12 Jingumae, Shibuya-Ku
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There’s not much to say about Lazy Hazy Planet (L.H.P.) besides the fact that is has everything you need. L.H.P. stocks new to the market items by brands from Pleasures to Gosha Rubchinskiy. I was even lucky enough to cop some FuckTyga pieces that I thought only ever existed on the internet. Items are at retail prices here, making them somewhat pricier, although it’s extremely convenient to have streetwear essentials all under the same roof (and equally dangerous).
Banny
〒150-0001 Tokyo, Shibuya City, Jingumae, 3 Chome−21−21 1F
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Banny is a low-key spot in the middle of Shibuya, always stocked to the brim with amazing vintage pieces. Graphic tee shirts and patterned button-ups for days. Banny’s is also one of the most affordable options on this list, favouring well-aged vintage threads that fit their defined aesthetic, not just pieces for the brand name.
Brand Collect – Takeshita
4 Chome-26-2 Jingumae, Shibuya City, Tokyo 150-0001
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If you’ve got a bit more to spend, Brand Collect has amassed a cultured collection of higher end ($$$$) pieces from Saint Laurent, Hermes, Issey Miyake and Yohji Yamamoto. Everything is kept in amazing condition here and treated like the art it is. They regularly run 20% off promotions as well if you keep an eye out on their Instagram. The more u know.
Don Don Down – Koenji
〒150-0042 Tokyo, Shibuya City, Udagawacho, 25−2 でんえんビル
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Don Don Down (On Wednesday) is in the Koenji area, which along with Shimokitazawa, are probably the best areas if you’re looking to go thrift shopping on the low. In Don Don Down, every item is assigned to a price category. If it doesn’t sell by the following Wednesday, it drops down a price category. Items range from about $80 – $2 AUD so you can always find a steal.
Pinnap Store – Harajuku
3-26-10, Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
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Pinnap is a boutique in Harajuku, focused on delivering choice 90s fashion, specialising in grunge and pastel colors. Come here for oversized button ups and graphic tees from the 90s to early 2000s. Again, Pinnap isn’t the spot to find brand names, they favour kitschy clothing and statement pieces.
Kinji – Harajuku
〒150-0001 Tokyo, Shibuya, Jingumae, 4 Chome−31−１０ YMスクエア原宿B1F
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One thing to be aware of before you go into Kinji – if you are with someone, don’t fucking lose sight of them, otherwise you won’t find them again. Kinji is a second-hand superstore, catering to different types of styles for everyone. Here, you can pick up some great branded and non-branded pieces to put together unique and vintage fits. There’s almost too much to go through in Kinji, although again, clothing is categorised so it’s easy to find what you’re after. I find it particularly troublesome to head into second-hand stores around Sydney and find absolutely nothing but Target basics that smell like mothballs and creepy-as-shit dolls that someone’s grandma has been storing in her closet for 30 years.
Chicago – Shimokitazawa
5 Chome-32-5 Daizawa, Setagaya
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Chicago is like convenient store food – it doesn’t look promising, but on a slim budget, God you’re grateful for it. All your essentials can be found here: Nike, Champion, Adidas, Umbro and enough Dickies boiler suits to earn your own spot in Brockhampton. The store holds extremely affordable vintage items, as well as pricier items from last season. It’s a necessity, especially towards the end of your trip when you realise you’ve been calculating the exchange rate wrong the whole time.
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