Tokyo Clothes And Fashion Stores. Cruising Tokyo's boutiques and fashion stores , toting a couple of designer-label carrier bags, is such a part of Tokyo life that it's hard not to get caught up in the general enthusiasm. Once you've cut your teeth on the department stores above, it's time to hit the streets. There are plenty of familiar names - Next, Gap and Timberland all have Tokyo outlets nowadays, alongside internationally famous Japanese brands such as Muji, Comme des Garçons, Issey Miyake and Hanae Mori. Most have an outlet along Omotesando , the epicentre of Japanese style, where the designer showrooms make for great window-shopping even if you don't have money to burn, while long-running Hysteric Glamour is one of Harajuku's top boutiques, with the pop stars' favourite Bathing Ape, hot on its heels.
At the other extreme, nearby Takeshita-dori swarms with hordes of high school students, who descend to rummage through stalls selling the latest in recycled grunge gear, while Centre Gai in nearby Shibuya is just as manic, packed with fashion-victim teens and twenty-somethings. For more mainstream clothes at reasonable prices, look out for two local chains: UniQlo, with stores in all major centres including Ueno, Shibuya, Shinjuku and Ikebukuro; and Comme ça du Mode. The latter's main outlet in Shinjuku's Five Foxes' Store has the benefit of a stylish café , while their Harajuku branch resides on the ground floor of the splendidly named Touch Your All building, opposite Harajuku Station.
For a somewhat more relaxed shopping experience, head out to one of the residential neighbourhoods such as Daikanyama and Shimo-Kitazawa , both a short train ride from Shibuya. Daikanyama is the smarter and more expensive of the two, but its village atmosphere is appealing, and it's a good place to check out up-and-coming Japanese designers . Shimo-Kitazawa, on the other hand, has a studenty, bohemian air. There are any number of funky boutiques, some selling secondhand clothes where you can scoop big-name labels at bargain prices, and keep an eye open too for creations by local art and design students. To get there, take the Keio-Inokashira Line four stops from Shibuya, or the Odakyu Line six stops from Shinjuku.